January 2:  Science Fiction Day

The date of the celebration commemorates the birth of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.  An American author and Boston University professor of biochemistry, Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov on January 2, 1920. He is best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books.  https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-science-fiction-day-january-2 

Use oats as a binder in meatloaf or meatballs.  Or make a savory risotto-like side out of steel-cut oats with broth and veggies.  

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH  IT     
Established in 1978, New River Gorge National River was redesignated as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in 2021.  The park encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawk's Nest Lake.  A rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through deep and spectacular canyons, the New River is actually among the oldest rivers on Earth.  Here in southern West Virginia, the New River has carved and continues to carve the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains.  Hiking along the many park trails, rafting the river, or biking along an old railroad grade, the visitor will be confronted with spectacular scenery that certainly makes this place worthy of being included in our national park system.  However, the significance of this place goes well beyond the beautiful scenery.  When looking out from Grandview, Diamond Point, Long Point, or one of the many other viewpoints in the park, we are actually looking at a globally significant forest containing the most diverse flora of any river gorge in the south and central Appalachian Mountains.  The Appalachian Mountain forests are some of the oldest and most diverse ecosystems in the world.  Here in southern West Virginia, the New River has sliced through the mountains, creating a mosaic of habitats: unfragmented forest, cliff and rimrock habitats, forest seeps and wetlands, and mature bottomland forests.  These habitats provide a refuge for endangered mammals and rare birds and amphibians, including the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and Indiana bat and the Allegheny woodrat, a species of special concern in West Virginia and in decline throughout the eastern United States.  https://www.nps.gov/neri/a-river-runs-through-it.htm  

Happy New Year one and all.  May you re-read a favorite author.  May you find an author new to you that you enjoy.  

"Auld Lang Syne" is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world.  Traditionally it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.  By extension, it is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions; for instance many branches of the Scouting movement use it to close jamborees and other functions.  The text is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 but based on an older Scottish folk song.  In 1799, it was set to a traditional tune, which has since become standard.  The poem's Scots title may be translated into standard English as "old long since" or, less literally, "long long ago", "days gone by", or "old times".  Consequently, "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for the sake of old times".  The phrase "Auld Lang Syne" is also used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570–1638), Allan Ramsay (1686–1757), and James Watson (1711), as well as older folk songs predating Burns.  Matthew Fitt uses the phrase "in the days of auld lang syne" as the equivalent of "once upon a time" in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne    

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and often referred to shorthand as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year.  Born in 1929, King's actual birthday is January 15 (which in 1929 fell on a Tuesday).  The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.  The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21.  King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.  The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968.  President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986.  At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays.  It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr._Day#  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2764  January 2, 2024