It's the birthday of Samuel Johnson, (books by this author) born in Lichfield, England, in 1709, who wrote A Dictionary of the English Language (1755). As a young man, he went to Oxford, where he had to walk barefoot because he couldn't afford to repair his shoes. One night another student left a new pair of shoes outside his door. Johnson was so ( Read more... )

You can check out the specifics of Obama's platform here. I'm also planning to post some specifics in this journal to spread the word and spread the fire. I like this guy a lot. I like the campaign he's running. I like that I recently read someone calling him to task for not attacking the Republicans like they're attacking him, and that after a ( Read more... )

The Obama campaign just launched a new one-stop voter registration website called Vote for Change:

http://my.barackobama.com/vfc

You can check your registration status, register to vote, look up early-vote information for your state, apply to vote absentee, and find your polling place.

( Read more... )

Ah, Google translator, you suck at translating Finnish knitting patterns*, though you do produce an odd kind of poetry. To wit:

If you want to moisten the songs and spread them to dry mittoihinsa.
Shantih shantih shantih

*Clearly, however, a floor is a row.

Happy Birthday Juliana!

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...
English Genius

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much ( Read more... )

I think I'm posting this to see where others have been as much as to show where I've been.


( Read more... )

Odysseus and the Eclipse:

The two scientists derived a possible chronology from astronomical references in the story, including the stars by which Odysseus navigated, the sighting of Venus just before dawn as he arrives at Ithaca, and the new moon on the night before the massacre of the suitors and the presumed eclipse.

On the basis of their ( Read more... )

( slight spoilers, if you're truly behind )