When every child is read aloud to for 15 minutes every day from birth, more children will be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.  Get tips and sign up for newsletter at http://www.readaloud.org/

The haka is a type of ancient Māori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when groups came together in peace.  Haka are a fierce display of a tribe's pride, strength and unity.  Actions include violent foot-stamping, tongue protrusions and rhythmic body slapping to accompany a loud chant.  The words of a haka often poetically describe ancestors and events in the tribe's history.  Today, haka are still used during Māori ceremonies and celebrations to honour guests and show the importance of the occasion.  This includes family events, like birthdays and weddings.  Haka are also used to challenge opponents on the sports field.  You may have seen a haka performed by New Zealand’s All Blacks before a rugby match?  You’ll probably agree that it’s a terrifying sight to behold!  See pictures at https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/haka/  See also https://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/haka.html

One of the earliest known artworks created by a European in what would become Indiana was by a British officer.  On his way to battle the American rebels holding the town of Vincennes in 1778, British officer Henry Hamilton sketched a view of the Wabash River (artwork now in the collection of the Harvard University Library.)  As Indiana achieved statehood and attracted new settlers, the demand for artists’ skills slowly grew.  The earliest artists were often itinerant and usually met a variety of practical demands, creating portraits, documenting settlements, and painting signs.  Perhaps Indiana’s most recognized group is the Hoosier Group, founded by T.C. Steele, William Forsyth, J. Ottis Adams, Otto Stark and Richard Gruelle in the 1890s.  Best known for adapting Impressionist techniques to the Indiana landscape, their influence continues today.  Read much more and see pictures at http://www.askart.com/art/Regional_Interests/1617/y/Indiana%20Artists

Winslow Homer (1836–1910) is regarded by many as the greatest American painter of the nineteenth century.  Born in Boston and raised in rural Cambridge, he began his career as a commercial printmaker, first in Boston and then in New York, where he settled in 1859.  He briefly studied oil painting in the spring of 1861.  In October of the same year, he was sent to the front in Virginia as an artist-correspondent for the new illustrated journal Harper’s Weekly.  Homer’s earliest Civil War paintings, dating from about 1863, are anecdotal, like his prints.  As the war drew to a close, however, such canvases as The Veteran in a New Field  and Prisoners from the Front  reflect a more profound understanding of the war’s impact and meaning.  For Homer, the late 1860s and the 1870s were a time of artistic experimentation and prolific and varied output.  He resided in New York City, making his living chiefly by designing magazine illustrations and building his reputation as a painter, but he found his subjects in the increasingly popular seaside resorts in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and in the Adirondacks, rural New York State, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  In the summer of 1883, Homer moved from New York to Prouts Neck, Maine, a peninsula ten miles south of Portland. Except for vacation trips to the Adirondacks, Canada, Florida, and the Caribbean, where he produced dazzling watercolors.  Homer lived at Prouts Neck until his death.  He enjoyed isolation and was inspired by privacy and silence to paint the great themes of his career:  the struggle of people against the sea and the relationship of fragile, transient human life to the timelessness of nature.  By about 1890, Homer left narrative behind to concentrate on the beauty, force, and drama of the sea itself.  Read more at https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/homr/hd_homr.htm  See also SEA PAINTINGS: WINSLOW HOMER POEMS BY HANNAH FRIES at https://www.terrain.org/2016/poetry/hannah-fries/ and the art mystery novel involving Tim Simpson tracking down an unknown watercolour by Homer of Cullercoats at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow_Homer

A TANK AWAY FROM TOLEDO  Family and friends converged in Indiana on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein (man of "unclassifiable talent") August 25, 2018.  We met in Roanoke, enjoyed lunch at the Emporium and purchased waygu beef and other items before visiting shops in the small town.  Then we drove about 30 minutes to Fort Wayne where the 10th Annual Taste of the Arts Festival was in full swing.  We visited  the art museum https://www.fwmoa.org/ and ended our adventure with a meal at Club Soda restaurant  http://clubsodafortwayne.com/.  The Fort Wayne Art Museum is currently featuring exhibits Winslow Homer, From Poetry to Fiction and the 46th International Invitational Glass Award Winners, both showing through September 23.

A Muse reader and fellow traveler in Roanoke, Indiana had an affogato there and loved it.  Here's the recipe:  Affogato (Gelato “Drowned” in Espresso)  Recipe courtesy of all of Italy  Yield:  1 serving* 

1 scoop vanilla or hazelnut gelato
¼ cup hot espresso
¼ cup hazelnut liqueur, optional (not recommended for workday pick-me-ups)  Scoop the gelato into a serving bowl, glass, or coffee cup.  Stir the hot espresso and hazelnut liqueur (if using) together, then pour the mixture over the gelato.  Serve immediately.  *This recipe can be doubled, tripled, and quadrupled as needed to please the crowd (or your own needs).  https://www.eataly.com/us_en/magazine/eataly-recipes/recipe-affogato/

Medicare doesn't cover everything.  If you need certain services Medicare doesn't cover, you'll have to pay for them yourself unless:  You have other insurance that covers them or you have a Medicare health plan that covers them.  Even if Medicare covers a service or item, you generally have to pay your deductible, coinsurance, and copayments.  Some of the items and services that Medicare doesn't cover include:  Long-term care (also called custodial care), most dental care, eye exams related to prescribing glasses, dentures, cosmetic surgery, acupuncture, hearing aids and exams for fitting them, and routine foot care.  https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/not-covered/item-and-services-not-covered-by-part-a-and-b.html

Because early diagnosis is key to successful treatment, you may be wondering about Medicare coverage for glaucoma screening tests.  Medicare Part B covers a screening every 12 months for those who are considered high risk.  To be covered, you must get this test from an eye doctor who’s legally authorized to perform the screening in your state.  Medicare only covers the test for beneficiaries who have a high risk of getting glaucoma.  You’re considered high risk if any of the following factors are true:  You have diabetes. you have a family history of glaucoma, you are an African American and 50 years old or older, or you are a Hispanic American who is 65 years old or older.  Under Original Medicare, your Part B costs for the glaucoma screening are as follows:  You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved cost for the test, and you also have to pay the Part B deductible if you haven’t met it yet for that year.  If you have the test in a hospital outpatient setting (for example, an observation clinic), then you also have to pay a copayment.  https://medicare.com/coverage/does-medicare-cover-glaucoma/

How the Locals Say It follow-up:  And there's Havana (HAY-vana), Florida.  Thank you, Muse reader!

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1942  August 28, 2018