May 13, 2008

gleans + 1xlagniappe at 6:15 PM MT, 5/13

 

Half of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019, predicts a new report.
 
 
 
Giant tankers bring water to sustain Barcelona
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eagle Nebula (Nasa)
Microsoft launches a free tool that allows amateur star-gazers to explore the universe from their computers.


The search giant Google is the latest company to launch a service aimed at making the web more social.
 
 
 
 
 
 
In Germany and the Netherlands, green asparagus plays second fiddle to the white kind.


One year, a nearby stream became a magical cord of moving silver thread as shad ran up it.

 

Chilli - who may be Britain's tallest bullock
An animal sanctuary in the UK has high hopes a 6ft 6in bullock will measure up as Britain's tallest on record

The Bodes Spiral (NASA/GoogleSky) Vatican says aliens could exist
The chief astronomer of the Roman Catholic Church says intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.


Man sipping beer Aussie straps in beer, not child
A driver in Australia is fined for strapping down a pack of beer in his car rather than his young child.


Turf Pupils sent home after turf prank
The entire sixth year of a school is sent home after pupils turfed over the floor of their common room.


Furtive Venice snapper arrested
A man who allegedly photographed more than 3,000 women's bottoms in Venice is arrested.
 
 
 
lagniappe
 

A poem by Sidney Lanier

The Song of the Chattahoochee

The Song of the Chattahoochee

Out of the hills of Habersham,
Down the valleys of Hall,
I hurry amain to reach the plain,
Run the rapid and leap the fall,
Split at the rock and together again,
Accept my bed, or narrow or wide,
And flee from folly on every side
With a lover's pain to attain the plain
Far from the hills of Habersham,
Far from the valleys of Hall.

All down the hills of Habersham,
All through the valleys of Hall,
The rushes cried Abide, abide,'<BR>The willful waterweeds held me thrall,<BR>The laving laurel turned my tide,<BR>The ferns and the fondling grass saidStay,'
The dewberry dipped for to work delay,
And the little reeds sighed Abide, abide,<BR>Here in the hills of Habersham,<BR>Here in the valleys of Hall.'</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=geneva,arial,sans-serif>High o'er the hills of Habersham,<BR>Veiling the valleys of Hall,<BR>The hickory told me manifold<BR>Fair tales of shade, the poplar tall<BR>Wrought me her shadowy self to hold,<BR>The chestnut, the oak, the walnut, the pine,<BR>Overleaning, with flickering meaning and sign,<BR>Said,Pass not, so cold, these manifold
Deep shades of the hills of Habersham,
These glades in the valleys of Hall.'

And oft in the hills of Habersham,
And oft in the valleys of Hall,
The white quartz shone, and the smooth brook-stone
Did bar me of passage with friendly brawl,
And many a luminous jewel lone
-- Crystals clear or a-cloud with mist,
Ruby, garnet and amethyst --
Made lures with the lights of streaming stone
In the clefts of the hills of Habersham,
In the beds of the valleys of Hall.

But oh, not the hills of Habersham,
And oh, not the valleys of Hall
Avail: I am fain for to water the plain.
Downward the voices of Duty call --
Downward, to toil and be mixed with the main,
The dry fields burn, and the mills are to turn,
And a myriad flowers mortally yearn,
And the lordly main from beyond the plain
Calls o'er the hills of Habersham,
Calls through the valleys of Hall.

__
1877.


-THE END-
Sidney Lanier's poem: The Song of the Chattahoochee

 

gleans + 1xaddenda at 10:55 AM MT, 5/13

 

China's cities, imperial style

Rigid geometry, grand-scale feng shui, and the inspiration behind Gormenghast

Democracy in the era of web 2.0

A refreshing new book provides some antidote to claims that the web is degrading culture

Peter Stothard

more reviews

Slavoj Zizek

The phenomenal Slavoj Zizek

Is there any subject on earth that isn't grist to Zizek's intellectual mill?

The Rolling Stones

What's in it for the Rolling Stones?

Sex, drugs and celluloid:
the unlikely sheltering of Jagger & co

 

It's all in the behavioural-genetics

We are coming to the end of the Freudian story – and at the start of an exhilarating new one

 

http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

 

Gates Wants Weapons Useful in Current Conflicts <== what will he want next?

 

Airbus Hit By New A380 Delivery Delay

 

Bats: Cabrera Turns Three All on His Own

 

Paper Cuts: Books on How to Write

 

Lindsay Lohan Has Eventful Weekend
Actress Archives - Take one weekend off from writing on the exploits of Lindsay Lohan and what happens? You have to come up with four pithy headlines in a single news entry to describe: a reported lesbian spat in Hollywood (The LL Word), an unrequited crush (Brand ...


