The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on June 9 an $11.5 million, three-year award to Earth Resources Technologies, Inc. for cloud-based unified messaging services. The agency-wide transition will modernize e-mail and calendar infrastructure, integrate collaborative tools and facilitate synchronization with mobile devices to better support NOAA’s mission and its nationwide workforce. As the largest federal agency to adopt cloud technology to date, NOAA will migrate 25,000 mailboxes to the cloud rather than utilizing in-house servers. NOAA’s decision to pursue the cloud solution supports the Obama administration’s direction to pursue a “cloud first” approach. “The cost to the taxpayer will be 50 percent less than an in-house solution,” said NOAA Chief Information Officer Joseph Klimavicz. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110609_cloudtechnology.html
In 2004, when Todd S. Nelson was chief executive of the University of Phoenix, the nation’s largest for-profit college, he signed a $9.8 million settlement with the Department of Education, which found that Phoenix had “systematically and intentionally” broken the federal rules against paying recruiters for students. Mr. Nelson is now chief executive of the nation’s second-largest for-profit college company, Education Management Corporation, or EDMC, and the Justice Department and two state attorneys general are intervening in a whistle-blower lawsuit charging that EDMC also violated the ban on what is known as incentive compensation. That practice encourages aggressive recruitment of unqualified students for their federal student aid. Education Management, which enrolls about 150,000 students at Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, South University and in its Art Institutes, has said it plans a vigorous defense. This is the first time that prosecutors have joined a suit like the EDMC whistle-blower case, and the government’s unprecedented intervention in such a compensation case comes amid escalating controversy over for-profit colleges. Enrolling about 12 percent of the nation’s higher-education students, the colleges get a quarter of all federal student aid and account for nearly half of all student loan defaults. The Department of Education has released new data showing that more than 15 percent of those who had attended for-profit colleges defaulted within two years — twice the rate of those who attended public institutions, and three times as many as those who went to private not-for-profit colleges. With the explosive growth of the for-profit sector, the sums involved are immense. Education Management, which is 40 percent owned by Goldman Sachs, received more than $855 million in federal student aid in 2003-4, and more than $1 billion in 2005-6. According to the complaint, in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, it received more than $2.2 billion in federal student aid, representing 89.3 percent of its net revenue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/education/27edmc.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
When speechwriter Ken Khachigan sat down with Ronald Reagan after the 1980 election to draft his first inaugural address, the president-elect pulled out a sheaf of note cards written in his cramped hand of quotes and concepts he wanted to include. "He had all this stuff he had stored up all these years — all these stories, all these anecdotes," Khachigan recalls. "He had the Reagan library in his own little file system." When Reagan died, the stacks of cards he had accumulated over half a century were packed in a cardboard box, labeled "RR's desk" and put in storage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, only to be rediscovered recently as the library prepared to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth this year. Edited by historian Douglas Brinkley, a selection is published in The Notes: Ronald Reagan's Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom. The cards also are going on display at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif. The book offers a window into the mind of the nation's 40th president. Like the handwritten scripts from his days as a radio commentator in the 1970s — published in Reagan, In His Own Hand in 2001 —The Notes displays the effort he made behind the scenes to hone his performance as a speechmaker and storyteller driving home a conservative political philosophy. From his days as a corporate spokesman for GE through his White House years, Reagan routinely kept a few blank cards tucked in his jacket. The cards aren't dated, but the stationery has signals indicating when the notes were written: blank cards from the GE years; others with Reagan's name imprinted at the top from his days as governor of California; some emblazoned with White House seals from when he was president. "If he went out to dinner with somebody in New York or Sacramento, and in the course of a long dinner, if somebody said a really funny joke or something struck him as humorous or even a political point he thought was salient, he would write it on the note card," Brinkley said. A card might have 10 items on it, written on both sides.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-05-08-reagan-notes-book-brinkley_n.htm
Why verb a noun when a perfectly serviceable verb 'to befriend' is already a part of the language? But language grows with need, and 'to friend' someone online is not necessarily the same as 'to befriend'. Each new verb or noun adds a new shade to the mosaic of the language. And it happens all the time. We have the verb 'serve' and the noun 'service', but we extend 'service' to use it as a verb again because 'to service' is not necessarily the same as 'to serve'. The Oxford English Dictionary has the first citation for the word friend as a verb from the year 1225. In fact, 'to friend' has an older pedigree than 'to befriend' (1559). A similar pattern emerges for the undoing part, unfriend (1659) vs. unbefriend (1884). A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
Quotes from Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you're finished.
The more you spend the more you have. Wrong. The more you spend, the more you spend.
Musee Rodin in Paris was created in 1916 on the initiative of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) thanks to three successive donations by the artist: his works and private art collections, his library, and his letters and private papers. The museum is housed in the sculptor's chosen location the Hotel Biron and its garden, which Rodin rented from 1908 onwards. http://www.musee-rodin.fr/
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 55.5 kilometres (34.5 mi) south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau. The commune has the largest land area in the Île-de-France region; it is the only one to cover a larger area than Paris itself. Fontainebleau, together with the neighbouring commune of Avon and three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants (according to the 1999 census). This urban area is a satellite of Paris. Fontainebleau is renowned for the large and scenic forest of Fontainebleau, a favourite weekend getaway for Parisians, as well as for the historical château de Fontainebleau, which once belonged to the kings of France, Originally called Fontaine Belle eau or Fontaine Belleaue, Fontainebleau settled on current name in 1169. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son Godtfred Kirk invented LEGO. In 1932, Ole Kirk Christiansen, master carpenter and joiner, founded his carpentry business in the village of Billund, Denmark to make stepladders, ironing boards and wooden toys. The wooden toys became Ole's most successful product. The company adopted the name LEGO in 1934. LEGO is formed from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" meaning "play well". Ironically, in Latin the lego means "I study" or "I put together". In 1947, the LEGO company was the first in Denmark to buy a plastic injection molding machine for making toys. A forerunner of the plastic LEGO bricks was Christiansen's Automatic Binding Bricks, created in 1949. They were sold only in Denmark. In 1954, the bricks were renamed "LEGO Mursten" or "LEGO Bricks". On May 1, 1954, the word LEGO was officially registered as a trademark in Denmark. In 1955, the company launched the "LEGO System of Play" with 28 sets and 8 vehicles. The current LEGO stud-and-tube coupling system was patented in 1958 (Design Patent #92683). The new coupling principle made models much more stable. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bllego.htm
Unusual plurals
en/ren: children, oxen, oxygen
change f/fe to v and add es: leaves, wives
change vowel sound between two consonants: men, women, feet, teeth
change vowel sound between two consonants and also change the last consonant: lice, mice
Quote Why is it that one can look at a lion or a planet or an owl or at someone's finger as long as one pleases, but looking into the eyes of another person is, if prolonged past a second, a perilous affair? Walker Percy (1916-1990) American author
panjandrum (pan-JAN-druhm) noun An important or self-important person. The word is said to have been coined by dramatist and actor Samuel Foote (1720-1777) as part of a nonsensical passage to test the memory of his fellow actor Charles Macklin who claimed to be able to repeat anything after hearing it once. Earliest documented use: 1825, in the novel "Harry and Lucy Concluded" in which the author Maria Edgeworth attributes the word to Foote. A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
We have returned from two wonderful weeks in France: a few days in Paris, a few days in the Languedoc, and a cruise on the Rhone and Saone Rivers. I will be writing about regional history and also our experiences from time to time.
Occitan language (also called Provençal or Languedoc) is a Romance language spoken by about 1,500,000 people in southern France. All Occitan speakers use French as their official and cultural language, but Occitan dialects are used for everyday purposes and show no signs of extinction. The name Occitan is derived from the geographical name Occitania, which is itself patterned after Aquitania and the characteristic word oc and includes the regions of Limousin, Languedoc, the old Aquitaine, and the southern part of the French Alps, all of the populations of which are Occitan-speaking. The name Languedoc comes from the term langue d' oc, which denoted a language using oc for yes (from Latin hoc), in contrast to the French language, the langue d' oïl, which used oïl (modern oui) for yes (from Latin hoc ille). According to Encyclopédie Occitane, Provençal was actually the first Romance language to emerge from the mix of Roman and "barbarian" tongues; the earliest surviving texts in Langue d'Oc can be definitively attributed to the tenth century (a refrain attached to a Latin poem), and the 12th-century Donat provençal was the first grammar of a modern European language. The best-known ambassadors of Occitan were the troubadours, traveling minstrels who created enduring lyric poetry and canso, inventing and disseminating the idea of courtly love. Although Occitania was composed of small feudal polities, the Langue d'Oc benefited in medieval times from a common orthography, serving admirably as a language of philosophy, science, law and the arts, as well as the everyday dialect of its speakers. This usage continued well into the 14th century, and Occitan's eventual decline is closely tied to the evolution of royal power and the French state. http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Occitan/Occitan.html
The Saône River, called Arar by the Celts, rises at a height of 1,300 feet southwest of Epinal in northeast France. It travels south nearly 300 miles (navigable for 233 of those) and meets the Rhône at Lyon. It is the biggest tributary of the Rhône. The Rhône River's sources lies in Switzerland east of the Bernese Alps, beginning at an altitude of 7,000 feet at the Rhône Glacier. The name is attributed both to the Celtic rondos meaning "to flow" and to the city of Rhodes, presumably from Greek settlers. The river is 544 miles long, 350 of which flow through France. Source: The Rhône & Saône by Viking River Cruises
Summer side dishes: Mixed Greens with Peaches, Blackberries, and Feta Cheese Balls, Cucumber Potato Salad http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/caramelized-kumquat-breakfast-00418000071851/
Bibimbap contains all the nutrition that is needed for a complete meal. Moreover, it includes the added advantage of being adaptable to practically any recipe. Bibimbap is creative as well as unique in that its color and appearance will vary according to the ingredients used and the personal tastes of the preparer. Bibimbap is simply a bowl of rice that is mixed with various kinds of vegetables, together with mushrooms, a fried egg, and ground meat, and seasoned with red chili pepper paste. A dribble of sesame oil can add to its savory taste.
