SACRED PLACES - RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE



A few notes: this is by no means a complete survey. I could post for a year, and not scratch the surface of sites devoted to buildings and places set apart for sacred purposes. Whole types - such as the great European Cathedrals - are absent, mostly because it's an idea for another post.. Nevertheless, there is much of interest to be found in the following, and if you are a 'surfer' too, there's enough other links to be found to greatly broaden the coverage..

Angkor Wat - so important to Khmer identity it's on their flag...

Touro Synagogue - in Newport, RI

Wooden Synagogues of Poland

Jain Temples

Quebec Churches (also in French, of course..)

Kamekura , Japan - loads of temples and shrines in Japan's 'old capital'

Yasukuni Shrine - Shinto shrine, controversial for its associations with Japanese militarism..

Hagia Sofia - the "Mother Church" of Eastern Orthodoxy

Islamic Religious Architecture

Great Mosque of Kilwa (Tanzania)

Irish Monastic Buildings

Amsterdam's Oude Kerk

Ancient Egyptian Virtual Temple

More Indian Temples

Charleston SC Churches

And finally, two megasites that will keep you busy: Sacred Sites , and Oriental Architecture (although not only religious, links to a vast amount of it..)

'Whenever God erects a house of prayer The devil always builds a chapel there; And 'twill be found, upon examination, The latter has the largest congregation.'
Daniel Defoe
- posted by matt @ 2/29/2004 08:57:00 PM

 
A BIT OF FINE PHOTOGRAPHY



While I don't make any claims to being a practitioner of the art myself, I really enjoy good photography. You most often see that reflected here when I post links to Pbase galleries. Occasionally, though, I like to cast a wider net, and seek out websites created by or devoted to individual photographers of note. Here's some I've found recently..

Two giants of Latin American Photography: Robert Gerstmann (born in Austria, moved to Chile..) and the Peruvian, Martin Chambi; 2nd Chambi site here..

A site celebrating contemporary Colombian Photography

Ivan Barta , Czech photographer, specializing in poignant images of orphans and the like..

Boogie's site

A Day in Our Life

Herman Krieger - skillful, humerous photo essays. However, in my opinion, his use of his photo site as a platform for his evident hostility towards Christianity detracts from their impact..

Wright's World - Bill Wright is a rare bird - a good documentary photographer, who not out of naivete, but as a concious choice, prefers to focus on positive and affirming aspects of humanity, even in the most difficult situations..

Note Added on 2/29/04 If you check the comment section below, you will see that Herman Krieger took me to task a bit for my comment on his view of Christianity. Upon reflection, and another visit to his site, I realize that it was unfounded. In fact, it boils down to that I had just seen "The Passion of the Christ" a few hours previous, and his negative take on the movie, which I found moving, ccaused me to unfairly judge the tone of his site. So Herman, I apologize, and I urge you to visit his site unswayed by my own prejudices. I DID put it here because it's good!

Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.
- posted by matt @ 2/28/2004 11:32:00 PM

 
LINKS FROM MAARTEN

Well, I'm coming to the end of my vacation. It's a tribute to my obsessive/compulsive personality that despite my dire warnings of absence, I have managed to post something here every day. But I did have fun, spent a lot of time in Boston, cultivated a relationship, and spent money I don't have.
Meanwhile, Maarten has been sharing links with me that for whatever reason he isn't using in HIS blog, but which he thought might go well here. As you'll see, he must think I'm a REAL weirdo..."what? what's my point?...er, forget it.."

Anyway, thanks a lot Maarten, tonight I can really use some freebies!

Let's start with a seriously good one: Soople , an advanced Google searching page.

And a great contemporary Dutch poet (English pages here as well)

PICA , a rare eating disorder

A post on 'last meals' leads to interesting debate on the death penalty.

Left Hand Universe

Your Amazing Brain

Color the Presidents!

Need an Imaginary Girlfriend?

Care to pose dead?

Televangelist Bingo!

