The cranberry bean is a creamy, meaty bean with a tender skin and rich nutty flavor.  It’s a little bigger than a pinto bean, less “beany” in flavor, and yields a dark beefy broth.  Also known as a borlotti bean, it is popular in Italian and Portuguese cuisines, tossed into pasta dishes, salads, and stews.  This bean can also be used in chilis, baked beans, soups or just served as a hearty bowl of beans with a few toppings.  Because of their creamy texture, they make great refried beans.  Find recipe at https://mjskitchen.com/2019/04/cranberry-beans-healthy-protein/ 

“dull as dishwater” means boring, tedious.  The original simile, dull as ditchwater, dating from the 1700s, alluded to the muddy water in roadside ditches.  In the first half of the 1900s, perhaps through mispronunciation, it became dishwater, that is, the dingy, grayish water in which dirty dishes had soaked.  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dull--as--dishwater 

Pairing wine and Chinese food can seem difficult with so many flavors to deal with.  Spicy, sweet, tangy, salty, bitter, and umami can all be present in one dish.  Good news:  German Kabinett Riesling can handle it!  Chinese takeout is often quite salty and fried, which calls for high acidity.  And dishes that have a sweet and sour element pair with fruit forward wines.  However, if you’re ordering something with heavier flavors (dark sauces, duck, or pork), consider going for a sweeter Spätlese for balance.  Got your heart set on red wine?  Gamay-based wines like Beaujolais are a great choice.  They’ve got low tannins, good acidity, and light body, which is ideal.  Plus, the fruity, earthy, and floral flavors can stand up to a wide range of dishes.  A Gamay will also be lovely with mushroom or beef-based dishes that aren’t too spicy.  Read about seven popular Chinese dishes and the wines that love them at https://winefolly.com/wine-pairing/wine-and-chinese-food-7-delicious-pairings/  Thank you, Muse reader! 

In the 1920s, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) produced the first phonetic alphabet to be recognized internationally.  It featured names of cities across the globe.  Amsterdam, Baltimore, Casablanca, Denmark, Edison, Florida, Gallipoli, Havana, Italia, Jerusalem, Kilogramme, Liverpool, Madagascar, New York, Oslo, Paris, Quebec, Roma, Santiago, Tripoli, Uppsala, Valencia, Washington, Xanthippe, Yokohama, Zurich.  On the military side, the United States adopted a Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, called the Able Baker alphabet after the first two code words, across all of its military branches in 1941.  Two years later, the British Royal Air Force decided to use the Able Baker alphabet as well:  Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra.  Allies hesitated to adopt the alphabet for national use until the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled on the proposal thus creating a rather odd situation in which NATO Military Commands would be the sole users of the proposed phonetic alphabet.  Luckily this situation did not last for long as the ICAO approved the alphabet, with November as the code word for the letter N.  On 21 February 1956, Member States were advised “that the new Phonetic Alphabet is to be made effective in NATO 1 March 1956” (see declassified document from the NATO Archives:  SGM-0156-56).  The ITU formally adopted it a few years later making it the established universal phonetic alphabet governing all military, civilian and amateur radio communications.  As it was NATO Allies who had spearheaded the final revision, it became known from that point on as the NATO Alphabet.  ALFA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO, FOXTROT, GOLF, HOTEL, INDIA, JULIETT, KILO, LIMA, MIKE, NOVEMBER, OSCAR, PAPA, QUEBEC, ROMEO, SIERRA, TANGO, UNIFORM, VICTOR, WHISKEY, X-RAY, YANKEE, ZULU  https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_136216.htm 

The 50 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time by Adrienne Westenfeld   Choosing the fifty best science fiction books of all time wasn’t easy, so to get the job done, we had to establish some guardrails.  Though we assessed single installments as representatives of their series, we limited the list to one book per author. We also emphasized books that brought something new and innovative to the genre; to borrow a great sci-fi turn of phrase, books that “boldly go where no one has gone before.”  Titles and descriptions range from #1, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley to #50, The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.  https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g39385874/best-fantasy-books/ 

The presence of a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in Jurassic World can't help but raise a smile.  During the sequence where the Pterosaur's break free and start swarming the guests, a brave bartender at the park's Margaritaville can be seen saving two margaritas from a table during the attack.  Jimmy Buffett (in orange shirt) is playing the bartender.  Buffett's big moment can be spotted at the 0.20 mark here.  https://screenrant.com/jurassic-world-movie-jimmy-buffett-cameo-location/ 

Relief is an emotion that’s hard to hide.  *  A day during which we have all kinds of things to do “flies by,” as they say.  A day you spend waiting slows down.  * 
Summer House with Swimming Pool, a novel by Herman Koch 

The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest In Our Planet.  What Will You Do?  Find information on Earth Day events, activities, and what individuals and organizations can do to make a difference at https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/ April 22 is Earth Day, a day for observing the need to protect the Earth. 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2524  April 22, 2022