On a brick archway between the Central Park Zoo and Tisch Children's Zoo stands the whimsical George Delacorte Musical Clock.  It was dedicated in 1965 and named for its donor, George T. Delacorte.  The philanthropist behind many of the children’s attractions in Central Park, Delacorte was also a fan of the medieval mechanical clocks found in European squares.  The band’s repertoire stays fresh and seasonally appropriate year-round; from late March through early June, visitors may hear springtime melodies like “April Showers” and “Younger than Springtime.”  During the holidays, “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells,” among other festive tunes, ring out from the beloved clock.  Visit the NYC Park’s website for the full playlist.  See pictures and map at https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/delacorte-clock 

THX 1138 is a 1971 American social science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his feature film directorial debut.  It is set in a dystopian future in which the populace is controlled through android police and mandatory use of drugs that suppress emotions.  Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and written by Lucas and Walter Murch, it stars Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence.  THX 1138 was developed from Lucas's student film Electronic Labyrinth:  THX 1138 4EB, which he made in 1967 while attending the USC School of Cinematic Arts.  The feature film was produced in a joint venture between Warner Bros. and American Zoetrope.  A novelization by Ben Bova was published in 1971.  The film received mixed reviews from critics and failed to find box-office success on initial release; however, the film has subsequently received critical acclaim and gained a cult following, particularly in the aftermath of Lucas' success with Star Wars in 1977.  A director's cut prepared by Lucas was released in 2004.  Filming began on September 22, 1969.  The schedule was between 35 and 40 days, completing in November 1969.  Lucas filmed THX 1138 in Techniscope.  Most locations for filming were in the San Francisco area, including the unfinished tunnels of the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, the San Francisco International Airport, and at a remote manipulator for a hot cell.  Studio sequences were shot at stages in Los Angeles, including a white stage 100 by 150 feet (30 by 46 m) for the "white limbo" sequences.  Lucas used entirely natural light.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THX_1138 

Johns Hopkins (1795–1873) was an American entrepreneur, investor, abolitionist and philanthropist of 19th-century Baltimore, Maryland.  His bequests founded numerous institutions bearing his name, most notably Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins University (including its academic divisions such as Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies).  His first name was inherited from his grandfather Johns Hopkins, who received his first name when his mother Margaret Johns married Gerard Hopkins.  Johns Hopkins is described as being an "abolitionist before the word was even invented", having been represented as such both prior to the Civil War period, as well as during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.  In 1973, Johns Hopkins was cited prominently in the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Americans:  The Democratic Experience by Daniel Boorstin, former head of the Library of Congress.  From November 14, 1975, to September 6, 1976, a portrait of Hopkins was displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in an exhibit on the democratization of America based on Boorstin's book.  In 1989, the United States Postal Service issued a $1 postage stamp in Johns Hopkins' honor, as part of the Great Americans series.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins 

Donald Edwin Westlake (1933–2008) was an American writer, with more than a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit.  He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction and other genres.  Westlake is perhaps best-remembered for creating two professional criminal characters who each starred in a long-running series:  the relentless, hard-boiled Parker (published under the pen name Richard Stark), and John Dortmunder, who featured in a more humorous series.  He was a three-time Edgar Award winner, and alongside Joe Gores and William L. DeAndrea was one of few writers to win Edgars in three different categories (1968, Best Novel, God Save the Mark; 1990, Best Short Story, "Too Many Crooks"; 1991, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, The Grifters).  In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, the highest honor bestowed by the society.  Find a list of Donald Westlake’s pseudonyms and his works at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_E._Westlake

Aber and Inver are common elements in place-names of Celtic origin.  Both mean "confluence of waters" or "river mouth".   Because Celtic languages place the generic element of a compound (what kind of thing it is) before the specific element (which one it is), the elements aber and inver normally appear at the beginning of a place name, the opposite of the English (Germanic) pattern.  Contrast:  Inverness (mouth of the river Ness) and Eyemouth (mouth of the river Eye).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aber_and_Inver_(placename_elements) 

Inveraray Castle is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch.  It is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.  It has been the seat of the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, since the 18th century.  The 2012 Christmas episode of Downton Abbey was partly filmed here; the castle portraying the fictional "Duneagle Castle".  Inveraray Castle also featured in a series on Scottish castles made by American broadcaster PBS.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inveraray_Castle

"The Campbells Are Coming" is a Scottish song associated with Clan Campbell.  The tune, a traditional Scottish air, is similar to "The Town of Inveraray" ("I was at a wedding in the town of Inveraray / Most wretched of weddings, with nothing but shellfish . . . "  The song is commonly attributed to Robert Burns, like many Scottish songs which are actually traditional or of unknown origin.  Burns did write a version with some different verses, which he published in the Scots Musical Museum, a collection of Scottish folk songs (and some new songs) published between 1787 and 1803.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Campbells_Are_Coming 

Architecture is inhabited sculpture. - Constantin Brancusi, sculptor (19 Feb 1876-1957) 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2328  February 19, 2021