Employer Health Benefits 2008 Annual Survey
Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose to $12,680 annually for family coverage this year–with employees on average paying $3,354 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost–and the scope of that coverage has changed, with many more workers now enrolled in high-deductible plans, according to the 2008 Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET). Key findings from the benchmark annual survey of small and large employers were also published as a Web Exclusive in the journal Health Affairs.
Premiums rose a modest 5 percent this year, but they have more than doubled since 1999 when total family premiums stood at $5,791 (of which workers paid $1,543). During the same nine-year period, workers’ wages increased 34 percent and general inflation rose 29 percent.
This year many workers are also facing higher deductibles in their plans, including a growing number with general plan deductibles of at least $1,000 – 18 percent of all covered workers in 2008, up from 12 percent last year. This is partly, but not entirely, driven by growth in consumer-directed plans such as those that qualify for a tax-preferred Health Savings Account.
The shift has been most dramatic for workers in small businesses with three to 199 workers, where more than one in three (35 percent) covered workers must pay at least $1,000 out of pocket before their plan generally will start to pay a share of their health-care bills – rising from 21 percent last year. For workers facing deductibles in Preferred Provider Organizations, the most common type of plan, the average deductible rose to $560 in 2008, up nearly $100 from 2007. Kaiser Family Foundation
New GAO Report
Elections: States, Territories, and the District Are Taking a Range of Important Steps to Manage Their Varied Voting System Environments
+ Related Product:
Elections: 2007 Survey of State Voting System Programs (GAO-08-1147SP, September 2008), an E-Supplement to GAO-08-874. (Internet only)
Government Accountability Office
Aaron's Book Corner in Lititz, PA, has announced that it's teaming up with the Lititz Public Library to sponsor the first "Lititz Loves Reading" week. Events from October 20 - 26 include author appearances, library fundraisers, and an all-night "Read-a-Thon."
Happenings at Aaron's include a discussion of the Lititz One Book One Community selection, The Grace That Keeps This World by Tom Bailey (Three Rivers), and an appearance by local author Jill Althouse-Wood (Summers at Blue Lake, Algonquin). The weeklong celebration culminates in a Read-a-Thon on October 25.
"Lititz Loves Reading" week is inspired by a national program, Great Expectations 2008, founded by RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, NH. For the week, Aaron's customers will be able to support the mission of Lititz Public Library in two ways. First, for any customer presenting a Lititz library card while shopping at Aaron's Books, 10 percent of the purchase price will be donated to the library. Second, the library is supplying Aaron's Books with a "wish list" of most wanted books, and supporters can buy a book for the library through Aaron's Books at 25 percent below retail price.
Bookweb has the story.
Nebraska recently enacted a Safe Haven law, allowing parents to surrender infants anonymously at hospitals without legal consequence. Though Nebraska is the last state in the nation to permit such a law, it is also the first state to permit parents to abandon children up to age 19. Other states have set a much lower age limit for children to be abandoned--only babies under a year old apply.
http://media.www.thehilltoponline.com/media/storage/paper590/news/2008/09/03/NationWorld/Safe-Haven.Law.Reaches.Nebraska.Allows.Abandonment-3413006.shtml
col (kol, rhymes with doll) noun A mountain pass
From French col (neck), from Latin collum (neck). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwel- (to revolve) that is also the source of words such as colony, cult, culture, cycle, cyclone, chakra, and collar. A.Word.A.Day
New Zealand coins On March 31st, 1989 the issue of 1 cent (2.07 grams, bronze) and 2 cent (4.14 grams, bronze) pieces ceased. http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/0094086.html
It might cause a riot, but we could eliminate pennies in the United States—saving on weight, natural resources and money (it costs over a penny to make a penny). As an example of simplification, we could charge $4.00 rather than $3.99 for an item. A price of $4.02 would be rounded down to $4.00—price of $4.08 would be rounded up to $4.10.
Google Offers Up to $10-Million for Innovative Ideas
Google has committed $10 million to fund up to five ideas selected by their advisory board. If you could suggest a unique idea that would help as many people as possible, what would it be? Full details at the official Google blog.
Novel of the Week The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
“best-selling Cinderella tale from France” The Week October 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
September 28 marks the first anniversary of my retirement from Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick after serving 30 years as law librarian. In October, 2007 we celebrated the event by traveling to the fragile, magical land of New Zealand. Then, each day seemed like an eternity even though I work part-time. When I resumed a newsletter in January, 2008 the routine became natural and interesting.
Swiss airline pilot Yves Rossy became the first person to fly between France and England on Friday with a jetpack strapped to his back. The pilot, who normally flies an Airbus airliner, swapped the plane's controls for four jets attached to a wing on his back to get across the Channel. The simple kerosene-burning jet turbines propelled him the 22 miles between Calais and Dover at speeds of up to 120 mph. The journey took just under 10 minutes. With no steering controls, the only way to change direction was like a bird, moving his head and back. Rossy traced the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, who became the first person to fly across the Channel in an aircraft in 1909.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE48P4CE20080926
"Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008 report...will be released in five consecutive daily segments. Since 2004, our annual study has unearthed and analyzed the trends and themes of blogging, but for the 2008 study, we resolved to go beyond the numbers of the Technorati Index to deliver even deeper insights into the blogging mind. For the first time, we surveyed bloggers directly about the role of blogging in their lives, the tools, time, and resources used to produce their blogs, and how blogging has impacted them personally, professionally, and financially."
Researching Medical Literature on the Internet - 2008: Medical journals, dictionaries, textbooks, indexes, rankings, images--all can be found on the Net, and much of it is available free. Sources include publishers, government agencies, professional organizations, health libraries and commercial entities. Gloria Miccioli's completely updated and revised topical guide expertly focuses on what she identifies as the best, content-rich databases and services for researchers.
