Fiat SpA bought a stake in most of Chrysler LLC’s assets, creating the world’s sixth-largest carmaker in Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne’s plan to survive the recession by setting up a global alliance. Fiat, Italy’s biggest manufacturer, will own 20 percent of the newly formed Chrysler Group LLC and is aiming for a 35 percent stake if certain operational goals are achieved, the companies said today in a statement. The United Auto Workers’ union retiree health-care trust fund will be the biggest owner, with 55 percent when Fiat reaches its target holding. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned objections to the transaction by Indiana state pension funds and U.S. consumer advocates, ruling that the challenges didn’t meet the legal standard for an emergency stay of the deal. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aUwZOCifLsZM
America’s top public schools according to Newsweek
Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way. http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160
A descendant of the onetime owner of a famed Van Gogh painting has sued Yale University in an effort to reclaim the artwork from the Ivy League school.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., Pierre Konowaloff alleged that the university should have known the painting—"The Night Café"—had been confiscated from his great-grandfather, Ivan Morozov, a Russian industrialist and aristocrat, during the Communist takeover of Russia in the early 1900s. The 1888 painting was subsequently sold by the Soviet government to a European gallery. Stephen Carlton Clark, a Yale alumnus, bought the painting from a gallery in New York in the early 1930s and bequeathed it to Yale in 1961.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124406037069082321.html
You won't have to leave your chair to see the Gutenberg Bible (1455) anymore.
That and the first printed edition of Homer's works are among ancient books being published online by Cambridge University Library over the next five years.
The money for the project has come from the Andrew W Mellon Foundation.
NYX is the resident cat at the Chesterfield County Public Library in Virginia. You may know her through Ann Chambers Theis' wonderful website, Overbooked where of course she has her own page. Nyx was born without eyeballs in May of 2008. She also has a stubby tail, possibly due to an injury. Nyx gets around by echolocation, meaning she produces sounds and is aware of how far they travel when they bounce back. Even when she is still, she has a loud purr. Nyx seems very happy at the library.
Library cats map
http://www.ironfrog.com/catsmap.html
Asterisms are sub- or supersets of constellations which build a constellation itself, or a group of stars, physically related or not. Best known is the Big Dipper as a part of the Great Bear. But there are more than just this one. Full article>>>
An asterism is a distinctive pattern of stars in the sky but not including any of the 88 recognized constellations. Full article>>> http://en.mimi.hu/astronomy/asterism.html
In a way we’re all Big Dippers, part of something much bigger than ourselves.
Sail, a novel by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
List of the 88 constellations as defined by the International Astronomical Union:
http://www.cosmobrain.com/cosmobrain/res/constellations.html
Q. What city has about 90 islands connected with about 500 stone bridges? It has 50 museums, the largest number of museums per square mile than any city in the world.
A. Forthcoming
June 10 is the birthday of Saul Bellow, (books by this author) born Solomon Bellows in Lachine, Quebec, in 1915, two years after his parents emigrated from Russia.
June 10 is the birthday of Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm in 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where her father operated the only movie theater in town.
June 10 is the birthday of the children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, (books by this author) born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928. Maurice Sendak has illustrated more than 90 books. He said: "You cannot write for children. They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them."
June 11 is the birthday of poet David Lehman, (books by this author) born in New York City in 1948. One day in 1987, he had a sudden inspiration: to create a yearly anthology that would feature the best poems that had been published that year, and each year a different poet would select the poems. Publishers were hesitant because they thought that poetry would automatically lose money. But Scribner finally agreed to publish it, and The Best American Poetry 1988, edited by John Ashbery, was a huge success. David Lehman has served as the series editor ever since, and the Best American Poetry books continue to come out every September and are very popular.
On June 11, 1935 listeners first heard FM radio, when the American inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong gave a demonstration in Alpine, New Jersey. FM was much clearer than AM. Armstrong demonstrated it by playing classical music and the sound of water being poured. The Writer’s Almanac
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg granted a motion filed by Indiana state pension funds to delay the merger between the American and Italian automakers in what the U.S. Treasury Department said was an “administrative extension designed to allow sufficient time for the Supreme Court to explore whether or not a stay is needed, according to several published reports June 8. The Supreme Court move extends a stay already issued by a lower court that was set to expire late afternoon Monday. Fiat, however, has given Chrysler until June 15 to finish the merger.
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/06/08/daily22.html
The secret collection John Sisto kept in his Berwyn, Illinois bungalow had letters written by kings, Vatican documents penned by Catholic popes and even a handwritten book preface by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. In all, federal officials found an astounding treasure-trove of about 3,500 ancient artifacts, religious relics, rare manuscripts and other historic items after Sisto's death in March 2007. Federal officials said Monday that the results of a two-year investigation determined that 1,600 of those items were stolen from Italy and shipped to the U.S. to be sold. The items, with an estimated value of $5 million and $10 million, will be returned to Italy later this week, according to FBI spokesman Ross Rice. Sisto's son Joseph said he was aware of his father's large collection of artifacts when he was growing up. John Sisto's father, Giuseppe, would travel Europe and buy the items in estate sales, then ship them overseas in "hundreds of crates" for his son to sell. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-antiquities-09-jun09,0,237014.story
"Neutral facial expressions" are required at departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. That means you can't smile, or smile very much. Other states may follow. The serious poses are urged by DMVs that have installed high-tech software that compares a new license photo with others that have already been shot. When a new photo seems to match an existing one, the software sends alarms that someone may be trying to assume another driver's identity. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-25-licenses_N.htm
Part of a Facebook exchange between a North Carolina judge and one lawyer in a child custody trial involved the weight to be given testimony that one spouse had been unfaithful. During a meeting in chambers the day after the Judge Terry had friended lawyer Charles A. Schieck, Terry told the lawyers he believed the testimony but did not see that it made any difference in deciding custody. Schieck responded, "I will have to see if I can prove a negative." That evening, Schieck posted on his Facebook account, "How do I prove a negative?" Judge Terry saw it and responded that he had "two good parents to choose from," to which Schieck posted his "wise judge" remark. The next day, the two shared additional messages on Facebook. In one, Schieck wrote, "I hope I'm in my last day of trial." Judge Terry responded, "You are in your last day of trial."
http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2009/06/facebook-friend-earns-judge-a-reprimand.html
Public Reprimand of B. Carlton Terry, Jr. by N.C. Judicial Standards Commission
http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/coa/jsc/publicreprimands/jsc08-234.pdf
Tony La Russa suing Twitter for trademark infringement
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is suing the micro-blogging and social networking site Twitter, Inc., over what the skipper and his attorney describe as trademark infringement, cybersquatting and misappropriation of likeness and name.
The suit, filed in San Francisco about a month ago, concerns the Twitter name page for Tony La Russa (or www.twitter.com/tonylarussa) and the manager’s claim that it was an unofficial and unauthorized use of his name. The fake page allegedly had La Russa’s picture and some vulgar updates, a few of which were Cardinals-related. The suit contains several examples of off-color statements made on the page, two of which make references, directly or indirectly, to the two active Cardinals’ pitchers who died during recent regular seasons, Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock. La Russa sought out ways to remove the address, even asking reporters for information on how to contact Twitter, Inc., and stop the feed of micro-blogs attached to his name, according to the suit.
In the suit his attorney claims that such attempts were fruitless. Only after filing the suit did the address come down on Twitter.com, according to the suit.