 


The Gossip Girls
Lindsay Lohan Takes In Paris Culture
The Gossip Girls - Spotted hitting the shops of Paris during the day with gal pal Samantha Ronson by her side, Lindsay Lohan is making the most of her trip to the City of Lights.
Ryan Seacrest: 'I Like What I've Heard' of Lindsay Lohan's New Music People Magazine
all 3 news articles »


 

Brand snubbed Lohan 'love requests'
Digital Spy - By Alex Fletcher, Entertainment Reporter Russell Brand reportedly turned down romantic advances from actress Lindsay Lohan while in the US.
Russell Brand Knocks Back Lindsay Lohan’s Pussy Anorak.co.uk (satire)
Pete Doherty Tries To Murder Cats Anorak.co.uk (satire)
all 4 news articles »

 

addenda <== thanks to The Old Bookman (Gopher Emeritus)

Date: May 13, 2008 10:36 AM

 
 
see video of a guys boat in his yard in MN

 

gleans at 6:10 AM MT, 5/13

 

jeremy clarkson
 
 
 
A storm rages over the Great Wall of China. Experts from seven countires are competing to predict the weather in Beijing

Hotly contested race

Weather forecasting will be unofficial event at Beijing Olympic Games

 
 
 
 
 
So what is the appeal of Sex and the City?
 
 
 
Indians' Cabrera turns rare unassisted triple play
CLEVELAND - Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in major league history, accomplishing the feat Monday night in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto
 
 
 
Things ain't what they used to be: Whatever happened to the season?
Independent - London,England,UK
It was a dizzying world, run by people straight from the pages of a PG Wodehouse novel. And it was also – to the outsider, especially one from Fleet Street ...
 
 
 
Why Homeschooling is on the Rise
Homeschooling is an educational choice surrounded by many myths and misconceptions. Even though this method continues to provide high national test scores and well rounded, diversely educated children, many people still do not see the virtue of this system or have a preconceived notion about what goes on in homeschooling. Guest article by Autumn Burke.
 
 
 
Memoir celebrates the simple pleasures of artisan wines and the adventure found in every glass.
 
 
 
Fighting climate change and winning the war on terrorism are not for the squeamish.
 
 
 
Iraq has shown the limits of U.S. power. We must change America, not the world.
 
 
 
All of the books of John Steinbeck are still in print. Why does the work of this earnest but artless writer continue to enjoy such popularity?... more»
 
 
 
Dark energy could be a cosmic mirage ... [more]
 
 
 
This, From That

This, From ThatAt the Maker Faire, do-it-yourself is taken to the next level.

Another Gene Map

A platypus genetic map turned a lot of heads.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Microsoft star gazing
San Francisco Chronicle - (05-12) 19:37 PDT -- Computer users now can fly through the universe, viewing stars, planets and celestial bodies as an astronomer would, with Tuesday's introduction of the Worldwide Telescope by Microsoft.
 

May 12, 2008

gleans + 1xaddenda at 12:45 PM MT, 5/12

 

  1. Where does Google go next? More
  2. 30 best Web sites for job hunters More
  3. Why Microsoft isn't buying Facebook More
  4. Apple and Eve More
  5. Commodities giant's high-wire act More

Memory: Forgetting Is the New Normal (Science)
The more we study the workings of memory, the more we understand why it so often fails. The good news: it may be in your control

above all from online TIME magazine - both the google item and the memory item are recommended

Inside Microsoft's War Against Google

With Yahoo off the table, Microsoft plans to challenge Google's online-ad juggernaut alone. A behind-the-scenes look at its provocative strategy

The Fires May Not Be Out

The crisis appears to have passed for the U.S. financial system, but scores of companies still face default and bankruptcy

 

Voice of the wild

gary snyder
Eco eccentric ... Gary Snyder at home near Nevada City, USA. Photograph: Dan Chung


There are times in a writer's life that demand a summing-up. When the American poet-essayist-ecologist Gary Snyder celebrated his 78th birthday last week he became, along with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, one of the last two major Beat-era writers still with us. On April 29 he was announced as this year's winner of the Ruth Lilly poetry prize, capping a career that's included the Pulitzer and Bollingen prizes (1974 and 1997) and the John Hay award for nature writing (1997).

Read more · Comments (4) · Technorati logo

 

MPs: Loss of God is making us miserable <== plus not reading poetry of course (see addenda)

Britons are unhappy because they are in spiritual poverty, not because they are materially poor, according to a group of MPs.

 

Afghanistan hero slams poor troop care

A decorated paratrooper who was wounded as he led a bayonet charge against the Taliban has criticised the hospital treatment he received in Britain.

 

Apprentice in accounts

TV show favourite fails to file firm's annual accounts.