William Billings (1746-1800), is considered by many to be the foremost representative of early American music. Billings was born in Boston on October 7, 1746. Largely self-trained in music, he was a tanner by trade and a friend of such figures of the American Revolution as Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Billings's New England Psalm-Singer (1770), engraved by Revere, was the first collection of music entirely by an American. In the recent HBO miniseries about John Adams, in episode 1, there is a scene where the Boston patriots are meeting and at the end of the meeting, they sing a verse of the anthem Chester by William Billings. This may well be the first widespread recognition of the music of William Billings and the fact that Chester was the original National Anthem.
http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/billings.htm
Google has created an interesting tool comparing McCain's and Obama's statements reported in the press on numerous topics from abortion to taxes. Only five topics are shown on the Web page at one time. To change topics shown click a new topic in the list at the top of the page.
The average premium that seniors will pay for Medicare drug coverage in 2009 will rise, with the average for the 10 most-popular plans increasing 31%, according to an analysis of new government data.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122239167851577569.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
To act at leisure or to dally are words we get from the French. Old French leisir was based on Latin licere, "be allowed" — and is the basis for the word license as well. The Old French word dalier meant "to chat" and was a word used commonly in Anglo-Norman in the years just after the invasion, when a sort of bilingual society existed — with nobles chatting in French and common folk in English. The word dalliance actually started out in English meaning "conversation" but has since come to take on the meaning of "amorous flirtation."
Music and sport also derive from French. In Middle English, sport meant broadly "hobby" or "entertainment"; it came from the French word disport. English music is from Old French musique via Latin from Greek for the "art of the Muses." The root is also the basis for amuse, bemuse, mosaic, and museum.
On September 28, 1066 William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. He defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings on October 14, and on Christmas Day, he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abby. The Norman invasion had a larger and more pronounced effect on the development of the English language than any other event in history. Within the course of a few centuries, English went from being a strictly Germanic language to one infused with a large Latinate vocabulary, which came via French. At the time, the British were speaking a combination of Saxon and Old Norse. The Normans spoke French. Over time, the languages blended, and the result was that English became a language incredibly rich in synonyms. Because the French speakers were aristocrats, the French words often became t he fancy words for things. The Normans gave us "mansion"; the Saxons gave us "house." The Normans gave us "beef"; the Saxons gave us, "cow." The English language has gone on accepting additions to its vocabulary ever since the Norman invasion, and it now contains more than a million words, making it one of the most diverse languages on Earth. The Writer’s Almanac
Swiss airline pilot Yves Rossy became the first person to fly between France and England on Friday with a jetpack strapped to his back. The pilot, who normally flies an Airbus airliner, swapped the plane's controls for four jets attached to a wing on his back to get across the Channel. The simple kerosene-burning jet turbines propelled him the 22 miles between Calais and Dover at speeds of up to 120 mph. The journey took just under 10 minutes. With no steering controls, the only way to change direction was like a bird, moving his head and back. Rossy traced the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, who became the first person to fly across the Channel in an aircraft in 1909.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE48P4CE20080926
"Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008 report...will be released in five consecutive daily segments. Since 2004, our annual study has unearthed and analyzed the trends and themes of blogging, but for the 2008 study, we resolved to go beyond the numbers of the Technorati Index to deliver even deeper insights into the blogging mind. For the first time, we surveyed bloggers directly about the role of blogging in their lives, the tools, time, and resources used to produce their blogs, and how blogging has impacted them personally, professionally, and financially."
Researching Medical Literature on the Internet - 2008: Medical journals, dictionaries, textbooks, indexes, rankings, images--all can be found on the Net, and much of it is available free. Sources include publishers, government agencies, professional organizations, health libraries and commercial entities. Gloria Miccioli's completely updated and revised topical guide expertly focuses on what she identifies as the best, content-rich databases and services for researchers.
William Billings (1746-1800), is considered by many to be the foremost representative of early American music. Billings was born in Boston on October 7, 1746. Largely self-trained in music, he was a tanner by trade and a friend of such figures of the American Revolution as Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Billings's New England Psalm-Singer (1770), engraved by Revere, was the first collection of music entirely by an American. In the recent HBO miniseries about John Adams, in episode 1, there is a scene where the Boston patriots are meeting and at the end of the meeting, they sing a verse of the anthem Chester by William Billings. This may well be the first widespread recognition of the music of William Billings and the fact that Chester was the original National Anthem.
http://www.amaranthpublishing.com/billings.htm
Google has created an interesting tool comparing McCain's and Obama's statements reported in the press on numerous topics from abortion to taxes. Only five topics are shown on the Web page at one time. To change topics shown click a new topic in the list at the top of the page.
The average premium that seniors will pay for Medicare drug coverage in 2009 will rise, with the average for the 10 most-popular plans increasing 31%, according to an analysis of new government data.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122239167851577569.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
To act at leisure or to dally are words we get from the French. Old French leisir was based on Latin licere, "be allowed" — and is the basis for the word license as well. The Old French word dalier meant "to chat" and was a word used commonly in Anglo-Norman in the years just after the invasion, when a sort of bilingual society existed — with nobles chatting in French and common folk in English. The word dalliance actually started out in English meaning "conversation" but has since come to take on the meaning of "amorous flirtation."
Music and sport also derive from French. In Middle English, sport meant broadly "hobby" or "entertainment"; it came from the French word disport. English music is from Old French musique via Latin from Greek for the "art of the Muses." The root is also the basis for amuse, bemuse, mosaic, and museum.
