johnranck.net

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Just for fun

Dr. John at Robert Dick's Peterborough NH class - 1999

If things get better with age, then I'm approaching magnificence.

 

Amsterdam Shopping

Frozen Fountain
Contemporary furniture & home accessories
Galerie de Salon
Barber shop & art gallery
Pompadour Chocolaterie
homemade chocolates
Mendo
book store & art gallery
What's Cooking
"culinary kitsch"

Andy's links

Here are some links that my beau Andy Hardacker sent me:

$1 Image Stabilizer
For Any Camera - Lose The Tripod
Best Gay Blogs
Boston Subway Station Maps
To & from directions
Carpetbagger report
Norquist finally crossed the right's line in the sand
Celtic Heavy Metal
Wikipedia article
Viking metal
Crooked Timber
Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made
Delicious Library
From Delicious Monster - a MAC program to catalog, browse, and share all your books, movies, music, and video games with Delicious Library.
Game Of Thrones (newbies)
Hope this Wikipedia article won't go away.
Gay Marriage Amendment
THE FALLOUT (with Dr James Dobson)
Gay Pride
Chicago
Paris
Gay video games
Video game players can now identify their characters as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Which is wonderful, unless you're a sad homophobe
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
New Yorker - Alex Ross
New Yorker mp3 file
New Yorker - Charles Michener
Pictures at an exhibition
http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/gallery/pictures/hartmann.htm
Rules for being a Republican
Authors' Calendar
Begin by clicking on the name of the desired month.
B-Movie Theater
Cartoons
David X Art
Wonderful collection of material, including articles on Vrubel' (probably my favorite Russian artist), John Singer Sargeant, and Simeon Solomon
Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory
From The Onion
Freedom/China ratio
French firemen
Church sign generator
Fun for the whole family
Harry Potter links
J.K. Rowling Official site
Pick your language
Dutch-languate site
The Leaky Cauldron: A Harry Potter Weblog
Instrument Jokes
Mac-related
Time to switch?
Man vs. sweater
My world
Check off the countries you've visited & you get a map to put on your website.
William Morris Gallery
Recipes
Basic coarse mustard
Spicy German Mustard
http://www.cattownoakland.org/
Oakland, CA non-profit rescue.
http://tantek.com/log/2004/01.html
Tor: An anonymous Internet communication system
Towelroad
a site with homosexual tendencies - no other "about" kinda the NY Times for gay-related news stories.
Vegan links
Vegan Lunchbox
Why I love organic
Engine 2 Fire Company - vegan firefighters - includes some recipes
http://www.wga.hu - post cards & more
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
http://www.misspoppy.com/
Christian Gifts, Gift Baskets, HandzOff Gum, Mother Teresa Breath Mist, and more!
Walkingman.com urban cardigan
Weetabix
made from whole grains - which are an excellent source of dietary fibre
White tea
https://www.englishteastore.com/loose-leaf-white-tea.html
http://www.harney.com/White-Teas/departments/13/
http://tinyurl.com/ae299
http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/whiteteas.html

Book List

Books I hope to read someday

Evans-Wentz, H.Y. Tibatan Yoga & Secret Doctrines. New Age Books.
Kalb, Judith. Russian writers of the Silver Age. Gale Press. Widner RR 2129.5 vol. 295
Leon, Donna - Guido mysteries
McCaffery - Dragons of Pern

Cats

Hitler cats
Gatto Roho Swag
Cafe at Harvard's Dudley House
The infinite cat project
rathergood.com/
Takes ages to load
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
tiddles.co.uk/
Cat drorings
World famous random kitten generator
Odd, I thought kittens came from cats
Yoga kitty
Exercises to do with your cat

Foreign Language websites

www.radio24.it
830 television stations and 4,500 radio stations
www.real.com
www.msn.com
www.onlinenewspaper.com
Print media

Health links

Seafood watch
Sustainable seafood choices available in different regions of the U.S.

Movie links

I realized that I don't have any links to info on one of my favorite actresses, Judy Holliday, so here are a couple. Ms. Holliday starred in such great films as Born Yesterday, Adam's Rib (with Katherine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy), and Bells Are Ringing (with Dean Martin).

