Curiosity can be very good or very bad. It depends what you do with it and for what reason. You cannot live without curiosity, without anticipation, without interrogation. On the other hand, if you use curiosity just for silly things – it can happen – then why go on? ----Elie Wiesel

I Love this question because it seems so blatantly obvious, doesn't it? Of course, we're curious and know what it is! Yet, if we really take a closer look... really think about it... Doesn't much in our lives become 'habit,' ..extremely rote--"repetition without understanding; mechanical routine?"  So, how often do we truly use that inherent skill? Not too often, right?!  Is that really how we want to live our lives?  Having someone else do our thinking for us, and we just accept that is all there is??

I find it very interesting that if you ask different people what curiosity is, you will get just as many different answers as there are people. And just as the author above suggests--curiosity can be bad just as much as good, yet how many of us think of the 'bad' when we entertain thoughts of curiosity?

This subject is indirectly part of my ongoing quest to understand the nature of political thought in man, the differences and why they occur, and most significantly how 'nature' is impacted by the environment..if it is, and if it is a temporary effect that can be altered by a different or progressive environment. 

I'm also investigating if 'curiosity' was involved in moving away from tribal mentality, an increased desire for independent thinking, critical thinking, a "reason" for doing things beyond basic instincts and intuitions; in other words...curiosity *might* be the basis of original political thought, moving man in different directions from nature... to science.  That is probably pretty much a 'given' in many circles, but my contention is more with which group---liberal or conservative---is best 'served'--pragmatically--by their group's natural curiosity and desire for man's human rights.

But, back to curiosity for now, and what it 'is' for these individuals, as well as for yourself, is what I would like to examine.

Do you relate to any of their answers?

This study poses several interesting questions

Is there a gene that makes one person a liberal or a gene that makes another conservative?
What is the relationship between genetic makeup and environmental influence in determining our political views?
How much free choice do we have in determining our political ideology?
What comes first -- our values or our biological makeup?

I have a new hero, a totally fresh discovery for me. His name is Kevin Jackson, author of The Big Black Lie, a critique of liberal America, and host of The Black Sphere website. He was interviewed recently by Melissa Kite in the Spectator, giving his views on Barack Obama and David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, and, oh my, what refreshing and perspicacious views they are!
He said something that I have long suspected though, for me, it was a truth that dare not speak its name – voting for Obama was racist! Let me qualify that by saying I believe that there were a great many people who voted for him more because of the colour of his skin than his merits as a candidate. Jackson is more direct –“They wanted a black president. Racists that they are.."

Video.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the true romantics at Pizza Hut created the $10 Dinner Box Proposal Package. The package includes everything needed for a proposal of pizza-lovin’ proportions: a stunning ruby and diamond engagement ring, limo service, flowers, fireworks, a photographer and a videographer.
Last but not least, the package comes with a $10 Dinner Box. It includes a medium one-topping rectangular pan pizza, five breadsticks with marinara sauce and 10 cinnamon sticks with a sweet icing cup. (It’s the cinnamon sticks that really seal the deal. :)

Animals, beer, women in bikinis, aging actors — all the things that one would expect from Super Bowl commercials were present and accounted for this year. TIME grades the ads of Super Bowl XLVI

Rosie and Ken are 30-year-old chimpanzees who've never known a day of freedom. They were born in research labs and have spent almost their entire lives being experimented on by scientists in search of cures for human diseases.These two chimpanzees have been infected with viruses, darted, and sedated more than 100 times, and put through dozens of sometimes painful procedures. For years, Rosie repeatedly was given a drug that caused her seizures.

Many companies, especially in the auto and furniture industries, moved plants overseas once China opened its doors to free trade and foreign investment in the last few decades. Labor was cheaper for American companies – less than $1 per hour according to the BCG report. Today, labor costs in China have risen dramatically, and shipping and fuel costs have skyrocketed. As China’s economy has expanded, and China has built new factories all across the country, the demand for workers has risen. As a result, wages are up as new companies compete to hire the best workers.

..And you know, we don't have to get hooked on "Fukitol" (sp?) if we don't want to!!  ..(just teasing DPM:)

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.
The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

Finally, a case where environmentalists and climate change skeptics can agree that human activity is to blame for retreating glaciers. Chilean authorities have charged a man with transporting 11,453 pounds of ice stolen from a glacier in the country's Bernardo O'Higgins national park. The chunks of ancient ice were allegedly bound for sale in the capital city, Santiago. Here, a brief guide to this chilling caper:

Tim Tebow joined NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" for real on Wednesday night. Tebow has been parodied on Fallon's show and on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in recent weeks. Now it was his turn.

