Monday, February 26, 2007

что же есть это блог?

что же есть это блог? Midnight Oil Books - антикваят/книжный магазин в Шотландии, который имеет особенно широкий выбор на темы_ лингвисткы и языковании. Наш адрес 120 Commercial Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife и наш адрес по интернету - midoil.co.uk. Добро вам пожаловать! Pishi mne na russkom esli nuzhno.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Play Reading Group

Day Two of the Play Reading Group's weekly read through classic and contemporary plays will be on Tuesday, that's this Tuesday, 27th February 2007 at Midnight Oil Books, 120 Commercial Street, Kirkcaldy. After enjoying a unpublished work by Brian Freeland last week, which provoked a few interesting discussion on the ages of man, we shall turn this week to look at Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler'. The format as before will be the assumption of characters, our read-through, and breaks where appropriate after certain scenes to discuss points of interest. The text costs £1.25, and this may be used over two weeks. Comfy chairs, tea, coffee and biscuits provided.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Advance Notice of Holidays 2007

Midnight Oil Books shall be closed on the following days in 2007:
  • Monday, 9th April
  • Monday, 28th May
  • Monday, 16th July
  • Monday, 1st October

Ephemera - Rhyme

The author/ess of the following work is unfortunately unknown, though surmised. Together with two somewhat less artful works, we came across the following rhyme in which the author laments his or her age and its attendant opportunities and limitations.

"50 something, youth has gone,
A greater confidence has come.
To someone outside looking in,
You're just another old has been.
But when you're inside looking out,
You're just the same without a doubt.
This age of all the new inventions
Opens wide a vast dimension.
Opportunities galore to change your skills,
Stretch your intellect if you have the will.
Travel on a budget pass,
The world's your oyster at last.
Shrug off all the mundane tasks,
Take on new challenges, and bask
in comfort with yourself.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Ephemera - Entertaining Inspiration

A selection of handwritten notes, mostly on the cooking theme:

Item one, page one.

Whisky Chocolate Pudding
Raspberry Malakoff
Ice Cream

Whisky Chocolate Pudding
Songe Fingers - sprinkle with mixed strong coffee.whisky.
Melt chocolate ; Beat in egg yolks
Whisk whites . Fold into Mixture .
Chill . Degrate with chopped
Roasted Almonds

Drambuie Iced Souffle

Item one, page two.

Item one, page three.

Melon ;
Turbot or Halibot
Chicken must not be frozen
Coq au Vin
or Chicken Breasts
Raspberry Malakoff or Ice Cream
Souffle
Salade Nicoise
With Salmon, Anchovies, Tomatoes.
Potatoes, French beans
Hardboiled Egg, Lettuce
Black Olives
Ca?[d?]on
Peppermint Car[?h?]bib

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Engelsk-Svensk for Life - Some good Maxims

"There is nothing better in heaven than religion.
Our actions of to-day are the thoughts of yesterday.
A truthful woman is the greatest adornment of a home.
If you live in impure thoughts you will be impure in your lives.
Profanity is more or less a profession of your loyalty to the devil.
Nobody ever went to sleep indifferent to religion and waked up in heaven.
A child is loved by God because it has no opinion and wants to learn something.
Don't get into anybody's way with your naturalness, but try to be yourself wherever you go.
Run into heaven barefooted and bareheaded rather than miss it on account of anything in the world."

Engelsk-Svensk for Life - Salaries paid to heads of governments

And continuing the series:

"Variosu [sic - I wouldn't usually but this is a dictionary] governments pay their chiefs as follows: The United States, $50,000 a year; Persia, $30,000,000; Russia, $10,000,000; Siam, $10,000,000; Spain, $3,900,000; Italy, $3,000,000; Great Britain, $3,000,000; Morocco, $2,500,000; Japan, $2,300,000; Egypt, $1,575,000; Germany, $1,000,000; Saxony, $700,000; Portugal, Sweden and Brazil, each $600,000; France, $240,000; Switzerland, $3,000."

