Friday, January 13, 2012

Bukowski's "The Blue Bird," Beautifully Animated | Brain Pickings

13 JANUARY, 2012

Bukowski’s “The Blue Bird,” Beautifully Animated

by Maria Popova

Visual whimsy to make Bukowski’s magic shine.

Charles Bukowski’s poem “The Bluebird,” originally published in his 1992 anthology The Last Night of the Earth Poems, is a quietly profound meditation on an all too familiar facet of the human condition — our compulsion to conceal and stifle our most tender and vulnerable selves underneath tough, controlled, meticulously architected exteriors. This mesmerizingly beautiful animated adaptation of the poem by Cambridge School of Art student Monika Umba is the perfect piece of visual whimsy to bring to life Bukowski’s magic.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

Happy Birthday~

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Home - Floating University

Current Course Offerings:

Great Big Ideas: An Entire Undergraduate Education While Standing on One Foot

Great Big Ideas delivers the key takeaways of an entire undergraduate education. It's a survey of twelve major fields delivered by their most important thinkers and practitioners. Each lecture explores the key questions in the field, lays out the methods for answering those inquiries and explains why the field matters. It is an effective introduction to thinking differently, and a primer in the diverse modes of problem solving essential for success in the 21st century.

Individual learners can join students from three elite colleges, Harvard, Yale, and Bard, where Great Big Ideas is offered for credit. You will find all course materials and discussions presented in an intuitive, self-guided format on our exclusive e-learning platform. There are no tests or written assignments for individuals, just straightforward, easy-to-access videos, readings, and discussions that let you learn at your own pace and participate in a global knowledge forum.

Tumultuous Times for Democracy Compelled Moyers' Return to TV | Common Dreams

Remembering Rachel Carson with Kaiulani Lee | BillMoyers.com

Bill Moyers Journal: Remembering Rachel Carson with Kaiulani Lee from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

and then he came back after 2 years of retirement...http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/01/10-1

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Mystic Seaport Announces Highlights for 2012 - Stonington-Mystic, CT Patch

Major exhibits and events at Mystic Seaport for the 2012 calendar year. This is not an exhaustive list, but covers the major highlights of the year ahead that may be of interest to you.

Please note, the Museum currently is closed to the public until Feb. 16.

MAJOR EXHIBITS

“Treasures from the Collections,” Opens March 31

Mystic Seaport searched its collection of over two million historic maritime artifacts, art, and photographs to identify 200 of the most important objects for display in this new exhibit. Many of these objects have never before been put on public display.

“Restoring a Past, Charting a Future,” Opens April 28
An exhibit developed in partnership with Brooklyn’s Dalvero Academy, “Restoring a Past” invited academy artists to Mystic Seaport to experience the Charles W. Morgan and interpret America’s whaling legacy through their art.

Charles W. Morgan Restoration, Ongoing

The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan is the oldest American commercial vessel still afloat. A National Historic Landmark, she is currently undergoing a complete restoration in preparation for a ceremonial voyage to historic ports on the East Coast in 2014. Although she is out of the water, visitors can go aboard to tour the ship and watch the Museum’s shipwrights work on the vessel.

EVENTS

Liberty Days, Feb. 18-26

Special activities offered for children during school vacation week.

Safety on Sea & Shore, May 19-20

All active police, fire, EMT and ambulance personnel will receive free Museum admission during this weekend at Mystic Seaport. The Museum will host demonstrations and activities that celebrate the people, methods, and vehicles involved in maritime rescues in the 19th and early 20th centuries

Lobster Days, Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28

Crack your first lobster claw of the season at Mystic Seaport’s Lobster Days during Memorial Day Weekend. Lobsters in the rough are served by the Rotary Club of Mystic. Proceeds from event are distributed to local charities. Museum admission plus price of food or visitors can purchase a special admission and food combo ticket.

Decoration Day, May 28

Join us this Memorial Day for a ceremony dedicated to the memory of those lost in the Civil War. A brief, yet reverent service comprised of remarks and hymns will begin in the Greenmanville Church at noon. Immediately following the service, join in a procession to the cannon on Chubb's Wharf for the playing of taps and a wreath-laying upon the Mystic River.

Sea Music Festival, June 7-10
Mystic Seaport is proud to host its 33rd annual Sea Music Festival, one of the world’s premier sea music events. More than 4,500 people gather each year to hear both national and international performers carry on classic musical traditions of the Golden Age of Sail.