http://www.clickkorea.org/food/foodView.asp?menubar=4&page=4&idx=22
Unusual plurals
en/ren: children, oxen, oxygen
change f/fe to v and add es: leaves, wives
change vowel sound between two consonants: men, women, feet, teeth
change vowel sound between two consonants and also change the last consonant: lice, mice
Quote Why is it that one can look at a lion or a planet or an owl or at someone's finger as long as one pleases, but looking into the eyes of another person is, if prolonged past a second, a perilous affair? Walker Percy (1916-1990) American author
panjandrum (pan-JAN-druhm) noun An important or self-important person. The word is said to have been coined by dramatist and actor Samuel Foote (1720-1777) as part of a nonsensical passage to test the memory of his fellow actor Charles Macklin who claimed to be able to repeat anything after hearing it once. Earliest documented use: 1825, in the novel "Harry and Lucy Concluded" in which the author Maria Edgeworth attributes the word to Foote. A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
We have returned from two wonderful weeks in France: a few days in Paris, a few days in the Languedoc, and a cruise on the Rhone and Saone Rivers. I will be writing about regional history and also our experiences from time to time.
Occitan language (also called Provençal or Languedoc) is a Romance language spoken by about 1,500,000 people in southern France. All Occitan speakers use French as their official and cultural language, but Occitan dialects are used for everyday purposes and show no signs of extinction. The name Occitan is derived from the geographical name Occitania, which is itself patterned after Aquitania and the characteristic word oc and includes the regions of Limousin, Languedoc, the old Aquitaine, and the southern part of the French Alps, all of the populations of which are Occitan-speaking. The name Languedoc comes from the term langue d' oc, which denoted a language using oc for yes (from Latin hoc), in contrast to the French language, the langue d' oïl, which used oïl (modern oui) for yes (from Latin hoc ille). According to Encyclopédie Occitane, Provençal was actually the first Romance language to emerge from the mix of Roman and "barbarian" tongues; the earliest surviving texts in Langue d'Oc can be definitively attributed to the tenth century (a refrain attached to a Latin poem), and the 12th-century Donat provençal was the first grammar of a modern European language. The best-known ambassadors of Occitan were the troubadours, traveling minstrels who created enduring lyric poetry and canso, inventing and disseminating the idea of courtly love. Although Occitania was composed of small feudal polities, the Langue d'Oc benefited in medieval times from a common orthography, serving admirably as a language of philosophy, science, law and the arts, as well as the everyday dialect of its speakers. This usage continued well into the 14th century, and Occitan's eventual decline is closely tied to the evolution of royal power and the French state. http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Occitan/Occitan.html
The Saône River, called Arar by the Celts, rises at a height of 1,300 feet southwest of Epinal in northeast France. It travels south nearly 300 miles (navigable for 233 of those) and meets the Rhône at Lyon. It is the biggest tributary of the Rhône. The Rhône River's sources lies in Switzerland east of the Bernese Alps, beginning at an altitude of 7,000 feet at the Rhône Glacier. The name is attributed both to the Celtic rondos meaning "to flow" and to the city of Rhodes, presumably from Greek settlers. The river is 544 miles long, 350 of which flow through France. Source: The Rhône & Saône by Viking River Cruises
Summer side dishes: Mixed Greens with Peaches, Blackberries, and Feta Cheese Balls, Cucumber Potato Salad http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/caramelized-kumquat-breakfast-00418000071851/
Bibimbap contains all the nutrition that is needed for a complete meal. Moreover, it includes the added advantage of being adaptable to practically any recipe. Bibimbap is creative as well as unique in that its color and appearance will vary according to the ingredients used and the personal tastes of the preparer. Bibimbap is simply a bowl of rice that is mixed with various kinds of vegetables, together with mushrooms, a fried egg, and ground meat, and seasoned with red chili pepper paste. A dribble of sesame oil can add to its savory taste.
http://www.clickkorea.org/food/foodView.asp?menubar=4&page=4&idx=22
Sunday, May 29, 2011
From a reader after seeing a muse mentioning Lane Cake
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by (Nelle) Harper Lee (b. 1926)
Synopsis: A principled small-town lawyer is called on to defend a black man unfairly accused of raping a white woman; in the course of the trial and its aftermath, his children learn the meaning of courage and understanding. Narrated by the lawyer’s young daughter, the story is also a memoir of growing up in the South in the 30s, in Lee’s words, a “love song” to her father. Though the court case is fictional (but inspired by the 1931 “Scottsboro Trial”) most of the characters can be directly traced to inhabitants of Lee’s hometown; Atticus is modeled on Lee’s father, Scout is Lee, herself, and Dill is based on next-door neighbor, Truman Capote. The surname Finch is Lee’s mother’s maiden name.
Author info: Descended from Robert E. Lee (a genealogical condition she ironically bestows on the novel’s white-trash villain, Bob Ewell) and the daughter of a title attorney, Lee grew up in a Methodist household in Monroeville, AL. An avid reader, she studied law at the University of Alabama and worked as an airline reservation clerk in New York when she went North to launch a literary career; she wrote Mockingbird during a year financed by friends who thought she showed promise.
Movie: Horton Foote’s excellent screenplay and Gregory Peck’s remarkable performance as Atticus combine to make this one powerful film; both men won Oscars for their 1962 work. Elmer Bernstein’s music also catches the mood just right; watch carefully to catch Robert Duvall ‘s screen debut as Boo.
Dessert: Lane Cake According to Scout, Miss Maudie made the best cakes in Maycomb, and her Lane Cake was no exception. Feel free to use any white or yellow cake recipe for its base; this version is formulated specifically not to waste the whites of the 8 eggs that are needed for the filling. Likewise, you can also improvise the filling: a touch less coconut, your choice of candied/dried fruits, etc.
Thanks, Barbara
Nancy Silverstone, founder of LaBrea Bakery and chef and co-owner of Mozza Restaurant, explains how to make focaccia. An installment of the Master Class series:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-masterclass-20110526,0,1188913.htmlstory
Often described as one of the most important American paintings from the 19th-century, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s recent restoration of Thomas Eakins’ ”The Gross Clinic”, was displayed at the Museum July 2010-January, 2011. Capturing Eakins’ characteristic darkness (or at least chiaroscuro), the work is as historically illuminating as it is aesthetic. Dr. Samuel D. Gross, a man once monikered to be ”the Emperor of American Surgery.” Shown originally at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, early critics actually banished the work from display for its rather gross, graphic depiction of the removal of a malignancy from a young lady’s thigh. Painted just blocks from the Museum, in the city where Eakins lived his entire life, “Gross Clinic” celebrates the lives of two men at the peak of their professional powers. http://culturemob.com/philadelphia-museum-of-art-presents-thomas-eakins-restored-gross-clinic
From the 1880s until the 1960s the weekly covers of Journal of the American Medical Association displayed only a table of contents. On April 20th, 1964, the JAMA cover featured an original painting for the first time. Since then, works of art have graced the covers of JAMA each week.
http://www.backfiles.org/ The Art of JAMA: One Hundred Covers and Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association Volumes I and II of The Art of JAMA are widely available for purchase.
You may also be interested in A Piece of My Mind https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?childName=&parentCategoryName=&parentCategory=&productId=OP031700+&categoryName=&prodId=&start=&parentId=
and Soul of the Physician https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?childName=&parentCategoryName=&parentCategory=&productId=OP209701+&categoryName=&prodId=&start=&parentId=
Hymenaea courbaril (Jatobá or Guapinol) is a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring and decorative purposes. Although Jatoba is sometimes referred to as Brazilian Cherry or South American Cherry, it is not a cherry tree and it is in no way, botanically or otherwise related to the Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), a very common North American hardwood. Depending on the locale, Jatoba is also known as Brazilian Copal, South American Locust, the West Indian Locust Tree, or Stinking Toe, Old Man's Toe or Stinktoe (because of the unpleasant odor of the edible pulp inside its seed pods and various other names. Jatoba produces an orange, resinous, sticky gum that converts to amber through a chemical process that requires millions of years. Amber of million year old Hymenaea trees have provided scientists with many clues to its prehistoric presence on Earth as well as to the often extinct insects and plants encased in it, as shown in the Jurassic Park films. Jatoba is a very hard wood measuring 5.6 on the Brinell scale or 2,350 lbf (10,500 N) on the Janka scale, approximate measurements of hardness. For comparison, Douglas Fir measures 660 lbf (2,900 N), White Oak 1,360 lbf (6,000 N), and Brazilian Walnut 3,800 lbf (17,000 N) on the Janka scale. Jatoba wood features a tan/salmon color with black accent stripes that over time turns to a deep rich red color. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenaea_courbaril
The terrine, a loaf of meat, seafood or vegetables, takes its name from the earthenweare mold in which it is traditionally cooked. A terrine mixture enclosed and baked in pastry becomes a pate--literally, a pie. A galantine is contained in a whole boned bird or a large cut of meat, not pastry. It is poached, not baked.