Antique Recipes

Giant Tasmanian Trees

Not bad for leftovers, eh?

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
Aristotle

- posted by matt @ 2/27/2004 11:01:00 PM

 
JUST FUN

Tonight, a few flash and cartoon sites you might enjoy..

Webtoons - at Mishmash Media. Several too choose from, many episodes each (animations)

Five Kids in a Car

Stickman Identity

SSWOA

Matt Courtright

Igor Revyakin - my favorite!

Conedog Cartoons - debatable taste here..

The Yum Factory

Ackxhpaez

"The finest amusements are the most pointless ones."
Jacques Chardonnes

- posted by matt @ 2/26/2004 10:24:00 PM

 
STRICTLY HARDBOILED



Some links to sites celebrating the genre of crime fiction which featured sleazy, busty babes and crooked , violent guys. They inspired film noir. As one site says, 'if the butler did it, we don't list it!"

Hardboiled Heaven - this is a great site, and I have to give them credit for leading me - directly or indirectly - to many of the following as well.

Raymond Chandler

Dashiell Hammett

Hardboiled Mysteries

Australian Hardboiled

Allan Guthrie maintains a great site, inclusing a noirzine
featuring new writing..

More up and coming harboiled writers here..

The slang..

Lurid Covers - great archives; also liked his distinctions, i.e. "lurid vs. porn", "lurid vs. sleaze" etc.

"In an age that is utterly corrupt, the best policy is to do as others do."
Marquis de Sade
- posted by matt @ 2/25/2004 10:49:00 PM

 
MOLLY MAGUIRES



Having the illustrious surname of 'Maguire' , I've always been interested in this secret society, an early and violent chapter in the struggle for labor rights in America. They were ultimately destroyed by James Pinkerton, in an investigation and trial which remain controversial to this day.. here are some points of view:

A Popular Ballad

Article from 'The Coalcracker'

The Pinkerton perspective

Paper from a Providence College student (Providence College, a small Dominican institution near me, has for the last 30 years maintained excellent scholarship in the field of American immigrant history..)

Brief Spartacus View

The Movie (with Sean Connery and Richard Harris)

The Mollies Are Coming! (good site leftover from last year's commemoration - some links are now dead, but others quite valuable)

Excerpts from the trials

Finally, the Handprint ..an eerie momento...

PBASE

Winter in Scandinavia

Winter in Bay of Fundy

Jazz in Basel

EXTREME RELIGION

Tom Jones Spirituality (yep, the Welsh singer inspires this preacher..)

Giants of Genesis 6 (actually, apart from the validity of his theories, this site offers a fascinating survey of giants in world folklore)

Hell - these folks don't want you to go there, but they seem to love their subject matter a BIT too much. Love the midi..

'Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.'
Anonymous

- posted by matt @ 2/24/2004 10:24:00 PM

 
FROGS



Australian Rainforest Varieties

Australian Giants - photos

Save the Titicaca Giants

Namibian Giant Bullfrog Cuisine

VARIED

..some nice finds here tonight..

Ed Stephen, a professor from the state of Washington, has put together a lot of nice webpages. I'm going to put a few favorites here, but recommend you click on the 'home button' on any of them, to explore his other efforts..

Tarzan of the Internet - exhaustive study of everywhere he lurks!

Animations - sex ratios , relativity

These next two are not Ed's, but were found in his links: Animated Knot Tyeing Lessons - great!

and..Los Angeles County Museum of Art Thanks, Ed!

Philosophy in Cyberspace - an interesting project, polyglot (I saw English and Dutch/Flemish stuff..)

Development of Modern Europe - great historical atlas pages showing emergence of modern nation states

Yale Map Collection Online - nice historic maps..

Historic Towns of the Low Countries - good travel writing..

Web Gallery of Art - I'm not sure if I've linked here before, but if you have any interest in European painting at all, you need to have this one bookmarked!

