ruckus (n.)  "uproar, disturbance, commotion," 1890, American English, possibly a blend of ruction and rumpus.  "disturbance, disorderly dispute," 1825, a dialectal or colloquial word of unknown origin.  Perhaps from eruption or an altered shortening of insurrection.  rumpus (n.)  "uproar, disturbance, riot," 1764 (Foote), a word of unknown origin, "prob. a fanciful formation" [OED], possibly an alteration of robustious "boisterous, noisy" (1540s; see robust).  Rumpus room "play room for children in a family home" is from 1938.  https://www.etymonline.com/word/ruckus  See also https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ruckus and https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruckus   

The galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), less commonly known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is an Australian species of cockatoo and the only member of the genus Eolophus.  The galah is adapted to a wide variety of modified and unmodified habitats and is one of Australia's most abundant and widespread bird species.  The species is endemic to mainland Australia.  It was introduced to Tasmania, where it is now widespread, in the mid-19th century and much more recently to New Zealand.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galah

From:  Andrew Pressburger  Subject:  diaeresis   The use of diacritical marks in Hungarian almost doubles the number of letters that comprise the English alphabet (44 as opposed to 26).  The umlaut characteristic of German orthography exists in Hungarian on top of o (ö) and u (ü).  In addition, Hungarian uses other devices that alter the meaning of a word.  For instance fül means ear, but fű (with the elongated diaeresis) means grass or lawn.  

From:  Robert Nisonger  Subject:  diaeresis
Here in Hawai‘i we use an okina to separate vowels.   

Renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, whose depictions of people and objects in plump, exaggerated forms became emblems of Colombian art around the world, died September 15, 2023 at the age of 91.  Botero donated 180 paintings to Colombia’s Central Bank which were used to create the Botero Museum in Bogota.  His sculpture of a white, chubby pigeon, standing proudly on a pedestal became an emblem of Colombia’s efforts to make peace with rebel groups and is currently placed in a prominent gallery inside the nation’s presidential palace.  Manuel Rueda  https://apnews.com/article/fernando-botero-colombia-dead-sculpture-701ff1a26225875fb86f25072a19e3eb    

September 12, 2023  The Pulitzer Prize Board has decided to expand eligibility for the Books, Drama and Music awards beyond the current U.S. citizenship requirement to include permanent residents of the United States and those who have made the United States their longtime primary home.  The amended criteria will go into effect beginning with the 2025 awards cycle, which opens in the spring of 2024.  When newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer established The Pulitzer Prizes in 1917, he endowed them with a distinctly American character.  In his will, the Hungarian immigrant outlined his plan for annual awards for an “American novel,” an “original American play,” “the best history of the United States,” and “the best American biography.”  Over the decades, the number of awards has grown to eight categories in Books, Drama and Music, and 15 categories in Journalism.  Until now, eligibility to enter the Books, Drama and Music categories was limited to U.S. citizens.  One exception to that requirement was in the History category, which has allowed books on United States history by authors of any nationality.  For the sake of consistency, however, History entries now also must conform to the new rules and must be written by U.S. authors.  https://www.pulitzer.org/news/pulitzer-prize-board-amending-citizenship-requirement-books-drama-and-music#:~:text=New%20York%2C%20NY%20(September%2012,States%20their%20longtime%20primary%20home.    

July 18–October 22, 2023  Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, Fragrance Garden, Lily Pool Terrace  French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel presents a new series of six large sculptures at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  His passion for gardens inspired him to create new works—in gold leaf and stainless steel—for three iconic outdoor spaces.  It is the artist’s largest show in the United States since his retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum in 2012.  The artist selected the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden as the setting for the Gold Lotus series, works that link the spiritual to the sensory.  The lotus flower symbolizes spirituality, rebirth, enlightenment, and the sacred.  On Lily Pool Terrace, two gigantic mirror bead sculptures spring from the pools; the works respond to each other, enveloping the visitor in a play of multiple reflections.  In the intimate Fragrance Garden, designed to stimulate the sense of smell and touch, the artist pays homage to the rose, the queen of flowers. The perfect shape of this flower has been a recurrent motif in his work, including paintings he created for the Louvre in 2019.  https://www.bbg.org/visit/event/jean_michel_othoniel_the_flowers_of_hypnosis   Thank you, Muse reader!   

[Film and theater critic John] Simon has simply discovered the trick used with great effectiveness by certain comedians, talk show hosts and punk rock musicians:  people of modest talent can attract attention, at least for a while, by being unrelentingly offensive. - Steven Pinker, author and psychology professor (b. 18 Sep 1954)   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com   Issue 2720  September 18, 2023