Judy Holliday
The Internet Movie Database
Fay Wray

Music links

I've had the great good fortune to have heard Barbara Cook at the Kennedy Center (Aug. 2003), the Metropolitan Opera (january 2006) and Symphony Hall (March, 2007). She is a wonder. Other singers I like are Joni Mitchell (whose song lyrics are here) and Laura Nyro, and Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell, member of Sweet Honey in the Rock. I've been a fan of Gabriel Yacoub since the days of Pierre de Grenoble (1973). Another male vocalist that gets my vote is Breton singer/harpist Alan Stivell. Thanks to WGBH I've also discovered a great a capella group (from Madison, WI no less): Navan who "sing in the languages of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man."
Jukebox
The top 100 songs from the golden years of popular music - plus more of our musical heritage.
I'm a great fan of Steeleye Span, and their lead singer, Maddy Prior, and also like cats. I've also heard a Scottish group Cliar that I like a lot but am waiting for the price of their CD to come down from the current exchange rate of $25+
Minidisc article
Music graphics galore
Anna Russel Wagner Ring videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve7wH-k8LgQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKpKM53EdGg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxWoWwYyhZg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH70fP8vq-w

Organize your life

http://www.43folders.com/
amily of websites about stuff like personal productivity, life hacks, and simple ways to make your life a little better
http://www.dumblittleman.com/
7 Ways To Manage Your Email Like An Expert
http://www.lifehack.org/
any hacks, tips and tricks that get things done quickly by automating, increase productivity and organizing.
http://unclutterer.com/
the website for home and office organization
http://zenhabits.net/
covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.
https://clutterersanonymous.org/
a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem with clutter (sounds like something for me).

Photos

Places I'd like to revisit

Croatia
Split
Hvar
the Czech Republic
Welcome to Czechia
Czech Republic Hotels, Prague Apartments, Prague Tours, Prague Transfers, Car Rental, Czech Sights and Vacation Packages
Prague
France
Paris
The Netherlands
Schiermonnikoog
Here are several links to a lovely island north of Holland where I spent a wonderful few days with my good friend, Guus, his beau, Hein & Hein's two sons
Hotel Graaf Bernstorff - via Tripadvisor
Other hotel links - including info on rooms & apartments
Wikipedia article
Poland
Visit Krakow – Your Krakow Travel Guide

Places I'd like to visit

U.S.
Chimney Rock, San Juan National Forest archaeological area - where the moon stands still
Roadsideamerica.com - your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions - including giant fiberglass figures
Denmark
Skagen
Skagens Museum
England
Bodlian library - Oxford
France
Millau
Causse Gantier - glove makers
Office du Tourism
Germany
Berlin
Paris Bar
Heidelberg
USA
Minnesota
Museum of Russian Art - Minneapolis

Political links

http://americablog.org/
Borowitz report
http://buzzmachine.com/
Freewayblogger.com
Free speech: Use it or lose it
Global Exchange
an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice
Just $6
the amount it would take for each American for us to publically fund elections
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/
An outside-the-Beltway perspective on current events, politics, media, and the arts.
Northern Sun
message-oriented tshirts, bumperstickers, buttons, posters, etc.
Tom Terrific - This Modern World
TUC radio
a.k.a. "Time of Useful Consciousness" is the time between the onset of oxygen deficiency and the loss of consciousness. "TUC Radio might be the last truly subversive voice on the dial." Daniel Zoll, San Francisco Bay Guardian
Conscience-free shopping
www.greenamerica.org/green-business-index
VelvetRevolution.us
As our first call to action, we hope to bring together the many disparate groups and elements revolving around the questionable results of the 2004 presidential election.
Women for Peace