'A theory may be so rich in descriptive possibilities that it can be made to fit any data.'
Phillip Johnson-Laird


- posted by matt @ 2/23/2004 09:25:00 PM

 
PRETZELS



Hard or soft, plain or flavored, even covered with chocolate - they're a great snacks! But did you know pretzels also have a colorful history, dating back 1400 years?

Pretzel History

More Pretzel History

Even More Pretzel History!

Virtual tour of a pretzel factory

Recipe for Soft Baked Pretzels

Another Recipe

A Swabian recipe - for American kitchens; it seems to secret ingredent is LYE!

And find many more recipes here..

If, like me, you're unlikely to be baking your own anytime soon, check out these reviews of pretzels you can buy at the supermarket..

VISUAL DELIGHTS

An Award Winning Austrian Flash Site

Digital Art from Tasmania

Ukrainian Art

Guatamalan Art

PBase Galleries: Hoover Reservoir - receives gushing reviews from other photographers, and I can see why..

Grand Tetons - beautiful pics of a beautiful place. One of the drawbacks of American monolingualism is that the French were able to trick us into calling one of our most scenic ranges the "Big Tit Mountains"....

Speaking of which, this "R" rated gallery documents a wild party in Tampa where all the ladies flashed their (huge) tetons for the camera..

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts."
Albert Einstein
- posted by matt @ 2/22/2004 10:39:00 PM

 
TOKEN POST

I actually spent a whole Saturday in wholesome recreational activities away from the PC. OK, you don't believe that. Well, I WAS away from the PC, anyway... but for my legions of loyal readers who expect at least SOMETHING new , here's a few time wasters. Hope you both appreciate it..

Write your own movie script

Have Eric convey an emotion

ASCII Madness

2004 Flash Forward -People's Choice..

'Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question.'
Niels Henrik David Bohr .
- posted by matt @ 2/22/2004 12:13:00 AM

 
STINKY...



..AND CARNIVOROUS ...



PLANTS!

Stinky Rabbitbrush - a milder one, for an aperatif..

Stinky Flowers at Wayne's Word

A Nice Couple: Mr. Stinky and Alice

Titan Arum

Carnivorous

And finally, proof that plants aren't the only things that stink; worst country song titles!

Laws of Thermodynamics:
1. You cannot win.
2. You cannot break even.
3. You cannot stop playing the game.
Anonymous
- posted by matt @ 2/20/2004 11:03:00 PM

 
WEIRD SCIENCE



A few sites that'll get you thinking, a few that'll get you laughing, and maybe a few that are just the result of the wrong kid getting a chemistry set for Christmas 20 years ago..

Remote Biological Sensing (helps finding ET's)

Strange Doings With Inert Gases

Microwave experiments - in 1897!

Crop Circles - so you thought they were a hoax? Not according to these folks!

Space Frontier - prepare for the New Colonies..

Fortean Times - everything weird, under one umbrella!

The Orgone - devoted to the theories of the discredited Wilhelm Reich - disciple of Freud, ended up in jail.. still a favorite of sexual liberationists..

Fantastic Library - nice weird science images from Cornell University..

Classic Home Experiments - collected for posterity..

Time Travel

And if that's not enough, find a bunch more here.. (excellent links)

'Penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless, calmly licking its chops.'
H.L. Mencken

- posted by matt @ 2/19/2004 09:44:00 PM

 
A FEW VARIED

Abstract Art

Office Museum (..early pencil sharpeners anyone?)

Weather Damage Photos

Almendres Megaliths (photos, if you understand Spanish, click on 'voltar' for essay..)

Dumpster Diving Forum (don't knock it till you've tried it!)

'I slept,and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke,and found that life was Duty.'
Ellen Sturgis Hooper

- posted by matt @ 2/18/2004 09:50:00 PM

 
AUTOMATIC INSTRUMENTS



A few nice museum links Maarten sent over..

Pianola Museum

Speelklok


PSYCHOLOGY

Web of Addictions a strong site leading to all kinds of factual information on the subject of addictive substances and behaviors..

Phobia List - whatever you're afraid of, there's probably a name for it here!

