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Disabled woman denied entry to U.S. after agent cites supposedly private medical details
A Toronto woman is shocked after she was denied entry into the U.S. because she had been hospitalized for clinical depression. www.thestar.com
Provincial policies around funding of services in municipalities could shut off crucial funding for a library in western P.E.I., and close it down, say library board officials.The public library in Alberton first opened 80 years ago. It is part of the provincial system, with purchases and a part-time librarian funded by the province. But unlike most provincial libraries it receives a further grant from thetown of $2,500 to pay for heat and lights. Continue reading
Extract: The announcement that Oxford Dictionaries has named ‘selfie’ ‘Word of the Year’ for 2013, has been met with an inevitable outpouring of outrage and snarkiness.
For those who are either allergic to the internet or merely have better things to do than prowl Instagram all day, ‘selfie’ refers to taking a photo of yourself – usually on asmartphone – which is then, customarily, uploaded to a social-media site. It’s believed to have been coined by an Australian student in 2002. He snapped a photo of the busted lip he suffered due to a sozzled fall, and uploaded it online with the caption ‘…sorry about the focus, it was a selfie’. In the last year, the term has really caught on – even the pope’s been at it – and Oxford Dictionaries calculates its usage across the internet has increased a whopping 17,000 per cent. .spiked-online.com
On the same shelf:LAC-MEGANTIC, Que. — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is speaking out for the first time on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford — and keeping his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.Harper joked that he’s heard Ford say publicly he wants to be prime minister, a notion Harper said he clearly can’t support.But when it comes to the Toronto mayor’s future, Harper said that’s for the voters of that city to decide.Harper said the Conservative government’s position is clear: There are strict drug laws in place, and no one should be buying or using illegal drugs, especially sitting politicians. Continue reading Edmonton Journal
BRAMPTON— Spice & Kosher: Exotic Cuisine of the Cochin Jews, is not your typical cookbook— but its recipe is simple.On the same shelf:
Take one-part history, one-part tradition, one-part religion, a whole lot of food, let it simmer and serve to the masses.
It’s a book about the preservation and significance of a specific cuisine from the dying community in Cochin, India.
That’s what sparked Brampton resident Bala Menon, along with co-authors Dr. Essie Sassoon and Kenny Salem, to share the historical significance of Cochin’s cuisine. continue reading Brampton Guardian
By SUNIL RAO
Staff Writer, South Asian Focus, Print Edition: Nov 21 2013, volume: 7 issue: 47
Ever heard of ‘Cochini Jews’? No? Yet theycontinue to reside in the original, white-walled streets of Jew Town — even if there are just eight among them there around the synagogue today, all elderly.
And GTA residents Bala Menon and Kenny Salem — both originally hailing from Kerala in India — are determined to keep the Cochini Jews story alive.
Their quest has today resulted in a book, ‘Spice & Kosher: Exotic Cuisine of the Cochin Jews’, written jointly by Menon and Salem, along with Dr Essie Sassoon, a Cochini Jew, and today living in Ashkelon, Israel.
The book contains some 200recipes — and, through the recipes, seeks to outline the history of the Jews of Cochin.
“It’s such an important part of India’s history and Kerala’s heritage,” says Menon. contiue reading southasianfocus.ca
It’s not actually the world’s biggest bookstore. There is a Barnes &Noble in New York City that is more than twice as large. But it still houses a vast number of books, including a wall of Shakespeare, a wall of poetry and another dedicated to Manga. It has long rows of fiction, including a Star Wars section.And, like Sam the Record Man, which closed in 2007, and Honest Ed’s, which has been sold to a Vancouver developer, the World’s Biggest Bookstore was a brash, quirky retailer that for a long time anchored Toronto’s retail landscape.Drew McGowen, vice-president of real estate and development for Indigo Books & Music Inc., said the store was at the end of a lease and the company could not afford the new rent.
Dave Pattern says:
OK, so why am I ranting on about all this stuff? It's simply because I've been pulling out some usage stats from our Summon instance…
- The library's print collection accounts for just 0.3% of the items, but accounts for 10.3% of the result clicks — I think our users are trying to tell us that they think our OPAC sucks and they'd rather use Summon to search for books
- 89% of the results clicked on appeared on the first page of results — as with Google, users rarely delve any further the page 1 of the results
- Only 2% of result clicks came from beyond the 4th page of the results — very few users will explore the long tail of results
- 50.5% of result clicks were for the first 4 results on page 1 — the majority of users won't even bother to scroll down the page!
