Running amok comes from psychiatry of the late 1700s and early 1800s.  When Europeans sent out explorers, they found societies on Pacific islands in which some individuals would suddenly go on what we would now call "spree killings."  Local people attributed these attacks to possession by aggressive spirits, and therefore not the fault of the attacker.  Amok, or running amok, is derived from the Malay word mengamok, which means to make a furious and desperate charge.  Captain Cook is credited with making the first outside observations and recordings of amok in the Malay tribesmen in 1770 during his around-the-world voyage.  He described the affected individuals as behaving violently without apparent cause and indiscriminately killing or maiming villagers and animals in a frenzied attack. http://io9.gizmodo.com/5956972/did-you-know-that-running-amok-originated-as-a-medical-term

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From:  Alex McCrae   Subjects:  poodle-faker and duck soup   Folks who viewed the film Amadeus may recall arts patron Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II opining that the young Mozart’s compositions-in-progress were overwrought with . . .  “too many notes”.  Echoing our “poodle-faker” USAGE example, classical music ‘gossipers’ of the day apparently argued that Hungarian maestro, Franz Liszt, like the great Mozart, had added far too many (extraneous) notes to his self-penned works; merely in hopes of his captivating the hearts and favor of the choicest high-society, well-heeled grand-dames of his age . . . the quintessential poodle-faker.  Those zany Marx brothers, in their classic madcap movie, Duck Soup and I daresay, most of their other ‘slap-schtick-infused’ filmic feature romps, made it all look so easy-peasy . . .  like veritable duck soup.  Yet most aficionados, and serious students of classic comedy would likely concur that conveying humor on-screen, or on the standup comedy stage, requires well-honed, practiced material, and impeccable comedic timing.

From:  Dave Campbell  Subject:  duck soup  The brilliant satire Duck Soup is generally considered one of the two greatest comedies by the Marx Brothers.  When asked for an explanation of the title, Groucho suggested that you “take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you’ll duck soup for the rest of your life.”

Why would clams be happy?  It has been suggested that open clams give the appearance of smiling.  The derivation is more likely to come from the fuller version of the phrase, now rarely heard--'as happy as a clam at high water'.  Hide tide is when clams are free from the attentions of predators; surely the happiest of times in the bivalve mollusc world.  The phrase originated in the north-eastern states of the USA in the early 19th century.  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-happy-as-a-clam.html

Amendment XXV  PRESIDENTIAL DISABILITY AND SUCCESSION  The Twenty-fifth Amendment was passed in order to clarify what happens upon the death, removal, or resignation of the President or Vice President and how the Presidency is temporarily filled if the President becomes disabled and cannot fulfill his responsibilities.  Far from being a theoretical problem, a plan of succession has frequently been necessary.  On eight separate occasions, a President has died in office and several other times, the President has either resigned from or been removed from office.  Similarly, on seven occasions, the Vice President has died in office and one Vice President–Spiro Agnew-resigned in the middle of his term.  This has meant that for nearly 20% of U.S. history, there has been no Vice-President in office who can assume the Presidency.  http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv  See also https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxxv

Wang Wei (701-761 C.E.) is often spoken of, with his contemporaries Li Po and Tu Fu, as one of the three greatest poets in China’s 3,000-year poetic tradition.  Find four poems by Wang Wei translated by David Hinton, including theWheel-Rim River Sequence with the best-known of its 18 parts, Deer Park:  "No one seen.  In empty mountains, a hint of drifting voice, no more.  Entering these deep woods, late sun-light ablaze on green moss, rising." at http://www.terrain.org/2015/poetry/wang-wei-david-hinton/

As of January 1, 2017, all digital materials hosted on the web by the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), that derive from source materials in the public domain or for which CRL has secured the requisite rights and permissions, will be available without restriction.  http://www.crl.edu/blogs/crls-pivot-open-access

Australia moves about 7cm north-north-east every year because of the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates.  But it means a gap between Australia’s latitude and longitude as it is shown on local coordinates, which move with their local continent--and global coordinates, which don’t.  The latitude and longitude given by modern global navigation satellite systems, such as GPS, are fixed to the rest of the world and as such offset as the Australian continent drifts over time.  The Geocentric Datum of Australia, the country’s local coordinate system, was last updated in 1994, and Australia is now about 1.5m further north-north-east (or, to give the metric used in a BBC infographic:  about the height of a kangaroo).  Daniel Jaksa of Geoscience Australia, the body responsible for mapping the continent, told Guardian Australia the shortfall between the two systems would be addressed with an upcoming change.  “We’re working on moving Australia’s latitude and longitude to reflect our actual position in the world.”  Australia will shift its longitude and latitude by 1.8m in the direction of its tectonic motion from 1 January 2017, with the overcorrection meaning the local and global coordinates will align in 2020.  Similar corrections were made in 1966, 1984 and 1994.  Every nation does updates of this sort but Australia is located on the fastest-moving continental tectonic plate, which means more regular activity.  Jaksa said the fact the global coordinates did not reflect tectonic motion could have negative impacts for any technology that used that data--for example, in the future, self-driving cars.  “[The coordinates] we find in Australia for GPS are actually different to the local ones.  It’s a problem for us when we want to integrate local mapping information with global systems like Google Maps or Apple Maps used on smartphones.  “It’s not just self-driving cars, it’s self-driving tractors, mining equipment--drones going around delivering pizzas that are currently being developed.”  Accurate, consistent data was also important for scientific investigation, Jaksa noted--“not just everyday mapping”.  Elle Hunt  https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/03/mind-the-gap-australias-latitude-and-longitude-to-shift-2m-next-year

Pumpkin Patch Deviled Eggs recipe  http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/pumpkin-patch-deviled-eggs-carla-hall or make your usual egg filling adding cooked, mashed butternut squash or pumpkin for an orange color.  Or, add pumpkin pie spice mix to the filling. 

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix  3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves.  Mix the spices together in a small bowl.  Store the mixture in a clean small jar or spice container.  http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-make-pumpkin-pie-spice  See also 10 pumpkin spice recipes from Elizabeth Buxton at http://www.refinery29.com/2016/09/122468/pumpkin-spice-food-recipes

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1544  October 31, 2016  On this date in 1587, Leiden University Library opened its doors after its founding in 1575.  On this date in 1913, the Lincoln Highway, first automobile highway across United States, was dedicated.