A passenger was listening to music on her own battery-operated headphones as she dozed about two hours into the trip from Beijing to Melbourne on February 19, 2017 when there was a loud explosion.  The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which did not identify the airline or brand of headphones involved in the incident, said the lithium-ion batteries in the device likely caught fire.  "As the range of products using batteries grows, the potential for in-flight issues increases," it said, adding that such devices needed to be stored safely if they were not being used.  Spare batteries should be kept in carry-on luggage, and not checked in, the bureau said.  Last year, a flight due to leave Sydney had to be evacuated when smoke was seen coming from a passenger's hand luggage.  It was later found that lithium batteries had caught fire.  Also last year, an electronic device began belching smoke then caught fire on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to New York, with a crew member needing to use a fire extinguisher to put it out, the ATSB reported.  In another Qantas incident in 2016, attendants were alerted to smoke on a flight from Sydney to Dallas.  They found a crushed and burnt out device wedged tightly in the seat.  "We've also had a case of a person using personal air purifier and the batteries in that have caught on fire on a flight," ATSB's Stuart Godley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  Many airlines last year barred all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones over fire risk concerns, following reports of exploding lithium-ion batteries.  The South Korean electronics giant, which prides itself on innovation and quality, was forced to recall all its Note 7s, costing it billions of dollars.   Lithium-ion batteries are prized for handheld electronics because they can pack a considerable amount of energy for their weight.  https://phys.org/news/2017-03-headphone-batteries-flight-australia.html

March 9, 2017  San Francisco  Uber admitted it used a tool to thwart city regulators in a statement that announced a review of its controversial Greyball technology.  Greyballing, a play on blackballing, was a way for Uber officials to remotely provide ghost driver information to a targeted individual.  

A March 3 report https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html on the program in The New York Times cited a 2014 example where a regulator in Portland, Ore., a city in which Uber was operating without approval at the time, was unable to hail a car because of his Greyball-powered app.  "We have started a review of the different ways this technology has been used to date," Joe Sullivan, Uber's chief security officer, wrote in a blog post.  https://newsroom.uber.com/an-update-on-greyballing/  "In addition, we are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward."  Marco della Cava  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/03/08/uber-stop-using-greyball-target-regulators/98930282/

The word grocerant is a handy portmanteau of 'grocery' and 'restaurant.'  It's been used to describe what has long been a thoroughfare of grocery stores in the States, wherein grocery stores offer prepared foods and, ideally, an environment on the premises where you can eat them.  These two divergent experiences, shopping and eating, cohabitate the same space.  Mayukh Sen  Read more at https://food52.com/blog/19202-what-is-a-grocerant

Love is blind to minor faults.  More often than not, an adventure begins with a perfectly ordinary act.  Snake Dreams, Charlie Moon Mystery #13 by James D. Doss

James D. Doss (1939-2012) was a noted American mystery novel author.  He was the creator of the popular fictional Ute detective/rancher Charlie Moon, of whom he wrote 17 mystery novels.  James "Danny" Doss was born and raised in Kentucky and died in Los Alamos, New Mexico.  He was also an electrical engineer who worked on particle accelerators and biomedical technology for the University of California's Los Alamos National Laboratory, while writing his novels.  After retirement from Los Alamos National Laboratory, he continued to write his popular novels while living in Taos, New Mexico and Los Alamos, New Mexico.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doss See also https://amberfoxxmysteries.com/2013/12/11/tribute-to-james-d-doss/

Caltha palustris, commonly called marsh marigold, is a rhizomatous perennial that in North America is native to marshes, swamps, wet meadows and stream margins from Newfoundland to Alaska south to Nebraska, Tennessee and North Carolina.  It neither looks like nor is related to marigolds (Aster family).  It belongs to the buttercup family, and its shiny yellow flowers indeed look very much like buttercups.  It typically grows 12-18” tall on hollow, branching stems.  Bright yellow flowers (1-2” diameter) with 5-9 waxy deep yellow petal-like sepals bloom in spring (April to June).  Flowers give way to seed pods which split open when ripe to disperse the seeds within.  Long-stalked, rounded to cordate, glossy green basal leaves (to 7” across) attain mature size in summer well after flowering.  Upper stem leaves are smaller and stalkless.  Flower buds may be cooked and pickled in vinegar for use as a substitute for capers.  Young leaves are also edible as cooked greens when boiled.  No part of this plant should ever be eaten raw however.  See picture at http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a635

