North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command) is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.  Headquarters for NORAD and the NORAD/United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) center are located at Peterson Space Force Base in El Paso County, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The nearby Cheyenne Mountain Complex has the Alternate Command Center.  The NORAD commander and deputy commander are, respectively, a United States four-star general or equivalent and a Canadian lieutenant-general or equivalent.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD   

NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a United States/Canada military alliance.

NORAD or Norad may also refer to:

·        Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

·        NORAD (board game), a 1970s war simulation game

·        Noradrenaline or norad, a hormone and a neurotransmitter

·        EHC Hoensbroek or EHC Hoensbroek Norad, a Dutch football club

·        Norad Mill, North Adams, Massachusetts on the US National Register of Historic Places

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD_(disambiguation)  

no-rad means no radio in The Lion’s Game, a novel by Nelson Demille 

 

Nelson DeMille (1943-2024) wrote some two dozen novels, many featuring John Corey, a joke-cracking former homicide detective who first appeared in “Plum Island” (1997), about an investigation into the murder of a young couple who may have been involved in biological warfare research.  Other books were set in the world of espionage or in the military and drew on Mr. DeMille’s combat experience in Vietnam.  During the Tet offensive of 1968, about a third of his company was killed or wounded during a battle in the A Shau Valley, he said.  Coming home, he hoped to use that experience in crafting “the great American war novel.”  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_DeMille and https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/alex-demille/3699227/?srsltid=AfmBOopGO9NKi1w_6gO261T3BDcH_LGLbEu40d7Rapmb9v5hkhMSwvO4     

The Toledo Museum of Art presents the first monographic exhibition of the eminent Dutch flower still life painter Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750).  At a time when women’s access to careers as professional artists was severely limited, Ruysch nevertheless became highly successful and widely renowned.  She was born into a well-to-do family and was the daughter of the renowned professor of anatomy and botany Frederik Ruysch, who apprenticed her to one of the premier flower still life painters of the day.  She married a painter, had eleven children, became the first female member of the artist’s guild in The Hague and a court artist to one of the most important German nobles, won the lottery (twice!), was among the highest-paid artists of her time, and continued to paint until she was 83 years of age.  Despite the great success she experienced during her lifetime, Ruysch has never received the attention she deserves.  The exhibition explores her fascinating life and work for the first time and juxtaposes them with those of her sister Anna, who was an accomplished flower painter in her own right but is all but forgotten today.  https://toledomuseum.org/exhibitions/rachel-ruysch-nature-into-art  Thank you, Muse reader!  April 12, 2025--July 27, 2025    

From a Muse reader: 

Some more information on Krannert.  A name well known in Indianapolis.  In 1925, Krannert started his own business in Indianapolis.  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis>, the Inland Container Corporation  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple-Inland>, with six employees, all of whom had also quit the company in Anderson.  The company expanded and survived the Great Depression  <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression>.  During World War II <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>, the United States government began buying large quantities of Inland's moisture-resistant "V-Board" boxes.  By the early 1970s, Inland Container was America's second-largest manufacturer of corrugated shipping containers, with a complex of 25 plants grossing $200 million in annual sales.    

The Lost World is a 1925 American silent fantasy giant monster adventure film, directed by Harry O. Hoyt and written by Marion Fairfax, adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel of the same name. 

Produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a major Hollywood studio at the time, the film stars Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger and features pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien, a forerunner of his work on King Kong (1933).  Doyle appears in a frontispiece to the film, absent from some extant prints.  In 1998, The Lost World was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  Due to its age, the film is now in the public domain.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_(1925_film)     

Right before celebrating 50 years of Saturday Night Live, NBC will go back to where it all began.  The network will air the inaugural episode of SNL—then called NBC’s Saturday Night—at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT Feb. 15, 2025 a night before the primetime 50th anniversary special.  Additionally, NBC will rebroadcast the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen . . .  50 Years of SNL Music in primetime on Feb. 15.  The first SNL, which aired on Oct. 11, 1975, was hosted by George Carlin and featured musical performances from Billy Preston and Janice Ian along with sketches by the show’s original cast:  Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner.  Andy Kaufman also appeared on the show, and it featured a sketch with Jim Henson’s Muppets.  The first episode—or rather, the chaotic minutes leading up to the premiere—was the subject of director Jason Reitman’s movie Saturday Night, which debuted in theaters fall of 2024.  The re-airing of the first episode is part of a full weekend of SNL celebrations leading up to the SNL50 primetime special.  On Feb. 14, Peacock will live stream a concert special featuring a host of artists who have been musical guests on the show—among them Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Arcade Fire and the Backstreet Boys.  Peacock is also home to a four-part docuseries, Beyond Saturday Night, that delves into several aspects of the long-running series.  The primetime special on Feb. 16 will feature appearances by Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Ayo Edebiri, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Pedro Pascal, Peyton Manning, Quinta Brunson, Robert De Niro and Sabrina Carpenter, with more to be announced in the coming week.  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/first-ever-snl-re-airing-nbc-50th-anniversary-1236129955/ 

The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 February 9, 2025.     

