Ford

The other day I had a conversation with a co-worker about politics. Somehow we segued onto Gerald Ford and his modeling career. My co-worker mentioned that he modeled Arrow shirts, and I, as I do these days, had a jolt of memory about that.

But, I became curious. I searched the magic information highway for information about this and I couldn't find any information on what type of modeling he did.

I ended up emailing the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. I was impressed with the timeliness of their response.

Here's the skinny: President Ford modeled for the Powers Agency and the Conover Modeling Agency when he was in law school at Yale. He modeled with this then girlfriend Phyllis Brown. There were a few other factoids, but no evidence that he modeled for Arrow Shirts.

Hmmm....If two people recall this, where did we get this information or misinformation? Does anyone recall this bit of trivia?

I think this might be a case for one of my favorite programs The History Detectives.

"The priceless galaxy of misinformation called the mind."
Djuna Barnes

Round Up

Interesting Presidential trivia.

Forvo-all the words of the world pronounced. I have been waiting so long for a site like this.

A Ghostbike is a junker bike that has been painted stark white and afixed to the site where a cyclist has been hit or killed by a car driver. Ghostbikes are intended to be memorials for the fallen.

33 of the most intricate and realistic Lego creations.

25 useful social networking tools for librarians.

The best copyright-free photo libraries.

Record-breaking Mentos and Coke explosions.

Malaria No More is an inclusive, grass-roots movement to fight the outbreak and spread of malaria. The groups mission is to end deaths due to malaria. The facts are mind boggling: 1 million people die each year from malaria and 3000 children die every day. Friday, April 25th is World Malaria Day.

What will they think of next? Gourmet-scented pencils-smencils.

Yes, there is a National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). And yes, there is Dial-A-Buoy.

Apparently one can sell just about anything. Linda Katz sells tumbleweeds. Here is another article about the enterprising Ms. Katz.

Greenpeace and have blogs.Smithsonian Libraries

. A forecasting umbrella. This umbrella uses WI-FI technology to retrieve forcasts.

An article about Ruth Kedar the designer of the Google logo.

Someone collects Soviet lemonade labels.

Flickr has video.

"I am also very proud to be a liberal. Why is that so terrible these days? The liberals were liberators—they fought slavery, fought for women to have the right to vote, fought against Hitler, Stalin, fought to end segregation, fought to end apartheid. Liberals put an end to child labor and they gave us the five day work week! What's to be ashamed of?" —Barbra Streisand

Round Up

Two tips.

Tip #1. I think I thought that everyone did this so I was surprised when I was having a conversation with someone and she was complaining abour disposable razors. She said that she felt they were a waste for many reasons, the environmental impact, but also because they don't last for any time at all. I suggested that after using she dry the razor. I've been doing that since I can remember and it extends the life of the razor. I don't care if it's a disposable or you are using a real razor with razor blades. Try it, you'll like it.

Tip #2 Aspirin. The real thing. Not acetaminophen or iburprofen. Aspirin. When you are washing your whites, let the water fill, it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, put your clothes in, add 1 aspirin, and let it rip. Your whites will be whiter than ever.

Two more publishers with blogs: Beacon Press has the Beacon Broadside and the Overlook Press blog.

Yippee! JSTOR (Journal Storage) has a new look.

I'm a bit late, but here are 30 Library Technology predictions for 2008.

I think this healthcare VISA giftcard is a great idea.

I read a snippet in More magazine that some names are on the outs. The article stated that generally if someone is named Nancy or Linda, they are usually of a certain age. I was thinking of the women that I know with those names, and they are correct. Folks just aren't naming their girls those sorts of names anymore. I was thinking there probably aren't a lot of Mildreds, Connies or Donnas in the daycares either.

I'll have to add the New Georgia Encyclopedia to my list of favorite online encyclopedias.

The Hospital Broadcasting Association is a UK-based umbrella organization for radio stations based in hospitals. Yep, you read correctly. I did a cursory search to see if there are/were any radio stations based in hospitals here in the states, but I didn't come up with any.

Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country." As of September 2007 there are 1,315 final and proposed sites on the National Priorities List (NPL), but thousands more wait for approval.

Superfund365 is where art meets toxic waste. Starting September 1, 2007, every day for 1 year Superfund365 will visit one toxic site currently active in the Superfund program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Superfund365 is trying to raise awareness of the expiration of this: Polluter Pays Fees. With the expiration of this fee, innocent Americans are picking up the bill instead of the polluters who need to be held accountable.

With all of the beautiful blooming buds around I started reading some of my favorite gardening blogs. There are literally a "garden" of gardening blogs listed on blotanical-a gardening blog directory.

