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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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Saturday, June 19, 2004
The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: Columbia Encyclopedia The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia contains almost 52,000 entries (marshalling six and one-half million words on a vast range of topics), with more than 84,000 hypertext cross-references. Columbia Encyclopedia is among the most complete and up-to-date electronic encyclopedias ever produced. Overweight and Obesity In the United States, obesity has risen at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years. One of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15%. Research indicates that the situation is worsening rather than improving. This site by the Center for Disease Control provides information about 'Overweight and Obesity.' Resources for Learning Resources for Learning is a collection of activities, articles, evidence and analysis and more, for educators, families, students and anyone interested in teaching or learning about science. To Realize... (From Pamela, our correspondent in Bay Ridge.) To realize The value of a sister Ask someone Who doesn't have one. To realize The value of ten years: Ask a newly Divorced couple. To realize The value of four years: Ask a graduate. To realize The value of one year: Ask a student who Has failed a final exam. To realize The value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born. To realize The value of one month: Ask a mother who has Given birth to a premature baby. To realize The value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize The value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet. To realize The value of one minute: Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane. To realize The value of one-second: Ask a person Who has survived an accident. To realize The value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has Won a silver medal in the Olympics. To realize the value of a friend: Lose one. Time waits For no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special. The origin of this letter is unknown, But it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on. Do not keep this letter. Forward it to friends to whom you wish good luck Peace, love and prosperity to all! Refdesk Thoughts of the Day "The artist brings something into the world..." "The artist brings something into the world that didn't exist before, and he does it without destroying something else." - John Updike "Observe your enemies..." "Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults." - Antisthenes "What is to give light ..." "What is to give light must endure burning." - Viktor Frankl Friday, June 18, 2004
The Refdesk Sites of the Day Wired for Books For many years, most of the best writers of the English language found their way to Don Swaim's CBS Radio studio in New York. The one-on-one interviews typically lasted 30 to 45 minutes and then had to be edited down to a two-minute radio show. Wired for Books is proud to make these important oral documents publicly available for the first time in their entirety. Listen to the voices of many of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Molecular Expressions Welcome to the Molecular Expressions website featuring photo galleries that explore the fascinating world of optical microscopy. This site offers one of the Web's largest collections of color photographs taken through an optical microscope (commonly referred to as "photo-micro-graphs"). Visit the Photo Gallery for an introductory selection of images covering just about everything from beer and ice cream to integrated circuits and ceramic superconductors. A Recent Study... (From Marian, our correspondent in Narrowsburg.) A recent study found out which days men prefer to > > have sex. It was found that men preferred to engage > > in sexual activity on the days that started with the > > letter "T". > > > > Examples of those days are as follows: > > > > Tuesday > > > > Thursday > > > > Thanksgiving > > > > Today > > > > Tomorrow > > > > Thaturday > > > > Thunday > > _________________________________ > > A recent survey was conducted to discover why men > > get out of bed in the middle of the night: > > > > 5% said it was to get a glass of water > > > > 12% said it was to go to the toilet > > > > 83% said it was to go home > >__________________________________ > > > > (Q) What's the best form of birth control after 50? > > > > (A) Nudity > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q) What's the difference between a girlfriend and a wife? > > > > (A) 45 lbs > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q) What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband? > > > > (A) 45 minutes > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q) What's the fastest way to a man's heart?" > > > > (A) Through his chest with a sharp knife. > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q) What do you call a smart blonde? > > > > (A) A golden retriever > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q) What' s the difference between a southern zoo > > and a northern zoo? > > > > (A) A southern zoo has a description of the animal > > on the front of the cage along with a recipe. > > __________________________________ > > > > (Q ) What's the difference between a northern > > fairytale and a southern fairytale? > > > > (A) A northern fairytale begins "Once upon a time". > > > > A southern fairytale begins "Y'all ain't gonna > > believe this shit. Thursday, June 17, 2004
The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: Punctuation Made Simple Some people write well but allow themselves to be disabled by a fear of punctuation and grammar. They know how to prewrite, organize, and revise, but proofreading for punctuation and grammar causes them difficulties. There‚s no need to fear these conventions of standard written English. In fact, these conventions can help you become a more effective communicator. This sites discusses several of the most useful punctuation marks that you will use as a communicator. Instead of listing many rules, as a grammar book does, the site examines these various marks in general so that you can get a sense of how to use them in your own prose. I Hear America Singing "I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear," wrote Walt Whitman in a poem celebrating the American spirit -- adventuresome, strong, and inclusive. This Web site invites visitors to experience the diversity of American performing arts through the Library of Congress's unsurpassed collections of scores, sheet music, audio recordings, films, photographs, maps, and other materials. It's often said that Latin is a dead language Lingua Latina saepe dicitur mortua esse LEEN-gwah lah-TEE-nah SIGH-pay DEE-kih-tuhr MOHR-too-ah EHS-seh Baloney! Nugas! NOO-gahss! Look around-Latin is all over the place, like a cheap toga Circumspice-Lingua Latina se pandit ubique tanquam toga vilis KEER-kuhm-spih-keh--LEEN-gwah lah-TEE-nah say PAHN-diht ohh-BEE-kweh TAHN-kwaum TOH-gah WIH-liss Lawyers use it to screw you Iurisperiti ea utuntur ut te defraudent Yoo-riss-peh-REE-tee EH-ah uh-TOON-tuhr uht AHL-wuhm ay-WAH-koo-ays eks MEH-tooh Refdesk Thoughts of the Day "Absolute freedom..." "Absolute freedom mocks at justice. Absolute justice denies freedom." - Albert Camus "The value of marriage..." "The value of marriage is not that adults produce children, but that children produce adults." - Peter De Vries "Heaven is under our feet..." "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." - Henry David Thoreau Tuesday, June 15, 2004
