As far back as the 19th century, a cookie very similar in appearance to the modern fortune cookie was made in Kyoto, Japan; and there is a Japanese temple tradition of random fortunes, called omikuji.  The Japanese version of the cookie differs in several ways:  they are a little bit larger; are made of darker dough; and their batter contains sesame and miso rather than vanilla and butter.  They contain a fortune; however, the small slip of paper was wedged into the bend of the cookie rather than placed inside the hollow portion.  This kind of cookie is called tsujiura senbei and is still sold in some regions of Japan, especially in Kanazawa, Ishikawa.  It is also sold in the neighborhood of Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine in Kyoto.  Makoto Hagiwara of Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco is reported to have been the first person in the USA to have served the modern version of the cookie when he did so at the tea garden in the 1890s or early 1900s.  The fortune cookies were made by a San Francisco bakery, Benkyodo.  David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles, has made a competing claim that he invented the cookie in 1918.  San Francisco's mock Court of Historical Review attempted to settle the dispute in 1983.  During the proceedings, a fortune cookie was introduced as a key piece of evidence with a message reading, "S.F. Judge who rules for L.A. Not Very Smart Cookie".  A federal judge of the Court of Historical Review determined that the cookie originated with Hagiwara and the court ruled in favor of San Francisco.  Subsequently, the city of Los Angeles condemned the decision.  Seiichi Kito, the founder of Fugetsu-do of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, also claims to have invented the cookie.  Kito claims to have gotten the idea of putting a message in a cookie from Omikuji (fortune slip) which are sold at temples and shrines in Japan.  According to his story, he sold his cookies to Chinese restaurants where they were greeted with much enthusiasm in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.  Up to around World War II, fortune cookies were known as "fortune tea cakes"—likely reflecting their origins in Japanese tea cakes. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_cookie

ABC News' Juju Chang visited the largest fortune cookie factory in the world--Wonton Foods, based in Queens, N.Y., which churns out about 4.5 million cookies a day.  What goes into these sweet treats?  A simple mix of flour, sugar and vanilla or citrus flavoring makes the batter.  On the assembly line, the mix is spread out, the fortunes inserted, and the cookie molded into its signature shape.  Just whose job is it to come up with all those bits of wisdom?  Wonton's Derrick Wong says that for them, a retired history professor in New York leads a team of freelance writers who come up with fresh fortunes.  "We have about over 10,000 fortunes in the data bank, and we rotate about 1,500," said Wong.  But the origin of the fortune cookie itself is a more complicated story.  We turned to Jenny Lee, author of "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles," to help us figure out their patrilineage.  Lee's take on the matter?  "A lot of Americans think that what we're eating here is 'Chinese,' but in fact most Chinese people don't recognize things like beef and broccoli or fortune cookies or General Tao chicken or even egg rolls."  Could it be that fortune cookies aren't even served in China?  "They're not served in China," said Lee.  "As a matter of fact, I actually brought a bunch of fortune cookies to China and gave them to Chinese people, who were very confused."  http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5542228&page=1

“United Nations Publications is pleased to announce the launch of the United Nations iLibrary, the first comprehensive global search, discovery, and dissemination platform for digital content created by the United Nations.  Available from February 2016, the United Nations iLibrary provides librarians, information specialists, scholars, policy makers and the general public with a single online destination for seamlessly accessing knowledge products created by the United Nations Secretariat, and its funds and programs.  To begin with, United Nations iLibrary includes publications, journals and series comprising facts and expertise on international peace and security, human rights, economic and social development, climate change, international law, governance, public health, and statistics.  In future releases, the platform will also provide access to other resources such as working papers series and statistical databases….”  http://www.bespacific.com/launch-of-the-united-nations-ilibrary/

Tomato bulgur wheat   Pour boiling water (about 1 1/4 cups) over 2 cups bulgur.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir well with fork.  Add 2/3 to 1/14 cups tomato juice a little at a time, until the bulgur has absorbed the juice.  Let stand a few minutes between additions.  Add capers and pitted olives.  Season again if needed.  Serves four.  Adapted from Everyday Easy 30-Minute Dinners  See also http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/01/guide-the-31-healthiest-foods-of-all-time-with-recipes/slide/bulgur/ and http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/lentils-with-bulgur-wheat-and-caramelized-onions-moujadara-with-burghul-recipe.html

Q:  What’s the most unusual building designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright?  A:  It could be a gas station, designed in 1927 for Buffalo, New York, but built in 1958 in Cloquet, Minnesota.  Wright, hoping to design an entire small town, convinced Cloquet resident R.W. Lindholm to build a gas station that complemented the house he had just designed for him.  The station includes a second-story observation deck where the attendants could watch for incoming cars in warmth.  It’s still in business, owned and operated by Lindholm’s grandson. — Atlas Obscura.  http://thecourier.com/opinion/columns/2016/02/08/why-the-barricadesat-the-old-rocking-u/  See also http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/07/frank-lloyd-wrights-forgotten-gas-station-of-the-future/242250/

Acrophobia is defined as a fear of heights.  Acrophobia can cause a person to fear a variety of things related to being far from the ground.  True vertigo is a medical condition that causes a sensation of spinning and dizziness.  Illyngophobia is a phobia in which the fear of developing vertigo can actually lead to vertigo-like symptoms.  Acrophobia can induce similar feelings, but the three conditions are not the same.  http://phobias.about.com/od/introductiontophobias/a/acrophobiaprof.htm

Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone.  Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker (the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used interchangeably).  Both carnelian and sard are varieties of the silica mineral chalcedony colored by impurities of iron oxide.  The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration.  It is most commonly found in Brazil, India, Siberia, and Germany.  See pictures at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnelian

PROFILE AMERICA FACTS FOR FEATURES:  CB16-FF.03  Feb. 1, 2016  Women’s History Month:  March 2016  The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions.  International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March.  In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month.  Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation.  Find statistics at http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/newsroom/facts-for-features/2016/cb16-ff03_womens_history_2016.pdf

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1435  March 2, 2016  On this date in 1877, just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.  On this date in 1917, the enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act granted Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.