TODAY’S HOLIDAY: ST. KNUT’S DAY

St. Knut’s Day

The feast day of King Canute (or Knut), who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway in the 11th century, marks the end of the Yuletide season in Sweden. Rather than letting the holidays fade quietly, Swedish families throughout the country hold parties to celebrate the final lighting (and subsequent dismantling) of the Christmas tree. After letting the children eat the cookies and candies used to decorate the tree, and after packing the ornaments away in their boxes, it is customary to hurl the tree through an open window. More…

 

QUOTATION: Jerome K. Jerome

From all accounts, the world has been getting worse and worse ever since it was created. All I can say is that it must have been a remarkably delightful place when it was first opened to the public, for it is very pleasant even now.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

 

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: CHRISTOPH GRAUPNER (1683)

Christoph Graupner (1683)

Graupner was a German harpsichordist and composer. After studying law at the University of Leipzig, he joined the Hamburg Opera alongside a young violinist named Handel, then became conductor to the court at Darmstadt. He won the prestigious cantorship at the Church of St. Thomas but was contractually bound to the court, so the cantorship went to another emerging composer—Johann Sebastian Bach. Graupner was a prolific writer and revered in his time. Why did he fall into obscurity? More…

 

THIS DAY IN THE YESTERYEAR: SERIAL KILLER DOCTOR HANGS HIMSELF IN HIS CELL (2004)

Serial Killer Doctor Hangs Himself in His Cell (2004)

To English doctor Harold Shipman, the fundamental medical principle of “first do no harm” apparently meant little. After practicing medicine for decades, he aroused suspicion in 1998, when it emerged that he was named the sole beneficiary in a deceased patient’s will—a will that Shipman turned out to have forged. He was arrested and ultimately convicted of killing 15 patients, but he is suspected of more than 200 murders. The final life he took was his own. How did “Dr. Death” kill his victims? More…

 

NEWS: LIONS AND WOLVES AND BEARS, OH MY

Lions and Wolves and Bears, Oh My

The majority of the world’s large carnivores—among them lions, wolves, and bears—are in decline, and we are already feeling the effects of this shift. In many areas, the loss of these predators has allowed species that were their prey, such as elk, deer, and baboons, to thrive. The unchecked growth of these animals’ populations threatens crops, damages vegetation, and disrupts the lives of birds and small mammals. However, we need not despair just yet, asecosystems tend to respond well when large carnivores are reintroduced to an area. More…

 

WORD: WRETCH

wretch 

Definition:	(noun) A person pitied for his misfortune.
Synonyms:	poor devil
Usage:	If the poor wretch waked in the flames and perished, no one cared.

 

Silhouette – Pencil Sketch 5 – GB, 2014 (digital-FotoScketcher)

Silhouette – Pencil Sketch 5-GB, 2014

 

Fabulous Composers/Compositions: Edvard Grieg – Norwegian Dances / Danses Norvégiennes

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Norge

– Danses norvegiénnes (pour orchestre), op. 35
– Norwegian Dances (for Orchestra), Op. 35

I. Allegro marcato
II. Allegro tranquille e grazioso
III. Allegro moderato alla marcia
IV. Allegro molto

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Järvi

 

Tchaikovsky Suite No.4 ‘Mozartiana’

Tchaikovsky 
Suite No.4 in G major Op.61　’Mozartiana‘

1 Gigue
2 Menuet
3 Preghiera
4 Theme and Variations

The Philharmonia Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas

 

Beethoven: Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 – Curtis Institute of Music, Jan. 2013

Curtis Institute of Music, Field Concert Hall, Jan. 21, 2013

Samuel Boutris, Clarinet
Keith Buncke, Bassoon
Maureen Young, Horn
Yu-Chien Tseng, Violin
Hyeri Shin, Viola
Timotheos Petrin, Cello
Nathan Paer, Bass

 

In pictures: Inside the new One World Trade Center – Telegraph

In pictures: Inside the new One World Trade Center – Telegraph.

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Enrica Ciccarelli : Chopin Ballade G minor

Enrica Ciccarelli : Chopin Ballade G minor

 

Explorer Moment of the Week — National Geographic

Explorer Moment of the Week — National Geographic.

Bizarre Earthquake Lights Finally Explained

Bizarre Earthquake Lights Finally Explained.

The fast(ing) track to financial freedom: 21 days of focus – The Washington Post

And yet, you can still be rich. How, you may ask?

Change.

via The fast(ing) track to financial freedom: 21 days of focus – The Washington Post.

One Year Later, Web Legends Honor Aaron Swartz | Underwire | Wired.com

A data visualization of Wikipedia as part of the World Wide Web, demonstrating hyperlinks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Picture of Aaron Swartz (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aaron Swartz at a Boston Wikipedia Meetup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via CrunchBase

One Year Later, Web Legends Honor Aaron Swartz | Underwire | Wired.com.

nternet activist Aaron Swartz took his own life one year ago today. He was 26 years old and facing federal hacking and fraud charges for downloading millions of academic articles using MIT’s network. Before his passing, he was on outspoken advocate for freedom of information and a founder of Demand Progress, the nonprofit that invigorated a successful grassroots effort to fight the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in 2012.

Swartz was, as WIRED’s Kevin Poulsen wrote a “coder with a conscience,” and in a clip premiering today on WIRED from director Brian Knappenberger’s forthcoming documentary The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, more than a few web visionaries remember him for the important work he did and the legacy he created.

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• Sneak preview of “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz” | PandoDaily

Five overlooked costs of the NSA surveillance flap – CSMonitor.com

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. More than 5,000 men and women in uniform are providing military ceremonial support to the presidential inauguration, a tradition dating back to George Washington’s 1789 inauguration. VIRIN: 090120-F-3961R-919 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

John C. Inglis, official National Security Agency portrait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

, former director of the NSA and deputy director of the CIA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

An ad on the side of a Metro bus in Washington, D.C., speaks to the fact that some people feel accused leaker Edward Snowden deserves praise for revealing secret NSA surveillance programs.
Gary Cameron/Reuters

 

Five overlooked costs of the NSA surveillance flap – CSMonitor.com.

 

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NSA director Michael Hayden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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BBC News – Belgium divided on euthanasia for children

BBC News – Belgium divided on euthanasia for children.

Blogger’s incarceration raises First Amendment questions

Blogger’s incarceration raises First Amendment questions.

Stayin’ Alive by Megan Rosenbloom – Roundtable | Lapham’s Quarterly

Stayin’ Alive by Megan Rosenbloom – Roundtable | Lapham’s Quarterly.