MORE ON PI  The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988.  The founder of Pi Day was Larry Shaw a now-retired physicist at the Exploratorium who still helps out with the celebrations.  Some people have proposed to celebrate the Pi Day on July 22 because written in the European date format as 22/7, it is an approximate value of pi closer than 3/14.  See a resolution passed by Congress on March 12th, 2009 recognizing March 14th as the national day of Pi at  https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/H._RES._224_Supporting_the_designation_of_Pi_Day,_and_for_other_purposes   See graphics and link to Pi songs at http://www.pi314.net/eng/piday.php

MORE ON CORNED BEEF  Cattle in Ireland were not consumed for meat until the beef-eating British came to rule.  The British married their love of beef to Ireland’s quality salt (of corn kernel-size, hence the name “corned”) to produce “corned beef.”  “Irish” corned beef (much saltier than the version we know today) was prized in Europe and the Americas, but the Irish themselves simply couldn’t afford it under the oppressive British trade laws.  Find corned beef brisket recipe at https://wellnessmama.com/4420/corned-beef-brisket/

The tallest building in the world is a library . . . because it has the most stories.  Doodle Zoo comic strip  March 19, 2017

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1680  March 20, 2017  On this date in 1915, Albert Einstein published his general theory of relativity.  On this date in 1923, the Arts Club of Chicago hosted the opening of Pablo Picasso's first United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso, becoming an early proponent of modern art in the United States.

March 16, 2017  The ruling in this Maine labor dispute hinged on the omission of an Oxford comma by Travis M. Andrews   “For want of a comma, we have this case.”  Those words open First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David Barron’s opinion on a labor dispute between a dairy company and its delivery drivers.  The ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, in favor of the drivers, hinged on the omission of an Oxford comma, also known as the “serial” comma, the “final comma in a list of things,” as Grammarly’s blog explains.  The drivers for Oakhurst Dairy disputed which actions were eligible for overtime pay.  Maine’s “wage and hour law” states that employees who work more than 40 hours must receive overtime, 1½ times the regularly hourly rate for each additional hour worked.  However, there are exceptions, as set forth in “Exemption F,” on which the clash centered:  The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:  (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods.  Essentially, what we have here is a list of tasks for which the employer does not have to pay overtime.  It’s obvious that canning, processing, preserving and everything up to the word “packing” is part of that list and thus exempt.  Had there been a comma between “shipment” and “or distribution” these activities would have simply been a continuation of the list, each a separate activity exempt from overtime.  In the absence of the comma, the drivers argued that the exemption did not extend to “distribution” and that they were entitled to overtime for distribution.  The company claimed “distribution” was just one of the exempt activities on the list for which overtime was not required, never mind the absence of a comma.  The Appeals Court sided with the drivers, saying the absence of a comma created ambiguity and that when there is ambiguity, the court is bound to go with the purpose of the law, which was to make sure that employers were fair in the payment of overtime.  Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/16/the-ruling-in-this-maine-labor-dispute-hinged-on-the-omission-of-an-oxford-comma/?utm_term=.e2703c792956