The 21st annual Puppy Bowl featured puppies on Team Ruff and Team Fluff for the Wayfair Lombarky Trophy.  A record 142 adoptable puppies on Team Fluff in the February 9, 2025 Puppy Bowl, winning 68-66 over Team Ruff.   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2905  February 10, 2025 

In 2010, the newly-formed Common Core State Standards for English initiative did not include cursive handwriting instruction.  In 2011, 41 states adopted the Common Core standards, thus removing the requirement for cursive instruction in the respective state curriculum. When the system was revisited after the skill was taken out of the core requirements, school therapists reported that some students struggled with manuscript but excelled in cursive writing.  Many schools have adopted keyboarding as an alternative to cursive handwriting instruction.  Since 2016, several states have reintroduced cursive writing into their curriculum.  As of July 2024, there are 24 states that require cursive writing instruction in public schools.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_handwriting_instruction_in_the_United_States    

Scarlett Johansson Says This Too-Easy Party Appetizer Is “So Good”  Grab a bag of your favorite potato chips, or try making your own easy Air Fryer Potato Chips.  Pick up some flavorful cheese or make a delicious spread like hummus or a refreshing tzatziki sauce and top with pickled onions or fresh dill.  https://www.eatingwell.com/scarlett-johansson-charcuterie-chips-8780055    

Bursera simaruba, commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, almácigo, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.  Bursera simaruba is prevalent in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to the mangroves.  In the United States, specimens may be found in the Gulf of Mexico along the western coast of Florida.  Bursera simaruba is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 meters tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at 1.5 meters above ground.  The bark is shiny dark red, and the leaves are spirally arranged and pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad.  Gumbo-limbo is semi-evergreen.  The gumbo-limbo is referred to, humorously, as the tourist tree because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of the sunburnt tourists who are a common sight in the plant's range.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursera_simaruba   

Herman C. Krannert (1887–1972) was a businessman and philanthropist in the Midwest of the United States who made millions in the corrugated fiber products industry and subsequently made generous contributions to education and the arts.  In 1964, Herman and Ellnora Krannert announced the plans for Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.  The Center is known for its four first class venues, including the Foellinger Great Hall, one of the most acoustically perfect performance spaces in the world, and it is also used as a laboratory space, housing classes, offices, and student productions for the University of Illinois Theatre Department, Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, the School of Music, and the Dance Department.  The Krannert Memorial Library, located on the University of Indianapolis campus, opened in 1977 and completely renovated in 2015 to create a 21st-century active learning environment with collaborative space for research, scholarship and engagement.  Herman grew up on Chicago's West Side.  After graduating from Crane Technical High School, he spent two years saving enough money to attend the University of Illinois, Class of 1912, where he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity.  Working throughout his college career, he completely financed his education and sent extra money home to support his widowed mother.   After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, Krannert was hired in 1914 by Sefton Manufacturing Company, a Chicago-based firm that made paper boxes.  At age 30, he was transferred to Anderson, Indiana, and became the youngest Sefton employee to be promoted to plant manager.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_C._Krannert    

Your Christopher Walken piece left out his best supporting actor Oscar win for “The Deerhunter” (1978), and his role as Diane Keaton’s brother in “Annie Hall” (1977).  Both those films were best picture Oscar winners and really established his career.  Thank you, Muse reader!   

Puppy Bowl 2025, the 21st installment of the beloved rescue animal event, will air on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. EST.  The 2025 Super Bowl kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX, meaning Puppy Bowl fans can watch the entire three-hour special and still have plenty of time to switch to the human football game before the national anthem starts.  The Puppy Bowl, the longest running television event promoting pet adoption, will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+, so there are plenty of viewing options.  This year's event will be the biggest Puppy Bowl yet, with 142 rescue dogs from 80 shelters in 40 states and two countries competing on Team Ruff and Team Fluff.  Puppy Bowl 2025 will include the first Puppy Bowl Kickoff special.  The pre-game show will air before the canine game on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST on Animal Planet. The kickoff will include the Puppy Combine, where viewers will get a chance to watch 10 precious pups show off their skills in a series of cute challenges.  https://people.com/everything-to-know-puppy-bowl-2025-8785179    

