The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the Yamuna River in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17 hectares, in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh.  It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal with construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD, with the mosque, the guest house and the main gateway on the south, the outer courtyard and its cloisters were added subsequently and completed in 1653 AD.  For its construction, masons, stone-cutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from the Central Asia and Iran.  Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal.  The uniqueness of Taj Mahal lies in some truly remarkable innovations carried out by the horticulture planners and architects of Shah Jahan.  One such genius planning is the placing of tomb at one end of the quadripartite garden rather than in the exact centre, which added rich depth and perspective to the distant view of the monument.  It is also, one of the best examples of raised tomb variety.  The tomb is further raised on a square platform with the four sides of the octagonal base of the minarets extended beyond the square at the corners.  The top of the platform is reached through a lateral flight of steps provided in the centre of the southern side.  The ground plan of the Taj Mahal is in perfect balance of composition, the octagonal tomb chamber in the centre, encompassed by the portal halls and the four corner rooms.  The plan is repeated on the upper floor.  The exterior of the tomb is square in plan, with chamfered corners.  The large double storied domed chamber, which houses the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, is a perfect octagon in plan. The exquisite octagonal marble lattice screen encircling both cenotaphs is highly polished and richly decorated with inlay work.  The borders of the frames are inlaid with precious stones representing flowers.  The cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal is in perfect centre of the tomb chamber, placed on a rectangular platform decorated with inlaid flower plant motifs.  The cenotaph of Shah Jahan is greater than Mumtaz Mahal and installed more than thirty years later by the side of the latter on its west.  The upper cenotaphs are only illusory and the real graves are in the lower tomb chamber (crypt), a practice adopted in the imperial Mughal tombs.  The four free-standing minarets at the corners of the platform added a hitherto unknown dimension to the Mughal architecture.  The four minarets provide not only a kind of spatial reference to the monument but also give a three dimensional effect to the edifice.  The main gate is flanked on the north front by double arcade galleries.  The garden in front of the galleries is subdivided into four quarters by two main walk-ways and each quarters in turn subdivided by the narrower cross-axial walkways, on the Timurid-Persian scheme of the walled in garden.  The mosque and the guest house in the Taj Mahal complex are built of red sandstone in contrast to the marble tomb in the centre.  Both the buildings have a large platform over the terrace at their front.  Both the mosque and the guest house are the identical structures.  They have an oblong massive prayer hall consist of three vaulted bays arranged in a row with central dominant portal.  The management of Taj Mahal complex is carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India and the legal protection of the monument and the control over the regulated area around the monument is through the various legislative and regulatory frameworks that have been established, including the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 and Rules 1959 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation); which is adequate to the overall administration of the property and buffer areas.  Additional supplementary laws ensure the protection of the property in terms of development in the surroundings.  An area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal is defined to protect the monument from pollution.  The Supreme Court of India in December, 1996, delivered a ruling banning use of coal/coke in industries located in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) and switching over to natural gas or relocating them outside the TTZ.  The TTZ comprises of 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage Sites--Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.  https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252  See also https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Taj-Mahal/Construction-of-the-Taj-Mahal.php

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) was a Lithuanian painter, composer and writer.  Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau, and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch.  He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.  During his short life he composed about 400 pieces of music and created about 300 paintings, as well as many literary works and poems.  The majority of his paintings are housed in the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum in Kaunas, Lithuania.  His works have had a profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture.  See lists of paintings and compositions and many graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikalojus_Konstantinas_%C4%8Ciurlionis

Mikalojus Čiurlionis  Two Nocturnes (VL 183 & VL 178) performed by Hayk Melikyan, piano  Recorded in Cafesjian Center for the Arts, 2014  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWHLyJWdgsE  7:42  Mikalojus Čiurlionis (I) Cycles  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2ecBbpK4A  13:08  See artwork as you listen.