Resources on the History of Idiocy

Psychology Classics Online - read firsthand the articles, papers and books which have molded this discipline, and thus, directly or filtered through societal assumptions, the way we view others and ourselves..

The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James . Complete online text. This book, by the great American pragmatist philospher, deserves its own link. It had a huge impact on the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, and indeed, upon my own life. It's basic premise was not to approach 'religious experience' from the theological perspective, but rather in terms of phenomena that exists, and can be studied - the reality of suddenlyf changed lives. Regardless of one's belief or non-belief in God and/or spirituality, a fact that cannot be denied is that throughout history, countless individuals have expereinced profound, life-altering changes through what they, at least, perceived as encounters with the supranormal. James said,"It happens,". Bill Wilson asked, "Can we somehow CAUSE it to happen?" The 12 Steps was the answer he arrived at..

VARIED

The Emperor Norton - great eccentric of San Francisco..

Museum of Hoaxes - from pre-history through today (literally) if it's a hoax, it's probably here!

'The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.'
William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

- posted by matt @ 2/17/2004 09:25:00 PM

 
A FEW VARIED

Cockapoos - One of the best dogs for children, known for their good nature. We had one, but in those days, we just called them 'mutts'..

William Saroyan "Growing Up in Fresno" - notable essay..

Essays from Steinbeck, on America and Americans..

Eccentric Chessplayers

British Eccentrics

Make a Plastic Version of Yourself!

'People who overly take care of their health are like misers. They hoard up a treasure which they never enjoy.'
Laurence Sterne


- posted by matt @ 2/16/2004 10:31:00 PM

 
INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC



Listen to some here, and follow links to reach other pages from this site, one of the best..

Huge database of articles

North Indian

South Indian (also in Dutch or German)

And of course, Ravi Shankar

VARIOUS

Therapeutic Film - great site by a psychologist who uses classic films to help his patients deal with issues. Believes, as I do, that the best films, like other great art, can enrich our experience and understanding of what it means to be human..

Finally, check out this Australian sheepdog in action!


Well, as you might have noticed, it's hard for me to stay away! It is easier posting in smaller bites, maybe the 99 % of bloggers who do so are 'on to something'. But don't expect a quote every time, though. However, here's one dedicated to my return to work tomorrow..

'Never ask of money spent
Where the spender thinks it went
Nobody was ever meant
To remember or invent
What he did with every cent.'
Robert Frost, "The Hardship of Accounting"

- posted by matt @ 2/15/2004 10:09:00 PM

 
POSTING IN SHORT BURSTS!

This person claims "My Mother Is Insane" ...from the evidence, could be right..

And speaking of insane, check out this rant - it starts off acclaiming Charles Manson as a great visionary, but then it gets weird..:)

At PBase: Victoria Falls, Zambia

Also at PBase, in a photographer's clique (Minolta users) they had a competition and an exhibition on the subject of 'diagonals'. Actually, some nice pics, and it helps novices like me be more aware of such things as lines and angles when looking at photography..

'I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends.'
Dave Barry

- posted by matt @ 2/15/2004 07:32:00 AM

 
JUST A FEW & A NOTE

I might not be QUITE as active as usual here for the next two weeks, as I have visitors from out of state, and will be taking some time to show them around New England. But I will certainly post when I can, and I promise I'll return to my normal boring life soon enough...

Texas Death Row - official site, includes links to last statements..

Home Despot - cross between a blog and a website, all kinds of quirky weird stuff. A lot of it has to do with Japan. Weird Japan, that is..

Electricity Virtual Museum

Create a Virtual Model of yourself

Nation Stats - compare nations statistically - really useful site!

Ghost Towns

Online Video Sites - links and reviews

Oh, and by the way, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!"



- posted by matt @ 2/14/2004 03:36:00 PM

 
ANCIENT HISTORY AND CULTURES



The Roman Army

Roman Emperors

PBS Site on the Ancient Greeks - well done, as usual..

