ZURICH (Reuters) - U.S. Stifel Financial Corp (SF.N) will acquire up to 55 branches of UBS Wealth Management Americas to expand across the United States in a deal that will boost the investment bank's profit in the first year. St. Louis-based Stifel said its main unit--brokerage Stifel, Nicolaus & Co Inc--entered into an agreement with Swiss bank UBS AG's (UBSN.VX) (UBS.N) U.S. brokerage unit, UBS Financial Services, to buy the branches for an upfront cash payment of about $27 million. http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSTRE52N2CO20090324


The Texas Board of Education will vote this week on a new science curriculum designed to challenge the guiding principle of evolution, a step that could influence what is taught in biology classes across the nation. The proposed curriculum change would prompt teachers to raise doubts that all life on Earth is descended from common ancestry. Texas is such a huge textbook market that many publishers write to the state's standards, then market those books nationwide.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123777413372910705.html

Sunshine Week 2009 Survey Of State Government Information Online
News release: "The Sunshine Week 2009 Survey of State Government Information online found that while more and more government records are being posted online, some of the most important information is being left offline. And in some cases governments are charging taxpayers to access records that they already paid for, such as death certificates." Information categories viewable online by region

American and Chinese University Education and Libraries
Total enrollment in tertiary education 2004
China: 19.417,044
U.S: 16,900,471
Total enrollment in secondary education 2004
China: 98,762,802
U.S: 23,854,458
Institutions of higher education in 2004
China: 1,731
U.S.: 4,216
Institutional characteristics in China
Small number of high school students go to university
Professors teach fewer classes
Classes larger
Students primarily live in dormitories
Traditional Chinese learning styles
Introverted, reluctant to stand out
Dislike of ambiguity and uncertainty
Sequential, orderly and organized
Visual rather than oral learners
Want full information
Thinking rather than feeling-oriented
speech given by Julia Martin, University of Toledo Business & Economics Librarian to Toledo Area Librarians Association, March 20, 2009

Find books by author, title, genre, series at http://www.iblist.com/

REAL NAMES
Orson Welles was born George Orson Welles in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on May 6, 1915, the second son of Richard Welles, an inventor, and Beatrice Ives ...
www.answers.com
The Martian panic created by George Orson Welles' play 'War of the Worlds' on Oct 30, 1938, offers valuable lessons on human behavior. The radio ...
www.encyclopedia.com

Born Sean Aloysius O'Feeney in Maine in 1895, John Ford had changed his ... John Ford soon found his real niche in Hollywood when he became a director. ...
The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American ... - Google Books Result

John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa. His middle name was soon changed from Robert to Michael when his parents decided to name their next son Robert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne

FTC Charges Seven Credit Repair Companies with Deceiving Consumers Throughout the U.S.
News release: "The Federal Trade Commission has charged seven related companies with violating federal law by falsely promising to remove negative information from consumers’ credit reports, even information that is accurate and current, and by charging an up-front fee and failing to provide written disclosures. The agency seeks to make them stop the violations and pay restitution to consumers."

Feedback from A.Word.A.Day
From: Ben Stern (stern.ben gmail.com)
Subject: quodlibet
Def: 1. A subtle argument, especially on a theological or philosophical issue. 2. A musical medley: a whimsical combination of popular tunes.
One of the greatest quodlibets was written by Peter Schickele in the 1970s as part of his P.D.Q. Bach programs. Here is a link to Napster where it can be heard.
________________________________________
From: Rolf Klausen (abstractstar gmail.com)
Subject: quodlibet
According to The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics (scroll down to "Quodlibet") in medieval times it was a most serious form of discussion:
"In medieval times, there would be certain days when professors of theology would open up the class, and answers questions on any theological topic. In fact, people not even enrolled in the school could come in off the street and pose a question. The professor would be required to answer any and all questions. The quodlibet was, thus, the opportunity for posing important, sometimes difficult questions to the masters of theology. Some theologians shunned quodlibets, while others loved them. St. Thomas Aquinas was among this latter group."