Soy sauce is one of the world's oldest condiments and has been used in China for more than 2,500 years.  It is made from fermenting a mixture of mashed soybeans, salt, and enzymes.  It is also made artificially through a chemical process known as acid hydrolysis.  The prehistoric people of Asia preserved meat and fish by packing them in salt.  The liquid byproducts that leeched from meat preserved in this way were commonly used as liquid seasonings for other foods.  In the sixth century, as Buddhism became more widely practiced, new vegetarian dietary restrictions came into fashion.  These restrictions lead to the replacement of meat seasonings with vegetarian alternatives.  One such substitute was a salty paste of fermented grains, an early precursor of modern soy sauce.  A Japanese Zen priest came across this seasoning while studying in China and brought the idea back to Japan, where he made his own improvements on the recipe.  One major change the priest made was to make the paste from a blend of grains, specifically wheat and soy in equal parts.  This change provided a more mellow flavor which enhanced the taste of other foods without overpowering them.  By the seventeenth century this recipe had evolved into something very similar to the soy sauce we know today.  In 1929, Henry Ford constructed a research laboratory in Greenfield Village and hired Robert Boyer to oversee experimentation related to farm crops.  Ford hired additional scientists to investigate the industrial uses of many agricultural commodities, including vegetables such as carrots.  The greatest success was in soybean experimentation.  The researchers developed soy-based plastics and made parts for automobiles out of the products.  The scientists manufactured ink made from soy oil, and produced soy-based whipped topping.  Many of these processes and products remain in use.  Ford promoted agricultural production of soybeans through an exhibit in a barn at the Chicago "Century of Progress" World Exposition in 1933.  He hosted a meal which included a variety of soybean items and supported the publication of recipe booklets full of soybean-based recipes.  Henry Ford wished to see farmers to produce soybeans on their farms and process them for industrial purposes.  Though his vision was not realized, the importance of soybeans in American agriculture came to fruition.  Soybeans are one of most important crops raised in America, and provide American farmers millions of dollars in income.  Read more and see graphics at http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Soy-Sauce.html

March 16, 2017  Donald Trump's plan to tear up NAFTA could hit U.S. jobs, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned in an exclusive interview with NBC News.  The president has begun moves to renegotiate what he called the "worst trade deal ever approved in this country."  However, Trudeau said the Clinton-era agreement had "led to a lot of great jobs for a whole lot of people on both sides of the border."  Trudeau spoke to NBC News' Tom Brokaw at the New York launch of "Come From Away," a Broadway musical about international friendships and the cross-border impact of 9/11.  It tells the story of the 38 international flights forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, when U.S. airspace was closed following the attacks by al Qaeda in 2001.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the United States conducts more than $3.2 billion worth of trade with its North American neighbors every day.  NAFTA brings export revenue worth $36,000 for each and every American factory worker, it says.  A study published by the Center for Automotive Research in January suggested the withdrawal from NAFTA or the implementation of punitive tariffs could result in the loss of 31,000 U.S. jobs.  Alastair Jamieson  Read more and see pictures at   http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/justin-trudeau-warns-trump-about-nafta-plan-says-it-s-n734231

13 facts you probably don't know about the patron saint of Ireland  St Patrick was actually born in Scotland, in the year 387.  His parents Calpurnius and Conchessa were Romans, living in Britain.  Read the rest of the story at http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/st-patricks-day-13-facts-8754057

Jiggs' dinner is a staple of outport (rural) Newfoundland cuisine.  It is also called boiled, cooked or Sunday dinner, as it is usually served on Sunday.  A large portion of Jiggs was also meant to yield plenty of leftovers, which is commonly called “hash.”  It is mixed together and fried in a pan with whatever can be found in the fridge.  “Jiggs” is a reference to the protagonist of George McManus's comic strip Bringing Up Father.  Jiggs was an Irish immigrant living in America who regularly ate corned beef and cabbage, a precursor to the Newfoundland dish.  Much of the settlement in Newfoundland came from Irish immigration, so it is not surprising that so much of the food and culture has Celtic ancestry.  Like New England boiled dinner, Jiggs is a colloquial twist on traditional Irish cuisine.  Jiggs is distinguished by its use of salt meat, typically trimmed naval beef or short ribs (not to be confused with spare ribs or riblets, which come from pork.  A roasted turkey is often served with Jiggs, but it isn't necessary.  Pickled beets and sweet mustard pickles are traditional Jiggs condiments.  Gravy is considered modern, and Pease pudding is a popular side dish.  Figgy duff (molasses steamed pudding) and dumplings are also used.  Find recipe for Jiggs Dinner and Pease Pudding at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jiggs-dinner/

The astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins on Monday, March 20, 2017 and will end on Wednesday, June 21.  The spring (vernal) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is also known as the March equinox.  The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator--the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator--from south to north.  This happens on March 19, 20 or 21 every year.  Cameron Macphail and Rozina Sabur  Read more at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox-everything-need-know/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1679  March 17, 2017  On this date in 1777, Roger B. Taney, American politician and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the United States, was born.  On this date in 1941, in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art was officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Word of the Day  shillelagh noun    (Ireland)  (1)  A wooden (especially oaken) club ending with a large knob.  (2)  Any cudgel, whether or not of Irish origin.

Wisconsin is celebrating the 150th birthday of native son Frank Lloyd Wright with events and a new 200-mile trail directing visitors to nine of the sites, homes and buildings he designed.  Wright, considered America's best-known architect, was born June 8, 1867 in Richland Center.  The self-guided trail was announced last year.  Highway signs, with a graphic design and typography inspired by Wright's spare, geometric aesthetics and style, were unveiled in December.  The signs, 115 in all, are located in nine counties along various roads as well as on some Madison city streets.   Events scheduled for this year to mark his birthday include an exhibit called "Buildings for the Prairie" at the Milwaukee Art Museum, July 28-Oct. 15, featuring his early portfolio designs as well as furniture, stained glass and textiles.   Events scheduled for this year to mark his birthday include an exhibit called "Buildings for the Prairie" at the Milwaukee Art Museum, July 28-Oct. 15, featuring his early portfolio designs as well as furniture, stained glass and textiles.  Wright fans who love cycling may want to register for the Tour du Taliesin cycling event, May 21, which offers rides ranging from 20 to 100 miles, all starting at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center at Taliesin in Spring Green.  As a teenager, Wright worked nearby on an uncle's farm, and tours of Taliesin—which include a home, studio, school and agricultural estate—show how Wright's love for the rolling hills and rustic landscape influenced his designs and aesthetics.  Daily tours of Taliesin are offered May 1-Oct. 31.  Wisconsin has 41 Wright-designed sites in all.  Beth J. Harpaz  http://www.mrt.com/news/article/Events-trail-celebrate-Frank-Lloyd-Wright-s-10951195.php

BORN IN ONE COUNTRY, IDENTIFIED WITH ANOTHER  Ernesto "Che" Guevara (born in Argentina identified with Cuba)  Éamon de Valera (born in the United States, identified with Ireland) Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa popularly known as Yasser Arafat (born in Egypt, identified with Palestine) Golda Meir (born in Ukraine, identified with Israel)

"I judge a man's worth by his actions, not his birth."  Ratlines, a novel by Stuart Neville

Stuart Neville is a Northern Irish author known mainly for his novel The Twelve or, as it is known in the United States, The Ghosts of Belfast.  The Ghosts of Belfast won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in April 2010.  It also won the New Voice category of the 2010 Spinetingler Awards, and was nominated for the 2010 Dilys Award, Anthony Award, Barry Award, and Macavity Award.  See bibliography at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Neville

Trattoria:  A small, family-run eatery that often serves a few choice regional dishes (think carbonara in Rome; ribollita in Florence; pesto in Genoa.  Decor can range from neat and comfortable to a real "hole in the wall."  Osteria:  Back in the day, an osteria, or inn, was a local gathering spot where the old men played cards and drank local wine from the innkeeper's oak barrels.  It was almost like what we'd call a bar.  Some served food but that wasn't the main focus.  Today, however, an osteria is an eating establishment very similar to a trattoria in that they serve simple, home-cooked meals.  Find descriptions of ristorante, tavola calda, mescita, hostaria, bottiglieria, and even the hard to pronounce, fiaschetteria.  at http://www.chowitaly.com/2013/07/trattoria-osteria-whats-difference.html

