Word of Mouth

How important is word of mouth?
I recently read an interesting article on the website LDS Publisher called the power of a good word
Sometimes word of mouth can push a book, film, CD, or whatever - miles ahead, because someone, somewhere spoke positively about it.
This happened to "The Hunger Games" - a very popular book series, and now motion picture movie.
Read the article and see how popular it became because Stephenie Meyers, author of the Twilight-trilogy, mentioned the book on her website.
We can spread encouragement and positive thinking by using good words about others.
But because there is opposition in all things, we can also spread falseness, hurt, and sorrow.
Choose good words and make the world even better!

Read and Learn

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” —Mahatma Gandhi 


Learning is often associated with words - but not always. Learning is also gathering experience, noticing, observing, trying, and practicing.
Many years ago I read a notebook written by Leonardo da Vinci. One of his flagpoles was that learning comes through experience. I agree, that to truly know and truly understand for yourself, you'll have to experience something - but I also think that much is learned from books. From books and WORDS, we can  expand our knowledge, gather information, and learn to process that information into something worthwhile in our heads. That's a wonderful thing.


Some educations require reading books for 6 years or so, others may get a diploma through additional semesters of practical work. My uncle earned an honest living after only 7 years of primary school. He worked hard and was never a burden to the social system. Others may be awarded the title "eternal students", they never seem to tire of going to classes and studying text books.


No matter what our talents or ambitions are, we are all different - and that makes life - and people - interesting. Literacy is important. I have known adults who do not know how to read and write. I am sorry for all they miss out on, all the good books they cannot read, and the progress they can make through reading. There are some books on Cd's, but the choice is so much better for the reading person.

Words are Wonderful and Dangerous

“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.” —Louisa May Alcott 


This is the "quote of the day" on this site. Have you ever read a book that has changed your way of thinking, changed your way of doing something, or even changed your life?


Throughout history we have seen many writers, philosophers, painters, and thinkers who have spent their days - and life - portraying and displaying their ideas about - and faith -  in something. Some of the well-known authors like Rousseau, John Locke, Montesquieu, Emile de Chatalet, from the time of the French Revolution of 1789, were French enlightenment writers, whose works and ideas influenced important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions. 


One of the paintings and stories from art and history that I have studied, that has made a lasting impression on me, is the painting by Jacques-Louis David of  Marat  from 1793. It has impressed me how a writer lives for his beliefs, and dies for them. Jean-Paul Marat, who spent much time in his bath tub because of a skin disease, was murdered while bathing by Charlotte Corday - a Girordin sympathiser, who came from an impoverished royalist family. She was guillotined herself for her deed.
These people were willing to die for what they fought for.
(Madame Marie Tussaud claimed that the painter David used her wax model of Marat when he painted this painting. She was saved from the guillotine herself, and employed to make death masks of important revolutionary figures like King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, Marat, and others)


I may not agree with all of their ideas, but I admire their passion. They wanted to turn the brains of the people by getting their ideas out there.
The written word can be both wonderful and dangerous. Choose carefully what you read.

Hector - Word of the Day!

Interesting - today the word of the day - is hector. This is a photograph of our Hector, taken today.

Words are exciting - for instance, I choose to think about Hector as brave and dutiful, not a bully or blusterer (see word explanation below). 

You may have seen the movie "Troy", starring Brad Pitt. Well, Hector was played by Eric Bana. He was brave and dutiful, defended his family and his people. I thought about that when we chose the name for our Wheaten Terrier.

Our Hector is definitely not a bully, though as a young dog he wears us out with his energy.

But we love him - he's a sunbeam in our home.

From A.Word.A.Day:
This week's theme: Eponyms hector (HEK-tuhr), noun: A bully or a blusterer, verb tr., intr.: To bully or to bluster.

[After Hector, a Trojan hero in Greek mythology. He was killed by Achilles.
http://wordsmith.org/words/achilles_heel.html . The name is derived from
Greek hektor (holding fast). In the mid-1600s the term was applied to
hoodlums on London streets. Earliest documented use: before 1387.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=hector

NOTES: Hector is a brave and dutiful character, but unfortunately his name
is now sullied in the language. Paris's abduction of Helen brought war to
Troy, yet he now refuses to fight and instead spends time with Helen. In the
painting Hector admonishes Paris who then trades his wreath for his helmet.

Hector hectoring Paris. Helen is in the middle.
http://wordsmith.org/words/images/hector_large.jpg
Art: Pierre Claude Fran�ois Delorme

  "Older children pulled at my beard, Jewish children hectored me with
   eligibility questions."
   Tom Chiarella; A Man's Guide to the Holidays; Esquire (New York); Dec 2011.

Children's Book for the Parents

“A book without words is like love without a kiss; it's empty.” —Andrew Wolfe 
This is the quote for the day on the right side of my blog. 
When my children were little I would take them to the library at least once a week, hoping that they would learn to love books. I would buy books also and read out loud to them.
When choosing books to buy, I thought it was important not only to choose a book that was fun, entertaining, a learning experience, and uplifting for the children - but one that I thought was fun to read! After all, I was the one who was going to read it to the children time and again!! 
We ended up with many Dr. Seuss books, books by Scandinavian authors Astrid Lindgren and Torbjørn Egner, and interesting picture turning/flipping books. Books that I liked, I would gladly read to them a hundred times or more.
So tip for the day: Buy books for your children that you like to read. That way you won't mind when they ask you to read it for the umpteenth time!