On June 5, La Russa told reporters that the case had “been settled.” But over the weekend, Twitter rebuffed La Russa's claim, saying the suit had not settled, and reasserting that its position “will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa's lawsuit.” WSJ Law Blog June 8, 2009
Energy secretary Steven Chu, while in London pitched an idea from his former colleagues at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Painting roofs white to reflect sunlight can make a huge difference to global warming.
From the Times of London: “There’s a friend of mine, a colleague of mine, Art Rosenfeld, who’s pushing very hard for a geo-engineering we all believe will be completely benign, and that’s when you have a flat-top roof building, make it white. “Now, you smile, but he’s done a calculation, and if you take all the buildings and make their roofs white and if you make the pavement more of a concrete type of colour rather than a black type of colour, and you do this uniformly . . . it’s the equivalent of reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars on the road for 11 years.” The thing is, secretary Chu actually understated the potential benefits of global whitewashing. The Lawrence research he refers to (which WSJ wrote about last fall) says that white roofs and pavements could mean a one-time reduction of 44 billion tons of carbon dioxide. That, Art Rosenfeld said, translates to removing all the cars in the world for 18 years. Of course, that’s the best-case scenario. Most roofs are sloped, not flat. Using “cool colored” paint on sloping roofs—as California will require starting this summer—would lead to a global reduction on the order of 24 billion tons.
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/05/27/steven-chu-white-roofs-to-fight-global-warming/tab/print/
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) charged that top officials at the Library of Congress have interfered with investigations conducted by its independent watchdogs and have frequently admonished investigators for the tone and focus of their investigations. "Your office's attempts to influence and/or control the OIG appear to be in direct contravention of the principles underlying the creation of the Inspectors General," Grassley wrote in a sharply worded letter delivered today to Librarian of the United States James H. Billington. "Independence is the hallmark of the Inspectors General throughout the country." In response, Library of Congress spokesman Matt Raymond said Billington will review the letter and respond in full. He also noted that Billington requested the Library's first-ever audit and called for the establishment of an independent IG. "There are a number of serious factual errors in the events as stated in the letter that we will correct," Raymond said, but would not elaborate. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/06/library_of_congress_officials.html?hpid=news-col-blog
An Illinois muse reader, upon reading the daffodil poem by Wordsworth, remembers visiting Wye Mountain, Arkansas and its daffodil field. Find pictures here: http://starwoodgal.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/wye-mountain-daffodils/
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/06/08/daily22.html
The secret collection John Sisto kept in his Berwyn, Illinois bungalow had letters written by kings, Vatican documents penned by Catholic popes and even a handwritten book preface by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. In all, federal officials found an astounding treasure-trove of about 3,500 ancient artifacts, religious relics, rare manuscripts and other historic items after Sisto's death in March 2007. Federal officials said Monday that the results of a two-year investigation determined that 1,600 of those items were stolen from Italy and shipped to the U.S. to be sold. The items, with an estimated value of $5 million and $10 million, will be returned to Italy later this week, according to FBI spokesman Ross Rice. Sisto's son Joseph said he was aware of his father's large collection of artifacts when he was growing up. John Sisto's father, Giuseppe, would travel Europe and buy the items in estate sales, then ship them overseas in "hundreds of crates" for his son to sell. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-antiquities-09-jun09,0,237014.story
"Neutral facial expressions" are required at departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. That means you can't smile, or smile very much. Other states may follow. The serious poses are urged by DMVs that have installed high-tech software that compares a new license photo with others that have already been shot. When a new photo seems to match an existing one, the software sends alarms that someone may be trying to assume another driver's identity. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-25-licenses_N.htm
Part of a Facebook exchange between a North Carolina judge and one lawyer in a child custody trial involved the weight to be given testimony that one spouse had been unfaithful. During a meeting in chambers the day after the Judge Terry had friended lawyer Charles A. Schieck, Terry told the lawyers he believed the testimony but did not see that it made any difference in deciding custody. Schieck responded, "I will have to see if I can prove a negative." That evening, Schieck posted on his Facebook account, "How do I prove a negative?" Judge Terry saw it and responded that he had "two good parents to choose from," to which Schieck posted his "wise judge" remark. The next day, the two shared additional messages on Facebook. In one, Schieck wrote, "I hope I'm in my last day of trial." Judge Terry responded, "You are in your last day of trial."
http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2009/06/facebook-friend-earns-judge-a-reprimand.html
Public Reprimand of B. Carlton Terry, Jr. by N.C. Judicial Standards Commission
http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/coa/jsc/publicreprimands/jsc08-234.pdf
Tony La Russa suing Twitter for trademark infringement
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is suing the micro-blogging and social networking site Twitter, Inc., over what the skipper and his attorney describe as trademark infringement, cybersquatting and misappropriation of likeness and name.
The suit, filed in San Francisco about a month ago, concerns the Twitter name page for Tony La Russa (or www.twitter.com/tonylarussa) and the manager’s claim that it was an unofficial and unauthorized use of his name. The fake page allegedly had La Russa’s picture and some vulgar updates, a few of which were Cardinals-related. The suit contains several examples of off-color statements made on the page, two of which make references, directly or indirectly, to the two active Cardinals’ pitchers who died during recent regular seasons, Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock. La Russa sought out ways to remove the address, even asking reporters for information on how to contact Twitter, Inc., and stop the feed of micro-blogs attached to his name, according to the suit.
In the suit his attorney claims that such attempts were fruitless. Only after filing the suit did the address come down on Twitter.com, according to the suit.
On June 5, La Russa told reporters that the case had “been settled.” But over the weekend, Twitter rebuffed La Russa's claim, saying the suit had not settled, and reasserting that its position “will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa's lawsuit.” WSJ Law Blog June 8, 2009
Energy secretary Steven Chu, while in London pitched an idea from his former colleagues at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Painting roofs white to reflect sunlight can make a huge difference to global warming.
From the Times of London: “There’s a friend of mine, a colleague of mine, Art Rosenfeld, who’s pushing very hard for a geo-engineering we all believe will be completely benign, and that’s when you have a flat-top roof building, make it white. “Now, you smile, but he’s done a calculation, and if you take all the buildings and make their roofs white and if you make the pavement more of a concrete type of colour rather than a black type of colour, and you do this uniformly . . . it’s the equivalent of reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars on the road for 11 years.” The thing is, secretary Chu actually understated the potential benefits of global whitewashing. The Lawrence research he refers to (which WSJ wrote about last fall) says that white roofs and pavements could mean a one-time reduction of 44 billion tons of carbon dioxide. That, Art Rosenfeld said, translates to removing all the cars in the world for 18 years. Of course, that’s the best-case scenario. Most roofs are sloped, not flat. Using “cool colored” paint on sloping roofs—as California will require starting this summer—would lead to a global reduction on the order of 24 billion tons.
