Table of Contents
inter alia
04 February 1999
In Today's Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day -- epigone
2. Quote of the Day -- Matt Sludge
3. Graphic of the Day -- California Coast
4. HotSite -- The Polling Report
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Extinctions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day
epigone (EP-i-goan) noun
A second-rate imitator or follower, especially of an artist or a
philosopher.
[French epigone, sing. of epigones, from Greek Epigonoi, sons of the seven
heroes against Thebes, from pl. of epigonos, born after : epi-, epi- + gonos,
child, seed.]
"There were two ways of dealing with it, either to become an epigone,
one of the follow-on generation, or to discover a totally different
philosophic distance and a totally different vision."
Naomi Doudai, A Writer's Obligation, Jerusalem Post, 18 Jul 1996.
--
From A Word A Day:
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
2. Quote of the Day -- Matt Sludge
The NATIONAL ENQUIRER is set to unload on David Schippers,
the chief investigative counsel for the Republican majority
in the House Judiciary Committee, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
In a front page scream story, hitting racks on Friday,
the ENQUIRER details what it declares to be an impeachment
hypocrisy: "Schippers brought his ex-mistress AND his wife
to Committee hearings at the same time!"
"David Schippers, the Republican' prosecutor, blasted into
living rooms on your TV sets attacking the president and
passionately calling for his impeachment over the Monica
Lewinsky scandal," reads the ENQUIRER story, a copy was
obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.
"But Schippers -- who has 10 children and a wife of 45 years
-- hid something. Sitting behind him on the floor of the House
Judiciary Committee was his secret mistress of 25 years."
The ENQUIRER runs a dramatic full-page photograph of Schippers,
his wife and the woman all present, in the same room, during
a House Judiciary hearing.
The ENQUIRER claims: "Schippers, 69, and his office manager
Nancy Ruggero, 51, had an affair that ended when Ruggero
married in 1996."
"It's an incredible hypocrisy!," a source who's known Schippers
and Ruggero for years told the ENQUIRER. "He's sitting there
with his former longtime mistress by his side, trying to have
Clinton impeached!"
The story continues: "Several sources close to Schippers and
Ruggero confirmed the affair and said at first they had believed
that his sex life was nobody's business. But they could no
longer remain silent, they said, once he began publicly
moralizing about Clinton's alleged crimes."
"Schippers former mistress is currently working for him --
at taxpayer expense -- in his effort to remove the president
from office," claims the ENQUIRER.
The news hit The Hill late on Wednesday.
"So the White House got tired of using Larry Flynt,
it's now back to the tabloids!" one top Republican source
in the House Judiciary Committee declared to the DRUDGE
REPORT. "David Schippers is a hero to many of us on the
committee, this will not change that!"
"The guys Lantana thinks that this junk is going to
sell papers," laughed a congressional aide close to
Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde.
The ENQUIRER claims: "In an ironic parallel to the Clinton
case, Schippers may have to answer questions about his own
affair under oath. Schippers and Ruggero are currently
being sued for business fraud by a former partner, Mickey
Veich, who hopes to prove that the secret affair played
a part in the alleged fraud."
Schippers could not be reached for comment.
--
From The Drudge Report (for what it's worth):
http://www.drudgereport.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
3. Graphic of the Day -- California Coast
California Coast/1985
by David J. L'Hoste
http://lhostelaw.com/ia/ia2/gotd/calif_coast.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
4. HotSite -- The Polling Report
Collection of Polls done by The Wall Street Journal,
ABC, CNN/Time, The Washington Post, etc. about
things old and new -- politics, business,
social issues and more:
http://www.pollingreport.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Extinctions
Greatest Mass-extinction
Researchers believe that the greatest mass extinction in Earth's
history was at the end of the Permian Period, about 251 million
years ago. It appears that during this event, 90% of ocean species
and 70% of land species became extinct.
Evidence suggests that the Permian extinction was not a sudden,
cataclysmic event, like the giant asteroid strike that is thought to
have been the cause of the death of the dinosaurs. It was more
drawn-out, taking about ten million years to unfold.
Why did so many species die out? According to one theory, there
was a rapid change in climate patterns, during which fairly stagnant
oceans began circulating again, due to changes in the shapes of the
continents. This change in ocean circulation could have caused
massive shifts in the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content, plunging
the planet into a prolonged ice age.
