Washington Square Park in Lower Manhattan   Alexander Lyman Holley (1832-1882) was born in Lakeville, Connecticut.   His capacity for careful and discriminating observation and his notable drawing talents marked him as an engineer very early in his life.  Holley was the first student to graduate from Brown University in engineering, receiving his bachelor of philosophy in 1853.  He received fifteen patents and wrote several books and hundreds of articles.  Known best for adapting the Bessemer process of steel-making to U.S. needs, Holley had a brilliant and versatile mind.  His work immediately brought rapid production to ironworks and rolling mills, along with a high standard of excellence, and his efforts significantly reduced steel prices and enabled unprecedented growth in the industries that moved America forward, including railroads, bridges, and ships.  Among engineers, Holley’s enthusiasm was contagious, his eloqence captivating, and his character commanding.  He was practical, aiming to simplify, to facilitate, to save labor, and to economize.  Acknowledged as an authority by mechanical, mining, and civil engineers alike, Holley developed ideas and concepts that directly influenced both education and industry for decades beyond his death.  Mechanical engineer Charles T. Porter (1826-1910) eulogized his character:  “That beaming countenance with sparkling eyes, upon which it was such a joy to look . . . was the outward manifestation of a great soul, instinct with every feeling, that, in the appropriate words of another, can ennoble or can adorn our nature.”  When Holley died in Brooklyn at age 49, he was engaged in bringing the engineers of the world together by shaping the foundations for several professional societies.  Three of these societies jointly raised funds and commissioned this memorial:  the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) of which he was the “leading spirit” in its founding; the Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) of which he was a past president; and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) of which he was a past vice president.  Dedicated on October 2, 1890, Holley’s memorial was given to the City of New York by “the engineers of two hemispheres” and was witnessed by an international group including societies from Germany and France.  John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910) sculpted the bronze portrait of Holley, which was cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York in 1889.  The bust is mounted on the central pillar of an elaborately carved tripartite pedestal made of Indiana limestone.  The pedestal was designed by architect Thomas Hastings (1860-1929).  https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/washington-square-park/monuments/735  View all monuments in NYC Parks, as well as temporary public art installations on our NYC Public Art Map and Guide.  Washington Square Park is close to Minetta Playground and New York University (NYU),  a private research university chartered in 1831.    

Minetta Creek was one of the largest natural watercourses in Manhattan.  Minetta Creek was fed from two tributaries, one originating at Fifth Avenue and 21st Street, and the other originating at Sixth Avenue and 16th Street. They joined near Fifth Avenue and 11th Street then took a southwesterly course.  Minetta Creek's name is thought to have originated from either the Native American term "Manette", meaning "Devil's Water", or the Dutch word "Minnetje", meaning "the little one".  Minetta Creek was originally known by the Dutch as Bestevaer's Killetje.  During the 18th century, large amounts of wildlife could be seen around the creek.  In the early 1820s, the New York City common council commissioned a project to divert Minetta Creek into a covered sewer.  The creek was filled in by the mid-19th century, although it persisted as an underground stream through the 20th century.  Ever since the creek was covered in the 19th century, there have been debates over whether the creek still exists.  Minetta Creek caused flooding in basements and construction sites from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century.  Pools of water were also found at several construction sites along the creek's course.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minetta_Creek  See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_ManhattanThe 7 Best Bugs in Children’s Literature  by Kyo Maclear  https://orionmagazine.org/article/best-bugs-childrens-books/   

Riley Savage began asking for smaller portions, her father started packing leftovers for lunch.  When food rots in landfills, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.  The family resolved to do better.  Ms. Savage searched for recipes everybody would devour.  In the United States, food waste is responsible for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as commercial aviation, leading some experts to believe that reducing food waste is one of our best shots at combating climate change.  In the Columbus, Ohio, area where the Savage family lives, nearly a million pounds of food is thrown out every day, making it the single biggest item entering the landfill.  (The same is true nationwide.)  Households account for 39 percent of food waste in the United States, more than restaurants, grocery stores or farms.  In 2021, 51 percent of the region’s waste was diverted from the landfill through recycling and composting.  Susan Shain  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/01/headway/composting-food-leftovers.html   

An Unpublished Poem by Paul Newman  Previously uncovered words from the eminent late actor, director, and philanthropist.  https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/paul-newman-posthumous-poem/   

People who demand neutrality in any situation are usually not neutral but in favor of the status quo. - Max Eastman, journalist and poet (4 Jan 1883-1969)   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2616  January 4, 2023