On September 28, 1066 William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. He defeated the British in the Battle of Hastings on October 14, and on Christmas Day, he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abby. The Norman invasion had a larger and more pronounced effect on the development of the English language than any other event in history. Within the course of a few centuries, English went from being a strictly Germanic language to one infused with a large Latinate vocabulary, which came via French. At the time, the British were speaking a combination of Saxon and Old Norse. The Normans spoke French. Over time, the languages blended, and the result was that English became a language incredibly rich in synonyms. Because the French speakers were aristocrats, the French words often became t he fancy words for things. The Normans gave us "mansion"; the Saxons gave us "house." The Normans gave us "beef"; the Saxons gave us, "cow." The English language has gone on accepting additions to its vocabulary ever since the Norman invasion, and it now contains more than a million words, making it one of the most diverse languages on Earth. The Writer’s Almanac
Friday, September 26, 2008
Contrary to what some of the e-mail campaigns are saying, the federal government does not maintain and is not establishing a separate Do-Not-Call list for wireless phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established the national Do-Not-Call list to enable consumers to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls to their residential or personal wireless phones. Wireless phone subscribers have always been able to add their personal wireless phone numbers to the national Do-Not-Call list, either online at www.donotcall.gov, or by calling toll-free to 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number they wish to register. http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/truthaboutcellphones.html
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that will prohibit California drivers from text messaging beginning January 1. He signed Senate Bill 28, authored by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, that bans the use of an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving a motor vehicle. There will be a fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/09/22/daily78.html
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, 1876
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/cent.htm
World’s Columbian Exhibition, Chicago, 1893
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/colum.htm
Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/pan.htm
Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, 1904
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/louis.htm
Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1926
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/sesqui.htm
Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933-1934
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/progres.htm
New York World’s Fair, 1939
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/york.htm
Exposition fiction list, 1851-1992
http://www.csufresno.edu/library/subjectresources/specialcollections/Expofictionlist.pdf
What’s in a name? Born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), at the age of 17, Grant entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, after securing a nomination through his U.S. Congressman, Thomas L. Hamer. Hamer erroneously nominated him as "Ulysses S. Grant of Ohio," knowing Grant's mother's maiden name was Simpson and forgetting that Grant was referred to in his youth as "H. Ulysses Grant" or "Lyss." Grant wrote his name in the entrance register as "Ulysses Hiram Grant" (concerned that he would otherwise become known by his initials, H.U.G.), but the school administration refused to accept any name other than the nominated form. Grant adopted the form of his new name with middle initial only. Because "U.S." also stands for "Uncle Sam," Grant's nickname became "Sam" among his army colleagues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant
Words from the Anglo-Norman legal system form the primary basis for the vocabulary of our modern legal system. A defendant is summoned to court, from the Old French cort, from the Latin word for yard. If it's a civil affair, one might hope that all people "present at court" (the original meaning of courtier) will be courteous, which originally meant "having manners fit for a royal court." A complaint is filed by the plaintiff, from the Old French word plaintive — a "lamentation" — which is itself derived from a Latin word, planctus, meaning "beating of the breast." During the course of a trial, both sides usually introduce evidence, from Old French meaning "obvious to the eye or mind." It's a word composed of the French prefix e ("out" as in evict) and videre "to see." Evidence is laid out for everyone to see. Perhaps the defendant is in fact a felon, from the Old French word felon, which meant "wicked" or "a wicked person."
During a court hearing and in other legal matters, attorneys advocate and provide advocacy, words that came into Middle English from Old French, from a verb that meant "to call to one's aid." The voc root is also part of words like vocabulary, vocalize, vocation, vociferous, voice, vouch, voucher, vowel, equivocate, evocatory, provoke, and revoke. A verdict could be made by a group of peers, a jury, from the Old French juree, an oath or inquiry. Or perhaps the judge will enter a judgment in the final stages of the judicial process and justice will have been served. These are words that came into English through French, and all revolve around the Latin root jus — "law" and also "right." The Writer’s Almanac
Imagine this: No six-week LSAT review course. No struggling with those blasted “logic” problems. A world of LSAT-free law school admission is coming to Michigan law school, according to a report on its Web site announcing the Wolverine Scholars Program. Here’s how it works: UM undergrads who have at least completed their junior year and at most are scheduled to graduate in Winter or Spring 2009 and who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.80 are eligible to apply to the law school without taking the LSAT. WSJ Law Blog September 25, 2008
September 26 is the birthday of T(homas) S(tearns) Eliot, (books by this author) born in Saint Louis (1888), who is the author of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (1915) and "The Waste Land" (1922). The Writer’s Almanac
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that will prohibit California drivers from text messaging beginning January 1. He signed Senate Bill 28, authored by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, that bans the use of an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving a motor vehicle. There will be a fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/09/22/daily78.html
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, 1876
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/cent.htm
World’s Columbian Exhibition, Chicago, 1893
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/colum.htm
Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/pan.htm
Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, 1904
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/louis.htm
Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1926
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/sesqui.htm
Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933-1934
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/progres.htm
New York World’s Fair, 1939
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/fairs/york.htm
Exposition fiction list, 1851-1992
http://www.csufresno.edu/library/subjectresources/specialcollections/Expofictionlist.pdf
What’s in a name? Born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), at the age of 17, Grant entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, after securing a nomination through his U.S. Congressman, Thomas L. Hamer. Hamer erroneously nominated him as "Ulysses S. Grant of Ohio," knowing Grant's mother's maiden name was Simpson and forgetting that Grant was referred to in his youth as "H. Ulysses Grant" or "Lyss." Grant wrote his name in the entrance register as "Ulysses Hiram Grant" (concerned that he would otherwise become known by his initials, H.U.G.), but the school administration refused to accept any name other than the nominated form. Grant adopted the form of his new name with middle initial only. Because "U.S." also stands for "Uncle Sam," Grant's nickname became "Sam" among his army colleagues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant
Words from the Anglo-Norman legal system form the primary basis for the vocabulary of our modern legal system. A defendant is summoned to court, from the Old French cort, from the Latin word for yard. If it's a civil affair, one might hope that all people "present at court" (the original meaning of courtier) will be courteous, which originally meant "having manners fit for a royal court." A complaint is filed by the plaintiff, from the Old French word plaintive — a "lamentation" — which is itself derived from a Latin word, planctus, meaning "beating of the breast." During the course of a trial, both sides usually introduce evidence, from Old French meaning "obvious to the eye or mind." It's a word composed of the French prefix e ("out" as in evict) and videre "to see." Evidence is laid out for everyone to see. Perhaps the defendant is in fact a felon, from the Old French word felon, which meant "wicked" or "a wicked person."