Ayers Rock handed back

'Cursed' stones taken by tourists returned.

Clamped car cut in half

Motorist takes drastic action after car clamped on drive.

Figo 'killed black cat'

Footballer 'ran over cat after string of bad results'.

En garde, pensioners

Fencing brings a new lease of life to an elderly group.

 

addenda

Top Twenty Verse Anthologies – no particular order

 

  1. Wavell, Other Men's Flowers - An Anthology of Poetry Compiled by A. P. Wavell by A. P. Wavell (Hardcover – 1945)
  2. Quiller-Couch, The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1918 by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (Hardcover - Mar 26, 1963)
  3. Larkin, The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse by Philip Larkin (Hardcover - Mar 29, 1973)
  4. Matthiessen, Oxford Book of American Verse by F. O. Matthiessen (Hardcover - Dec 31, 1950
  5. Ricks, The Oxford Book of English Verse by Christopher Ricks (Hardcover - Oct 29, 1999)
  6. Jones, The New Oxford Book of Sixteenth-Century Verse (Oxford Books of Verse) by Emrys Jones (Paperback - Jul 9, 2002)
  7. Murray, The New Oxford Book of Australian Verse by Les A. Murray (Hardcover - Nov 1, 1996)
  8. Hughes and Heaney, Rattle Bag: An Anthology of Poetry by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney (Paperback - Mar 17, 2005)
  9. Symonds, Wine, Women, and Song: Mediaval Latin Students' Songs Now First Translated into English Verse, with an Essay by John Addington Symonds (Leather Bound - 1900)
  10. Waddell, Mediaeval Latin lyrics by Helen Waddell (Unknown Binding - 1957)
  11. Auden, W. H. Auden's Book of Light Verse (New York Review Books Classics) - W.H. Auden; Paperback
  12. Harrison and Stuart-Clark, The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark (Paperback - Sep 23, 2004)
  13. Hughes, A Choice of Shakespeare's Verse- Ted Hughes Paperback
  14. Eliot, A choice of Kipling's verse by T. S. Eliot, with an essay on Rudyard Kipling by T. S. Eliot (Hardcover - 1943)
  15. Schwartz, And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry from Everyone
  16. de Angeli, Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes
  17. Jarman & Mason, Rebel Angels: 25 Poets of the New Formalism
  18. Harmon, The Oxford Book of American Light Verse
  19. Wordsworth, Abrams and Gill,  Prelude: 1799, 1805, 1850 (Norton Critical Edition)
  20. Norbrook & Woudhuysen, The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse: 1509-1659 (Penguin Classics)

gleans + 1xnerdnews + 1xana at 11:55 AM MT, 5/12

 

Smithsonian Magazine
History, nature, art & more
Smithsonian magazine beautifully covers history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture, and technology. Online, you'll find all their fascinating articles, plus videos, blogs, and a reader forum.
Dig into this national treasure

 

Web Start - Up Unveils Semantic Wikipedia Search Tool

 

THE MEDIA EQUATION; A Knock in the Night in Phoenix...Molly, were in bed in their home outside Phoenix when a group of men in unmarked cars pulled...arrested in similar fashion at his home near Phoenix. Mr. Larkin and Mr. Lacey are the two...Village Voice Media, publisher of The Phoenix New Times. Earlier that day, under Mr...

 

  1. Times Topics: Ecuador

    World news about Ecuador, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.

  2. MANTA JOURNAL; Ecuador Opposes Outpost in American War on Drugs

    MANTA, Ecuador — The scene at the Manta Ray Cafe...require the United States to pay rent to Ecuador. Nor did it allow Americans stationed...Ecuadorean courts for crimes committed in Ecuador. Nor was it submitted to the Ecuadorean...

 

nerd news

Studios are opening their arms to technology start-ups, but can the two sides get past copyright issues and other differences?
• Advice for Hollywood hopefuls
Mon, May 12 04:00:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story 

 

CNET News.com's Caroline McCarthy tests out "Food 2.0: Secrets From the Chef Who Fed Google," the new cookbook from former Mountain View executive chef Charlie Ayers.
Mon, May 12 04:00:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story 

 

A "serious security flaw" in Google's e-mail client allows spammers to send thousands of bulk e-mails through the company's SMTP service, according to a recent report.
Sun, May 11 10:35:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story 

