Friday, March 19, 2021, Rancho Santana, Tola, Nicaragua


Notes From My Journal

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Kevin K, with whom I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in February 2010, sent me an obit from the NYT for Aleksander Doba, a man who kayaked across the Atlantic three times – twice in his 60s and then again when he was 70. According to the obit, he sustained himself on his third trip by eating his wife’s “fortifying” plum jam. This year, he challenged himself to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. He arrived in Tanzania last month. On the morning of February 22, he reached the summit, with two guides. After taking in the view, he sat on a rock to rest. And then he died. “He said he didn’t want to die in his bed,” his son said. “From what we gather, he was euphoric to reach the summit. Then he sat down and fell asleep.”

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Worth Considering

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“Own only what you can always carry with you: Know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

How to Learn Multiple Languages in 15 Minutes a Day 

If you want to learn a new language or brush up on one you know, forget about the Berlitz or Rosetta Stone courses. Start reading Quora in the language(s) of your choice.

Quora publishes questions and answers (submitted by users) on its website daily. The most popular questions, which are usually the stupidest, rise to the top.

Because the questions are stupid, you won’t run into any answers that you can’t practically figure out yourself without looking. Plus, since they are universally dumb, you’ve may have heard them (or, Lord forbid) asked them before.

Check it out at Quora.com.

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Worth Reading

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“Microaggressions” and Other Dangerous Words

According to an article in Business Insider, there are 14 things you should never say at work (or anywhere else) because they are “indirect expressions of racism, sexism, ageism, or ableism.”

Here are some examples of these “microaggressions”:

* “You’re transgender? Wow, You don’t look like it at all.”

* “Oh, you’re gay? You should meet my friend Ann. She’s gay, too!”

* “My [female] boss is crazy.”

* “Where are you actually from?”

* “The way you’ve overcome your disability is so inspiring.”

* “Your name is so hard to pronounce.”

* “Are you an intern? You look so young!”

* “Is that your real hair?”

To read the article – which includes much-too-long explanations of why these words are offensive, along with suggestions of what to do instead – click here. (Spoiler alert: Most of the time, the suggestion is “Say nothing.”)

Meanwhile…

An Episcopal church in Manhattan is going the extra mile to insure its children feel protected from such dangerous words as “mom” and “dad.” Read the story here.

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