"of books and bikes" is a nicely written and organized blog by someone writing about what they're reading.
one entry reviewed the novel marriage by susan ferrier, a scottish writer i had never heard of before but based on this essay now think i might enjoy so thank you blogger, http://ofbooksandbikes.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/marriage-by-susan-ferrier/
i especially like her project of keeping track of the literature that fictional characters are reading. how fun is that?
July 19, 2011
mother goose
A cat came fiddling out of a barn,
With a pair of bagpipes under her arm;
She could sing nothing
but fiddle cum fee,
but fiddle cum fee,
The mouse has married the bumblebee.
July 18, 2011
the white snake legend
courtesy of the china daily:
The tale goes that a white snake came to the human world as she was longing for human life (another version holds that she wanted to repay an obligation), and married a scholar named Xu Xian.
However, such marriage was opposed by Fahai, a Buddhist monk in Jinshan Temple, who maintained that coexistence of human and evil spirit was unallowable. He then suppressed the white snake (Madam White Snake) under Leifeng Pagoda at the bank of the West Lake.
Many years later, after gained a Zhuangyuan title (the first place in the imperial examination), Madam White Snake's son offered sacrifice to his mother in front of the Leifeng Pagoda. God was moved by his action and made the pagoda collapse, which enabled the family to reunite.
Provided the first half of the tale is a love story, the second half can be perceived as a narration regarding struggle and striving.
The legend happened in the West Lake of Hangzhou. It is said that Madam White Snake met Xu Xian on the now "Broken Bridge" at the White Dike of the West Lake.
Up to now, visitors may still recall the story as they view and admire this scenic spot. More importantly, the huge quantity of ancient traditional customs preserved in this legend has made it become one of the oral heritages containing the most abundant folk customs in China.
Legend of the White Snake derives from the Tang and Five Dynasties and is handed down through the Ming and Qing Dynasties until now. Through the adaptation and performance of oral folk literature and various conventional literature, this tale became a classical theme of a variety of literal forms including story, ballad, precious scroll, fiction, historical novel, script for story-telling, drama, Tanci, as well as movie, TV play, cartoon, and comic strips. It has therefore experienced an ever expanding influence and becomes widely known in China, and furthermore, spreads in many countries such as Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, and India.
more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_White_Snake
The tale goes that a white snake came to the human world as she was longing for human life (another version holds that she wanted to repay an obligation), and married a scholar named Xu Xian.
However, such marriage was opposed by Fahai, a Buddhist monk in Jinshan Temple, who maintained that coexistence of human and evil spirit was unallowable. He then suppressed the white snake (Madam White Snake) under Leifeng Pagoda at the bank of the West Lake.
Many years later, after gained a Zhuangyuan title (the first place in the imperial examination), Madam White Snake's son offered sacrifice to his mother in front of the Leifeng Pagoda. God was moved by his action and made the pagoda collapse, which enabled the family to reunite.
Provided the first half of the tale is a love story, the second half can be perceived as a narration regarding struggle and striving.
The legend happened in the West Lake of Hangzhou. It is said that Madam White Snake met Xu Xian on the now "Broken Bridge" at the White Dike of the West Lake.
Up to now, visitors may still recall the story as they view and admire this scenic spot. More importantly, the huge quantity of ancient traditional customs preserved in this legend has made it become one of the oral heritages containing the most abundant folk customs in China.
Legend of the White Snake derives from the Tang and Five Dynasties and is handed down through the Ming and Qing Dynasties until now. Through the adaptation and performance of oral folk literature and various conventional literature, this tale became a classical theme of a variety of literal forms including story, ballad, precious scroll, fiction, historical novel, script for story-telling, drama, Tanci, as well as movie, TV play, cartoon, and comic strips. It has therefore experienced an ever expanding influence and becomes widely known in China, and furthermore, spreads in many countries such as Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, and India.
more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_White_Snake
July 15, 2011
proust's favorite painter
a young proust filled out a questionnaire noting meissonier as his favorite painter and i say hmph, who's that?
turns out jean-louis-ernest meissonier might be most well known for his war scenes paintings (do people do that anymore? do we have "great art" showing the bombings of vietnam? does a painter get inspired by the burning down of a village?) but i digress...his works are on display in museums around the world, http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/meissonier_jean-louis-ernest.html.
i don't know that the following is representative of his work but i love the colors and i love the fabric so here it is:
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turns out jean-louis-ernest meissonier might be most well known for his war scenes paintings (do people do that anymore? do we have "great art" showing the bombings of vietnam? does a painter get inspired by the burning down of a village?) but i digress...his works are on display in museums around the world, http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/meissonier_jean-louis-ernest.html.
i don't know that the following is representative of his work but i love the colors and i love the fabric so here it is:
July 13, 2011
all good things . . .
. . . must come to an end.
Netflix rates rise up to 60 percent for DVD, streaming
July 12, 2011
oregon is for the birds
white pelicans_double-crested cormorants_ herons_gulls_terns_grebes_bald eagles_raptors_geese_white faced ibis_yellow-headed blackbirds, goshawks_swan_hermit thrushes_red-tail hawks_bluebirds_meadow larks_falcons_mallards_wigeons_green winged teals_ osprey_egrets_pileated-woodpeckers_scarlet tanagers
I hope you love birds, too.
It is economical.
It is economical.
It saves going to heaven.
-Emily Dickinson
July 11, 2011
July 9, 2011
If only for the name.....