As expected, Google unveils a preview of Friend Connect, a way to add social features to a Web site without programming.
Mon, May 12 06:01:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story 
 
 
ana
 
Burien man is American icon: oldest active Fuller Brush Man
Seattle Times, United States - Apr 20, 2008
By Erik Lacitis ABOVE: Art Pearson, 89, a Fuller Brush salesman, gets a kiss from Linda Cole, of Normandy Park, whose family has been buying from Art since ...
It's a full life for Fuller Brush Man
Akron Beacon Journal, OH - May 3, 2008
By Erik Lacitis SEATTLE: Yes, there still is a Fuller Brush Man. His name is Art Pearson. He's 89 and lives in Burien, Wash. ...
World's oldest Fuller Brush man to be feted in Burien
Highline Times, WA - Apr 14, 2008
Art Pearson of Burien - the nation's oldest Fuller Brush salesman - will be honored by his customers and family on his 90th birthday. ...
88-year-old salesman reflects another era
Muncie Star Press, IN - Apr 26, 2008
The Fuller Brush Man, selling products door-to-door, is an icon from another era. The salesmen were common in the 1940s and 1950s, asking housewives to buy ...
 
 
 

gleans at 5:20 AM MT, 5/12

 

The US is increasingly out of sync with Pakistan's newly-elected government, say analysts.
 
 
 
GOP leaders urge a new agenda after several key losses.
 
 
 
It tastes like a cross between lamb and duck. And it's selling as fast as butchers can get it
 
 
 
Even Rodin went to Credit Municipal of Paris, also known as 'auntie,' when he was down on his luck. And as times get tougher, the institution has begun accepting wine.
 
 
 
Indian vintages to challenge supremacy of top global producers
Has 'economic muscle to dictate to producers what style of wine they should be making'
--Economic Times
 
 
 
East Coast snobs with Old World sympathies take cheap shots at a great product
 
 
 
Obama lapel pins salute 57 states
Candidate's gaffe inspires political entrepreneurs
--Los Angeles Times
 
 
 
Literary scholarship: aimless, irrelevant, and dying a slow death in the academy. But there’s a way to revive interest in the study of fiction and criticism... more»
 
 
 
With typical narcissism, the children of ’68 see themselves as the center and turning point of history. Has anyone thought about 1958?... more»
 
 
 
Is licking an ice cream cone on the street beneath your dignity? What then is human dignity? Steven Pinker wonders... more»
 
 
 
Our eyes are amazing, a genuine credit to evolution. So are our hands, not to mention our kidneys. But our brains?... more»
 
 
 
How many writers got the Nobel Prize for Literature for a book that was largely ghostwritten? Winston Churchill, for one... more»
 
 
 
With Russia flexing its military muscle, are the chances of an accidental nuclear war back again on the increase?... more»
 
 
 
Dig around a bit and you can find the roots of a very British obsession ... [more]
 
 
 
Not even quantum cryptography is 100-percent secure ... [more]
 
 
 
If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb? ... [more]
 
 
 
British intel: China preparing for nuclear war
Analysts say Beijing getting ready for ops beyond Far East
--WND
 
 
 
Steve Jobs leads online voting for best beard in Silicon Valley
'Takes more than leading-edge technology and a Stanford MBA to make it big in high tech'
--Fortune
 
 
 
Fired admiral's affair included sex at White House
Lied about sex with federal employee, falsely told woman his wife had died
--CNN
 
 
 
 
 
 

eFluxMedia
Will Powerset search engine speak your language?
San Jose Mercury News - By Elise Ackerman When Powerset, a widely hyped new search engine, launches today, few people are going to view it as a real competitor to Google.
Web start-up unveils semantic Wikipedia search tool Reuters
Powerset brings the Semantic Web to Wikipedia CNET News.com
eFluxMedia - PC World - PC Pro - San Francisco Chronicle
all 55 news articles »
 
 
 

Contactmusic.com
Miley Cyrus Defends Britney Spears & Lindsay Lohan
Entertainmentwise - Miley Cyrus showed signs of further rebellions as she defended Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears’ wild behaviour, insisting that it’s “normal” for young stars to go off the rails.
MILEY CYRUS - CYRUS DEFENDS 'NORMAL' SPEARS AND LOHAN Contactmusic.com
Miley Cyrus defends young stars’ wild behaviour Thaindian.com
National Review Online Blogs
all 9 news articles »
 

May 11, 2008

gleans at 2:45 PM MT, 5/11

 

Strait-laced in the real world, workers do business as animals or blue-skinned hipsters in a parallel reality on the Web.
 
 
 
In the South Florida party capital, it's all about celebrities, looking fabulous and playing all night long
 
 
 
The planet is nearing a tipping point on climate change, and it gets much worse, fast
 
 
 
Analysts say politicians hold their tongues on giving additional US aid to Israel for fear of being labeled as anti-Semitic.
 
 
 

gleans at 2:00 AM MT, 5/11

 

Gainsborough's The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly Oh, do grow up ...
Anthony Fletcher's Growing up in England fails to question why boys and girls were pushed to extremes for