Cyril's Gleans

gleans + 1xlagniappe + 1xaddenda at 7:50 PM MT, 3/15

US Draws Portrait of Iraq Bombers

BAGHDAD (AP) - The suicide bombers who have killed 10,000 people in Iraq, including hundreds of American troops, usually are alienated young men from large families who are desperate to stand out from the crowd and make their mark, according to a U.S. military study. As long suspected, most come from outside Iraq. Saudi Arabia, home of most of the 9/11 hijackers, is the single largest source. And the pipeline is continually replenished by al-Qaida in Iraq's recruiters.

 

More Rate Cuts From Fed Expected Tuesday
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Desperate to aid an economy in crisis, the Federal Reserve is ready to deliver yet another big interest rate cut....

 

Teachers’ Voices Are Getting Louder, for Good Reason By WINNIE HU  In an era of chronic ear infections, widespread iPod use and rampant attention-deficit disorders, school officials have embraced the microphones for mainstream classrooms.

 

BoÎte

 

And the Stars Raved

By DEBORAH SCHOENEMAN

At Villa, Los Angeles’s latest hot spot for tabloid mascots, one can barely toss an ice cube without hitting a celebrity.

 

 

 

Red Baron recast as a German hero

As RAF marks 90th anniversary, Germany reclaims Red Baron as national hero

 

 

 

Bay watch

Bay is a wonderfully delicate herb that can be used with all sorts. Nigel Slater turns over a new leaf

 

 

 

Don't hit the panic button
Risk by Dan Gardner and Panicology by Simon Briscoe and Hugh Aldersey-Williams argue that far from being in ever-increasing danger, we have, in fact, never been safer, says Rafael Behr

 

 

 

The atheist delusion <== recommended
'Opposition to religion occupies the high ground, intellectually and morally,' wrote Martin Amis recently. Over the past few years, leading writers and thinkers have published bestselling tracts against God. John Gray on why the 'secular fundamentalists' have got it all wrong

 

 

 

Obama's pastor 'forced to quit campaign'

Illinois senator desperately tries to distance himself from his mentor after pastor says America is to blame for Sept 11 attacks.

US elections in full

 

 

 

Toppling of the Luv Guv is ‘Wall Street revenge’

Eliot Spitzer’s downfall as governor last week may have roots in pursuit of bankers as state attorney-general

Eliot Spitzer is lewd but still shrewd

Cassandra: The really annoying thing about Eliot Spitzer

 

 

 

Imperialism lite prolongs Iraqi horror

Today’s imperialism lite, by debating its departure, induces instability, foments rebellion and undermines its mission

Simon Jenkins

Iraq’s forgotten refugee children

 

 

 

The professional way to protect a marriage

A man may be doing a far better thing in using prostitutes than in having torrid affairs with his wife’s best friends

Minette Marin

 

 

 

Singular genius of a double man

Tom Stoppard's disjointed upbringing gave him a talent for unlikely associations. Peter Kemp sizes up the man

 

 

 

Britain needs to bring back rationing

Philip Pullman, whose new novel has an ecological message, offers some drastic ideas on how to save the planet

 

 

lagniappe

Sestina by Elizabeth Bishop

September rain falls on the house.
In the failing light, the old grandmother
sits in the kitchen with the child
beside the Little Marvel Stove,
reading the jokes from the almanac,
laughing and talking to hide her tears.

She thinks that her equinoctial tears
and the rain that beats on the roof of the house
were both foretold by the almanac,
but only known to a grandmother.
The iron kettle sings on the stove.
She cuts some bread and says to the child,

It's time for tea now; but the child
is watching the teakettle's small hard tears
dance like mad on the hot black stove,
the way the rain must dance on the house.
Tidying up, the old grandmother
hangs up the clever almanac

on its string. Birdlike, the almanac
hovers half open above the child,
hovers above the old grandmother
and her teacup full of dark brown tears.
She shivers and says she thinks the house
feels chilly, and puts more wood in the stove.

It was to be, says the Marvel Stove.
I know what I know, says the almanac.
With crayons the child draws a rigid house
and a winding pathway. Then the child
puts in a man with buttons like tears
and shows it proudly to the grandmother.

But secretly, while the grandmother
busies herself about the stove,
the little moons fall down like tears
from between the pages of the almanac
into the flower bed the child
has carefully placed in the front of the house.

Time to plant tears, says the almanac.
The grandmother sings to the marvelous stove
and the child draws another inscrutable house.

