It is sometimes wise for the candidate to visit with his opponent(s) to inform her, him or them of the decision to run. Simple human dynamics make this an important strategy: it is always easier for people to criticize, attack, or in extreme cases even to vilify an opponent they have never met in person. So the candidate who meets personally with the opposition, and establishes himself as a real, reasonable and serious person, is significantly diminishing the opposition's power of attack.
If the United States is a democracy, then the Founding Fathers must have believed a democratic country was the way to go, right? First of all, the United States of America isn’t a democracy—it’s a republic. (Remember, “and to the republic for which it stands.”) The men who framed the Constitution disagreed on a lot of things, but on one point they stood united—that a democracy was the worst possible form of government. The idea that our country is built on “majority rules” is far from the truth. The Founding Fathers knew that a democracy would quickly lead to mob rule—that’s why our system of government is set up the way it is. We elect senators and congresspeople to represent us in Washington, D.C.; we vote for them, and they’re supposed to vote the way we want. If they don’t vote the way we want, we vote them out of office at the next election. It’s that simple and that complicated—but it’s still not a democracy.
A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.
Carl Sandburg
It’s a battle that’s been fought for ages—is a tomato a vegetable or a fruit? To the smart aleck who says a tomato is a fruit because it grows on a vine, I say, you’re wrong . . . and you’re right. A tomato, according to botanists, is a fruit not because it grows on a vine but because it is considered the “ovary” of the plant (the part containing the seeds). So next time Mr. Know-It-All says a tomato is a fruit, you can tell him so are pumpkins, cucumbers, peas, and corn. A vegetable, in case you’re wondering, is any other part of the plant that is edible: the leaves, the stems, and the roots.
Now based on OxfordDictionaries :
"Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example.
As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits, such as tomatoes or bean pods, may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking. The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come. Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for example.
So, the answer to the question is that a tomato is technically the fruit of the tomato plant, but it's used as a vegetable in cooking."
O carte pe care o recomand ( insomniacilor) este cu siguranta "O istorie culturala a insomniei"(Eluned Summers-Bremner).
O prima problema pe care am avut-o este situatia paradoxala in care eu ma apuc sa citesc in fiecare seara ( asteptand un somn care sa ma linisteasca) o adevarata apologie a insomniei. La fel ca si cei care vor dori sa o citeasca am fost (sunt si voi mai fii desigur) chinuit de insomnii ( long live Stilnox) care, cand eram mai tanar, le priveam ca pe niste binecuvantari ( insomnia urmata de aroganta si falsa superioritate a mea fata de cei care si-au pierdut timpul dormind intr-o inconstienta vecina mortii) si in ultimii ani ca niste chinuitoare ore in care incercam sa lupt cu mintea mea utilizand ratiunea si ( in cele din urma) pastile.
A citit o apologie a insomniei seara, inainte de culcare pare cel putin ciudat. Si da, fie cartea sau o perioada stresanta, mi-au provocat cateva insomnii. Ceea ce nu ma face sa nu o recomand.
Desi autoarea este din Noua Zeelanda ea are o abordare specifica enciclopedismului francez completata (uneori genial) de faptul ca tine cursuri de teoria psihanalizei si aplicatiile clinice ale acesteia.
Citind si recomandarea facuta de editura :
" Se spune că vom deveni o lume de insomniaci. Totuşi, această stare frustrantă de nesomn continuă să afecteze omenirea de milenii. În acest fascinant şi inovator studiu, Eluned Summers-Bremner porneşte de la insomniacii care apar în Iliada şi Odiseea lui Homer şi de la mesopotamiana Epopee a lui Ghilgameş, până la Gabriel García Márquez, spre a demonstra că insomnia este o temă recurentă a culturii.
Dincolo de o lectură a celor mai eficiente metode de a învinge insomnia, cartea nu te va ajuta să adormi, ci să conştientizezi natura problemei şi neobişnuit de bogata moştenire culturală a acesteia."