Terrines, Pates & Galantines (The Good Cook Techniques & Recipes Series)
Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. Why is it observed in late May? Look outside. See the roses and lilies of the field? The “decoration” in Decoration Day referred to ornamentation, not to a military medal. This is the time when flowers are blooming in most regions of the United States, and they can be picked and used to decorate the graves of the fallen. Thus in 1868, Gen. John Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the veterans’ organization for Union Civil War soldiers, issued a general order setting aside May 30 for the purpose of “strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” But that was only a beginning. North and South remained split on many things in the decades following the Civil War, and the day to remember their late soldiers was one of them. Southern observances for the Confederate dead arose independently of Logan’s order, notes Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust in her book on the post-Civil War period, “This Republic of Suffering.” In some locations, they were held on May 10, the anniversary of Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s death. In others, they were held on April 26, the day Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union Gen. William Sherman in 1865, effectively ending the war. A number of Southern states still hold a Confederate Memorial Day on a different date than that used for the national holiday. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/DC-Decoder/2011/0527/Why-is-Memorial-Day-observed-in-May
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by (Nelle) Harper Lee (b. 1926)
Synopsis: A principled small-town lawyer is called on to defend a black man unfairly accused of raping a white woman; in the course of the trial and its aftermath, his children learn the meaning of courage and understanding. Narrated by the lawyer’s young daughter, the story is also a memoir of growing up in the South in the 30s, in Lee’s words, a “love song” to her father. Though the court case is fictional (but inspired by the 1931 “Scottsboro Trial”) most of the characters can be directly traced to inhabitants of Lee’s hometown; Atticus is modeled on Lee’s father, Scout is Lee, herself, and Dill is based on next-door neighbor, Truman Capote. The surname Finch is Lee’s mother’s maiden name.
Author info: Descended from Robert E. Lee (a genealogical condition she ironically bestows on the novel’s white-trash villain, Bob Ewell) and the daughter of a title attorney, Lee grew up in a Methodist household in Monroeville, AL. An avid reader, she studied law at the University of Alabama and worked as an airline reservation clerk in New York when she went North to launch a literary career; she wrote Mockingbird during a year financed by friends who thought she showed promise.
Movie: Horton Foote’s excellent screenplay and Gregory Peck’s remarkable performance as Atticus combine to make this one powerful film; both men won Oscars for their 1962 work. Elmer Bernstein’s music also catches the mood just right; watch carefully to catch Robert Duvall ‘s screen debut as Boo.
Dessert: Lane Cake According to Scout, Miss Maudie made the best cakes in Maycomb, and her Lane Cake was no exception. Feel free to use any white or yellow cake recipe for its base; this version is formulated specifically not to waste the whites of the 8 eggs that are needed for the filling. Likewise, you can also improvise the filling: a touch less coconut, your choice of candied/dried fruits, etc.
Thanks, Barbara
Nancy Silverstone, founder of LaBrea Bakery and chef and co-owner of Mozza Restaurant, explains how to make focaccia. An installment of the Master Class series:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-masterclass-20110526,0,1188913.htmlstory
Often described as one of the most important American paintings from the 19th-century, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s recent restoration of Thomas Eakins’ ”The Gross Clinic”, was displayed at the Museum July 2010-January, 2011. Capturing Eakins’ characteristic darkness (or at least chiaroscuro), the work is as historically illuminating as it is aesthetic. Dr. Samuel D. Gross, a man once monikered to be ”the Emperor of American Surgery.” Shown originally at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, early critics actually banished the work from display for its rather gross, graphic depiction of the removal of a malignancy from a young lady’s thigh. Painted just blocks from the Museum, in the city where Eakins lived his entire life, “Gross Clinic” celebrates the lives of two men at the peak of their professional powers. http://culturemob.com/philadelphia-museum-of-art-presents-thomas-eakins-restored-gross-clinic
From the 1880s until the 1960s the weekly covers of Journal of the American Medical Association displayed only a table of contents. On April 20th, 1964, the JAMA cover featured an original painting for the first time. Since then, works of art have graced the covers of JAMA each week.
http://www.backfiles.org/ The Art of JAMA: One Hundred Covers and Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association Volumes I and II of The Art of JAMA are widely available for purchase.
You may also be interested in A Piece of My Mind https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?childName=&parentCategoryName=&parentCategory=&productId=OP031700+&categoryName=&prodId=&start=&parentId=
and Soul of the Physician https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?childName=&parentCategoryName=&parentCategory=&productId=OP209701+&categoryName=&prodId=&start=&parentId=
Hymenaea courbaril (Jatobá or Guapinol) is a tree common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring and decorative purposes. Although Jatoba is sometimes referred to as Brazilian Cherry or South American Cherry, it is not a cherry tree and it is in no way, botanically or otherwise related to the Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), a very common North American hardwood. Depending on the locale, Jatoba is also known as Brazilian Copal, South American Locust, the West Indian Locust Tree, or Stinking Toe, Old Man's Toe or Stinktoe (because of the unpleasant odor of the edible pulp inside its seed pods and various other names. Jatoba produces an orange, resinous, sticky gum that converts to amber through a chemical process that requires millions of years. Amber of million year old Hymenaea trees have provided scientists with many clues to its prehistoric presence on Earth as well as to the often extinct insects and plants encased in it, as shown in the Jurassic Park films. Jatoba is a very hard wood measuring 5.6 on the Brinell scale or 2,350 lbf (10,500 N) on the Janka scale, approximate measurements of hardness. For comparison, Douglas Fir measures 660 lbf (2,900 N), White Oak 1,360 lbf (6,000 N), and Brazilian Walnut 3,800 lbf (17,000 N) on the Janka scale. Jatoba wood features a tan/salmon color with black accent stripes that over time turns to a deep rich red color. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenaea_courbaril
The terrine, a loaf of meat, seafood or vegetables, takes its name from the earthenweare mold in which it is traditionally cooked. A terrine mixture enclosed and baked in pastry becomes a pate--literally, a pie. A galantine is contained in a whole boned bird or a large cut of meat, not pastry. It is poached, not baked.
Terrines, Pates & Galantines (The Good Cook Techniques & Recipes Series)
Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. Why is it observed in late May? Look outside. See the roses and lilies of the field? The “decoration” in Decoration Day referred to ornamentation, not to a military medal. This is the time when flowers are blooming in most regions of the United States, and they can be picked and used to decorate the graves of the fallen. Thus in 1868, Gen. John Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the veterans’ organization for Union Civil War soldiers, issued a general order setting aside May 30 for the purpose of “strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” But that was only a beginning. North and South remained split on many things in the decades following the Civil War, and the day to remember their late soldiers was one of them. Southern observances for the Confederate dead arose independently of Logan’s order, notes Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust in her book on the post-Civil War period, “This Republic of Suffering.” In some locations, they were held on May 10, the anniversary of Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s death. In others, they were held on April 26, the day Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union Gen. William Sherman in 1865, effectively ending the war. A number of Southern states still hold a Confederate Memorial Day on a different date than that used for the national holiday. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/DC-Decoder/2011/0527/Why-is-Memorial-Day-observed-in-May
Friday, May 27, 2011
Author Dick Wimmer died on May 18 at his home in Agoura Hills, Calif. He was 74. Saying that agents and publishers had spurned him 162 times, Mr. Wimmer laid claim to being the most-rejected published novelist in history. Finally, in 1989, “Irish Wine” was published by Mercury House. The novel tells how, after that epiphany on the tracks, Seamus Boyne resurrects himself and his career and reunites with an old friend, Gene Hagar (a struggling author), who eventually flies to London for the gala celebrating Boyne’s exhibit at the Tate — the start of their joyful antics. In a review for The New York Times, C. D. B. Bryan called it a “taut, finely written, exhaustingly exuberant first novel.” The Los Angeles Times said Mr. Wimmer had encased “the zany saga in an enchanted aura by couching it entirely in the stream-of-consciousness prose hallowed by James Joyce and disciples.” Despite the reviews, “Irish Wine” did not become a best seller and Mr. Wimmer, while continuing to write and edit other works, returned to teaching. Since 1968, he has been an adjunct professor of English and creative writing at more than two dozen colleges. Mr. Wimmer wove his zany strain through two sequels that were published in 2001 as parts of the “Irish Wine Trilogy.” In “Boyne’s Lassie,” Seamus returns to the United States to find his long-lost daughter. In “Hagar’s Dream,” Boyne’s friend falls in love with his buddy’s daughter, now 20 years old. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/arts/dick-wimmer-74-irish-wine-author-is-dead.html