During a court hearing and in other legal matters, attorneys advocate and provide advocacy, words that came into Middle English from Old French, from a verb that meant "to call to one's aid." The voc root is also part of words like vocabulary, vocalize, vocation, vociferous, voice, vouch, voucher, vowel, equivocate, evocatory, provoke, and revoke. A verdict could be made by a group of peers, a jury, from the Old French juree, an oath or inquiry. Or perhaps the judge will enter a judgment in the final stages of the judicial process and justice will have been served. These are words that came into English through French, and all revolve around the Latin root jus — "law" and also "right." The Writer’s Almanac
Imagine this: No six-week LSAT review course. No struggling with those blasted “logic” problems. A world of LSAT-free law school admission is coming to Michigan law school, according to a report on its Web site announcing the Wolverine Scholars Program. Here’s how it works: UM undergrads who have at least completed their junior year and at most are scheduled to graduate in Winter or Spring 2009 and who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.80 are eligible to apply to the law school without taking the LSAT. WSJ Law Blog September 25, 2008
September 26 is the birthday of T(homas) S(tearns) Eliot, (books by this author) born in Saint Louis (1888), who is the author of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (1915) and "The Waste Land" (1922). The Writer’s Almanac
Thursday, September 25, 2008
To use semaphore code, an operator holds a flag or lighted wand in each hand. The operator extends their arms to the correct position and pauses for each letter of the message. "Attention" is the only signal that involves movement and the "rest" position is the only time when the flags should cross.
http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/codes/semaphore.php
George Eastman (1854-1932) created a lightweight, rollable film by coating paper with emulsion This paper film fit into another invention---a roll holder that attached to the back of a camera. Photographers would no longer have to take pictures one glass plate at a time. The pictures taken by the new camera also had an unusual name: "snapshots"-- a hunting term meaning to shoot a gun without aiming. In fact, the Kodak had no viewfinder and couldn't be aimed accurately. Eastman said: "I devised the name myself. A trademark should be short, vigorous, incapable of being misspelled.... It must mean nothing. If the name has no dictionary definition, it must be associated only with your product...." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eastman/filmmore/transcript/transcript1.html
News or drama?
“Mrs. Ann Windsor succeeds the late Mr. Stevens as Organist of St. Michael’s Church.” South Carolina Gazette. June 11, 1772
“Mrs. Windsor does not succeed Mr. Stevens, as Organist of St. Michael’s Church as mentioned in out last. We were misinformed. She is only on trial; there being another candidate in the son of Mr. Stevens.” South Carolina Gazette, June 18, 1772
“A church squabble of ten years’ standing at Wallpack Centre, N.J. has developed a very singular phase . . . a part of the congregation wanted the organist and singers of their choice, while others were opposed to them . . . the feelings had been getting more and more bitter . . . on gathering at the church, the congregation was amazed to find that someone had entered the building and after daubing the organ inside and out with tar, had sprinkled on a bountiful supply of feathers . . . “ The News and Observer, Raleigh, N.C. October 26, 1883
The American Organist October 2008
Generally the Eastern Hemisphere includes most of Africa, about half of Antarctica, all of Asia and Australia/Oceania, and most of Europe. The Western Hemisphere includes about half of Antarctica and all of North and South America which includes the Caribbean, Central America and Greenland. The Northern Hemisphere includes all of North America, the northern reaches of South America, about two-thirds of Africa, all of Asia excluding (parts of Indonesia) and all of Europe. The Southern Hemisphere includes of most of South America, one-third of Africa, all of Antarctica, a small sliver of Asia (parts of Indonesia) and all of Australia/Oceania.
Find the exceptions and maps and lists of countries at the following site: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/hemispheres.htm
archipelago (ahr-kuh-PEL-uh-go) noun: A large group of islands
From Italian arcipelago (the Aegean Sea), from Latin Egeopelagus, from arkhi- (chief) + pelagos (sea). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plak- (to be flat) which is also the source of words such as flake, flaw, placate, plead, please, and plank. Originally the term referred to the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Turkey) that has numerous islands.
Used as metaphor: "'The Hungry Tide' is an archipelago of stories braided by the tidal channels that weave among them." Richard Eder; In the Mouth of the Ganges; Los Angeles Times; May 22, 2005. A.Word.A.Day
The ancient Greeks sailed into the dazzling turquoise bays of Corsica and declared the island Kalliste: the Most Beautiful Henri Matisse strode down a gangplank many centuries later and found a “marvelous land,” where “all is color, all is light.” The island is part of France, but the ancient Corsican language is still spoken and sung.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/travel/31corsica.html
Paisley, a material of brightly colored abstract design featuring teardrop-shaped swirls, is named for a 19th-century textile center in Scotland.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/eponym_list_pq.html
Y as a vowel—some examples are gypsy, pygmy, rhythm—see others at following link:
http://www.resourceroom.net/readspell/wordlists/closed/closedywords.asp
http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/codes/semaphore.php
George Eastman (1854-1932) created a lightweight, rollable film by coating paper with emulsion This paper film fit into another invention---a roll holder that attached to the back of a camera. Photographers would no longer have to take pictures one glass plate at a time. The pictures taken by the new camera also had an unusual name: "snapshots"-- a hunting term meaning to shoot a gun without aiming. In fact, the Kodak had no viewfinder and couldn't be aimed accurately. Eastman said: "I devised the name myself. A trademark should be short, vigorous, incapable of being misspelled.... It must mean nothing. If the name has no dictionary definition, it must be associated only with your product...." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eastman/filmmore/transcript/transcript1.html
News or drama?
