Welcome, sweet springtime
The vernal equinox occurs on March 20 in 2008, marking the beginning of spring in some cultures. The vernal equinox will occur at 5:48 a.m. at Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). However places that are six hours or more behind UTC will observe the vernal equinox as early as March 19.
Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. These two days are known as the vernal (or spring) equinox and the autumnal equinox.
The word “equinox” derives from the Latin words meaning “equal night” and refers to the time when the sun crosses the equator. The word “vernal” means “spring” in Latin. At such times, day and night are everywhere of nearly equal length everywhere in the world.
While the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, it is the start of autumn in many parts of the southern hemisphere.
http://www.timeanddate.com/news/holidays/vernal-equinox-2008.html

On March 16, we heard theatre organist Father Andrew Rogers play at the Collingwood Arts Center in Toledo. http://www.collingwoodartscenter.org/public/
Father Andrew is a staff organist at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, a travel agent, a member of the Global Harmony Band and a director of the Global Harmony Foundation. http://www.global-harmony.org/
In addition to lots of peppy organ solos (sometimes using added percussive attractions) he accompanied Buster Keaton’s film, The Goat.

Federal Reserve announces two initiatives designed to bolster market liquidity and promote orderly market functioning
News release: "The Federal Reserve on Sunday announced two initiatives designed to bolster market liquidity and promote orderly market functioning. Liquid, well-functioning markets are essential for the promotion of economic growth. First, the Federal Reserve Board voted unanimously to authorize the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to create a lending facility to improve the ability of primary dealers to provide financing to participants in securitization markets. This facility will be available for business on Monday, March 17. It will be in place for at least six months and may be extended as conditions warrant. Credit extended to primary dealers under this facility may be collateralized by a broad range of investment-grade debt securities. The interest rate charged on such credit will be the same as the primary credit rate, or discount rate, at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Second, the Federal Reserve Board unanimously approved a request by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to decrease the primary credit rate from 3-1/2 percent to 3-1/4 percent, effective immediately. This step lowers the spread of the primary credit rate over the Federal Open Market Committee’s target federal funds rate to 1/4 percentage point. The Board also approved an increase in the maximum maturity of primary credit loans to 90 days from 30 days."

Primary Dealer Credit Facility
Terms and conditions
Frequently asked questions
Alan Greenspan, Financial Times: "The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the second world war. It will end eventually when home prices stabilise and with them the value of equity in homes supporting troubled mortgage securities."

To your health Grain berries
1/3 cup rye or wheat berries
1 cup water
Cook ingredients to desired consistency, adding liquid if necessary. Twenty minutes will be crunchy if you have soaked the berries overnight. Without soaking, it will take an hour or so. If desired, add one or more of the following:
Butter, salt, honey, slivered nuts, diced fruits
Serves one as a cereal or side dish.

You’ve heard the words sexism, chauvinism, racism, ageism, weightism, heightism. But have you heard of--
speciesism (SPEE-shee-ziz-uhm, -see-ziz-uhm) noun
The assumption of superiority of humans over other animal species,
especially to justify their exploitation.
[Coined by psychologist Richard D. Ryder (born 1940) in 1973. From Latin species (appearance, kind, form), from specere (to look). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe) which is also the ancestor of such words as suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer), espionage, despise, telescope, spectator, and spectacles.]
A.Word.A.Day

Although we moderns consider knowledge a noun, back in the days of Middle and Early Modern English, knowledge was a verb. Over time, before it faded from usage in the 1600s, knowledge functioned as a transitive verb meaning both "acknowledge" and "to recognize, admit, or confess the fact or truth of (something)."
M-W Word for the Wise

New GAO Report (PDFs)Source: Government Accountability OfficeIntellectual Property: Federal Enforcement Has Generally Increased, but Assessing Performance Could Strengthen Law Enforcement EffortsHighlights Full Report
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The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1146438/
The Librarian is expected to return to TV in April.