A pawpaw ("Indiana banana") is one of only a few large fruits native to the United States, and pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) are found on the grounds of the Toledo Zoo.  The potato-shaped fruit ripens in late summer or early fall, and its flesh is custardy and sweet.  It can be frozen and substituted in recipes calling for banana.  Also within the Toledo Zoo's 70+ acres reside 9,700 animals representing more than 700 species.  Safari Magazine  Spring 2017

The Floating ecopolis, otherwise known as the Lilypad, is a model designed by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut for future climatic refugees.  He proposed this model as a long-term solution to rising water level as per the GIEC (Intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate) forecast.  It is a self-sufficient amphibious city and satisfies the four challenges laid down by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in March 2008--namely, climate, biodiversity, water and health.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_ecopolis

Sea level rise is an increasing threat to low-lying island nations around the world.  Many islands in French Polynesia could lose their coastlines or even disappear due to global warming.  In an effort to adapt to climate change, French Polynesian government officials signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with San Francisco's Seasteading Institute to jumpstart the development of the world's first self-sufficient floating city.  Lorraine Chow  Read more and see graphics at http://www.ecowatch.com/floating-city-sea-level-rise-2196056463.html

A macron is a diacritical mark, a straight bar (¯) placed above a letter, usually a vowel.  Its name derives from the Greek μακρόν (makrón), meaning "long", and was originally used to mark long or heavy syllables in Greco-Roman metrics.  It now more often marks a long vowel.  In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the macron is used to indicate a mid-tone; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular colon ⟨ː⟩.  The opposite is the breve ⟨˘⟩, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.  Read more and find charts at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macron

accents, diacritical marks - non-standard characters signs that change the sound of letters and words.  Find a list of marks (and link to curiosities, glossaries, acronyms and puzzles) at http://www.businessballs.com/diacriticalmarks.htm

QUOTES from Edith Wharton  (1862-1937) American novelist, short story writer and designer  "There are two ways of spreading light:  to be The candle or the mirror that reflects it." - "Vesalius in Zante (1564)", in North American Review (November 1902), p. 631  "A New York divorce is in itself a diploma of virtue." - "The Other Two," ch. 1, from The Descent of Man and Other Stories (1904)  https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton

On February 14, 2017 the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) partnered with OpenTheGovernment.org and more than 60 other public interest groups and associations on a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), asking OMB to issue guidance reminding agencies that they are required under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) to give adequate public notice when making significant changes to information on their websites, including when information is taken down temporarily or removed.  The letter comes after weeks of concern expressed by AALL and other organizations about data and other information no longer being accessible on government websites.  The letter stated:  It is crucial that agencies comply with the law, so that the public does not lose access to vital government information that helps them protect themselves and hold the marketplace and their government accountable.  Failure to give adequate notice of removal could mean that years of government work on important issues are effectively lost to the public.  Moreover, providing the required notice will assure compliance with the law, smooth transition issues, ensure public participation, calm fears of censorship, and will reduce litigation costs for both the government and the public interest community.  http://www.bespacific.com/aall-joins-60-advocacy-groups-calling-for-open-access-info-on-government-websites/

February 17, 2017  ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE  Trump casts all unfavorable news coverage as fake news.  In one tweet, he even went so far as to say that "any negative polls are fake news."  And many of his supporters have picked up and run with his new definition.  The ability to reshape language—even a little—is an awesome power to have.   Danielle Kutrzleben  Read more at http://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515630467/with-fake-news-trump-moves-from-alternative-facts-to-alternative-language

February 18, 2017  Scientists say they have identified an underwater continent two-thirds the size of Australia—and they are calling it Zealandia.  This newly proposed continent is about 1.74 million square miles in size and 94 percent submerged.  But at its highest points, it protrudes above the ocean surface in the form of New Zealand and New Caledonia, according to a paper published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America.  The proposed recognition of the continent of Zealandia does not represent the discovery of a new land mass.  Rather, the paper argues that the geological evidence suggests the land mass should be classified not as a collection of islands and fragments but as a bona fide continent.  "If we could pull the plug on the oceans, it would be clear to everyone we have mountain chains and a big, high-standing continent above the ocean crust," Nick Mortimer, a geologist at GNS Science in Dunedin, New Zealand, told Reuters.  Mortimer was the lead author of the paper, "Zealandia: Earth's Hidden Continent."  New discoveries about the geology of the region prove what has long been suspected, he said.  "Since about the 1920s, from time to time in geology papers people used the word 'continental' to describe various parts of New Zealand and the Catham Islands and New Caledonia," Mortimer said.  Don Melvin  http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/scientists-say-they-ve-discovered-hidden-continent-under-new-zealand-n722796

On February 20, 2017, INRIX, Inc. published its all-new Global Traffic Scorecard.  Based on a new methodology, INRIX analyzed 1,064 cities--240 in the U.S.--across 38 countries, making it the largest ever study of traffic congestion.  U.S. cities dominated the top 10 most congested cities globally, with Los Angeles (first), New York (third), San Francisco (fourth), Atlanta (eighth) and Miami (10th) each dealing with an economic drain on the city upwards of $2.5 billion caused by traffic congestion.  Los Angeles commuters spent an average of 104 hours last year in traffic jams during peak congestion hours--more than any other city in the world.  This contributed to congestion costing drivers in Los Angeles $2,408 each and the city as a whole $9.6 billion from direct and indirect costs.  Direct costs relate to the value of fuel and time wasted, and indirect costs refer to freight and business fees from company vehicles idling in traffic, which are passed on to households through higher prices.  Read more and see a table of the top ten most congested cities in the U.S. at http://finance.yahoo.com/news/los-angeles-tops-inrix-global-050100714.html  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1695  February 20, 2017  On this date in 1816, Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.  On this date in 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.  On this date in 1877,  Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.