There’s a reason why the Incas worshipped vicuña, the miniature cinnamon-hued cousins of the llama.  The doe-eyed creatures, which inhabit the chilly Andean plateaus, produce a fleece so fine that it was considered to be cloth of gold.  Only Inca royalty was permitted to wear it.  About three million vicuña once roamed the rocky terrains of the Andes—until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, who made guns the primary method of obtaining “the silk of the new world” which was used to line King Philip II’s divans.  Meg Lukens Noonan, author of “The Coat Route:  On the Trail of the $50,000 Coat,” began her research into vicuña seven years ago and has witnessed first-hand the traditional “chakku” shearing process, which is inspired by Inca tradition.  She says the Italian brand has been pivotal in bolstering the population of the species in the wild, but is sceptical about the trade agreements the company has in place with local villagers.  “The villagers were given a stake in the harvesting of the fleece so that it was advantageous for everyone; they got some money out of it and also had reason to protect the vicuña from poachers,” says Lukens Noonan.  “But the villagers have not made a lot of money from this, especially when you look at the disparity [between what they earn and] what the finished products are worth.  Osman Ahmed  https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/inside-the-business-of-vicuna-the-wool-worth-more-than-gold 

rath  noun  Archaeology (in Ireland) a strong circular earthen wall forming an enclosure and serving as a fort and residence for a tribal chief.  Rath  noun  Indian  A chariot, especially one used to carry an idol in a ceremonial procession.  See also rath yatra.  https://www.lexico.com/definition/rath

In the 17th century, the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) was overrun by feral pigs, boars, and cattle.  Spanish ships were often docked in the ports, and the long-lasting, salted meat was an easy sell to sailors.  But they first needed to cook it on a wooden, grill-like frame known as a boucan.  Though many cultures have different takes on the grill, the name and practice of boucanning meat originates with the Tupi of Brazil.  European explorers and conquistadors, impressed by the Tupi’s methods, brought both the technique and terminology to the West Indies.  But it was French hunters who really embraced the boucan.  Smoking huts and grills were such common sights at their camps that they became known as boucaniers.  Pork was by far the most popular meat cooked on the boucan, but turtle barbecued in its shell (boucan de tortue) was also a favorite.  To lend the smoke a strong aroma, boucaniers sometimes added the animal’s skin and bones to the fire.  There were even distinct marinating techniques.  The Sea Rover’s Practice: Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730 notes that many grill-masters first brushed the meat with a mixture of lime juice, salt, pepper, and crushed pimento.  Unfortunately, any subtle spices would likely be lost on those who took the meat to sea.  Boucanned meat grew so dry after six months that sailors needed to soak the pieces in warm water before eating them.  Eventually, the local Spanish government grew tired of the growing population of hunters and launched a violent campaign to drive them out.  The operation was partially successful in making many boucaniers change careers, but backfired in one significant way.  While some boucaniers turned to farming, others took to the seas and raided Spanish ships.  As a result, the term boucanier became synonymous with the pirates who attacked ships.  This became buccaneer.  Modern barbecue techniques owe a debt to the smoking methods of the hunters turned pirates.  We may also have the boucaniers to thank for the modern pig roast.  They threw raucous beach parties known as boucan de cochon.  The only requirements: a shorefront, a roasting pig, and lots of rum.  While boucanning isn't widely practiced anymore, you can still watch demonstrations of its relative, jerking, in Jamaica.  https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/boucan-buccaneers-caribbean 

If you were to wander into Cafe Books in Canmore, Alta., with a desire to read the work of a local author, you would likely find yourself spoiled for choice.  About 50 to 60 choices, in fact—and that's just what's currently on the shelves.  For decades, some magic about Canmore has either created authors or spirited them away to live in the Bow Valley.  The estimated number of authors in the town starts around 60 and inches all the way up to 100, depending on who you ask.  For context, the mountain town has a population of about 14,000—which means that if the latter figure is most accurate, nearly one per cent of its residents write.  Their numbers include Paige Cooper, Bob Sandford, Katrina Rosen, Jamey Glasnovic and Stephen Bown.  Hannah Kost   https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canmore-authors-rocky-mountains-bow-valley-alberta-stephen-lagault-1.5707139

A jabot (from French jabot: a bird's crop) is a decorative clothing accessory consisting of lace or other fabric falling from the throat, suspended from or attached to a neckband or collar; or simply pinned at the throat.  It evolved from the frilling or ruffles decorating the front of a shirt in the 19th century.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, a jabot consisted of cambric or lace edging sewn to both sides of the front opening of a man's shirt, partially visible through a vest/waistcoat worn over it.  This style arose around 1650.  Jabots made of lace and hanging loose from the neck were an essential component of upper class, male fashion in the baroque period.  In the late 19th century a jabot would be a cambric or lace bib, for decorating women's clothing.  It would be held in place at the neck with a brooch or a sewn-on neckband.  Jabots survive in the present as components of various official costumes.  The white bibs of judges of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany are officially described as jabots, as are those worn by judges and counsel throughout Australian courts.  Jabots are prescribed attire for barristers appearing before the Supreme Court of South Australia.  French magistrate court dress and French academic dress include a jabot, called rabat.  It is usually of plain cotton, except that of academic high officials, which is made of lace.  Jabots are worn by the judges and Advocates General of the Court of Justice of the European Union.  In the United States Supreme Court, jabots are worn by some female justices, but are not mandatory.  Both United States Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor often wear jabots with their judicial robes; Justice Elena Kagan, in contrast, does not.  Ginsburg had a collection of jabots from around the world.  She stated in 2014 that she had a particular jabot that she wore when issuing her dissents (black with gold embroidery and faceted stones), as well as another she wore when issuing majority opinions (crocheted yellow and cream with crystals) which was a gift from her law clerks.  Her favorite jabot (woven with white beads) was from Cape Town, South Africa.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabot_(neckwear)  See also https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a25362496/ruth-bader-ginsburg-collar-meaning/

In 1917, the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company in New Jersey began manufacturing roadside diners.  The long and narrow prefabricated buildings were trucked on railroad flatcars to various locations across the United States, and were often confused with the actual railroad rolling stock that they resembled.  One such diner arrived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1926.  The diner had been ordered by Anthony Franks, who paid $7,500 plus $325 in shipping charges.  It caused quite a stir among the locals, who watched as six horses pulled the diner to its downtown location not far from the shore of Lake Michigan.  Franks Diner has been serving food ever since, making it the oldest continuously-operating lunch-car diner in the United States.  The Franks family ran the diner until they sold it in 2001, and it changed hands again in 2010.  In that time, the space received a few upgrades, including the addition of a dining room, an expanded kitchen, and sections of brick wall around the exterior, which largely obscure its lunch-car roots.  See pictures at https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/franks-diner  See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_O%27Mahony_Diner_Company  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2270  October 12, 2020