 

addenda

Mid Life - Michael Haslam; Paperback
In Stock

The Best American Erotic Poems: From 1800 to the Present - David Lehman; Hardcover
In Stock

Christopher Marlowe: The Complete Plays - Christopher Marlowe; Paperback
In Stock

Chapman's Homeric Hymns and Other Homerica (Bollingen Series (General)) - Homer; Paperback
Available for Pre-order

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 - David Wondrich; Hardcover
In Stock

The Paris Review Interviews, I (Paris Review Interviews) - The Paris Review; Paperback
In Stock

The Paris Review Interviews, II (Paris Review Interviews) - The Paris Review; Paperback
In Stock

Xenophon's Retreat: Greece, Persia, and the End of the Golden Age - Robin Waterfield; Hardcover
In Stock

Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts - Clive James; Hardcover
In Stock

Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass - Natalie MacLean; Hardcover
In Stock

Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers - Mark Bailey; Hardcover
In Stock

Selected Stories (Lawrence, D. H.) (Penguin Classics) - D. H. Lawrence; Paperback
In Stock

The Highly Civilized Man: Richard Burton and the Victorian World - Dane Kennedy; Hardcover
In Stock

Moonshine: Recipes * Tall Tales * Drinking Songs * Historical Stuff * Knee-Slappers *How to Make It * How to Drink It * Pleasin' the Law * Recoverin' the Next Day - Matthew Rowley; Paperback
In Stock

Thirty-five Years of Newspaper Work: A Memoir by H. L. Mencken (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) - H. L. Mencken; Paperback
In Stock

Honor: A History - James Bowman; Hardcover
In Stock

Collected Ancient Greek Novels - B. P. Reardon; Paperback
In Stock

 

gleans at 2:45 PM MT, 3/15

 

Tornadoes Tear Through Downtown Atlanta By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN  At least 27 people were injured in the storm, which severely damaged many of the city’s landmarks.

• Photographs | Video | TV Decoder: CNN Offices Hit  

 

 

Giant Crane Collapses in NYC; 2 Dead

NEW YORK (AP) -- At least two people are dead after a giant crane at least 15 stories tall toppled over at a construction site and smashed into a block of residential buildings Saturday.

 

 

 

More Rate Cuts From Fed Expected Tuesday

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Desperate to aid an economy in crisis, the Federal Reserve is ready to deliver yet another big interest rate cut.

 

 

 

NC Slaying Suspects Fell Through Cracks

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Whenever there's been a crack to fall through in North Carolina's legal system, Laurence Lovette and Demario Atwater have found it.

 

 

 

On Language

Salutations

By WILLIAM SAFIRE

The decline of greetings.

 

 

 

When Girls Will Be Boys

By ALISSA QUART

At the nation’s elite women’s colleges, there is a new kind of gender trouble: students who enter as one sex and become another.

 

 

 

Why Shariah?

By NOAH FELDMAN

Millions of Muslims think Shariah means the rule of law. Could they be right?

 

 

 

Hooker's an online hit - to tune of $200G
New York Daily News - BY JONATHAN LEMIRE Nudie mags Hustler and Penthouse are looking to offer big bucks for Ashley Dupre to appear naked in their publications.
`Kristen,' Linked to Spitzer, Becomes Pop Star on Web (Update1) Bloomberg
Brother of Gov. Spitzer's Call Girl Faces Drug Sentence FOXNews
Reuters - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Gothamist - ABC News
all 1,879 news articles »

 

 

Voice of America

Analysis: Loss of Boeing contract stirs an anti-French reaction
Kansas City Star - By ROB HOTAKAINEN WASHINGTON | C’est la vie? Not in Wichita. Not among furious Kansas lawmakers. Not on your “vie.” When French-based Airbus won a $35 billion Air Force contract to replace an aging fleet of aerial tankers, no Gallic shrugs were visible ...
Defense Focus: Air tanker war -- Part 2 United Press International
Talking with Phil Condit, former CEO of Boeing Bizjournals.com
TheNewsTribune.com - BusinessWeek - Foster's Daily Democrat - HeraldNet
all 163 news articles »  BA

 

 

 

 

Albanian blast may have killed 160
United Press International - TIRANA, Albania, March 15 (UPI) -- As many as 160 people may have died in Albania Saturday when a powerful explosion ripped an army depot outside Tirana, officials said.
At least 4 killed, 200 more injured in Albanian amy depot explosion Xinhua
At least 200 casualties in Albania explosion Telegraph.co.uk
TIME - Washington Post - Wall Street Journal - BBC News
all 423 news articles »