“Mrs. Ann Windsor succeeds the late Mr. Stevens as Organist of St. Michael’s Church.” South Carolina Gazette. June 11, 1772
“Mrs. Windsor does not succeed Mr. Stevens, as Organist of St. Michael’s Church as mentioned in out last. We were misinformed. She is only on trial; there being another candidate in the son of Mr. Stevens.” South Carolina Gazette, June 18, 1772
“A church squabble of ten years’ standing at Wallpack Centre, N.J. has developed a very singular phase . . . a part of the congregation wanted the organist and singers of their choice, while others were opposed to them . . . the feelings had been getting more and more bitter . . . on gathering at the church, the congregation was amazed to find that someone had entered the building and after daubing the organ inside and out with tar, had sprinkled on a bountiful supply of feathers . . . “ The News and Observer, Raleigh, N.C. October 26, 1883
The American Organist October 2008
Generally the Eastern Hemisphere includes most of Africa, about half of Antarctica, all of Asia and Australia/Oceania, and most of Europe. The Western Hemisphere includes about half of Antarctica and all of North and South America which includes the Caribbean, Central America and Greenland. The Northern Hemisphere includes all of North America, the northern reaches of South America, about two-thirds of Africa, all of Asia excluding (parts of Indonesia) and all of Europe. The Southern Hemisphere includes of most of South America, one-third of Africa, all of Antarctica, a small sliver of Asia (parts of Indonesia) and all of Australia/Oceania.
Find the exceptions and maps and lists of countries at the following site: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/hemispheres.htm
archipelago (ahr-kuh-PEL-uh-go) noun: A large group of islands
From Italian arcipelago (the Aegean Sea), from Latin Egeopelagus, from arkhi- (chief) + pelagos (sea). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plak- (to be flat) which is also the source of words such as flake, flaw, placate, plead, please, and plank. Originally the term referred to the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Turkey) that has numerous islands.
Used as metaphor: "'The Hungry Tide' is an archipelago of stories braided by the tidal channels that weave among them." Richard Eder; In the Mouth of the Ganges; Los Angeles Times; May 22, 2005. A.Word.A.Day
The ancient Greeks sailed into the dazzling turquoise bays of Corsica and declared the island Kalliste: the Most Beautiful Henri Matisse strode down a gangplank many centuries later and found a “marvelous land,” where “all is color, all is light.” The island is part of France, but the ancient Corsican language is still spoken and sung.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/travel/31corsica.html
Paisley, a material of brightly colored abstract design featuring teardrop-shaped swirls, is named for a 19th-century textile center in Scotland.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/eponym_list_pq.html
Y as a vowel—some examples are gypsy, pygmy, rhythm—see others at following link:
http://www.resourceroom.net/readspell/wordlists/closed/closedywords.asp
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Check your local listings for the first presidential debate—see discrepancies below.
First presidential debate on Friday, September 26 on foreign policy and national security will be at 8 p.m. EDT.
http://www.olemiss.edu/debate/
First presidential debate will focus on domestic policy and start at 9 p.m. EDT.
Vice presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, October 2 at Washington University, St. Louis. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/19/473817.aspx
Equinox
A time at which the days and nights are the same length around the world.
Occurs around March 21 and September 21 (but not necessarily on those dates).
Occurs when the Sun is directly over the equator.
Is either vernal (in the spring) or autumnal (in the fall).
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/sun/sun3.html
Twenty-two percent of hiring managers said they use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 11 percent in 2006, according to a nationwide survey of more than 3,100 employers from CareerBuilder.com. An additional 9 percent said they don’t currently use social networking sites to screen potential employees, but plan to start.
http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr459&sd=9/10/2008&ed=12/31/2008&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=cd92a2aa6a8b4743ba3795cb9e5eaf7c-275237070-KE-5&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_22_potential_profiles_
A penny minted before 1982 is ninety-five per cent copper—which, at recent prices, is approximately two and a half cents’ worth. Ohioan Walter Luhrman, who had previously owned a company that refined gold and silver, devised a method of rapidly separating pre-1982 pennies from more recent ones, which are ninety-seven and a half per cent zinc, a less valuable commodity. His new company, Jackson Metals, bought truckloads of pennies from the Federal Reserve, turned the copper ones into ingots, and returned the zinc ones to circulation in cities where pennies were scarce. “Doing that prevented the U.S. Mint from having to make more pennies,” Luhrman told me recently. “Isn’t that neat?” The Mint didn’t think so; it issued a rule prohibiting the melting or exportation of one-cent and five-cent coins. (Nickels, despite their silvery appearance, are seventy-five per cent copper.)
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_owen/
It is no longer really a penny for your thoughts. To be precise, a thought is now worth 1.67 cents. And when someone offers you their 2 cents, they are really giving you 3.34 cents' worth of advice. That is because the government shells out 1.67 cents to manufacture one penny, up from 0.93 cents in 2004, according to The United States Mint. Every five-cent piece costs almost a dime (9.5 cents) to make. That means last year, more than $120 million was spent to produce about $65 million worth of nickels.
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/REG/988309947/1008
New design for penny
The 2009 Bicentennial Lincoln penny reverse sides mark stages in Abraham Lincoln’s life. The coins’ face won’t change. Due to the rising cost of copper and zinc — today’s pennies are 97.5 percent zinc coated with 2.5 percent copper — production and distribution costs hit 1.7 cents per coin in 2007, U.S. Mint spokesman Greg Hernandez said. That figure has dropped to 1.4 cents per coin today.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/business/stories/2008/09/23/penny_new_design.html
What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?
I don’t know and I don’t care, and I’m too lazy to find out.
First presidential debate on Friday, September 26 on foreign policy and national security will be at 8 p.m. EDT.
http://www.olemiss.edu/debate/
First presidential debate will focus on domestic policy and start at 9 p.m. EDT.
