We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.
—Jimmy Carter

In a Christmas Day letter to his friend, Col. John Page, Thomas Jefferson wrote:

My mind has been so taken up with thinking of my acquaintances, that, till this moment, I almost imagined myself in Williamsburg, talking to you in our old unreserved way; and never observed, till I turned over the leaf, to what an immoderate size I had swelled my letter &mdash however, that I may not tire your patience by further additions, I will make but this one more, that I am sincerely and affectionately, Dear Page, your friend and servant.

Reimincing and pausing during a moment of celebration seems to have two effects on people. The more obvious is the public display of mirth and jollity (as Jefferson would say) that, when surrounded by others in the same spirit, brings an amazing energy and excitement to the air. Yet, just as TJ finds himself in this very situation, the good times can be exhausting, overwhelming and even depressing. Comparing where we stand now to where we've been, to the point where we could easily be swept up by the vivid memories that we long to revisit. How good it can feel to lose yourself in these thoughts, even if it does - in retrospect - turn out to be a few pages or hours longer than you intended. That is when the danger sets in: when it gets to the point of consuming you. Trapping you to live in the past. Fortunate for our lone writer here, he steps back into the moment, happy to be reaching out for friends who can lend an ear.

Maybe this is only an old part of Virginia tradition. But perhaps no matter from whence we come these thoughts weigh heavy. We all have longings. Sometimes for the familiar in times of change. Sometimes for the happiness and connection to others in any experience. Sometimes for peace and balance along life's path.

Read of old coke and young ladies in the 1762 letter.

Get lost in UVa Library's extensive digital TJ collection.

We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.
—Jimmy Carter

Keeping track of where your online reading takes you can be worthwhile. Here's an example. Today starts with cnn.com where the new cover story from Time magazine features the hype and preview of Star Wars: Episode II. Why not? Take a look. It's a cultural phenomenon. Time's feature includes a look into the lives of the leads, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. The big picture: what are they doing between now and the filming of the third act in Lucas' operetta next year. One bit of information about Ms. Portman is curious. She recently opened up to the Harvard campus with a smart editorial response to an op-ed piece in The Crimson about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Taking an approach outside of the current American political views, she raises an important challenge:

We must be ashamed of every act of violence and mourn every child as if they were our own. I pray for the safety of all those in the region and hope that we may someday use our unique human assets of language and empathy rather than military technology or propaganda to resolve this conflict.

Decide where you stand with Portman's letter to the editors.

Get the big picture about "Mr. and Mrs. Vader".

Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.
—Jimmy Carter

In an interview on NPR shortly after September 11th, Steve McCurry revisited the story behind his portrait of the anonymous Afghan refugee girl:

Her look kind of summed up the horror, because her village had been bombed and her relatives had been killed, and she'd had to make this two-week trek through the mountains to the refugee camp.

Little did he know that six months later his story would be very different:

There was no question in my mind that this was the girl. The eyes were the same, she had the same distinctive scar on her nose. All the facial features matched up. I instantly knew that this was the girl.

He was referring to Sharbat Gula, mother of three and living with her family in remote Afghanistan. She is that haunting face from that arresting photograph taken some seventeen years previous. She is the story of the nation: defined by invasion, resistence, and constant waves of change. Perhaps this time, she will be a face of promise.

Find out how drastic changes are coming to the lives of Afghan women.

Rediscover the story that started it all.

Does the road wind up-hill all the way? Yes, to the very end. Will the day's journey take the whole long day? From morn to night, my friend.
—Christina Rossetti

What makes the college experience unique? Here's a hint: it's not what you see when you take a tour, when you go sightseeing, or when you come back as alumni. The culture surrounding today's institutions of higher learning has to be absorbed while you're experiencing it. Or while you're just beginning to give it that freshman try. Often all you need is a little jumpstart from the upperclassmen. Today, that attitude takes on the general theme of bet you didn't read that in any prospective guide book. It's the lingo, the hotspots on the weekend, the ways you get involved, and oh yes - the traditions - that matter. Even the admissions offices are realizing the trend to share the more casual facts about university life makes the place seem a little more down to earth (it doesn't connect with mom and dad, but it's cool to the kids). So when it comes to bringing in the first years, what better than to turn to the current students who can help them learn the ropes?

Hoo knows their Virginia 101? Brought to you by the CD.

Get your Madison 101 fix from the JMU Breeze.

Sing, creatures, sing / Angels and men and birds, and everything.
—Christina Rossetti

Amazing that we live in a world that celebrates the diversity, splendor, and beauty of this little blue spot. And it's blue. 70% blue. Well, mostly blue. We hold a fine balance of a healthy water system, from oceans to rivers to the little creek behind the house. This stuff becomes an integral part of our culture. That is, the waterways that surround us influence the way we live. Here's a test: what comes to mind when you think St. Louis? The Gateway Arch, good jazz, Mark Twain, and riverboats.

That's what some folks are hoping to do with the Confluence Greenway, a plan to tie rivers to the heritage of this area (and vice versa):

Back in 1764, Pierre Laclede established St. Louis because of the confluence of its three rivers-the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois. Long before any railroads or highways, here was a gold mine for commerce and transportation; the spot where river traffic met in the middle of America's frontier. The Gateway to the West was born.

Say hello to the American Heritage Rivers.

Show Louis and Clark how much the mighty Missouri has changed in 200 years.