Ortygia is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily.  The island, also known as Città Vecchia (Old City), contains many historical landmarks.  The name originates from the Ancient Greek ortyx (ὄρτυξ), which means "Quail".  The Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo has it that the goddess Leto stopped at Ortygia to give birth to Artemis, the firstborn of her twins.  Artemis then helped Leto across the sea to the island of Delos, where Leto gave birth to Apollo.  Other ancient sources state that the twins were born in the same place—which was either Delos or Ortygia—but Ortygia was an old name of Delos.  Further, there were perhaps a half-dozen other places called Ortygia, so that the identification is uncertain.  It was also said that Asteria, the sister of Leto metamorphosed into a quail (Ortux), threw herself into the sea, and was metamorphosed into the island Ortygia.  Another myth suggested that it was Delos instead of Ortygia.  Ortygia is located at the eastern end of Syracuse and is separated from it by a narrow channel.   Bridges connect the island to mainland Sicily.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortygia

Syracuse, as a place name, may refer to:  Italy:  Syracuse, Sicily, Province of Syracuse and United States:  Syracuse, New York (East Syracuse, New York, North Syracuse, New York) or Syracuse, Indiana, Syracuse, Kansas, Syracuse, Missouri, Syracuse, Nebraska, Syracuse, Ohio, Syracuse, Utah.  See other uses of the word Syracuse at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse

Are You an "Absent Presence"? by Jessica Stillman   Lee Rainie, the Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, says you can be sure you've earned the title when you "pay continuous partial attention."  Sound familiar?   Are you sitting in meetings, your BlackBerry partially hidden, texting, emailing, and Web browsing?  Are you enjoying lunch with a colleague while managing your calendar?   Are you on a conference call, but finessing a spreadsheet and muting the speaker to confer with colleagues?  OK, so you've admitted it, you're an "absent presence."  What's the harm?  Besides your colleagues' aggravation at your less than excellent listening skills, Jason Fried, founder of 37signals, contends that all this distraction is bad for that most important ingredient for success in today's economy, innovation.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-you-an-absent-presence/  NOTE that as of February 4, 2014, 37signals is now Basecamp.  See six definitions of absence presence at http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199568758.001.0001/acref-9780199568758-e-4 and see also Cell Phone Technology and the Challenge of Absent Presence by Kenneth J. Gergen at http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/faculty/gergen/Cell_Phone_Technology.pdf

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue  1678  March 15, 2017  On this date in 1956, the musical My Fair Lady based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, premiered on Broadway  at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City.  It transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre and then The Broadway Theatre, where it closed on September 29, 1962 after 2,717 performances, a record at the time.  Moss Hart directed and Hanya Holm was choreographer.  In addition to stars Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews and Stanley Holloway, the original cast included Robert Coote, Cathleen Nesbitt, John Michael King, and Reid Shelton.  Edward Mulhare and Sally Ann Howes replaced Harrison and Andrews later in the run.  The original cast recording went on to become the best-selling album in the country in 1956.  The original costumes were designed by Cecil Beaton and are on display at the Costume World Broadway Collection in Pompano Beach, Florida, along with many of the original patterns.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Lady

Happy 40th Anniversary  The Mary Todd Lincoln house has the distinction of being the first historic site restored in honor of a First Lady.  The home is operated by the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation, Inc. and was opened to the public on June 9, 1977.  Find more information and pictures at

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/mtl.htm

Happy 100th Anniversary  Denali National Park is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road.  Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310' Denali.  Wild animals large and small roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages.  See pictures and link to more information at https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

