A weak person fears a lack of control.  And they fear that they themselves will be controlled, since they are weak and don’t have the power to prevent such a situation.  The solution to a weak person’s sense of powerlessness may be to exercise false power in the form of picking on the vulnerable or showing cruelty.  Abigail Martin  https://www.quora.com/Rudeness-is-a-weak-person%E2%80%99s-imitation-of-strength-Do-you-agree-with-this-Why-or-why-not 

Smörgåsbord directly translates to “sandwich-table”) is a buffet-style meal of Swedish origin.  It is served with various hot and cold dishes.  Smörgåsbord became internationally known at the 1939 New York World's Fair when it was offered at the Swedish Pavilion "Three Crowns Restaurant".  It is typically a celebratory meal and guests can help themselves from a range of dishes laid out for their choice.  In a restaurant the term refers to a buffet-style table laid out with many small dishes from which, for a fixed amount of money, one is allowed to choose as many as one wishes.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord  Thank you, Muse reader.   

What is a pied-à-terre?   From the French for “foot on the ground,” the term pied-à-terre traditionally refers to a small, serviceable apartment, generally located in a large city, that’s quite a distance from the user’s primary residence. Today, however, the romantic appellation is also sometimes used to refer to a second home or a vacation home.  The name is derived from the full phrase, mettre pied à terre, which means to dismount.  When the French cavalry dismounted their steeds at day’s end, they were housed in temporary lodging, and by the 1700s, the French had shortened it to pied-à-terre and used it to refer to real estate.  The classic pied-à-terre is used temporarily for part of the year or the workweek, typically by a well-to-do person.  In New York, for example, homeowners in upscale areas like the Hamptons and Westchester—or another area not far from the city—will often keep a pied-à-terre in Manhattan for convenience.  Indeed, so many nonresidents have a pied-à-terre in New York that the city has long contemplated enacting an annual tax on them to make up for the lost revenue from state and local income taxes.  Condos and co-ops don’t always welcome pied-à-terre residents because they are frequently absent, not invested in what’s happening in the building and might be tempted to rent out the space to third parties when they are not there.  It’s particularly difficult for international buyers to purchase such units because the condo and co-op boards often require them to disclose U.S. tax returns.  https://www.mansionglobal.com/library/pied-a-terre  

On August 5th, Jon Mann was walking on the Manhattan Bridge on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, when he was accosted by a deranged homeless man and beaten.  He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, receiving treatment and surgery. Discharged, he was staying with friends at Shelter Island when he experienced difficulty breathing, collapsed and died.  Jonathan (1961-2023) was born in San Francisco.  He graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, studying business ethics.  He lived and worked in Manhattan. He loved it there, rarely venturing outside of its confines.  A loyal client, he kept many Chinese take-out joints afloat.  He relished all the amenities that New York had to offer.  He looked down at people who merely existed and had no ambition to accomplish things.  Being constructive was a badge of honor for him.  He worked at The Rail Splitter, as publisher and co-founder.  He also produced two short documentary films and two short feature documentary films one of which, “Oratorio”, was broadcast on PBS.  He managed to persuade Martin Scorsese to appear in the film and give permission to incorporate clips from some of his films . . .  no small task!  He also was involved with the exhibit of the Dr. John Lattimer Collection at the Metropolitan Book Center, the exhibit at the dedication of the refurbished Grant’s Tomb, the “Lincoln in New York” bicentennial exhibit at Federal Hall and the publication of “That’s the Ticket!  A Century of American Political Ballots.”  None of these projects were profitable in the monetary sense.  The secret of how much money he lost goes with him to the grave.  But that was not the point nor a concern.  Jonathan managed to assemble the finest collection of 1860-1864 campaign ribbons in the country.  He also had an extensive collection of campaign songsters, Lincoln-era photographs and primary source material (letters written by the average person describing political events and issues of the time).  https://railsplitter.com/rail-splinters/in-memoriam-jonathan-h-mann-1962-2023/  

This version of tomato pudding is fluffy, yet dense, punctuating jammy, stick-to-your-teeth sweetness with little bits of blackened bread cubes. Nothing short of candied love apples.  Loosely defined, tomato pudding--along with scalloped tomatoes or stewed tomatoes--makes a meal of bread and canned tomatoes.  References to tomato pudding begin around the early 1820s, said Andrew F. Smith, author of "The Tomato in America" and editor-in-chief of "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America."  Tomato pudding's star rose alongside that of the tomato, which became popular in the 1840s.  Jennifer Day  Find recipe serving six at https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-11-22-0911200260-story.html  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2774  January 24, 2024