The WoodenBoat Show, June 29-July 1
Hosted in conjunction with “WoodenBoat” magazine, the WoodenBoat Show features more than 75 boats in the water, three tents and extensive land exhibits hosting more than 200 exhibitors, live boatbuilding events and more. This is the most popular event of the year.

Independence Day Celebration, July 4

Activities include a noontime picnic on the Village Green, a children’s parade through the Museum’s village at 1 p.m., an 1876 Independence Day Ceremony and a concert by the Silver Cornet Band.

Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous, July 28-29

A dazzling display of high-quality antique vessels built before 1965. Vessels create a colorful gathering along the Museum’s waterfront all day Saturday and Sunday morning. On Sunday at 12:45 p.m., the vessels make their way down the Mystic River in a jubilant music-filled three-mile parade.

Rum Runners Rendezvous, July 28

An evening of food, drink, live music and dancing by the Mystic River. This year will have a classic surfing theme

“Moby-Dick” Marathon, July 31-Aug. 1

Visitors, Museum volunteers, and staff join together to read aloud Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" in a 24-hour marathon event aboard the whaleship Charles W. Morgan.

Model Yacht Regatta, Aug. 9-12

Champion model yacht sailors converge on Mystic Seaport to compete in regional and national championships in various classes. Specific details to come.

Antique Marine Engine Exposition, Aug. 18-19
Experience the transition from sail to engine power as maritime collectors from around the country show off full size and miniature 19th- and early 20th-century marine engines. Inboards, outboards and steam engines will be on display in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. This is the largest gathering of antique marine engines in the country.

Coastweeks Rowing Regatta, Sept. 16

Signaling the start of the fall head racing season in New England, the 21st annual Coastweeks Regatta offers a range of masters, open, collegiate and junior categories and includes local and regional rowers in both racing and recreational shells. Visitors can watch the racing action from the Mystic Seaport shoreline.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

S&P 600 Directory

S&P 600 Directory:

Marlborough, MA (PRWEB) January 09, 2012

Subject material Raven’s cloud security remedy recognized for safeguarding intellectual home across all document kinds and technology gadgets.

Material Raven declared today it has been called one of ten finalists for the “Most Innovative Firm at RSA® Conference 2012″ contest, component of Innovation Sandbox, an interesting 50 %-day system representing the new technologies that assure to change the information protection sector, now and in the foreseeable future. On Monday, February 27, Subject material Raven will have the chance to exhibit its stability breakthrough to the Conference’s esteemed panel of judges and be called top rated innovator at this year’s event.

“Being chosen as a finalist puts these organizations between security’s elite soaring stars,” stated Sandra Toms LaPedis, Location Vice President and Common Supervisor of RSA Conference. “RSA Conference connects the smartest minds in the information stability discipline and constantly showcases the progressive organizations that drive this market. RSA Conference commends the businesses and folks that proceed to drive the evolution of innovation.”

Content material Raven offers the initial really-enterprise amount, cloud-dependent safe subject material delivery resolution ready to support multiple devices, including smartphones and tablets, and any type of content material format, such as movie, audio, Place of work paperwork, Adobe and Flash. Enterprise organizations use Content Raven to safeguard against intellectual property loss, digital piracy, and accidental information exposure.

Crucial features contain:

Material Stability in the Cloud – Because Content Raven is a cloud-based mostly technologies documents, video clip and other files by no means exist on the user’s system, creating it straightforward and effortless to withdraw access, publish updates and changes, and successfully manage access.

Analytics – Material proprietors obtain reports on the content’s application, down to the web page watch level. This provides them the ability to track and comprehend how the content material is getting used, the system it is seen on, and the geographic location of end users.&#thirteen

Material Termination – Content proprietors can remotely terminate paperwork and content when studies show material has been corrupted or inappropriately accessed.&#thirteen

Cellular Access – Content Raven provides support for the major cellular products, such as iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Google Android intelligent phones.

Safe Movie – Content material Raven is the 1st and only supplier of protected video clip and DVD delivery for enterprise organizations.

Encrypted Information Security – Content is encrypted between the application and the Running System, not in the document, guaranteeing a larger amount of security.&#thirteen

Extra Protection Capabilities – While the software is hosted in the Content Raven cloud, electronic subject material can sit powering the client’s company firewall, incorporating an extra level of security.

