The three hardest things to say are:   

1.  I was wrong.

2.  I need help.

3.  Worcestershire sauce.  Thank you, Muse reader!   

Canfield Solitaire is a classic card game that has been around for centuries and is named after its inventor, Richard Canfield.  The object of the game is to remove all the cards from the board using a series of moves.  Play at https://games.aarp.org/games/canfield-solitaire   

Richard Albert Canfield was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on June 17, 1855.  After his father’s death, his mother moved the family to Providence, Rhode Island, when Richard was 11.  At 14, he graduated from grammar school and seems to have had no further schooling.  Gambling caught his interest early on; he spent his late teenage years working in gaming houses.  By the time he was 21, he financed a trip abroad with his winnings, steeping himself in European art and culture.  In 1883 he took a partial partnership in the Casino in Saratoga Springs, NY buying the property outright the following year for $250,000.  Richard invested an estimated $800,000 in enhancements to the building and the grounds of Congress Park, to try to bring them up to the standards of the top European establishments.  In 1902–1903 he added a sumptuous dining room to the back of the Casino, fitting it with stained glass windows and an early form of air conditioning.  Richard Canfield, who died in 1914, was recognized as the King of Gamblers, and Saratoga Springs was seen as the “American Monte Carlo.”  https://www.saratogahistory.org/canfield  

Canfield (US) or Demon (UK) is a patience or solitaire card game with a very low probability of winning.  It is an English game first called Demon Patience and described as "the best game for one pack that has yet been invented".  It was popularised in the United States in the early 20th century as a result of a story that casino owner Richard A. Canfield had turned it into a gambling game, although it may actually have been Klondike and not Demon that was played at his casino.  As a result, it became known as Canfield in the United States, while continuing to be called Demon Patience in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canfield_(solitaire)    

Twenty years after its initial release in 1999, Galaxy Quest remains as endearingly beloved as ever.  The high-concept science fiction comedy followed a group of actors from a cult sci-fi show who are recruited by an oppressed alien race to defend them from a malevolent galactic warlord.  Upon release, Galaxy Quest proved an affectionate love letter to Star Trek, the original "wagon train to the stars," and a far cry from the mean-spirited parody some may have been expecting.  In addition to universal critical acclaim, the film was successful at the box office, grossing over $90 million on a budget of $45 million.  In the decades since its release, Galaxy Quest has been adopted by the Star Trek fan community as an unofficial entry in the franchise's widespread canon.  Back in 1999, Rainn Wilson was almost completely unknown to the world.  The Office was still six years away, and the actor, who had been struggling to make a name for himself in New York, moved to Los Angeles to make a go of it on the West Coast.  Galaxy Quest marked Wilson's feature film debut, in the role of one of the Thermians who initially enlist the aid Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) to protect them from the villainous reptilian, Sarris.  Ironically, he would later be cast in Star Trek:  Discovery, as Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd.  https://screenrant.com/galaxy-quest-rainn-wilson-interview/    

The first recorded association of Saint Valentine's Day with romantic love is believed to be in the Parliament of Fowls (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer, a dream vision portraying a parliament for birds to choose their mates.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day    

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2907  February 14, 2025 

Charles Gates Dawes (1865–1951) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 30th vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929 under Calvin Coolidge.  He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations.  Born in Marietta, Ohio, Dawes attended Cincinnati Law School before beginning a legal career in Lincoln, Nebraska.  After serving as a gas plant executive, he managed William McKinley's 1896 presidential campaign in Illinois.  After the election, McKinley appointed Dawes as the Comptroller of the Currency.  He remained in that position until 1901 before forming the Central Trust Company of Illinois.  Dawes served as a general during World War I and was the chairman of the general purchasing board for the American Expeditionary Forces.  In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Dawes as the first director of the Bureau of the Budget.  Dawes served on the Allied Reparations Commission, where he helped formulate the Dawes Plan to aid the struggling German economy.  Dawes was a descendant of Edward Doty, a passenger on the Mayflower, and William Dawes who rode with Paul Revere to warn American colonists of the advancing British army at the outbreak of the American Revolution.  Dawes was a self-taught pianist, flutist and composer. His composition Melody in A Major became a well-known piano and violin piece in 1912.  Marie Edwards made a popular arrangement of the work in 1921.  Also, in 1921, it was arranged for a small orchestra by Adolf G. Hoffmann.  Melody in A Major was played at many official functions that Dawes attended.  In 1951, Carl Sigman added lyrics to Melody in A Major, transforming it into the song "It's All in the Game".  Tommy Edwards's recording of "It's All in the Game" was a number-one hit on the American Billboard record chart for six weeks in 1958.   Edwards's version of the song became number one on the United Kingdom chart that year.   Since then, it has become a pop standard.  Numerous artists have recorded versions, including Cliff Richard, the Four Tops, Isaac Hayes, Jackie DeShannon, Van Morrison, Nat "King" Cole, Brook Benton, Elton John, Mel Carter, Donny and Marie Osmond, Barry Manilow, Merle Haggard, and Keith Jarrett.  Dawes is the only U.S. vice president to be credited with a number-one pop hit.   Dawes and Bob Dylan (as a writer) are the only persons credited with a number-one pop hit to have also won a Nobel Prize.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_G._Dawes    

