The Jackson Simon Review |
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Short essays and thoughts on items of popular interest such as politics, economics, current events,sports, and just about anything else that catches our attention.
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Sunday, January 13, 2008
Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "To hold the same views at forty as we held at twenty..." "To hold the same views at forty as we held at twenty is to have been stupefied for a score of years, and take rank, not as a prophet, but as an unteachable brat, well birched and none the wiser." -Robert Louis Stevenson ----- The Refdesk Site of the Day is: Yahoo! Answers Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. ----- Frontline: Private Warriors Companion Web site to the PBS Frontline special of the same name. Site looks at private contractors like Blackwater, Aegis and Erinys, who play an increasingly critical role in running U.S. military supply lines, providing armed protection, and operating U.S. military bases. These private warriors are targeted by insurgents and in turn have been criticized for their rough treatment of Iraqi civilians. Their dramatic story illuminates the Pentagon's new reliance on corporate outsourcing and raises tough questions about where they fit in the chain of command and the price we are paying for their role in the war. ----- FBI History: Famous Cases Since its founding in 1908, the FBI has been involved in many famous cases. Inasmuch as inquiries often are received about them, the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs (OPCA) has prepared monographs on some of the most frequently requested, closed investigations. The monographs listed have been made available for your use. You may download them for any noncommercial use without obtaining permission from the FBI. ----- Digital History: Trailers of Historically Significant Films Hollywood has shaped our most vivid images of the historical past. This collection of film trailers allows users to see how the film studios promoted the films that are most deeply impressed in our collective imagination. This database contains trailers of films for educational use. Digital History is an educational and non-commercial site designed specifically for history teachers and their students. ----- BOOKS ON-LINE * Science Fiction * Against the Tide -- John Ringo * Science Fiction * Crown of Slaves -- David Weber - Eric Flint * Fiction * Slipper Point Mystery -- Augusta Huiell Seaman . Sunday, November 04, 2007
Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "When it comes time to do your own life..." "When it comes time to do your own life, you either perpetuate your childhood or you stand on it and finally kick it out from under." -Rosellen Brown ----- "When friends stop being frank and useful to each other..." "When friends stop being frank and useful to each other, the whole world loses some of its radiance." -Anatole Broyard ----- The Refdesk Site of the Day is: Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project As a partner with filmmaker Ken Burns and PBS on The War, the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress, offers this special Web site to enhance the viewing experience of this epic yet intimate look at those who sacrificed so much to serve their country during World War II. Related sited: PBS: The War. ----- FlightAware Founded in March of 2005, FlightAware is the first company to offer free flight tracking services for both private and commercial air traffic in the United States. Related sites: Aeroseek Flight Tracker FlightView Flight Tracker. ----- Sunday, September 23, 2007
BOOKS ON-LINE Beginning Again at Ararat -- Mabel Evelyn Elliott Medical Women: A Thesis and a History -- Sophia Jex-Blake Staff ride handbook for the Overland Campaign, Virginia, 4 May to 15 June, -- See-Abstract . Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "Success is going from failure to failure..." "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." -Abraham Lincoln ----- "Loneliness is never more cruel..." "Loneliness is never more cruel than when it is felt in close propinquity with someone who has ceased to communicate." -Germaine Greer ----- "We bestow on others praise in which we do not believe..." "We bestow on others praise in which we do not believe, on condition that in return they bestow upon us praise in which we do." -Jean Rostand ----- The Refdesk Site of the Day is: Radio-locator Welcome to Radio-Locator, the most comprehensive radio station search engine on the internet. We have links to over 10,000 radio station web pages and over 2500 audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world. ----- Urban Legends Reference Pages Snopes.com is a searchable database of urban legends and myths, email hoaxes, computer virus warnings, and folklore. ----- All Recipes Looking for recipes? You've come to the right place. Allrecipes has more than 40,000 free recipes - all created, tested, reviewed and approved by home cooks worldwide. ----- Saturday, September 01, 2007
Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "Adolescents may be, almost simultaneously, overconfident and riddled with fear..." "Adolescents may be, almost simultaneously, overconfident and riddled with fear. They are afraid of their overpowering feelings, of losing control, of helplessness, of failure. Sometimes they act bold, to counteract their imperious yearnings to remain children. They are impulsive, impetuous, moody, disagreeable, overdemanding, underappreciative. If you don’t understand them, remember, they don’t understand themselves most of the time." -Stella Chess ----- "I hear and I forget..." "I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand." -Chinese Proverb ----- "One of the luckiest things that can happen to you..." "One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood." -Agatha Christie ----- "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia..." "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." -Winston Churchill ----- "What we’re saying today is that you’re either part of the solution..." "What we’re saying today is that you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem." -Eldridge Cleaver ----- BOOKS ON-LINE Checkpoint -- Peter Roberts Flora of the Economic Plants of California -- Willis Linn Jepson Idea of God as Affected by Modern Knowledge -- John Fiske . The Refdesk Site of the Day is: Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs Award winning photographs presented by the Newseum, the interactive museum of news. ----- GardenWeb GardenWeb is the largest gardening site on the Web, with garden forums, articles on gardening, directories of nurseries, gardens and gardening organizations, a botanical glossary, an events calendar, a plant database, contests, and much more. ----- LibrarySpot.com Welcome to LibrarySpot.com, a free virtual library resource center for educators and students, librarians and their patrons, families, businesses and just about anyone exploring the Web for valuable research information. ----- HowStuffWorks HowStuffWorks is an online publishing company widely recognized as a leading source for clear, unbiased, reliable explanations of how everything actually works. With thousands of articles, content features and illustrations populating ten different content channels, HowStuffWorks.com attracts millions of unique visitors each month. ----- Thomas Featuring information on current legislation, the Congressional Record, links to Committee reports, and more. Thomas is a service of the Library of Congress. ----- MedicinePlus The National Library of Medicine's authoritative and current database of health information for consumers and health professionals. Coverage includes conditions and diseases, drug information, dictionaries, physician and healthcare directories, and links to other medical resources. ----- Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Refdesk Site of the Day is: Today's Papers This site by Slate presents a summary of what's in the major U.S. newspapers. Related site: Today's Front Pages. ----- Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away..." "The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts." -Edmund Burke ----- "I came, I saw..." "I came, I saw, I conquered." -Julius Caesar ----- "Real generosity towards the future lies..." "Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present." -Albert Camus ----- "One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness..." "One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world’s end somewhere, and hold fast to the days, as to fortune or fame." -Willa Cather ----- "Wisdom we know is the knowledge of good and evil..." "Wisdom we know is the knowledge of good and evil not the strength to choose between the two." -John Cheever ----- "Everything should be first-rate in a person..." "Everything should be first-rate in a person, his face, clothes, soul and thoughts." -Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ----- BOOKS ON-LINE * Science Fiction * Against the Tide -- John Ringo * Science Fiction * Crown of Slaves -- David Weber - Eric Flint * Fiction * Slipper Point Mystery -- Augusta Huiell Seaman . Sunday, August 05, 2007
Obituary of the Mr. Common Sense (From John, our correspondent in Narrowsburg.) Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: 1. Knowing when to come in out of the rain 2. Why the early bird gets the worm 3. Life isn't always fair and 4. Maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 -year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teenagers suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Calpol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded with a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 3 step-brothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, you may like to pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. . Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "To live is so startling ..." "To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else." -Emily Dickinson ----- "I am convinced that the best service..." "I am convinced that the best service a retired general can perform is to turn in his tongue along with his suit, and to mothball his opinions." -Omar Bradley ----- "Don’t tell me that man doesn’t belong out there..." "Don’t tell me that man doesn’t belong out there. Man belongs wherever he wants to go - and he’ll do plenty well when he gets there." -Wernher Von Braun ----- "When the history of guilt is written..." "When the history of guilt is written, parents who refuse their children money will be right up there in the Top Ten." -Erma Brombeck ----- "In the United States, it is now possible for a person eighteen years of age..." "In the United States, it is now possible for a person eighteen years of age, female as well as male, to graduate from high school, college, or university without ever having cared for, or even held, a baby; without ever having comforted or assisted another human being who really