I
was fond of reading, but father had brought only a few
religious
books from Scotland. Fortunately, several of our neighbors
had
brought a dozen or two of all sorts of books, which I borrowed and
read,
keeping all of them except the religious ones carefully hidden
from
father's eye. Among these were Scott's novels, which, like all
other
novels, were strictly forbidden, but devoured with glorious
pleasure
in secret. Father was easily persuaded to buy Josephus' "Wars
of
the Jews," and D'Aubigné's "History of the Reformation,"
and I
tried
hard to get him to buy Plutarch's Lives, which, as I told him,
everybody,
even religious people, praised as a grand good book; but he
would
have nothing to do with the old pagan until the graham bread and
anti-flesh
doctrines came suddenly into our backwoods neighborhood,
making
a stir something like phrenology and spirit-rappings, which
were
as mysterious in their attacks as influenza. He then thought it
possible
that Plutarch might be turned to account on the food question
by
revealing what those old Greeks and Romans ate to make them strong;
and
so at last we gained our glorious Plutarch. Dick's "Christian
Philosopher,"
which I borrowed from a neighbor, I thought I might
venture
to read in the open, trusting that the word "Christian"
would
be
proof against its cautious condemnation. But father balked at the
word
"Philosopher," and quoted from the Bible a verse which
spoke of
"philosophy
falsely so-called." I then ventured to speak in defense of
the
book, arguing that we could not do without at least a little of
the
most useful kinds of philosophy.
"Yes,
we can," he said with enthusiasm, "the Bible is the only
book
human
beings can possibly require throughout all the journey from
earth
to heaven."
"But
how," I contended, "can we find the way to heaven without
the
Bible,
and how after we grow old can we read the Bible without a
little
helpful science? Just think, father, you cannot read your Bible
without
spectacles, and millions of others are in the same fix; and
spectacles
cannot be made without some knowledge of the science of
optics."
"Oh!"
he replied, perceiving the drift of the argument, "there will
always
be plenty of worldly people to make spectacles."
To
this I stubbornly replied with a quotation from the Bible with
reference
to the time coming when "all shall know the Lord from the
least
even to the greatest," and then who will make the spectacles?
But
he still objected to my reading that book, called me a
contumacious
quibbler too fond of disputation, and ordered me to
return
it to the accommodating owner. I managed, however, to read it
later.
[John
Muir, THE STORY OF MY BOYHOOD AND YOUTH]
==========
The
afternoon of June 9, 1907, was a fine sunny Sabbath as my wife and I
drove along the country road leading from Dixbury, Massachusetts, to
the part of Marshfield known as Green Harbor. Just after we had
crossed the Dyke Meadow Bridge and were nearing the seashore, my
attention was attracted to an unknown bird which was feeding by the
roadside with a small flock of English Sparrows. My first thought was
that it was a partial albino Red-winged Blackbird or a freak
Bobolink. The bird was quite tame and allowed a prolonged
observation, with glasses, at the width of a country road, and we
were able not only to take note of all the plumage markings but to
see the shape of the bill very clearly, so that the bird was
recognized as a finch of some kind. The bird was feeding avidly upon
the seeds of wayside dandelions, which it procured by jumping up from
the ground and nipping, with its powerful beak, through the base of
the ripening flower heads, each time alighting with a beakful of
white pappus. After we had watched it for some time, during which it
frequently interrupted by passing carriages and autos, it flew off
across the grassy meadows and disappeared behind a knoll. It was an
adult male LARK BUNTING in full breeding plumage.
The
Lark Bunting is a characteristic bird of the great western plains.
[Edward
Howe Forbush]
==========
BEEHIVE
GINGER | Zingiber spectabile
… full
sun outdoors … even moisture during the growing season; less water
as the summer wanes; winter it in an ‘unheated sun room’ for the
winter … ‘An arrangement of beehive ginger cones may be just the
thing to stir the heart of your honey’. …
[BIZARRE
BOTANICALS]
==========
To
clean an Octopus turn it upside down, sever the few muscles that hold
the viscera, then turn the ‘head’ inside out. Remove the viscera
and the dark ink sacs that you will find inside. Turn it right side
out again, place it in a pan, and cover it with coarse salt. Scrub it
with the dry salt; this will cause a slimy lather to appear that
should be rinsed off whenever ti becomes bothersome. Continue to rub
it with salt until no more lather appears and the skin begins tearing
off in strips. Remove the skin, cut the tentacles into
convenient-sized strips , and your Octopus is ready to cook. …
The
Hawaiians eat Octopus raw, and, far from being horrible, it is at
least as good as the raw Cherrystone Clams we relish. … The
Hawaiians eat it with poi, but that is a delicacy unobtainable
here. …
When
the cleaned meat is run through a food chopper, the resulting
Octopus-burger can be used in any of the ways recommended for
preparing ground-up whelk, clam, or other tough shellfish.
