“Libraries are our friends.”
―
“When I
got [my] library card, that was when my life began.” ―
“Without
libraries what have we? We have no past
and no future.” ―
“Libraries
raised me.” ―
“A
library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its
people. It is a never failing spring in
the desert.” ―
“At the
moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic
threshold
into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better.” Barack Obama, keynote address, ALA Annual Conference, 2005
into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better.” Barack Obama, keynote address, ALA Annual Conference, 2005
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/223272-when-in-doubt-go-to-the-library See
also https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/library
ABC salad: apples,
broccoli and dried cranberries (For the
B, you could substitute beets or cooked beans.)
ABCD salad:
arugula, blackberries, sliced cucumbers and fresh dill (For the B,
you could substitute another kind of berry.)
xkcd, sometimes
styled XKCD, is
a webcomic created in 2005 by American author Randall Munroe. The comic's tagline describes it as "A webcomic
of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". Munroe states on the
comic's website that the name of the comic is not an initialism, but "just a word with no
phonetic pronunciation". The
subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love to mathematical, programming,
and scientific in-jokes. Some strips feature simple humor or pop-culture references. Although it has a cast of stick figures, the comic occasionally
features landscapes, graphs, charts, and intricate
mathematical patterns such as fractals. New cartoons are added three
times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Munroe has released three spinoff books from the comic. The first book, chronologically, published in
2010 and entitled xkcd: volume 0 was
a series of select comics from his website. His 2014 book What If? is based on his blog of the
same name that answers unusual science questions from readers in a
light-hearted way that is scientifically grounded. The What If column on the site is updated
with new articles from time to time. His
2015 book Thing Explainer explains scientific concepts using
only the one thousand most commonly
used words in English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xkcd
A ranked-choice voting system (RCV)
is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their
ballots. If a candidate wins a majority
of first-preference votes, he or she is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of
first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is
eliminated. First-preference votes cast
for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices
indicated on those ballots. A new tally
is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of the
adjusted votes. The process is repeated
until a candidate wins an outright majority.
This system is sometimes referred to as an instant runoff voting
system. Read more and see a graph of ranking-choice
voting usage in the U.S. as of June 12, 2018 at https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)
The Narrator Hall of Fame
Narrators don’t just read the story—they bring it to life, adding nuance
to every word and personality to every character. They develop a special relationship with the
listener, making every audiobook they perform a transporting experience. The 20 narrators (and one distinctive voice)
featured here--as well as future inductees and winners of awards we’ll
introduce next year--were selected based on several criteria: a wide, varied,
and vibrant body of work; exceptional listener reviews; and a commitment to the
craft and dedication to spreading awareness of audio performance.
See list
with pictures at https://www.audible.com/ep/Audible_NHOF See also 17
Secrets of Audiobook Narrators by Michele Debczak at
http://mentalfloss.com/article/540364/secrets-of-audiobook-narrators
Distilled white vinegar is made by feeding oxygen to
a vodka-like grain alcohol, causing bacteria to grow and acetic acid to
form. It’s those acids that give vinegar
its sour taste. Vinegar can be made from
any alcohol—wine, cider, beer—but it’s grain alcohol that gives distilled white
vinegar its neutral profile. This
vinegar tastes more assertive than most, but it contains roughly 5 percent acetic
acid (about the same amount as other vinegars you use for cooking), making it
perfectly safe to eat. Now, don’t
confuse it with basic white vinegar, which is stronger and has up to 25
percent acetic acid. That vinegar
is sold exclusively for cleaning purposes and not a good idea for you to
ingest. However, beyond
cooking, distilled white vinegar can be used for many of the same
household chores. Julia Heffelfinger
https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/white-vinegar-uses-hacks
Thank you, Muse reader!
The Muse reader has challenged the Muser to write a poem
about vinegar:
Vinegar Good, Vinegar Fine by Martha Esbin
Vinegar good, vinegar fine,
created by accident the first time, used by ancients to preserve food and
mixed with water to quench
the thirst.
Vinegar good, vinegar fine.
The fields yield grapes
and grains that are fermented, and we dine on fine foods soaked in brine. A little vinegar can shield from hurts. Enhances, softens, tenderizes, cleans.
Vinegar good, vinegar fine.
Vinegar has
been used as a food and medicinal tonic for centuries. Made by the fermentation of grains such as
barley, rye, wheat and rice or juices such as grape and apple, vinegar is
available in a variety of flavors and colors.
Vinegars are produced by a process called distillation, in which yeasts
and bacteria are used to break down carbohydrates or sugars. Several medical studies have shown that
vinegar has many health benefits.
Vinegar contains essential nutrients that are important for healthy
digestion, food metabolism and energy production. All vinegars, particularly organic types such
as apple cider vinegar, which are less filtered and processed, are beneficial
for heart, blood vessel, nerve and muscle health. These include vitamins A, B-complex, C and E
and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and sodiumLink
to related articles, for instance, health benefits and myths at https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-advantages-vinegar-5004.html See Ode to
Vinegar at http://ode-to-vinegar.blogspot.com/
and History of Vinegar at https://www.ponti.com/en/in-ancient-times/
FOR THE VIRTUES I HAVE ACQUIRED AS A LIBRARIAN, I AM
TRULY THANKFUL 1.
Patience. At the end of the day, library work
is a service job—and that means that the number one thing you’re doing is
serving the public. That includes
listening to complaints. 2. A Sense of Humor. Being around a variety of people in a community space has
allowed me the true and delightful joy of understanding that people are just
goofy all the time. 3.
Empathy. If I can’t have empathy for people,
then I can’t be a librarian. Because
above all, serving the community means understanding that everyone needs to be
supported and understood. 4.
Getting to the Root of a Problem.
Trying to dig
free the question that library patrons are actually trying to ask me has turned
me into a master detective. 5.
Better Writing. To be a better writer, a person needs to
read—constantly. I’d also like to add
that for myself, being a better writer has also meant being around a wide and
varied assortment of patrons. Kristen Arnett https://lithub.com/for-the-virtues-i-have-acquired-as-a-librarian-i-am-truly-thankful/
Thank you, Muse reader! Investigate Literary Hub at https://lithub.com/
Former Librarian of Congress James Billington, who led the world's largest library for nearly three
decades and brought it into the digital age, has died. He was 89.
Billington, chief librarian for 28 years, doubled the size of the
library's traditional analog collections, from 85.5 million items in 1987 to
more than 160 million items. He also was
credited with creating a massive new Library of Congress online, making
research and legislative databases more easily accessible. Other achievements noted by the library: Billington acquired the only copy of the 1507
Waldseemüller world map ("America's birth certificate") in 2003 for
permanent display. He reconstructed
Thomas Jefferson's original library and placed it on permanent display in 2008.
He obtained a complete copy of the
Marquis de Lafayette's previously inaccessible papers. And he assembled hundreds of other collections
from notable Americans such as Thurgood Marshall, Irving Berlin and Jackie
Robinson.
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com November 23, 2018 Issue 1991
327th day of the year
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