A TANK AWAY FROM TOLEDO, June 12-13, 2009
We went to Jackson, Michigan to see sculptures by Toledo area sculptors Calvin Babich and Todd Kime. http://www.msisculpture.com/2009-10JacksonOutdoorSculptureExhibit.htm. First we visited the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History and saw a John James Audubon exhibition that runs through August 29. http://www.ellasharp.org/ Lunch was at Clara’s Lansing Station in Lansing. http://www.claras.com/clsmain.html Then we drove to House on the Hill at Ellsworth http://www.thehouseonthehill.com/, a peaceful bed & breakfast set on 50 acres with mowed paths as hiking trails. Dinner was at Rowe Inn Restaurant. The reason for the trip was to meet our grandson in Traverse City and make sure he was settled in for a two-month project--so the next morning we drove there, first stopping on Old Mission Peninsula to admire landscaping at the home of friends. We saw the new Traverse City District Library http://www.tadl.org/ and ate lunch downtown at Hanna Bistro http://www.hannabistrobar.com/

Christopher R. Beha, who spent a year reading and reflecting on all 51 volumes of the Harvard Classics, is presiding over a literary trivia contest: “Each day for the next few weeks I will be giving away a volume of the Harvard Classics from a complete set dating back to 1910.” Beha posts a question relating to the volume that’s up for grabs, and among those who respond correctly, a winner is chosen by “the Randomizer” http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/free-old-books/?hp

Country Analysis Brief: Iraq Source: Energy Information Administration
Iraq was the world’s 13th largest oil producer in 2008, and has the world’s third largest proven petroleum reserves after Saudi Arabia and Canada. Just a fraction of Iraq’s known fields are in development, and Iraq may be one of the few places left where vast reserves, proven and unknown, have barely been exploited. Iraq’s energy sector is heavily based upon oil, with approximately 94 percent of its energy needs met with petroleum. According to the International Monetary Fund, crude oil export revenues represented over 75 percent of GDP and 86 percent of government revenues in 2008.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). http://www.ted.com/ Contributed by Toledo muse reader

Alastair Barnes discovered a seven leaf clover at Coombe Bissett nature reserve, near Salisbury, Wilts, England while out walking his dog with his father Jonathan.
Clovers occasionally have leaves with four leaflets, instead of the usual three - these are considered lucky, while five and six leaf clovers are considered even more unusual.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5481348/Lucky-schoolboy-finds-seven-leaf-clover.html

Q. What’s the difference between St. Martin and St. Maarten?
A. They are separate governments sharing the same island.
Location/Size
The island is in the Caribbean Sea, 18.02 latitude and 63.07 longitude, 150 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. It covers 37 square miles, with Dutch St. Maarten on the South spanning 16 square miles and French Saint Martin on the North covering 21. The island is the smallest landmass to be shared by two separate governments. Capitals - Philipsburg on Great Bay is the capital of St. Maarten. Marigot is the capital of Saint Martin.
Nationalities
As a part of the Netherlands Antilles and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, St. Maarten boasts 140 different nationalities. Saint Martin is a commune of Guadeloupe, an overseas territory of France.
Languages
English is spoken everywhere, but Dutch is the official language of St.Maarten, and French the official language of Saint Martin. On the Dutch side, you can also hear Spanish, Papiamentu, Italian, Hindi, Chinese, and other languages. On the French side, Creole Patois is also spoken
Population
41,000 people live on St.Maarten and 36,000 on Saint Martin
http://www.st-maarten.com/facts.htm

Quote: The drive to achieve had turned into an addiction to praise.
The Lasko Tangent (Christopher Paget series, #1) by Richard North Patterson