 

 

 

 

TopNews

Wii Leads The Sales In Japan Too
eFluxMedia - By Alexander Toldt It seems like Wii is unbeatable. Shortly after the NPD Group released its data about the gaming sales in US during February, Media Create revealed that Nintendo Wii is the champion in Japan too.
Best Buy to offer $100 off Blu-ray backed PS3 with HDTV Punch Jump
Weekly Top 10: PS3 outsells Xbox 360, Xbox 360 price-cut, iPhone SDK I4U
Afterdawn.com - TechNewsWorld - GameSpot - GamePro.com
all 472 news articles »

 

 

 

MSN India

Five reasons why the H-1B visa cap will increase
Computerworld - Two bills were introduced this week to raise the H-1B visa cap. They follow Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates' visit to Washington and his push for a H-1B cap increase.
Bill Would Double Cap on H-1B Visas Washington Post
What Gates Wants, Congress Delivers PC Magazine
CRN - CNET News.com - USA Today - CNNMoney.com
all 273 news articles »

 

 

 

 

Lohan Hosts Scandinavian Style Mansion
Hollyscoop - Since Lindsay Lohan doesn't actually work (or act for that matter) she pays the bills by hosting parties. Lohan hosted the Scandinavian Style Mansion last night in Hollywood and some of her famous frenemies made sure to stop by for the big bash.

 

 

gleans at 11:05 AM MT, 3/15

 

 

Fed Chief Shifts Path, Inventing Policy in Crisis

By EDMUND L. ANDREWS 

Ben S. Bernanke, who has long argued that a central bank should base its policies on consistent principles, finds himself improvising as the credit crisis worsens.

 

 

 

Powerful Tornado Damages Downtown Atlanta

By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN 

At least 27 people were injured in the storm, which severely damaged many of the city’s landmarks.

TV Decoder: Storm Damages CNN Headquarters | Video Report

 

 

 

Georgia Tech President to Lead Smithsonian

By ROBIN POGREBIN 

G. Wayne Clough will take over a year after the institution’s former leader resigned amid a scandal.

 

 

 

EXHIBITION REVIEW; A Giant’s Roaring, Faintly Echoed At the climax of Milton’s epic “Paradise...hall ...” No hissing did Milton, the subject of a new exhibition at...years, at least seven biographies of Milton had been published. Samuel Johnson gave... March 15, 2008 - By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN - Arts John Milton at 400

 

 

Rare American Sweep on World Cup Slopes

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY

Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller confirmed the obvious by mathematically clinching the overall World Cup titles that stand for consistent achievement.

 

 

 

WNYT `Kristen,' Linked to Spitzer, Becomes Pop Star on Web (Update1) Bloomberg - By Gillian Wee March 15 (Bloomberg) -- As Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the young lady from New Jersey never fulfilled her dream of becoming a singing star. Celebrity Whoring Pays Better Than Spitzer Whoring Gothamist Spitzer's Call Girl Starts Her 15 Minutes of Fame RedOrbit Reuters - FOXNews - cbs4denver.com - ABC News all 1,834 news articles »       100 years war? Anti-terror experts grapple with fight against militancy     Pakistan restaurant hit by blast An explosion rips through a restaurant popular with foreigners in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least one person.       'Many dead' in Albania explosions Albania's PM says a "considerable" number of people have died in blasts at an arms depot near Tirana. 'Shrapnel falling from the sky' In pictures: Albania arms blasts Watch: Blast footage       Putin assassination attempt 'foiled' Russian secret services have foiled an attack on President Vladimir Putin close to Red Square, it has been claimed.

 

gleans at 7:00 AM MT, 3/15

 

Talking sense
What ever happened to voice recognition technology?

 

Beyond the mouse
Exploring touch, gesture and strum interfaces

 

 

Broadcasting first
BBC takes rugby union international to a third dimension

 

 

Yahoo makes semantic search shift

Yahoo is starting to use key elements of next generation net technology known as the "semantic web".

 

Slice of pi
What's the secret behind the most mysterious number?