Sparta Revisited .... most of us have a 'one dimensional' view of Sparta, from high school classes in which a few sentences on Spartan militarism preceded lengthy accolades about Athenian culture and democracy..this site might change that!

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

The Phoenicians - another great site, by someone who feels the Phoenecians have received a lot of bad press the past few thousand years..

Cyrus the Great - devoted to this Persian Emperor..

Ancient Mesopotamia

Nubian History

And, though this brief survey doesn't really 'go there' , civilization was also happening in China. Take a look at these art treasures..

VARIED

Yiddish Culture and Links

Jewish Song Database

Kosher Food - delivered to your door! This is a New Jersey 'deli' but it features mouth watering pictures of some of my favorite foods growing up (..hey, I was an Irish Catholic kid, but I knew good eating..) . Also a nice page of Yiddish expressions..

Online Film clips with Northern New England themes..

History of Dutch Comics ; and of course also available in Dutch..

A very nice site by Monks ; at least they had the sense to build their monastary in Florida..

'When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.'
Jonathan Swift


- posted by matt @ 2/13/2004 09:27:00 PM

 
VARIED TANGENTS FROM A SOCIOLOGY START



American Mafia

Sicilian Mafia (opens to most complete pages, in Italian. But links to other languages, including English, at top..)

Alan Turing early computer visionary..

Dead Media - nice 'project site' on various historical types of media. See for yourself..

Do you ever wonder online how often the "she" you're chatting with is really a "he"? Check out this article on cyber genderswapping..

The fascinating works of the Chilean surrealist Roberto Matta , and an article here suggesting his works from the 1940's foretold cybersex..

On a more wholesome note, a little study on online relationships, and how they end up..

Theories of Juvenile Delinquency

Sociology Online

Music Charts - top 100's lists , and Alaska Jim's site - be warned, this one has great content (music lists) but if you use a popup stopper, switch it one!

Finally, a PBase gallery of "smiley gifs" . We all use 'em, find a few new ones here!

'..men run from virtue as if from a foe or poisonous snake. Either the land is cursed, or long corrupted custom drives them so.'
Dante, Purgatorio, Canto XIV
- posted by matt @ 2/12/2004 09:33:00 PM

 
WEDNESDAY FOLLIES


Two on the poet Allan Ginsberg; Ginzy.com and a Levity Tribute

Opium Magazine - Literary Humor

Atom Films - watch independent short films online..

ASCII Art Farts - you know, art with letters. Don't you feel inferior when people this clever email you? Or just grateful you aren't one of them..?

Speaking of which, visit Boring Art.Com

Insect Image Gallery from Iowa State

Valentines Day fun - Lynxlips

Classic Adult Movie Posters

Italian Funereal Erotica Calender

American Accents

The last four links are courtesy of my friend Maarten, who inspired me to get into this blogging thing in the first place. You will see the link to his previous blog, "Me and the Web" still listed here, as it contains a marvelous archive of links. However, for purposes of enjoying cameraderie with a host of Dutch speaking friends , he has switched to a Dutch blog, "Spinneweb". I would urge you to visit it, as he continues to post great links, many of which lead to English language sites. Maarten is fluent in many languages, and would welcome and respond to your comments , should you have any..

Ok, how about nature getting its 'rocks' off? Or, an urban dictionary you help create?

"In war-time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies."
Winston Churchill
- posted by matt @ 2/11/2004 09:43:00 PM

 
HIKING AND TREKKING



An unseasonably delightful day today, 40 degrees (F) , got me thinking about the great outdoors... here's a few links for fellow armchair trekkers..

Webwalking - nice megasite, devoted to the pastime..

The Appalachian Trail - a site devoted to this great hike, which goes from Mt. Katahdin in Maine down to Stone Mountain, Georgia, traversing some of the most spectacular scenary in the eastern USA..

Great Walks in Queensland, Australia

Get your Irish Mountains sorted..

Hike Patagonia..

..but be darn careful in Angola!

