Just learned that we’ll be moving on in a couple of weeks. My time in Missouri is coming to an end. I wish I could wrap up our house and acreage and take it along – but I can’t, of course.

Yesterday, one of those larger-than-life members of the community died, a real-estate developer. His obituary was on page one of the business section above the Bear Stearns news. Here are two quotes (and I’m not making them up):

At various times during his life, he wrestled a bear, was run over by a car and got his head caught in a brush hog.

“He always wanted to shake your hand … and if you’re a woman, he wanted to give you a hug.”

I think I’ll miss this place.

Am Freisitz steht das Bier noch auf dem Tisch. Aumann will unbedingt vorführen, wie er früher beim Zirkus mal Messerwerfer war. Später bugsieren Gusche und Philipp Aumann hoch in die Wohnung. Sie sagt, sie heißt Ilona. Dann gehen die beiden noch mal runter und machen den Kiosk zu.

(Aus der Zusammenfassung des Hörspiels „Wisch dir die Tränen ab“ von Norbert Marohn.)

It is humbling to find what I think expressed so much more eloquently – Tim Berners-Lee in BBC News about his opposition to collecting data on web surfing and his own “web history”

It’s mine – you can’t have it. If you want to use it for something, then you have to negotiate with me. I have to agree, I have to understand what I’m getting in return.

and on the gatekeeper function of ISPs

I myself feel that it is very important that my ISP supplies internet to my house like the water company supplies water to my house. It supplies connectivity with no strings attached. My ISP doesn’t control which websites I go to, it doesn’t monitor which websites I go to.

Watch the video.

For language professionals, the question of independent contractors vs. payroll employees seems to know no borders. Here a particularly colorful quote. The article was published in the on-line edition of the Zurich Tages-Anzeiger:

Für den Vorstand des Verbandes der Zürcher Gerichtsdolmetscher und Übersetzer ist dieser Entscheid eine grosse Enttäuschung und «ein weiterer Beleg für die Nichtanerkennung unserer Arbeit»: «Man geht mit uns um wie mit einem Ross: Man nimmt es aus dem Stall und braucht es – ist es krank, bringt man es in die Metzgerei»