Vice presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, October 2 at Washington University, St. Louis. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/19/473817.aspx
Equinox
A time at which the days and nights are the same length around the world.
Occurs around March 21 and September 21 (but not necessarily on those dates).
Occurs when the Sun is directly over the equator.
Is either vernal (in the spring) or autumnal (in the fall).
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/sun/sun3.html
Twenty-two percent of hiring managers said they use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 11 percent in 2006, according to a nationwide survey of more than 3,100 employers from CareerBuilder.com. An additional 9 percent said they don’t currently use social networking sites to screen potential employees, but plan to start.
http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr459&sd=9/10/2008&ed=12/31/2008&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=cd92a2aa6a8b4743ba3795cb9e5eaf7c-275237070-KE-5&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_22_potential_profiles_
A penny minted before 1982 is ninety-five per cent copper—which, at recent prices, is approximately two and a half cents’ worth. Ohioan Walter Luhrman, who had previously owned a company that refined gold and silver, devised a method of rapidly separating pre-1982 pennies from more recent ones, which are ninety-seven and a half per cent zinc, a less valuable commodity. His new company, Jackson Metals, bought truckloads of pennies from the Federal Reserve, turned the copper ones into ingots, and returned the zinc ones to circulation in cities where pennies were scarce. “Doing that prevented the U.S. Mint from having to make more pennies,” Luhrman told me recently. “Isn’t that neat?” The Mint didn’t think so; it issued a rule prohibiting the melting or exportation of one-cent and five-cent coins. (Nickels, despite their silvery appearance, are seventy-five per cent copper.)
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_owen/
It is no longer really a penny for your thoughts. To be precise, a thought is now worth 1.67 cents. And when someone offers you their 2 cents, they are really giving you 3.34 cents' worth of advice. That is because the government shells out 1.67 cents to manufacture one penny, up from 0.93 cents in 2004, according to The United States Mint. Every five-cent piece costs almost a dime (9.5 cents) to make. That means last year, more than $120 million was spent to produce about $65 million worth of nickels.
http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/REG/988309947/1008
New design for penny
The 2009 Bicentennial Lincoln penny reverse sides mark stages in Abraham Lincoln’s life. The coins’ face won’t change. Due to the rising cost of copper and zinc — today’s pennies are 97.5 percent zinc coated with 2.5 percent copper — production and distribution costs hit 1.7 cents per coin in 2007, U.S. Mint spokesman Greg Hernandez said. That figure has dropped to 1.4 cents per coin today.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/business/stories/2008/09/23/penny_new_design.html
What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?
I don’t know and I don’t care, and I’m too lazy to find out.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Federal Reserve Board Approves Applications of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to Become Bank Holding Companies
News release: The Federal Reserve Board on Sunday approved, pending a statutory five-day antitrust waiting period, the applications of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to become bank holding companies. To provide increased liquidity support to these firms as they transition to managing their funding within a bank holding company structure, the Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to extend credit to the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley against all types of collateral that may be pledged at the Federal Reserve's primary credit facility for depository institutions or at the existing Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF); the Federal Reserve has also made these collateral arrangements available to the broker-dealer subsidiary of Merrill Lynch. In addition, the Board also authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to extend credit to the London-based broker-dealer subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch against collateral that would be eligible to be pledged at the PDCF."
• Related postings on financial system
Novel of the week: Indignation by Philip Roth
An “electric tale” from a talented writer
Author of the week: Sherry Jones
Her first novel, The Jewel of Medina, was yanked by U.S. publishers for fear it would incite violence. The novel has been picked up by European publishers and will be released in the U.S. The Week, September 26, 2008
Facts about $1 dollar bills They make up about 45% of currency production, and their
life span is 21 months. http://www.moneyfactory.gov/document.cfm/18/2230
On the dollar, the number thirteen, symbolizing the 13 original colonies, shows up 13 times:
13 total letters/digits in both 1776 (4) and its Roman Numeral equivalent MDCCLXXVI (9)
13 stars above the eagle
13 steps on the Pyramid
13 letters in ANNUIT COEPTIS
13 letters in E PLURIBUS UNUM
13 vertical bars on the shield
13 horizontal stripes at the top of the shield
13 leaves on the olive branch
13 berries on the olive branch
13 arrows
13 instances of the letter N
13 berries on the front of bill
13 elements on either side of the base of Washington's portrait (8 leaves, 5 berries)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_one-dollar_bill
Official Heraldry of the United States
The Great Seal of the United States
History of the Great Seal
US Heraldic Legislation
Arms of US Agencies
The US Army's Institute of Heraldry
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/usa/usheroff.htm
The two Michigan men who lost a lawsuit against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. haven't given up on publishing a book version of the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS05/809150374/1007/news
A Federal Perspective on Health Care Policy and Costs
CBO: Presentation to the Center for Public Health, Stanford University: A Federal Perspective on Health Care Policy and Costs, Peter Orszag Director, September 16, 2008.
Tulane Law School is facing an awkward scenario. A professor-written law review article suggesting that the Louisiana Supreme Court justices tend to decide cases in favor of litigants and lawyers who contribute to their campaigns contained “numerous errors,” according to a recent letter of apology sent to the Louisiana Supremes by Tulane Dean Lawrence Ponoroff. WSJ Law Blog September 18, 2008
Sanction can mean either approval or disapproval.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanction
To your health
Steam vegetables all or some of the cooking time—see recipe for fingerling potatoes at following link: http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipessides/food_20020916_potatoes
On September 21, 1937 The Hobbit was published with a printing of 1,500 copies. A few years earlier, a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a man named J.R.R. Tolkien, was grading papers and he turned one of those papers over and wrote, "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit." He didn't really know what that meant, or what a hobbit was. But in the next few years, he drew a map of the sort of world he thought a hobbit would live in, and then he started to write a story about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Tolkien only managed to finish the story because he was encouraged by friends. It was passed around and eventually got to the publishing house of Allen & Unwin. Mr. Unwin gave it to his 10-year-old son, told him he would pay him a few pennies in exchange for reading it and giving him a report, and the boy was so enthusiastic that Allen & Unwin agreed to publish it
On September 21, 1970 the first modern op-ed page appeared in The New York Times. People sometimes think that "op-ed" stands for "opinion-editorial," but it actually stands for "opposite the editorial page." Op-eds began in the 1920s, but they were forums for newspapers' columnists, not for outside writers. The modern op-ed was created by New York Times journalist John Bertram Oakes. Oakes received a commentary letter that he thought was excellent, but it was too long to print as a letter to the editor, and it couldn't be published in the op-ed page since it wasn't by a columnist. So he got the idea for an op-ed page that would include outside opinions.