Tebow appeared as a guest on Fallon's show, which was taped in Indianapolis. The two talked about about Tebowing, Fallon thanked Tebow for making the season exciting - especially for non-Patriots fans - and the pair discussed Fallon's recent appearance as "Tebowie"

 

I recently seeded an article about a mother that became angry that a man was openly viewing internet porn during late afternoon hours on a Sunday in the public library such that passersby could easily view what he was watching. She was there with her two young daughters that were in the children's section, so most likely they would not have encountered the public viewers where the pornographic content was openly seen.

We all know that it is a Constitutional right to allow pornographic content to be broadcast across the internet.  My question to all of you is why do we see this as a 'right' for the government, yet in private places, e.g. stores and theaters, there is an age restriction?  Is that a result of private 'discretion' to have those age restrictions, or is that a government regulation?  If it's a law or regulation for the private sector---isn't that government hypocrisy? 

Chevrolet rolled out the first Super Bowl smartphone app that allows Big Game watchers to enter a contest to win everything from pizza to a new Camero. Kia is the first company to show its Super Bowl ad ahead of the game in movie theaters. And Coca Cola set up a Facebook page and website so viewers can see its animated polar bears - one cheering for the New England Patriots and the other for the New York Giants - reacting to the game in real time.
"The world is changing," says Pio Schunker, Coca Cola's vice president for creative excellence. "We needed to come to the party with something new and different."

She was so flabbergasted at what she saw on the computer screen at the Lake City branch library that Julie Howe, mom to two elementary-school girls, remembers the exact time.

During the 2011 season, Tebow took more hits inside and outside the pocket than any other NFL quarterback. Those hits take a toll. Rarely do you drive a nail with just one hit from a hammer.

MONROE — It's 5 a.m. at the Werkhoven Dairy — happy hour for Holsteins.

From a 5,000-gallon black tank containing beer and wine, Andy Werkhoven adds two pounds of alcohol to the feed of each of the 1,000 milking cows.

"Cow-bernet," he jokes. Not to mention a little Bud Light, Coors and any other out-of-date alcohol stores can't sell.

Old MacDonald's Farm this isn't.

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some slowing in global growth. While indicators point to some further improvement in overall labor market conditions, the unemployment rate remains elevated.
Household spending has continued to advance, but growth in business fixed investment has slowed, and the housing sector remains depressed. Inflation has been subdued in recent months, and longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable.

If you walk away from holiday dinners fuming that conservative Uncle Morton just can't see your point of view, or that liberal Aunt Betty just doesn't get it, a new finding may make it easier to cool your jets. According to the study, conservatives and liberals pay attention to their environments differently, meaning the two sides of the political spectrum quite literally don't see eye-to-eye.

Hmmm... Ya think?!!

"Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore ridiculed police and prosecutors in emails and phone calls from prison recently, undercutting his claims that he's sorry for his two-year crime spree, the U.S. attorney's office said in court documents filed Tuesday.

From football thugs clashing on the terraces to soldiers killing each other on the front line, most conflict can be blamed on the male sex drive, a study suggests.The review of psychological research concludes that men evolved to be aggressive towards ‘outsiders’, a tendency at the root of inter-tribal violence.It emerged through natural selection as a result of competition for mates, territory and status, and is seen in conflicts between nations as well as clashes involving rival gangs, football fans or religious groups, say the researchers.

Flash back to 4 a.m. Thursday morning, when things were looking relatively good. Though 160,000 customers had been out of power after the first heavy punch, crews had managed to whittle that down to just 15,000 customers.

Then the ice storm hit.

By late Thursday, that 15,000 had ballooned to 280,000 without power. PSE called in crews from seven states and British Columbia. With the ice storm causing more outages, some crews stayed in the field for 40 hours before taking a mandatory break.

Enlarged prostate problems affect more than half of men between 40 and 59 according to statistics. And this figure continues to climb as men grow older. Beyond age 60, prostate problems affect up to 80% of men.

The Greek government has resumed talks with its private creditors in Athens in the hope of sealing a debt relief deal needed to avoid a disastrous default.

Islamic extremism remains Norway's biggest terror threat, but the danger of lone wolf attacks has also increased in the aftermath of a massacre by a homegrown anti-Muslim extremist, Norwegian security service PST said Tuesday