What’s in a name?  Well, if it’s ‘Insalata Caprese’, then years of history steeped in rich tradition is captured in those two delicious words.  Translating to ‘Salad of Capri’, the dish hails from the little island off the coast of Naples.  Most commonly seen as an appetizer, in Italy, the components of the salad are also popular pizza toppings (a la ‘Pizza Margherita’) and in sandwiches as well.  A picture perfect version includes:  beefsteak tomatoes, at the peak of sun kissed ripeness,  creamy fresh buffalo mozzarella, and tender fresh basil leaves that are hand plucked off stems rather than cut with a knife.  Contrary to most popular presentations here in the US, a true Italian Caprese Salad is not served with any kind of vinegar--the simple dressing is made up entirely by the best quality olive oil gently mingling with the natural juices of a sweet summer tomato sprinkled with a bit of salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Jessica Roy  Find recipe at http://blogs.lowellsun.com/yourpersonalchef/2015/08/18/the-history-of-caprese-salad-insalata-caprese/

The pel in compel, impel, and propel derives from the Latin verb pellere, “to drive,” as in the way one drives sheep, forcing them to go in a certain direction.  compel:  transitive verb.  To urge irresistibly, oblige, force.   impel:  transitive verb.  To drive, force, or constrain a person to some action by acting upon her mind or feelings; to urge on, incite.  In a literal sense, impel means to cause something to move onward.  An engine, for example, impels a vehicle.  propel:  transitive verb.  To drive away or out. to drive or push forwards, onwards, or in a specified direction; to cause to move along.  Figuratively, propel means “to encourage or promote an enterprise or activity.”  One can “propel a person” in the sense of urging or spurring him on.  Three other pellere verbs in English are:  dispel:  to drive asunder, scatter; expel:  to drive out; repel:  to push or thrust away.  Maeve Maddox  http://www.dailywritingtips.com/compel-impel-and-propel/

PASTA RODS  Medium-sized rods like spaghetti are normally served with light tomato-based sauces.  Thin rods like angel hair pasta and vermicelli work best in broths or with thin sauces, while thicker rods like perciatelli go well with heavier, chunkier sauces.  Rods are best if they're served immediately after being cooked.  If you're planning to serve a lot of people, consider using small pasta tubes or shapes.  Angel hair pasta is like spaghetti, only the rods are very thin.  It's usually served in a broth or with very thin and delicate sauces.  Equivalents:   One pound dry = 1 ½ pounds fresh = 8 cups cooked substitutes:  CAPELLINI (similar, but just a bit thicker) OR VERMICELLI (thicker still) OR TAGLIOLINI (ribbons, not rods) OR SPAGHETTI (much thicker)  Find other pasta rods explained at http://www.foodsubs.com/PastaRods.html

Manhattan:  Fort Tryon Park  John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began acquiring private parcels in 1917 as part of his vision of developing a beautiful park with majestic views of the Hudson River and Palisades for the public.  He enlisted the Olmsted Brothers Firm, led by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the architect of Central Park and his brother to develop a plan for the park in 1927.  The Olmsted Brothers designed the park and oversaw its construction between 1931 and 1935.  Rockefeller gifted the land to the City of New York in 1931, and construction began soon after, overseen by the Olmsted Brothers firm for Mr. Rockefeller.  In 1935, Rockefeller and Robert Moses dedicated the park to the public for use.  Decades after its creation, park goers can run or walk on the park's 8 miles of pathways, play on the lawns, and enjoy the city's largest garden with unrestricted public access, the Heather Garden.  Recently reinvigorated by public garden designers Lynden B. Miller and Ronda M. Brands, the garden boasts over 500 varieties of plants, trees and shrubs providing year round horticultural interest.  Fort Tryon Park is also home to the Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that houses nearly 5,000 medieval works in a building comprised of several structures from Europe.  https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park

Manhattan:  The Octagon  Before it was rebuilt as a luxury high-rise, the Octagon was the New York City Lunatic Asylum from 1841 until 1894.  It was the subject of Nellie Bly's 1887 exposé that was published in the New York World and become her book "Ten Days in a Mad-House."  "The insane asylum on Blackwell's Island is a human rat-trap," Bly wrote.  "It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out."  Her stay at the women's wing of the asylum changed the way mental healthcare was looked at in America.  The building was abandoned from 1955 until 2000, when a private company bought the land and started construction on the luxury apartment building.  The only part of the original structure that still stands is the front entrance, which gives The Octagon its name.  Nicholas Parco  Read about the abandoned Renwick Smallpox Hospital and see pictures at http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/roosevelt-island-rich-frightening-history-article-1.2418027  Blackwell's Island is now called Roosevelt Island.  See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_Hospital

Mar-a-Lago is an estate and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, built from 1924 to 1927 by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post.  Post envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents and foreign dignitaries, and following her death in 1973 it was bequeathed to the nation.  However, successive presidents declined to use the mansion, which was returned to Post's estate in 1980 and in 1985 was purchased by Donald Trump, later 45th President of the United States.  The 126-room, 110,000-square-foot house contains the Mar-a-Lago Club, a members-only club with guest rooms, a spa, and other hotel-style amenities.  The Trump family maintains private quarters in a separate, closed-off area of the house and grounds.  Marjorie Merriweather Post built the house with her then-husband Edward F. Hutton.  Post hired Marion Sims Wyeth to design it, and Joseph Urban to create interior design and exterior decorations.  Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980.  After unsuccessfully trying to purchase and combine two apartments in Palm Beach for his family, Donald Trump learned about the estate and offered $15 million.  After the Post family rejected the offer, Trump threatened to block Mar-a-Lago's beach view, forcing the Post family to accept his last offer of less than $8 million in December 1985.  Trump renovated the estate, adding a 20,000-square-foot ballroom to the 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a 29-foot-long pietra dura marble top dining table, 12 fireplaces, and three bomb shelters.  On 18 January 2017, Trump officially named Mar-a-Lago his Winter White House.  The primary business occupying the estate is the Mar-a-Lago Club, which operates as resort and hotel for dues-paying members, and rents out estate venues for private events.  Membership at the Mar-a-Lago Club required a $200,000 initiation fee up until 2012 when it was lowered to $100,000.  The fee was returned to $200,000 in January 2017 following the election of Donald Trump as president  with $14,000 annual dues.  Overnight guests pay up to $2,000 a night.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar-a-Lago

Libraries Are For Everyone by Sabrina I. Pacifici on February 15, 2017 via GOOD – “Shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries, assistant library director Rebecca McCorkindale created a sign to let immigrants and longtime residents alike know “Libraries Are For Everyone.”  It was a simple message, but it quickly gained global momentum.  After publishing a blog post about the sign on February 2, McCorkindale checked her email the next day to find messages from librarians around the world wanting to use the image in their respective languages.  Some might consider it a bold move for a librarian to take a political stance during such polarizing times.  But McCorkindale sees it as a rather simple choice, telling PBS, “Libraries are the heart of a community, for anyone and everyone that lives there, regardless of their background.  And so we strongly believe that libraries are not neutral.  We stand up for human rights.”  http://www.bespacific.com/libraries-are-for-everyone/  See also via PBS – Why these librarians are protesting Trump’s executive orders

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1694  February 17, 2017  On this date in 1801, an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr was resolved when Jefferson was elected President of the United States and Burr, Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.  On this date in 1904, Madama Butterfly received its première at La Scala in Milan.  Thought for Today:  In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute. - Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) US Supreme Court Justice, FURMAN v. GEORGIA, (1972)  No. 69-5003  http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/408/238.html