On September 22, 1862 President Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most important executive orders in American history. It announced that slaves in rebel states were free as of January 1, 1863.
On September 22, 1961 President John F. Kennedy signed the bill that created the Peace Corps.
The Writer’s Almanac
News release: The Federal Reserve Board on Sunday approved, pending a statutory five-day antitrust waiting period, the applications of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to become bank holding companies. To provide increased liquidity support to these firms as they transition to managing their funding within a bank holding company structure, the Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to extend credit to the U.S. broker-dealer subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley against all types of collateral that may be pledged at the Federal Reserve's primary credit facility for depository institutions or at the existing Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF); the Federal Reserve has also made these collateral arrangements available to the broker-dealer subsidiary of Merrill Lynch. In addition, the Board also authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to extend credit to the London-based broker-dealer subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch against collateral that would be eligible to be pledged at the PDCF."
• Related postings on financial system
Novel of the week: Indignation by Philip Roth
An “electric tale” from a talented writer
Author of the week: Sherry Jones
Her first novel, The Jewel of Medina, was yanked by U.S. publishers for fear it would incite violence. The novel has been picked up by European publishers and will be released in the U.S. The Week, September 26, 2008
Facts about $1 dollar bills They make up about 45% of currency production, and their
life span is 21 months. http://www.moneyfactory.gov/document.cfm/18/2230
On the dollar, the number thirteen, symbolizing the 13 original colonies, shows up 13 times:
13 total letters/digits in both 1776 (4) and its Roman Numeral equivalent MDCCLXXVI (9)
13 stars above the eagle
13 steps on the Pyramid
13 letters in ANNUIT COEPTIS
13 letters in E PLURIBUS UNUM
13 vertical bars on the shield
13 horizontal stripes at the top of the shield
13 leaves on the olive branch
13 berries on the olive branch
13 arrows
13 instances of the letter N
13 berries on the front of bill
13 elements on either side of the base of Washington's portrait (8 leaves, 5 berries)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_one-dollar_bill
Official Heraldry of the United States
The Great Seal of the United States
History of the Great Seal
US Heraldic Legislation
Arms of US Agencies
The US Army's Institute of Heraldry
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/usa/usheroff.htm
The two Michigan men who lost a lawsuit against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. haven't given up on publishing a book version of the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/NEWS05/809150374/1007/news
A Federal Perspective on Health Care Policy and Costs
CBO: Presentation to the Center for Public Health, Stanford University: A Federal Perspective on Health Care Policy and Costs, Peter Orszag Director, September 16, 2008.
Tulane Law School is facing an awkward scenario. A professor-written law review article suggesting that the Louisiana Supreme Court justices tend to decide cases in favor of litigants and lawyers who contribute to their campaigns contained “numerous errors,” according to a recent letter of apology sent to the Louisiana Supremes by Tulane Dean Lawrence Ponoroff. WSJ Law Blog September 18, 2008
Sanction can mean either approval or disapproval.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanction
To your health
Steam vegetables all or some of the cooking time—see recipe for fingerling potatoes at following link: http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipessides/food_20020916_potatoes
On September 21, 1937 The Hobbit was published with a printing of 1,500 copies. A few years earlier, a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, a man named J.R.R. Tolkien, was grading papers and he turned one of those papers over and wrote, "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit." He didn't really know what that meant, or what a hobbit was. But in the next few years, he drew a map of the sort of world he thought a hobbit would live in, and then he started to write a story about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Tolkien only managed to finish the story because he was encouraged by friends. It was passed around and eventually got to the publishing house of Allen & Unwin. Mr. Unwin gave it to his 10-year-old son, told him he would pay him a few pennies in exchange for reading it and giving him a report, and the boy was so enthusiastic that Allen & Unwin agreed to publish it
On September 21, 1970 the first modern op-ed page appeared in The New York Times. People sometimes think that "op-ed" stands for "opinion-editorial," but it actually stands for "opposite the editorial page." Op-eds began in the 1920s, but they were forums for newspapers' columnists, not for outside writers. The modern op-ed was created by New York Times journalist John Bertram Oakes. Oakes received a commentary letter that he thought was excellent, but it was too long to print as a letter to the editor, and it couldn't be published in the op-ed page since it wasn't by a columnist. So he got the idea for an op-ed page that would include outside opinions.
On September 22, 1862 President Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most important executive orders in American history. It announced that slaves in rebel states were free as of January 1, 1863.
On September 22, 1961 President John F. Kennedy signed the bill that created the Peace Corps.