 

Space robot
The 'great-grandad' of R2-D2 and C-3PO goes into orbit

 

 

Atlanta braces for another severe storm

 

Call girl laments use of exotic photos

 

gleans at 3:40 AM MT, 3/15

Storm rips downtown Atlanta, halting basketball tournament
WYMT - AP - March 14, 2008 11:33 PM ET ATLANTA (AP) - Weather officials say a storm packing winds up to 60 miles per hour has struck downtown Atlanta, damaging high-rises, hotels and two packed sports arenas.
Storms Rips Through Downtown Atlanta Orangeburg Times Democrat
all 789 news articles » 

 

Storm rips holes in Georgia Dome
San Francisco Chronicle - AP A possible tornado ripped into the Georgia Dome in Atlanta during the Southeastern Conference tournament, sending debris tumbling from the ceiling, prompting fans to flee for the exits and postponing the final game Friday night.
Storm rips holes in Georgia Dome, halting SEC tournament Los Angeles Times
Storm delay changes focus to safety The Birmingham News - al.com
New York Times - Atlanta Journal Constitution - Chicago Tribune - Hartford Courant
all 603 news articles »

 

Rohrabacher slams Gates on visas for foreign workers
'Totally insensitive and unsympathetic to average working people who are being displaced'
--USA Today

 

Obama Denounces Pastor's Comments

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused the country of bringing on the Sept.

 

 

 

Ledger Independent

Obama spurns pastor's 9/11 jibe
BBC News - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has denounced remarks made by his pastor that the 9/11 attacks were like "chickens coming home to roost".
Obama decries pastor's remarks Seattle Times
Obama strongly rejects remarks by former pastor Boston Globe
New York Times - Washington Post - ABC News - San Francisco Chronicle
all 873 news articles »

 

 

 

Bear Stearns rescue rattles Wall Street

By Martin Zimmerman

Investors worry the brokerage may not be the last victim of ongoing turmoil. The Dow falls 194 points.

 

 

 

Behind Bear Stearns Rescue Plan, a Wall St. Domino Theory

By JENNY ANDERSON and VIKAS BAJAJ

The Federal Reserve’s unusual decision to assist a major investment bank underscores a concern that one failure could spread across the financial system.

 

 

 

Run on Big Wall St. Bank Spurs Rescue Backed by U.S.

By LANDON THOMAS Jr.

Potential buyers began circling Bear Stearns after it was given a secured line of credit, and policy makers may spend the weekend dealing with the fallout.

DealBook: Who Could Buy Bear Stearns? | A Very Bad Week

Times Topics: Bear Stearns

 

 

 

Gulf Times

Bear's Crisis Shocks Stock Markets
Wall Street Journal - By GREGORY ZUCKERMAN Stocks were pummeled after a plan to alleviate a liquidity crisis at Bear Stearns sparked concerns about the depth of the problems in the already roiled financial markets.
Stocks turn to Federal Reserve to ease the pain MarketWatch
Wall Street dodges a bullet Q&A: BEHIND THE BEAR STEARNS MESS TheNewsTribune.com
CNNMoney.com - Bloomberg - Reuters - New York Times
all 2,441 news articles »

 

 

 

Is Wall Street Close to a Bottom?

 

 

 

Pontiac Tries High - Performance Revival

 

 

 

Microsoft, Yahoo reportedly in takeover talks

By Jessica Guynn

The informal discussions could indicate Yahoo is warming up to the deal.

 

 

 

Raunch is rebranded as 'confidence'

By Meghan Daum

Many women during spring break seem to believe that their sexuality is their only currency.

 

 

 

Open mouth, insert cohorts' feet

By Tim Rutten

Don't presidential candidates get tired of apologizing for remarks they didn't make?

 

 

 

Microsoft to Buy Provider of Web Publishing Services

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Microsoft Corporation plans to buy Rapt Inc., plugging a hole in its suite of tools for Web publishers and advertisers.

 

 

 

Essay

 

Admission Impossible

By KEITH GESSEN

The college acceptance game has become a kind of social control. Don’t goof off: “Harvard” might not like it.

 

 

 

 

'The Best American Erotic Poems'

Edited by DAVID LEHMAN
Reviewed by DAN CHIASSON

Verse rousing and raunchy, by American poets old and new.

 

 

 

 

'On Deep History and the Brain'

By DANIEL LORD SMAIL
Reviewed by ALEXANDER STAR

A historian looks at human evolution and cultural advances through the lens of mood-altering substances.

 

 

 

'The Prince of Bagram Prison'

By ALEX CARR
Reviewed by LORRAINE ADAMS

The protagonist of this spy thriller questioned prisoners at a military base in Afghanistan.

 

 

 

Lindsay Lohan to Launch Legging Line
New York Magazine - Lindsay Lohan may single-handedly be keeping the leggings trend alive and kicking. After being spotted night after night in the darn things, Lilo recently told Life & Style weekly she's thinking of starting her own legging line.