Steve Duplessie, Founder &amp Senior Analyst at Enterprise Technique Team, says, “The marketplace demands a cloud-primarily based subject material stability resolution that enables organizations to safeguard important information regardless of unit and content material type and that is precisely what Material Raven does. It is an elegant solution to an unsightly problem.”

Solar Power Off the Grid: Energy Access for World’s Poor by Carl Pope: Yale Environment 360

04 JAN 2012

Solar Power Off the Grid: Energy Access for World’s Poor

More than a billion people worldwide lack access to electricity. The best way to bring it to them — while reducing greenhouse gas emissions — is to launch a global initiative to provide solar panels and other forms of distributed renewable power to poor villages and neighborhoods.
BY CARL POPE

Yale Environment 360: Departments

e360 digest

10 JAN 2012: BRAZIL GAINS IN FOOD PRODUCTION
COINCIDED WITH DROP IN DEFORESTATION

A new study of land use in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso shows that deforestation rates decreased significantly from 2006 to 2010 even as agricultural production in the region reached an all-time high. The study found that growers in Mato Grosso, where more than a third of forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon occurred in the 1980s, have increasingly used previously cleared pasture land. Using satellite data and government statistics on deforestation and production, researchers from Columbia University calculated that 26 percent of the increase in soy production within Mato Grosso from 2001 to 2005 was the result of cropland expansion into forested areas, accounting for 10 percent of total deforestation; during the second half of the decade, however, soy expansion accounted for just 2 percent of total deforestation. According to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this shift coincided with a drop in commodity markets, as well as a series of high-profile policy initiatives to reduce deforestation and improved methods in monitoring illegal clearing, including satellite-based tracking systems.
PERMALINK

10 JAN 2012: GIANT TORTOISE THOUGHT EXTINCT
IS LIKELY STILL ALIVE, YALE STUDY SAYS

A giant tortoise thought to have been hunted to extinction more than 150 years ago — and whose distinctive saddle-shaped shell helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection — may still be living in the Galápagos Islands, according to a new Yale

Click to enlarge

Yale University

A Galápagos giant tortoise

University study. Using blood samples collected from tortoises currently living on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos islands, researchers found in 84 animals the genetic signature of the missing Chelonoidis elephantopus. Researchers say this suggests that one of these hybrid tortoises’ parents were purebred members of the missing species, which had lived on the nearby island of Floreana until their numbers were decimated through hunting by whalers and settlers. Since many of the tortoises tested were likely younger than 15 years old, researchers say there is a high probability that some of their purebred parents, which can have a lifespan of more than 100 years, are still alive. “If we can find these individuals, we can restore them to their island of origin,” said Gisella Caccone, a senior Yale researcher and lead author of the study, published in the journal Current Biology.
PERMALINK

09 JAN 2012: U.S. IMPOSES CATCH LIMITS
ON ALL MANAGED FISHERIES FOR FIRST TIME

For the first time ever, the U.S. this year will impose catch limits for all 528 federally managed species, a new policy one official said will become an “international guidepost” for sustainable fisheries practices. After years of political wrangling, a coalition of lawmakers, environmental groups, fishing groups, and scientists were able to insert language into a reauthorized version of the Magnuson-Stevens Act — which governs all U.S. fishing — that will include annual limits on all fish stocks by the time the 2012 fishing year begins for all species. Some species, including mahi-mahi and wahoo, will have catch limits for the first time. “This simple but enormously powerful provision has eluded lawmakers for years and is probably the most important conservation statute ever enacted into America’s fisheries law,” Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, told The Washington Post. Because the new limits were achieved in cooperation with regional fisheries councils, advocates predict a greater probability of success.
PERMALINK

Monday, January 09, 2012

iTunes - Podcasts - APM: On Being by American Public Media

oh, c'mon people.... Listen to these when you need to connect!

(Go!Krista!)

Name Description Released Price

Rosanne Cash, Time Traveler (January 5, 2012)

As the daughter of Johnny Cash, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash describes her life as one circumscribed by music. But, it's through her love of language and quantum mechanics that she's finding new sources of creativity and mathematical ways to think about the divine. The mother of five shares her perspectives on being present, Twitter as a boot camp for songwriters, and how she wrestles with love and grief through her music.

1/5/12

Free