Patrick Henry was a leading advocate of the American Revolution. After over a decade of struggle with the economic and political policies of the British under King George III, many citizens in the American colonies felt the need to resist British encroachment on their civil rights. In March of 1775 the Second Virginia Convention met at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. There 120 delegates, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, met to debate the issue of organizing a militia to resist Great Britain’s oppressive rule. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered a speech which supported military action against the British. This stirring speech swayed the vote and was most likely the deciding factor in committing Virginia troops to fight the British. Less than a month after Henry’s speech, on April 19, 1775, the Battle of Lexington and Concord took place marking the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
The key habits of organisation [Article]
Zen Master Leo Babauta shares his personal organisation habits. Some may be useful to you too.
Want bigger eggs from your chooks? Play classical music [Article]
Innovation: The Invention of a buzzword [Article]
Emma Green, writing in The Atlantic, reminds us that in the 17th century, “innovators” didn’t get accolades. They got their ears cut off.
Shave yo legs – Keb Mo [Video]
A love song like no other? Keb Mo performs Shave yo’ legs
On believing bullshit [Article, link]
Two fascinating articles- The Gervais Principle, & The Gervais Principle, Questioned. If you’re tired of the office bullcrap, definitely must reads, in that order. (will also get you through some time, if that is your thing 😉
Obligatory warning: As mentioned earlier, ideas are really the most dangerous things of all.
Thanks to Don Marti
A creative worker’s CV: Author Italo Calvino [Letters]
“Prepared for the Worst, and becoming more and more dissatisfied with the Best, I am already anticipating the incomparable joys of growing old.”
so ends this wonderful resume that the author Italo Calvino sent his publisher Franco Maria Ricci
[via Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings]
Rules for Civility, from a 14 year old [Article]
Maria Popova discovers the rules for civility that George Washington wrote for himself, when he was 14.
Written of course in the English of his times, here’s an example, on listening:
When Another Speaks be attentive your Self and disturb not the Audience if any hesitate in his Words help him not nor Prompt him without desired, Interrupt him not, nor Answer him till his Speec[h] be ended.
The most dangerous thing, still and always, is an idea.[Video]
What does spying do to the people who do it?
That’s the question writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck asks in “The Lives of Others.” And he asks it in the simplest possible way. Georg Dreyman is a successful playwright, and not just in the theater. He’s respected by his peers and tolerated by the government: “the only non-subversive writer we have.” He lives with an actress, a great beauty who has the misfortune to come to the attention of a government official. He knows he couldn’t seduce her on the strength of his own charm — but what if he got Georg Dreyman out of the way?
Problem: there’s no dirt on Dreyman.
But in the down-is-up world of dictatorships, that only proves he’s guilty of…. something. And so, in the way that officials use their power for personal gain, the Stasi assigns Capt. Gerd Wiesler to eavesdrop on Dreyman.
[via Headbutler]
Think the smallest action has very little impact? Look again [Video]
University of Toronto’s Professor Stephen Morris knock over a 1-meter tall domino that weighs over 100 pounds by starting with a 5mm high by 1mm thick domino. TINY. There are 13 dominoes in this sequence. If Professor Morris used 29 dominoes in total, with the next one always being 1.5x larger, the last domino would be the height of the Empire State Building.