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/05/27/steven-chu-white-roofs-to-fight-global-warming/tab/print/
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) charged that top officials at the Library of Congress have interfered with investigations conducted by its independent watchdogs and have frequently admonished investigators for the tone and focus of their investigations. "Your office's attempts to influence and/or control the OIG appear to be in direct contravention of the principles underlying the creation of the Inspectors General," Grassley wrote in a sharply worded letter delivered today to Librarian of the United States James H. Billington. "Independence is the hallmark of the Inspectors General throughout the country." In response, Library of Congress spokesman Matt Raymond said Billington will review the letter and respond in full. He also noted that Billington requested the Library's first-ever audit and called for the establishment of an independent IG. "There are a number of serious factual errors in the events as stated in the letter that we will correct," Raymond said, but would not elaborate. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/06/library_of_congress_officials.html?hpid=news-col-blog
An Illinois muse reader, upon reading the daffodil poem by Wordsworth, remembers visiting Wye Mountain, Arkansas and its daffodil field. Find pictures here: http://starwoodgal.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/wye-mountain-daffodils/
Monday, June 8, 2009
Google Squared Now Live
"Google Squared is a search tool that helps you quickly build a collection of facts from the Web for any topic you specify. Facts about your topic are organized as a table of items and attributes (we call them "Squares" for fun). Customize these Squares to see just the items and attributes you're interested in. See the websites that served as sources for the information in your Square. Save and share Squares with others."
FTC Provides Tips for Saving Money at the Gas Pump and Cooling Your Home
News release: "With summer on the way, hotter days and vacation road trips are coming up fast. Because the costs of cooling your home and filling up your car can add up, the Federal Trade Commission is offering tips to save you money. Saving Starts @ Home: The Insider Story on Conserving Energy, offers energy conservation tips to help consumers save money in every room of the house. For example, for the attic, the FTC explains the ABCs of insulation. Among other tips for the kitchen, consumers find advice on using the newly redesigned Energy Guide labels available for all appliances. At Saving Money at the Gas Pump: A Bumper-to-Bumper Guide, consumers can find tips for improving fuel efficiency from bumper to bumper on a car."
Featured Polish author and artist: Bruno Schulz (1892-1942)
Schulz seems to have become a writer by chance, as he was discouraged by influential colleagues from publishing his first short stories. His aspirations were refreshed, however, when several letters that he wrote to a friend, in which he gave highly original accounts of his solitary life and the details of the lives of his fellow citizens, were brought to the attention of the novelist Zofia Nałkowska. She encouraged Schulz to have them published as short fiction, and The Cinnamon Shops (Sklepy Cynamonowe) was published in 1934; in English-speaking countries, it is most often referred to as The Street of Crocodiles, a title derived from one of the chapters. This novel-memoir was followed three years later by Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (Sanatorium Pod Klepsydrą). The original publications were fully illustrated by Schulz himself; in later editions of his works, however, these illustrations are often left out or are poorly reproduced. He also helped his fiancée translate Franz Kafka's The Trial into Polish, in 1936. In 1938, he was awarded the Polish Academy of Literature's prestigious Golden Laurel award. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Schulz
Links to drawings, articles and writings of Bruno Schulz: http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/arts_culture/literature/fiction/schulz/link.shtml
We are all capable of "hearing" shapes and sizes and perhaps even "tasting" sounds, according to researchers. This blending of sensory experiences, or synaesthesia, they say, influences our perception and helps us make sense of a jumble of simultaneous sensations. Oxford University scientists found that people associate lower-pitched sounds with larger and more rounded shapes. One of the team is now working with chef Heston Blumenthal to incorporate words into a new dining experience. Find story and pictures at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8070210.stm
Coming to Shumaker charity sale in Toledo
Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy hardbound 656 pages
Cold Fire by Dean Koontz hardbound 382 pages
Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey softbound 372 pages
witty and entertaining novel by sister of Tampa reader Pam Santamaria
Finding Moon by Tony Hillerman hardbound 319 pages
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Finding_Moon
Daffodils by William Wordsworth public domain
I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
On June 8, 1867 Mark Twain (books by this author) set off on a tour of Europe and the Middle East. He traveled on a steamship with a large group of American tourists who wanted to go on a Holy Land pilgrimage. He said, "It was to be a picnic on a gigantic scale." Twain was just beginning to make a name for himself as a writer, and when he got back from the cruise, his publisher gave him six months to write a 600-page book. And he did: He published The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrim's Progress (1869), which sold the most copies of any of his books during his lifetime.
June 8 is the birthday of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, born in Richland Center, Wisconsin (1867). He designed houses and buildings that complemented the place they were built in. He said, "The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines." The Writer’s Almanac
"Google Squared is a search tool that helps you quickly build a collection of facts from the Web for any topic you specify. Facts about your topic are organized as a table of items and attributes (we call them "Squares" for fun). Customize these Squares to see just the items and attributes you're interested in. See the websites that served as sources for the information in your Square. Save and share Squares with others."
FTC Provides Tips for Saving Money at the Gas Pump and Cooling Your Home
News release: "With summer on the way, hotter days and vacation road trips are coming up fast. Because the costs of cooling your home and filling up your car can add up, the Federal Trade Commission is offering tips to save you money. Saving Starts @ Home: The Insider Story on Conserving Energy, offers energy conservation tips to help consumers save money in every room of the house. For example, for the attic, the FTC explains the ABCs of insulation. Among other tips for the kitchen, consumers find advice on using the newly redesigned Energy Guide labels available for all appliances. At Saving Money at the Gas Pump: A Bumper-to-Bumper Guide, consumers can find tips for improving fuel efficiency from bumper to bumper on a car."
Featured Polish author and artist: Bruno Schulz (1892-1942)
Schulz seems to have become a writer by chance, as he was discouraged by influential colleagues from publishing his first short stories. His aspirations were refreshed, however, when several letters that he wrote to a friend, in which he gave highly original accounts of his solitary life and the details of the lives of his fellow citizens, were brought to the attention of the novelist Zofia Nałkowska. She encouraged Schulz to have them published as short fiction, and The Cinnamon Shops (Sklepy Cynamonowe) was published in 1934; in English-speaking countries, it is most often referred to as The Street of Crocodiles, a title derived from one of the chapters. This novel-memoir was followed three years later by Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (Sanatorium Pod Klepsydrą). The original publications were fully illustrated by Schulz himself; in later editions of his works, however, these illustrations are often left out or are poorly reproduced. He also helped his fiancée translate Franz Kafka's The Trial into Polish, in 1936. In 1938, he was awarded the Polish Academy of Literature's prestigious Golden Laurel award. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Schulz
Links to drawings, articles and writings of Bruno Schulz: http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/arts_culture/literature/fiction/schulz/link.shtml
We are all capable of "hearing" shapes and sizes and perhaps even "tasting" sounds, according to researchers. This blending of sensory experiences, or synaesthesia, they say, influences our perception and helps us make sense of a jumble of simultaneous sensations. Oxford University scientists found that people associate lower-pitched sounds with larger and more rounded shapes. One of the team is now working with chef Heston Blumenthal to incorporate words into a new dining experience. Find story and pictures at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8070210.stm
Coming to Shumaker charity sale in Toledo
Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy hardbound 656 pages
Cold Fire by Dean Koontz hardbound 382 pages
Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey softbound 372 pages
witty and entertaining novel by sister of Tampa reader Pam Santamaria
Finding Moon by Tony Hillerman hardbound 319 pages
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Finding_Moon
Daffodils by William Wordsworth public domain
I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
On June 8, 1867 Mark Twain (books by this author) set off on a tour of Europe and the Middle East. He traveled on a steamship with a large group of American tourists who wanted to go on a Holy Land pilgrimage. He said, "It was to be a picnic on a gigantic scale." Twain was just beginning to make a name for himself as a writer, and when he got back from the cruise, his publisher gave him six months to write a 600-page book. And he did: He published The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrim's Progress (1869), which sold the most copies of any of his books during his lifetime.