The origins of the DeVilbiss Corporation date back to 1888 when Toledo, Ohio physician Dr. Allen DeVilbiss developed a spray atomizer to provide an easier way to apply medicines to patients' throats.  His invention was so successful that by 1890 he had retired from medical practice and established a company, DeVilbiss Manufacturing Company, to produce the atomizers in the old Lenk Winery on Toledo's north side.  There were other members of the family adept at invention, too, since Allen DeVilbiss' son, Allen, Jr. invented a springless, automatic scale in 1897, establishing the DeVilbiss Scale Company a few blocks from his father's company.  A couple of years later he sold the scale company, and the name was changed to Toledo Scale.  Dr. DeVilbiss' other son, Thomas, also was active in product development and in 1907, the younger DeVilbiss, an inventor in his own right, experimented with the spray gun.  Thomas was also credited with adding perfumizers to the company's product line.  The booklet, "DeVilbiss Through the Years," indicated that the 1920s saw the real boom of the company as the company developed exhaust booths to control paint-saturated air as they expanded into the automobile industry.  Mass production was beginning to evolve at this time and Thomas DeVilbiss' spray gun technology proved to be a revolutionary addition to the paint and lacquer coating applications on the furniture and automotive finishing assembly line.  Spraying the lacquer reduced drying time to hours instead of weeks and the spraying of paint replaced hand brushing, helping to create new jobs and increase productivity in manufacturing.  By 1926 the company name changed to The DeVilbiss Company as their product lines continued to expand to include air compressors.  When Thomas DeVilbiss died in 1928, Allen DeVilbiss Gutchess, grandson of Dr. Allen DeVilbiss, succeeded him as president of the company.  Howard P. DeVilbiss, another third-generation member of the family, also joined the company at about this time.  During World War II the Company was involved in production of military products, including protective coatings for things ranging from helmets and planes to tanks.  Research and development also continued, with the design of hosing meant to withstand high temperatures to spray plastic on ship hulls to retard barnacle growth.  In 1944 Howard P. DeVilbiss, son of Thomas A. DeVilbiss, became president of the company, with Allen DeVilbiss Gutchess as Chairman of the Board.  As the company moved into the post-war years it continued to expand and diversify.  The atomizer division began separate operation, moving to Somerset, Pennsylvania in 1951, where they expanded again in 1965.  In 1951 DeVilbiss also acquired Globe Products Company, of Cleveland, a manufacturer of spray gun tips.  In 1957 the company purchased the Newcomb-Detroit Company, a firm involved in the manufacture and installation of industrial finishing equipment, renaming it Newcomb-DeVilbiss.  In 1958 this acquisition was consolidated with another company, the Peters-Dalton Division of Detroit Harvester to form a new wholly owned subsidiary, DeVilbiss Metal Fabricators.  This subsidiary became a division of the company in 1960 and by 1966 it was operating a new plant near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  On January 1, 1970 the DeVilbiss Company was merged into Champion Spark Company.  Read more at https://lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/149

“Bullies have no power without fear.”  Tim Robbins

June 1, 2018   Ethan Sonneborn has a website, a comprehensive policy platform, and a spot on the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot in Vermont.  He also just turned 14 last week.  Sonneborn, a Democrat, announced his candidacy last summer after he discovered that Vermont is one of just two states (the other being Kansas) that has no age requirement on running for governor.  Hoping to win the votes of actual adults, Sonneborn passed his campaign’s first test of legitimacy this week.  The eighth grader’s campaign announced they had successfully filed to get on the primary ballot.  As governor, the Bristol resident, who currently attends Mt. Abraham Union Middle/High School, says he would “give tax benefits to small businesses, introduce a worker’s bill of rights, advocate for a higher minimum wage, and propose a bipartisan job creation plan to the legislature.”  Sonneborn is an advocate for the “Medicare for All” health care plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, his home-state senator.  On the environment, he supports a tax on carbon emissions, the statewide commitment by Vermont to uphold the standards of the Paris climate agreement, and renewable energy incentives.  Amid the recent youth-led movement for stricter gun laws, Sonneborn has also spoken out in favor of such reforms, even in Vermont where hunting culture runs deep.  Sonneborn applauded the sweeping gun safety bill signed into law in April by Republican Gov. Phil Scott, but called for further action.  Nik DeCosta-Klipa  https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/06/01/ethan-sonneborn-vermont

If Cinderella Were a Vegetable, She'd Be a Watermelon Radish  by Kelli Foster   Watermelon radishes are an heirloom variety of daikon radishes and originated in China, where they are called shinrimei.  They're a root vegetable and member of the Brassica family, which also includes arugula, broccoli, and cabbage.  The watermelon radish doesn't actually taste like watermelon.  Instead, the flesh, which is green around the exterior with a deep pink to bright red center, bears quite a resemblance to its namesake.  Watermelon radishes are larger than regular radishes and can range from the size of a golfball to that of a softball.  They're firm and crisp with a mild taste that's a blend of slightly peppery and slightly sweet.  These pretty radishes aren't all show—they're also really delicious and versatile!  Watermelon radishes can be eaten raw, pickled, or cooked.  They can be braised or roasted like a turnip, or mashed like a rutabaga, though I prefer them raw since they lose their bright hue when cooked.  Link to recipes at https://www.thekitchn.com/if-cinderella-were-a-vegetable-she-would-be-a-watermelon-radish-ingredient-intelligence-106793  Thank you, Muse reader!

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1913  July 3, 2018   Thought for Today  “Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.” - Franz Kafka  (July 3, 1883-June 3, 1924)  Word of the Day  mythos  noun  Anything transmitted by word of mouth, such as a fable, legend, narrative, story, or tale (especially a poetic tale).  A story or set of stories relevant to or having a significant truth or meaning for a particular culture, religion, society, other group; a myth, a mythology.  A set of assumptions or beliefs about something.  A recurring theme; a motif.  Wiktionary