gleans + 2xORA + 1xaddenda at 4:55 PM MT, 12/02

Explanation of MS Explorer's sinking doesn't hold water
Experts pick apart the theory that the cruise ship, which sank Nov. 23 in the Antarctic, was damaged by ice. By Colin Woodard

'Body art' gains acceptance in workplace
Some managers look past tattoos and piercings - but not if they distract customers. By Marilyn Gardner

Social Security in crisis? Hardly.
Despite doomsayers' predictions, the program is solvent, effective, and highly likely to continue that way. By David R. Francis

In this college course, a focus on homemaking
A Baptist seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, offers classes that stress traditional marital roles, spawning controversy and curiosity. By Carmen K. Sisson

 

Ordinary Reading Assignment #1

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar Featuring the Origina by David Wondrich and Dale DeGroff (Hardcover - Nov 6, 2007) Buy new: $23.95 $16.29    30 Used & new from $12.98 Get it by Tuesday, Dec 4 if you order in the next 34 hours and choose one-day shipping. Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.  (4)

 

Ordinary Reading Assignment #2 <== thanks to Comrade (Lord) Bosham

Subject: ''We are playing with Macaulay's bhasha and loving it ''

Date: Dec 2, 2007 3:08 AM

We write like that only: The engaging story of India's embrace of English is glazed with wit and tongue-in-cheek humour, but lacks a nuanced quality. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Book Review dated Sunday, Dec 02, 2007 from http://www.hindu.com/lr/2007/12/02/stories/2007120250140300.htm

addenda

Spock is a website search engine that indexes people. The name Spock is an acronym for for "single point of contact (by) keyword."^[1] Founded in 2006 by Jay Bhatti and Jaideep Singh, it has "indexed over 100 million people representing over 1.5 billion data records."^[2] These records are from publicly available sources, including LinkedIn, XING, Myspace, Friendster, Wikipedia etc. The company maintains that "30% of all Internet searches are people-related"^[3] As entity resolution is the main algorithmic hurdle of such an endeavour, Spock has issued the Spock Challenge.

Spock opened its service to public beta on August 8, 2007.^[4]