/http://www.mrs-trellis.co.uk/error.html” rel=”nofollow”>Scrap Bag Volume I http://www.mrs-trellis.co.uk/

From this site you can play Mornington crescent, naturally, but be aware that the Pauli-Braithwaite Northern-line exclusion principle may be in play…


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Uncle Nolli’s patented Astro-Feng-Shui-Tarot presents:

Sagittarius: 23 November-21 December:
Confusion tomorrow when the tray in your CD player suddenly begins to leak
apple juice. Luckily it’s still under guarantee. And the apple juice will
keep for three days if refrigerated.

Lucky shampoo: Wash & Go 2-in-1.


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St Michael Patron of Particle Physics

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Postage stamps from the Republic of China (1911 – 1949)

Top row: President Yuan Shikai who declared himself emperor in 1915 and then died mysteriously.

Bottom row Sun Yat-sen the ‘Father of Modern China’ who was a principled nationalist who said that his “three Principles of the People” was inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysberg Address.
Also Chiang Kai-shek who infamously lost China and fled into exile in Taiwan in 1949.

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C.P. Cavafy – The Official Website of The Cavafy Archive

http://www.cavafy.com/

The Ides of March

Guard, O my soul, against pomp and glory.
And if you cannot curb your ambitions,
at least pursue them hesitantly, cautiously.
And the higher you go,
the more searching and careful you need to be.

And when you reach your summit, Caesar at last ,
when you assume the role of someone that famous ,
then be especially careful as you go out into the street,
a conspicuous man of power with your retinue;
and should a certain Artemidoros
come up to you out of the crowd, bringing a letter,
and say hurriedly: ‘Read this at once.
There are things in it important for you to see,’
be sure to stop; be sure to postpone
all talk or business; be sure to brush off
all those who salute and bow to you
(they can be seen later); let even
the Senate itself wait , and find out immediately
what grave message Artemidoros has for you.

C P Cavafy

The Biochemists Songbook MP3 Files

http://www.csulb.edu/~cohlberg/songbook.html

Michaelis reaction

The Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction is initiated with the SN2 reaction of the nucleophilic phosphite with the electrophilic alkyl halide to give a phosphonium intermediate. Triaryl phosphites, which are unable to perform the second step of the Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction, have been shown to produce stable phosphonium salts.Likewise, aryl and vinyl halides are unreactive towards phosphites.

The displaced halide anion reacts via another SN2 reaction with the phosphonium intermediate to give the desired phosphonate and another alkyl halide.

When chiral phosphonium intermediates are produced, it has been shown the halide substitution proceeds with inversion of configuration, as expected by a SN2 reaction.

I used to understand this…. not anymore…

http://www.csulb.edu/~cohlberg/Songs/Michaelis.mp3

http://clovia.stumbleupon.com

Sad news, so I plagiarise WB Yeats:

“Clovia has sailed into his rest;
Savage indignation there
Cannot lacerate his breast.
Imitate him if you dare,
World-besotted traveller; he
Served human liberty.

Clovia – a visual feast, every visit.

…seems so unfair, I want to cry…

The Great Christmas Compendium: John Betjemans Christmas – Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3813820/The-Great–Christmas-Compendium-John-Betjemans-Christmas.html

The bells of waiting Advent ring,

The Tortoise stove is lit again

And lamp-oil light across the night

Has caught the streaks of winter rain.

In many a stained-glass window sheen

From Crimson Lake to Hooker’s Green.

The holly in the windy hedge

And round the Manor House the yew

Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,

The altar, font and arch and pew,

So that villagers can say

“The Church looks nice” on Christmas Day.

Provincial public houses blaze

And Corporation tramcars clang,

On lighted tenements I gaze

Where paper decorations hang,

And bunting in the red Town Hall

Says “Merry Christmas to you all”.

And London shops on Christmas Eve

Are strung with silver bells and flowers

As hurrying clerks the City leave

To pigeon-haunted classic towers,

And marbled clouds go scudding by

The many-steepled London sky.

And girls in slacks remember Dad,

And oafish louts remember Mum,

And sleepless children’s hearts are glad,

And Christmas morning bells say “Come!”

Even to shining ones who dwell

Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.

And is it true? and is it true,

This most tremendous tale of all,

Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,

A Baby in an ox’s stall?

The Maker of the stars and sea

Become a Child on earth for me?

And is it true? For if it is,

No loving fingers tying strings

Around those tissued fripperies,

The sweet and silly Christmas things,

Bath salts and inexpensive scent

And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,

No carolling in frosty air,

Nor all the steeple-shaking bells

Can with this single Truth compare –

That God was Man in Palestine

And lives to-day in Bread and Wine.

Extracted from John Betjeman’s ‘Collected Poems’

Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her `kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, `ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Torleys favorite websites – StumbleUpon

http://torley.stumbleupon.com/

Please give a warm stumbleupon welcome to Torley,
a.k.a. Torley Linden

A ‘happy human being/virtual world expert, social media guru/thought leader, freelance blogger/crazy dancer, graphic designer/freesoul, virtuoso concert pianist/ex-techno producer…

…and a lot of other things that don’t have “/” in them.

He also has a sense of humour’.

The Devils Whore – Channel 4

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/T/the_devils_whore/index.html

'Oh you handsome devil...'

Left to right : Old Nol, Free-Born John Lilburne, Thos. Rainsborough, Edward Sexby.

What did you Puritans ever do for us, Oliver?

Well, there’s sexual liberation, personal hygiene, press freedom..

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/what-did-you-puritans-ever-do-for-us-oliver-1017503.html

Many thanks to Tigana
http://tigana.stumbleupon.com/