As commonly used as the eggplant is today, it's hard to imagine that at one time their use was viewed with suspicion (eggplants are in the nightshade family).  The first eggplants grown weren't the large purple varieties frequently grown today, but rather small, white varieties with fruits shaped like eggs (thus the name eggplant).  Different cultures grow various types of eggplant.  In Asia, where food is stir-fried quickly at high temperatures, long, narrow, quick-cooking varieties are preferred because they hold their shape and texture.  Large, round varieties are preferred by Italian cooks.  These varieties absorb other flavors and are readily incorporated into sauces.  The French select purple varieties that have fine-grained flesh.  Sherry Rindels  Find varieties and unusual colors of eggplants at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1997/5-2-1997/eggplant.html  A new  hybrid dubbed "Meatball"  contains more water, which resists oil in the frying pan.

What are nightshade vegetables, and are they safe for us to eat?  Many of the nightshade family vegetables fall under the species of Capscium and Solanum.  Although these do contain toxic aspects, they still bear edible parts, like the fruits and tubers, depending on the plant.  Nightshade vegetables include tomato, tomatillo, naranjilla. eggplant, potato (excluding sweet potato), pepper, (includes hot and sweet varieties as well as spices like paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and Tabasco), pimento, goji berry (wolfberry), tamarillo, cape gooseberry/ground cherry, pepino, and garden huckleberry.  http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/nightshade-vegetable.htm

TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART EXHIBITIONS

Jaume Plensa: Human Landscape  June 17-Nov. 6, 2016  Levis Galleries and Museum Grounds   A major exhibition by renowned artist Jaume Plensa, Human Landscape consists of seven large outdoor sculptures, including some shown for the first time in the United States, plus indoor installations that include a stainless steel curtain through which visitors can walk.  Some of the artist’s lesser-known works on paper, 22 drawings and 10 etchings covering a wide chronology, also are part of the exhibition.  Born in Barcelona, Spain in 1955, Plensa is recognized for his large figurative sculptures and installations that produce enchanting and mystifying visions of the human form as landscape.  His Spiegel, showing the silhouettes of two massive crouching figures made of a latticework of letters, has been a popular work in the TMA Welles Sculpture Garden since it was acquired in 2012.  Free admission.

I Approve This Message: Decoding Political Ads  July 14–Nov. 8, 2016  Canaday Gallery   Imagery, music, sound effects, camera angles and words convey the message of political ads—but are they speaking to your heart or your head?  I Approve This Message explores emotional responses to political ads by decoding the symbols and cues meant to influence viewers.  It will give you new insights into what you see and hear during the U.S. presidential election season.  http://www.toledomuseum.org/exhibitions/

The Manuscripts Division of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library contains nearly 6,000 linear feet of documentary material in five major collection areas:  Rutherford B. Hayes and the Hayes Family; The Gilded Age; Local History and Local Government; The Great Lakes and the Erie Islands; and Special Collections.  For one hundred years, the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums actively has collected, preserved, and made available for research its rich and diverse holdings, spanning academic, local, family, and Great Lakes history.  Individuals and groups are welcome from the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  Read more at http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/collections/ 

Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to take the oath of office in the White House.  Hayes was the only president whose election was decided by a congressional commission.  Hayes was the first president to travel to the West Coast during his term as president.  Hayes was the first president to have a telephone in the White House.  Hayes was the first president to have a typewriter in the White House.  Hayes began the "Easter Egg Roll" for children on the White House Lawn (1878)--a tradition which still continues on the Monday after Easter.  Lucy Webb Hayes was the first wife of a president to be called "First Lady".  http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/president/

"Singing is my retirement.  Others play golf—and that's fine.  I may even take it up one day when I get old."  “I learn something new every day, like lines from Shakespeare.  I make time nearly every day to memorize the lines.  I started with King Lear and enjoyed the sound of my recitations as much as I did the accomplishment of having committed them to memory."  "Life is about variety, and music has always been my road to it."   "Hate is such a terrible waste of time.  I don't think people who hate should receive the attention they seem to garner in the media."  "I always have at least one book going and am on the lookout for the next one.  They feed the brain and fuel the imagination.  I can't imagine life without them."  Keep Moving:  And Other Tips and Truths About Aging by Dick Van Dyke with Todd Gold 

Two-ingredient pizza dough  Mix flour and Greek yogurt together in a bowl; transfer to a work surface floured with self-rising flour.  Knead dough, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from being too sticky, for 8 to 10 minutes.  Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray and spread dough to edges of pan.  Make sure to cook at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), otherwise your crust will not brown on the bottom nicely and will be soft.  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/244447/two-ingredient-pizza-dough/  Thank you, Muse reader!

On May 14, 2016 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm,  Jamala from Ukraine won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 1944.  26 acts competed for the prize.  However, in the end there could be just one winner and that was Jamala from Ukraine who took victory with 534 points.  In second place was the favourite of the juries Australia with 511 points, Dami Im's Sound Of Silence, and Russia came third with 491 points, You Are The Only One sung by Sergey Lazarev.  Australia had stormed into the lead with the jury votes, but the public televoting overturned that and edged Ukraine into a 23 point lead, and not even the televoting favourite Russia could overtake either of them.  Justin Timberlake as a special guest performed two songs, including an exclusive live performance of his latest song Can't Stop This Feeling. There was also the ultimate Eurovision song Love Love Peace Peace performed by hosts Måns Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede, with cameo appearances from former winners Alexander Rybak and Mr Lordi.  Gordon Roxburgh  http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=ukraine_wins_2016_eurovision_song_contest

Hungarian (Magyar) is a member of the Uralic language family.  It is the largest of the Uralic languages in terms of the number of speakers and the only one spoken in Central Europe.  Its closest relatives are Khanty and Mansi, minority languages of Russia, spoken 2,000 miles away, east of the Ural mountains in northwestern Siberia.  It is estimated that Hungarian has been separated from Khanty and Mansi for about 2,500-3,000 years.  Linguists believe that the ancestors of modern Hungarians first migrated westward from the eastern slopes of the Ural mountains into the steppes of southern Russia in the 4th-6th centuries, and eventually moved further westward into the Danube basin west of the Carpathian Mountains in the 9th century.  Over the centuries, the Hungarians have become assimilated into the surrounding European cultures.  Only their language testifies to their origin in Asia.  Hungarian is spoken by 9,840,000 people in Hungary.  It is the country’s official language used in education and government administration. It is one of the official languages of the European Union.  There are  sizable populations of Hungarian speakers in Romania, the Czech and Slovak Republics, the former Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S.  Smaller pockets of Hungarian speakers  live in Canada, Slovenia, and Austria. The total number of speakers of Hungarian worldwide is 12,605,590  http://aboutworldlanguages.com/hungarian  On May 15, 2016 I heard Hungarian spoken and sung--this was my first experience.

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1472  May 16, 2016  On this date in 1801, William H. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 24th United States Secretary of State, was born.  On this date in 1906,  Margret Rey, German author and illustrator, was born.  Quote of the Day  I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be.  Studs Terkel, author and broadcaster (16 May 1912-2008)