Wednesday, April 3, 2019


"FootGolf is a precision sport where players kick a soccer ball into a cup—in as few shots as possible."  People began playing in Europe around 2009, then it spread to South and North America.  The American FootGolf League is the national organization with the most FootGolf courses--golf courses that allow FootGolfers to play--in the world.  You need a regulation FIFA #5 soccer ball.  In the U.S., there are AFGL Accredited FootGolf courses in nearly half the states, and the game is played in more than 20 countries.  The first ever FootGolf World Cup was held in Budapest, Hungary in 2012.  Linton Weeks  https://www.npr.org/sections/theprotojournalist/2014/03/13/288546935/footgolf-a-new-sport-explored-in-19-questions

The game of FootGolf is played from the teeing zone with each player aiming for the hole on the green zone in the fewest number of kicks.  It is played with minimal supervision of a marshal and depends on the integrity of the player to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules.  See FootGolf for dummies at http://www.fifg.org/dummies.html

Is Bad Handwriting Genetic?   Many factors go into determining the style in which a person writes.  Penmanship is shaped by a person's life experiences, their character and how they were taught to write, according to Richard Fraser, a handwriting analysis expert and forensic handwriting examiner in Westwood, Mass.  "If a person experiences a traumatic event, their handwriting may change," Fraser said.   "Handwriting reflects a person's personality and state of mind an organized person will most likely take care to make sure that every letter is neatly written."  However, genetics also play a role in shaping how a person dots their i's and crosses their t's.  Handwriting is influenced by a person's anatomy, for example, bone structure affects how one holds a pen.  Hand-eye coordination, muscle memory and mental ability in copying proper penmanship also influence writing, according to Fraser.  Handwriting can change over time as these physical and mental characteristics change.  But genetic influence only goes so far.  People whose handwriting is extremely similar to their parents didn't inherit it they simply copied it, maybe even subconsciously.  "Similarities in handwriting produced by family members do sometimes exist when a writer imitates the characters of another family member or even a respected acquaintance," according to the book "Scientific Examination of Questioned Documents" (CRC Press, 2006).  "This tendency often occurs during adolescence, when the writer is developing and experimenting with his or her handwriting."  Remy Melina  https://www.livescience.com/32804-is-bad-handwriting-genetic.html
See also Inheritance of Handwriting Features at http://www.irjes.com/Papers/vol4-issue4/A440105.pdf 

What is Mirin and Mirin Substitutes  Mirin is a Japanese cooking rice wine.  Mirin tastes a little like sake, but it’s sweeter and has a lower alcohol content (about 14%), a bit like dessert wine but more subtle.  Don’t worry about the alcohol, as it burns off during cooking.  Mirin can transform bland sauces into something very flavorful.  For example, the classic teriyaki sauce is essentially made with mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar.  Dry white wine or rice vinegar mixed with some sugar make an easy mirin substitute.  For every tablespoon of wine or rice vinegar, you’ll need to add a half teaspoon of sugar.  Find recipe for homemade mirin at https://tipbuzz.com/mirin/

What we know about “bamboozle” is that it first appeared in English at the beginning of the 18th century, just in time to make the list Jonathan Swift (author of “Gulliver’s Travels” and “A Modest Proposal”) was compiling of words that were, in his opinion, corroding, if not destroying, the English language (as outlined in his “The Continual Corruption of our English Tongue,” 1710).  Swift also, by the way, objected to the words “mob” and “banter,” as well as the contractions “I’d” and “can’t.  One of the more plausible theories about the origin of “bamboozle” ties it to the Scots word “bombaze,” meaning “to confuse or mystify.”  Efforts have also been made to connect it to the French word “embabouiner” meaning “to make a fool of” (literally, “to make a baboon of”).  It’s also possible, of course, that “bamboozle” was simply dreamed up out of thin air.  “Gobbledygook” was coined in 1944 by US Representative Maury Maverick (grandson of Sam Maverick, whose habit of not branding his cows gave us “maverick” meaning “independent”).  Rep. Maverick, overseeing factory production during WWII, described the doubletalk and jargon he was encountering from government officials as “gobbledygook” one day, and the word was an instant hit.  He later explained that “gobbledygook” was his attempt to imitate the sound a turkey makes.  http://www.word-detective.com/2009/03/bamboozle/

FILM FLAM:  Essays On Hollywood by Larry McMurtry   McMurtry's modest essays on Hollywood screenwriting and films generally are among the most literate and absorbing in recent memory, especially when set beside William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade.  McMurtry takes an active hatchet to Horseman, Pass By (filmed as Hud, a movie McMurty thinks far superior to the novel), The Last Picture Show, and Leaving Cheyenne (filmed indifferently as Lovin 'Molly).  Unfortunately, he never gets to his present reactions to the adaptation of Terms of Endearment--filmed as a tear-jerker but quite funny and moving, in which Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for a role that wasn't even in the novel.  McMurtry refuses to read or work on any project (always a book adaptation) until the very last moment when he's literally flying to Hollywood.  Hollywood being so mercurial, the producer's deal may have fallen through before McMurtry has landed.  Also, he resists doing first drafts before a director has been taken on.  Otherwise, all he's doing is a first reading for the director while producing a digest for the producer to shuck around--a kind of scriptwriting that is death to the soul.  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/larry-mcmurtry/film-flam/  "Film first" is a slogan to save you disappointments when characters are invented or their importance inflated because of star power.  The Muser read the novel Dune (1965) , and then saw the film (1984) with José Ferrer featured for a disproportionate amount of time as Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, when  Paul Atreides is actually the main character of the novel.

Veal Milanese (Cotoletta alla Milanese) is one of the most famous dishes of Italian traditional cuisine.  Like Saffron Risotto recipe, it was born in Lombardy, a region in northern Italy.  Veal Milanese is a meat recipe original from the city of Milan.  Very quick and easy to make, it has ancient origins.  Cutlets appear for the first time in Milan in a menu prepared for the monks of St. Ambrogio in 1134 under the name “lompolos cum panito”.  serves 4  See recipe with pictures and link to other recipes at https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/veal-milanese-original-recipe/

Logan Circle Historic District, Washington D.C.  This approximately eight-block area is a unique, virtually unchanged example of a prosperous, late-19th-century residential neighborhood constructed around a large open urban space.  The focal point of the district is Logan Circle, an important element of the 1791-92 L'Enfant Plan and Ellicott Plans for the Federal City.  Impressive three-and-four-story townhouses, closely grouped, surround the circle and some of the radial streets.  Nearly all were constructed during the 25-year period between 1875-1900 and present an almost solid street façade of Late Victorian and Richardsonian architecture.  In the center of the circle itself is a bronze equestrian statue of Major General John A. Logan on a pink marble base.  The sculpture was designed by Franklin Simmons.  Logan was Commander of the Army of the Tennessee during the Civil War and later the Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.  Logan also served as Representative and Senator from Illinois.  President McKinley attended the dedication ceremonies in 1901.
  
THOUGHT FOR TODAY  A kiss can be a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point. - Mistinguett, singer (3 Apr 1875-1956)

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1272  April 3, 2019

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