“Matisse From Tate Modern and MoMA” is the latest of Exhibition on
Screen’s movies about art exhibitions to open here in the U.S. It’s a one-night only event on Jan. 13, 2015
at theaters nationwide. Fathom Events is
the distributor, and you can find out where it is nearest you at http://www.fathomevents.com/event/matisse/more-info/theater-locations
Judith H. Dobrzynski
A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
Adam Smith once said,
“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and
superstition.” What did the great
economist have against enthusiasm? To
find out we’ll have to go back to his time.
Smith was born in 1723. The
literal meaning of the word enthusiasm still applied at the time. The word is coined from Greek theos
(god). So if you had enthusiasm, you
were supposed to be possessed by a god or displaying religious emotion. With time, words are developing new
meanings. This week we’ll feature words
from the world of science that have also developed different meanings in
day-to-day language.
optics (OP-tiks)
noun 1. The study of light, vision, etc. 2. The
way a situation or action is perceived by the public. From French optique, from Latin opticus, from
Greek optikos, from ops (eye). Earliest
documented use: 1579; for sense 2: 1973.
quantum (KWAHN-tuhm)
noun 1. A quantity or amount. 2. A
portion. 3. A large amount. 4. The
smallest amount of something that can exist independently. adjective
1. Large. 2.
Relating to the quantum theory.
From Latin quantus (how much or how great). In physics, a quantum jump or quantum leap is
usually a small change, while in popular usage the term is used to mean a
significant change. Earliest documented
use: 1567.
prebuttal (pri-BUH-tl)
noun An argument in anticipation
of a criticism; a preemptive rebuttal. A
blend of pre- + rebuttal, from rebut (to refute), from Old French rebouter (to
push back), from boute (to push).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhau- (to strike), which also
gave us refute, beat, button, halibut, and buttress. Earliest documented use: 1996.
Royal Navy Commander James
Bond, CMG, RNVR,
is a fictional character created
by British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games. Fleming wrote twelve Bond novels and two
short story collections before his death, although the last two books—The Man
with the Golden Gun and Octopussy
and The Living Daylights—were published posthumously. The Bond character is a Secret Service agent,
code number 007, residing in London but active internationally. Bond was a composite character who was based
on a number of commandos whom Fleming knew during his service
in the Naval
Intelligence Division during World War II, to whom Fleming added his own
style and a number of his own tastes; Bond's name was appropriated from
American ornithologist James Bond. Facially, Bond
resembles the composer, singer and actor Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino
Royale Vesper Lynd remarks, "Bond reminds me rather of Hoagy
Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is "certainly
good-looking ... Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right
eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the
mouth, and the eyes were cold." Others,
such as journalist Ben Macintyre, identify aspects of Fleming's own looks in his
description of Bond. See pictures
including Ian Fleming's image of James Bond at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_%28literary_character%29
The Future of the Book--an Essay Economist – From Papyrus to Pixels: “Books like de Officiis have not merely weathered history;
they have helped shape it. The ability
they offer to preserve, transmit and develop ideas was taken to another level
by Gutenberg and his colleagues. Being
able to study printed material at the same time as others studied it and to
exchange ideas about it sparked the Reformation; it was central to the
Enlightenment and the rise of science.
No army has accomplished more than printed textbooks have; no prince or
priest has mattered as much as “On the Origin of Species”; no coercion has
changed the hearts and minds of men and women as much as the first folio of
Shakespeare’s plays. Books read in electronic form will boast the same
power and some new ones to boot. The
printed book is an excellent means of channelling information from writer to
reader; the e-book can send information back as well. Teachers will be able to learn of a pupil’s
progress and questions; publishers will be able to see which books are gulped
down, which sipped slowly. Already
readers can see what other readers have thought worthy of note, and seek out
like-minded people for further discussion of what they have read. The private joys of the book will remain; new
public pleasures are there to be added. What is the future of the
book? It is much brighter than people
think.” http://www.bespacific.com/future-book-essay/ From Papyrus to Pixels; The Digital
Transformation Has Only Just Begun appeared in the Oct. 11-17, 2014 edition of the Economist. See also press release at http://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/books-essay-press_release_v2.pdf
The Moby-Dick Marathon in New Bedford, Massachusetts
was held Jan. 2-4, 2015. In addition to the nonstop reading,
additional activities during the weekend included related exhibitions in the
Museum and Research Library. The public was
invited to come and go at any time during the Marathon, or stay awake for the entire 25 hours and win a
prize. Read about the 2015 marathon at http://www.whalingmuseum.org/programs/moby-dick-marathon
New Bedford is the great whaling port
described in Melville’s Moby Dick. In
1954, Youghal (Ireland) became the second home of the classic whaling story
when it portrayed New Bedford in the movie version of Moby Dick. http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/mayor/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/newsletters/2013/112213_My_Visit_to_the_Second_Whaling_City.pdf
Jan. 3,
2015 Beachwood Canyon trail to Hollywood sign to reopen Monday by Louis
Sahagun Homeowners at the top of Beachwood Drive have felt under siege for
about five years since Internet directions and mobile apps began steering
thousands of people each weekend through their leafy neighborhoods for prime
views of the Hollywood sign. The city
Department of Recreation and Parks on Saturday announced that the canyon will
reopen on Monday with the new gate designed to limit vehicle traffic on
weekends and holidays, but offer access for hikers during park hours, from 5
a.m. to sunset. See pictures at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hollywood-sign-20150103-story.html
Tonight, the moon is full. This full
moon falls on January 5, 2015 at 4:53 Universal
Time. Although the moon turns
full at the same instant worldwide, the clock time – and possibly the date –
differs by time zone. For the mainland
United States, the moon reaches the crest of its full phase on this Sunday evening on January 4 at 11:53 p.m. EST, 10:53 p.m. CST,
9:53 p.m. MST or 8:53 p.m. PST. The
January 2015 full moon is the first full moon after the December 21 solstice. In North America, we often this full moon the
Wolf Moon, Old Moon or Moon After Yule. See
beautiful pictures at http://earthsky.org/tonight/january-full-moon-mimics-path-of-july-sun
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1239
January 5, 2015 On this
date in 1896, an Austrian newspaper reported that Wilhelm
Röntgen had discovered a type
of radiation later known as X-rays. On this date in 1925, Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first female governor in
the United
States.
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