Idioms using the word red:  Red herring, red flag, red in the face, paint the town red, red-letter day, and seeing red.  See other idioms using the word red at https://literary-techniques.com/red-idioms/   

What should not go in your garbage disposal: 

·        Toss your coffee grounds in the trash can, add them to your compost pile, or sprinkle them around your garden as a natural fertilizer.

·        Celery, artichokes, rhubarb, corn husks, edamame pods, and kale are all no-go foods for a garbage disposal.  They have stringy bits that can get wrapped around the garbage disposal blades and cause a jam.

·        Eggshells have a thin membrane that can get wrapped around the blades and cause a clog.  Toss them in the trash can instead.

·        Toss bones in the trash rather than the disposal.  

·        Pasta or rice expand when soaked in water—rice, for example, can grow up to four times in size.   

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-clean-garbage-disposal#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20quickest%20and,drain%2C%20disposal%2C%20and%20pipes.   

Svengoolie is an American hosted horror movie television program.  The show features horror and science fiction films and is hosted by the character Svengoolie, who was originally played by Jerry G. Bishop from 1970 to 1973, before Rich Koz succeeded him in the role from 1979 on.  Before and after commercial breaks, Svengoolie presents sketches, tells jokes, and performs parody songs related to the films being aired.  The show is a long-running local program in the Chicago area and in recent years expanded nationally, airing Saturday nights on MeTV.  The show airs both low-budget and classic horror and science-fiction movies, with host "Svengoolie"--a portmanteau of the words Svengali and ghoul--played by Rich Koz (pronounced "Koze"), who wears thick skull-like makeup around his eyes and cheekbones, a moustache, goatee, and long wig, all black, and a black top hat with a tuxedo jacket over a bright-red, open-collared, pleated tuxedo shirt.  The show opens with a reference to early radio broadcasting:  "Calling all stations, clear the air lanes, clear all air lanes for the big broadcast."  This is a sound clip from the preview "trailer" of one of the four "Big Broadcast Of . . . (1932, 1936, 1937, 1938)" movies.  In a running gag throughout the series, Svengoolie's mentions of the Chicago suburb of Berwyn are met with an audio clip of several people groaning "BERWYN?!?"  Another recurring gag involves rubber chickens thrown at Svengoolie after a weak joke, usually at the end of an episode's opening and closing sketches.  Visitors assist the crew in throwing rubber chickens during taping.  Rich Koz did most of the artwork for the show when he revived it as Son of Svengoolie at WFLD.  For every episode, Koz researches the film to find interesting facts, then writes each episode, spending about four hours doing so.   The camera shots and audio effects are handled by director Chris Faulkner and Kevin Reisberg, the show's assistant director.   In 2014, the original casket prop used by both Bishop and Koz on camera was retired and donated to the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.  Segments showcasing the original casket continued to be rebroadcast on the MeTV schedule.  Rebroadcasts often will use improved prints of the films if they have become available, while keeping the old comedy skits.  The show's original title was Screaming Yellow Theater.  The title was derived from Screaming Yellow Zonkers, a yellow, sugary glazed popcorn snack, first produced in the 1960s.  The show debuted on September 18, 1970, on WFLD (channel 32) and ran on the station until September 7, 1973.  Svengoolie was played then by Jerry G. Bishop.  In later seasons, Rich Koz--a fan who sent in sketch ideas--became a show writer.  In 1973, Kaiser Broadcasting took over WFLD from Field Communications and Screaming Yellow Theater was cancelled and replaced with The Ghoul from Cleveland.  The Ghoul lasted until 1974 when it was taken off the air.  Field Communications re-purchased WFLD back from Kaiser Broadcasting in 1978, which led Jerry Bishop and Rich Koz to discuss the show's resurrection.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svengoolie     

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com   Issue 2906  February 12, 2025 

 

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command) is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.  Headquarters for NORAD and the NORAD/United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) center are located at Peterson Space Force Base in El Paso County, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The nearby Cheyenne Mountain Complex has the Alternate Command Center.  The NORAD commander and deputy commander are, respectively, a United States four-star general or equivalent and a Canadian lieutenant-general or equivalent.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD   

NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a United States/Canada military alliance.

