He's been named the world's "most durable DJ" by the Guinness Book of World Records. Hong Kong veteran Ray Cordeiro, better known as 'Uncle Ray' to his listeners, has spent six decades entertaining listeners while rubbing elbows with some of music's most famous and prolific artists.

Nyro was born of Jewish and Italian parents in the Bronx in 1947. Her father was a jazz trumpeter and even outside her home, music was a constant visceral presence, like air or electricity. "I would go out singing, as a teenager, to a party or out on the street, because there were harmony groups there, and that was one of the joys of my youth," she wrote in the liner notes to "Stoned Soul Picnic." The doo-wop and girl-group rock that filled the streets of New York then informed her songs (an influence paid homage to in the '71 release "Gonna Take a Miracle"), but so did the jazz she grew up with, the folk she heard in the coffee shops of Greenwich Village, gospel, show tunes, soul music -- Nyro's music was like the polyglot city from which it sprang, rich and surprising with an odd hint of danger.

President-elect Barack Obama recently announced an ambitious plan to build up the nation’s Internet infrastructure as part of his proposed economic stimulus package. Upgrading the Internet is a particularly smart kind of stimulus, one that would spread knowledge, promote entrepreneurship and make this country more competitive globally.

two years later, they're rushing to set up the new TLD process, but there's no study.

The French EU Presidency, the European Commission, and the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State agreed to a Statement on Information Sharing and Privacy and Personal Data Protection and recorded progress on a set of principles that will advance both data privacy and data sharing in a law enforcement context.

Landing at Kennedy Airport from Hong Kong was, as I've argued before, like going from the Jetsons to the Flintstones.

The "slow burn" is a political culture and economy managed through principles of economic warfare. One of the most important aspects of the Paulson Plan to re-engineer US financial regulation is the assertion of complete control of payment systems by the Federal Reserve and gaining access to the data of essentially any financial institution.

The Forces Driving Women Out of Computer Science - NYTimes.com


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16digi.html?adxnnl=1&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1226800900-dlFIEuaFUWsKj4J+ka5gbw

ELLEN SPERTUS, a graduate student at M.I.T., wondered
why the computer camp she had attended as a girl had a boy-girl
ratio of six to one. And why were only 20 percent of computer
science undergraduates at M.I.T. female? She published a 124-page paper,

Prepared Testimony of Verizon Executive Vice President Thomas J. Tauke U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Clean Coal is The Big Corporate Lie. Tennesse -There is no such thing as clean coal! Look at the video of this spill.Flood of sludge breaks TVA dike. Collapse poses risk of toxic ash.

parent to the Federal Writers' Project, Civilian Conservation Corps

The Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will begin interviewing in January for the a number of anticipated temporary salaried positions with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to be held in June 24-28 and July 1-5, 2009.

Congregations and groups interested in contributing to this once-in-a-lifetime documentary project are asked to record sermons and orations delivered during Inauguration Week 2009 and donate them to the Library of Congress. The donated recordings will be preserved at the AFC in order to enhance the nation’s historical record and preserve the voices of religious leaders other orators for researchers and scholars of the future. After being processed by archivists, the collection will be made available to scholars, students and the general public.

Larry Lessig has a piece in Newsweek suggesting that the new administration abolish the FCC and replace it with something he calls the Innovation Environment Protection Agency (iEPA)

Science visualizations, earth sciences, oceans, spectroscopy, the American Revolution, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, lawmaking, and music are among the topics of new resources

China - Longjing tea is produced on the outskirts of town at Longjing (龙井) or Dragon Well.