 

 

 

What flies 700 mph and costs $58 million? New private jet
Gulfstream said its new G650 will be capable of flying faster than Boeing 747

--USA Today

 

 

United Airlines boosts fares by up to $50 round-trip
'We must be able to pass along these costs just like other businesses do'
--Associated Press

 

 

gleans

 Former 'chick lit' author wins PEN/Faulkner award
Mar 14: The novelist Kate Christensen has won one of the US's most prestigious literary prizes for her novel The Great Man

 

 

Bear Stearns crisis sparks recession fears <== U.K. Daily Telegraph take

Global financial crisis triggers the near-collapse of one of the world's biggest banks.

Markets shaken | Experts react to bailout

Darling under fire | Q&A: How it affects you

Risk-taking reputation | Man who built bank

 

 

 

Pastor's invective clouds Obama campaign <== London Times take

Barack Obama is under pressure to break with Jeremiah Wright after his racially charged attacks on Hillary Clinton

US elections blog: watch Jeremiah Wright's sermons

Dirt begins to fly at Obama

 

 

 

Which is worse: prostitute or affair?  <== one of the pressing questions - reminds one of the old saw "bad sex beats no sex"

 

 

 

Ryan Gosling: me and my blow-up lover

In his new film Ryan Gosling falls in love with a sex doll. Will the part blow up in his face? Kevin Maher reports

 

 

 

Hot type: taking sides in the White House race <== novelists love Pied Pipers

Records of donations suggest that US novelists are overwhelmingly on the side of the Democrats in the presidential race

 

 

 

The oldest picture of Pied Piper (watercolour) copied from the glass window of Marktkirche in Hamelin by Freiherr Augustin von Moersperg.

 

 

 

Riot act is read at Paris book fair

Tensions grow over boycott of annual showcase of French publishing industry as fury mounts in Muslim world over honour to Israelis

Paul O’Connell's tour diary

French classics enlisted in cyberspace culture war

 

 

 

The Bloody White Baron by James Palmer

The Times review by Giles Whittell. 'Palmer has written as serious a history as is possible for such an unbelievable subject'

 

 

 

Welcome to the treasure house

A £5million gift will enable the Bodleian Library to display its hidden treasures. Justin Cartwright says hurrah

 

 

gleans + 1xaddenda at 3:45 PM MT, 3/14

On Pi Day, calculate and celebrate
You don't have to be a math whiz to have fun on Pi Day. For starters, you could circle around to a bakery for a fruity, crusty dessert.  (Posted in News Blog by Jonathan Skillings)  Fri Mar 14 10:18:00 PDT 2008 | Read full story

 

Stocks sink as Bear Stearns reignites credit fears

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday as an emergency rescue of Bear Stearns orchestrated by the Federal Reserve revived fears about a deepening global credit crunch, triggering a massive sell-off in shares across the board.

 

 

 

Stocks Tumble on Bank’s Troubles

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM 

Stocks were down sharply on Wall Street on Friday as Bear’s announcement ignited fears that large banks remain vulnerable.

Inflation Held Steady in February

Fed Chief Warns Anew on Foreclosures

 

 

 

The NEW Pastor at Obama's Church
Washington Post - Several news organizations are reporting on the racially-charged words of Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, the founder and retired pastor of Barack Obama's Chicago church, Trinity United Church of Christ.

 

 

 

Canada.com

Prostitute In Spitzer Scandal Scores Million Dollar Offer To Bare All
Access Hollywood - AP AP AP AP AP AP As her instant celebrity status continues to climb in the wake of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, Ashley Alexandra Dupre has now received a $1 million offer to bare it all.
Video: Hometown Remembers 'Ashley Dupre' AssociatedPress

‘Kristen’s’ 15 Minutes Newsweek
eFluxMedia - MTV.com - People Magazine - Contra Costa Times
all 1,418 news articles »

 

 

 

addenda <== thanks to BB-Bob

Subject: Semantic Web Science Association

Date: Mar 14, 2008 11:20 AM

Semantic Web Science Association http://www.iswsa.org/ International Semantic Web Conference http://iswc.semanticweb.org/ The 7th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC 2008) http://iswc2008.semanticweb.org/

gleans + 1xORA + 1xaddenda at 1:10 PM MT, 3/14

 Lindsey Vonn wins World Cup overall title to complete US sweep
International Herald Tribune, France - Bode Miller secured his second overall title Thursday with a 12th-place finish in the super-G, as Didier Cuche decided not to enter Saturday's season-ending ...