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Author: albertalbert
Date: Jun 30, 2008 20:19
a blogging sequence I thoroughly, often deeply, appreciated........
http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/those-things-that-are-vital-to-the...
the opening to the blog, for those who might need a bit of
convincing........
Things Vital to the Honor of Human Life
By Sam Tanenhaus
Samuel Johnson once cautioned against the practice of "recommending"
Shakespeare through the greatest-hits approach of quoting selected passages.
Remarkable as the chosen passages might be, Johnson warned, the critic who
relied simply on quotation was like the man "who, when he offered his house
to sale, carried a brick in his pocket as a specimen."
This presumes that literary creations are primarily architectural feats. And
perhaps they are. But it seems to me they are also musical creations -
symphonies, to keep the metaphor appropriately high. And every symphony has
climactic passages where the beauty seems to capture the essence of even the
most complex work.
I was reminded of this other day when I was rereading "To the Finland
Station," Edmund Wilson's great narrative about the rise of European
socialism...................................
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Author: DittyDitty
Date: Jun 30, 2008 08:52
MIAMI (AP) — Government scientists are launching a five-year project
Thursday aimed at safeguarding the world's chocolate supply by
dissecting the genome of the cocoa bean.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture team based here, funded with more
than $10 million from Mars Inc., will analyze the more than 400
million parts of the cocoa genome, a process that could help battle
crippling crop diseases and even lead to better-tasting chocolate.
Fungal diseases are estimated to cost cocoa farmers an estimated $700
million annually. The analysis will not only identify what traits make
cacao trees susceptible, but it will allow scientists — and
candymakers — to better understand every aspect of cocoa, from its
ability to sustain drought to the way it tastes.....
[And this is the best part]
Though the project is funded by Virginia-based Mars — the maker of
M&Ms, Snickers and other fixtures in American chocolate — its findings
will be made public, even to its competitors. Mars says there will be
more information to examine than any one company could ever do alone,
and that the main reasons for cracking the genome are to combat cocoa
pests and disease.
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Author: trudoggtrudogg
Date: Jun 30, 2008 05:55
ItÂ’s not difficult to make the case that conservative republicans
suffer from a form of mental illness. Americans have watched them
embrace family values and discover ethics, while stealing an election
and contriving the circumstances for starting wars. They have worked
tirelessly to undermine the American Constitution while frantically
waving the flag. They firmly believe in the privatization of
government and consistently ignore the inconvenient history of the
American taxpayer bailout of one failed/scandalized corporation after
the next. These things, by and of themselves, donÂ’t make republicans
soft in their heads, but as Einstein said of insanity, it’s “doing the
same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
There are no practical reasons that Americans, unless they are
independently wealthy, or industrial capitalists, should belong to the
republican party. In a healthy, freedom loving democracy,
republicanism...
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Author: NïckNïck
Date: Jun 28, 2008 07:45
...and discovered we now have a dog.
1-1/2-year-old Black Lab/German Shepherd named Murphy, from the rescue
shelter.
Somehow my son drove out to the shelter on Thursday morning, my wife
took the afternoon off and drove out there early Thursday afternoon,
and they both thought it would be better if I was surprised when I got
home.
I'm a cat person.
Dog is cute, though. VERY shy, and spends a lot of time walking
backwards away from me. Other thing is -- and I'm serious -- the dog
apparently DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SIT. It has two positions: up and
down. Puts his front legs out in front, then flollops over in the
back. Tried the trick of holding food directly above him, and
discovered the dog has a VERY flexible neck. Tried the trick of
holding his head up and pushing down on his rear, and the dog walks
backward, like how a gyroscope translates a twisting movement into a
linear one.
Day 1 and 2 have gone well.
Photos, soon.
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Author: CrowFootCrowFoot
Date: Jun 27, 2008 22:47
US central bank accused of unleashing an inflation shock that will
rock financial markets, reports Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Barclays Capital has advised clients to batten down the hatches for a
worldwide financial storm, warning that the US Federal Reserve has
allowed the inflation genie out of the bottle and let its credibility
fall "below zero".
"We're in a nasty environment," said Tim Bond, the bank's chief equity
strategist. "There is an inflation shock underway. This is going to be
very negative for financial assets. We are going into tortoise mood
and are retreating into our shell. Investors will do well if they can
preserve their wealth."
Barclays Capital said in its closely-watched Global Outlook that US
headline inflation would hit 5.5pc by August and the Fed will have to
raise interest rates six times by the end of next year to prevent a
wage-spiral. If it hesitates, the bond markets will take matters into
their own hands. "This is the first test for central banks in 30 years
and they have fluffed it. They have zero credibility, and the Fed is
negative if that's possible. It has lost all credibility," said Mr
Bond.
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