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When the Dutch agreed to let the British keep New York in 1667, it was in exchange for Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) and its then more valuable sugar plantations.
The Case Against Sugar
Gary Taubes
Arriving in Cleveland in the 1850s, he worked in a lard-oil refinery owned by yet another Englishman, C. A. Dean, and acquired extensive experience in making tallow, candles, and coal oil. Then, in 1860, Dean got a ten-barrel shipment of Pennsylvania crude from which Andrews distilled the first oil-based kerosene manufactured in Cleveland. The secret of “cleansing” oil with sulfuric acid— what we now term refining—was then a high mystery, zealously guarded by a local priesthood of practical chemists, and many curious businessmen beat a path to Andrews’s door. An expert on illuminants enthralled by the unique properties of kerosene, Andrews was convinced it would outshine and outsell other sources of light. Finances were tight in the Andrews household—his wife took in sewing to supplement his income—but by 1862, Sam was plotting to leave Dean and strike out on his own. On the lookout for backers, he frequently dropped by the offices of Clark and Rockefeller.
Experiencing is our fundamental activity, and so the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our experience. And the quality of experience depends on state of mind and on depth of concentration. If my life isn’t as satisfying as it could be, is this the fault of my circumstances or of my ability to appreciate them? Is the cause of my discontent internal or external? Are not most of our external conflicts a result of our internal unrest? Much of the time we are so caught up in the content of our lives, the “goodness” or “badness” of what happens to us, that we forget to take any joy in the very fact that we are alive and are able to experience life at all. Regardless of the texture of our lives, we are privileged to be participating in the process called living. Whenever I can see my life from this point of view, I begin to free myself of the pettiness of Self 1 concerns, and to appreciate the best my life has to offer. And with what do I appreciate it? With the gift of awareness, with the quality of my attention, and with the power of my concentration.
Inner Skiing
W. Timothy Gallwey
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