Some theories about the Permian mass-extinction:
http://hannover.park.org/Canada/Museum/extinction/permcause.html
http://www.campus.bt.com/public/ScienceNet/slup/CuttingEdge/Oct96/permian.html
Other extinctions:
http://hannover.park.org/Canada/Museum/extinction/tablecont.html
--
From The Learning Kingdom:
http://www.LearningKingdom.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
Table of Contents
inter alia
12 February 1999
In Today's Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day -- flotsam
2. Quote of the Day -- Charles Ruff
3. Graphic of the Day -- Highlands, NC
4. HotSite -- Mardi Gras
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Comet Tails
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day
flotsam (FLOT-suhm) noun
1. Wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk. Floating
refuse or debris.
2. Discarded odds and ends.
3. Vagrant, usually destitute people.
[Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French floter, to float, of Germanic origin.]
"Blaustein's office at Rutgers University in Camden, N.J., where he
teaches law, is stacked with fat volumes of far-flung national charters,
as well as the flotsam of a globe-hopping life: hundreds of do-not-disturb
doorknob signs, matchbooks, ballpoint pens, luggage tags ... "
Section II Quirks & Quacks in Trivial Pursuit of Constitutional Oddities,
Life, 31 Aug 1987.
--
From A Word A Day:
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
2. Quote of the Day --
From the Congressional Record
Monday, February 8, 1999
Excerpt fo closing argument of White House Counsel, Charles Ruff:
* * *
Now, you have heard the managers' vision--or at least some part of it--of
the process we have been engaged in and the lessons we have learned
and what it will look like at the end of our journey. I respect them as
elected Representatives of their people and as worthy adversaries. But I
believe their vision could be too dark, a vision too little attuned to the
needs of the people, too little sensitive to the needs of our democracy. I
believe it to be a vision more focused on retribution, more designed to
achieve partisan ends, more uncaring about the future we face together.
Our vision, I think, is quite different, but it is not naive. We know the pain
the President has caused our society and his family and his friends. But we
know, too, how much the President has done for this country. And more
importantly, we know that our primary obligation, the duty we all have, is
to preserve that which the founders gave us, and we can best fulfill that
duty by carefully traveling the path that they laid out for us.
Now, you have heard many speeches over the past few weeks about high
crimes and misdemeanors. As I look back on the arguments and the
counterarguments, it seems to me that really very little can be gained by
repeating them; for when all is said and done, what they mean is this: The
framers chose stability. They made impeachment and removal
constitutional recourses of last resort. The question that the managers
appear to have asked--and I am unable to tell you what they will ask
today--is whether perjury or obstruction of justice in the abstract are
impeachable offenses.
That is not the question you must answer.
Nor must you assume, as the managers appear to, that because judges are
removed for having committed perjury, a President must be removed as
well. That is not what the rule of law requires. The rule of law and
evenhanded justice is something more than a simple syllogism. You must
decide whether on these facts arising out of these circumstances this
President has so endangered the state that we can no longer countenance
his remaining in office.
I think in their hearts the managers do not truly disagree. Whatever they
have been able to glean from the historical record or more modern
scholarship, they cannot in the end avoid the conclusion that removal of
the President is not something that the framers took lightly. Indeed, two of
their own witnesses in the Judiciary Committee, Professor Van Alstyne
and Judge Wiggins, tried to make it clear to them that even if they were to
find that the offenses described in the independent counsel's referral as
being committed, another decision had to be made. That decision was
whether in the interest of society the President should be impeached. As
Professor Van Alstyne put it, in words, that I admit are unflattering to my
client but nonetheless makes the point: `In my own opinion,' he said, `I
regard what the President did, that which the Special Counsel report
declared, are crimes of such a low order that it would unduly flatter the
President by submitting him to trial in the Senate, I would not bother to do
it.'
Full text:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stranscripts.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
3. Graphic of the Day -- Highlands, NC 1993
Highlands, NC 1993
by David J. L'Hoste
http://lhostelaw.com/ia/ia2/gotd/highlands.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
4. HotSite -- Mardi Gras
Bourbon Street Cam:
http://www.mardigras.com/bourbocam/
Everything Mardi Gras:
http://www.mardigras.com/
http://www.mardigrasday.com/
http://www.icorp.net/carnival/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Comet Tails
Comet tails
A comet can have as many as three separate tails. All three can
extend millions of kilometers from the comet's head.
The most visible tail of a comet is usually the dust tail. The sun's
heat causes frozen material within the head of the comet to
evaporate, and the resulting gas molecules carry dust particles with
them as they stream off. The dust tail is white and curves gently
away from the sun and back along the comet's orbit.
The sun's energy also ionizes some of the gases (strips electrons
from the atoms), and a bluish ion tail forms, streaming directly
away from the sun. The third tail is invisible from Earth, because
the light it emits is absorbed by the atmosphere. It's made of
hydrogen, formed in chemical reactions at the comet's head. Its
position is intermediate, between the other two tails.
