Patrick Dougherty, a sculptor who weaves tree saplings into whirling, animated shapes that resemble tumbleweeds or gusts of wind, likes to say that his first artwork was his house. Built from old barn timber, fallen trees and rocks he dug from the ground here, this rangy log villa started off as a one-room cabin, and is his only permanent work (most of his installations break down after a year or two in the wild). Since then, he has made well over 200 startling (and delightful) pieces for sites all over the world — woolly lairs and wild follies, gigantic snares, nests and cocoons, some woven into groves of trees, others lashed around buildings. And in August, he was invited by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to make a piece for its centennial: you’ll find “Natural History,” five winsome wind-blown pods that Mr. Dougherty described as “lairs for feral children or wayward adults,” near the Magnolia Plaza there. Thirty-eight of these works are collected in “Stickwork,” a monograph-memoir, published last month by Princeton Architectural Press. Read more plus see images at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/garden/07twig.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

For three weeks in summer 2010, artist Patrick Dougherty and a team of volunteers constructed a monumental woven-wood sculpture in honor of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's centennial. The result, which the artist titled Natural History, will be on display for the next year, complementing the beauty of the Garden through the seasons. Garden visitors will find the work in the Plant Family Collection near Magnolia Plaza. See picture at: http://www.bbg.org/discover/gallery/dougherty/

Microcosmos takes readers into a secret world of extreme close-ups. Some subjects have been magnified by as much as 22million times. See a selection of photos taken by 30 'microscopists' and compiled in new book Microcosmos by science author Brandon Broll. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1318795/Feeling-chipper-wood-ant-caught-bringing-science-life.html

cater-cousin (KAY-tuhr kuz-uhn) noun An intimate friend.
The origin of the term is uncertain, though various theories have been proposed. According to one, the term is derived from French quatre-cousin (fourth cousin), implying someone who is so close as to almost be a relative, or one who is close enough to be among the fourth cousins. Another idea is that the term cater-cousin alludes to people intimate enough to be catering to each other. Finally, there's the sense of cater meaning diagonally (as in catercorner).
Dutch uncle (duch UNG-kuhl) noun Someone who advises or criticizes frankly and sternly.
The English and the Dutch have fought in many wars during the 17th and 18th century. Even though they are friendly with each other now, the English language still carries traces of the past animosity, demeaning the Dutch: from Dutch treat (where each must pay his or her own share), Dutch gold (imitation gold), Dutch courage (courage inspired by liquor), and so on. A Dutch uncle is the opposite of a typical uncle (kind and indulgent), he's not avuncular. You can be sure, he doesn't believe in nepotism. A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

A new Delaware law that went into effect September 15 is enabling public libraries to get their internet use policies ready for the inevitable influx into their facilities of patrons wielding wireless devices. HB 340 extends libraries’ acceptable-use policies to any mobile devices that individuals bring onto library premises, and specifies that, while in the library, what patrons access on their personally owned devices is subject to the Delaware Children’s Internet Protection Act. The state’s CIPA law enables children’s parents and guardians to decide whether or not minors should have unfettered online access, and if not, how restricted that access should be. http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/09212010/acceptable-use-policies-go-mobile-delaware

UNESCO's City of Literature program is part of its Creative Cities Network which was launched in 2004. The Network was born out of UNESCO's Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity initiative which was created in 2002. Its aim is to "promote the social, economic and cultural development of cities in both the developed and the developing world." The cities in network promote their local creative scene and conform to UNESCO’s goal of fostering cultural diversity. An important aspect of the "Creative Cities" concept is that the cities foster public/private partnerships particularly by encouraging the entrepreneurial and creative potential of small enterprises. Literature is just one of several categories of Creative Cities. Others include music, film, media, gastronomy, crafts and folk art, and design. Cities of Literature: Edinburgh, Scotland (2004) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (2008) Iowa City, Iowa, United States (2008) Dublin, Ireland (2010) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Literature

On July 12, the University of Iowa Main Library opened an exhibit showcasing poetry and literature of Iowa City. The display celebrates the city being named the third City of Literature by UNESCO. Dave Morice’s “Dr. Alphabet” costume, a white suit and top hat decorated with colorful letters of the alphabet, is included in the display. In celebration of the event, Morice, will participate in one of his biggest poetry marathons. He has set a goal to write 10,000 pages of poetry in 100 days. “Some people don’t think it’s possible,” the 63-year-old said. “But they should sit back, relax, and enjoy the impossible.” Morice started doing poetry marathons in Iowa City during the 1970s as part of the Actualist Poetry Movement, of which he was a founder. Members gathered for poetry readings and marathons. http://uwire.com/2010/07/12/%E2%80%98dr-alphabet%E2%80%99-sets-out-to-write-10000-pages-of-poetry/

In his first year as an assistant professor in the University of Iowa's archaeology department, Matthew E. Hill made a move that many other junior faculty would have considered risky: he said he wanted to teach an undergraduate seminar on animals and culture. Hill first taught Animals, Culture and Food in the fall of 2008 and will offer it again this fall. Leaders in his department are "real happy that I've been able to fill the class," attracting not just anthropology majors, but also students studying nursing, engineering, visual art and several liberal arts fields. "Any time animals come up in any of my more traditional archaeology classes, there's kind of an excitement in the room," he says. "I realized there's an interest in learning more about human-animal interactions. I'm trying to fulfill a need." He plans to teach a course next spring on humans' ancient and modern relationships with dogs. The field that has perhaps been most amenable to examining humans and other animals is the law. By the Animal Legal Defense Fund's own count, more than 120 law schools in the United States and Canada have offered courses on animal law since 2000. In 2000, the group identified just nine law schools with courses on animals. Pamela D. Alexander, director of ALDF's animal law program, says that students are demanding courses on animal law. "A lot of it is coming grassroots, from the students. More and more students are going to law school because they want to fight for animals," she says. "Animal rights is one of the greatest social justice movements of our time. It's captivating and alluring to students to get involved in this, to recognized that the human-animal bond is not reflected in the law as it is in society." http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-07-08-IHE-animal-studies-culture-courses08_ST_N.htm