Random links

70%
According to the NY Times, "the most erudite of the Internet's many chocolate-dedicated sites."
Aliance PIV
Czech pub alliance (someone should tell them how to spell it in English).
Auto accessories
avatarmaker.com
Build your own avatar.
Murray Bookchin on the French Situationist Movement
Catalogchoice.org
Deforest your mailbox - free service
Chinese astrology year chart
Chocolates
Roberto Catinari - Pistoia, Italy (Flash-only site)
De Bondt Chocolate - Pisa, Italy
Slitti Cafe - Monsummano Terme (Tuscany)
Cool Climate Calculator
Figure out your carbon footprint, how you compare to others. A welcome addition would be what you can do about it.
Dorchester fun facts
where (Andy, Potter & moi live
I went to a Dame Edna Everidge show and laughed so hard I almost wet 'em. :) I was reading John Lahr's biography but found it not as interesting as the autobiography My Gorgeous Life. I'm also quite the fan of Lily Tomlin.
www.engrish.com - the humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design
EPA clean detergents, etc.
FormsPal
Legal forms to download. Free for a week, then a pretty hefty monthly subscription, a more reasonable annual option,and a per document one.
Haddad Hakansson
A friend and former student's interior design company. Only the most tasteful and beaufiful designs on the planet.
Learn English
Lie vs lay, it's vs its, yours vs your's and more
Manitowoc merchants (as per a NY Times article)
The Fitness Store
Natural Ovens Bakery
thelostland.com
born as a personal quest to bring together information about Susan Cooper's books and first appeared on the web several years ago
Irshad Manji - Muslim refusenik
Memory and forgetting
Menominee links
Menominee views - aka Superior View
Superior View is the collection of photographer Jack Deo. Includes photos of Menomineehere I grew up - or aggrandi as I think they say in Frogland. Click on the Gallery & then "M" - the photos whose descriptions begin with "MEN" are those of Menominee.
Well, MIchigan, anyway
youtube video from the 1949
Michigander
Ask me, anyone who says "Michiganian" is an arriviste
Wikipedia article
Monty Python's Completely Useless Website
Noise reducing headphones
Audio-Technicha ATH-ANC7
Want to know what the number one song was on the day you were born? All the way back to 1920.
Nun's Hallelulia chorus
a hoot & a half even without the sound
Open Book
Minneapolis, MN. The Open Book Literary Arts Center and the vision behind its creation has led the way to neighborhood revitalization and the blossoming of an "arts corrider" along Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.
Ottica Carraro
Italian eyeglass designer. The material used to create VENICE is highly-tested acetate, a natural material that does not contain any toxic or harmful components.
Randy Pausch's inspiring last lecture on Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
the link is just below the "order the DVD" link
Here is a link about peeps, the Easter taste treat.
Here is a listing of Christmas song sites on the Music Librarianship listerv so thought I'd pass it along.
Christmas-Carols Net
Santa's Net: Christmas Carols and Songs
Recycle compact fluorescent blubs
a resource for any light bulb ("lamp") user seeking details on recycling spent mercury-containing lamps
Ever wonder what that postage stamp with no amount printed on it is worth? Check out http://pe.usps.gov/text/qsg300/Q604a.htm
Aaron Schwartz - computer hacker & philosopher
The Surrealist Compliment Generator. E.g. So charmingly heathen, your skin is like a teardrop on a popsickle.
Stealth photography
Tubecrush.net - where your chance encounter from the [London] tube line can be shared on-line
Television shows online
Hulu.com
TVland.com
Usenet.news
Debbie Gombert - a friend of mine who's doing Music Therapy

Restaurants
Here are some links to local restaurants

Ashmont Grill
near the Ashmont T stop
Blarney Stone
Fields Corner, Boston
Dot 2 Dot Cafe
1739 Dorchester Avenue

Travel Links

Academic Ambassadors - "The first service specifically created to provide discounted hotel and rental car rates for academic (and other non-profit) travelers."

Even a Weak Dollar Can Be Stretched - NY Times article

Hostelz.com - price comparison site for hostels world-wide.

When in Paris, I stay at the Hotel Tiquetonne, which is in the deuxieme arrondissement - quite centrally located, and cheap. It helps to know French if you want to communicate with the staff. Here is a link to a map of Paris' arrondissements.

Want to travel light? Onebag.com is the place to find out how.

The Tarragon Hotel in Marinette, WI is a good place to stay - comfortable, reasonable rates, with fridges in the room so you can store stuff for breakfast, etc.

De Telefoongids - Have a Dutch friend & don't know their address/phone, only the city they live in? Here's where you can get that info!

Time-share rentals

Disboards.com
  Disney Trip Planning Forum
homeaway.com
  Easiest to use from my (limited) experience
Redweek.com
  Timeshare Rentals, Resales and Exchanges - charges to post & inquire
Redweek.com
  Timeshare Rentals, Resales and Exchanges - charges to post & inquire
My Resort Network
  Timeshare Rentals and Timeshare Resales
Timeshare Users Group - Marketplace
  Timeshares the world over
imeshare Users Group Online Community Forums
  Timeshares the world over
The Wren.net
  Vail Colorado Condos for Rent - By Owners

Transporting Musical Instruments - tips from the Transportation Security Administration

Stranded? Here's a URL for the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights in Washington that shares your concerns.