....I want to be a Lulalista (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/americas/09brazil.html?_r=1&ref=world).
the grand mal seizure
that reminds us some issues in life are not black and white
and the grey area
can be
tragic
July 7, 2011
the happy valley set
the outlandish british aristocrats calling the happy valley home in the first half of the 20th century probably ranked fairly high on the unlikeable scale. one cannot imagine them other than pompous, spoiled, drunken, ego maniacs self-absorbed beyond the pale for even the most tolerant among us.
and yet.
what a place to be and what a time to be there.
White Mischief, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094317/
The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice de Janze and the Mysterious Death of Lord Erroll by Paul Spicer
July 6, 2011
what else?
what else fits?
maybe . . .
those big car phones?
myspace (sorry Justin)?
hand-held games?
lamps that turn on when you clap?
8-tracks (how long did those last?)?
cassettes?
vhs tapes?
IBM selectrics?
listservs?
Borders
CDs (hopefully transitioning to streaming only soon)
DVDs (hopefully transitioning to streaming only soon)
and why do cables continue surviving generation after generation? is it a conspiracy to make me miserable?
Borders
CDs (hopefully transitioning to streaming only soon)
DVDs (hopefully transitioning to streaming only soon)
and why do cables continue surviving generation after generation? is it a conspiracy to make me miserable?
July 5, 2011
Don't get seriously sick in July
Apparently, there is something called the 'July Effect' - or at least there is a myth as to the existence of something known as the July Effect....
From today's NY Times Science section - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/really-the-claim-hospital-mortality-rates-rise-in-july/?ref=science
Because new medical residents begin work in July, some have suggested that July brings with it increases in mortality and "mishaps" at hospitals. Most studies show no such dramatic - or even undramatic - rise in problems. But in a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine published last year, a 10% increase in medical errors was reported during the month of July.
Hmmm... think twice about scheduling that surgery for July.
From today's NY Times Science section - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/really-the-claim-hospital-mortality-rates-rise-in-july/?ref=science
Because new medical residents begin work in July, some have suggested that July brings with it increases in mortality and "mishaps" at hospitals. Most studies show no such dramatic - or even undramatic - rise in problems. But in a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine published last year, a 10% increase in medical errors was reported during the month of July.
Hmmm... think twice about scheduling that surgery for July.
it's a thought
how to meditatively reflect on
the disadvantages of anger*
the disadvantages of anger*
1. anger creates havoc
2. anger magnifies problems
3. anger undermines virtues
*excerpt from how to be compassionate, a handbook for creating inner peace and a happier world
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
July 4, 2011
What a way to celebrate the 4th of July!!
Today!!
Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest -
Women's winner: Sonya Thomas - 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes (yay, Sonya!!)
Men's winner: Joey Chestnut - 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Inspired by Sonya and Joey and my own comparatively paltry attempts at gargantuan eating, I looked to Major League Eating (http://www.ifoce.com/) for more awe-instilling feats -
Sonya again!!! 8.31 lbs Armour Vienna Sausage in 10 minutes (2005)
Joey again!!! 9 lbs, 5.2 oz deep fried asparagus spears in 10 minutes (2011)
Don Lerman - 6 lbs baked beans in 1 minute, 48 seconds
Dominic Cardo - 3 lbs, 3 oz pickled beef tongue in 12 minutes
Don Lerman - 7 quarter lb sticks of salted butter in 5 minutes
Sonya again!!! 11 lbs cheesecake in 9 minutes
Takeru Kobayashi - 17.7 lbs of cow brains (or 57 cows' brains) in 15 minutes
Photos of many of the winners are at http://www.ifoce.com/rankings.php
Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest -
Women's winner: Sonya Thomas - 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes (yay, Sonya!!)
Men's winner: Joey Chestnut - 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Inspired by Sonya and Joey and my own comparatively paltry attempts at gargantuan eating, I looked to Major League Eating (http://www.ifoce.com/) for more awe-instilling feats -
Sonya again!!! 8.31 lbs Armour Vienna Sausage in 10 minutes (2005)
Joey again!!! 9 lbs, 5.2 oz deep fried asparagus spears in 10 minutes (2011)
Don Lerman - 6 lbs baked beans in 1 minute, 48 seconds
Dominic Cardo - 3 lbs, 3 oz pickled beef tongue in 12 minutes
Don Lerman - 7 quarter lb sticks of salted butter in 5 minutes
Sonya again!!! 11 lbs cheesecake in 9 minutes
Takeru Kobayashi - 17.7 lbs of cow brains (or 57 cows' brains) in 15 minutes
Photos of many of the winners are at http://www.ifoce.com/rankings.php
July 2, 2011
world bank of freely available information
want stats re education, civil war, terrorism and trafficking, landmines, natural resources of Africa, key gender topics, World Bank projects, socio-economic conditions in Latin America & the Caribbean?
all yours for the taking at http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog
all yours for the taking at http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog
July 1, 2011
deo juvante
prince albert II gets married in a civil ceremony today. but why is he only a prince?
and when was it decided that ONLY a legitimate heir could inherit the throne (not unheard of in the history of this small principality to allow an illegitimate daughter to rule . . .)
did the eagles play "lyin' eyes" last night at their concert in honor of the big occasion last night?
he forever remains a "prince" & not a king because monaco is a principality and not a kingdom. monarchs of a principality are princes whereas monarchs of a kingdom are kings.knowing the consequences if he fails to produce a legitimate heir, why has he waited so long to marry?
and when was it decided that ONLY a legitimate heir could inherit the throne (not unheard of in the history of this small principality to allow an illegitimate daughter to rule . . .)
did the eagles play "lyin' eyes" last night at their concert in honor of the big occasion last night?
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