It would be interesting to see how the pay scale had changed in the intervening period. Odd too perhaps that the best-run country paid the least.

Engelsk-Svensk for Life - The Eleven Great Wonders in America

Presumably to give them something interesting to read on the steamer ploughing across the North Atlantic, the publishers of one of the earliest US English-Swedish dictionaries decided to pack the book with an assortment of information that they deemed of utmost importance to settlers arriving for the first time in the States, including "How to secure a U.S. Patent", "Cistern Capacity", "Brickwork Measurement", "U.S. Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau Flag Signals", and "Salaries Paid to heads of governments". Some of the finer (most bizarre) are republished here:

The Eleven Great Wonders in America
Suggestions are welcome for a revised top eleven.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Ephemera - W. W. Lackie certificate

From the rear of a copy of the Queen's Gift Book, undated. Marked with the R. L Sinclair circulating library sticker, Montrose.

"W. W. Lackie Esq. C.B.E., M.I.C.E., M.I.Mech.E., M.I.E.E.

"Sir

"We, the undersigned members of The Glasgow Corporation Electricity Department Staff, have to offer you our sincere congratulations on your being created Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and we trust that you will have long life to enjoy the well merited honour which His Majesty has conferred upon you.

"R. B. Mitchell. R. B. Maccall[?].
"W.L. Calderwood. G. L. Black.
"Thomas Barrie. Hugh R.S. Drysdale. Campbell Miller.
"D. Berry. Edward Edwards. William Miller.
"John Bremner. Walter Hamilton. George Morgan.
"Robert Cairns. R. Hardie. James Purdie.
"Alex M. Carnegie. James H. Irons. Alex P. Robertson.
"H.[?] J. Cooper. G.[?] MacDonald. William Ross.
"John R. Cowie. H._[?] Ewen. Wm Roxburgh.
"D. Denholm. Charles W. Marshall. H. M. Stronach.
"??[] Taylor

"9th January 1919."

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Ephemera - Bitumen Coatings

Enclosed in the rear of a copy of Berry Wiggins' 'Bitumen Coatings for Thermal Insulation' was the following letter.

"13th January, 1955

"From: Laboratory
"To: Mr. R.G. Bruce, Laboratory.

"Berry Wiggins - "Bitumen Coatings for Thermal Insulation"

"This book is well written and contains much practical advice.

"Of Berry Wiggins' list of products, we have only examined three - "Tensulac" (Primer Grade) 5258 and "Aquaseal" 5 and 1081. We have also examined "Tensulac" KA4116. The "Tensulacs" resemble "AQUATEX" Solution, but are more fluid - they are solutions of Bitumen in Coal Tar Naphtha. "Aquaseal" 5 resembles our Standared Clay Bitumen Emulsion, while our No. 7 Clay/Bitumen Emulsion was based on "Aquaseal" 1081. Kingsnorth 835 appears to be 60/70 Pen Bitumen, Kingsnorth 1116 and 1122 appear to be Oxidised Bitumens."

The letter appears to be the result of some reverse engineering being conducted by one of Berry Wiggins competitors. Berry Wiggins & Co. Ltd was based in London, had laboratories in Stratford, and refinieries and works in Kingsnorth, Kent; Weaste, Lancashire; Ellesmere Port, Cheshire; and, Alloa, Scotland. In 1964, it was one of only eight firms refining oil in the UK, having an annual capacity of 190k tons (the others, BP, Esso, Shell, Mobil, Texaco, Phillips-Imperial and Burmah, would each go on to become giants of the modern petrochemicals industry.) A footnote to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission Report on Petrol of 1979 mentions that Berry Wiggins had ceased oil refinery by 1977.

Unscheduled Closing

Midnight Oil Books shall be closed on Wednesday, 14th February until 11.00am for stock collection. Apologies for any inconvience this may cause.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 7

Vaccines

Vaccinum Vacciniae. Vaccine Lymph. If stored below 0oC, keeps its potency for long periods, but if stored above 10oC, the potency cannot be assured for more than 7 days. Dose-By scarification, .06 mil; 1 minim.

