Friday, November 16, 2018


Dr. Vinny tells how to open a screw-top bottle of wine  I’ve opened my share of twist-offs, and  sometimes the perforation between the cap and the skirt (or, top and bottom) of the twist-off doesn’t seem to be perforated enough, and can be stubborn to open.  I have two methods of opening twist-offs that tend to work for me.  The first is to grab the bottle itself with one hand, and with the other grab the cap (only), and try to twist the top.  The other way is to grab the bottle with one hand and with the other hand grab the skirt (only) and twist that way.  You shouldn’t try to twist by holding on to the bottom of the twist-off with one hand and the top of the twist-off with the other.  If you are, you could be working against yourself.  https://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/47191

It may take a village to raise a child, but if you’re getting ready to open a nonprofit restaurant, you’ll need more than a village of volunteers to help keep it running.  The idea isn’t new, and like retail white elephant shops sponsored by charities, an ongoing enterprise that fills coffers is a great way to keep a solid revenue stream flowing into the organization.  That stated, if the restaurant is a new start-up and it's not an extension of an existing charity, the first thing you must do is to establish yourself as a 501(c) 3 corporation.  Gail Cohen   https://bizfluent.com/how-8449149-open-own-nonprofit-restaurant.html

Bistro 163, a nonprofit restaurant with a pay-it-forward concept, scores valuable points for not only serving delicious, farm-to-table breakfasts and lunches using locally sourced ingredients, but also for its mission.  As one of about 50 nonprofit restaurants in the United States whose model addresses hunger and community relationship issues, Bistro 163 at 1848 Perry Street, Suite 10 in Port Clinton, Ohio celebrated its two-year anniversary in June 2018.  In May, the cafe decided to add breakfast to its lunch menu, and use equipment in the back room that was left from a coffee shop that formerly used the space.  Here’s how it works:  Everyone is welcome to come in and have a meal.  Those who can afford it are encouraged to pay more than the suggested prices for items on the menu, to help others enjoy a meal.  To that end, the servers don’t accept tips.  Those unable to pay are asked to give their time helping out at the restaurant as payment.  Read review and find hours of operation at https://www.toledoblade.com/a-e/food/2018/10/18/bill-of-fare-restaurant-review-bistro-163-port-clinton-ohio/stories/20181012113

October 12, 2018  The best way to pick a carton of eggs at peak freshness is by taking a look at one number on the container . . . other than the expiration date.  Instead, locate the packaging date and make sure it’s no more than four to five weeks prior to the current date.  Doing so ensures the eggs inside meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) standards, reports Coastal LivingYou’ll find this three-digit number right beside or below the expiration date (which will read something like “EXPOCT1218”) and the plant code (which looks similar to “P-1234”).  The packaging date is based on a 365-day system, meaning, if a farmer packaged a dozen eggs today, she or he would write “285” on the package instead of “101218.”  You can skip the mental math though because this chart will do it for you.  https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/how-to-tell-if-eggs-are-fresh/  Thank you, Muse reader!

'Toxic' Is Oxford Dictionaries' Word Of 2018  Oxford Dictionaries' judgment is that "toxic" illuminates something about this year.  Oxford Dictionaries says it found a 45 percent increase in look-ups of toxic and it was used in so many situations that "the sheer scope of its application, as found by our research, made toxic the stand-out choice for the Word of the Year title."  Here at NPR, we've reported on the Internet's toxic content, the ill effects of toxic stress and, of course, the dangers of toxic chemicals.  Word experts at Collins Dictionary selected "single-use" as their word of the year, as we reported last week.  Barbara Campbell 

