Malta, admitted to the European Union in 2004, is a group of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea.  Only the three largest islands--Malta, Gozo and Comino--are inhabited.  The terrain is low and rocky with coastal cliffs.  Malta, in the heart of the Mediterranean, is a melting pot of civilisations with a history stretching back thousands of years.  The country has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant prehistoric civilisation existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat meaning safe haven.  The national language is Maltese, which is part of the Semitic language family that includes Arabic.  English is also recognised as an official language, and many Maltese also speak Italian.

http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/malta/index_en.htm

cite / site

Cite is a verb that means to quote as an authority or example.  It also means to recognize formally.  It can also mean to summon before a court of law. Site is a noun meaning location.

stationary / stationery

Stationary is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving.  Stationery is a noun that means writing materials.  Find these and other examples of easily confused words at http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0200807.html

Rain forests receive over 60 inches of rain a year.  These forests are found next to oceans, where evaporation fills the air with water vapor.  As the ocean air sweeps over the land, the moisture comes down as rain.  

Link to information on tropical and temperate rainforests and their food chains at http://www.world-builders.org/lessons/less/biomes/rainforest/rainintro.html

August 4, 2014  Ohio is one of six states that doesn’t have an official state poet.  However, a bill to create the position of Ohio poet laureate that passed the Senate could put the Buckeye State with the majority.  Chiquita Mullins Lee, a program coordinator with the Ohio Arts Council, said popular music has helped create awareness about the powerful art of poetry, making the establishment of the Ohio position timely.  “Poetry is receiving a lot more attention these days,” she said, highlighting national programs such as Poetry Out Loud, a youth memorization and recitation contest.  While 44 states have an official poet, the role is a more recent trend, with many states establishing it only within the past 20 years.  Washington, D.C., has its own poet, as do cities such as Boston and Los Angeles.  The qualifications of Ohio’s official poet would include a “proven history in poetry that includes works published in books, anthologies, literary journals, or magazines, including at least one work that is not self-published or by a vanity press,” according to Senate Bill 84.  The role would be a four-year appointment made by the governor and administered by the arts council. Lee said the council plans to establish guidelines and present the governor with candidates if the bill makes it through the House.  http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/04/with-bill-state-would-get-own-poet-laureate.html  

Am. S. B. No. 84  http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=130_SB_84

word meanings

iconic--originally meant symbolic--find close to 200 examples (from iconic albino to iconic zip hoodie)  of iconic used as an unlikely adjective at http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/adjective-age

unique means being the only one of its kind, unlike anything else.  It does not mean simply “unusual” or “rare.”  For example, something isn’t “very unique.”  It’s just unique.  According to the Oxford Dictionaries, unique is included in a set of adjectives whose meaning is absolute and cannot be modified by adverbs conveying degree, such as “really,” “quite,” or “very.”  Something is either unique or not; therefore, “very unique” is meaningless.  Other “absolute adjectives” include complete, equal, infinite, and perfect.

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/8_words_that_may_not_mean_what_you_think_they_mean_11715.aspx

nauseous means to induce nausea, whereas nauseated means you feel sick according to language sticklers.  So when you're describing how sick you feel, you should say you are nauseated; when you're describing something that makes you sick, you should call it nauseous.  Most usage guides note that the improper use is far more common than the proper use (5, 6), which is always a bad sign for a rule.  And the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage even goes so far as to say there is no basis for the rule (7). http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/a-few-short-questions  

READER FEEDBACK TO PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION The 1886, 1947, and 1967 laws went into effect shortly after presidents died in office, during which time there would've been succession issues . . . The industrialists spurred on the 1886 succession reform, and a Rockefeller became VP 88 years later….  The Muser replies:  "I only realized after your comment that I mentioned Rockefellers twice.  Ah, all the connections.  We may not have royalty, but we have our own dynasties.  And then, today, corporations and special interest groups control our destinies."

September. 28, 2014  All summer, Spencer Bergman was working toward his goal:  Earn and save $500 so he could get a dog.  His mom purposely set the amount high; busy with four children and more-than-full-time work, she had said “no” to a dog forever.  She and Spencer, who recently turned 13, figured it would take years to earn that much.  His longtime friend Spencer Tarbet, who’s 12 and lives in the house behind the Bergmans’ in the Loudoun County community of Round Hill, had a goal, too:  Pay his share of scout camp.  They were closing down their lemonade stand one summer day when a young man asked for change for a $20 bill — and walked away with all the money they had made that day, $35.  As the word got out, a growing community set about trying to make things right.  It was as if everyone wanted to make sure that the world is still a place that’s safe for children with lemonade stands, where hard work matters, kids get puppies and people are kind to each other.  As August rolled into September, the boys received hundreds of dollars and an autographed book and pep talk from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney.  Bergman and Tarbet were crying when Courtney Tarbet arrived just a minute or two after the robbery to take her son to his first viola lesson, at the Shamrock Music Shoppe in nearby Purcellville.  Jen Wing, who manages lessons at the shop, saw Spencer’s tears, heard the story and gave him a “Wimpy Kid” book before he left. It was one of Spencer’s favorites, about a boy his age worrying about the bigger kids at middle school, like “gorillas who need to shave twice a day.”  It was written — and signed — by Kinney, whose brother Scott owns the music shop.  Inside, Wing had slipped $15, and a note:   “Spencer, please don’t lose faith in people.”  Then Spencer Tarbet gave the $15 gift to his friend. “For the dog,” he said.  When Paul Bergman got home from work at Verisign, he gave his son a wad of cash, $89: People at his office, overhearing his shocked reaction when his wife called to tell him about the crime, had opened their wallets. Susan Svrluga  Read more and see pictures at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/after-a-lemonade-stand-heist-a-loudoun-community-rallies-to-right-a-wrong/2014/09/28/03b649de-459d-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html?hpid=z5

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1198  October 1, 2014  

On this date in 1880, John Philip Sousa became leader of the United States Marine Band and the first electric lamp factory was opened by Thomas Edison.