http://librariansmuse,blogspot.com  Issue 2904  February 7, 2025

Christopher Walken has provided voice work for the animated films Antz (1998) and The Jungle Book (2016).  On television, Walken has appeared in films such as Who Am I This Time? (1982), and Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.  He has guest-hosted Saturday Night Live seven times.  His roles on the show include record producer Bruce Dickinson in the "More Cowbell" sketch, the disgraced Confederate officer Colonel Angus, and multiple appearances as an aging, unsuccessful lothario in the Continental sketch.  As a stage actor, Walken starred with Irene Worth in a 1975 Broadway revival of Sweet Bird of Youth.  Walken has played the lead in the Shakespeare plays Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Coriolanus.  His performance in the original rendition of James Joyce's The Dead (2000), earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination.  He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane (2010).  He also wrote and played the lead role in the 1995 play Him, about his idol Elvis Presley.   In 2022, he had a supporting role as Burt Goodman, the severed chief of the Optics and Design division in the Apple TV+ series Severance.  For his performance, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.  Walken next portrayed Emperor Shaddam IV in the 2024 film, Dune: Part Two.  Benicio del Toro cited Walken as an influence and stated that the best advice he had ever been given regarding acting came from him:  "When you're in a scene and you don't know what you're gonna do, don't do anything."  Kat Dennings called him her favorite actor and said that he was the reason that she wanted to be an actress.  Johnny Depp once said one of the main reasons he starred in Nick of Time was wanting to work with Walken.  Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943, in Astoria, Queens, New York City.  His parents were Rosalie Russell, a Scottish immigrant from Glasgow, and Paul Wälken, a German immigrant from Gelsenkirchen who owned and operated Walken's Bakery in Astoria. Walken was named after actor Ronald Colman.  When he was 15, a girlfriend showed Walken a magazine photo of Elvis Presley and Walken later said, "This guy looked like a Greek god.  Then I saw him on television.  I loved everything about him."  He changed his hairstyle to imitate Presley and has not changed it since.  As a teenager, he worked as a lion tamer trainee for a short time in a circus.  Walken attended Hofstra University but dropped out after one year, having been cast in the role of Clayton Dutch Miller in an off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward alongside Liza Minnelli.  Walken initially trained as a dancer at the Washington Dance Studio before moving on to dramatic stage roles and then film.  In 2000, Walken was cast as the lead, along with Blair Brown, in James Joyce's The Dead on Broadway.  A "play with music", The Dead featured music by Shaun Davey, conducted by Charles Prince, with music coordination and percussion by Tom Partington.  James Joyce's The Dead won a Tony Award that year for Best Book for a Musical.  Walken inspired the stage show, All About Walken:  The Impersonators of Christopher Walken, created by actor/comedian Patrick O'Sullivan in Hollywood in 2006.  The April 5, 2008 Saturday Night Live show was the first time an episode hosted by Walken did not have a "Continental" sketch or a monologue in which he sang and danced.  This episode, however, did include one sketch titled "Walken Family Reunion", which spoofs many of Walken's idiosyncrasies.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Walken#  Christopher Walken has never owned a cellphone.  ‘I don’t have technology,’ says the actor.    

There was a young man of Devises

Whose ears were of different sizes.

One was so small

It was no use at all,

But the other was huge and won prizes.  (excerpt)

Gelett Burgess 

Tomato Pudding was a staple at the Tally Ho, a tearoom at 133 22nd Street in downtown Toledo, Ohio  

TALLY HO TOMATO PUDDING

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup water
2 cups bread cubes, crusts removed
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine brown sugar, tomato puree and water and cook five minutes.  While tomato mixture is cooking put bread cubes in casserole and pour butter over.  Add tomato mixture.  Bake 50 minutes in 325-degree oven.  https://www.toledohistorybox.com/2012/07/25/tomato-pudding-a-toledo-original/   

February 2, 2025  Beyoncé finally won the coveted Album of the Year award at the 2025 Grammys after being shut out the last four times she was nominated.  Beyoncé entered the night with the most nominations, 11, for her album "Cowboy Carter"—becoming the most-nominated artist in Grammy history with 99 throughout her career.  In addition to Album of the Year, she also won Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.  Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone and Charli XCX received seven nominations this year, while Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan earned six nods.  Lamar swept all five categories he was nominated in, winning both Record and Song of the Year. Roan was also a big winner, taking home the award for Best New Artist.  https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/how-to-watch-2025-grammy-awards/?intcid=CNR-01-0623

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2903  February 5, 2025 

Arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants, traditionally Maranta arundinacea, but also Florida arrowroot from Zamia integrifolia, and tapioca from cassava (Manihot esculenta), which is often labeled arrowroot.  Polynesian arrowroot or pia (Tacca leontopetaloides), from Palawan-Philippines arrowroot ("uraro/araro"), Guyana arrowroot (Dioscorea alata), Japanese arrowroot (Pueraria lobata), also called kudzu, and purple arrowroot Canna indica, are used in similar ways.  Archaeological studies in the Americas show evidence of arrowroot cultivation as early as 7,000 years ago.  The name may come from aru-aru (meal of meals) in the language of the Caribbean Arawak people, for whom the plant was a staple.  It has also been suggested that the name comes from arrowroot's use in treating poison-arrow wounds, as it draws out the poison when applied to the site of the injury.  In the early days of carbonless copy paper, arrowroot, because of its fine grain-size, was a widely used ingredient.  After an economical way of centrifugally separating wheat flour was devised, arrowroot lost its role in papermaking.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot#:~:text=Arrowroot%20is%20a%20starch%20obtained,which%20is%20often%20labeled%20arrowroot.    