Museum of the American Revolution to Open April 19, 2017  On April 19, 1775, a shot rang out across the North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, igniting the Revolutionary War and changing the course of history forever.  Philadelphia’s new Museum of the American Revolution will bring to life the dramatic story of our nation’s founding when it officially opens on April 19, 2017, the anniversary of “the shot heard ‘round the world.”  The museum, which has been under construction since spring of 2014, now stands at Third and Chestnut Streets in the historic district of Philadelphia.  The building encompasses 118,000 total square feet, including permanent and temporary exhibit galleries, theaters, education spaces, collection storage, café, retail store, offices, and a welcoming lobby.  The firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects created a landmark design for the state-of-the-art facility in a style that reflects and honors the rich history of the neighborhood. https://www.amrevmuseum.org/press-room/press-releases/museum-american-revolution-open-april-19-2017

"Funny how every single thing about a human aged as time passed, except for the laugh."  "Grown men don't need help."  Off the Grid, a novel by P.J. Tracy

P.J. Tracy is the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards.  Read about the duo at http://pjtracy.com/

Jasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae).  It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Australasia and Oceania.  Jasmines are widely cultivated for the characteristic fragrance of their flowers.  Jasmine can be either deciduous (leaves falling in autumn) or evergreen (green all year round), and can be erect, spreading, or climbing shrubs and vines.  Their leaves are borne, opposite or alternate.  They can be simple, trifoliate, or pinnate.  The flowers are typically around 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter.  They are white or yellow in color, although in rare instances they can be slightly reddish.  Read about cultural significance, use as a national or city symbol, unrelated plants with jasmine in the name, and see pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine

hap  noun  1.  one's luck or lot.  2.  an occurrence, happening, or accident.  verb (used without object), happed, happing.  3.  to happen:  if it so hap.  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hap

National Library Week will be observed April 9-15, 2017 with the theme, "Libraries Transform."  Celebrations during National Library Week include National Library Workers Day, celebrated the Tuesday of National Library Week (April 11, 2017) and National Bookmobile Day, celebrated the Wednesday of National Library Week (April 12, 2017).  In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954.  In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries.  With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!"  http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/factsheets/nationallibraryweek

James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat.  He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets.  These writers usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside.  Lowell graduated from Harvard College in 1838, despite his reputation as a troublemaker, and went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School.  He published his first collection of poetry in 1841 and married Maria White in 1844.  The couple had several children, though only one survived past childhood.  They soon became involved in the movement to abolish slavery, with Lowell using poetry to express his anti-slavery views and taking a job in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the editor of an abolitionist newspaper.  After moving back to Cambridge, Lowell was one of the founders of a journal called The Pioneer, which lasted only three issues.  He gained notoriety in 1848 with the publication of A Fable for Critics, a book-length poem satirizing contemporary critics and poets.  The same year, he published The Biglow Papers, which increased his fame.  He went on to publish several other poetry collections and essay collections throughout his literary career.  Maria died in 1853, and Lowell accepted a professorship of languages at Harvard in 1854; he continued to teach there for twenty years.  He traveled to Europe before officially assuming his teaching duties in 1856, and he married Frances Dunlap shortly thereafter in 1857.  That year, Lowell also became editor of The Atlantic Monthly.  It was not until 20 years later that he received his first political appointment, the ambassadorship to the Kingdom of Spain.  He was later appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James's.  He spent his last years in Cambridge in the same estate where he was born, and died there in 1891.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Russell_Lowell

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1677  March 14, 2017  Today is Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi).  Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day date format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.  In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.  Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22 (22/7 in the day/month date format), since the fraction  ²²⁄₇ is a common approximation of π, which is accurate to two decimal places and dates from Archimedes.  Read more and see pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day  Thought for Today:  The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. - Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (14 Mar 1879-1955)

