World Book and Copyright Day April 23: a symbolic date for world literature for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold.
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

The issue of reader expectations is one with which writers of crime or mystery fiction have long been familiar. The poet W.H. Auden is among many critics who have commented on how novels in this genre follow a classic pattern: First there is peace, then this peace is shattered by the occurrence of a crime, usually a murder. This leads to a search for the wrongdoer, his apprehension and punishment, and finally a return to peace. We need to see the moral balance restored, said Auden--a view also expressed by P.D. James, one of the greatest crime writers of our times. According to James, the traditional detective novel reassures us that we live in a moral universe, one in which the detective is the agent of justice. In this respect, she suggests, the detective novel is really doing the work of the old-fashioned morality play. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123880307592488761.html

Perched on a hillside overlooking a ravine, a five-floor, 18,000-square-foot house-cum-concert hall looks like an accordion in motion, with undulating walls of wood and floor-to-ceiling glass. A series of wooden "fins," staggered at irregular intervals, frame panoramic vistas of the ravine. As visitors descend into the house, the fins disappear and the views widen. On the first floor, push a button and a 24-foot wall of glass windows vanishes into the floor, opening the pool area to the outside. Curves are everywhere, down to the custom door handles and light fixtures. The architects are even working with Steinway to create a coordinating piano. The home's owner is equally eccentric. Jim Stewart, who will only say he is in his 60s, is a top-shelf classical violinist who earned his millions writing calculus textbooks. The math professor named the building "Integral House", after the calculus sign.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123872378357585295.html

Friday-face A dismal countenance. Before, and even long after the Reformation, Friday was a day of abstinence. http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Grose-VulgarTongue/f/friday-face.html

The Netherlands is about the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. The country lies on a low river delta with about 27% of the country below sea level. The average elevation is 37 feet above sea level. Holland means “land in a hollow.”
The Rhine (Rivers of the World series)

A popular phrase that was often associated with Faro was “Bucking the Tiger,” which is thought to have come from early card backs that featured a drawing of a Bengal Tiger. Another phrase that referred to playing Faro, was “twisting the tiger’s tail.” Places that sported a number of gambling halls, including alleys, streets and districts, were often called “tiger town” or “tiger alley.” Faro originated in France in the late 17th century. First known as Pharaon, it became extremely popular in Europe in the 18th century. With its name shortened to Pharo or Faro, it soon spread to America. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Faro.html

A reader has baked the chocolate cake from a Christian Science Monitor recipe appearing in a recent muse. “The cake was a hit with everyone.” I have enjoyed two recipes clipped from the Toledo paper: Brennan’s Bananas Foster and Bill Clinton’s Pound Cake. I confess I once made the bananas recipe four nights in a row.

“My art will keep you warm”—the quilts of Bernice Enyeart
http://www.indiana.edu/~tradarts/docs/enyeart_catalog_reduced.pdf

Hannah’s Socks: warm feet, warm hearts "We put socks on the feet of those who have none" Over 30,000 pairs collected so far in 2009—see stories and articles at http://www.hannahssocks.org/