The Writer’s Almanac
Friday, September 19, 2008
U.S. District Judge Ronald White, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, has dismissed a libel lawsuit filed against best-selling author John Grisham and two other writers over books they wrote about the wrongful conviction of two men in a 1982 murder. See the story at following link.
http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2008/09/18/john-grisham-libel-suit-results/
New GAO Reports (PDFs)
Source: Government Accountability Office 17 September 2008
1. Electronic Waste: EPA Needs to Better Control Harmful U.S. Exports through Stronger Enforcement and More Comprehensive Regulation
2. Digital Television Transition: Implementation of the Converter Box Subsidy Program Is Under Way, but Preparedness to Manage an Increase in Subsidy Demand Is Unclear
3. Health Information Technology: HHS Has Taken Important Steps to Address Privacy Principles and Challenges, Although More Work Remains
4. Federal Pensions: Judicial Survivors’ Annuities System Costs
5. Defense Infrastructure: Opportunity to Improve the Timeliness of Future Overseas Planning Reports and Factors Affecting the Master Planning Effort for the Military Buildup on Guam
Congress Passes ADA Amendments Act
From the CRS summary of S. 3406, passed by the Senate on September 11, 2008: "ADA Amendments Act of 2008 - (Sec. 4) Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) to redefine the term "disability," including by defining "major life activities" and "being regarded as having such an impairment."
Sets forth rules of construction regarding the definition of "disability," including that: (1) such term shall be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals under the Act; (2) an impairment that substantially limits one major life activity need not limit other major life activities in order to be a disability; (3) an impairment that is episodic or in remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active; and (4) the determination of whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity shall be made without regard to the ameliorative effects of specified mitigating measures.
(Sec. 5) Prohibits employment discrimination against a qualified individual on the basis of disability. (Current law prohibits employment discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability.)..."
SEC Investor Alert - 401(k) Debit Cards: What You Might Not Know
SEC Fact Sheet: "A number of companies are beginning to offer a “401(k) debit card” to employees who invest in 401(k) retirement programs. A 401(k) debit card allows you to borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of the value of your retirement plan, whichever is less, through use of a debit card. Unlike a debit card that deducts money from your checking or savings account, a 401(k) debit card withdrawal is a loan you make to yourself out of your retirement savings. More akin to a traditional credit card, you must repay the money you withdraw using the card, along with fees and interest –- or you may incur substantial penalties.”
Phrases from Rex Libris, born in ancient Greece (or was it Rome?)—a public librarian who fights evil and perfidy and goes on book retrieval missions through time and space.
Issue 7, Monster Merry-Go-Round:
“delusions of significance”
“We’ve been stuck on the side of a mountain in sub-zero temperatures for three weeks in a blizzard with no books . . . “
Issue 8, Escape from the Book of Monsters
“down with zombie chic”
“I’m a librarian, I’m going to get you out of here, safe and sound.”
A French museum has found a previously unknown piece of music handwritten by Mozart. The 18th century melody sketch is missing the harmony and instrumentation but was described as an important find. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, said there is no doubt that the single sheet was written by the composer.
http://daily.iflove.com/world/2008-09/19/content_7041307.htm
hack•er noun Date: 14th century
1. one that hacks 2. a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity 3. an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer 4. a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hacker
Notice that before hacker referred to a criminal, it was a positive word for a computer expert who solved problems. The second and third meanings conflict, the second meaning unskilled and the third skilled.
http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2008/09/18/john-grisham-libel-suit-results/
New GAO Reports (PDFs)
Source: Government Accountability Office 17 September 2008
1. Electronic Waste: EPA Needs to Better Control Harmful U.S. Exports through Stronger Enforcement and More Comprehensive Regulation
2. Digital Television Transition: Implementation of the Converter Box Subsidy Program Is Under Way, but Preparedness to Manage an Increase in Subsidy Demand Is Unclear
3. Health Information Technology: HHS Has Taken Important Steps to Address Privacy Principles and Challenges, Although More Work Remains
4. Federal Pensions: Judicial Survivors’ Annuities System Costs
5. Defense Infrastructure: Opportunity to Improve the Timeliness of Future Overseas Planning Reports and Factors Affecting the Master Planning Effort for the Military Buildup on Guam
Congress Passes ADA Amendments Act
From the CRS summary of S. 3406, passed by the Senate on September 11, 2008: "ADA Amendments Act of 2008 - (Sec. 4) Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) to redefine the term "disability," including by defining "major life activities" and "being regarded as having such an impairment."
Sets forth rules of construction regarding the definition of "disability," including that: (1) such term shall be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals under the Act; (2) an impairment that substantially limits one major life activity need not limit other major life activities in order to be a disability; (3) an impairment that is episodic or in remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active; and (4) the determination of whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity shall be made without regard to the ameliorative effects of specified mitigating measures.
(Sec. 5) Prohibits employment discrimination against a qualified individual on the basis of disability. (Current law prohibits employment discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability.)..."
SEC Investor Alert - 401(k) Debit Cards: What You Might Not Know
SEC Fact Sheet: "A number of companies are beginning to offer a “401(k) debit card” to employees who invest in 401(k) retirement programs. A 401(k) debit card allows you to borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of the value of your retirement plan, whichever is less, through use of a debit card. Unlike a debit card that deducts money from your checking or savings account, a 401(k) debit card withdrawal is a loan you make to yourself out of your retirement savings. More akin to a traditional credit card, you must repay the money you withdraw using the card, along with fees and interest –- or you may incur substantial penalties.”
Phrases from Rex Libris, born in ancient Greece (or was it Rome?)—a public librarian who fights evil and perfidy and goes on book retrieval missions through time and space.
Issue 7, Monster Merry-Go-Round:
“delusions of significance”
“We’ve been stuck on the side of a mountain in sub-zero temperatures for three weeks in a blizzard with no books . . . “
Issue 8, Escape from the Book of Monsters
“down with zombie chic”
“I’m a librarian, I’m going to get you out of here, safe and sound.”
A French museum has found a previously unknown piece of music handwritten by Mozart. The 18th century melody sketch is missing the harmony and instrumentation but was described as an important find. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, said there is no doubt that the single sheet was written by the composer.
http://daily.iflove.com/world/2008-09/19/content_7041307.htm
hack•er noun Date: 14th century
1. one that hacks 2. a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity 3. an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer 4. a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hacker
Notice that before hacker referred to a criminal, it was a positive word for a computer expert who solved problems. The second and third meanings conflict, the second meaning unskilled and the third skilled.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)