June 27, 2017  A thing wasn’t always “a thing,” until the Oxford English Dictionary made it one.  Every quarter, the OED updates its expansive catalog with new words that reflect the changing times.  This month, more than 1,200 new words and phrases were added to the list.  For example, “woke” and “post-truth” made the cut—the latter was dubbed “word of the year” by the OED in 2016.  What’s really interesting, though, is a new meaning for a very old word:  “thing.”  Until the latest update, the noun was defined as a way to refer to any object, feature, or event in a loose way (“look at that thing over there”), as a way to describe actions, interests, or points (“don’t you worry about a thing”), and so on.  In the OED’s latest update, the word has gained yet another meaning, “defined as ‘a genuine or established phenomenon or practice’, and is often used in questions conveying surprise or incredulity, such as ‘is that even a thing?’”  Lots of words—such as “friend”, “follow,” and “cloud”—have gained new meanings over time.  The Washington Post puts much of this down to the influence of technology and the internet.  In thing’s case, the OED says that TV drama “The West Wing” seems to have popularized the new meaning.  According to one West Wing enthusiast, numerous episodes have used the word in this way:  “Didn’t you two used to be a thing?”  (Sept. 22, 1999) and “So this is gonna be a thing!”  (Nov. 3, 1999), for example.  In other etymological news, the dictionary—first published in the late 19th century—also got a new ending: “Zyzzyva.”  As we all know, this is the “genus of tropical weevils native to South America and typically found on or near palm trees.”  Zythum, a beer brewed in ancient Egypt, was previously the dictionary’s final entry.  So, Zyzzyva is a thing now, too.  Jennifer Brown   https://qz.com/1015662/post-truth-woke-and-a-new-definition-for-thing-the-latest-updates-to-the-oxford-english-dictionary/

A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of pastoral dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds developed for herding. Their ability to be trained to act on the sound of a whistle or word of command is renowned throughout the world.  All herding behavior is modified predatory behavior.  Through selective breeding, humans have been able to minimize the dog's natural inclination to treat cattle and sheep as prey while simultaneously maintaining the dog's hunting skills, thereby creating an effective herding dog.  Dogs can work other animals in a variety of ways. Some breeds, such as the Australian Cattle Dog, typically nip at the heels of animals (for this reason they are called heelers) and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi were historically used in a similar fashion in the cattle droves that moved cattle from Wales to the Smithfield Meat Market in London but are rarely used for herding today.  Other breeds, notably the Border Collie, get in front of the animals and use what is called strong eye to stare down the animals; they are known as headers.  The headers or fetching dogs keep livestock in a group.  They consistently go to the front or head of the animals to turn or stop the animal's movement.   The heelers or driving dogs keep pushing the animals forward.  Typically, they stay behind the herd.  The Australian Kelpie and Australian Koolie use both these methods and also run along the backs of sheep so are said to head, heel, and back.  Other types such as the Australian Shepherd, English Shepherd and Welsh Sheepdog are moderate to loose eyed, working more independently.  The New Zealand Huntaway uses its loud, deep bark to muster mobs of sheep.  Belgian Shepherds, German Shepherd Dogs and Briards are historically tending dogs, who act as a "living fence," guiding large flocks of sheep to graze while preventing them from eating valuable crops and wandering onto roads.  Read more, see pictures, and find a list of herding breeds at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herding_dog

QUOTES of Robert Lee Frost (1874–1963), American poet; winner of four Pulitzer Prizes   The best way out is always through. * The woods are lovely, dark and deep.  But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.  * Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.  Find more quotes and see graphics at https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Frost