Seafood Watch: 2011 Press Kit from Monterey Bay Aquarium In 1997, an aquarium special exhibition - Fishing for Solutions - prompted an internal review of the aquarium’s own seafood-buying practices, resulting in a list of recommendations for internal use. Visitors began asking for a copy of this list and the Seafood Watch pocket guide was born. Since its debut in 1999, the Seafood Watch program has grown to include six regional pocket guides, with three Spanish-language options, featuring popular seafood found in different regions of the U.S. In 2008, a guide to sustainable sushi was introduced. Guides are updated every six months to reflect ongoing research, resulting in “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives” or items to “Avoid.” In partnership with zoos, aquariums and other institutions across the U.S., the Monterey Bay Aquarium has put over 36.7 million Seafood Watch pocket guides in the hands of consumers; over nine million guides were included in the 2007 DVD release of the animated film Happy Feet. Thousands of guides are also downloaded each year from the aquarium’s website. Increased consumer demand for seafood has had a profound effect on the health of our oceans. Today nearly two thirds of the world’s assessed fish stocks require rebuilding. Bycatch – the unintended capture of marine life in fishing gear – is having a serious impact on ocean wildlife, particularly long-lived animals such as sea turtles, sharks, marine mammals and seabirds. Bycatch is also concern because of the sheer volume of fish and invertebrates that are thrown overboard; it’s estimated that eight percent of global landings are discarded. With the worldwide catch in decline, aquaculture (or fish farming) seeks to fill the gap. In the next year, for the first time, farming will likely overtake wild-caught fish as the leading source of our seafood. While fish farming can help ease pressure on wild fisheries, some aquaculture methods can have their own negative impact. One major concern is the amount of wild-caught fish required to feed carnivorous species of farmed fish, such as salmon and tuna.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/storage/pressroom/presskit/pdf/11-Seafood%20Watch%20Press%20Kit_2.pdf
scrumptious delightful, excellent; especially: delicious perhaps alteration of sumptuous First Known Use: 1830 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrumptious
See UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011 It includes expressions and traditions in art, dance, festivals, processions, tournaments, weaving and food. Created by one Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama, who published her recipe in 1898, Lane cake is popular all over the South. In some versions the cake is frosted with a cooked white icing, but you may coat the sides with more of the delicious filling. This cake improves in flavor as it ages and mellows. Covered and uncut, it may be made two days before serving, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Find recipe for this three-layer cake at: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Lane-Cake
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey as its primary sugar source and is often referred to as honey wine. Being made from honey, one would naturally expect it to be very sweet and although it usually is, it can actually range from dry to very sweet. Mead is usually still, though it can be made sparkling and can range from a mild low alcoholic content up to very high. Mead is arguably the oldest alcoholic beverage on the planet with some evidence dating it back approximately 10,000 years. Due to many different cultural and financial reasons, mead has fallen out of favor over the many years and now we call it the 'oldest alcoholic beverage no one has ever heard of.' from Long Island Meadery http://www.limeadery.com/lgm_aboutmead.html
To make mead requires three basic ingredients – honey, water and yeast. In nature, the bees concentrate the sugars in honey in order to preserve the honey. Water must be added to the honey to bring the sugars to an acceptable level for the yeast to ferment them effectively. All meads, or honeywines, are fermented. They are wines. from Sky River Mead http://www.skyriverbrewing.com/Mead/beer-or-wine.html
Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet's surface. Of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, 87% are related to energy consumption. From 1990 to 2009, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have grown by about 0.04% per year. The United States accounts for about 20% of the world's total energy-related carbon dioxide. http://eia.gov/energy_in_brief/greenhouse_gas.cfm
Cities (not state capitals) in the U.S. that share their name with their own state
Alabama City, Alabama
Arizona City, Arizona
Arkansas City, Arkansas
California City, California
Colorado City, Colorado
Delaware City, Delaware
Florida City, Florida
Idaho City, Idaho
Illinois City, Illinois
Iowa City, Iowa
Kansas City, Kansas
Maryland City, Maryland
Minnesota City, Minnesota
Mississippi City, Mississippi
Missouri City, Missouri
Montana City, Montana
Nebraska City, Nebraska
Nevada City, Nevada
New York City, New York
Ohio City, Ohio (Cuyahoga County)
Ohio City, Ohio (Van Wert County)
Oregon City, Oregon
Texas City, Texas
Virginia City, Virginia
Find also Cities in the U.S. that share their name with a different state such as Arkansas City, Kansas and Cities in the U.S. that share their name with another country such as Mexico City, New Mexico. Interesting comments at: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-72285.html
Seafood Watch: 2011 Press Kit from Monterey Bay Aquarium In 1997, an aquarium special exhibition - Fishing for Solutions - prompted an internal review of the aquarium’s own seafood-buying practices, resulting in a list of recommendations for internal use. Visitors began asking for a copy of this list and the Seafood Watch pocket guide was born. Since its debut in 1999, the Seafood Watch program has grown to include six regional pocket guides, with three Spanish-language options, featuring popular seafood found in different regions of the U.S. In 2008, a guide to sustainable sushi was introduced. Guides are updated every six months to reflect ongoing research, resulting in “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives” or items to “Avoid.” In partnership with zoos, aquariums and other institutions across the U.S., the Monterey Bay Aquarium has put over 36.7 million Seafood Watch pocket guides in the hands of consumers; over nine million guides were included in the 2007 DVD release of the animated film Happy Feet. Thousands of guides are also downloaded each year from the aquarium’s website. Increased consumer demand for seafood has had a profound effect on the health of our oceans. Today nearly two thirds of the world’s assessed fish stocks require rebuilding. Bycatch – the unintended capture of marine life in fishing gear – is having a serious impact on ocean wildlife, particularly long-lived animals such as sea turtles, sharks, marine mammals and seabirds. Bycatch is also concern because of the sheer volume of fish and invertebrates that are thrown overboard; it’s estimated that eight percent of global landings are discarded. With the worldwide catch in decline, aquaculture (or fish farming) seeks to fill the gap. In the next year, for the first time, farming will likely overtake wild-caught fish as the leading source of our seafood. While fish farming can help ease pressure on wild fisheries, some aquaculture methods can have their own negative impact. One major concern is the amount of wild-caught fish required to feed carnivorous species of farmed fish, such as salmon and tuna.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/storage/pressroom/presskit/pdf/11-Seafood%20Watch%20Press%20Kit_2.pdf
scrumptious delightful, excellent; especially: delicious perhaps alteration of sumptuous First Known Use: 1830 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrumptious
See UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011 It includes expressions and traditions in art, dance, festivals, processions, tournaments, weaving and food. Created by one Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama, who published her recipe in 1898, Lane cake is popular all over the South. In some versions the cake is frosted with a cooked white icing, but you may coat the sides with more of the delicious filling. This cake improves in flavor as it ages and mellows. Covered and uncut, it may be made two days before serving, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Find recipe for this three-layer cake at: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Lane-Cake
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey as its primary sugar source and is often referred to as honey wine. Being made from honey, one would naturally expect it to be very sweet and although it usually is, it can actually range from dry to very sweet. Mead is usually still, though it can be made sparkling and can range from a mild low alcoholic content up to very high. Mead is arguably the oldest alcoholic beverage on the planet with some evidence dating it back approximately 10,000 years. Due to many different cultural and financial reasons, mead has fallen out of favor over the many years and now we call it the 'oldest alcoholic beverage no one has ever heard of.' from Long Island Meadery http://www.limeadery.com/lgm_aboutmead.html
To make mead requires three basic ingredients – honey, water and yeast. In nature, the bees concentrate the sugars in honey in order to preserve the honey. Water must be added to the honey to bring the sugars to an acceptable level for the yeast to ferment them effectively. All meads, or honeywines, are fermented. They are wines. from Sky River Mead http://www.skyriverbrewing.com/Mead/beer-or-wine.html
Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet's surface. Of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, 87% are related to energy consumption. From 1990 to 2009, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have grown by about 0.04% per year. The United States accounts for about 20% of the world's total energy-related carbon dioxide. http://eia.gov/energy_in_brief/greenhouse_gas.cfm
Cities (not state capitals) in the U.S. that share their name with their own state
Alabama City, Alabama
Arizona City, Arizona
Arkansas City, Arkansas
California City, California
Colorado City, Colorado
Delaware City, Delaware
Florida City, Florida
Idaho City, Idaho
Illinois City, Illinois
Iowa City, Iowa
Kansas City, Kansas
Maryland City, Maryland
Minnesota City, Minnesota
Mississippi City, Mississippi
Missouri City, Missouri
Montana City, Montana
Nebraska City, Nebraska
Nevada City, Nevada
New York City, New York
Ohio City, Ohio (Cuyahoga County)
Ohio City, Ohio (Van Wert County)
Oregon City, Oregon
Texas City, Texas
Virginia City, Virginia
Find also Cities in the U.S. that share their name with a different state such as Arkansas City, Kansas and Cities in the U.S. that share their name with another country such as Mexico City, New Mexico. Interesting comments at: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-72285.html
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Survey of Current Business May 2011 http://www.bea.gov/scb/index.htm
Quotes
Reading is my greatest luxury.
If you can't return a favor, pass it on.
I used to think about how I was conceived quite a lot when I was about 10 or 11, but I don't think about it at all now that so many other babies have been born in the same way.
Louise Brown (b. 1978) English author, first "test tube" baby
tyro or tiro (TY-roh) noun One who is beginning to learn something.
From Latin tiro (young soldier, recruit). Earliest documented use: 1611. A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
Q: How many apples does Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay, Ohio give away each year? And when did it start?
A: Candy-stripers from the Blanchard Valley Hospital Auxiliary distribute nearly 55,000 apples a year, or an average of about 150 apples a day. The apple became a hospital fixture in 1986, when it was among the first to ban smoking. Apples replaced ashtrays for those who felt the urge to smoke. Soon, the apple became associated with the hospital and it was incorporated into its logo. Megan A. James, Blanchard Valley Health System.
Q: Was Johnny Appleseed real?