June 8 is the birthday of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, born in Richland Center, Wisconsin (1867). He designed houses and buildings that complemented the place they were built in. He said, "The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines." The Writer’s Almanac
Friday, June 5, 2009
Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: Feature Smackdown - quick, useful guide with accompanying screenshots, includes tools and features for shopping, local, travel, music and health.
More on J.D. Salinger’s lawsuit: Salinger, 90, has sued to enjoin the publication of a sequel of sorts to his most famous and celebrated novel, Catcher in the Rye. The sequel, called 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, is written by a purported American living in Sweden named John David California. The novel portrays a 76-year old Holden Caulfield--the famed protagonist of the original work--wandering the streets of New York after having escaped from a retirement home. Reads the lawsuit: “The Sequel is not a parody and it does not comment upon or criticize the original . . . It is a ripoff pure and simple.” Reached by the AP, a man identifying himself as California said that he lived outside of Goteborg, Sweden. He called the legal action “a little bit insane.” Said California: “To me, this is a story about an old man. It's a love story, a story about an author and his character,” adding that John David California was his pen name. “I did not mean to cause him any trouble.” WSJ Law Blog June 2, 2009
Federal regulators and antismoking groups are taking steps that could snuff out electronic cigarettes, the smokeless nicotine products embraced by a growing number of people trying to kick the habit or avoid bans on smoking in public. Electronic cigarettes typically consist of a metal tube containing an atomizer, a battery and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. When a user sucks on an e-cigarette, a light-emitting diode causes the tip to glow and the atomizer turns the liquid nicotine into a vapor--thus it is called vaping instead of smoking. The vapor can be inhaled and then exhaled, creating a cloud that resembles cigarette smoke but dissipates more quickly and doesn't have the lingering odor. The American Lung Association, along with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, recently called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market. The groups say e-cigarettes have yet to be proven safe and that kids may be attracted to the products, some of which come in flavors like chocolate and strawberry. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124390176699074609.html
The New Deal gave the country the CCC, the TVA and the WPA. The waning days of the Bush administration produced TARP, for Troubled Asset Relief Program, also currently known as "the bailout." The stimulus package, the name of which is already a source of sniggers, has brought to life the RAT Board, LUST Trust and ARPA-E.
Government spending plans seem to result in a surplus of acronyms. For decades, generations of American history classes have wrestled with memorizing the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Works Progress Administration, later renamed the Work Projects Administration, and dozens of other acronym agencies created under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, aka FDR.
The problem is, in this era of big government spending accompanied by promises of transparency, outbreaks of acronyms can be variously confusing, awkward and accidentally self-mocking. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124390651321174431.html
Monterey Bay Aquarium's ecological tracking program tallies research from around the globe on threatened species and then recommends which fish to buy, and which to avoid. The Aquarium's Web site, www.seafoodwatch.org, is packed with fascinating information, and new research material is constantly added. You'll also find information and links to sites which focus on contamination difficulties with fresh water and salt water fish. Their pocket guide for selecting fish is available in national and regional formats. Here's the link to get the guide. They've also created an App to send recommendations sent to your iPhone. Weeknight Kitchen from the Splendid Table
To your health
Sea Beans grow wild all over coastal North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Sometimes called "poor man's asparagus," sea beans are not seaweed, as it is often mistakenly described, nor is it a bean, which it slightly resembles. Sea Beans can be eaten raw or cooked, with a flavor that can best be described as intensely salty, with a fresh asparagus-like aftertaste. When fresh, Sea Beans are crisp and crunchy like snap peas. If slightly wilted, sea beans can be refreshed with a brief plunge in ice water. http://www.earthy.com/Fresh_Sea_Beans__8_oz_P1513C12.cfm
June 5 is the birthday of spy novelist Ken Follett, (books by this author) born in Cardiff, Wales (1949. After his car broke down, he decided to start writing fiction to earn cash. He wrote under the pseudonym Simon Myles and quickly published a thriller novel, The Big Needle (1974), about drug dealers. It didn't sell spectacularly, but he paid for his car repair and quit his job at a tabloid, accepting an editorial position at the place that published his novel. There, he studied what sorts of things made fiction books big best sellers, and after work at night, he would go home and write his own fiction.
He had his big breakthrough, in 1978, with Eye of the Needle (1978), a spy novel set during World War II. It only took him three months to write the novel. In an interview Follett said that he writes at home from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week, six if he gets "excited." He aims for writing 3,000 "publishable" words a day, and he doesn't rewrite more than once. The Writer’s Almanac
More on J.D. Salinger’s lawsuit: Salinger, 90, has sued to enjoin the publication of a sequel of sorts to his most famous and celebrated novel, Catcher in the Rye. The sequel, called 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, is written by a purported American living in Sweden named John David California. The novel portrays a 76-year old Holden Caulfield--the famed protagonist of the original work--wandering the streets of New York after having escaped from a retirement home. Reads the lawsuit: “The Sequel is not a parody and it does not comment upon or criticize the original . . . It is a ripoff pure and simple.” Reached by the AP, a man identifying himself as California said that he lived outside of Goteborg, Sweden. He called the legal action “a little bit insane.” Said California: “To me, this is a story about an old man. It's a love story, a story about an author and his character,” adding that John David California was his pen name. “I did not mean to cause him any trouble.” WSJ Law Blog June 2, 2009
Federal regulators and antismoking groups are taking steps that could snuff out electronic cigarettes, the smokeless nicotine products embraced by a growing number of people trying to kick the habit or avoid bans on smoking in public. Electronic cigarettes typically consist of a metal tube containing an atomizer, a battery and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. When a user sucks on an e-cigarette, a light-emitting diode causes the tip to glow and the atomizer turns the liquid nicotine into a vapor--thus it is called vaping instead of smoking. The vapor can be inhaled and then exhaled, creating a cloud that resembles cigarette smoke but dissipates more quickly and doesn't have the lingering odor. The American Lung Association, along with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, recently called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market. The groups say e-cigarettes have yet to be proven safe and that kids may be attracted to the products, some of which come in flavors like chocolate and strawberry. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124390176699074609.html
The New Deal gave the country the CCC, the TVA and the WPA. The waning days of the Bush administration produced TARP, for Troubled Asset Relief Program, also currently known as "the bailout." The stimulus package, the name of which is already a source of sniggers, has brought to life the RAT Board, LUST Trust and ARPA-E.
Government spending plans seem to result in a surplus of acronyms. For decades, generations of American history classes have wrestled with memorizing the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Works Progress Administration, later renamed the Work Projects Administration, and dozens of other acronym agencies created under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, aka FDR.
