anonymous

How much is a trillion? A million seconds is 12 days. A billion seconds is not quite 32 years. A trillion seconds is 31,688 years. — anonymous

anonymous

In a New York Times Book Review interview, singer-author Jessye Norman was asked “What was the last truly great book you read?” Norman responded: “The Law of Love and the Law of Violence by Leo Tolstoy. I cannot explain this great book, this guide to nonviolence, better than to take a short passage from it: ‘True religion consists in establishing the relation of each of us towards the infinite life that surrounds us, the life that unites us to the infinite, and guides us in all our acts.’” — anonymous

anonymous

On Sunday 11 May 2014 Germany’s energy needed set a new record, nearly 75%, for renewable energy generation. — anonymous

anonymous

Recalling cynically those politicians who gush on about gallantry and sacrifice in warfare, E.B. Sledge, a veteran of the World War II campaigns at Peleliu and Okinawa wrote, “The words seemed so ridiculous. Only the flies benefited.” — anonymous

anonymous

It is common, as William Sloan Coffin notes, that we are prone to use the Bible as a drunk uses a lamppost—for support rather than illumination. — anonymous

anonymous

In late 2012 the Center for Responsive Politics reported that for the first time in history more than half of Congress—535 Representatives and Senators—are millionaires. In fact, the average net worth for all lawmakers is more than $7 million. Whereas 40% of US citizens’ net worth is zero or less. — anonymous