It’s one of the most famous quotes in history.  At some point around 1789, when being told that her French subjects had no bread, Marie-Antoinette (bride of France’s King Louis XVI) supposedly sniffed, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them eat cake.”  With that callous remark, the queen became a hated symbol of the decadent monarchy and fueled the revolution that would cause her to (literally) lose her head several years later.  But did Marie-Antoinette really say those infuriating words?  Not according to historians.  Lady Antonia Fraser, author of a biography of the French queen.  What’s even more convincing is the fact that the “Let them eat cake” story had been floating around for years before 1789.  It was first told in a slightly different form about Marie-Thérèse, the Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV in 1660.  She allegedly suggested that the French people eat “la croûte de pâté” (or the crust of the pâté).  Over the next century, several other 18th-century royals were also blamed for the remark, including two aunts of Louis XVI.  Most famously, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau included the pâté story in his “Confessions” in 1766, attributing the words to “a great princess” (probably Marie-Thérèse).  Whoever uttered those unforgettable words, it was almost certainly not Marie-Antoinette, who at the time Rousseau was writing was only 10 years old—three years away from marrying the French prince and eight years from becoming queen.  https://www.history.com/news/did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake  See also https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-them-eat-cake.html

Dog-whistle politics is political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different, or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.  The analogy is to a dog whistle, whose ultrasonic whistling sound is heard by dogs but inaudible to humans.  According to William Safire, the term "dog whistle" in reference to politics may have been derived from its use in the field of opinion polling.  Safire quotes Richard Morin, director of polling for The Washington Post, as writing in 1988, subtle changes in question-wording sometimes produce remarkably different results  . .  researchers call this the 'Dog Whistle Effect':  Respondents hear something in the question that researchers do not.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog-whistle_politics

Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1902) started from the idea that there are some things that a dog does not need to learn.  For example, dogs don’t learn to salivate whenever they see food.  This reflex is ‘hard-wired’ into the dog.  In behaviorist terms, food is an unconditioned stimulus and salivation is an unconditioned response.  In his experiment, Pavlov used a metronome as his neutral stimulus.  By itself the metronome did not elicit a response from the dogs.  Next, Pavlov began the conditioning procedure, whereby the clicking metronome was introduced just before he gave food to his dogs.  After a number of repeats of this procedure he presented the metronome on its own.  As you might expect, the sound of the clicking metronome on its own now caused an increase in salivation.  So the dog had learned an association between the metronome and the food and a new behavior had been learned.  Because this response was learned (or conditioned), it is called a conditioned response (and also known as a Pavlovian response).  The neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus.  Pavlov and his studies of classical conditioning have become famous since his early work between 1890-1930.  Classical conditioning is "classical" in that it is the first systematic study of basic laws of learning/conditioning.  https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html

Shop Small Toledo takes place on Small Business Saturday, November 24, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  This event is focused on local business promotion.  It will be held at the SeaGate Convention Centre downtown at 401 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, Ohio.  A variety of vendors will be present at the event, promoting their services and products, including giveaways and items and delicacies unique to Toledo.  If you wish to become a vendor, please register here.  There are also sponsorship opportunities available; contact us to learn more about how to promote your business at this event.  There will be something for the entire family, featuring Imagination Station, The Toledo Zoo, Laurel's Princess Parties, concessions, and Starbucks.  You may purchase general admission for $5 and VIP early access tickets for $10 here.  VIP ticket holders enter at 9 a.m., start shopping early and the first 250 ticket holders will receive a souvenir tote bag, while supplies last.  You may also purchase advanced tickets in person at the Huntington Center Box Office now.  Buy tickets at the door at SeaGate Convention Centre on the day of the event.  Children ages 10 and under will be admitted free of charge.  https://www.shopsmalltoledo.com/local-business-promotion.html

The Future Library project is a public artwork that aims to collect an original work by a popular writer every year from 2014 to 2114 and to share them with the world only then.  One thousand trees were specially planted for the project in the Nordmarka forest at its inception; the 100 books will be printed in limited-edition anthologies using paper made from the trees.  The Guardian has referred to it as "the world's most secretive library".   The project was conceived by Katie Paterson during the summer of 2014.  It is managed by the Future Library Trust and supported by the City of Oslo, Norway.  It was produced for the Slow Space public art program and commissioned by Bjørvika, Oslo's former container port, and its development corporation.  The manuscripts will be held in a specially designed room at the new Deichman Library (Oslo Public Library) currently under construction in Bjørvika, Oslo.  The collected works will be on display but the manuscripts will not be available for reading.  The Future Library Trust's committee of trustees will make a new selection annually based on the criteria "outstanding contributions to literature or poetry, and for their work's ability to capture the imagination of this and future generations."  The Future Library project has attracted criticism for its emphasis on preventing readership between 2014 and 2114.  One of the few details known about the books was revealed accidentally when David Mitchell stated that his book quotes the lyrics of Here Comes The Sun, a song expected to enter the public domain in the late 21st century.  Writing for Flavorwire, Moze Halperin called the project "art whose intention is to exclude a few generations" and criticized the class exclusivity planned for the works even after they are released.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Library_project

The English prefix syn- along with its variant sym- mean “together.”  The more common prefix syn-, means “together.”  When two people possess synergy, they work well, creating positive, flowing energy “together.”  When clocks are synchronized, their times are placed “together” so that they all show the same time.  A synonym is a word that can be placed “together” with another because they have similar meanings.  The syntax of a sentence is the way in which words are put “together” so that they make sense.  A Jewish house of worship is called a synagogue, which etymologically means a place where people are led “together” to worship.  And a synthesis? That would be a placing “together” of separate elements into a unified, intelligible whole.   A symphony is the sounding “together” of many instruments.  If you were to cut a figure which possesses perfect symmetry exactly in half, both halves would measure “together” perfectly equally.  A symbol is a sign that stands for or represents something, thereby throwing the two “together.”  Cold symptoms are those results or indications that fall “together” with that particular viral disease.  You might feel sympathy for someone suffering from cold symptoms. http://membean.com/wrotds/syn-together   Find information on syn-, sy-, sym-, syl-, sys- (Greek:  with, together with; also by extension:  united; same, similar; at the same time) at http://wordinfo.info/unit/2073

Sweet Dumpling Squash  The yellow skin with bright orange or deep green stripes makes this small, terribly cute squash hard to resist.  They are no more than 4 inches in diameter and weigh less than a pound, making them perfect for stuffing, roasting, and serving as an appetizer or side dish.  Due to its shape and size, the exterior is difficult to peel, so the squash is usually cooked along with its skin, either cut into wedges or halved horizontally; once cooked, you can choose to eat the skin or discard it.  The flesh is starchy but has a smooth texture and is sweet with a slight corn flavor.  https://www.thespruceeats.com/winter-squash-and-pumpkins-2217736

According to Crop Trust, an international organization working to safeguard agriculture, we only use about 1 percent of available crops to fuel our diets.  That could put the future of our food system at risk.  Crop Trust guards about one million varieties of seeds in a mountain in Svalbard, Norway.  The doomsday vault is the back-up for 1,700 seed banks worldwide, in the event of some future apocalypse.  According to Crop Trust, there are 30,000 edible plant species, but we only eat about 150 of them.  Many of those forgotten crops have high nutritional value and are resilient, even in the face of climate change.  Tepary beans, for example, have been grown by farmers in the southwest for centuries and are one of the most drought-tolerant foods in the world.  DEMARCO MORGAN, VIDYA SINGH  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/future-of-food-leading-chefs-use-underused-ingredients-to-promote-biodiversity/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  November 6, 2018  Issue 1982  310th day of the year