A: Yes. Johnny Appleseed was John Chapman, born Sept. 26, 1774, in Leominster, Mass. He began to plant apple nurseries throughout the Midwest in 1802. According to the Swedenborgian Church, "The record on Johnny Appleseed reveals him to be a careful, organized and strategic businessman who, over a period of several decades, bought and sold many dozen tracts of land in advance of the frontier expansion, and who developed countless thousands of productive apple trees throughout the upper Midwest. "John Chapman didn't simply walk around the countryside planting seeds and communing with nature. He was methodical in the selection of his nursery sites and the planting of his seeds. "By instinct, he (improved)...fruit by seeding rather than by grafting or budding. "He always selected a good, loamy piece of ground in an open place, fenced it in with fallen trees and logs, bushes and vines, sowed his seeds, and returned at regular intervals to repair the fence, to tend the ground, and to sell his trees," according to the church. He wore discarded clothing and would barter apple saplings for them. Chapman eventually owned more than 1,200 acres in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. He died at Fort Wayne, Ind., in March 1845. Ohio Historical Society, Swedenborgian Church.
Q: OK, then who was Johnny Apple?
A: R.W. Apple Jr., nicknamed "Johnny Apple," was a highly respected New York Times reporter and editor for more than 40 years. He died Oct. 3, 2006, in Washington at the age of 71. http://www.thecourier.com/Opinion/columns/2011/May/JU/ar_JU_052311.asp?d=052311,2011,May,23&c=c_13
Mark Twain may have said that: “Golf is a good walk spoiled” but there are millions around the world who say otherwise. While there is some dispute as to who can actually claim to have been the first person ever to have hit something with a stick, what Scotland can prove is that the earliest mention of the sport comes from King James II of Scotland, who, in 1457 banned golf as it was taking his archers away from their practice. And any mention of Scotland and golf can’t get very far without introducing the famous Leith Links. First mentioned in 1552 during a dispute between the rival “cordiners” (cobblers) of the Canongate and the cordiners and “gouff” ball makers of North Leith. This reference not only establishes the playing of golf on the Links in the 16th century, but also suggests that if cobblers were involved, then the equipment used was bespoke, and a long way from random hitting of round stones with sticks. The first open golf championship, on 2nd April 1744 is commonly held to be the first golfing activity of any golf club in the world. (The Royal Burgess maintains it was established first in 1735, but Leith has the first written records to support its claim.) The prize, presented to Edinburgh physician John Rattray, was a silver golf club. Initially the competition was open to anyone, but in 1764 it formalised its arrangements and limited the competition to Leith members. It was from around this time that they became known as the “Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers”. This title was formalised in a charter granted to them by the Lord Provost in 1800. During the early 18th century the game’s popularity declined, as did the coffers of the Honourable Gentlemen. Facing huge debts they sold off the club house, and play ceased for a time. When they next re-grouped it was in 1836 at a new eight-hole golf course inside the racetrack at Musselburgh. With no clubhouse, the gentlemen had to store their golf clubs under the racetrack – which proved highly unsuitable. A decision to build a club house necessitated funding, and so the club started to charge members an annual subscription. Overcrowding forced another move, and in 1891 the Honourable Gentlemen settled at another racetrack, at the East Lothian horse races on the Hundred Acres Park. This became the Muirfield course, designed by Old Tom Morris, originally 16 holes, but quickly built up to 18. Often referred to as Muirfield, the club’s official title remains The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. And its ancient lineage is still important today, according to Alastair Brown, Club Secretary. http://heritage.caledonianmercury.com/2010/03/07/the-noble-heritage-of-a-good-walk-ruined/00252
Nairobi/Washington DC, May 23, 2011—Against a backdrop of volatile food prices and increasing climate variability, more and more people are paying attention to the relationship between a healthy environment and resilient farmland. From policy makers to private investors, from researchers to smallholder farmers, many are looking for better ways to increase food security in a changing climate. Organizers of a three-day Investment Forum in Nairobi on May 25-27, 2011 are hoping these groups will focus their eyes on trees – trees in productive landscapes that can help achieve the ‘triple win’ of increased productivity, climate resilience and carbon capture, in ways that benefit smallholder farmers. “Feeding the planet in the next 20 years is not simply a quantitative challenge,” said Inger Andersen, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, ahead of the Forum. “Unsustainable practices that degrade soil fertility will depress yields and keep pushing people further into remaining natural forests. We want to encourage agricultural practices that are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.” Agricultural expansion is the main driver of deforestation in many parts of the world, directly challenging conservation efforts. About 100 people representing farms, businesses, investment firms, research centers, NGOs and development organizations will convene in Nairobi for an Investment Forum devoted to Mobilizing Private Investment in Trees and Landscape Restoration in Africa. The event will be hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre, in a unique partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Bank, EcoAgriculture Partners, the Program on Forests (PROFOR) and TerrAfrica.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22921529~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html
Quotes
Reading is my greatest luxury.
If you can't return a favor, pass it on.
I used to think about how I was conceived quite a lot when I was about 10 or 11, but I don't think about it at all now that so many other babies have been born in the same way.
Louise Brown (b. 1978) English author, first "test tube" baby
tyro or tiro (TY-roh) noun One who is beginning to learn something.
From Latin tiro (young soldier, recruit). Earliest documented use: 1611. A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
Q: How many apples does Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay, Ohio give away each year? And when did it start?
A: Candy-stripers from the Blanchard Valley Hospital Auxiliary distribute nearly 55,000 apples a year, or an average of about 150 apples a day. The apple became a hospital fixture in 1986, when it was among the first to ban smoking. Apples replaced ashtrays for those who felt the urge to smoke. Soon, the apple became associated with the hospital and it was incorporated into its logo. Megan A. James, Blanchard Valley Health System.
Q: Was Johnny Appleseed real?
A: Yes. Johnny Appleseed was John Chapman, born Sept. 26, 1774, in Leominster, Mass. He began to plant apple nurseries throughout the Midwest in 1802. According to the Swedenborgian Church, "The record on Johnny Appleseed reveals him to be a careful, organized and strategic businessman who, over a period of several decades, bought and sold many dozen tracts of land in advance of the frontier expansion, and who developed countless thousands of productive apple trees throughout the upper Midwest. "John Chapman didn't simply walk around the countryside planting seeds and communing with nature. He was methodical in the selection of his nursery sites and the planting of his seeds. "By instinct, he (improved)...fruit by seeding rather than by grafting or budding. "He always selected a good, loamy piece of ground in an open place, fenced it in with fallen trees and logs, bushes and vines, sowed his seeds, and returned at regular intervals to repair the fence, to tend the ground, and to sell his trees," according to the church. He wore discarded clothing and would barter apple saplings for them. Chapman eventually owned more than 1,200 acres in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. He died at Fort Wayne, Ind., in March 1845. Ohio Historical Society, Swedenborgian Church.
Q: OK, then who was Johnny Apple?