More about comets:
http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/comet.htm
Today's Cool Word is comet:
http://www.cool-word.com/archive/1999/02/08.html
Previous Cool Facts about comets:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/09/03.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/04/09.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/05/28.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/12/04.html
--
From The Learning Kingdom:
http://www.LearningKingdom.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
Table of Contents
inter alia
23 February 1999
In Today's Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day -- epigraph
2. Reading List -- Further to Tinky Winky
3. Graphic of the Day -- Dominican Republic
4. HotSite -- Back to Basics
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Antarctic Ice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day
epigraph (EP-i-graf) noun
1. An inscription, as on a statue or building.
2. A motto or quotation, as at the beginning of a literary composition,
setting forth a theme.
[Greek epigraphe, from epigraphein, to write on.]
"The collection's epigraph is a remark by Alexander Calder, the
20th-century sculptor famous for inventing the mobile."
David Herd, Going down but not under, Independent on Sunday, 6 Oct 1996.
--
From A Word A Day:
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
2. Reading List -- Further to Tinky Winky
From MoJo Wire (Mother Jones)
http://www.mojones.com/:
==MoJo Outs Cartoon Land==
Merrie Melodies or just gay 'toons?
by Leora Broydo
February 16, 1999
Thank God the Rev. Jerry Falwell has stepped in
to clean up children's television. Last week he
outed Tinky Winky, from that perverted show the
"Teletubbies," because, Falwell pronounced, the
character is clearly a fount of gayness: He's
purple, the gay color; he has an antenna shaped
like a triangle, the gay symbol; and he carries a
purse, something all gay people do.
But Falwell's work is far from over. You see,
kiddy TV is downright rife with gayety. Heck,
Toon Town is like one big circuit party and has
been for years.
Fred Flintstone
Evidence: His nickname
on the Bedrock bowling
team: "Twinkle-toes
Flintstone." The show's
theme song ends "...we'll
have a gay old time!"
Wears an orange dress
with little triangles on it.
Hangs out with Barney
far more than Wilma.
Bugs Bunny
Evidence: Often stands
with hand on hip. Plays
a hairdresser in one
episode. Frequently
dresses in drag. Loves
to throw on a top hat
and tails and belt out
Broadway show-tunes
with his buddy Daffy --
who, it's worth noting,
has a lisp.
Velma (of Scooby Doo)
Evidence: Always tries to sit
next to Daphne in the
Mystery Machine. Sports that
butch haircut. Has broad
shoulders and wears thick
turtleneck-sweaters and knee
socks. Never once shagged
Shaggy.
Popeye
Evidence: Eats lots of
salad. Wears a sailor
suit, even though he
hasn't been on a ship in
years. Does little
sailor-dances. Dates a
flat-chested transvestite
named Olive Oyl. Best
friend named Wimpy.
Batman and Robin
Evidence: Robin's
nickname: Boy Wonder.
Batman's real name:
Bruce. Both wear tights.
They're in great shape.
They like to show each
other their "grappling
hooks.
Peppermint Patty
Evidence: Has a deep,
gravelly voice. Wears pants,
not dresses like the other
Peanuts gals. Plays a mean
game of football. Likes to
taunt Charlie Brown. Always
hanging out with that
androgynous Marcie. Wears
comfortable shoes.
Nickname: Sir.
The Pink Panther
'Nuff said.
--
MoJo Wire (Mother Jones)
http://www.mojones.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
3. Graphic of the Day -- Domincan Republic
Dominican Republic -- 1984
by David J. L'Hoste
http://lhostelaw.com/ia/ia2/gotd/84domincanrepublic.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
4. HotSite -- Back to Basics
Learn the Internet:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/index.html
Everything Email:
http://everythingemail.net/
Computer Info for Consumers:
http://www.cnet.com/
http://www.zdnet.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
5. Cool Fact of the Day -- Antarctic Ice
Antarctic Ice
About 98% of Antarctica is covered with ice, and the average
thickness of the Antarctic ice sheet is 7,200 feet (2,200 meters).
The thickest ice, found in Wilkes Land, is 15,700 feet (4785 m)
thick. This is about ten times the height of the Petronas Towers in
Malaysia, the world's tallest office building!
Antarctica holds about 70% of all the freshwater in the world in its
ice. If all the ice were to melt, sea level would rise 230 feet (67
meters). If this happened, the reduced pressure on the continent of
Antarctica would cause it to rise about 3200 feet (1000 m).