Seven Days in May is a 1964 American political thriller motion picture about a military-political cabal's planned take-over of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union.  Directed by John Frankenheimer, it stars Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, and Ava Gardner.  The screenplay was written by Rod Serling based on the novel of the same name by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, published in September 1962.   Kirk Douglas and director John Frankenheimer were the moving forces behind the filming of Seven Days in May; the film was produced by Edward Lewis through Douglas's company Joel Productions and Seven Arts Productions.  Frankenheimer wanted the screenwriter to be a partner in the production, and Rod Serling agreed to this arrangement.  Douglas agreed to star in it, but he also wanted his frequent co-star Burt Lancaster to star in the film as well.  Douglas enticed Lancaster to join the film by offering him the meatier role of General Scott, the film's villain, while Douglas agreed to take the role of Scott's assistant.  Lancaster's involvement almost caused Frankenheimer to back out, since he and Lancaster had butted heads on Birdman of Alcatraz two years earlier.  Only Douglas's assurances that Lancaster would behave kept the director on the project.  Ironically, Lancaster and Frankenheimer became close friends during the filming, while Douglas and the director had a falling out.  Frankenheimer was also very happy with Lancaster's performance, and noted in the long scene toward the end between Lancaster and March, probably his all-time favourite directed scene, that Lancaster was "perfect" in his delivery and that no other actor could have done it better.  Most of the actors in the film Frankenheimer had worked with previously, a directorial preference.  Frankenheimer, in the DVD commentary for the film, stated that he would not have made the movie any differently decades later and that it was one of the films he was most satisfied with  David Amram, who had previously scored Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate, originally provided music for the film; however Lewis was unsatisfied with his work.  Jerry Goldsmith, who had worked with the producer and Douglas on Lonely are the Brave and The List of Adrian Messenger, was signed to rescore the project (although a brief source cue by Amram remains in the finished film).  Goldsmith composed a very brief score (lasting around 15 minutes) using only pianos and percussion; he later scored Seconds and The Challenge for Frankenheimer.  According to Douglas, an alternate ending was shot, but discarded:  General Scott, the treacherous Burt Lancaster character, goes off in his sports car, and dies in a wreck.  Was it an accident or suicide?  Coming up out of the wreckage over the car radio is President Jordan Lyman's speech about the sanctity of the Constitution.  This alternate ending echoes the novel, which ends with the apparent vehicular suicide of Senator Prentice.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Days_in_May   Thank you, Muse reader!  

See also The Alternate Endings of 28 Famous Movies by Stacy Conradt at http://mentalfloss.com/article/58013/alternate-endings-28-famous-movies  

When Nouns Surface as Verbs by Eve V. Clark and Herbert  H. Clark  Language, v. 55, no. 4.  Dec. 1979, pp. 767-811  An article on denominal verbs (nouns that have come to be used as verbs) giving examples such he wristed the ball over the net and Ruth Buzzi houseguested with Bill Dodge.  Read article at https://web.stanford.edu/~clark/1970s/Clark.Clark.79.pdf

What makes shortbread so accessible is the simple ratio of its ingredients:  one stick butter to one cup flour, with sugar and salt added to taste.  In Scotland, shortbread is often made with a combination of rice flour and wheat flour, which gives it a distinctive brittle crispness.  Classic shortbread generally doesn’t have any other flavorings beyond those of the core ingredients.  At its simplest, it tastes of good butter and not much else.  So always use the best butter you can get.  If you do want to add flavors, you can, as long as you don’t add more than a teaspoon or so of liquid (vanilla, almond extract or rum, for example) to the dough.  Anything more than that can make the cookies soft rather than crisp.  Dry ingredients like spices, citrus zest and vanilla seeds work better for preserving the brittle crumble of the cookie.  You can also add nuts and seeds for texture and flavor.  Then bake your shortbread low and slow.  It shouldn’t take on much color in the oven, staying pale on top, turning gold at the edges.  Once it’s baked and stored airtight, it will maintain its crunch for weeks—if it doesn’t get devoured first.  Melissa Clark   See video at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/dining/shortbread-cookie-recipe.html

Poet, author and library advocate Maya Angelou often spoke about the value of libraries and education in her life.  Here are some of her quotes on the subject:  “I always knew from that moment, from the time I found myself at home in that little segregated library in the South, all the way up until I walked up the steps of the New York City library, I always felt, in any town, if I can get to a library, I'll be okay.  It really helped me as a child, and that never left me.  So I have a special place for every library, in my heart of hearts.”   "Information is so important, and it must be open.  Information helps you to see that you're not alone."  — In "Interview: How Libraries Changed Maya Angelou's Life"   “My encouragement to you is to go tomorrow to the library.” ​— During a speech to a college audience that encouraged students to read voraciously and never stop learning  Mariam Pera  https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/remembering-maya-angelou/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1732  June 28, 2017  On this date in 1846, Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone.  On this date in 1894, Labor Day became an official US holiday.