Nur ad-Dīn Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī (1414-1492) also known as DJāmī, Mawlanā Nūr al-Dīn 'Abd al-Rahmān or Abd-Al-Rahmān Nur-Al-Din Muhammad Dashti who is commonly known as Jami, is known for his achievements as a scholar, mystic, writer, composer of numerous lyrics and idylls, historian, and the greatest Persian and Tajik Sufi poets of the 15th century.  Because his father was from Dasht, Jami's early pen name was Dashti but later, he chose to use Jami because of the two reasons that he mentioned in a poem:

My birthplace is Jam, and my pen

Has drunk from (knowledge of) Sheikh-ul-Islam (Ahmad) Jam

Hence in the books of poetry

My pen name is Jami for these two reasons.

Jami wrote approximately eighty-seven books and letters, some of which have been translated into English.  His works range from prose to poetry, and from the mundane to the religious.  He has also written works of history and science.  As well, he often comments on the work of previous and current theologians, philosophers and Sufi's.  In Herat, his manual of irrigation design included advanced drawings and calculations and is still a key reference for the irrigation department.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jami  Jami is buried in a grave, unadorned except for a pistachio tree which has sprung from the tomb itself.  http://www.afghanembassyjp.com/en/life/?pn=12

Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.  Potassium from natural food sources are considered safe and healthy.  The current percent daily value for potassium is 3.5 grams.  See the "top ten foods" highest in potassium at http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php  See also http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixb.htm and http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=90&tname=nutrient

The Literature Network has searchable online literature--currently over 3000 full books and over 4000 short stories and poems by over 250 authors.  The quotations database has over 8500 quotes.  Subscribe to Art of Worldly Wisdom Daily or Sonnet-A Day and link to quizzes covering books by authors ranging from William Shakespeare to George Orwell at http://www.online-literature.com/

Descant is a quarterly literary journal that showcases poetry, prose, essay, memoir and art.  Subscribe to their mailing list at http://www.descant.ca/ 

Colleen McCullough-Robinson, is an Australian author, her best-known work being The Thorn Birds.  In addition to novels, she has written two series:  Masters of Rome (7 books) and the Carmine Delmonico (5 books).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_McCullough

The Tuileries Garden, a 64-acre parkland in Paris, is a widely used public space today, but its history stretches back almost five centuries.  Over time, it’s served as an inspiration to painters, sculptors and photographers.  From Feb. 13 through May 11, 2014, the Toledo Museum of Art is bringing a bit of this landmark terrain to northwest Ohio.  Presented in collaboration with France’s Louvre Museum, “The Art of the Louvre’s Tuileries Garden” features 100 works of art that were either displayed in the park or sparked by its splendor.  Created in 1564, it was a garden meant exclusively for royalty and the wealthy.  Commissioned by Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henry II of France, the Tuileries (named after the tile-making factories that once dotted the area) was fashioned by architect André Le Nôtre, best known for his design of the park surrounding the Palace of Versailles.  The gardens offered tranquil respite, becoming a favorite place for Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte to stroll.  The landscape proved particularly irresistible to sculptors.  As the Middle Ages came to a close, artists began transforming portions of the Tuileries into a gallery of statues.  Impressionist painters also flourished amid the stimulating garden environment. Camille Pissarro created “Place du Carrousel, Paris,” focusing on sojourners traversing the public square beneath fluffy cumulus clouds.  For his 1897 painting, “Tuileries Gardens,” Childe Hassam opted to experiment with light and color gradations that caught his eye along the northern boundary of the garden. http://www.ohiomag.com/QualityControl/Articles/Garden_of_Inspiration_4896.aspx  The Tuileries Garden is now integrated with the courtyard of the Louvre.

In honor of its Centennial in 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is developing a list of Books that Shaped Work in America.  Suggest a book to add to the list at http://www.dol.gov/100/books-shaped-work/form.htm   http://www.dol.gov/100/books-shaped-work/

A shotgun house typically has one room leading into the next without hallways.  This style of house is particularly well suited for hot climates because one can open the front and back doors, and the breeze will flow through the entire house, and the porch provides shade for outdoor visiting.  Shotgun architecture is now recognized as an African American contribution to American architectural styles.  Although often people say these are called shotgun houses because a bullet fired through the front door would go right out the backdoor without hitting a wall, evidence suggests that this name is actually a corruption of the word “shogon.”  In West Africa, “shogon” means “God’s House.”  http://www.gnocdc.org/tertiary/shotgun.html

Inferno (Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy.  It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)

Dante's Hell is shaped like a funnel that extends all the way to the center of the earth.  This funnel is made of nine circles.  The first circle is the widest and, progressively, the ninth circle is the smallest.  http://www.italianstudies.org/hui235/infstructure.htm

See the nine circles of hell recreated  in LEGO by Romanian artist Mihai Marius Mihu.  The epic project took him seven months to complete, and he used some 40,000 little plastic bricks to realize his vision.  http://flavorwire.com/324866/dantes-9-circles-of-hell-in-lego-form/

Issue 1099  January 20, 2014