Airfare comparison sites
airfarewatchdog.com - searches for lowest fares, including ones airlines reserve for online booking
Cheaptickets.com - on a recent search they seemed to have the best fares, compared to expedia & orbitz, anyway.
Farecompare.com - lowest fares by month for the next 11 months for 77,000 domestic & 200,000 foreign cities
Fly.com - "We search and compare online travel agencies and hundreds of airlines for the cheapest airfares, all in real time. Then we show you where you can book your flights."
kayak.com - compares historical data on fares
Momondo.com - Danish site that focuses on low-cost carriers "but often uses cached data, which can result in expired fres showing up" according to a recent NY Times review. "Worth a look if you're searching for the cheapest way to get around Europe." Also includes high-speed rail fares
Airlinequality.com
The expert guide to airline product and service standards across the world
Bed and breakfasts in Paris
Travel to Europe by boat for as little as $100/day
www.freighter-travel.com/
Budget Travel
The NY Times' Frugal Traveler often has good suggestions on how to save money while on a trip.
Hostels in Europe
hihostels.com
more than just Europe - also includes Russia & East Asia. Separate clicks needed to find ratings, rates & facilities info
hostelbookers.com
rates for shared & private rooms & facility ratings. more than just Europe - also includes Russia & East Asia.
hostelworld.com
Same as the above.
Hay Hotels
A listing of places in Germany where you can stay for cheap & sleep on hay. Some people must think this is fun. Nur auf Deutsch.
Monastery Stays
Monasterystays.com - 100 Italian properties
http://www.patrimonionacional.es/ - Spanish monasteries
www.valamo.fi - Finnish monasteries (butcha gotta read Finnish), Here's a wikipedia page.
Business-class airlines
Open Skies airlines - New York/Paris-Orly
Bus travel from Boston
Boltbus
Boston-New York - fares from $10-$15 on the dates I checked. Leaves, e.g. 9AM arrives 1:15PM
Greyhound
Fares hardly competitive.
Limoliner
Up to $180 roundtrip (Hilton Back Bay-Hilton, NYC) but has seat assignments, meals(?!), wi-fi, cell-phone-free zones, etc.
Luckystar
Tix as low as $1 - doesn't give travel time
Megabus
Boston-New York - fares from $6-$12 on t he dates I checked. Leaves, e.g. 7:30AM arrives 11:50AM
English bookstores in foreign cities
Buybook - Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Massolit Books , Krakow, Poland
St. Georges Bookshop, Berlin, Germany - often features art house films
Shakespeare & Sons, Prague - poetry readings and freak-folk concerts
Treehugger Dan's Bookstore and Café, Budapest, Hungary - fair trade coffee & progressive political readings
Europe
Air travel - low-cost European companies
Cimber Sterling
A Danish company
Easyjet
English company
Flybaboo
A Swiss Airline based in Geneva
HLX.com
German airline
Ryanair
Irish company
Transavia
Dutch airline
Rail Travel
Eurail
France
Germany
Netherlands
Rail Europe
Flight stats
URL 4 flight delays
Foreign rentals (some overlap in the listings)
Historic English cottages
Languedoc France B&B
London short rentals
Google list of Paris short-term rentals
Parisian short-term rentals
Maui rentals
vbro.com - world-wide rentals
Neustadt an der Weinstrasse
German Wine Route - Wikipedia article
The Neustadt Region German-language site
Overweight luggage shipping
Luggage Forward (Boston-based)
Contour USA
Excess Baggage (British-based)
Skycapinternational.com
Virtualbellhop.com
Seatguru.com
The ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information See also seatexpert.com
Super lightweight luggage
Carryon @ 4.4 pounds. British company.
Wellesley accommodations
Wellesley Bed & Breakfast 28 Eaton Court, Wellesley, MA 02481
The Wellesley College Club - (781) 283-2700
Wellesley Motor Inn 978 Worcester St, Wellesley, MA 02482 (617) 236-7073?

What I'm reading

2023-03-13. This hasn't been updated since 2017. With apologiesI can't possibly remember what has passed under my eyes since then. Am now coming to the end of The Grand Affair about John Singer Sargent.

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