Vaccinum Typho=paratyphosum. Anit-Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccine. T. A. B. Vaccine. Contains in 1 mil 1000 million of dead B. typhosus, 500 million of B. paratyphosus A. and 500 million of B. paratyphosus B. Should not be used later than 18 months after preparation. Dose-By subcutaneous injection, .5 mil (first dose); 1.0 mil (second dose after 7 to 10 days' interval).

Tuberculinum Pristinum. Old Tuberculin. A concentrated filtrate from a fluid medium on which B. tuberculosis has been grown for a period of 6 weeks. or more. A transparent, viscous liquid, yellow to brown in colour. Odour like that of honey Biologically assayed. If undiluted is stable at ordinary temperatures. When prescribed with the suffix T is prepared by growing the human bacillus, when the suffix is PT the bovine bacillus. Dose-By subcutaneous injection. []stic, .001-.005 mil ; 1/60-1/12 minim. []tic, .000001 mil, gradually increased; [], gradually increased.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 6

Sodii Sulphas. Sodium Sulphate. Glauber's Salt. Na2SO4,10H2O. Colourless crystals, bitter saline taste, efforescent, sol. 3 water. Dose-2-16 g; 30-240 gr. Prep.-Sodii Sulphas Effervescens. Sodium sulphate, sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid, citric acid. Dose-4-16 g; 60-240 gr.

Sodii Phosphas. Sodium Phosphate. Di-sodium Hydrogen Phosphate. Na2HPO4,12H2O. Colourless crystals, saline taste, efflorescent, sol. 7 water. Dose-2-16 g ; 30240 gr. Prep.-Sodii Phosphas Effervescens. Dose-4-16 g ; 60-240 gr.

Sodii et Potassii Tartras. Sodium Potassium Tartrate. Rochelle Salt. COONa.(CHOH)2.COOK,4H2O. Colourless crystals, or a white crystalline powder, saline cooling taste, sol. 1 1/2 water. Dose-8-16 g ; 120-240 gr. Prep.-Pulvis Effervescens Compositus. Compound effervescent powder. Seidlitz powder. Blue paper contains 7.5 g rochelle salt and 2.5 g sodium bicarbonate. White paper contains 2.5 g of tartaric asid. Dissolve no. 1 powder in a tumbler of cold or warm water, then add No. 2 powder. Should be taken while effervescing.

Sodii Benzoas, Sodii Bromidum, Sodii Iodidum, Sodii Nitris, Sodii Salicylas, Sodii Phospas Acidus are not classified with sodium salts.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 5

Finally, the three longer crib notes from the series:

Antitoxins, Serums &c.

Antitoxinum Diphthericum. Diphtheria Antitoxin. Is a preparation from serum containing the antitoxin globulins which have the specific power of neutralising the diphtheria toxin. Biologically assayed and its potency expressed in units. Dose-By injection. Prophyltic, 500-1000 units. Therapeutic, 10,000-20,000 units.

Antitoxinum Tetanicum. Tetanus Antitoxin. Biologically assayed. Dose-Prophylactic, 1000-2000 units. Therapeutic, 20,000-40,000 units.

Antitoxinum Welchicum. Gas-gangrene Antitoxin. Neutralises the toxin formed by B. perfringens. (B. Welchii.) Biologically assayed. Dose-Prophylactic, 4000 units by injection. Therapeutic, 10,000 to 20,000 units by intravenous injection.

Serum Antidysentericum (Shiga). Antidysenteric Serum (Shiga). Contains the immune substances which have a therapeutic value in persons infected by B. dysenteriae (Shiga). Biologically assayed. Dose-By injection, 4000-10,000 units.

Toxinum Diphtericum Diagnosticum. Schick Test Toxin. Diphteria toxin diluted so that .2 mil contains the test dose. Dose-By intradermal injection, .2 mil; 3 minims.