In early 1964, Gene Roddenberry--a former World War II pilot and writer of mostly Western television--began a draft for a new science fiction series that he called Star Trek.  Roddenberry pitched the series to Desilu Productions.  With heavy influences from the likes of Horatio Hornblower and the film Forbidden Planet, Desilu saw promise in the concept and took both Roddenberry and the show to CBS.  Using his experience writing for the popular Western genre of the time, Roddenberry pitched the series as “Wagon Train to the Stars” (referencing the popular series Wagon Train and its episodic formula of self-contained adventure stories).  Unfortunately, due to the fact that they already had the similarly themed sci-fi series Lost in Space in production, CBS passed on Roddenberry's pitch.  Not letting that get them down, Roddenberry and Desilu’s director of production, Herb Solow, began production on a pilot episode that would be shopped to NBC (Solow’s old stomping grounds).  Said pilot episode--titled The Cage--starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, Majel Barrett as the ship’s first officer and John Hoyt as Dr. Phillip Boyce.  The episode varied a little bit from Roddenberry’s original pitch thanks, in part, to some help from Solow.  The Cage followed the adventures of the USS Enterprise as they respond to a distress call on the planet Talos IV.  However, instead of finding distressed humans, the crew finds only illusions of people and a hyper-intelligent alien race that captures Captain Pike.  The intent is to have Pike mate with the one actual surviving human from the shuttle the Enterprise thought they were rescuing and to study their behavior.  Much like later episodes in the series, the pilot emphasized a lot of mature and controversial themes than your typical science fiction show of the era dealt with.  The notion of having one’s freedom stripped away from them for the purposes of a superior race was a particularly strong undertone of the episode.  Ultimately, NBC would pass on the series after deeming that the pilot was “too cerebral.”  Still determined to get his vision on the air, Gene Roddenberry was yet again undeterred.  He would revise his concept and re-pitch it to the network.  In an astonishing turn of events, NBC commissioned a second pilot--something unheard of both then and today.  With a mostly new cast and a slightly different series structure, NBC reviewed the new pilot (Where No Man Has Gone Before) and the rest, as they say, is history.  In September of 1966, NBC unknowingly made television history when they aired The Man Trap as the first broadcast episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek (the second pilot wouldn’t air until later in the month as the series’ third episode).  The show now starred William Shatner (known for a lot of work, notably the classic episode of The Twilight Zone, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet) as Captain James T. Kirk.   Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock transitioned to the series as the only original character from The Cage (though Majel Barrett also remained in the series, it was as a new character named Nurse Chapel).  The rest of the new cast rounded out with DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, George Takei as Sulu, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and James Doohan as Montgomery Scott.  Walter Koenig’s popular character of the young Russian, Pavel Chekov, wouldn’t premier until the second season as a stand in for Sulu’s scripted lines while George Takei filmed The Green Berets.  It’s often noted that when Takei returned for filming he had to share a script with Koenig for rehearsals.  This was even referenced as a joke on the Trek themed episode of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s sci-fi cartoon series, Futurama (Where No Fan Has Gone Before).  James Thomas  Read more and see pictures at https://moviepilot.com/posts/3728172

13 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT WARD BOND AND 'WAGON TRAIN'  http://www.metv.com/lists/13-fascinating-facts-about-ward-bond-and-wagon-train

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find" is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor in 1953.  The story was first published in 1953 in the anthology The Avon Book of Modern Writing.  In 1960, it was collected in the anthology The House of Fiction, published by Charles Scribner's Sons.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Good_Man_Is_Hard_to_Find_(short_story)  See also http://www.shmoop.com/good-man-hard-to-find/ and http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/goodman.html

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" (the song) was written by Eddie Green in 1918.

Bessie Smith - A Good Man is Hard to Find  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZVD8QqNoak  3:09 

Marion Harris - A Good Man is Hard to Find (1919) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVTfiITxbH0  3:08  See also https://secondhandsongs.com/work/97180/all and https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Good_Man_Is_Hard_to_Find

A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg   "Etymologists are linguistic Sherlock Holmeses.  They track down a word’s history to find out its travel through time.  A word might take a circuitous path, winding through many languages before reaching its current stop.  An example is the word mandarin, which started from Sanskrit with layovers in Hindi, Malay, and Portuguese before reaching English.  But there are many words for which we’ve come empty-handed in our search for their origins.  We know what these words mean, we have usage examples from the past, but where these words came from, how they were coined, who coined them, it’s all a big mystery.  But that doesn’t prevent us from enjoying (and employing) them."