The 1929 Edward Hopper painting Chop Suey sold for a record-breaking, drink-spitting, eyebrow-yanking $92 million at auction last night (Nov. 13) at Christie’s.  It’s more than double his previous high ($40.5 million for East Wind Over Weehawken in 2013) and far beyond the expectations of many gallerists ahead of the auction.  But among diehard Hopper fans, Seattleites, and close watchers of the American art market, there are whisperings of disappointment.  That’s because the painting, from the estate of entrepreneur and collector Barney Ebsworth, was destined as a gift for the Seattle Art Museum—although the museum, for its part, is keeping mum about that promise.  In 2007, more than 40 patrons pledged the museum almost 1,000 priceless artworks to celebrate its 75th anniversary.  Among the would-be benefactors was Ebsworth, who served on the museum’s board and pledged some 65 works from his collection, including Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1918 Music—Pink and Blue No. 1, Marsden Hartley’s Painting Number 49, Berlin, and Hopper’s Chop Suey.  Still more significantly, he told ARTnewsletter he wanted his priceless collection of American modern art to remain together, and go to a museum.  (He didn’t say which.)  At the time of his death, the painting, which depicts a favorite Chinese restaurant in Columbus Circle, Manhattan, had already spent some time within the museum’s walls, after going on show in 2009 as part of the exhibition Edward Hopper’s Women.  But when Ebsworth died in April, he shocked the art world by leaving the balance of his $300 million collection to his family, to do whatever they liked with.  It may be that his wishes that the works ultimately wind up in a single museum had changed, or weren’t known to his family.  In the end, more than 85 artworks from the collection have gone on the market, to be dispersed around the world.  Hopper aficionados may still have a glimmer of hope, however.  Though Christie’s hasn’t revealed the buyer, there’s a distinct possibility that this painting may not be going from one private mansion to another.  At a post-sale press conference, the auction house’s chairman Marc Porter hinted that the buyer with deep pockets might have been a museum or institution, adding that Christie’s “hopes to see it hanging again soon.”  Natasha Frost  https://qz.com/quartzy/1463492/sale-of-edward-hopper-painting-chop-suey-sparks-controversy/

Consumers, rejoice:  An attack plan is nearing deployment against the billions of illegal robocalls that have made telephones and smartphones virtual weapons of mass frustration.  Emerging from a years-long effort by government, telecommunications and computer experts, the plan will use a verification system to stop robocall companies from masking the true numbers those billions of unwanted and illegal calls.  The tactic, known as spoofing, fools consumers by causing their Caller-ID systems to indicate falsely that the robocalls come from the phone numbers of familiar businesses, organizations, friends or acquaintances.  The verification system targets a problem that's a top priority for the Federal Communication Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.  The FTC last year identified robocalling as the number-one consumer complaint category:  More than 1.9 million complaints against the practice were filed during the first five months of 2017.  U.S. consumers and businesses were barraged with roughly 30.5 billion robocalls in 2017, according to YouMail, a company that provides a service to block such messages.  That broke the record of 29.3 billion calls set just a year earlier.  And the company estimates the 2018 total will jump to roughly 48 billion.  The pace hasn't slackened. U.S. phones received some 6.1 million robocalls per hour in September 2018 alone, YouMail also reported.  Many robocalls aren't just annoying--they're illegal.  Robocallers are not permitted to send telemarketing messages that haven't been approved by the recipients, or to dial numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.  One robocall executive who has been sued by the FTC acknowledged that the growing torrent poses a problem.  "Obviously, the underlying issue is the calls are illegal," Aaron Michael Jones, affiliated with several robocalling companies, told an FTC investigative hearing in 2015.  "We know that already."  Some robocalls are permissible.  Government regulators have carved out exemptions for charities, for example, and also for political campaigns.  Major U.S. telephone service providers are expected to start integrating the verification system with their networks in upcoming months, with a more complete ramp-up to follow in 2019.  There's no agreement yet on what consumers will see in their Caller ID systems--a green check mark, perhaps, or another symbol to indicate the caller has the authorization to use the number that's displayed.  Kevin McCoy  Read much more at

A 1972 painting by British artist David Hockney soared to $90.3 million at Christie's on November 15, 2018, smashing the record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by a living artist.  With Christie's commission, "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)," surpassed the auction house's pre-sale estimate of about $80 million, following a bidding war between two determined would-be buyers once the work hit $70 million.  The previous record for a work by a living artist was held by Jeff Koons' sculpture "Balloon Dog," which sold for $58.4 million in 2013. Hockney's previous auction record was $28.4 million.  See graphics at https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/david-hockney-painting-sells-record-breaking-90-3-million-n937056

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  November 16, 2018  Issue 1987  320th day of the year  Thought for Today  The world is like a Mask dancing.  If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place. - Chinua Achebe, writer and professor (16 Nov 1930-2013)

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