July 31 2011

[Steve MacDowall]

Sunday July 31 2011

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Our July Poll:  - The Poll **** It takes less than a minute to let us know your view - Thanks

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Music today: James Taylor & Elvis Costello sing Carole King's "Crying in the Rain" on Spectacle, 2008 ****

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Food: Places to eat in Maine USA: Moody’s Diner in Waldoboro - Articles

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Art: National Gallery showcases Caravaggio, art’s original bad boy - Article and 3 videos
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Syrian: Syrian army tanks firing shells and machineguns stormed the city of Hama on Sunday, killing at least 45 civilians in a move to crush demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, residents and activists said -- The government forces began their assault on the city, scene of a 1982 massacre, at dawn after beseiging it for nearly a month. -- Citing hospital officials, the Syrian Observatory for human rights said the death toll was likely to rise, with dozens badly wounded. -- A doctor, who did not want to be further identified for fear of arrest, told Reuters that most bodies were taken to the city’s Badr, al-Horani and Hikmeh hospitals. -- Scores of people were wounded and blood for transfusions was in short supply, he said by telephone from the city, which has a population of around 700,000. - Article with video 1:06
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France/blogs: Rebranding destination France -- What images do La Marianne, The Loire Valley and Gewürztraminer bring to mind? Probably none, unless you were born in France or spent significant time here. But this trio forms the new mantra of tourism ministry chief Frederic Lefebvre. He wants visitors to spend more time in France and could soon be in a town near you with the following message: There is more to see in France than the Eiffel Tower and the picturesque urban sprawl around the monument’s base. -- And there is another image that worries Lefebvre even more. That is, that of the haggardly restaurant waiter whose main job consists of ignoring and sneering down hungry customers in equal measure. Article - 26 comments along with video :34
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Canada/Travel: How Gros Morne National Park bewitched Lawrence Hill -- Last summer, an affable Parks Canada interpreter named Fred Sheppard led Canadian novelist Joseph Boyden and 75 book lovers into the forests of Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland. The “Boyden and the Boreal” outing was billed as a chance to share nature and literature. But the moment they chose a gathering place, they stumbled upon a sleeping moose. -- “The bull moose was about 30 feet in front of me on the trail, lying to the side and then stood, nostrils flaring, ears back, sure signs of being disturbed from an afternoon slumber,” Sheppard said. “We stopped, moved back the trail about 20 feet and then gathered the group to sit and watch and listen. The moose wandered a few feet away and then settled back down as Joseph started to read. Even after [the one-man band] Mountains and the Trees played a few tunes on the guitar with Joseph accompanying on the harmonica, the moose was still hanging out.” The moose appeared to listen carefully to Boyden, and it did not move until applause broke out. Read On

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