In June 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered the Commencement Address at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association.  Her speech was titled, ‘The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.’  "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all--in which case, you fail by default."  Link to Rowling's address at  https://www.jkrowling.com/harvard-commencement-address/

Albert Einstein said, “Failure is success in progress.”  Failures do not mean end of life, rather they mean beginning of success. Those who learn to capitalise on their failures ultimately taste the success in life.  https://thehimalayantimes.com/opinion/failure-success-progress/ 

Sometimes what is perceived a failure turns out to be a success.  Charles-Camille Saint-Saën's  Danse Macabre was poorly received at its premiere performance.  It became one of the composer's most beloved works.  Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker was a critical failure when it premiered in St. Petersburg in December 1892.  This work is loved all over the world today.  The American Organist magazine  March 2019

This  recipe for Smoky Pancetta Cod from the book 5 Ingredients by Jamie Oliver is a winner.  A filet of firm white fish (we tested with haddock) is wrapped with a slice or two of smoky, salty pancetta, then sautéed with a teeny bit of olive oil and finished with a branch of rosemary.  It could not be simpler.  Jamie serves his pancetta fish bundle with a side of lentils and sautéed spinach, but it’s just as delicious nestled up to a green salad tossed with a mustardy vinaigrette.  serves 2  https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/smoky-pancetta-cod

A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

OK  (o-KAY, O-kay)   adjective:  satisfactory; not very good or very bad.  Correct.  Mediocre.  In good health.  noun  Approval or permission.  verb:  to authorize or approve.  adverb:  in a satisfactory manner.  interjection:  used to express acknowledgment or agreement.  In the 1830s, in Boston, there was a fad of making abbreviations; also of using jocular misspellings.  So “all correct” became of “oll korrect” which became abbreviated to OK.  The word would have ended as a fad, but along came US President Martin Van Buren (1782-1862).  During his re-election campaign of 1840, his supporters adopted the word OK as a nickname for him (short for Old Kinderhook; he was born in Kinderhook, New York) and the word has lived on ever since, not only in the English language, but most of the languages around the world.  Earliest documented use:  1839.  OK is an all-American word.  And like many things made in America, it’s used everywhere.  Not bad for a two-letter word.  It’s not often that a whole book is written about a single word.  Check out OK: The Improbable Story Of America’s Greatest Word.

bloodnoun   (BLUHD-naun)  noun  A bullfrog-- a heavy-bodied frog having a deep resonant croak.  Also known as bloody noun.  Of imitative origin.  Earliest documented use:  1910.

sockdolager   (sok-DOL-uh-juhr)  noun  1.  A decisive blow or remark.  2.  Something exceptional or outstanding.  Of unknown origin, apparently from sock.  Earliest documented use:  1830.  The word sockdolager turned out to be the cue on which John Wilkes Booth fired his shot at the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), in Ford’s Theater.  Lincoln was watching the play Our American Cousin and Booth, an actor himself and aware of the dialog, knew the line that brought the loudest burst of laughter from the audience was:  “Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologising old man-trap.”  Booth fired his gun at that precise moment to muffle the loud noise of his shot with the guffaws from the audience.

throttlebottom  (THROT-l-bot-uhm)  noun  A purposeless incompetent in public office.  After Alexander Throttlebottom, a Vice Presidential character in Of Thee I Sing, a 1931 musical comedy.   Earliest documented use:  1932.

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From:  SarahRose Werner Subject:  Oh, Kay!  When I read today’s word, OK, I immediately thought of the 1926 musical comedy, “Oh, Kay!” and its title song, “Oh, Kay, you’re okay with me!”  From:  Robert Hamilton  Subject:  Medical “OK”  There is an evolved meaning for the word OK in the medical community.  Example:  “We’re going to put a tube in your (fill in the blank) to make you better . . .  OK?”  Translation:  This huge hose is going where you really don’t want it to go and your disapproval is irrelevant.  From:  Mary Kaye Bates  Subject: sockdolager  We used to call heavy rainstorms sockdolagers in Maryland.  From:  Jake Sigg  Subject: sockdolager  One of the several nasty rapids in the Grand Canyon is Sockdolager Rapids.  Can’t tell you who named it or why, but it could have been John Wesley Powell in his historic 1869 trip down the Colorado through the Canyon.

Lawyer is a general term for a person who gives legal device and aid and who conducts suits in court.  What’s the difference between lawyer and attorney?  An attorney or, more correctly, an attorney-at-law, is a member of the legal profession who represents a client in court when pleading or defending a case.  In the US, attorney applies to any lawyer.  The word attorney comes from French meaning ‘one appointed or constituted’ and the word’s original meaning is of a person acting for another as an agent or deputy.  Barristers vs. solicitors  In the UK, those who practice law are divided into barristers, who represent clients in open court and may appear at the bar, and solicitors, who are permitted to conduct litigation in court but not to plead cases in open court.  The barrister does not deal directly with clients but does so through a solicitor.  What’s a counsel?  A solicitor would be the UK equivalent of the US attorney-at-law.  Counsel usually refers to a body of legal advisers but also pertains to a single legal adviser and is a synonym for advocate, barrister, counselor, and counselor-at-law.  As to the abbreviation ‘Esq.’ for ‘Esquire’ used by some lawyers, it has no precise significance in the United States except as sometimes applied to certain public officials, such as justices of the peace.  For some reason, lawyers often add it to their surname in written address.  However, it is a title that is specifically male with no female equivalent, so its use by lawyers should fade away.  https://www.dictionary.com/e/lawyer-vs-attorney/

Kumato™ tomatoes are very juicy and firm in texture, which makes them excellent for using fresh in salads.  Try using in a Caprese salad, or even simply drizzle them with olive oil and a shake of salt.  Kumato™ tomatoes are vine-ripened and ready to enjoy as soon as you get them, or they can be stored at room temperature for several days.  Only refrigerate cut or extra ripe tomatoes, as the cold will reduce their natural sugar leading to a loss of flavor.  The actual name of the tomato variety, which originated in Spain, is called “Olmeca”.  Kumato™ is the registered trademark name by Syngenta, which prefers the name Rosso Bruno for the Canadian and American markets.  Today, Kumato™ tomatoes are grown in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Canada, where they grow and ripen under optimum climatic conditions to ensure a high fructose level and delectable firmness.  According to press releases from Syngenta, the Kumato™ tomato was developed from a variety from the Galapagos Islands, although no black tomatoes actually come from the Galapagos Islands.  Some people believe that perhaps Syngenta used a variety from the Galapagos, known as Lycopersicon cheesmanii, in crossbreeding. The Kumato™ tomato was launched in the United Kingdom in the early 2000’s, and within a few years was distributed in the United States to licensed resellers.  https://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Kumato_Heirloom_Tomatoes_3699.php

Super worm moon:  Images of the last supermoon of 2019  Worms are said to emerge from the soil around this time.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-47652390

Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard are pleased to announce the five winners and the two finalists of the 2019 Lukas Prizes. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at the Nieman Foundation in Cambridge, Mass.  Find winners and descriptions of books at https://journalism.columbia.edu/2019-lukas-prizes

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2067  March 21, 2019