More about icy Antarctica:
http://www.glacier.rice.edu/land/5_antarcticicesheetintro.html
--
From The Learning Kingdom:
http://www.LearningKingdom.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
Table of Contents
inter alia
24 February 1999
In Today's Issue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day -- excelsior
2. Reading List -- The Christopher Hitchens Affair
3. Quote of the Day -- Peter Filkins
4. Humor -- The Love Boat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
1. A Word A Day
excelsior (ik-SEL-see-uhr) noun
Slender, curved wood shavings used especially for packing.
[Originally a trade name.]
"In a glint of needle light, of grass seeds, dew flecks, a friend is
throwing her voice
while far inside a grainy heaven a butcher's apron ripples its dried
blood in the wind.
The bark strippings, excelsior, the panicles of the garden. In the midst
of summer a friend cuts greens and places them in a bowl as if they were
fronds.
A friend is a vinegar - and now, pearl-shaped, in clusters, faces among
her face,
A globes rise on the lawn, each above a root of recriminations."
Garden solstice. (poem), The Antioch Review, 1 Jun 1996.
This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers.
One may wonder why a newspaper (and other entities such as hotels and the
State of New York, which has the word on its official seal) would want to
describe their assets as excelsior. Excelsior is commonly used to mean
`higher', the comparative degree of the Latin word excelsus, high. According
to the Oxford English Dictionary, excelsior was "used by Longfellow
(quasi-int. as an expression of incessant aspiration after higher attainment)
as the refrain of a popular poem; hence employed with similar sense by many
later writers ... The adverbial meaning (= `upwards') commonly given to the
motto cannot be justified by Latin grammar. According to S. Longfellow _Life
H. W. Longfellow_ I. 384, the poet was at first unaware of the solecism in
the motto as thus interpreted, and when it was pointed out to him suggested
that the word might be taken to stand for Scopus meus excelsior est, `My goal
is higher.' It is not clear whether the original use on the (NY) seal is a
blunder, or whether it was meant as an abbreviation for some grammatically
admissible phrase."
Several of you have asked for some examples of newspapers that use the day's
word in their names. Yesterday's word, Picayune, appears in the names of "The
Times-Picayune", New Orleans, and the "Westlake Picayune", Texas. Some
newspapers that use today's word are the "Daily Excelsior", India and the
"Excelsior", Mexico. -Anu
--
From A Word A Day:
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
2. Reading List -- The Hitchens Thing
The Hitchens Affidavit:
http://www.thenation.com:80/issue/990301/0301affidavit.shtml
Opinon piece from Katha Pollitt, in The Nation (1 Marcg 1999),
for which Hitchens also writes:
http://www.thenation.com:80/issue/990301/0301pollitt.shtml
Hitchens own "explanation" in The Nation (1 March 1999)
http://www.thenation.com/index.shtml
Hitchens on "Meet the Press" - Sunday, Feb. 7, 1999:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/239112.asp
Editorial in the 1 March 1999 edition of The Nation
about the Hitchens thing:
http://www.thenation.com/index.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
3. Quote of the Day -- Peter Filkins
Another Life
floats on the wind
outside my window,
a storm advancing
on tall bent trees,
where children run
at sunset across
the new mown grass
as the sky shifts pink
to grey in the painting
of a woman who stands
naked in a room,
nothing before her
but the immediate city,
and just beyond
what she knew
was sky, was open sea.
--
Peter Filkins
What She Knew
Orchises Press
Copyright © 1998 by Peter Filkins.
All rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
4. Humor -- The Love Boat
A young woman was so depressed that she decided to end
her life by throwing herself into the ocean. She went
down to the docks and was about to leap into the frigid
water when a handsome young sailor saw her tottering on
the edge of the pier, crying. He took pity on her and
said, "Look, you've got a lot to live for. I'm off to
Europe in the morning, and if you like, I can stow you
away on my ship. I'll take good care of you and bring
you food every day."
Moving closer, he slipped his arm round her shoulder and
added, "I'll keep you happy, and you'll keep me happy."
The girl nodded yes. After all, what did she have to lose?
That night, the sailor brought her aboard and hid her in a
lifeboat. From then on every night he brought her three
sandwiches and a piece of fruit, and they made passionate
love until dawn.
Three weeks later, during a routine inspection, she was
discovered by the captain. "What are you doing here?"
the captain asked.
"I have an arrangement with one of the sailors," she
explained. "I get food and a trip to Europe, and
he's screwing me."
"He sure is, lady," the captain said. "This is the
Staten Island Ferry."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ia~~~~~~
|