And for the truly adventurous, trek in SE Asia..

INTERMEZZO

As I've read other folks' blogs, in which they movingly and with eloquence share their lives, their deepest hopes, struggles, ambitions and perceptions, I began to wonder if I'm 'hiding' behind these links here. If I have a pathological reluctance to 'let people in' , to share of myself in any meaningful way. Then today, I visited a high quality blog in which the blogger shared - at length, with gusto, and in intimate, loving, graphic detail - his ongoing experiences with a 'bug' which seems to have settled in his gastro-intestinal tract.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I remain who I am. Be grateful!

VARIED

Andy Sheng is one of the best photographers of nature with galleries in PBase. Here, he finds amazing beauty in simple snow and ice patterns.

Also, beautiful photos of Salzburg by Ivy Cablayan..

Hartsdale Pet Cemetery - when Fido deserves the VERY best..

Bombshells.com - devoted to the classic Hollywood actresses who had style as well as nice breasts..

And while in Hollywood, let's stop by a great tribute to Bogart..

"You're not a star until they can spell your name in Karachi."
Humphrey Bogart
- posted by matt @ 2/10/2004 09:57:00 PM

 
SACO AND VANZETTI - MURDERERS OR MARTYRS?



A single topic today. The arrest, trial and execution of Nicola Saco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for murder during a bungled robbery was catapulted from a criminal case of local interest here in Massachusetts into an international cause celebre. To many observers, then and now, it seemed that the pair were being punished not for a crime for which the evidence to convict was sketchy at best, but rather for their unabashedlly anarchist beliefs. In fact, even today repercussions are felt here; despite our share of heinous crimes, Massachusetts legislators steadfastly refuse to reimplement the death penalty...

The Saco Vanzetti Project is a great starting point..

Here's another good overview..

Focus on the trial, from Court TV

Trial excerpts here

The Ballistics Evidence

Opposing Views on its significance

To learn more about the historical development of firearms identification forensics, and see where this fits in, go here..

Site in Italian

Perspective from An Anarchist Site

Cartoons from The Daily Worker

The Socialist Worker's Viewpoint

Justice Felix Frankfurter's 1927 Atlantic Article

Audio Presentations from Multimedia History Site

Songs by Woody Guthrie and others..

This article is primarily of interest because of the notoriety of the author, Fred Leuchter. This Boston engineer sold himself as an expert on execution devices when capital punishment was resumed after a 20 year hiatus in the US. Then he moved into the field of Holocaust Revisionism, getting himself arrested in Germany, and loved by neonazis everywhere..

Essay by Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, the 'heavies' of American anarchism..

Upton Sinclair , the famous 'muckraker' wrote a huge novel, 'Boston' , about the case. Young radical that I was, I slogged through it for a high school writing assignment..

The Saco and Vanzetti Case makes this list of 10 most important trials in American History..

..as well as this one of the most important anarchist events..

OK, if you've done your homework, please take a second to register YOUR verdict in the poll below:



'How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.'

Bob Dylan, 'Hurricane'
- posted by matt @ 2/09/2004 09:49:00 PM

 
3 AFRICAN EMPIRES



Mali

Songhay

Ghana

PHOTOGRAPHY

Lighthouses

Swans

Sherman Hines Museum

LITERATURE

Dutch Books Made into Films

Heimskringla (Chronicle of Norse Kings) Online

Damian McGregor (New Zealand Poet) - nice presentation of his work..

..AND FINALLY....DEATH!

What a way to go!

'There is a battle that goes on between men and women. Many people call it love.'
Edvard Munch
- posted by matt @ 2/08/2004 10:13:00 PM

 
COUGH! COUGH!



Tonight, a few on tobacco and smoking! A curse, yes, but also one that has played a large part in history.

Some history, from the Tobacco.Org site

Exhibits from North Carolina State University

The Scientific Facts

A British Smoking Writer

Movies rated for smoking content..

Ephedrina - in the same boat as me..