* * * BrainEmail Daily Triva * * * ================================== (From John Babina. To JOIN the BrainETrivia list send a message to: trivia-subscribe@brainemail.com ) =========================================================== Why do we call cops, cops? Please scroll down! ------------------------------------------------------------------ No one is quite sure but here are five possible answers. Note: Cop is short for copper. (Cop came into use in 1859) Copper (slang) came into use in 1846. Five answers. . . . 1) New York Police used copper badges (1840s) for certain ranks. 2) London police had copper buttons on their uniforms. 3) Some say cop came from an earlier usage of cop, that is, to seize something. 4) Some say cop was an acronym for Constable On Partol. 5) From Old French caper 'seize' (from Latin capere) I like number 1 the best. Bonus trivia ------------------------------------------------ Paddy Wagon – derogatory slur assumed that a lot of the people put into police vans were of Irish descent. The same is true of the following words . . . Hoodlum (1870 San Francisco Hooligan) Perverted back-spelling of Muldoon (E. Weekley Etymological Dictionary of Modern English) Also possibly from a German Dialect (Swabia) hudelum - disorderly Hooligan “From a lively Irish family of the same name” 1896 (E. Weekley Etymological Dictionary of Modern English) Patrick Hooligan. (The 2001 “Gangs of New York” movie did a good job capturing the 1846-1863 New York City street life – this is not an ad) =========================================================== The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: Avian Influenza: Fact Sheet This site by the World Health Organization presents a Fact Sheet on avian influenza ("bird flu") and the significance of its transmission to humans. Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide. All birds are thought to be susceptible to infection with avian influenza, though some species are more resistant to infection than others. Infection causes a wide spectrum of symptoms in birds, ranging from mild illness to a highly contagious and rapidly fatal disease resulting in severe epidemics. The latter is known as „highly pathogenic avian influenza‰. This form is characterized by sudden onset, severe illness, and rapid death, with a mortality that can approach 100%. The Encyclopedia of World History Renowned historian Peter N. Stearns and thirty prominent historians have combined their expertise over the past ten years to perfect this comprehensive chronology of more than 20,000 entries that span the millennia from prehistoric times to the year 2000. Minimum Wage Laws in the U.S. Each State has different rules for what employers pay workers. This site by by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division, provides current details as to the laws, or lack thereof, for minimum wages in each of the 50 States. Refdesk Thoughts of the Day "The influence of each human being..." "The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality." - John Quincy Adams "He who would travel happily..." "He who would travel happily must travel light." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery "This grand show is eternal..." "This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere: the dew is never all dried at once: a shower is forever falling, vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls." - John Muir Sunday, June 13, 2004
It's often said that Latin is a dead language Lingua Latina saepe dicitur mortua esse LEEN-gwah lah-TEE-nah SIGH-pay DEE-kih-tuhr MOHR-too-ah EHS-seh Baloney! Nugas! NOO-gahss! Look around-Latin is all over the place, like a cheap toga Circumspice-Lingua Latina se pandit ubique tanquam toga vilis KEER-kuhm-spih-keh--LEEN-gwah lah-TEE-nah say PAHN-diht ohh-BEE-kweh TAHN-kwaum TOH-gah WIH-liss Refdesk Thoughts of the Day "Daring ideas are like chessmen..." "Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Have a heart that never hardens..." "Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." - Charles Dickens * * * BrainEmail Daily Triva * * * ================================== (From John Babina. To JOIN the BrainETrivia list send a message to: trivia-subscribe@brainemail.com) *********************************************************** Many of us use different words for the same thing. In many cases the use of the word is based on region. How many can you think of, such as porch or stoop? Make your list before you scroll down! Here is the list or words that I have run into during my lifetime. Please scroll down! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Pop...soda...tonic...soft drink Frost a cake...Ice a cake Rubber band...elastic band Searchlight...flashlight Hero...hoagie...sub...grinder...wedge...Poor Boy Glove box...glove compartment Sauce...gravy Stoop...front porch Faucet...tap...spigot Dinner...Supper See-saw...teeter-totter. Water Fountain...Bubbler Take-out...Carry-out Basement...Cellar Trash can...garbage can End...heel (bread) Line up...Queue Coffin...Casket Cruller...Pastry...Danish...Sticky Bun...Sweet Roll Blue Jeans...Dungarees Sneaks...Tennis Shoes Diagonally across...Kitty-corner First choice...dibs Movie...film...flick Scratch paper...scrap paper Jitney...Bus =========================================================== The Refdesk Sites of the Day are: Embassy.org The Electronic Embassy Web site is a resource of and for the Washington, D.C. foreign embassy community. When the site was launched in 1994, only two of Washington's foreign embassies were on the Web. Now, most of the embassies have homes on the Internet to complement their addresses on Embassy Row. The site's Business Directories allows companies serving the international community, and those working, living, and traveling internationally, to find their audience. Blue Web'n Blue Web'n is a searchable library of 1800+ outstanding Internet learning sites categorized by subject area, audience, and type (lessons, activities, projects, resources, references, & tools). Blue Web'n does not attempt to catalog all educational sites, but only the most useful sites -- especially online activities targeted at learners. The Food Guide Pyramid This booklet introduces you to The Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid illustrates the research-based food guidance system developed by USDA and supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It goes beyond the "basic four food groups" to help you put the Dietary Guidelines into action. The Pyramid is based on USDA's research on what foods Americans eat, what nutrients are in these foods, and how to make the best food choices. |