needed help. . . . No society can long sustain itself unless its members have learned the sensitivities, motivations, and skills involved in assisting and caring for other human beings." -Urie Bronfenbrenner ----- The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: GasBuddy.com GasBuddy.com can help you find cheap gas prices in your city. It is comprised of 170 gas price information web sites that help consumers find low gasoline prices. All web sites are operated by GasBuddy. GasBuddy has the most comprehensive listings of gas prices anywhere by far. Related site: A Primer on Gasoline Prices. ----- Weight-control Information Network The Weight-control Information Network provides the general public, health professionals, the media, and Congress with up-to-date, science-based information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues. ----- Body Mass Index BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a number that shows body weight adjusted for height. BMI can be calculated with simple math using inches and pounds, or meters and kilograms. For adults aged 20 years or older, BMI falls into one of these categories: underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. ----- TVs Decision Guide Not sure where to start? A lot has changed in the past few years, and you have more choices than ever. This step-by-step guide by Consumer Reports contains the essential information you need to find the TV that best suits your preferences and your budget. ----- Encyclopedia Smithsonian Encyclopedia Smithsonian helps answer frequently asked questions about the Smithsonian Institution with links to resources on subjects from Art to Zoology. ----- Yahoo! Audio Search Find audio files from across the Web including music, podcasts, interviews and more. ----- BOOKS ON-LINE National Australasian Convention Debates -- * Science Fiction * Puppet Master -- John Dalmas * Science Fiction * Service of the Sword -- David Weber - Eric Flint - Jane M. Lindskold - John Ringo - Timothy Zahn - Victor Mitchell , Saturday, July 21, 2007
Importance of Proofreading (From John, our correspondent in Narrowsburg.) A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies. The head monk, says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son." So, he goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot. So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing, "We missed the "R", we missed the "R"!!. His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?" *With a choking voice, the old abbot replies ........ * "The word was celebrate !!!!" . BOOKS ON-LINE ’Ruin' of Jamaica -- Richard Hildreth Jaina Sutras -- Hermann Jacobi No Slave-Hunting in the Old Bay State ... -- Charles C. Burleigh - Wendell Phillips - William Lloyd Garrison . Refdesk Thoughts of the Day: "If I had my life to live over again..." "If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week." -Charles Darwin ----- "In foreign policy you have to wait..." "In foreign policy you have to wait twenty-five years to see how it comes out." -James Reston ----- "It takes as much energy..." "It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan." -Eleanor Roosevelt ----- "Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply..." "Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed." -Margaret Storm Jameson ----- "Humanitarianism needs no apology..." "Humanitarianism needs no apology. ... Unless we ... feel it toward all men without exception, we shall have lost the chief redeeming force in human history." -Ralph Barton Perry ----- The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: National Archives Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1% - 3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever. Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran's military service, or are researching an historical topic that interests you. ----- OYEZ: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia Multimedia database with abstracts of key constitutional cases, digital audio of oral arguments, and more. Related sites: Official Site Supreme Court of the U.S. Appellate.net. ----- Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos. Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured by this NASA web site, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. ----- How Products Are Made How Products Are Made explains and details the manufacturing process of a wide variety of products, from daily household items to complicated electronic equipment and heavy machinery. The site provides step by step descriptions of the assembly and the manufacturing process (complemented with illustrations and diagrams) Each product also has related information such as the background, how the item works, who invented the product, raw materials that were used, product applications, by-products that are generated, possible future developments, quality control procedures, etc. ----- Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations The 2,100 entries in this eminently researched collection form the constellation of collected wisdom in American political debate. In fulfilling decades of requests from Members of Congress for citation of quotations, the Library of Congress compiled the most frequently asked questions of the legislature for the edification of every citizen. ----- San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, located in the San Francisco History Center, contains photographs and works on paper of San Francisco and California views from 1850 to the present. ----- |