NORAD or Norad may also refer to:

·        Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

·        NORAD (board game), a 1970s war simulation game

·        Noradrenaline or norad, a hormone and a neurotransmitter

·        EHC Hoensbroek or EHC Hoensbroek Norad, a Dutch football club

·        Norad Mill, North Adams, Massachusetts on the US National Register of Historic Places

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_(disambiguation)  

no-rad means no radio in The Lion’s Game, a novel by Nelson Demille 

 

Nelson DeMille (1943-2024) wrote some two dozen novels, many featuring John Corey, a joke-cracking former homicide detective who first appeared in “Plum Island” (1997), about an investigation into the murder of a young couple who may have been involved in biological warfare research.  Other books were set in the world of espionage or in the military and drew on Mr. DeMille’s combat experience in Vietnam.  During the Tet offensive of 1968, about a third of his company was killed or wounded during a battle in the A Shau Valley, he said.  Coming home, he hoped to use that experience in crafting “the great American war novel.”  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_DeMille and https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/alex-demille/3699227/?srsltid=AfmBOopGO9NKi1w_6gO261T3BDcH_LGLbEu40d7Rapmb9v5hkhMSwvO4     

The Toledo Museum of Art presents the first monographic exhibition of the eminent Dutch flower still life painter Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750).  At a time when women’s access to careers as professional artists was severely limited, Ruysch nevertheless became highly successful and widely renowned.  She was born into a well-to-do family and was the daughter of the renowned professor of anatomy and botany Frederik Ruysch, who apprenticed her to one of the premier flower still life painters of the day.  She married a painter, had eleven children, became the first female member of the artist’s guild in The Hague and a court artist to one of the most important German nobles, won the lottery (twice!), was among the highest-paid artists of her time, and continued to paint until she was 83 years of age.  Despite the great success she experienced during her lifetime, Ruysch has never received the attention she deserves.  The exhibition explores her fascinating life and work for the first time and juxtaposes them with those of her sister Anna, who was an accomplished flower painter in her own right but is all but forgotten today.  https://toledomuseum.org/exhibitions/rachel-ruysch-nature-into-art  Thank you, Muse reader!  April 12, 2025--July 27, 2025    

From a Muse reader: 

Some more information on Krannert.  A name well known in Indianapolis.  In 1925, Krannert started his own business in Indianapolis.  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis>, the Inland Container Corporation  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple-Inland>, with six employees, all of whom had also quit the company in Anderson.  The company expanded and survived the Great Depression  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression>.  During World War II <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>, the United States government began buying large quantities of Inland's moisture-resistant "V-Board" boxes.  By the early 1970s, Inland Container was America's second-largest manufacturer of corrugated shipping containers, with a complex of 25 plants grossing $200 million in annual sales.    

The Lost World is a 1925 American silent fantasy giant monster adventure film, directed by Harry O. Hoyt and written by Marion Fairfax, adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel of the same name. 

Produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a major Hollywood studio at the time, the film stars Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger and features pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien, a forerunner of his work on King Kong (1933).  Doyle appears in a frontispiece to the film, absent from some extant prints.  In 1998, The Lost World was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  Due to its age, the film is now in the public domain.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(1925_film)     

Right before celebrating 50 years of Saturday Night Live, NBC will go back to where it all began.  The network will air the inaugural episode of SNL—then called NBC’s Saturday Night—at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT Feb. 15, 2025 a night before the primetime 50th anniversary special.  Additionally, NBC will rebroadcast the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen . . .  50 Years of SNL Music in primetime on Feb. 15.  The first SNL, which aired on Oct. 11, 1975, was hosted by George Carlin and featured musical performances from Billy Preston and Janice Ian along with sketches by the show’s original cast:  Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner.  Andy Kaufman also appeared on the show, and it featured a sketch with Jim Henson’s Muppets.  The first episode—or rather, the chaotic minutes leading up to the premiere—was the subject of director Jason Reitman’s movie Saturday Night, which debuted in theaters fall of 2024.  The re-airing of the first episode is part of a full weekend of SNL celebrations leading up to the SNL50 primetime special.  On Feb. 14, Peacock will live stream a concert special featuring a host of artists who have been musical guests on the show—among them Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Arcade Fire and the Backstreet Boys.  Peacock is also home to a four-part docuseries, Beyond Saturday Night, that delves into several aspects of the long-running series.  The primetime special on Feb. 16 will feature appearances by Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro and Sabrina Carpenter, with more to be announced in the coming week.  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/first-ever-snl-re-airing-nbc-50th-anniversary-1236129955/ 

The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 February 9, 2025.     

