From InsideHigherEd

This news story from InsideHigherEd discusses statistics released by the National Science Foundation regarding scientific and engineering degrees and their relation to work assignments later in life. Quoting from the story, "Engineering, math and computer science bachelor’s degree recipients were the least likely to pursue advanced degrees outside of science and engineering; only 17 percent of them did so. Only about 40 percent of engineering, math, and computer science bachelor’s recipients sought an additional degree, as compared to 60 percent of physical sciences bachelor’s degree recipients, 49 percent of social sciences bachelor’s recipients, and 57 percent of life sciences bachelor’s recipients." I guess that means offspring #1 (a comp sci major) is unlikely to follow in mother's footsteps by becoming a librarian. Or at least that the likelihood would be better had he decided to go into history or political science.

The weekend was rather pedestrian.

I've already forgotten the weekend's exact timetable but we did grocery shopping and hit Target early Saturday morning. We'd taken offspring #2 clothes shopping on Friday evening. It was an expensive weekend certainly. I bought a mystery at Borders on Saturday, Flowers Stained by Moonlight, told in epistolary fashion. On Friday, I had picked up a serious textbook-style reader on the topic of spiritual theology, Spiritual Traditions for the Contemporary Church. And at home, waiting for me was a DVD set of Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, ordered from Amazon. Plenty of entertainment for the weekend.

Sunday was the slow day. No church because everyone was moving -- in fact -- slowly. Offspring #2 had specifically requested that he be allowed to sleep in since Saturday at Friendly's was a late night. Spouse didn't sleep well due to the heat.

Reading in Past Week:

The Best of C.L. Moore - Two outstanding stories - Black Thirst is a Northwest Smith story that protests emphasis being placed on a woman's beauty, simultaneously breeding out all courage and intelligence. No Woman Born is a story involving a female entertainer, burned badly in a theater fire, who has allowed her (organic) brain to be placed in a (mechanical body). Can she adapt? The male scientist and her male manager have doubts that her essential beauty will shine forth, supplanting the image of a robot entertainer in the mind of her public, and yet she proves both wrong in a unique fashion.

His Majesty's Dragon - Excellent entertainment story of dragon and captain-rider (Think Russll Crowe in Master and Commander and then put him on the back of a dignified, intelligent Chinese Dragon). No particular theme or depth of message, but well-paced fun and emotionally satisfying. There's a point where an injured dragon dies that causes a bit of a lump in the throat.

Upcoming Week:

Newletter article to be written on product development
Offspring #1 returns home from his Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Major news stories this week were the war in the Middle East (guys, we're past the so-called crisis phase; this is a war. Call it that) and the heat wave across the country.

Untitled

Wonderful article about how university presses might start figuring in the blog community in disemminating scholarly research at Inside Higher Ed.

Blogged with Flock

This is a test entry to see if Blogger is working right today. Using the Flock browser, I had tried to make two different entries to this blog but neither of them showed up on the blog. This is just a test.

Test

This entry is specifically intended solely for the purpose of testing the functionality of the Flock browser. Can I create this entry and seamlessly post it to my Individual Take blog on blogspot? Or is this going to choke like yesterday's did?

Blogged with Flock

As a member of the Episcopal church, as one who has been a faithful congregant for the past thirty years, as a woman who considered the church as a possible vocation, I am perturbed (and that may be something of an understatement) about the behavior of both sides of the schism facing the church.

I *applaud* those members of the clergy who have said to their parishes "Yes, that's going on, but our work, our ministry is here in our home, our neighborhood and our city. Let's deal with the figure of Christ as we see Him in those immediately present to us. Let's do the work He has given us to do, to love and serve Him."

Which doesn't prevent me from hissing at the conservatives and rolling my eyes over the liberals. Sometimes, all I want to do is remind both groups that focusing more on the Gospels than the rest of Scripture might serve the purposes of the church better than all this folderol.

How could I have forgotten to note Tolkien's eleventy-first birthday today, when I had particularly mentioned Two Towers below?

Only three days left of my holiday. Then it is back to the grand concerns of the information industry. Next year, I must remember to take the week off *after* New Year's Day. That way, I'll have a real set of days during which to relax. What with Christmas, wrapping presents, blockbuster movies (like Nemesis and Two Towers), New Year's Eve, the boys' schedules of parties and other fun stuff -- I didn't feel like I could sit and veg until yesterday.

However, we did buy the DVD player on New Year's Day. Pat immediately sat down and watched 1776 which he'd gotten from Rich as a gift.

Okay, let's try to pick ourselves up and move forward. Books this month: Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz, The World of Jane Austen by Deirdre LeFaye, Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Two By Margery Allingham

Two by Margery Allingham

Mystery Mile -- Although the second appearance of Albert Campion (his initial appearance being in The Black Dudley Murders), Mystery Mile provides us with the first mystery that has Campion as the central character sleuth.

Mystery Mile is relatively unsophisticated and seems somewhat dated (pub date 1930). An American judge travels to England to escape multiple attempts on his life. Accompanied by his daughter and son on a shipboard cruise, the judge is saved from an unfortunate electrical accident by Campion who later provides his business card to the son. "Nothing sordid, vulgar or plebian" says the card, leading the son to Campion's hidden flat above a police station. By way of hiding the judge in a remote part of the countryside, Campion brings the daughter and son, Isobel and Marlowe respectively, into contact with two other young folk, Giles and Biddy. The main plot is the protection of the judge with a sub-plot following the loves of the five young people. The book moves through twist after twist culminating with Campion's confrontation of Simister, the head of a great organized crime syndicate which was also featured in the Black Dudley Murders.

The Gyrth Chalice - The third title in the Albert Campion mystery series. A fine English countryside mystery. Aristocracy, mysterious obligations to the Crown, gypsies, gangs and Lugg's instructions on proper etiquette all contribute to a wonderful traditional English mystery. Campion's business card in this instance offers the recipient "Beer, light wines and little pink cakes. Improving conversation." But we get a tidbit here an there as to Campion's background and his real identity as well as his several aliases. Of particular note is the memorable scene featuring countryside pagan traditions.

My copy of The Gyrth Chalice is a particularly elderly paperback that originally retailed for 60 cents. The front cover features the following exchange:

"You are thinking of killing me?" Campion asked.
"I'm not *thinking* of killing you. I'm *going* to kill you." came the answer.

What fun! note that Gyrth Chalice and Mystery Mile both feature a mix of American and British characters with similar mystery elements and romantic subplots. Fortunately, they're still different enough to make for good light reading.