If thus to sleep [and dream] is sweeter than to wake, To die were surely sweeter than to live, Though there be nothing new beneath the sun.
—Christina Rossetti

Eros, the Greek god of love, pierces his arrows into the hearts of mankind and stirs up the dreams of romance. We fall into a deep sleep, or trance, upon gazing at the new love of our life: marionettes in the cupid's hands. Is it all trickery and magic? Does the child mean well, or is he causing trouble in the house of the three fates? Mythology tells us that Eros was oft in trouble with his elders for pulling all sorts of pranks and gags. And yet the act of matchmaking that is so central to his powers is a touching and sweet gift. After all, he's a child - the very meaning of innocence and purity. The Met's analysis of this statue:

Eros... has been brought down to earth and disarmed, a conception considerably different from that of the powerful, often cruel, and capricious being so often addressed in Archaic poetry.

How amazing what we can see if we take a second look - a more earnest gaze - beyond just what we see at face value.

Decide for yourself the judgement of Eros.

Zoom in for more detail on Greek art from the Met.

Listening For Smiles

Read it every day.
Venture into the links.
Share new ideas.
Make comments.
Smile.

Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language is considered by some the 'good book' of the architecture and urban planning world. He takes a systematic approach to organizing every detail of a city - from the big picture to the sidewalk. It's a chance to connect your sight of the forest and the trees. Take filtered light for example, one of my favorite things...

Problem:
Light filtered through leaves, or tracery, is wonderful. But why?

Solution:
Where the edge of a window or the overhanging eave of a roof is silhouetted against the sky, make a rich, detailed tapestry of light and dark, to break up the light and soften it.

Chris classifies filtered light as 'construction' in the subcategory called 'surface details'. From this little place in his book you can widen your view (goto natural doors and windows) or narrow to the microscale (goto climbing plants or warm colors). Like the Choose Your Own Adventure books, A Pattern Language gives you infinite possibilities and combinations as you slowly gain a fuller understanding of the full system of ideas.

Try a virtual demo of A Pattern Language.

Visit more moments in God's Country: the New River Valley.

Perhaps in His wisdom the Almighty is trying to show us that a leader may chart the way, may point out the road to lasting peace, but that many leaders and many peoples must do the building.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

In her article for Fast Company, "Remember What Is Important", Pookie Melberg reminds us that for creative people, success comes by focusing on what they're doing instead of whom they should be trying to impress. It's true. From brand, experience and attention to trust and feedback, every step of the creative process requires love. Building that heart-to-heart is a both an individual and group effort. To focus on perfecting the expression of their hearts - whether it's music, images, or words is the ultimate key for any road in life. The February 2002 issue of Fast Company spent an entire issue on this very topic of love. For the first time, it seemed that the mainstream business world finally realized what creative folks have known all along.

See if you agree with Melberg's point of view.

Explore more of the FC: Love issue.

You always admire what you really don't understand.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

In July of 2001, oceanographers from the University of Washington discovered an incredible hydrothermal vent system in the middle of the Atlantic, aptly named "The Lost City of Atlantis." Some of the 'chimneys' for these vents reached over 200 feet above the seafloor, an unprecidented height for these underwater geysers. Why? Unlike previously explored vents, which are formed by volcanic heat, this system is instead fueled by 100% pure liquid hot magma. In the ten months since the discovery, the more that is understood about the Lost City, the more questions that arise. Can more life be supported at the bottom of the ocean than previously thought? Does life exist on other planets, such as Jupiter's icy moons where oceans exist under the surface? Could the origins of life come from the single-celled communities of hydrothermal vents?

"It's a really important find," says Karen Von Damm at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, who studies hydrothermal vents. "It shows that there are still a lot of things down there we don't know about."

So what is the lost city of Atlantis? Everyone from Genghis Khan, Columbus and Napoleon to Neffertiri, da Vinci and Christopher Wren has held a certain fascination for the mythical city. As Plato said in 360 BC: ...in a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea." Indeed, this mysterious realm continues to intrigue us, even in popular culture such as last year's Disney feature film that pulls from a rich history surrounding the search for Atlantis.

Both the science and the myth of these two unknowns are attractive for mankind to pursue. For the thrill of discovery, the challenge of understanding, and the joy of learning are the driving forces that push us onward.

Read and use the interactive article from Science: "Life Without Volcanic Heat."

Do your own research with Walt Disney Pictures Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 2001.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

It's happening. One year ago, David Brooks sparked a new topic of conversation in America. He turned the spotlight on the Millennials, a new generation and their arrival in college. His definition: The Organization Kid. Take a closer look...

The young men and women of America's future elite work their laptops to the bone, rarely question authority, and happily accept their positions at the top of the heap as part of the natural order of life. Professor Herbst of Princeton explained: "They are professional students. I don't say that pejoratively. Their profession for these four years is to be a student." And Brooks went on to explain: That doesn't mean that these leaders-in-training are money-mad (though they are certainly career-conscious). It means they are goal-oriented... They're not trying to buck the system; they're trying to climb it, and they are streamlined for ascent... in general they are happy with their lot. Authors Neil Howe and William Strauss (Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, 2000) enhanced that definition with their own offering: "They're optimists ... They're cooperative team players ... They accept authority ... They're rule followers."

The article continued with a complete history and future insight for the organization kid. Indeed, the story was accurate at the time. But months later, Brooks took time to reevaluate his position: the fall semester brought a world of change. In the November 4th edition of Newsweek, he described the full impact of September 11th on this college community, thus giving a deeper meaning to the original definitions. What will be the next steps for these rising leaders?

Get the full story from the pages of The Atlantic Monthly.

Read Newsweek's "The Organization Kid Revisited".

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Mark Oatney's nature photography is exploring new heights, such as this vine maple and douglas fir in Oregon. From fungi for National Geographic to other assignments in Mali and India, Mark has a keen eye for the small details that are truly down-to-earth.

In an article in American Photo, Miranda Crowell relates one such journey:

He spent several hours shooting in the area before a patch of light and some flowers caught his eye. There he crawled to discover an unexpectedly photogenic star, the checkered beetle.

Watch as Journal E captures the essence of his work.

Go straight to the source.