Toxinum Diphthericum Calefactum. Schick Control. Is Schick Test Toxin which has been treated to a temperature of not less than 70oC for not less than 5 minutes. Dose-By intradermic injection, .2 mil; 3 minims.

Toxinum Diphthericum Detoxicatum. Diphteria Prophylactic. The toxicity of the toxin is reduced by several methods. Dose-By subcutaneous injection, the volume indicated on the label as the dose, twice or thrice at intervals of two weeks.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 4

Extractum Hepatis Siccum. Dry Extract of liver. An alcoholic extract of ox or sheep liver, contains the specific principle which increases the number of red corpuscles in the blood of persons suffering from pernicious anaemia. A light brown, very hygroscopic powder, faintly meat-like odour, saltish taste, sol. water. The dried powder is mixed with 1/10 of its weight of dried sodium chloride and transferred to tubes which are then hermetically sealed. Each tube contains the equivalent of 225 g or about 1/2lb. fresh liver. Dose-The contents of 1 tube.

Extractum Hepatis Liquidum. Liquid Extract of Liver. The dry extract dissolved in a mixture of glycerin, alcohol, and distilled water. 1 oz. is the equivalent of 8 oz. liver. Dose-30 mils; 1 oz.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 3

Belladonnae Folium. Belladonna leaf. The leaves and tops of Atropa Belladonna dried. When belladonna leaf is prescribed Belladonna Pulverata shall be dispensed. Preps.-Belladonna Pulverata. Adjusted to contain .3 per cent of alkaloids calculated as hyoscyamine. Dose-.03-.2 g; 1/2-3 gr. Extractum Belladonnae Siccum. 1 per cent. of the alkaloids. Dose-.015-.06 g; 1/4-1 gr. Tinctura Belladonnae. Dose-.3-2 mils; 5-30 minims.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 2

Asafoetida. Asafetida. An oleo-gum-resin obtained by incision from the living rhizome and root of Ferula foetida and other species. Afghanistan and Persia. Greyish-white to dull-yellow tears. Dose-0.3-1 g ; 5-15 gr. Preps.-Pilula Aloes et Asafoetidae. Tinctura Asafoetidae. Dose-2-4 mils; 30-60 minims.

Ephemera - Medical Crib Notes 1

Our most recent rescued ephemera comes from a medical textbook on Tuberculosis. They appear to be a series of crib notes, perhaps intended to aid exam revision. We print them here in full again with the intention that nothing of value be lost to posterity.

Acidum Lacticum. Lactic Acid. CH3.CHOH.COOH. Contains 87.5 per cent. w/w of C3H6O3. A colourless, syrupy, hygroscopic liquid iwth a slight, but not unpleasant odour, sour taste. Dose-0.3-1.2 mils; 5-20 minims.

Acidum Borisum. Boric Acid. Boracic Acid. H3BO3. White crystals or powder, slightly acid bitter taste. Sol. 25 water. Dose-0.3-1 g; 5-15 gr. Preps.-Glyerinum Acidi Borici. 31 per cent. Unguentum Acidi Borici. 10 per cent.

Chromii Trioxidum. Chromium Trioxide. Chromic Acid. CrO3. Dark red acicular crystals, deliquescent and corrosive. In contact with small proportions of alcohol, of ether, of glycerin, and of other organic substances, it is liable to []. Very sol. water. Acidum Acetylsalicylicum. Acidum Benzoicum, Acidum Boricum, Acidum Hydrobromicum Dilutum, Acidum Hydrocyanicum Dilutum, Acidum Oleicum, Acidum Salicylicum, Acidum Tannicum, considered elsewhere.

Monday, February 05, 2007

fao any Mowat Slater

I include this blog entry in the hope that it might one day be picked up in a Google or Ice Rocket search or something by any Mowat Slaters interested in family history. Just to say that a family Bible with autograph poems and christening dates etc... has come into our possession and will be kept aside for a year or two. If you are interested then contact me at enquiries@midoil.co.uk.