The problem is, in this era of big government spending accompanied by promises of transparency, outbreaks of acronyms can be variously confusing, awkward and accidentally self-mocking. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124390651321174431.html
Monterey Bay Aquarium's ecological tracking program tallies research from around the globe on threatened species and then recommends which fish to buy, and which to avoid. The Aquarium's Web site, www.seafoodwatch.org, is packed with fascinating information, and new research material is constantly added. You'll also find information and links to sites which focus on contamination difficulties with fresh water and salt water fish. Their pocket guide for selecting fish is available in national and regional formats. Here's the link to get the guide. They've also created an App to send recommendations sent to your iPhone. Weeknight Kitchen from the Splendid Table
To your health
Sea Beans grow wild all over coastal North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Sometimes called "poor man's asparagus," sea beans are not seaweed, as it is often mistakenly described, nor is it a bean, which it slightly resembles. Sea Beans can be eaten raw or cooked, with a flavor that can best be described as intensely salty, with a fresh asparagus-like aftertaste. When fresh, Sea Beans are crisp and crunchy like snap peas. If slightly wilted, sea beans can be refreshed with a brief plunge in ice water. http://www.earthy.com/Fresh_Sea_Beans__8_oz_P1513C12.cfm
June 5 is the birthday of spy novelist Ken Follett, (books by this author) born in Cardiff, Wales (1949. After his car broke down, he decided to start writing fiction to earn cash. He wrote under the pseudonym Simon Myles and quickly published a thriller novel, The Big Needle (1974), about drug dealers. It didn't sell spectacularly, but he paid for his car repair and quit his job at a tabloid, accepting an editorial position at the place that published his novel. There, he studied what sorts of things made fiction books big best sellers, and after work at night, he would go home and write his own fiction.
He had his big breakthrough, in 1978, with Eye of the Needle (1978), a spy novel set during World War II. It only took him three months to write the novel. In an interview Follett said that he writes at home from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week, six if he gets "excited." He aims for writing 3,000 "publishable" words a day, and he doesn't rewrite more than once. The Writer’s Almanac
Thursday, June 4, 2009
What happened in Judge Gerber's courtroom on Day 1 of GM Bankruptcy? For the most part, it received filings. Lots of filings. Click here for the WSJ's Jeffrey McCracken on those; here for the New York Law Journal's report on the so-called “first-day hearings,” which didn't get rolling until the late afternoon. The AmLaw Daily's Julie Triedman writes that “crankiness” was the emotion of the day. According to the NYLJ: About 110 lawyers filled the benches and lined the walls in a stifling hot courtroom before Southern District Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber yesterday afternoon to get the ball rolling . . . Reporters crowded into overflow rooms. WSJ Law Blog June 2, 2009
According to “Secrecy 101,” a two-part series in the Columbus Dispatch, officials at many schools are working just as hard to keep information from the public.
Specifically, the series argues, colleges around the country are intentionally twisting the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a law passed in 1974 largely designed to keep students' grades private. According to the Dispatch stories, schools are instead using the law to hide information that could hurt the integrity of the schools and their athletic programs. (Click here for the first part of the series, which discusses Ohio State University's efforts to use FERPA as a shield. The second, here, takes more of a nationwide look at a handful of other schools.) WSJ Law Blog June 3, 2009
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (Reuters) - The Organization of American States lifted its suspension of Cuba on June 3, opening the door for the communist-run island to return to the regional group after 47 years. The 34-member hemispheric body, meeting in Honduras, unanimously scrapped a 1962 decision that suspended Cuba as Fidel Castro's revolution took the island toward communism and an alliance with the Soviet Union.
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSTRE5526KJ20090603
Google Inc. said it plans to launch a program that will let publishers sell digital versions of their books directly to consumers, a step that would thrust the Internet search giant into competition with e-commerce leader Amazon.com Inc. Google said it aims to build a "digital book ecosystem" to allow partner publishers to sell access to their titles, even if buyers don't have dedicated book readers such as Amazon's Kindle or Sony Corp.'s Reader. The service was expected to launch by the end of this year. Separately, Amazon said that it will launch its large-screen Kindle DX reader on June 10, earlier than initially expected. Google could prove to be a significant challenger for Amazon, which sells e-books specifically formatted to work with its proprietary Kindle. A key
difference would be that the search giant aims to let Google Book Search users
"buy access" to copyrighted books with any Web-enabled computer, e-reader or
mobile phone. Google said it would allow publishers to set their own prices, although the
company reserved the right to discount titles at its own expense. Amazon typically charges consumers $9.99 per e-book, far below hardcover prices reaching about $26. Google said it was still in talks with publishers and specific details of is project remain to be determined. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124395511580877123.html
Among the things that Bill Marler feels passionately about are Washington State University (his alma mater), food safety and negotiation. So after he heard about a dustup on campus over the cancellation of a program requiring all freshmen to read the same book—Michael Pollan’s double-fisted examination of agribusiness, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”—he stepped in to resolve it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/books/29poll.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
The earliest recorded closure is the cork, which was created by the ancient Greeks circa 600 BC. Read the purpose, history and manufacture of closures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closures
Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice. “Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075420.htm
Tidbits from Encore Provence by Peter Mayle
Designed by Pierre Puget and built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is one of Marseille’s most elegant survivors, the rosy stone mass of the Vielle Charité. There is something about architecture on the grand scale that tends to subdue human speech . . .
La Marseillaise was actually composed in Strasbourg as the battle song of the army of the Rhine. It was taken up and sung by five hundred volunteers from Marseille who were marching to Paris.
Régis had decided that we should exercise our palates—the only form of exercise he ever takes willingly . . .
France has roughly the same population as Britain, but the inhabitants are spread over three times the land area . . .
Laughter is the best background music.
The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4, 1917. Ten facts about the prizes:
1. They're announced each year in April and then awarded at Columbia University in May, during a luncheon at the campus library.
2. Each Pulitzer Prize winner receives a $10,000 award and a certificate, except in the Public Service category, where the winner is given a gold medal. Only a newspaper, not an individual, can receive the Public Service prize for journalism.
3. There are 21 Pulitzer categories. Two-thirds of the prizes (14) revolve around journalism. There are six for letters and drama (fiction, drama, history, biography, poetry, and general nonfiction), and there is one prize given for music.
4. The Pulitzer Prize for fiction used to be called the Pulitzer Prize for the novel. The name was changed in 1948.
5. Poet Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize four times. Playwright Eugene O'Neill also won four Pulitzer Prizes.
6. The Pulitzer Prize is a very American award. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for the non-journalism Prizes. The exception to this is in the history category: a non-American can win the Pulitzer Prize if he or she wrote a book about the history of the United States. Foreign journalists can win Pulitzers if they write for a newspaper published in the United States.
7. The New York Times holds the all-time record for number of Pulitzer Prizes received. The paper has collectively won 101 Pulitzers.
8. Newspapers generally nominate themselves for Pulitzer Prizes. The fee for each entry is $50, and the material that the newspaper wants the prize board to consider must be accompanied by an entry form. An entry has to fit into one of the 21 categories; it can't be submitted on the grounds that it is just generally good. To be eligible, a paper must be published in the U.S. at least weekly.
9. In 2009, for the first time, online-only news organizations were eligible for the Pulitzer. Before, it was restricted to print publications.
10. Decisions about prize winners are made by the Pulitzer board in secret. Afterward, the board does not publicly discuss or defend its decisions.
The Writer’s Almanac
According to “Secrecy 101,” a two-part series in the Columbus Dispatch, officials at many schools are working just as hard to keep information from the public.
Specifically, the series argues, colleges around the country are intentionally twisting the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a law passed in 1974 largely designed to keep students' grades private. According to the Dispatch stories, schools are instead using the law to hide information that could hurt the integrity of the schools and their athletic programs. (Click here for the first part of the series, which discusses Ohio State University's efforts to use FERPA as a shield. The second, here, takes more of a nationwide look at a handful of other schools.) WSJ Law Blog June 3, 2009
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (Reuters) - The Organization of American States lifted its suspension of Cuba on June 3, opening the door for the communist-run island to return to the regional group after 47 years. The 34-member hemispheric body, meeting in Honduras, unanimously scrapped a 1962 decision that suspended Cuba as Fidel Castro's revolution took the island toward communism and an alliance with the Soviet Union.