MILITARY HISTORY STUFF

Massive Portal to Everything About British and Commonwealth Military History

Canadian Military Uniforms

Russian Military Uniforms

Benedict Arnold

Fort Ticonderoga

3 More Traitors

VARIED

Summons (online horror comic)

The Seven Wonders - nice site, in depth treatment of each, and also suggests others from parts of the world unknown to the Greeks, which might have qualified..

'Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.'
Henry David Thoreau

- posted by matt @ 2/07/2004 09:30:00 PM

 
AMERICAN HISTORY

Great Archive of 19th Century American Magazines

The Federalist Papers articles written to urge states to ratify the constitution..

The Anti-Federalist Papers opposing views, often from well known figures..

Superb Online US History Primary Source hypertext project ..from the University of Groningen!

VARIED



Nice online version of Bulfinch's Mythology

The Doge of Venice

Some Like it Hot - the Earth's Core

Some Like it Hot - the classic movie..

Web Museum , Paris - great site for online art..

UPDATE

A few days ago, I posted on the 1918 Infulenza Epidemic; well, some new findings featured at the BBC site today, see here..

Charles Babbage objected to Tennyson's lines from The Vision of Sin, "Every moment dies a man, / Every moment one is born" and sent the following letter:

I need hardly point out to you that this calculation would tend to keep the sum total of the world's population in a state of perpetual equipoise, whereas it is a well-known fact that the said sum total is constantly on the increase. I would therefore take the liberty of suggesting that in the next edition of your excellent poem the erroneous calculation to which I refer should be corrected as follows:
Every moment dies a man,
Every moment one and one-sixteenth is born
I may add that the exact figures are 1.167, but something must, of course, be conceded to the laws of metre.


- posted by matt @ 2/06/2004 09:52:00 PM

 
MOLDS & MILDEWS



OK, you're thinking to yourself, 'Matt's finally lost it. Molds. He's really scraping the bottom of the barrel here..' No, actually I'm scraping the bottom of the bowl of Chinese leftovers I found buried in the back of my refrigerator...

Seriously, strange life forms fascinate me (you should see my friends..) so it was time to put the spotlight on the fungus amungus..

No Respect - New Yorker article on mycologists..

More on Myxomycetes!

Molds, Mildews, Fungi and Algae - defined, and links to homeowner concerns..

Mold, proudly displayed

Snow Mold - one of the more aesthetically pleasing varieties..

Cleaning Mold out of your Horn or your Ingres

And a very interesting piece of the Library of Congress website, outlining preparedness plans for molds, floods, and other disasters threatening priceless collections of books and documents..

VARIOUS

A PBase gallery of old family pictures, taken with a Brownie; part of Jean Luc Elias' great selection..

Beethoven Reference Site - massive resource for the greatest composer. There. I said it.

US Newspaper Archives listed and linked, by state. Also tells you which are free, and how much the others cost to retrieve articles..

And a funny humor ezine, Frumious Bandersnatch

'Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs.'
David Ben Gurion
- posted by matt @ 2/05/2004 09:17:00 PM

 
WEDNESDAY ECLECTICA

Well, once again it's Wednesday evening - survived my 'longest day' of the week, including a nice session on the boss's carpet, explaining a controversial accounting decision, as well as a midweek kid's program I volunteer at. So, a bit exhausted, I make no (further) excuses: here's a random batch for you!



Help a Hedgehog!

Modal Music - Uwe Neumann, German born, currently in Quebec, studied all over the world, has created a unique personal blend of Indian Classical and Western musical traditions. Read about it, and listen to samples..

Two from Pbase: Kansas City Cow Parade, and Baby Pugs!

Post Modernist Essay Generator!

Country Music Lyrics Generator!

Tech Company Memo Generator!

This last generator is courtesy of Your Dictionary .com , which is really my best discovery of the day, a fantastic site for anyone who loves words and language.