The 21st annual Puppy Bowl featured puppies on Team Ruff and Team Fluff for the Wayfair Lombarky Trophy.  A record 142 adoptable puppies on Team Fluff in the February 9, 2025 Puppy Bowl, winning 68-66 over Team Ruff.   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2905  February 10, 2025 

In 2010, the newly-formed Common Core State Standards for English initiative did not include cursive handwriting instruction.  In 2011, 41 states adopted the Common Core standards, thus removing the requirement for cursive instruction in the respective state curriculum. When the system was revisited after the skill was taken out of the core requirements, school therapists reported that some students struggled with manuscript but excelled in cursive writing.  Many schools have adopted keyboarding as an alternative to cursive handwriting instruction.  Since 2016, several states have reintroduced cursive writing into their curriculum.  As of July 2024, there are 24 states that require cursive writing instruction in public schools.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_handwriting_instruction_in_the_United_States    

Scarlett Johansson Says This Too-Easy Party Appetizer Is “So Good”  Grab a bag of your favorite potato chips, or try making your own easy Air Fryer Potato Chips.  Pick up some flavorful cheese or make a delicious spread like hummus or a refreshing tzatziki sauce and top with pickled onions or fresh dill.  https://www.eatingwell.com/scarlett-johansson-charcuterie-chips-8780055    

Bursera simaruba, commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, almácigo, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.  Bursera simaruba is prevalent in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to the mangroves.  In the United States, specimens may be found in the Gulf of Mexico along the western coast of Florida.  Bursera simaruba is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 meters tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at 1.5 meters above ground.  The bark is shiny dark red, and the leaves are spirally arranged and pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad.  Gumbo-limbo is semi-evergreen.  The gumbo-limbo is referred to, humorously, as the tourist tree because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of the sunburnt tourists who are a common sight in the plant's range.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursera_simaruba   

Herman C. Krannert (1887–1972) was a businessman and philanthropist in the Midwest of the United States who made millions in the corrugated fiber products industry and subsequently made generous contributions to education and the arts.  In 1964, Herman and Ellnora Krannert announced the plans for Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.  The Center is known for its four first class venues, including the Foellinger Great Hall, one of the most acoustically perfect performance spaces in the world, and it is also used as a laboratory space, housing classes, offices, and student productions for the University of Illinois Theatre Department, Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, the School of Music, and the Dance Department.  The Krannert Memorial Library, located on the University of Indianapolis campus, opened in 1977 and completely renovated in 2015 to create a 21st-century active learning environment with collaborative space for research, scholarship and engagement.  Herman grew up on Chicago's West Side.  After graduating from Crane Technical High School, he spent two years saving enough money to attend the University of Illinois, Class of 1912, where he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity.  Working throughout his college career, he completely financed his education and sent extra money home to support his widowed mother.   After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, Krannert was hired in 1914 by Sefton Manufacturing Company, a Chicago-based firm that made paper boxes.  At age 30, he was transferred to Anderson, Indiana, and became the youngest Sefton employee to be promoted to plant manager.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_C._Krannert    

Your Christopher Walken piece left out his best supporting actor Oscar win for “The Deerhunter” (1978), and his role as Diane Keaton’s brother in “Annie Hall” (1977).  Both those films were best picture Oscar winners and really established his career.  Thank you, Muse reader!   

Puppy Bowl 2025, the 21st installment of the beloved rescue animal event, will air on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. EST.  The 2025 Super Bowl kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX, meaning Puppy Bowl fans can watch the entire three-hour special and still have plenty of time to switch to the human football game before the national anthem starts.  The Puppy Bowl, the longest running television event promoting pet adoption, will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+, so there are plenty of viewing options.  This year's event will be the biggest Puppy Bowl yet, with 142 rescue dogs from 80 shelters in 40 states and two countries competing on Team Ruff and Team Fluff.  Puppy Bowl 2025 will include the first Puppy Bowl Kickoff special.  The pre-game show will air before the canine game on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST on Animal Planet. The kickoff will include the Puppy Combine, where viewers will get a chance to watch 10 precious pups show off their skills in a series of cute challenges.  https://people.com/everything-to-know-puppy-bowl-2025-8785179    

http://librariansmuse,blogspot.com  Issue 2904  February 7, 2025