[Vhfcn-l] Monday musings

[gthewlis at comcast.net]

It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.
John Andrew Holmes

Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature.
Kin Hubbard

The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.
Anatole France

People love high ideals, but they got to be about 33-percent plausible.
Will Rogers

She's the original good time that was had by all.
Bette Davis, about a starlet

Give a man a fish and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him of the entire weekend.
Zenna Schaffer

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6 Supposedly Haunted Libraries

The New York Public Library—the largest public library system in the U.S.—was formed after several of New York City’s libraries merged together. One of those institutions was the Astor Library, a spot with a spooky history. In 1860, the New York Evening Post published an article about a ghost sighting that took place at there. The librarian at the time, Dr. Cogswell, claimed to have seen the apparition of a doctor who had recently died visiting the section of the library that dealt with supernatural materials. Cogswell said the ghost disappeared during each of the three occasions he saw and attempted to speak to the being.

Senate House Library, University of London // London, England

The University of London is comprised of several universities and colleges, including the Senate House Library, which has been rumored to be haunted since it acquired the Harry Price Collection of Magical Literature. This library of materials belonged to the supernatural researcher of the same name. There have been a number of strange occurrences reported around the Senate Library since it acquired the collection, including claims of a glowing female apparition and sightings of books seemingly floating in midair.

Marsh’s Library // Dublin, Ireland

Marsh’s Library in Dublin was founded in the 18th century; it’s one of the few libraries from that period still in operation. Bram Stoker visited the library as a young man. He requested access to a number of items in its collection, including some that mentioned the historical figure Vlad the Impaler, who would  later be a source of inspiration for his famous novel.

The Dracula link isn’t the only thing spooky about the place. The library is also said to be haunted by the spirit of its namesake, Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, and some claim the ghost of author Jonathan Smith visits, too. (Perhaps he’s visiting the cast of his skull, which the library owns.)

State Library Victoria // Melbourne, Australia
This library has been around for more than a century and a half, so it’s no surprise tales of the supernatural have accumulated there over the years. Staff have reported hearing about a number of strange events. There have been stories of books falling of their own accord, as well as a ghost haunting the room that held the library’s piano. Security guards have also claimed to see ghosts—some even became reluctant to work night shifts in the building as a consequence.

Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University // New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Yale University is home to a number of places with eerie reputations, perhaps most notably its secretive Skull and Bones society. Other places on campus, like the Sterling Memorial Library, have their own haunted histories. It’s said this library—known for its maze-like towers of books—is purportedly haunted. One of the ghosts appears to be friendly, though. It’s said the spirit of a librarian who died long ago continues to help Yale students with their studies.

The Los Angeles Public Library // Los Angeles, California, United States
The Los Angeles Public Library is a sprawling entity with numerous branches—the aisles of which are stacked with stories of supernatural beings. Ghosts have been seen at the Cypress Park branch, and some have sensed a supernatural presence in the form of a cold spot in the section of the library that deals with books on the occult. The Brentwood and Valley Plaza branches are also allegedly haunted by the ghosts of librarians who once worked there; some visitors even claim to have seen the spirits continuing to perform their former jobs.

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The Spanish for "little war" gave us the term  Guerilla.

The side-straddle hop is the U.S. military's name for the Jumping jack.

George C. Scott won the Best Actor Oscar, but declined to accept it, for his portrayal of World War II general Patton.

 William Tecumseh Sherman chose not to parlay his military success into a political career, declining calls to run for election as President of the United States.

The Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is generally the event that ended Vikings as a threat to Gaelic culture.

Fort Independence is a granite military structure and one of the oldest continuously fortified sites in the United States, operating since 1634. The Fort now lies within a preserved state park on Castle Island.

The Swiss Constitution prohibits Swiss citizens from participating in foreign military service except for the military unit responsible for guarding the Vatican, the smallest independent state in the world.