Thomas Shelton made his living from shorthand, teaching the subject in London over a period of thirty years while he developed his stenographical systems. Shelton knew the stenography of John Willis and took over its geometrical basic principle for his own shorthand. He published several books about shorthand which he sold from his house. Shelton invented a new stenographical system and published it in 1626 in the book Short-Writing (in later editions since 1635 called "Tachygraphy", Ancient Greek for "speedy writing"). In Shelton's shorthand system every consonant was expressed by an easy symbol which sometimes still resembled the alphabetical letter. The vowels were designated by the height of the following consonant. Thus the B symbol with the L symbol written directly above meant "ball", while the B symbol with the L symbol below meant "bull". A vowel at the word end was designated by a point in the suitable position. For initial vowels there were additional symbols. There were other symbols for frequent prefixes and suffixes as well as for consonant connections. A disadvantage of Shelton's shorthand was that vowels and diphthongs were not always distinguished. For example, the symbols for "bat" could mean "bait" or "bate" as well, and the symbols for "bot" could mean "boot" or "boat" as well. This can only be decided from the context. An advantage of his system was that it could be easily learnt. Therefore, between 1626 and 1710 more than 20 editions of his "Tachygraphy" were printed. German issues appeared between 1679 and 1743 and a French issue in Paris in 1681. Shelton's shorthand was used, amongst others, by Samuel Pepys, Sir Isaac Newton, John Byrom and US-President Thomas Jefferson. In the year of his death, 1650, Shelton published yet another shorthand system called "Zeiglographia", but it did not become as widespread as his "Tachygraphy". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Shelton_(stenographer)
Peter Yarrow, a vocalist with the US folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, died at age 86 January, 2025. Yarrow took lead vocals on Puff, the Magic Dragon, The Great Mandella and Day Is Done, songs he either wrote or co-wrote with Noel Paul Stookey. Stookey is the last surviving member of the group, as Mary Travers died in 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/07/peter-yarrow-of-folk-trio-peter-paul-and-mary-dies-aged-86
The American
flag flies at half-staff or at half-mast when the country or a state is in
mourning. The president, a state
governor, or the mayor of the District of Columbia can order flags to fly at
half-staff. In most cases, an American
flag flying at half-staff marks one of three observances:
·
The
death of a government official, military member, or emergency first responder
·
A
national tragedy
·
Memorial
Day or another national day of remembrance
Following former President Jimmy Carter's death Dec. 29, 2024, President Joe Biden declared a National Day of Mourning honoring the humanitarian leader Jan. 9, 2025 the day of Carter's funeral in Washington, D.C. The tradition, which began with a one-day government shutdown following Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, is one of many ways the United States honors its late presidents. Biden's statement also declared all American flags displayed at public and military sites globally be flown at half-staff for 30 days following Carter's death. Though a National Day of Mourning isn't recognized as an official federal holiday, meaning many of the businesses typically affected by national celebrations won't be closed, some organizations will be affected by the day of observance. Here's what's open and what's closed on the National Day of Mourning this Thursday. Mail will not be delivered Thursday. In an executive order issued Dec. 30, Biden declared that all federal agencies would be closed Jan. 9 in honor of Carter's funeral, including the United States Postal Service. All federal employees should be given the day off except for those most important to the country's "national security, defense, or other public need," according to the announcement. The ruling also applies to all U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court. Most banks will remain open Thursday because it is not an official federal holiday. In a statement released Dec. 30, New York Stock Exchange Group president Lynn Martin announced that all markets would be closed Jan. 9 out of respect for President Carter. Similar to most banks around the country, most public schools will remain open Thursday because it is not an official federal holiday. However, in accordance with National Day of Mourning protocol, all organizations affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, including all military schools, will be closed. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/national-day-of-mourning-closures/3807668/ The U.S. Navy Glee Club sang in the Jimmy Carter service in the Capitol.
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 2894 January 8, 2025
