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;void(0)) OBESITY --- O.S.S. --- OBITUARY --- OBJECTIVITY OBSCENITY --- OBSCURITY --- OBSERVATION OBSESSION --- OBSTACLES . . . OBESITY see: "DIET" see: "EXERCISE" see: "FAT" see: "THE BODY" for other related links - THE PERILS OF OBESITY Yesterday my gun exploded When I thought it wasn't loaded; Near my wife I pressed the trigger, Chipped a fragment off her figure. 'Course I'm sorry and all that, But she shouldn't be so fat. --Harry Graham (1874—1936) British writer and journalist. _Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes_ [1899] - Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character. --Oscar Levant (1906—1972) American pianist and actor. "Memoirs of an Amnesiac" [1965] Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous. --William Shakespeare (1564—1616) English dramatist. _Julius Caesar_, I, ii [1599] ----- avoirdupois [av-uhr-duh-POIZ; AV-uhr-duh-poiz], noun: 1. Avoirdupois weight, a system of weights based on a pound containing 16 ounces or 7,000 grains (453.59 grams). 2. Weight; heaviness; as, a person of much avoirdupois.  . . see: "CIA" see: "SPY" see: "WORLD WAR II" When Julia McWilliams left Newport News, Va., by troop train to travel to California before her assignment in Southeast Asia, she was instructed to tell people she was a file clerk. She had been sworn to secrecy and forbidden to keep a diary. It was February 1944. After seven days' travel by train and seven days of orientation in California, Julia and several other women were issued gas masks, fatigues, bedrolls, canteens, and pith helmets. In Long Beach, as these female civilians boarded the SS Mariposa, a cruise ship converted to a troop ship, they were greeted by the loud music of a band and the raucous wolf whistles of 3,000 enlisted men. At sea the following morning, Julia, ever a leader, organized her friends to spread the word that they were traveling missionaries. (The men never fell for it.) The nine women shared one tub, toilet, and sink and washed out their stockings in their helmets. Stopping once along the way to take on fresh water, "We jumped off in Perth, Australia, and promptly hit the bars, then went looking for kangaroos," she recalled recently. Their ship was under military escort for the final week of travel, for fear of encountering Japanese submarines. "Then, right after arriving in Bombay," Julia says, "we were startled by the sounds of a great explosion — a true snafu!" she chortles. "A ship in the harbor had caught fire and gotten loose from its moorings. The British, who ran everything in those days, were accustomed to taking two-hour lunches. So the unattended ship drifted into an ammunition ship, which then blew up." Thus began the service and subsequent adventures of the woman we now know as Julia Child (her married name). Three-plus years in the newly organized Office of Strategic Services (OSS) — the first centralized U.S. spy service — would forever change the life of the late-blooming, 31-year-old Californian. --Marguerite Jordan, "Julia Child - Cooking Up Intrigue", _Military Officer_ [January 2003] - - The OSS (Office of Strategic Services} employed 4,500 women who served in every position from code clerk to spy, and many of them joined the CIA. Eloise Page, who began as [William] Donovan's secretary in the OSS and became an OSS and CIA case officer, rose to become station chief in Athens. It was the first time a female officer had headed a major station. ... At one point, the CIA wanted Page to head a new technology unit to be called the Scientific Operations Branch. "I'll be damned if I'll be the chief SOB," she said. The agency renamed the branch for her. --Ronald Kessler (b. 1947) American journalist and author. _The CIA at War_, ch. 12 [2003] . . see: "DEATH" for related links All publicity is good, except an obituary notice. --Brendan Behan (1923—1964) Irish poet, novelist, and playwright. Quoted in "Sunday Express" (London) [5 January 1964]. I read "The Times" and if my name is not in the obits I proceed to enjoy the day. --Noël Coward (1899—1973) English playwright, actor, and composer. Quoted in _The Folio Book of Humorous Anecdotes_, introduced by Edward Leeson [2005], "Death". I have never taken anybody's life, but I have often read obituary notices with considerable satisfaction. --Clarence Darrow (1857—1938) American lawyer. Testimony before congressional committee [1 February 1926]. ^ The actor John Le Mesurier arranged for his own death notice to appear in _The Times_ when appropriate. It duly appeared on 16 November 1983, in the form: 'John Le Mesurier wishes it to be known that he conked out on November 15th. He sadly misses family and friends.' His last words were, 'It's all been rather lovely.' --_The Folio Book of Humorous Anecdotes_ Introduced by Edward Leeson [2005], "Death" ^ Nobody has worked harder at inactivity with such a force of character, with such unremitting attention to detail, with such conscientious devotion to the task. --Walter Lippmann (1889—1974) American journalist. Obituary of Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933). I always wait for _The Times_ each morning. I look at the obituary column, and if I'm not in it, I go to work. --A.E. Matthews (1869—1960) English actor. In Leslie Halliwell _The Filmgoer's Book of Quotes_ [1973]. [When asked by David Frost: "How would you like the first line of your obituary to read?":] He died. --Eugene McCarthy (1916—2005) American politician; U.S. Senator [1959-71]. _Los Angeles Times_ [11 December 2005], "Eugene McCarthy; Candidacy Inspired Antiwar Movement" A Steinway will never sound quite the same again. --Steinway & Sons, piano manufacturer. Sole copy in ad honoring the memory of Vladimir Horowitz who had just died, _New York Times_ [10 November 1989]. - I wake up in the morning and dust off my wits, I grab the newspaper and read the obits. If I'm not there, I know I'm not dead, So I have a good breakfast and go back to bed. --From a turn-of-the-century parlor song, as quoted in Studs Terkel _Coming of Age_ [1995]. Jeffrey Bernard, a famously bibulous columist for London's Spectator, was often unable to write his column. In its place would appear the words, "Jeffrey Bernard is unwell." When he died in 1997 the notice was, "Jeffrey Bernard is very unwell." --anon.  OBJECTIVITY . . see: "FAIRNESS" see: "IMPARTIALITY" see: "REALISM" see: "THE MIND" for other related links Women lack an objective point of view, and have not the inclination or ability to weigh and dissect dispassionately. As female political dominance has increased, our august national watchwords of life, liberty, and property have yielded to "You're being mean to me!", "Don't you dare touch that child!," and prissy reprimands of "incivility" directed against anyone with a rigorous, unequivical manner of speaking. --Florence King (b. 1936) American journalist, essayist, and novelist. "National Review" [1996] - Whenever you tear an idea from it's context and treat it as if it were a self-sufficient, independent item, you invalidate the thought process involved. A context-dropper forgets or evades any wider context. He stares at only one element, and he thinks, 'I can change just this one point, and everything else will remain the same.' --Leonard Peikoff (b. 1933) Canadian-born American philosopher. _Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand_ [1991] - Context-dropping is one of the chief psychological tools of evasion. --Ayn Rand (1905—1982) Russian-born American writer. _The Virtue of Selfishness_ [1964] We don't see things as they are, but as we are ourselves. --Henry M. Tomlinson (1873—1958) English novelist and journalist. _Out of Soundings_, ch. 10 [1931] ----- disinterested (adj.) [dis-'in-tre-stid or dis-'in-trê-stid] Unbiased, objective, having no vested interest in; indifferent, lacking interest in. . . see: "CURSING" see: "SWEARING" see: "VULGARITY" see: "IMMORALITY" for other related links see: "COMMUNICATION" for other related links He uses language that would make your hair curl. --W. S. Gilbert (1836—1911) English writer of comic and satirical verse. _Ruddigore_, act 1 [1887] Many women, particularly young women, have claimed the right to use the most explicit sex terms, including extremely vulgar ones, in public as well as private. But it is men, far more than women, who have been liberated by this change. For now that women use these terms, men no longer need to watch their own language in the presence of women. But is this a gain for women? --Margaret Mead (1901—1978) American anthropologist. Attributed in "Reader's Digest" [1987]. When seen obscene when heard absurd but done great fun. --attributed to John O'Mill Shakespeare, Madam, is obscene, and thank God, we are sufficiently advanced to have found it out! --Frances Trollope (1780—1863) English author [mother of Anthony Trollope.] Quoting a remark made to her by an American in: _Domestic Manners of the Americans_ [1832]. . . see: "MYSTERY" see: "SECRETS/SECRECY" see: "UNDERSTANDING" Words, like glasses, obscure everything they do not make clear. --attributed to Joseph Joubert (1754—1824) French philosopher. That must be wonderful; I have no idea of what it means. --attributed to Jean Molière [Jean Baptiste Poquelin] (1622—1673) French comic dramatist. Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. --attributed to Napoleon I (1769—1821) Emperor of France [1804—1815]. Those who know they are profound strive for clarity. Those who would like to seem profound strive for obscurity. For the crowd believes that if it cannot see to the bottom of something it must be profound. It is timid and dislikes going into the water. --Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844—1900) German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture. _The Gay Science_ (Die fröhliche Wissenschaft) [1882] [Georg Hegel] set out [his philosophy] with so much obscurity that people thought it must be profound. --Bertrand Russell (1872—1970) British philosopher, mathematician, and Nobel laureate. _Unpopular Essays_ [1950] "Philosophy and Politics" ;void(0)) OBSERVATION . . see: "ATTENTION (PAYING)" see: "AWARENESS" see: "EXPERIENCE" see: "EYES" see: "PERCEPTION" see: "SEEING" see: "VIGILANCE" see: "DISCOVERY" for other related links I'm not smart. I try to observe. Millions saw the apple fall but Newton was the one who asked why. --Bernard Baruch (1870—1965) American financier. Quoted in _New York Post_ [24 June 1965]. You see but you do not observe. --Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859—1930) Scottish-born writer of detective fiction. _A Scandal in Bohemia_ [1891] Observe all men; they self most. --Benjamin Franklin (1706—1790) American politician, inventor, and scientist. _Poor Richard's Almanack_ [August 1740] See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little. --generally attributed to Pope John XXIII (1881—1963) 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. ^ Henri Matisse (1869—1954) French painter. Matisse's painting, _Le Bateau_ hung upside down in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, for forty-seven days before anyone noticed (October 18-December 4, 1961). In that period 116,000 had visited the gallery. --_Bartlett's Book of Anecdotes_ edited by Clifton Fadiman and André Bernard [2000 ed.] ^ ... I am a confirmed saunterer. I love to be set down haphazard among unknown byways; to saunter with open eyes, watching the moods and humors of men, the shapes of their dwellings, the criss-cross of their streets. It is an implanted passion that grows keener and keener. The everlasting lure of round-the- corner, how fascinating it is! --Christopher Morley (1890—1957) American journalist, novelist, and poet. "Sauntering" In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind. (Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.) --Louis Pasteur (1822—1895) French chemist and bacteriologist. Address in Lille, France [7 December 1854]. A traveller without observation is a bird without wings. --Sa'di [Muslih-uddin] (c. 1184—1291?) Iranian poet. Attributed in Tryon Edwards _A Dictionary of Thoughts__, p. 581 [1908]. ... that power of accurate observation which is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. --George Bernard Shaw (1856—1950) Irish dramatist and critic. Quoted in Hesketh Pearson _George Bernard Shaw: His Life and Personality_ [1942]. 'That was excellently observed,' say I, when I read a passage in an author where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to be mistaken. --Jonathan Swift (1667—1745) Anglo-Irish poet and satirist. _Thoughts on Various Subjects_ [1706] ----- descry [dih-SKRY], transitive verb: 1. To catch sight of, especially something distant or obscure; to discern. 2. To discover by observation; to detect. . . see: "ATTRACTION" see: "DESIRE" see: "FANATICS" see: "EMOTIONS & FEELINGS" for other related links Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful. --Aldous Huxley (1894—1963) English novelist {grandson of T.H. Huxley}. _Do What You Will, Essays_, p. 303 [1930] Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism. --Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychologist. _Erinnerungen, Träume, Gedanken_ (Memories, Dreams, Reflections), ch. 12. [1963] Beware the politically obsessed. They are often bright and interesting, but they have something missing in their natures; there is a hole, an empty place, and they use politics to fill it up. It leaves them somehow misshapen. --Peggy Noonan (b. 1950) Speechwriter for U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. _What I Saw at the Revolution_ [1990] "Another Epilogue" ----- monomania (noun) [mah-nê-'mey-niyê] Fixation on or obsession with a single object or idea. People with a single-minded obsession are monomaniacs and they behave monomaniacally. ;void(0)) OBSTACLES . . see: "DIFFICULTIES" see: "SUCCESS" see: "UNHAPPINESS" for other related links You gotta have a swine to show you where the truffles are. --Edward Franklin Albee III (b. 1928) American dramatist and theatrical producer. [adopted grandson of Edward Franklin Albee II] _Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?_, act 2 [1962 play] For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. --Fr. Alfred D'Souza, Quoted in _Handbook for the Soul_, edited by Benjamin Shield [1996]. It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts. --Ella Fitzgerald (1917—1996) American jazz singer. In Stuart Nicholson _Ella Fitzgerald_ [1994]. Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind. --Leonardo da Vinci (1452—1519) Florentine painter, sculptor, musician, and scientist. Quoted in Jean Paul Richter (trans.) _The Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci_, vol. I [1883]. I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. --Booker T. Washington (1856—1915) American educator, author, and orator. _Up From Slavery_, ch. 2 [1901] I fancy that it is just as hard to do your duty when men are sneering at you as when they are shooting at you. --Woodrow Wilson (1856—1924) American Democratic statesman and President [1913—1921]. 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