A “humblebrag” connects the words “humbly” + “brag,” which implies the act of indirectly or demurely boasting.  The definition of a humblebrag by Merriam Webster is:  “To make a seemingly modest, self-critical, or casual statement or reference that is meant to draw attention to one’s admirable or impressive qualities or achievements.”  Interestingly, the humblebrag has only recently entered our social lexicon, thanks to the rise of social media—some credit the term to the late Parks and Recreation producer Harris Wittels.  From celebrities to athletes, it’s common for people to engage in humblebragging without even realizing it.  This is because talking about ourselves triggers the same pleasure response in our brains as sex or food, two Harvard neuroscientists found.  For instance, you may have come across a novelist saying something like, “I can’t believe my new book is on the New York Times bestseller list!”  This statement, while true and maybe even well-intentioned, still comes off as braggadocious.  In this case, the novelist’s attempt at humility was unfortunately expressed as a humblebrag.  Another typical way that humblebragging is expressed is alongside a complaint.  Saying “I have to miss happy hour to pick up my Mercedes from the detailer after work” may seem like an annoyance to the speaker, but to anyone listening, this is nothing but a classic humblebrag.  Kelly Konya  https://www.grammarly.com/blog/what-is-humblebrag/ 

The Smurfs is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest.  The Smurfs was first created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958, wherein they were known as Les Schtroumpfs.  There are more than 100 Smurf characters, and their names are based on adjectives that emphasise their characteristics, such as "Jokey Smurf", who likes to play practical jokes on his fellow smurfs.  "Smurfette" was the first female Smurf to be introduced in the series.  The Smurfs wear Phrygian caps, which came to represent freedom during the modern era.  The word “smurf” is the original Dutch translation of the French "schtroumpf", which, according to Peyo, is a word he invented during a meal with fellow cartoonist André Franquin when he could not remember the word salt.  The Smurfs franchise began as a comic and expanded into advertising, films, TV series, ice capades, video games, theme parks, and dolls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs

The Kaiser Library is a government-run public library in Kathmandu, Nepal.  It is located in the Keshar Mahal palace complex.  The library was established by Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana for his son, Kaiser (Keshar) Shumsher Rana, in 1907.  The library hosts some rare and ancient books on Buddhism, Tantrism and astrology.  Some are written on palm-leaf manuscript.  The book includes a 1,100-year-old copy of the Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine listed in UNESCO's international Memory of the World Register.  Beside books, the library also has paintings and other antique artifacts.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_library 

In North America, Belgian waffles are a variety of waffle with a lighter batter, larger squares, and deeper pockets than American waffles.  Belgian waffles were originally leavened with yeast, but baking powder is now often used.  They are often eaten as a breakfast food; toppings vary from whipped cream, confectioners sugar, soft fruit, and chocolate spread, to syrup and butter or margarine.  They may also be served with vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit (such as strawberries) as a dessert.  In Belgium itself, there are several kinds of waffle, including the Brussels waffle and the Liège waffle.  Originally showcased in 1958 at Expo 58 in Brussels, Belgian waffles were introduced to North America by a Belgian named Walter Cleyman at the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962, and served with whipped cream and strawberries.  The waffles were further popularized in the United States during the 1964 New York World's Fair at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York City.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_waffle  The runaway best-seller at the 1964 World’s Fair was the Belgian—or “Bel-Gem,” as it was called—waffle.  See also https://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-belgian-waffles-63071 and https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/She-sold-Belgian-waffles-at-the-1964-World-s-Fair-5418625.php 

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz.  The ancient Greeks wore amethyst and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication.  Amethyst is a semiprecious stone that is often used in jewelry and is the traditional birthstone for February.  Amethyst occurs at many localities in the United States.  The most important production is at Four Peaks, Gila and Maricopa Counties, Arizona, and Jackson's Crossroads, Wilkes County, Georgia.  Smaller occurrences have been reported in the Red Feather Lakes, near Fort Collins, Colorado; Amethyst Mountain, Texas; Yellowstone National Park; Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Haywood County, North Carolina; Deer Hill and Stow, Maine and in the Lake Superior region of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Amethyst is relatively common in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia.  The largest amethyst mine in North America is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  Amethyst is the official state gemstone of South Carolina.  Several South Carolina amethysts are on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amethyst

July 28, 2021  When researcher Sarah Coyne released a 2016 study asserting that Disney princess culture was harmful to girls because it cemented sexist stereotypes and led to self-critical body image, the loyalists came for her.  “I got so much hate mail,” the Brigham Young University professor and associate director of the School for Family Life tells Yahoo Life.  “People called me a ‘princess hater!’”  But now Coyne has announced new findings on the subject, surprising even herself with what she learned:  that the long-term effect of the bejeweled, tiara-wearing heroines on kids can actually be a positive one, leading to more progressive views about women and a less favorable view of behavior known as toxic masculinity.  The study, published in the journal Child Development, is quite small and limited—following just 307 Utah children (and their parents), 87 percent white, half boys, half girls, for a five-year period, picking up where Coyne’s older research left off, with many of the same subjects.  And there were very likely other factors, which Coyne did not investigate, influencing the kids’ attitudes as they grew.  Still, the positive nature of the findings is striking.  Beth Greenfield  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/can-disney-princess-culture-positive-kids-study-174236653.html

On a visit to Boston, Benjamin Franklin noted that the inhabitants of his native city were far better prepared to fight fires than the natives of his adopted city, Philadelphia.  Upon returning home, he consulted the Junto, a benevolent group dedicated to civic and self-improvement, and asked for their suggestions on better ways to combat fires.  For the February 4, 1735 issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin sent an anonymous letter to his own newspaper entitled Protection of Towns from Fire.  Writing as an "old citizen" he admonished:  In the first Place, as an Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure, I would advise 'em to take care how they suffer living Coals in a full Shovel, to be carried out of one Room into another, or up or down Stairs, unless in a Warmingpan shut; for Scraps of Fire may fall into Chinks and make no Appearance until Midnight; when your Stairs being in Flames, you may be forced, (as I once was) to leap out of your Windows, and hazard your Necks to avoid being oven-roasted.  He further urged that chimney sweeps should be licensed by the city and be held responsible for their work.  Under Franklin's goading, a group of thirty men came together to form the Union Fire Company on December 7, 1736.   https://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/fire.htm

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2400  August 6, 2021