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSTRE5526KJ20090603
Google Inc. said it plans to launch a program that will let publishers sell digital versions of their books directly to consumers, a step that would thrust the Internet search giant into competition with e-commerce leader Amazon.com Inc. Google said it aims to build a "digital book ecosystem" to allow partner publishers to sell access to their titles, even if buyers don't have dedicated book readers such as Amazon's Kindle or Sony Corp.'s Reader. The service was expected to launch by the end of this year. Separately, Amazon said that it will launch its large-screen Kindle DX reader on June 10, earlier than initially expected. Google could prove to be a significant challenger for Amazon, which sells e-books specifically formatted to work with its proprietary Kindle. A key
difference would be that the search giant aims to let Google Book Search users
"buy access" to copyrighted books with any Web-enabled computer, e-reader or
mobile phone. Google said it would allow publishers to set their own prices, although the
company reserved the right to discount titles at its own expense. Amazon typically charges consumers $9.99 per e-book, far below hardcover prices reaching about $26. Google said it was still in talks with publishers and specific details of is project remain to be determined. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124395511580877123.html
Among the things that Bill Marler feels passionately about are Washington State University (his alma mater), food safety and negotiation. So after he heard about a dustup on campus over the cancellation of a program requiring all freshmen to read the same book—Michael Pollan’s double-fisted examination of agribusiness, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”—he stepped in to resolve it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/books/29poll.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
The earliest recorded closure is the cork, which was created by the ancient Greeks circa 600 BC. Read the purpose, history and manufacture of closures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closures
Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice. “Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075420.htm
Tidbits from Encore Provence by Peter Mayle
Designed by Pierre Puget and built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is one of Marseille’s most elegant survivors, the rosy stone mass of the Vielle Charité. There is something about architecture on the grand scale that tends to subdue human speech . . .
La Marseillaise was actually composed in Strasbourg as the battle song of the army of the Rhine. It was taken up and sung by five hundred volunteers from Marseille who were marching to Paris.
Régis had decided that we should exercise our palates—the only form of exercise he ever takes willingly . . .
France has roughly the same population as Britain, but the inhabitants are spread over three times the land area . . .
Laughter is the best background music.
The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4, 1917. Ten facts about the prizes:
1. They're announced each year in April and then awarded at Columbia University in May, during a luncheon at the campus library.
2. Each Pulitzer Prize winner receives a $10,000 award and a certificate, except in the Public Service category, where the winner is given a gold medal. Only a newspaper, not an individual, can receive the Public Service prize for journalism.
3. There are 21 Pulitzer categories. Two-thirds of the prizes (14) revolve around journalism. There are six for letters and drama (fiction, drama, history, biography, poetry, and general nonfiction), and there is one prize given for music.
4. The Pulitzer Prize for fiction used to be called the Pulitzer Prize for the novel. The name was changed in 1948.
5. Poet Robert Frost won the Pulitzer Prize four times. Playwright Eugene O'Neill also won four Pulitzer Prizes.
6. The Pulitzer Prize is a very American award. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for the non-journalism Prizes. The exception to this is in the history category: a non-American can win the Pulitzer Prize if he or she wrote a book about the history of the United States. Foreign journalists can win Pulitzers if they write for a newspaper published in the United States.
7. The New York Times holds the all-time record for number of Pulitzer Prizes received. The paper has collectively won 101 Pulitzers.
8. Newspapers generally nominate themselves for Pulitzer Prizes. The fee for each entry is $50, and the material that the newspaper wants the prize board to consider must be accompanied by an entry form. An entry has to fit into one of the 21 categories; it can't be submitted on the grounds that it is just generally good. To be eligible, a paper must be published in the U.S. at least weekly.
9. In 2009, for the first time, online-only news organizations were eligible for the Pulitzer. Before, it was restricted to print publications.
10. Decisions about prize winners are made by the Pulitzer board in secret. Afterward, the board does not publicly discuss or defend its decisions.
The Writer’s Almanac
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
General Motors filed for bankruptcy June 1, listing $82 billion in assets and $173 billion in debts--more than $20 billion of it to the United Auto Workers union, GM's second-largest creditor. Also in Manhattan, on May 31, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved the government-supported plan to sell Chrysler to Fiat. http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/01/GM_Declares_Bankruptcy_While_Chrysler_Sale_Clears_Two_Hurdles.htm
The once powerful GM earns a place in history as the largest U.S. industrial company to file for bankruptcy protection, and the fourth-largest company overall to do so based on its $82.29 billion in assets as of March 31. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s Sept. 15 bankruptcy filing is the nation's largest with $691.1 billion in assets, and it likely served as a catalyst for GM and Chrysler's downfall, as it hastened the erosion of credit markets, making it impossible for GM to borrow money and difficult for consumers and dealers to finance new vehicles. Washington Mutual Inc. and WorldCom Inc. are the second and third largest U.S. companies to file for bankruptcy protection.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090601/ap_on_bi_ge/us_automakers
General Motors Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection case was assigned to Judge Robert Gerber; signing the filing on behalf of GM was not Weil Gotshal's Harvey Miller but the firm's Stephen Karotkin. Click here for the WSJ story; here for the NYT's story; here for the Detroit Free Press story. WSJ Law Blog June 1, 2009
Document 09-50026 General Motors Corporation voluntary petition filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Southern District of New York on June 1, 2009: http://media.npr.org/documents/2009/jun/gm.pdf
Reclusive author J.D. Salinger claims a man writing under the name of J.D. California is about to publish an unauthorized sequel of "The Catcher in the Rye," violating Salinger's copyright in the novel and its main character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger also sued London-based Windupbird Publishing, Sweden-based Nicotext, and SCB Distributors, of Gardena, Calif. Salinger calls the new book "a rip-off pure and simple." Salinger says the cover of the new book describes it as a "sequel to one of our most beloved classics." His complaint in Manhattan Federal Court continues: "The sequel's author, 'J.D. California,' explains that 'Just like the first novel, he leaves, but this time he's not at a prep school, he's at a retirement home in upstate New York. ... It's pretty much like the first book in that he roams around the city, inside himself and his past.'" http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/02/J_D_Salinger_Tries_to_Block_Sequel_to_Catcher_in_the_Rye_.htm
UN Labor Agency Says World Unemployment Could Rise By 50 Million In 2009
"The International Labour Office (ILO) issued new labour market projections for 2009, showing a further increase in unemployment, working poor and those in vulnerable employment...In the Global Employment Trends Update, May 2009 the ILO revised upwards its unemployment projections to levels ranging from 210 million to 239 million unemployed worldwide in 2009, corresponding to global unemployment rates of 6.5 and 7.4 per cent respectively. The Trends report projects an increase of between 39 and 59 million unemployed people since 2007 as the most likely range. Actual outcomes will depend on the effectiveness of fiscal expenditures decided by governments and on a functioning financial sector."