China - Book review: Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics

E-Verify is a free government service to verify, via the Internet, the employment eligibility status of newly-hired employees. E-Verify (formerly known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Maryland Students Use Speed Cameras for Revenge http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2632.asp Maryland Students Use Speed Cameras for Revenge Students in Montgomery County, Maryland use fake license plates to send speed camera tickets to enemies. > > Maryland plate, photo by Amy the Nurse/FlickrHigh school students in > Maryland are using speed cameras as a tool to fine innocent drivers in > a game, according to the Montgomery County Sentinel newspaper. Because > photo enforcement devices will automatically mail out a ticket to any > registered vehicle owner based solely on a photograph of a license > plate, any driver could receive a ticket if someone else creates a > duplicate of his license plate and drives quickly past a speed camera. > The private companies that mail out the tickets often do not bother to > verify whether vehicle registration information for the accused > vehicle matches the photographed vehicle. In the UK, this is known as number plate cloning, where thieves will find the license information of a vehicle similar in appearance to the one they wish to drive. They will use that information to purchase a real license plate from a private vendor using the other vehicle's numbers. This allows the "cloned" vehicle to avoid all automated punishment systems. According to the Sentinel, two Rockville, Maryland high schools call their version of cloning the "speed camera pimping game." A speed camera is located out in front of Wootton High School, providing a convenient location for generating the false tickets. Instead of purchasing license plates, students have ready access to laser printers that can create duplicate license plates using glossy paper using readily available fonts. For example, the state name of "Maryland" appears on plates in a font similar to Garamond Number 5 Swash Italic. Once the camera flashes, the driver can quickly pull over and remove the fake paper plate. The victim will receive a $40 ticket in the mail weeks later. According to the Sentinel, students at Richard Montgomery High School have also participated, although Montgomery County officials deny having seen any evidence of faked speed camera tickets. Source: Local teens claim pranks on countys Speed Cams (Montgomery County Sentinel (MD), 12/11/2008)

Robert Burns Symposium at Library of Congress > > ROBERT BURNS AT 250: POETRY, POLITICS & PERFORMANCE > > Library of Congress Symposium > February 24 & 25, 2009 > > To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's > national poet, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, > in collaboration with The Scottish Government, will present a free > public symposium on Burns' life and work, as well as his impact on > America and American culture. > > Leading scholars, poets, and musicians from Scotland and the United > States will join experts from the Library of Congress in the two-day > event. The symposium will be produced by the Library's American > Folklife Center (AFC), in cooperation with the Library's Center for the > Book and the Poetry and Literature Center. > > Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics, and Performance will be held in > the Mumford Room of the Library's James Madison Memorial Building. The > event is free and open to the public, but space is limited, so > registration is required. Registration information will be available > shortly. For further information contact: Nancy Groce, American Folklife > Center, Library of Congress; Phone: 202-707-1744; Email: ngro@loc.gov.

China Foodways: Warning Graphic and True. This happen in Singapore, Thailand, India, Japan, Kora. The brains are eaten raw while the monkey is still alive. Americans Killing and eating a monkey - on youtube - must be 18.

China While Hangzhou's history can be traced back more than 50,000 years to the Upper Paleolithic Period, "modern day" Hangzhou began around 2200 BC.

Largely unstudied until now, the religious festivals that attracted Chinese people from all walks of life provide the most instructive examples of the interaction between Chinese forms of social life and the Indian tradition of Buddhism. One of the most important of such annual celebrations is the Ghost Festival happening today the first day of winter in which laypeople presented offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors.

Vi Hilbert, considered by many to be the cultural leader of the Native American Northwest, died this morning. In 1994 Vi was the first Washington Native American recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The swinging white shreds on cherry trees in Taizi Bay of Hangzhou are different from the nearby magnolias (Yulan Hua) in color. They look like snow in first glance, but after a close look, you'll find out they're blooming cherries! So far as we know, in one more week, cherries in Taizi Bay will be in full bloom.

This France Telecom Marine cable ship based at Seyne-sur-Mer has received its mobilization order early this afternoon and will cast off tonight at 3:00 am with 20 kilometers spare cable on board.

After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy.

if you're interested in Android G1 turn-by-turn navigation take a look at the AndNav2 site ( http://www.andnav.org )

The Quilt Box is no ordinary music venue. Brainchild of musician Marianne Welch, it's a shotgun house located in Louisville’s Crescent Hill neighborhood, decorated with hanging quilts that double for sound buffering. Welch uses the house as a teaching studio and occasionally holds small concert get-togethers here. Gifted pianist Harry Pickens of Brunswick, Georgia

A 1993 painting of Mao Zedong by China's most-expensive contemporary artist Zeng Fanzhi may fetch about HK$30 million ($3.9 million) at a Hong Kong art sale next month, according to Christie's International.

Blues Room in Shanghai China Contact Nicky - tonight Gypsy jazz sensation Lulo Reinhardt is back in Shanghai for three music-filled nights at this Shanghai live music stage. No cover

A first draft of a course of study designed to use systems theory as an alternative to the "core" curriculum as the organizer of general education is available, for free.

Xiantandi - where you find the night club Brown Sugar.

Ethics and responsibility in a time of crisis and change. The current crisis in global banking, markets and economies has reminded us all of the importance of financial and business journalism.