[Euell
Gibbons]
==========
In
April 1844 the Poe household was on the move again, its destination
being once more New York. …
Within
a week of his arrival he had sold a story of sensation to the New
York Sun. On April 13 that newspaper carried the headline,
ASTOUNDING INTELLIGENCE BY PRIVATE EXPRESS FROM CHARLESTON VIA
NORFOLK! THE ATLANTIC OCEAN CROSSED IN THREE DAYS!! ARRIVAL AT
SULLIVAN’S ISLAND OF A STEERING BALLOON INVENTED BY MR. MONCK
MASON!! …
‘The
Balloon Hoax’ is one of his most celebrated stories, not least
because it opened the path for later writers of science fantasy
including Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. … ‘The Balloon Hoax’
reports to be the journal of Mr. Monck Mason, a real aeronaut who had
already flown by balloon from Vauxhall Gardens to Weilberg in
Germany. So Poe adopts his name and contrives a fantastic adventure
for him; Mason performs what was then considered an impossible feat
and, by ingenious arrangement of valves and air, manages to steer his
balloon across the Atlantic. Poe was a century ahead of the actual
achievement, but there is nothing in his account that strains
credulity. … Poe had perpetuated a similar hoax some nine years
before in ‘Hans Phaall – A Tale’, in which a journey by balloon
to the moon is outlined in some detail … They were a form of satire
… But they were also a form of ratiocination, a challenge to create
a suitable and perfectly plausible set of circumstances by which the
impossible could be conveyed with the utmost verisimilitude.
[Peter
Ackroyd]
==========
Relentless
hunting soon practically exterminated the [sea otter], though in the
1920’s an occasional pelt was sold … Protected by international
treaty after 1911, however, the almost extinct species began to
increase so rapidly that by 1936 it was estimated there were one or
two thousand in American waters. In 1938 a small herd, the first in a
century, appeared at Carmel, California, where they have been ever
since …
But
at the end of the eighteenth century, the possible extinction of a
beautiful and interesting species troubled the Pacific traders not a
whit. They simply rushed in where there was a chance for profits …
A single cargo might be worth a million dollars. One guileless Indian
tribe traded $8,000 worth of furs for an old chisel. Discovering the
eagerness of the Indians for one-inch chisels, and blue beads (in
preference of all other colors), the traders made them standard
mediums of exchange, at great advantage to themselves.
[EYES
OF DISCOVERY]
==========
All
the pot-herbs are lovers of water and of dung, except rue, which does
not at all like dung; this is true of the winter no less than of the
summer herbs, and of the tender no less than of the strong ones. The
dung which is most commended is that which is mixed with litter,
while that of beasts of burden is held to be bad, because it is most
apt to lose its moisture. Dung which is mixed with the seed is most
in request, but some cast the manure on while they are sowing, and
they also use fresh human dung as a liquid manure.
[Theophrastus]
__________
»Tim
Tebow -- Even Jesus Is Piling On
Tim
Tebow and the Broncos got beat so badly by Tom Brady and the New
England Patriots yesterday ... even Jesus is taking shots at Timmy
now!
-----
He-Man:
"I'm Sexy And I Know It"
Prince
Adam wouldn't miss a dance party.
-----
Attending
‘Price Is Right’ Taping Apparently Sailors’ Best Idea For Shore
Leave
-----
Failed
Russian Mars probe crashes into the Pacificc
-----
With
Tom Cruise at work on the Pittsburgh set of his latest film One Shot,
Suri and Katie are having some mother-daughter time alone at the
family's New york apartment.
On
Friday evening the ladies enjoyed a production of Mary Poppins on
Broadway.
Cheeky:
The five-year-old stuck her tongue out at nearby photographers
Cuddle
for mummy: Katie scooped up her daughter for a hug as they made their
way to the car
-----
People
still actully care about Norton? AVG, CCleaner and Malwarebytes are
all I need and I've never had a single virus or any adware and
malware get through to my system.
-
Damian, Bham, 16/1/2012 03:00
-----
Anyone
who installs Norton Anti-virus must seriously know very little about
computers. It's just a scare tactic that works on people with limited
knowledge of computers. It in itself is a virus!! It's a shame we
can't better educate users against this trash.
-
what-a-lad, Chester, 16/1/2012 02:56
-----
I
am senior programmer for a major I.T company , I have worked with
thousands of I.T professionals over the years and do you know how
many of us use norton?None! Norton is widely hated in the industry
because it does more harm than good , it is itself a virus . The only
reason people think its good is because of Nortons aggressive
marketing , most laptops come with it installed and its heavily
promoted in PC stores etc. so people assume it MUST be good if laptop
makers trust it and it's expensive .... but the fact is PC makers
don't 'trust' Norton , they just promote it due to financial
transactions between hardware manufacturers and Norton . When I
worked for a leading laptop brand our call centre staff were sent on
a 'training course' where they we're taught to answer customers
questions about anti viruses as such : "we are not allowed to
promote any specific brand madam , but just between you and me I use
Norton at home"
-
Ginny, Sussex , 16/1/2012 01:16
-----
Monsanto
to face biopiracy charges in India
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