Job Searcher's Guide to Online Job Sites
From the World Privacy Forum: "This guide to online job sites, Job Searcher's Guide to Online Job Sites, is a list of the top job searching sites online. This list gives information about the privacy practices at each site. Because resumes contain such detailed personal and professional information, it is well worth caring about how job search sites handle privacy issues. This guide is updated monthly, and we add new information to the guide monthly."
URL shorteners, such as TinyURL, bit.ly and notlong.com allow users to share and post links in a quicker manner with less likelihood of misdirection. They also add an intermediary between the reader and the site of origin, and the risk of countless dead links if and when the business model of the respective services ceases to sustain a viable return.
Sergio Santos is used to facing challenges as an architect. The 39-year-old Brazilian has designed college housing projects in England, two high-rises in Poland, an office building in Turkey and a mall in Germany. But when he lost his job as an architect in January, he faced one of his biggest design challenges. By March, he realized he could no longer afford to pay $500 a month for the 17-by-15 1/2 room he rented in Boca Raton. So he found a job as a waiter to pay the bills and negotiated with a Delray Beach landlord to rent a room that's smaller than many South Florida closets—5 1/2 by 14 feet. Find picture and story at: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/time-money/home/sfl-small-space-sergio-h052209sbmay22,0,4526594.story
purlicue (PUHR-li-kyu) noun
1. The space between the extended forefinger and thumb.
2. A flourish or curl at the end of a handwritten word. Also known as curlicue.
3. A discourse, especially its summarizing part.
Of uncertain origin, probably from Scots pirlie (curly). A.Word.A.Day
Feedback from A.Word.A.Day
From: Lauren Kern (lauren resourcetec.com)
Subject: A.Word.A.Day
I just wanted to thank you for your always pertinent A.Word.A.Day. My now-fiancé and I were actually united by your words a little over a year ago, and we still find most of them to be deeply applicable to our daily lives. We have collected them for the past year and a half in digital form, and plan to use the most significant (for us) at our wedding! As a bit of an ice-breaker, we're giving each person at the reception a word and a definition--mismatched. They'll then have to find the correct definition for their word from among their tablemates.
From: Brett Beiles (brettb hardyboys.co.za)
Subject: atone Def: To make amends for.
When the novel Atonement was published, the author Ian McEwan said in an interview that the title should be pronounced "at one-ment".
From: Eric Shackle (eshackle ozemail.com.au)
Subject: This week's theme: Words derived from numbers
"Numbers are everywhere", you wrote... As in Column 8, the Sydney Morning Herald's trivia column, which has entertained readers for more than 60 years. But a newspaper now called the Lancaster New Era in Pennsylvania (US) has published a column by The Scribbler for 90 years, barring a few breaks. Can any AWAD reader name a longer-running column?
The once powerful GM earns a place in history as the largest U.S. industrial company to file for bankruptcy protection, and the fourth-largest company overall to do so based on its $82.29 billion in assets as of March 31. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s Sept. 15 bankruptcy filing is the nation's largest with $691.1 billion in assets, and it likely served as a catalyst for GM and Chrysler's downfall, as it hastened the erosion of credit markets, making it impossible for GM to borrow money and difficult for consumers and dealers to finance new vehicles. Washington Mutual Inc. and WorldCom Inc. are the second and third largest U.S. companies to file for bankruptcy protection.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090601/ap_on_bi_ge/us_automakers
General Motors Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection case was assigned to Judge Robert Gerber; signing the filing on behalf of GM was not Weil Gotshal's Harvey Miller but the firm's Stephen Karotkin. Click here for the WSJ story; here for the NYT's story; here for the Detroit Free Press story. WSJ Law Blog June 1, 2009
Document 09-50026 General Motors Corporation voluntary petition filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Southern District of New York on June 1, 2009: http://media.npr.org/documents/2009/jun/gm.pdf
Reclusive author J.D. Salinger claims a man writing under the name of J.D. California is about to publish an unauthorized sequel of "The Catcher in the Rye," violating Salinger's copyright in the novel and its main character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger also sued London-based Windupbird Publishing, Sweden-based Nicotext, and SCB Distributors, of Gardena, Calif. Salinger calls the new book "a rip-off pure and simple." Salinger says the cover of the new book describes it as a "sequel to one of our most beloved classics." His complaint in Manhattan Federal Court continues: "The sequel's author, 'J.D. California,' explains that 'Just like the first novel, he leaves, but this time he's not at a prep school, he's at a retirement home in upstate New York. ... It's pretty much like the first book in that he roams around the city, inside himself and his past.'" http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/02/J_D_Salinger_Tries_to_Block_Sequel_to_Catcher_in_the_Rye_.htm
UN Labor Agency Says World Unemployment Could Rise By 50 Million In 2009
"The International Labour Office (ILO) issued new labour market projections for 2009, showing a further increase in unemployment, working poor and those in vulnerable employment...In the Global Employment Trends Update, May 2009 the ILO revised upwards its unemployment projections to levels ranging from 210 million to 239 million unemployed worldwide in 2009, corresponding to global unemployment rates of 6.5 and 7.4 per cent respectively. The Trends report projects an increase of between 39 and 59 million unemployed people since 2007 as the most likely range. Actual outcomes will depend on the effectiveness of fiscal expenditures decided by governments and on a functioning financial sector."
Job Searcher's Guide to Online Job Sites
From the World Privacy Forum: "This guide to online job sites, Job Searcher's Guide to Online Job Sites, is a list of the top job searching sites online. This list gives information about the privacy practices at each site. Because resumes contain such detailed personal and professional information, it is well worth caring about how job search sites handle privacy issues. This guide is updated monthly, and we add new information to the guide monthly."
URL shorteners, such as TinyURL, bit.ly and notlong.com allow users to share and post links in a quicker manner with less likelihood of misdirection. They also add an intermediary between the reader and the site of origin, and the risk of countless dead links if and when the business model of the respective services ceases to sustain a viable return.
Sergio Santos is used to facing challenges as an architect. The 39-year-old Brazilian has designed college housing projects in England, two high-rises in Poland, an office building in Turkey and a mall in Germany. But when he lost his job as an architect in January, he faced one of his biggest design challenges. By March, he realized he could no longer afford to pay $500 a month for the 17-by-15 1/2 room he rented in Boca Raton. So he found a job as a waiter to pay the bills and negotiated with a Delray Beach landlord to rent a room that's smaller than many South Florida closets—5 1/2 by 14 feet. Find picture and story at: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/time-money/home/sfl-small-space-sergio-h052209sbmay22,0,4526594.story
purlicue (PUHR-li-kyu) noun
1. The space between the extended forefinger and thumb.
2. A flourish or curl at the end of a handwritten word. Also known as curlicue.
3. A discourse, especially its summarizing part.
Of uncertain origin, probably from Scots pirlie (curly). A.Word.A.Day
Feedback from A.Word.A.Day
From: Lauren Kern (lauren resourcetec.com)
Subject: A.Word.A.Day
I just wanted to thank you for your always pertinent A.Word.A.Day. My now-fiancé and I were actually united by your words a little over a year ago, and we still find most of them to be deeply applicable to our daily lives. We have collected them for the past year and a half in digital form, and plan to use the most significant (for us) at our wedding! As a bit of an ice-breaker, we're giving each person at the reception a word and a definition--mismatched. They'll then have to find the correct definition for their word from among their tablemates.
From: Brett Beiles (brettb hardyboys.co.za)
Subject: atone Def: To make amends for.
