My Gödel Number is 4: My advisor at Boston College was Gabor Kalman, whose advisor at Technion (Israel) was Nathan Rosen, who had collaborated with Einstein (on the EPR Paradox), who worked with Gödel.

Vipassana

Vipassana is a meditation technique discovered in 5th century B.C. by Gautama The Buddha which aims at changing the habit pattern of subconscious mind for the better. It is taught (free of charge) in meditation centers in many countries including USA. You can visit their website for more details. It is taught in Virginia too!


Here is the link to a wonderful article by Dalai Lama that appeared in the New York Times on April 26, 2003:

The Monk in the Lab

By TENZIN GYATSO

Dharamsala, INDIA

These are times when destructive emotions like anger, fear and hatred are giving rise to devastating problems throughout the world. While the daily news offers grim reminders of the destructive power of such emotions, the question we must ask is this: What can we do, person by person, to overcome them?

Of course such disturbing emotions have always been part of the human condition. Some, those who tend to believe nothing will "cure" our impulses to hate or oppress one another, might say that this is simply the price of being human. But this view can create apathy in the face of destructive emotions, leading us to conclude that destructiveness is beyond our control.

I believe that there are practical ways for us as individuals to curb our dangerous impulses, impulses that collectively can lead to war and mass violence. As evidence I have not only my spiritual practice and the understanding of human existence based on Buddhist teachings, but now also the work of scientists....

[Due to copyright issues, I am not reproducing the whole article. This article will remain freely accessible via the link that I have put above for few weeks. After that you'll need to either pay NYTimes for it or look it up in some library. You can also email me, and I shall pass on the article to you as private communication.]

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Link to strips of the cool comics of: CALVIN AND HOBBES