During the late 1990s, yupo was created by two Japanese firms looking for an alternative surface to the traditional fiber-based papers.  The name “yupo” refers to its creation:  YU is for the Misubishi Petrochemical Company, known as Misubishi Yuko in Japan; P is for paper, and O is for the Oji Paper Company.  The product was not available or manufactured in the United States until the early 2000s.  Basically, yupo is a completely recyclable, waterproof synthetic paper, made from extruded polypropylene pellets.  No part of it is taken from any tree product.  Just like traditional paper, yupo is created in different weights or thicknesses.  Then it is spun onto large spools in long lengths and cut into widths from 16 inches to 66 inches.  Though yupo has many other applications, artists typically use yupo in weights comparable to 62 to 144 pounds.  So why use yupo?  The synthetic paper is extremely smooth with no man-made irregularities.  Every sheet will be identical.  The yupo paper is very durable, waterproof and stain resistant; it will not tear or buckle.  Yupo has a very long shelf life.  Additionally, painting on yupo can give added texture to your work, and if you don’t like what you painted, simply wipe it clean with a moistened cloth.  However, there are some complications with painting on yupo.  Both dirt and oils can hinder the paper’s performance, including the natural oils from your own hands.   The watercolor paint remains on the surface on the yupo paper, without ever absorbing deeper like it does on traditional paper; because of this, the colors on yupo seem brighter.  Margie Samuels  See graphics at https://www.margiesamuelswatercolor.com/blog/2015/3/5/whattheheckisyupo 

Kings and potentates had long held private libraries, but the first open-access version came about under the Ptolemies, the Macedonian rulers of Egypt from 305 to 30 B.C.  The idea was the brainchild of Ptolemy I Soter, who inherited Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great, and the Athenian governor Demetrius Phalereus, who fled there following his ouster in 307 B.C.  United by a shared passion for knowledge, they set out to build a place large enough to store a copy of every book in the world.  The famed Library of Alexandria was the result.  Popular myth holds that the library was accidentally destroyed when Julius Caesar’s army set fire to a nearby fleet of Egyptian boats in 48 B.C.  In fact the library eroded through institutional neglect over many years.  Caesar was himself responsible for introducing the notion of public libraries to Rome.  These repositories became so integral to the Roman way of life that even the public baths had libraries.  Private libraries endured the Dark Ages better than public ones.  The Al-Qarawiyyin Library and University in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859 by the great heiress and scholar Fatima al-Fihri, survives to this day.  By the end of the 18th century, libraries could be found all over Europe and the Americas.  But most weren’t places where the public could browse or borrow for free.  Even Benjamin Franklin’s Library Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1731, required its members to subscribe.  The citizens of Peterborough, New Hampshire, started the first free public library in the U.S. in 1833, voting to tax themselves to pay for it, on the grounds that knowledge was a civic good.  Many philanthropists, including George Peabody and John Jacob Astor, took up the cause of building free libraries.  But the greatest advocate of all was the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.  Determined to help others achieve an education through free libraries—just as he had done as a boy—Carnegie financed the construction of some 2,509 of them, with 1,679 spread across the U.S.  He built the first in his hometown of Dumferline, Scotland in 1883.  Carved over the entrance were the words “Let There Be Light.”  Amanda Foreman  https://www.dramandaforeman.com/historically-speaking-the-beacon-of-the-public-library/ 

"Rumors destroy reputations quicker than truth.”  “Never make a political joke, it will always be considered an insult.”  “People will always tell you what you should have done.”  “Always remember that umbrage can be taken by the lift of an eyebrow.  Remember that if offence can possibly be taken, it will be.”  “ . . . the quickest way to make people want something is to ban it.  People always fight to get what they are told they cannot have.”  10-lb Penalty, a novel by Dick Francis   Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death.  Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer--as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003.

Baked Peppers with Rice Stuffing (Bajoques Farcides) is a delicate stuffed peppers recipe that originated in Alcoy, Spain.  Rich flavors from pork and chicken pair with sweet peppers, tomatoes and corn for a filling, yet not overly dense dish that's perfect for warm a weather lunch or a light dinner.  This recipe comes courtesy of M. Teresa Segura's "Spain:  Authentic Regional Recipes" (Fall River Press).  Serves 6  https://www.whitehallledger.com/story/2021/06/09/community/recipe-of-the-week-baked-peppers-with-rice-stuffing/3254.html 

Founded some 500 years ago in what is now India's Punjab region, Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion.  But what makes its members habitual do-gooders?  Think of any scene of disaster and you'll find Sikh volunteers rallying to the site, feeding migrants, helping riot victims, and rebuilding homes after earthquakes.  From the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar to the Paris terror attacks, the farmers' marches in India to the protests in America against George Floyd's killing, people from this 30 million-strong community worldwide have made it a tradition to help complete strangers in their darkest moments.  Through the pandemic, they reached new heights.  In Maharashtra in western India, a gurdwara (the Sikh place of worship) fed two million people in ten weeks in 2020.  Other gurdwaras in India melted the gold they had collected over the last 50 years to set up hospitals and medical colleges.  Sikh NGOs set up "oxygen langars"--langars are the community kitchens in the gurdwaras--providing free oxygen to people as India gasped and reeled through its deadly second wave of coronavirus.  Jasreen Mayal Khanna  Read more and see graphics at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57817615 

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says you don’t need blue light glasses and has gone on record as not recommending any kind of special eyewear for computer users.  The organization says blue light from digital devices does not lead to eye disease and doesn’t even cause eyestrain.  The problems people complain about are simply caused by overuse of digital devices, it says.  “The symptoms of digital eye strain are linked to how we use our digital devices, not the blue light coming out of them,” the AAO says.  But some eye professionals believe they have benefits.  Greg Rogers, senior optician at Eyeworks in Decatur, GA, says he’s seen the benefits of blue light glasses among the shop’s customers.  The staff asks a client how much time they spend in front of a screen daily.  If it’s 6 hours or more, some sort of blue light reduction technique is recommended, whether it’s glasses or a special screen for a computer monitor.  We were getting plenty of blue light before modern digital life began.  Most of it comes from the sun.  But gadgets like televisions, smartphones, laptops, and tablets that populate modern life emit the brighter, shorter-wavelength (more bluish) light.  Another argument in favor of blue light glasses is that they help you sleep better at night.  Researchers agree that blue light from LED devices like your smartphone or laptop holds back the body’s production of sleep-inducing melatonin.  A 2017 study done by the University of Houston found that participants wearing the glasses showed about a 58% increase in their nighttime melatonin levels.  “By using blue blocking glasses we … can improve sleep and still continue to use our devices. The American Academy of Ophthalmology takes a different approach.  “You don’t need to spend extra money on blue light glasses to improve sleep--simply decrease evening screen time and set devices to night mode,” the group says.  Ralph Ellis  https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210115/do-blue-light-glasses-work  

A THOUGHT FOR AUGUST 24  It is often forgotten that (dictionaries) are artificial repositories, put together well after the languages they define.  The roots of language are irrational and of a magical nature. - Jorge Luis Borges, writer (24 Aug 1899-1986) 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2409  August 24, 2021