K-12 Holiday Multicultural Resources - AMERICA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD, Krampus - Origin of Santa Claus, The First Christmas Tree

Released on Dec. 11, “Preschool Curriculum: What’s in It for Children and Teachers” synthesizes the best research on how young children learn in those academic domains and discusses the implications for improving preschool education. Healthy children demand jump rope Physical Fitness, a Healthy Diet, Brain Based Learning and Brain Development Resources.

200 years of history, politics and government go online with State Papers Online 1509 - 1714. Learn how to find and use the Invisible Web and Meta Search Engines at the Educational CyberPlayGround.

History of CNC Beijing Branch dates back to 1884 when Beijing Telegraph Bureau was established.

Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has acquired HighBeam Research, Inc., producer of the award-winning HighBeam Research Library and the online reference site Encyclopedia.com.

Live from the BBC: UK Studies on Microform and Folklore

Federal Day of Recognition for Native Americans Native Americans were the first people to inhabit this land.

What if you could own your own internet connection. A New Working Paper on Customer Owned Fiber Connections. How is this country really BIG bandwidth?

This article has been pretty thoroughly debunked

It seems to me there is a reasonable argument that the government ought to focus first on getting its own house in order: deploy identity cards throughout key government agencies, show that it works well, and then we can talk about whether it makes sense to issue them more broadly. It may make sense to push for adoption of identity cards in certain key industries (e.g., the power grid comes to mind), but not for everyday use by ordinary citizens.

Perhaps people are just discovering that computer algorithms are as objective as news editors are. And Google Inc. has approached major cable and phone companies that carry Internet traffic with a proposal to create a fast lane for its own content, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

"Consumers are getting more astute about" privacy, said Fran Maier, the CEO of TRUSTe, which evaluates online privacy practices.

UK ISP blocking of Internet content. More on Wikipedia censorship in the UK.

Greenspan 1986 - 2007: admits credit default swaps have problems. Bail Out. Greenspan Destroys Deregulation in 16 Seconds.

Professor Xu Xin of Nanjing University is the foremost authority today on the history and sociology of Kaifeng Jewry.

List of tallest buildings and structures in the world

xpo aims to promote the exchange of ideas and development of the world economy, culture, science and technology, to allow exhibitors to publicise and display their achievements and improve international relationships.

The Shanghainese habit of wearing pyjamas in public emerged alongside China's economic reforms over the past 30 years as it became a sign of prosperity, because it meant people did not sleep in tattered old clothes.

2008 NEA National Heritage Awards" Dr. Michael White New Orleans, LA Traditional jazz musician/bandleader

Skroob Music Publishing New Orleans, LA 70179-9111 David A. Brooks, Sr. www.detroitbrooks.com

Philly Creative Guide makes it easy to find the creative talent you're looking for. Click here to search by category, keyword or just about any other criteria you want. Searches, like Basic listings, are free, fast and easy.

Ask about your Jury Rights. Pro Bono work for artists For artists, arts and cultural organizations, entertainment start-ups and the attorneys who represent them, WALA offers workshops to help navigate the complex convergence of arts and law. A volunteer faculty of some of the most accomplished attorneys in arts, entertainment and media law provide instruction at regularly scheduled courses each year.

Shakuntala Devi mathamatical prodigy, born in Bangalore daughter of a circus performer, her father was a tightrope walker and human cannonball. Hong Kong cull continues as bird flu alert hits new level. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing gets a dusting of white after the first snowfall of the winter.

The truth is most of the individual mistakes boil down to just one: a belief that markets are self-adjusting and that the role of government should be minimal.

Craig Newmark explains his view of the Obama tech administration.

We were once People of the Book but now we are becoming People of Screen. But to complete this transformation in full we need a set of tools which will allow us to manipulate, create, and process moving images with the same ease we have for words.

How to Unblock your SIM Card

While these "gate-barring songs" are reserved mainly for tourists and official guests, the Dong song-style is a form of communication every child learns from the age of 5. "And they sing on key, on rhythm, perfectly a capella, in tune with one another," Tan says.

OPTA, the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority of the Netherlands, has announced draft policy rules governing tariffs for access to fiber networks from KPN-Reggefiber.

"The chancellor of the D.C. system, Michelle Rhee, has proposed an innovative teachers' contract that could allow her to reward the best teachers and dismiss the bad ones. Educators everywhere are watching to see what Obama says and does.

Bob Dylan. "The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta," Dyland said in a 1978 interview with Playboy magazine.

Nymble: Blocking Misbehaving Users in Anonymizing Networks. Anonymizing networks such as Tor allow users to access Internet services privately by using a series of routers to hide the client's IP address from the server.