When the novel Atonement was published, the author Ian McEwan said in an interview that the title should be pronounced "at one-ment".
From: Eric Shackle (eshackle ozemail.com.au)
Subject: This week's theme: Words derived from numbers
"Numbers are everywhere", you wrote... As in Column 8, the Sydney Morning Herald's trivia column, which has entertained readers for more than 60 years. But a newspaper now called the Lancaster New Era in Pennsylvania (US) has published a column by The Scribbler for 90 years, barring a few breaks. Can any AWAD reader name a longer-running column?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Full Text: Cyberspace Policy Review
May 29th, 2009 Direct to Full Text Document (76 pages; PDF)
The President directed a 60-day, comprehensive, “clean-slate” review to assess U.S. policies and structures for cybersecurity. Cybersecurity policy includes strategy, policy, and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace, and encompasses the full range of threat reduction, vulnerability reduction, deterrence, international engagement, incident response, resiliency, and recovery policies and activities, including computer network operations, information assurance, law enforcement, diplomacy, military, and intelligence missions as they relate to the security and stability of the global information and communications infrastructure.
Social Security Insurance Recipients by State and County, 2008
May 28th, 2009 Source: SSA Direct to Document
Local area data for the Supplemental Security Income program for aged, blind, and disabled people are the focus of this annual statistical report. The data are for federal SSI payments and for federally administered state supplementation.
Gov Docs: Government Printing Office Publishes Their Annual Report
May 29th, 2009 Direct to Full Text Report (68 pages; PDF)
From a Message by Bob Tapella, Public Printer of the United States:
The U.S. Government Printing Office recorded another strong year of performance in 2008, that stands as a testament to the hardworking men and women of GPO who have worked hard to support the information and production service requirements of Congress, federal agencies, the library community and the American people.
Wikipedia Bans Church of Scientology
May 29th, 2009 Source: The Register
In an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving edits, the Wikipedia supreme court has banned contributions from all IP addresses owned or operated by the Church of Scientology and its associates. Closing out the longest-running court case in Wikiland history, the site’s Arbitration Committee voted 10 to 0 (with one abstention) in favor of the move, which takes effect immediately.
Two New Data Files Appear on Data.gov
May 29th, 2009 Source: Data.gov
Two new files have been added to the new Data.gov warehouse.
+ Patent Grant Bibliographic Data (2009)
Contains the bibliographic text of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) organized by Calendar Year (January through December). Excludes images/drawings.
+ DefenseLINK - Official Web Site of the U.S. Department of Defense
Direct to Defense Dept. Widgets
Britain's only remaining Titanic survivor Millvina Dean has died. Her family planned to emigrate to Kansas in America where her father Bertram would open a tobacco shop. But he was killed along with more than 1,500 other people in the 1912 disaster and the rest of the family, Miss Dean, her mother Georgetta and older brother Bertram returned to England. According to enthusiasts' website Encyclopedia Titanica (ET), on the journey home passengers would queue to hold her, in wonder that such a small child had survived. Born on February 2, 1912, her real name was Elizabeth Gladys Dean, but she was known as Millvina. Miss Dean worked for the government as a cartographer during World War II and then for an engineering company. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5418322/Titanic-Millvina-Dean-was-the-youngest-passenger-on-board.html
The LED (light-emitting diode). is eclipsing the compact fluorescent as the cutting-edge bulb. Wal-Mart Stores has started selling a consumer LED bulb that uses just seven watts of electricity and claims to last for more than 13 years. It costs around $35--a daunting price tag for a light bulb. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355510568364629.html
“Books are a pretty good escape for your dollar.” Read of new and forthcoming books for summer reading at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203431004574194270481357960.html
Can auto makers boost the overall fuel economy of American cars and trucks by 40% in seven years without forcing everyone into a Smart ForTwo? They've done it before and should be able to do it again, but it could be a bumpy transition. Between 1975 and 1987, the average fuel efficiency of American cars and trucks improved by nearly 68%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124328905234252201.html
May 29th, 2009 Direct to Full Text Document (76 pages; PDF)
The President directed a 60-day, comprehensive, “clean-slate” review to assess U.S. policies and structures for cybersecurity. Cybersecurity policy includes strategy, policy, and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace, and encompasses the full range of threat reduction, vulnerability reduction, deterrence, international engagement, incident response, resiliency, and recovery policies and activities, including computer network operations, information assurance, law enforcement, diplomacy, military, and intelligence missions as they relate to the security and stability of the global information and communications infrastructure.
Social Security Insurance Recipients by State and County, 2008
May 28th, 2009 Source: SSA Direct to Document
Local area data for the Supplemental Security Income program for aged, blind, and disabled people are the focus of this annual statistical report. The data are for federal SSI payments and for federally administered state supplementation.
Gov Docs: Government Printing Office Publishes Their Annual Report
May 29th, 2009 Direct to Full Text Report (68 pages; PDF)
From a Message by Bob Tapella, Public Printer of the United States:
The U.S. Government Printing Office recorded another strong year of performance in 2008, that stands as a testament to the hardworking men and women of GPO who have worked hard to support the information and production service requirements of Congress, federal agencies, the library community and the American people.
Wikipedia Bans Church of Scientology
May 29th, 2009 Source: The Register
In an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving edits, the Wikipedia supreme court has banned contributions from all IP addresses owned or operated by the Church of Scientology and its associates. Closing out the longest-running court case in Wikiland history, the site’s Arbitration Committee voted 10 to 0 (with one abstention) in favor of the move, which takes effect immediately.
Two New Data Files Appear on Data.gov
May 29th, 2009 Source: Data.gov
Two new files have been added to the new Data.gov warehouse.
+ Patent Grant Bibliographic Data (2009)
Contains the bibliographic text of each patent grant issued weekly (Tuesdays) organized by Calendar Year (January through December). Excludes images/drawings.
+ DefenseLINK - Official Web Site of the U.S. Department of Defense
Direct to Defense Dept. Widgets
Britain's only remaining Titanic survivor Millvina Dean has died. Her family planned to emigrate to Kansas in America where her father Bertram would open a tobacco shop. But he was killed along with more than 1,500 other people in the 1912 disaster and the rest of the family, Miss Dean, her mother Georgetta and older brother Bertram returned to England. According to enthusiasts' website Encyclopedia Titanica (ET), on the journey home passengers would queue to hold her, in wonder that such a small child had survived. Born on February 2, 1912, her real name was Elizabeth Gladys Dean, but she was known as Millvina. Miss Dean worked for the government as a cartographer during World War II and then for an engineering company. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5418322/Titanic-Millvina-Dean-was-the-youngest-passenger-on-board.html
The LED (light-emitting diode). is eclipsing the compact fluorescent as the cutting-edge bulb. Wal-Mart Stores has started selling a consumer LED bulb that uses just seven watts of electricity and claims to last for more than 13 years. It costs around $35--a daunting price tag for a light bulb. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355510568364629.html
“Books are a pretty good escape for your dollar.” Read of new and forthcoming books for summer reading at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203431004574194270481357960.html
Can auto makers boost the overall fuel economy of American cars and trucks by 40% in seven years without forcing everyone into a Smart ForTwo? They've done it before and should be able to do it again, but it could be a bumpy transition. Between 1975 and 1987, the average fuel efficiency of American cars and trucks improved by nearly 68%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124328905234252201.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)