"Good poetry is a power in the world that can transform what we see, hear and touch.  A good poem opens us to what is so often hidden from our thinking and from our senses."  Recommended reading:  Ten Windows:  How Great Poems Transform the World by Jane Hirshfield   The American Organist  July 2017

There’s a Library in Vancouver Full of Hundreds of Books That Have Never Been Published, And Never Will Be   The Richard Brautigan Library is three bookshelves in the basement of the Clark County Historical Museum.  Amid its 311 volumes are books about frontier adventure, nuclear war scenarios and entire lifetimes of regret.  Every book is united in one respect:  None has been published by any commercial house, and none of them ever will be.  These shelves exist because poet and novelist Richard Brautigan described a library of unpublished books in his 1971 novel, The Abortion:  An Historical Romance.  And 27 years ago in Vermont, a man named Todd Lockwood decided he would create the library for real.  Lockwood fielded submissions from as far away as Saudia Arabia but in 1995, he ran out of money.  The collection was orphaned until 2010, when John Barber, a Brautigan scholar, arranged to have the library brought to a new Vancouver home.  Matthew Korfhage  http://www.wweek.com/arts/books/2017/07/11/theres-a-library-in-vancouver-full-of-hundreds-of-books-that-have-never-been-published-and-never-will-be/

NAME CHANGES  American comedian, actor and screenwriter Bill Dana (William Szathmary October 5, 1924–June 15, 2017)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Dana   American film actress  Anne Shirley (April 17, 1918 – July 4, 1993) American born Dawn Evelyeen Paris, she began acting under the name of Dawn O'Day.  In 1934 she starred as the character of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, and took that character's name as her stage name.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Shirley_(actress)  American actor John Beal (August 13, 1909 – April 26, 1997) born James Alexander Bliedung  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Beal_(actor)

Decoding Food Labels   Cholecalciferol is just another name for Vitamin D.  Carrageenan, a seaweed-based ingredient replaces the sodium in  lunch meat and can take the place of fats, oils and sugar.  Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)--also called cellulose gel--is cellulose derived from fruits, vegetables and trees, and an FDA-approved sources of fiber.  Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family that has been used as a medicine and spice in India for thousands of years.  Modern science has shown it is also a powerful antioxidant that settles upset stomachs and may lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks, all while brightening your food with its deep yellow color.  Pectin comes from the peels of lemons or other citrus fruits and is commonly used to thicken jams and jellies.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/brandpublishing/a-better-you/os-decoding-food-labels-20170413-story.html

Island of Lost Souls (1932)  A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok, adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau.  In one of his first major movie roles, Charles Laughton is a mad doctor conducting ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked man (Richard Arlen) who finds himself trapped there.  This touchstone of movie terror, directed by Erle C. Kenton, features expressionistic photography by Karl Struss, groundbreaking makeup effects that have inspired generations of monster-movie artists, and the legendary Bela Lugosi in one of his most gruesome roles.  https://www.criterion.com/films/27861-island-of-lost-souls  Original author H. G. Wells was outspoken in his dislike of the film, feeling the overt horror elements overshadowed the story's deeper philosophical meaning.  The film is the source of the saying "The natives are restless tonight."  The actual dialogue is as follows:  Ruth Thomas (hearing chanting): "What's that?"  Dr. Moreau:  "The natives, they have a curious ceremony.  Mr. Parker has witnessed it. "  Ruth Thomas:  "Tell us about it, Edward. " Edward Parker:  "Oh, it's . . . it's nothing. "  Dr. Moreau:  "They are restless tonight."  Two films have since been made based on the same H. G. Wells novel.  The first was released in 1977 and stars Burt Lancaster as the doctor.  The second came out in 1996, with Marlon Brando as Moreau.  In the very similar The Twilight People (1973), actress Pam Grier played the panther woman.  Playwright Charles Ludlam used this movie, as well as Wells' novel and the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, when writing his play Bluebeard (1970).   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_Lost_Souls_(1932_film)

 . . . where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise  -  Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College by Thomas Gray  https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ode_on_a_Distant_Prospect_of_Eton_College  See also http://www.azquotes.com/author/5831-Thomas_Gray

A tidal bore occurs along a coast where a river empties into an ocean or sea.  A tidal bore is a strong tide that pushes up the river, against the current.  A tidal bore is a true tidal wave.  A tidal bore is a surge.  A surge is a sudden change in depth.  When a channel suddenly gets deeper, it experiences a positive surge.  Tidal bores are positive surges.  A tidal bore can be quite violent.  The bore often changes the color of the river from blue or green to brown as it whips up sediment.  Tidal bores can tear vegetation like trees from their roots.  Human activity can change or even remove tidal bores.  A century ago, the Seine River in France had a strong tidal bore, called the mascaret.  Years of river management (canals, dams, irrigation systems, dredging) eliminated the mascaret.  Before the French began managing the Seine, the unpredictable mascaret was responsible for the loss of hundreds of ships.  The wave would rush up the river, upsetting cargo ships and destroying docks.  Famous tidal bores are:  aegir (Trent River, England), benak (Batang River, Malaysia), mascaret (Seine River, France), pororoca (Amazon River, Brazil), and silver dragon (Qiantang River, China).  https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/tidal-bore/

Shabbat Breakfast Bread (Kubaneh) by Faye Levy  This unique Yemenite bread, which is baked all night in a tightly covered dish, is prepared for Sabbath breakfast or brunch.  It defies all the usual rules for bread baking--it bakes at a very low temperature rather than at high heat, and it is baked covered, so it steams.  And it is absolutely delicious.  When I prepared this for a cooking class on Jewish breads in California, the students were wild about it.  Before baking, you can put a few eggs (in their shells) in the baking dish; they come out brown and are a good accompaniment for the bread.  In some families, this bread is served with sugar for sprinkling; in others, it is accompanied by Yemenit Tomato Salsa (page 166) and Hot Pepper-Garlic Chutney (page 142).  Find recipe at http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/thoughtsforfood/recipes/shabbat_breakfast_bread.html

July 20, 2017  The Trump Organization is asking the federal government for special visas to hire scores of foreign workers for two of President Trump's private clubs in Florida—the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach and the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter.  The requests for H-2B visas, posted on the Department of Labor website, are for 26 cooks, nearly 50 waiters and waitresses, plus housekeepers, a hostess and a bartender.  The jobs range in pay from just under $12 to less than $14 an hour.  Mar-a-Lago and the Jupiter club have relied on foreign workers in past years for staffing during their peak seasons, which run October through May.  This year, the request for foreign workers comes in the middle of "Made in America" week at the White House.  Greg Allen  Read more at http://www.npr.org/2017/07/20/538387033/trumps-private-clubs-in-florida-are-seeking-visas-for-foreign-workers

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1742  July 24, 2017  On this date in 1911, Hiram Bingham III re-discovered Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas".  On this date in 1935, the Dust Bowl heat wave reached its peak, sending temperatures to 109 °F (43 °C) in Chicago and 104 °F (40 °C) in Milwaukee.