A: R.W. Apple Jr., nicknamed "Johnny Apple," was a highly respected New York Times reporter and editor for more than 40 years. He died Oct. 3, 2006, in Washington at the age of 71. http://www.thecourier.com/Opinion/columns/2011/May/JU/ar_JU_052311.asp?d=052311,2011,May,23&c=c_13
Mark Twain may have said that: “Golf is a good walk spoiled” but there are millions around the world who say otherwise. While there is some dispute as to who can actually claim to have been the first person ever to have hit something with a stick, what Scotland can prove is that the earliest mention of the sport comes from King James II of Scotland, who, in 1457 banned golf as it was taking his archers away from their practice. And any mention of Scotland and golf can’t get very far without introducing the famous Leith Links. First mentioned in 1552 during a dispute between the rival “cordiners” (cobblers) of the Canongate and the cordiners and “gouff” ball makers of North Leith. This reference not only establishes the playing of golf on the Links in the 16th century, but also suggests that if cobblers were involved, then the equipment used was bespoke, and a long way from random hitting of round stones with sticks. The first open golf championship, on 2nd April 1744 is commonly held to be the first golfing activity of any golf club in the world. (The Royal Burgess maintains it was established first in 1735, but Leith has the first written records to support its claim.) The prize, presented to Edinburgh physician John Rattray, was a silver golf club. Initially the competition was open to anyone, but in 1764 it formalised its arrangements and limited the competition to Leith members. It was from around this time that they became known as the “Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers”. This title was formalised in a charter granted to them by the Lord Provost in 1800. During the early 18th century the game’s popularity declined, as did the coffers of the Honourable Gentlemen. Facing huge debts they sold off the club house, and play ceased for a time. When they next re-grouped it was in 1836 at a new eight-hole golf course inside the racetrack at Musselburgh. With no clubhouse, the gentlemen had to store their golf clubs under the racetrack – which proved highly unsuitable. A decision to build a club house necessitated funding, and so the club started to charge members an annual subscription. Overcrowding forced another move, and in 1891 the Honourable Gentlemen settled at another racetrack, at the East Lothian horse races on the Hundred Acres Park. This became the Muirfield course, designed by Old Tom Morris, originally 16 holes, but quickly built up to 18. Often referred to as Muirfield, the club’s official title remains The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. And its ancient lineage is still important today, according to Alastair Brown, Club Secretary. http://heritage.caledonianmercury.com/2010/03/07/the-noble-heritage-of-a-good-walk-ruined/00252
Nairobi/Washington DC, May 23, 2011—Against a backdrop of volatile food prices and increasing climate variability, more and more people are paying attention to the relationship between a healthy environment and resilient farmland. From policy makers to private investors, from researchers to smallholder farmers, many are looking for better ways to increase food security in a changing climate. Organizers of a three-day Investment Forum in Nairobi on May 25-27, 2011 are hoping these groups will focus their eyes on trees – trees in productive landscapes that can help achieve the ‘triple win’ of increased productivity, climate resilience and carbon capture, in ways that benefit smallholder farmers. “Feeding the planet in the next 20 years is not simply a quantitative challenge,” said Inger Andersen, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, ahead of the Forum. “Unsustainable practices that degrade soil fertility will depress yields and keep pushing people further into remaining natural forests. We want to encourage agricultural practices that are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.” Agricultural expansion is the main driver of deforestation in many parts of the world, directly challenging conservation efforts. About 100 people representing farms, businesses, investment firms, research centers, NGOs and development organizations will convene in Nairobi for an Investment Forum devoted to Mobilizing Private Investment in Trees and Landscape Restoration in Africa. The event will be hosted by the World Agroforestry Centre, in a unique partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Bank, EcoAgriculture Partners, the Program on Forests (PROFOR) and TerrAfrica.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22921529~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The American Bar Association was sued May 24 in a federal case claiming that the LSAT test discriminates against the blind and visually impaired. The alleged problem, according to the suit, is that one-fourth of the test involves “analytical rezoning” questions that require diagramming to answer correctly. Here’s an example of one of the objectionable questions, according to the suit: “A company employee generates a series of five-digit product codes in accordance with the following rules: The codes use the digits 0,1,2,3 and 4 . . .Each digit occurs exactly once in any code; the second digit has a value exactly twice that of the first digit; the value of the third digit is less than the value of the fifth digit.” Test takers are then invited to answer a series of questions about the proper sequencing of the product codes. “A blind or visually impaired applicant is unable to conceive of spatial relationships or diagram answers in the same manner as their sighted peers,” according to the complaint. So, why does the suit target the ABA? Because it allegedly pressures law schools to administer the LSAT; a law school that waives the LSAT exam for a visually impaired applicant could risk losing its status as an ABA-approved school, the suit contends. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/05/24/federal-suit-claims-lsat-discriminatory/ See complaint here: http://www.callsam.com/images/stories/news_docs_pics/Complaint_Benno-vs-ABA_5-24-11.pdf
Celebrating a defining moment for the premier institution of modern and contemporary American art, and a landmark achievement in the public-private revitalization of downtown Manhattan, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the City of New York on May 24 broke ground for the Whitney’s new museum building on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. Scheduled to open in 2015, the downtown building will, for the first time, allow for a comprehensive view of the Whitney’s unsurpassed collection of modern and contemporary American art. It will devote equal space to the Museum’s widely influential special exhibitions and artist projects, as well as provide state-of-the-art facilities for enhanced education and performing arts programs, all within one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The project, which is expected to be New York City’s first certified LEED-Silver art museum, is to be built on a site acquired from the City of New York. To date, the Whitney has raised $508 million of its $720 million project budget, which includes funds for construction and endowment. According to architect Renzo Piano, “The design for the new museum emerges equally from a close study of the Whitney’s needs and from a response to this remarkable site. We wanted to draw on its vitality and at the same time enhance its rich character. The first big gesture, then, is the cantilevered entrance, which transforms the area outside the building into a large, sheltered public space. At this gathering place beneath the High Line, visitors will see through the building entrance and the large windows on the west side to the Hudson River beyond. Here, all at once, you have the water, the park, the powerful industrial structures and the exciting mix of people, brought together and focused by this new building and the experience of art.” The new Whitney building will include more than 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space on a series of rooftops facing the High Line, providing long-awaited opportunities to show more of the Whitney’s collection in tandem with temporary exhibitions. The collection has grown from about 2,000 works at the time of the building’s opening, in 1966, to more than 19,000 works today. An expansive gallery for temporary exhibitions will be approximately 18,000 square feet in area, making it the largest column-free museum gallery in New York City. Gallery space for ground-floor exhibitions (accessible free of charge), two floors for the permanent collection, and contemporary artists’ projects on the top floor will total approximately 32,000 square feet. On Friday, May 27, in celebration of groundbreaking for the Whitney’s future building in the Meatpacking District, the public is invited to enjoy two of the benefits of Whitney membership: free admission to the Museum and a 10% discount at the Whitney store. The Whitney is located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. Friday hours are 1–9 pm. http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=47685
In “The Hangover Part II,” the sequel to the very successful what-happened-last-night comedy, the character played by Ed Helms wakes up with a permanent tattoo bracketing his left eye. The Maori-inspired design is instantly recognizable as the one sported by the boxer Mike Tyson, which is part of the joke. (Mr. Tyson makes an appearance in both films, playing himself.) But S. Victor Whitmill, a tattoo artist formerly of Las Vegas and currently from rural Missouri, doesn’t quite see the humor. Mr. Whitmill designed the tattoo for Mr. Tyson, called it “tribal tattoo,” and claims it as a copyrighted work. He has gone to Federal District Court in St. Louis to ask a judge to stop Warner Brothers Entertainment from using the tattoo in its posters or in the movie, which would amount to stopping the film from being released, as well as to demand monetary damages for what he calls “reckless copyright infringement” by the studio. “Mr. Whitmill has never been asked for permission for, and has never consented to, the use, reproduction or creation of a derivative work based on his original tattoo,” argues the lawsuit, which was filed April 28, and will be taken up the week of May 23. In 2005, Rasheed Wallace and Nike were sued by a tattoo artist, Matthew Reed, over a commercial that outlined a tattoo as he discussed why he had it created; the case was settled. David Beckham and his favorite tattooist, Louis Molloy, had a public dispute that year over his plan to highlight them in an advertisement. The feud culminated in an interview with Mr. Molloy in The Daily Mirror that ran under the headline “I Own Beck’s Tattoo .. and I’ll Sue.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/business/media/21tattoo.html?_r=1&ref=tattoos
In more than 20 years as a professional puzzle designer, Scott Kim has worked on everything from word, number and logic puzzles to toys such as Railroad Rush Hour and computer games such as "Obsidian" and "Escher Interactive," which features interactive puzzles based on M.C. Escher's optical illusions. Lately, he has been developing smartphone game apps and contributing a bimonthly puzzle column to Psychology Today. Growing up in Los Angeles, Mr. Kim was obsessed with magic and mathematics . He began drawing mazes and creating crossword puzzles in the second grade. In the sixth grade, he made his first original puzzle. He began folding letters of the alphabet made out of construction paper to make other letters. He folded the letter F over so that the base covered the shorter horizontal line and formed a U shape. "This excited me to no end," said Mr. Kim, who still uses the puzzle in lectures, asking people to guess the letter underneath. (Most guess L.) He borrows ideas for puzzles from architecture, music, science and art (favorite designers include Milton Glaser and Charles and Ray Eames). See more plus graphics at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576315402235374390.html
Huguette Clark, one of America's wealthiest and most prominent debutantes, spent eight decades in virtual seclusion. Ms. Clark died May 24 at 104 in a New York City hospital where, despite good health, she had taken up residence more than 20 years ago. At the hospital she pursued a passion for antique dolls but rarely saw visitors. Her early life was a whirl of private schools, dance lessons in Paris, and a childhood spent in "Clark's Folly," the 121-room mansion her father built on New York's ritzy Fifth Avenue. But after her brief encounter with high society, Ms. Clark retreated into isolation, living for decades with her mother in 42 art-festooned rooms overlooking Central Park. The apartment—said to be the biggest on Fifth Avenue—was kept in good order, but she never lived there after choosing to enter the hospital. Nor did she spend time at her two other properties, a California mansion valued at $100 million and a Connecticut estate that is on the market for $24 million. It was a solitary ending to the most privileged of lives. Ms. Clark's father, William Clark, was one of the 19th century "copper kings" of Montana, and his United Verde Mining Co. helped vault his fortune alongside those of the Rockefellers and Carnegies. The city of Las Vegas was first established as a maintenance stop for one of his railroads. She leaves a fortune estimated at $500 million, and no descendents. Her lawyer, Wallace Bock, said last September she had signed a will. She once told friends that wealth is a "menace to happiness." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303654804576343781550144232.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