Arrowroot can be consumed in the form of biscuits, puddings, jellies, cakes, hot sauces, and also with beef tea, milk or veal broth.  Kudzu arrowroot (Pueraria lobata) is used in noodles in Korean and Vietnamese cuisine.  In the Victorian era it was used, boiled with a little flavouring added, as an easily digestible food for children and people with dietary restrictions.  In Burma, arrowroot tubers, which are called artarlut, are boiled or steamed and eaten with salt and oil.  Arrowroot makes clear, shimmering fruit gels and prevents ice crystals from forming in homemade ice cream.  It can also be used as a thickener for acidic foods, such as East Asian sweet and sour sauce.  It is used in cooking to produce a clear, thickened sauce, such as a fruit sauce.  It will not make the sauce go cloudy, like cornstarch, flour, or other starchy thickening agents would.  The lack of gluten in arrowroot flour makes it useful as a replacement for wheat flour for those with a gluten intolerance.  It is, however, relatively high in carbohydrates and low in protein (approximately 7.7%) and does not provide a complete substitute for wheat flour in bread-making. 

Arrowroot thickens at a lower temperature than flour or cornstarch, is not weakened by acidic ingredients, has a more neutral taste, and is not affected by freezing.  It does not mix well with dairy, forming a slimy mixture.  It is recommended that arrowroot be mixed with a cool liquid before adding to a hot fluid.  The mixture should be heated only until the mixture thickens and removed immediately to prevent the mixture from thinning.  Overheating tends to break down arrowroot's thickening property.  Two teaspoons of arrowroot can be substituted for one tablespoon of cornstarch, or one teaspoon of arrowroot for one tablespoon of wheat flour.  The English pub game of shove ha'penny, involving sliding a coin across a graduated slate board, traditionally uses arrowroot powder as a lubricating medium.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot#:~:text=Arrowroot%20is%20a%20starch%20obtained,which%20is%20often%20labeled%20arrowroot.    

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization consisting of ten countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.  It is considered to be a counterpart and alternative to the G7 bloc of the world's largest economies and combined represent nearly half of the world's population.  The term 'BRIC' was originally identified to highlight investment opportunities.  The multipolar grouping evolved diplomatically, geopolitically and geoeconomically, with their governments meeting annually at formal summits and coordinating multilateral policies since the founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China held the first leaders summit in Russia in 2009 under the name BRIC.  Relations among BRICS are conducted mainly based on non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.   In April 2010, South Africa attended the 2nd BRIC summit, making its first appearance as a guest.  The nation was added as a member and the organization was officially renamed BRICS in September 2010.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS    

Here is my favorite chili recipe:

1. Go to Costco

2. Buy a carton of chili

3. Return home

4. Heat and enjoy!

Thank you, Muse reader!    

“Groundhog” is the common vernacular name of the ground squirrel formally known as Marmota Monax.  This animal also goes by other names; the terms “woodchuck,” “marmot,” “land beaver,” “whistler,” and even “whistle-pig” all refer to the same creature.  Whatever the name, there’s a strong belief that this little burrowing mammal predicts the weather, and a specific connection to the second day of February.  This Groundhog Day tradition is celebrated in many places in the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on tongue-in-cheek humor and ceremonious proclamations.  It is best known among people whose ancestors spoke German, especially the Pennsylvania Dutch.  If you like the folklore of holidays, you may be interested to know that Groundhog Day is related to two of the other holidays:  Halloween and Mayday.  In his 2003 book Groundhog Day, folklorist Don Yoder traces the roots of Groundhog Day to the same cycle of pre-Christian festivals that gave us those two celebrations.  In astronomical terms, these holidays were the cross-quarter days, those days that fall midway between a solstice and an equinox.  These festivals were apparently celebrated throughout Europe by the various tribes we now refer to as Celts.  https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2022/02/groundhog-day-ancient-origins-of-a-modern-celebration/  

Punxsutawney Phil has spoken:  Six more weeks of winter await us.  For the 139th time, Punxsutawney Phil took his stance on winter weather from Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania.  https://www.wtae.com/article/groundhog-day-2025-punxsutawney-phil/63589318   

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882–13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet and literary critic.  He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.  Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, particularly stream of consciousness.  Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939).  His other writings include three books of poetry, a play, letters, and occasional journalism.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce    

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2902  February 3, 2025