Wednesday, May 18, 2016

rune  noun  1.  any of the characters of any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3d to the 13th centuries  2.  mystery, magic  3.  poem, song

A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock.  The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age.  There are about 3,000 runestones among the about 6,000 runic inscriptions in Scandinavia.  There are also runestones in other parts of the world as the tradition of raising runestones followed the Norsemen wherever they went, from the Isle of Man (Manx Runestones) in the west to the Black Sea in the east (Berezan' Runestone), and from Jämtland in the north to Schleswig in the south.  The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia: Denmark has 250 runestones, Norway has 50 while Iceland has none.  Sweden has as many as between 1,700 and 2,500 depending on definition.  The Swedish district of Uppland has the highest concentration with as many as 1,196 inscriptions in stone, whereas Södermanland is second with 391.  Outside of Scandinavia, the Isle of Man stands out with its 30 runestones from the 9th century and early 11th century.  Scattered runestones have also been found in England, Ireland, Scotland and the Faroe Islands.  With the exception of the runestone on Berezan', there are no runestones in Eastern Europe, which probably is due to a lack of available stones and the fact that the local population probably did not treat the foreigners' stones with much respect.  Runestones were placed on selected spots in the landscape, such as assembly locations, roads, bridge constructions, and fords.  In medieval churches, there are often runestones that have been inserted as construction material, and it is debated whether they were originally part of the church location or had been moved there.  In southern Scania, runestones can be tied to large estates that also had churches constructed on their land.  In the Mälaren Valley, the runestones appear to be placed so that they mark essential parts of the domains of an estate, such as courtyard, grave field, and borders to neighbouring estates.  Runestones usually appear as single monuments and more rarely as pairs.  In some cases, they are part of larger monuments together with other raised stones.  However, although scholars know where 95% of all runestones were discovered, only about 40% were discovered in their original location. The remainder have been found in churches, roads, bridges, graves, farms, and water routes.  The main purpose of a runestone was to mark territory, to explain inheritance, to boast about constructions, to bring glory to dead kinsmen and to tell of important events.  In some parts of Uppland, the runestones also appear to have functioned as social and economical markers.  Virtually all the runestones from the late Viking Age make use of the same formula.  The text tells in memory of whom the runestone is raised, who raised it, and often how the deceased and the one who raised the runestone are related to each other.  Also, the inscription can tell the social status of the dead person, possible foreign voyage, place of death, and also a prayer.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runestone

Cannellini beans are white kidney beans, also known as “Italian white kidney beans” or “fasolia beans.”  They are medium sized--about 1/2 inch long and kidney shaped, with a tough seed coat.  This specific variety is very popular in Italian cuisine, appearing dishes such as minestrone, pasta e fagioli soup and the common stewed bean side dish with garlic and rosemary.  This bean was originally cultivated in Argentina by Italian immigrants and was later taken back to Italy, where they are now grown commercially.  Cannellini beans are members of the larger family of legumes, plants used for their edible seeds and pods that boast a high nutrient density with low-maintenance production and storage.  They contain high levels of protein, essential minerals and fiber while maintaining a low level of fats.   Believed to have originated in Peru, beans were spread through trade throughout South and Central America, later being introduced to Europe in the 15th century by Spanish explorers.  Known as a high-quality, inexpensive source of protein and nutrition, they have become diet staples in many cultures and are now widely produced in Asia, Europe and North America.  http://www.cannellini.com/

Factious is of, pertaining to, or caused by factions.  Fractious is given to troublemaking. 

tidbit  noun  1.  a delicate bit or morsel of food.  2.   a choice or pleasing bit of anything, as news or gossip.
Also, especially British, titbit.  Word Origin and History for tidbit  c.  1640, probably from dialectal tid "fond, solicitous, tender" + bit (n.1) "morsel."  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tidbit

TIDBITS from Feedback to A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg
From:  Ted Drachman  Subject:  Words That Appear Misspelled   A lot of years ago, newly arrived in New York City, I was seeking editorial work--proofreading acceptable.  At one publisher, I was given a test: a page with 100 words, on which I was to indicate which were misspelled, without the use of any reference book.  The words were somewhat odd:  many (if not all) of them seemed to be unusual words that resembled more common ones; the one that I remember was “ordnance”, a collective word for guns and ammunition, which might have been mistaken for a misspelling of “ordinance”, a more common word meaning a municipal regulation.  I puzzled over the list for a while, finally indicating that only 3 of the 100 words were incorrectly spelled.  As it turned out, all 100 of the words were correct; a perfect score would have been obtained by simply handing the list back unmarked!  My score of 97 out of 100 was considered excellent, though I no longer recall if I was offered a job.
From:  Joel Mabus  Subject:  windrow   In my part of North America--Michigan--windrow is a word used to describe a row of closely planted trees, usually tall and narrow species, that serves as a windbreak to protect a farmer’s plowed field from the ravages of strong winds.  The same type of windrows are planted along country roads to their windward to protect from the drifting snow that comes blowing in off the Great Lakes.
From:  Lawrence Crumb  Subject:  refect   Where I went to seminary, the dining hall was called the refectory, and the student in charge was called the refectorian.

South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the Man Booker International Prize for fiction for her dark novel The Vegetarian at a London ceremony on May 16, 2016.  The novel, Han's first to be translated into English, is about a woman who decides to stop eating meat and wants to become a tree.  Her decision has devastating consequences and raises concerns among family members that she is mentally ill.  The Associated Press reports, "Literary critic Boyd Tonkin, chairman of the judging panel, said Han's 'compact, exquisite and disturbing' novel displayed an 'uncanny blend of beauty and horror.' "  The prize, worth $72,000, will be split between Han, 45, and her translator, Deborah Smith, a 28-year-old Briton, who started teaching herself Korean in 2010.  Doreen McCallister  http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/17/478332594/the-vegetarian-wins-man-booker-international-prize-for-fiction

The Booker Prize for Fiction has been awarded each year since 1969 to the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland.  In 2014, it was opened for the first time to any work published in the United Kingdom and in the English language.  Find a list of winners and shortlisted authors of the Booker Prize for Fiction, 1969-2015 at


http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1473  May 18, 2016  On this date in 1631, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, John Winthrop took the oath of office and became the first Governor of Massachusetts.  On this date in 1652, Rhode Island passed the first law in English-speaking North America making slavery illegal.

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