henchman 1 obsolete: a squire or page to a person of high rank 2 a: a trusted follower : a right-hand man b: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage c: a member of a gang Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding First Known Use: 15th century http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henchmen
From 1 May fans of the cult film "The Third Man" can again tour the film's original location in the Vienna sewer system. The guided tours seven metres underneath Karlsplatz (Girardipark/Esperantopark) will leave you with an unforgettable insight into the world of this film classic as well as provide you with information about the Vienna sewer system and the construction works carried out there. Apart from the guided tour of the sewer, the "Third Man Tour" also offers an above-ground walk in the footsteps of the film’s main characters (organised by "Vienna Walks + Talks"), a visit to the "Third Man Museum" and a screening of the film's original version at Burg Kino. See schedules and prices at: http://www.wien.gv.at/english/environment-leisure/third-man.html
Vienna isn't alone in plumbing the depths of tourism. A local chamber of commerce in Brighton, England, in 2007 voted the city's sewers the "Best Place to Visit." Brussels in 2007 renovated its sewer museum, whose exterior resembles a Greek temple. And the wellspring of sewer tourism, Paris's Musée des Égouts, plans a makeover to handle rising traffic, which surpasses 100,000 visitors a year. Tours of the city's sewers, already famous from Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," began in 1867, when a revolutionary, modernized network collected only rainwater. See more plus pictures at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704681904576321044058634186.html
Quotes He who praises everybody, praises nobody. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author and lexicographer
Celebrating a defining moment for the premier institution of modern and contemporary American art, and a landmark achievement in the public-private revitalization of downtown Manhattan, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the City of New York on May 24 broke ground for the Whitney’s new museum building on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. Scheduled to open in 2015, the downtown building will, for the first time, allow for a comprehensive view of the Whitney’s unsurpassed collection of modern and contemporary American art. It will devote equal space to the Museum’s widely influential special exhibitions and artist projects, as well as provide state-of-the-art facilities for enhanced education and performing arts programs, all within one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. The project, which is expected to be New York City’s first certified LEED-Silver art museum, is to be built on a site acquired from the City of New York. To date, the Whitney has raised $508 million of its $720 million project budget, which includes funds for construction and endowment. According to architect Renzo Piano, “The design for the new museum emerges equally from a close study of the Whitney’s needs and from a response to this remarkable site. We wanted to draw on its vitality and at the same time enhance its rich character. The first big gesture, then, is the cantilevered entrance, which transforms the area outside the building into a large, sheltered public space. At this gathering place beneath the High Line, visitors will see through the building entrance and the large windows on the west side to the Hudson River beyond. Here, all at once, you have the water, the park, the powerful industrial structures and the exciting mix of people, brought together and focused by this new building and the experience of art.” The new Whitney building will include more than 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space on a series of rooftops facing the High Line, providing long-awaited opportunities to show more of the Whitney’s collection in tandem with temporary exhibitions. The collection has grown from about 2,000 works at the time of the building’s opening, in 1966, to more than 19,000 works today. An expansive gallery for temporary exhibitions will be approximately 18,000 square feet in area, making it the largest column-free museum gallery in New York City. Gallery space for ground-floor exhibitions (accessible free of charge), two floors for the permanent collection, and contemporary artists’ projects on the top floor will total approximately 32,000 square feet. On Friday, May 27, in celebration of groundbreaking for the Whitney’s future building in the Meatpacking District, the public is invited to enjoy two of the benefits of Whitney membership: free admission to the Museum and a 10% discount at the Whitney store. The Whitney is located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. Friday hours are 1–9 pm. http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=47685
In “The Hangover Part II,” the sequel to the very successful what-happened-last-night comedy, the character played by Ed Helms wakes up with a permanent tattoo bracketing his left eye. The Maori-inspired design is instantly recognizable as the one sported by the boxer Mike Tyson, which is part of the joke. (Mr. Tyson makes an appearance in both films, playing himself.) But S. Victor Whitmill, a tattoo artist formerly of Las Vegas and currently from rural Missouri, doesn’t quite see the humor. Mr. Whitmill designed the tattoo for Mr. Tyson, called it “tribal tattoo,” and claims it as a copyrighted work. He has gone to Federal District Court in St. Louis to ask a judge to stop Warner Brothers Entertainment from using the tattoo in its posters or in the movie, which would amount to stopping the film from being released, as well as to demand monetary damages for what he calls “reckless copyright infringement” by the studio. “Mr. Whitmill has never been asked for permission for, and has never consented to, the use, reproduction or creation of a derivative work based on his original tattoo,” argues the lawsuit, which was filed April 28, and will be taken up the week of May 23. In 2005, Rasheed Wallace and Nike were sued by a tattoo artist, Matthew Reed, over a commercial that outlined a tattoo as he discussed why he had it created; the case was settled. David Beckham and his favorite tattooist, Louis Molloy, had a public dispute that year over his plan to highlight them in an advertisement. The feud culminated in an interview with Mr. Molloy in The Daily Mirror that ran under the headline “I Own Beck’s Tattoo .. and I’ll Sue.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/business/media/21tattoo.html?_r=1&ref=tattoos
In more than 20 years as a professional puzzle designer, Scott Kim has worked on everything from word, number and logic puzzles to toys such as Railroad Rush Hour and computer games such as "Obsidian" and "Escher Interactive," which features interactive puzzles based on M.C. Escher's optical illusions. Lately, he has been developing smartphone game apps and contributing a bimonthly puzzle column to Psychology Today. Growing up in Los Angeles, Mr. Kim was obsessed with magic and mathematics . He began drawing mazes and creating crossword puzzles in the second grade. In the sixth grade, he made his first original puzzle. He began folding letters of the alphabet made out of construction paper to make other letters. He folded the letter F over so that the base covered the shorter horizontal line and formed a U shape. "This excited me to no end," said Mr. Kim, who still uses the puzzle in lectures, asking people to guess the letter underneath. (Most guess L.) He borrows ideas for puzzles from architecture, music, science and art (favorite designers include Milton Glaser and Charles and Ray Eames). See more plus graphics at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576315402235374390.html
Huguette Clark, one of America's wealthiest and most prominent debutantes, spent eight decades in virtual seclusion. Ms. Clark died May 24 at 104 in a New York City hospital where, despite good health, she had taken up residence more than 20 years ago. At the hospital she pursued a passion for antique dolls but rarely saw visitors. Her early life was a whirl of private schools, dance lessons in Paris, and a childhood spent in "Clark's Folly," the 121-room mansion her father built on New York's ritzy Fifth Avenue. But after her brief encounter with high society, Ms. Clark retreated into isolation, living for decades with her mother in 42 art-festooned rooms overlooking Central Park. The apartment—said to be the biggest on Fifth Avenue—was kept in good order, but she never lived there after choosing to enter the hospital. Nor did she spend time at her two other properties, a California mansion valued at $100 million and a Connecticut estate that is on the market for $24 million. It was a solitary ending to the most privileged of lives. Ms. Clark's father, William Clark, was one of the 19th century "copper kings" of Montana, and his United Verde Mining Co. helped vault his fortune alongside those of the Rockefellers and Carnegies. The city of Las Vegas was first established as a maintenance stop for one of his railroads. She leaves a fortune estimated at $500 million, and no descendents. Her lawyer, Wallace Bock, said last September she had signed a will. She once told friends that wealth is a "menace to happiness." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303654804576343781550144232.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
henchman 1 obsolete: a squire or page to a person of high rank 2 a: a trusted follower : a right-hand man b: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage c: a member of a gang Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding First Known Use: 15th century http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henchmen
From 1 May fans of the cult film "The Third Man" can again tour the film's original location in the Vienna sewer system. The guided tours seven metres underneath Karlsplatz (Girardipark/Esperantopark) will leave you with an unforgettable insight into the world of this film classic as well as provide you with information about the Vienna sewer system and the construction works carried out there. Apart from the guided tour of the sewer, the "Third Man Tour" also offers an above-ground walk in the footsteps of the film’s main characters (organised by "Vienna Walks + Talks"), a visit to the "Third Man Museum" and a screening of the film's original version at Burg Kino. See schedules and prices at: http://www.wien.gv.at/english/environment-leisure/third-man.html
Vienna isn't alone in plumbing the depths of tourism. A local chamber of commerce in Brighton, England, in 2007 voted the city's sewers the "Best Place to Visit." Brussels in 2007 renovated its sewer museum, whose exterior resembles a Greek temple. And the wellspring of sewer tourism, Paris's Musée des Égouts, plans a makeover to handle rising traffic, which surpasses 100,000 visitors a year. Tours of the city's sewers, already famous from Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," began in 1867, when a revolutionary, modernized network collected only rainwater. See more plus pictures at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704681904576321044058634186.html
Quotes He who praises everybody, praises nobody. What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author and lexicographer
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Blinders, also known as blinkers or winkers, are a piece of horse tack that restrict the horse's vision to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. They usually are made of leather or plastic cups that are placed on either side of the eyes, either attached to a bridle or to an independent hood. Blinkers that have a peep hole cut in the back of the cup are known as visors. Many racehorse trainers believe these keep the horse focused on what is in front of him, encouraging him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as crowds. Additionally, blinkers (then usually known as winkers) are commonly seen on driving horses, to keep them from being distracted or spooked, especially on crowded city streets. A “set of winkers” can refer to the whole bridle, particularly the heavy bridle used on draft horses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinders
A falcon's hood is used in the manning process (acclimatising to humans and the human world) and to keep the raptor in a calm state, both in the early part of its training and throughout its falconry career. Out of all the falconer's aids the hood is the most important piece of equipment. There are various styles and types of hood for raptors within falconry. The hood is hand made, often from kip leather or suitable kangaroo leather. There are two standard types used in American/European Falconry: the Anglo Indian hood (non-blocked) and the Dutch Hood. The Anglo-Indian Hood is made from one piece of leather. The Dutch Hood is a three piece hood blocked on a special mould called a "hood block", which is designed to best represent the shape of the raptor's head, also allowing space for the eyes with an adequate neck width. It is essential that the hood fits the raptor in a comfortable way or the raptor will reject the hood outright, making training very difficult. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falconry_training_and_technique
hoodwink verb (tr) 1. to dupe; trick 2. Obsolete to cover or hide [originally, to cover the eyes with a hood, blindfold]
hoodwinker noun http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hoodwink
CouchSurfing is a hospitality exchange network and website with almost 2.7 million members. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing
CouchSurfing International, Inc. is incorporated as a non-profit, and the following is from their mission statement: "CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding."
couch surfing Slang Sleeping on friends’ sofas while traveling.