Darwin's first draft goes online.

I leave you with a bit of spring.

"The tulip's petals shine in dew, All beautiful, but none alike."
- James Montgomery, On Planting a Tulip-Root

Round Up

What a clever idea. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (my home state)has a blog recording their work in processing the Chew Family Papers.

One of my favorite highways also has a blog.

More peel and stick goodies-chalk board.

I think it's a bit hard to remember a time before You Tube. Here are 50 Smart Video Collections on You Tube.

Maybe bus notes are something recent, but I had never heard of such a thing before. And there's even a special way to fold them.

Mustaches of the 19th century. I like a nicely groomed stache. My dad has his sort of Clark Gable stache, and A. has a very light stache. When we first started seeing each other I asked him if he ever had a beard, and he just laughed. He said it would probably take him 50 years to grow a beard. I could probably grow one in a couple of weeks. Oh, estrogen was such a nice thing to have.

Kitchen Aid's 90th anniversary is approaching and they have come out withthis special mixer bowl.

I haven't read Frederick Kaufman's book American Stomach yet, but it looks like one I am going to enjoy. He has a blog, and the National Book Critics Circle Board of Directors blog has an interview with him about the book.

I told A. before that whenever I watch some of the programs on the Food Network it was like watching food porn. The way the camera person films the food, the close ups of the chef or cooks hands, all of it just reminds me of porn. It always has. And before you get the wrong idea I am not a porn junkie. I've seen some porn in my time, and as I have said before, I am more upset with scenes of violence than I could ever be with sex. Anyway read the interview and see what you think.

Another great idea-PicAnswers. Have an image that you are clueless about. Post your image and wait for an answer.

The Colors of Your College Degree-lots of information about academic dress and more.

That's all for this week folks. Have a nice weekend.

"There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves."Albert Guinon

Round Up

Look who showed up last week. The forsythia has bloomed.

Look at this back of the envelope design contest for Dubya's library. Here's another article about the contest.

Ninja words-a really fast dictionary

In July of 1942 American magazines displayed the American flag on their covers. Explore the online collection of the various covers.

Last month the Polaroid Corporation announced that they will no longer produce instant film. This site is about saving instant film; not necessarily about the Polaroid Corporation.

Look at all these cute pails at the bucket outlet. Can't you just see the kidlets loading these up with sand at the beach and creating all sorts of things. They also carry holiday themed pails and prints.

It took me years to find an eyelash curler that I liked. And I do mean years. I have a heated eyelash curler that I am very fond of, but my favorite, the one I use everyday is my Shu Uemura eyelash curler. Shu Uemura passed away in December at the age of 79. I wanted to give him a mention because I have gone on and on about him for years to my friends who are all cosmetic hounds like me.

And the winner for the archives that has the best total web experience is-(drumroll please) The National Archive of the United Kingdom. Here is some of what they have on their fabulous site: podcasts, a wiki, rss feeds, online exhibitions, a virtual tour, resources for archivists and social bookmarking links. The website ArchivesNext had people leave comments about their favorite archive. Honorable mention for the best web experience went to the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Archives Division, Ulster County Clerk, Ulster County, New York. And for all of the other archives with a web presence-Get with It.

I am thrilled to say the the Whole Foods in Silver Spring, Maryland is no longer providing plastic bags for their customers. I was in their Saturday morning and was just thrilled to see that. Now the rest of the stores need to jump on the bandwagon.

I was watching BBC news the other night and they have a reporter who is reporting from Midway Island. Midway Island is famous for lots of reasons, but my interest lies with the island being the home of the Laysan Albatross.

It sickened me to see all of the plastic that washes up on the island. The report indicated that every albatross on the island has ingested some plastic. Here's a diary kept by a BBC correspondent that spent time on Midway.

Do you live in a Sundown town? Sundown towns are/were towns where once the sun went downs ethnic minorities had to leave. Let's put it this way-we were allowed to come in a clean homes, dig the ditches, etc., but we certainly couldn't live there and couldn't be there after dark if we knew what was good for us.

James W. Loewen author of Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of Racism , also has a very extensive website.
You can also search the Sundown Town database to see if you are living in a Sundown Town. What's great about this is that you can leave comments about the different towns.

Keep track of book events and your favorite bookstores at Library Thing Local.

The Civil War Preservation Trust has a map with the most endangered battlefields. The National Coalition for History has links to the pdf report History Under Siege: A Guide to America's Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields

What a great idea. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is using a blog to share their findings while processing the Chew Family Papers.

Remember while reading the following quote that today is April 1, 2008.

"This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four." - Mark Twain