- 72.3% of searches used 3 keywords or less — students are using their Google skills
- Since launching Summon, we've seen increases of 300% to 1000% in the COUNTER full-text download stats for many of the journal platforms we subscribe to — although "cost per use" can be a crude measure, we're getting much better value out of our e-resource subscriptions now. Continue reading: Relevancy Rules in Self-plagiarism is style, Dave Pattern's blog
On the same shelf of Globalization in a global village:"Great Surprise"—Native Americans Have West Eurasian Origins:
Oldest human genome reveals less of an East Asian ancestry than thought
Extract:
Nearly one-third of Native American genes come from west Eurasian people linked to the Middle East and Europe, rather than entirely from East Asians as previously thought, according to a newly sequenced genome. continue reading: National Geographic
Diane E. Wirth Frank Joseph Gavin Menzies Peter Bellwood Gwenn A. Miller John H Relethford Roger Downey Stephen Oppenheimer Fernando S. Gallegos Colin J Sanderson BioTalent Canada report indicates scientific newcomers face high unemployment, and skills shortages exist in Canada's bio-economy read the complete report
Andrew Dagys and Paul Mladjenovic (4th edition, 2013: pp. 331-332) Richard A. Ferri (2009) "Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are revolutionizing the investment industry. From their introduction in 1993, ETFs have expanded exponentially over the past fifteen years" Benjamin Graham (2005) "The greatest investment advisor of the twentieth century, Benjamin Graham taught and inspired people worldwide. Graham's philosophy of "value investing" -- which shields investors from substantial error and teaches them to develop long-term strategies -- has made The Intelligent Investor the stock market bible ever since its original publication in 1949." Peter D. Schiff and John Downes (2011) -- "A fully updated follow-up to Peter Schiff's bestselling financial survival guide-Crash Proof, which described the economy as a house of cards on the verge of collapse, with over 80 pages of new material" James Turk and John Rubino (2008) -- "The dollar is in trouble. Its value on foreign exchange markets has been falling for the past six years, and now its gradual decline is about to become a rout." Timothy Vick (2000) -- "How to Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett sticks to the basics: how Buffett continually finds bargain stocks passed over by others. Written by an actual financial analyst who uses Buffett's strategies professionally" Philip A. Fisher (2003) A.J. Frost and Robert R. Prechter (2005) -- "A Great Classic for Three Decades: Now In Its 10th Edition, Consider What This "Definitive Text" Offers You Take a moment to look over your books about investing. Have any of them given you a successful method for making profits and reducing risks? Is there even one such book that has proven reliable over the years?" (2009) -- "" Matt Krantz (2009) -- "What's the key to multibillionaire Warren Buffett's five-decade run as the most successful investor in history? Fundamental analysis. Now, Fundamental Analysis For Dummies puts this tried and true method for gauging any company's true underlying value into sensible and handy step-by-step instructions.."CBC.caIn times of disaster like the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, many instinctively reach for food and clothes to donate from their own homes, but aid organizations and charities caution that such help can pose a problem.Cash the most effective donation
First-ever Forum on the Future of Our Public Library – Sunday, November 24th – 2 pm to 4pm – Council Chamber – City Hall - See more at:http://ourpubliclibrary.to/#event
Toronto has the busiest and, by most measures, the best library system in North America. But this precious public asset, founded in 1883, is falling behind. How could it not, after 20 years of political neglect and budget cuts?
More service reductions are being planned for 2014 and beyond. Toronto Council is closely divided on this issue. Major decisions will be made soon. Your voice will make a difference. continue reading more @ Mayank Bhatt posted in Generally About Books
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A 4 Step Reality Check for Job Seekers
U.S. News & World Report (blog) November 12, 2013
Extract: "I'm just starting my job search," said a newly unemployed executive. "I'm bright, I know that I communicate well, and have lots of contacts in my industry. I'm not like all those other people who are unemployed for the long term. I'm sure that I won't have any difficulty finding my next position." Maybe so. But all too often, the axiom "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" applies to highly skilled, knowledgeable professionals who are at the top of their game. Regardless of whether you are just beginning your job search, or have been at it for a while, a serious gut check may be in order. Ask yourself these four questions: 1. Are you self-absorbed or self-aware? 2. Do you have today's required job hunt skills? 3. Are your expectations realistic? 4. Are you prepared for the long haul? continue reading On the same shelf: |
See also: Browsing the city stacks for inspiration - Writer in Residence - Shawn Micallef
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