'It is a blind goose that cometh to the fox's sermon. '
John Lyly
- posted by matt @ 2/04/2004 10:08:00 PM

 
EMILY DICKINSON



This amazing reclusive poetess, who rarely left her home in Amherst, MA , proved that life can be experienced intensely in the most circumscribed conditions...

Her poems

An appreciation by Galway Kinnell

'OTHER' BOWLING

I have lived most of my life in an an area where 'going bowling' requires an additional choice - what kind? For those who only know the '10 Pin' variety, well, you've missed out! Sure, you've got the biggest balls, but we get more action..

Duckpin Bowling - found in maybe half a dozen states. Squat pins, medium balls.

Candlepin Bowling - Invented in Worcester, MA , still played here and also a big hit in the maritime provinces of Canada. The smallest balls, cylindrical pins. Good part - you don't clear away the deadwood, you USE it!

And, one I've never tried: 5 Pin Bowling . Seems to be a Canadian thing also - if any of my Canadian readers have tried it, I'd love to hear your opinions - is it worth a pilgrimage to Edmonton?

VARIOUS

Got a pet hermit crab? Then you need this site..

The Ghan Arrives in Darwin - sensational Australian train route kicks off..

For whip collectors..

"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination."
Thomas Quincey
- posted by matt @ 2/03/2004 10:13:00 PM

 
CAJUN STUFF!



Deep in the Louisiana Bayou Country, the unique Cajun culture can be found. Read the history here. Here's some links devoted to the language, music and cuisine..

Cajun French



Cajun and Creole Music

Great Cajun and Zydeco Site

Listen to Oldtime Cajun Music



Cajun and Creole Cuisine - described..

Superb Recipes - with many resources, even links to order the sauces necessary..

And finally, take a virtual tour of south Louisiana..

VARIOUS

Balinese Art , and the story of Donald Friend's collection..

Nice PBase Gallery of Guatamala

Online Interactive Art "Trivial Connections" , found this browsing here..

There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.
Robert Byrne

- posted by matt @ 2/02/2004 09:50:00 PM

 
THE 1918 FLU PANDEMIC



There is perhaps nothing that is more bizarrely reported in the media today than disease. By this I mean the fact that 10 people have died from avian influenza makes headlines worldwide,while the destruction of Sub-Saharan Africa by AIDS continues unremarked. Old news. Likewise, in the history of the 20th century, the single deadliest episode is almost forgotten today. The "Spanish Lady" , the Influenza Epidemic of 1918, took somewhere between 20 and 100 million lives, worldwide. 675,000 in the US. 27,000 in the Netherlands. And untold millions in Asia.. My great uncle Charlie died in it. He survived service in the Phillipines during the Spanish-American War, but fell at the hands of another Spaniard..I only heard of him, because my grandmother, who lived to the age of 98, had in her possession a sword he had captured (or maybe bought, but we'll give old Charlie the benefit of the doubt) during that war. Of course, I was fascinated by it, and with her tongue loosened by a taste of her favorite beverage (Cutty Sark on the rocks..) Granny told me the story of the Great Flu..

PBS Site - Once again, these folks have put together a real nice website on a subject they did a show on..

A Nice Page from Stanford University

National Institute for Medical Research

Listen to 'Voices of History' on the pandemic

Well written account of impact on one girl's life..

There are many webpages devoted to this from a local perspective. Here's one from Michigan..

..and one on New Zealand

The Permafrost Yields Clues (ghouls take note, we're talking exhumations here..)

The Ethics of Virus Hunting

VARIOUS

Disgusting Foods, by nation..

Etch-a-Sketch Art Gallery (better than you'd expect!)

See what has been accomplished at your age!

Finally, remember Woodstock? Remember the "Fish Cheer"? (a highlight of my childhood, first hearing it..and reciting it with my juvenile delinquent friends ad nauseum..) Then, you must remember Country Joe McDonald! This '60's survivor has a darn good website, with music, history, humor, good causes. Pay it a visit!

'All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.'
Pablo Picasso
- posted by matt @ 2/01/2004 10:11:00 PM