CFR in XML Now Available on FDsys
"GPO is pleased to announce that the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) has been converted into XML (extensible markup language) and is now available via GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys). Currently, the CFR is available from 2007 to present, and volumes dating back to 2000 will be added over the next few months. The CFR in XML is also available from the Government's new site for Government data."

The name Walla Walla is of Indian origin and means "many waters". Both the Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes called the Walla Walla Valley home. In the 1800s, fur traders established a settlements trading post and fort in the area. The historic Nez Perce Trail was located where Main Street is today. The historic Lewis & Clark expedition skirted the northern and western boundaries of the Walla Walla Valley in 1805. Their return trip from the Pacific Ocean in 1806 took them through present day Walla Walla County. In 1836, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman traveled what became the Oregon Trail, and founded a mission amongst the Cayuse Indians. After 11 years, the mission effort ended when the Cayuse attacked and killed the Whitmans and twelve others.
http://www.wallawalla.org/attractions.cfm
The story of Walla Walla Sweet Onions began over a century ago on the Island of Corsica, off the west coast of Italy. It was there that a French soldier, Peter Pieri, found a sweet onion seed and brought it to the Walla Walla Valley. Click on left to find recipes: http://sweetonions.org/
Wine, wheat, and ultimate frisbee in Walla Walla: The Whitman College Sweets announces the one hundred and thirty-first Annual Onionfest Tournament! http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.disc/browse_thread/thread/33ffaf6b96010300
New baseball team is called Walla Walla Sweets. See information and logo at: http://sportsyakima.com/2009/11/new-walla-walla-team-to-be-called-sweets/
Nestled at the foot of the Blue Mountains, Walla Walla has often been called an "oasis in the desert" because of the abundance of trees in this generally arid region.
With nearly 300 days of sunshine each year, you'll encounter bright summers, crisp yet moderate winters, and spectacular springs and falls. Walla Walla County is located in the southeastern corner of Washington State, near the borders of Oregon and Idaho.
http://www.wwvchamber.com/index.html?s=2&c=61

ALA - The Condition of U.S, Libraries: Trends, 1999-2009
"According to a new report prepared by the American Library Association (ALA), libraries of all types are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn while managing sky-high use. Compiled from a broad range of available sources, The Condition of Libraries: 1999-2009 presents U.S. economic trends (2009), and summarizes trends in public, school and academic libraries across several library measures, including expenditures, staffing and services. The report also highlights trends in services provided to libraries by library cooperatives and consortia."
• ALA American Library Association - The Condition of U.S, Libraries: Trends, 1999-2009: "The following report highlights US economic trends (2009) and summarizes trends in public, school and academic libraries during the current decade for: Number of Libraries and Population Served, Expenditures, Staffing, and Services. The compilation was prepared in December 2009 for the staff and member leaders of the American Library Association to support its planning activities."

The National Braille Press, an 83-year-old publishing house in Boston, printed the Harry Potter series on its Heidelberg cylinder; the final product was 56 volumes, each nearly a foot tall. Laura J. Sloate has been blind since age 6, and instead of reading Braille, calls a phone service that reads newspapers aloud in a synthetic voice for several hours every morning,
In the 1990s, a series of brain-imaging studies revealed that the visual cortices of the blind are not rendered useless, as previously assumed. When test subjects swept their fingers over a line of Braille, they showed intense activation in the parts of the brain that typically process visual input. These imaging studies have been cited by some educators as proof that Braille is essential for blind children’s cognitive development, as the visual cortex takes more than 20 percent of the brain. Given the brain’s plasticity, it is difficult to make the argument that one kind of reading — whether the information is absorbed by ear, finger or retina — is inherently better than another, at least with regard to cognitive function. The architecture of the brain is not fixed, and without images to process, the visual cortex can reorganize for new functions. A 2003 study in Nature Neuroscience found that blind subjects consistently surpassed sighted ones on tests of verbal memory, and their superior performance was caused, the authors suggested, by the extra processing that took place in the visual regions of their brains.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/magazine/03Braille-t.html?pagewanted=1

Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia is often referred to as the oldest continuously inhabited street in America. It was opened shortly before 1702 by Arthur Wells, a blacksmith, and John Gilbert, a bolter. See a description of the historic district north of Market Street and six other walking tours at: http://www.ushistory.org/districts/marketstreet/elfre.htm

Feedback from A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
From: Bob Singleton (rmsing45@earthlink.net)
Subject: cothurnal
Being a secondary theatre teacher, I had long known about kothornoi as the high boots that tragic actors wore to give themselves more height on stage. When I took private Greek lessons from a native Greek speaker who was also an ancient Greek history professor, I asked him what he knew about kothornoi. After a moment he said they were oversized boots that would fit the left or right foot interchangeably kept by Spartan soldiers beside their beds so that they could slip them on quickly in case the battle alarm was sounded in the middle of a dark night.
From: kah454 (via@Wordsmith Talk)
Subject: cothurnal
There was a very impressive production of Agamemnon at Stratford years ago (late 70s) where the cothurni were close to a six-inch lift and the mask with a headpiece or ankus extended height close to a foot. There were arm extensions as well. This gave the actors the appearance of being like statues close to eight feet in height; certainly larger than life. Those ancient theatres were quite large and this helped those seated in the last rows. From: Tania Kumar (taniakumar@hotmail.com)
Subject: AWAD
Just a thought, the acronym for A Word A Day, "AWAD" is actually a name in Arabic which means "Reward, compensation" which is very true in a way because when I wake up in the morning and check my email, it's rewarding to come across these nice words and thoughts