New attention is being paid to a class action lawsuit filed in late January in U.S. District Court in Northern California against AT&T. The suit claims that the company's billing system records data use up to three times the actual use, including "phantom" charges that occur when the phone is not in use. AT&T says the issue is just a misunderstanding about how data is used and billed. The complaint cites independent research that tested how data is charged after some iPhone users noted charges that exceeded the 200MB limit of AT&T's $15 per month data plan. In addition to data usage that exceeded expectations, some users also noticed data charges that were recorded at odd hours of the night when the phone was not in active use. The independent tests were conducted with multiple devices over a period of four months, and allegedly show that AT&T's billing system regularly recorded data use that exceeded actual use by 7-14 percent, on average. In some cases, AT&T reportedly recorded data use as much as 300 percent of the actual use. To confirm the "phantom" data charges, a computer engineer hired by the law firms involved in the case took a brand new iPhone, turned off all push notifications and location services, did not set up any e-mail accounts, and made sure no applications were running. After 10 days of sitting idle, AT&T recorded 35 instances of data use totaling over 2MB. http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/lawsuit-alleges-att-overcharging-smartphone-users-for-data-use.ars
Ohio, the Buckeye State, received its nickname because of the many buckeye trees that once covered its hills and plains. But that's only partly the reason. We have to go back to the feverish presidential campaign of 1840 for the rest of it. William Henry Harrison, a Virginia-born Ohioan and military hero, was a candidate for the White House, but his opponents commented that he was better suited to sit in a log cabin and drink hard cider. Some of Harrison's leading supporters, who were experts in promotional know-how, decided to turn into a positive reference what was supposed to be a negative one. They dubbed him "the log cabin candidate," and chose as his campaign emblem a log cabin made of buckeye timbers, with a long string of buckeyes decorating its walls. Furthermore, in parades, his backers walked with buckeye canes and rolled whisky barrels. The campaign gimmicks were successful. "Old Tippecanoe," as Harrison was often called, beat President Martin Van Buren in the latter's bid for re-election, and thereafter the buckeye was closely associated with the state of Ohio. The name itself is of native origin. Because the markings on the nut resembled the eye of a buck, the Indians called it "hetuck" or "buckeye." The name Ohio, meanwhile, can be traced to an Indian word meaning "great" and was first given to the historic river that borders our state. http://www.lkwdpl.org/buckeye/buck01.htm
See information on the Ohio buckeye tree plus pictures at: http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/buckeye_ohio/buckeye_ohio.html
Did you know that a large percentage of plastic bottle caps are not recycled? The ReCap Co. will re-purpose them into doormats. To date, they have received over 1 million plastic caps. The company is very interested in getting schools, universities, churches, businesses, and other organizations involved in collections. Please feel free to contact us for further information about collecting at your facility. To help us in our quest for caps you may donate any number of bottle caps to: The ReCap Co., 6465 Lewis Rd., Loveland, Ohio 45140 http://www.recapcompany.com/index.html
TripAdvisor.com is the world's largest travel site that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel related content and engaging in interactive travel forums. TripAdvisor.com is part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, operated by Expedia, Inc. TripAdvisor is a pioneer of user-generated content. The website services are free to users, who provide most of the content, and the website is supported by an advertising business model. TripAdvisor has been criticized for allowing reviews to be posted by anyone about any hotel, without the need for supporting evidence. In September 2010 a group of over 420 hospitality operators considered taking TripAdvisor to court over unfounded and unedited reviews posted by the website’s visitors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TripAdvisor
An "exoskeleton" has been designed by Berkeley mechanical engineering professor Homayoon Kazerooni and a group of mostly graduate students. In a way, the dream first took root in 2000, when Kazerooni's team got a grant from the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency -- a division of the U.S. Department of Defense -- to make something to allow people to carry heavy loads, according to Berkeley's media relations department. The idea was to allow people to trek across rugged or remote terrain for extended periods, such as when military medics carry an injured soldier or when firefighters trudge up stairs. Four years later, that culminated with the creation of BLEEX -- the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton. The contraption, with a backpack frame, is connected to a person's legs, using its own power source to move them without putting undue stress on the muscles of the human attached to it. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/california.paraplegic.graduate/
A falcon's hood is used in the manning process (acclimatising to humans and the human world) and to keep the raptor in a calm state, both in the early part of its training and throughout its falconry career. Out of all the falconer's aids the hood is the most important piece of equipment. There are various styles and types of hood for raptors within falconry. The hood is hand made, often from kip leather or suitable kangaroo leather. There are two standard types used in American/European Falconry: the Anglo Indian hood (non-blocked) and the Dutch Hood. The Anglo-Indian Hood is made from one piece of leather. The Dutch Hood is a three piece hood blocked on a special mould called a "hood block", which is designed to best represent the shape of the raptor's head, also allowing space for the eyes with an adequate neck width. It is essential that the hood fits the raptor in a comfortable way or the raptor will reject the hood outright, making training very difficult. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falconry_training_and_technique
hoodwink verb (tr) 1. to dupe; trick 2. Obsolete to cover or hide [originally, to cover the eyes with a hood, blindfold]
hoodwinker noun http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hoodwink
CouchSurfing is a hospitality exchange network and website with almost 2.7 million members. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing
CouchSurfing International, Inc. is incorporated as a non-profit, and the following is from their mission statement: "CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding."
couch surfing Slang Sleeping on friends’ sofas while traveling.
New attention is being paid to a class action lawsuit filed in late January in U.S. District Court in Northern California against AT&T. The suit claims that the company's billing system records data use up to three times the actual use, including "phantom" charges that occur when the phone is not in use. AT&T says the issue is just a misunderstanding about how data is used and billed. The complaint cites independent research that tested how data is charged after some iPhone users noted charges that exceeded the 200MB limit of AT&T's $15 per month data plan. In addition to data usage that exceeded expectations, some users also noticed data charges that were recorded at odd hours of the night when the phone was not in active use. The independent tests were conducted with multiple devices over a period of four months, and allegedly show that AT&T's billing system regularly recorded data use that exceeded actual use by 7-14 percent, on average. In some cases, AT&T reportedly recorded data use as much as 300 percent of the actual use. To confirm the "phantom" data charges, a computer engineer hired by the law firms involved in the case took a brand new iPhone, turned off all push notifications and location services, did not set up any e-mail accounts, and made sure no applications were running. After 10 days of sitting idle, AT&T recorded 35 instances of data use totaling over 2MB. http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/lawsuit-alleges-att-overcharging-smartphone-users-for-data-use.ars
Ohio, the Buckeye State, received its nickname because of the many buckeye trees that once covered its hills and plains. But that's only partly the reason. We have to go back to the feverish presidential campaign of 1840 for the rest of it. William Henry Harrison, a Virginia-born Ohioan and military hero, was a candidate for the White House, but his opponents commented that he was better suited to sit in a log cabin and drink hard cider. Some of Harrison's leading supporters, who were experts in promotional know-how, decided to turn into a positive reference what was supposed to be a negative one. They dubbed him "the log cabin candidate," and chose as his campaign emblem a log cabin made of buckeye timbers, with a long string of buckeyes decorating its walls. Furthermore, in parades, his backers walked with buckeye canes and rolled whisky barrels. The campaign gimmicks were successful. "Old Tippecanoe," as Harrison was often called, beat President Martin Van Buren in the latter's bid for re-election, and thereafter the buckeye was closely associated with the state of Ohio. The name itself is of native origin. Because the markings on the nut resembled the eye of a buck, the Indians called it "hetuck" or "buckeye." The name Ohio, meanwhile, can be traced to an Indian word meaning "great" and was first given to the historic river that borders our state. http://www.lkwdpl.org/buckeye/buck01.htm
See information on the Ohio buckeye tree plus pictures at: http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/buckeye_ohio/buckeye_ohio.html
Did you know that a large percentage of plastic bottle caps are not recycled? The ReCap Co. will re-purpose them into doormats. To date, they have received over 1 million plastic caps. The company is very interested in getting schools, universities, churches, businesses, and other organizations involved in collections. Please feel free to contact us for further information about collecting at your facility. To help us in our quest for caps you may donate any number of bottle caps to: The ReCap Co., 6465 Lewis Rd., Loveland, Ohio 45140 http://www.recapcompany.com/index.html
TripAdvisor.com is the world's largest travel site that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel related content and engaging in interactive travel forums. TripAdvisor.com is part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, operated by Expedia, Inc. TripAdvisor is a pioneer of user-generated content. The website services are free to users, who provide most of the content, and the website is supported by an advertising business model. TripAdvisor has been criticized for allowing reviews to be posted by anyone about any hotel, without the need for supporting evidence. In September 2010 a group of over 420 hospitality operators considered taking TripAdvisor to court over unfounded and unedited reviews posted by the website’s visitors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TripAdvisor
An "exoskeleton" has been designed by Berkeley mechanical engineering professor Homayoon Kazerooni and a group of mostly graduate students. In a way, the dream first took root in 2000, when Kazerooni's team got a grant from the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency -- a division of the U.S. Department of Defense -- to make something to allow people to carry heavy loads, according to Berkeley's media relations department. The idea was to allow people to trek across rugged or remote terrain for extended periods, such as when military medics carry an injured soldier or when firefighters trudge up stairs. Four years later, that culminated with the creation of BLEEX -- the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton. The contraption, with a backpack frame, is connected to a person's legs, using its own power source to move them without putting undue stress on the muscles of the human attached to it. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/16/california.paraplegic.graduate/
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