Mrs. Grundy  (MIS-iz GRUND-ee)  noun  An extremely conventional or priggish person.   After Mrs. Grundy, a character in the 1798 play Speed the Plough by Thomas Morton.  Mrs. Grundy never appears on the stage, but her neighbor Dame Ashfield constantly worries about “What will Mrs. Grundy say?”  Earliest documented use:  1813.

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From:  Robert A. Rushton   Subject:  Mrs. Grundy  I was introduced to the name “Mrs. Grundy” by Robert A. Heinlein in his novel Time Enough For Love.  She appears as a quotation by the main character, Lazarus Long:  “Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite.”

On February 19, 1941, Stephen Dobyns was born in Orange, New Jersey.  He graduated from Wayne State University and has an MFA from the University of Iowa.  Dobyns has published ten books of poetry and twenty novels.  His books of poetry include Winter’s Journey (Copper Canyon Press, 2010); Mystery, So Long (2005); The Porcupine’s Kisses (2002); Do They Have a Reason? (2000)Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides (Penguin, 1999); Common Carnage (1996); Velocities: New and Selected Poems, 1966-1992 (1994); Cemetery Nights (1987), which won a Melville Cane Award; Black Dog, Red Dog (1984), which was a winner in the National Poetry Series; Heat Death (1980); and Concurring Beasts (1972), which was the 1972 Lamont Poetry Selection of The Academy of American Poets.  His novels include Boy in the Water (Holt/Metropolitan, 1999), The Church of Dead Girls (1997), Saratoga Fleshpot (1995), The Wrestler’s Cruel Study (1993), and Saratoga Haunting (1993).  His novels have been translated into more than ten languages.  Dobyns is also the author of a collection of short stories, Eating Naked (2000) and a book of essays, Best Words, Best Order (1996).  Among his many honors and awards are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.  He has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including the University of Iowa and Boston University.  https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/stephen-dobyns  See also POETRY QUESTIONS:  STEPHEN DOBYNS, an interview by Rebecca Foresman at http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/poetry-questions-stephen-dobyns

Increasing evidence suggests that a growing amount of social media content is generated by autonomous entities known as social bots.  In this work we present a framework to detect such entities on Twitter.  We leverage more than a thousand features extracted from public data and meta-data about users:  friends, tweet content and sentiment, network patterns, and activity time series.  We benchmark the classification framework by using a publicly available dataset of Twitter bots.  Our estimates suggest that between 9% and 15% of active Twitter accounts are bots.  Analysis of content flows reveals retweet and mention strategies adopted by bots to interact with different target groups.  Read the report titled Online Human-Bot Interactions:  Detection, Estimation, and Characterization at https://arxiv.org/pdf/1703.03107.pdf

Robert James Waller, author of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County”, died on March 9, 2017.  He was 77.  Waller was born in 1939, in Rockford, Iowa, and went on to receive two degrees from the University of Northern Iowa (then known as Iowa State Teachers College).  In 1968, he received his doctorate degree in business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington.  Later that year, he returned to Iowa to teach management and economics, becoming a full professor by 1977.  By 1992, Waller famously wrote “Bridges” in a mere 11 days.  The novel chronicles the wandering National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid.  He spends four days wooing Francesca Johnson, a war bride from Italy married to a no-nonsense Iowa farmer.  By 1993, the novel reached No. 1 on the New York Times best sellers list, remaining there for over three years.  Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the film adaptation in 1995, which grossed $182 million worldwide.  The story was also brought to the Broadway stage with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.  In 2014, the show as nominated for four Tony awards and won two.  In 2002, Waller wrote a sequel to the novel entitled “A Thousand Country Roads.”  Sarah Ahern  http://variety.com/2017/film/obituaries-people-news/robert-james-waller-dead-bridges-of-madison-county-author-dies-1202006294/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1676  March 13, 2017  On this date in 1845, Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto received its première performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist.  On this date in 1947, Brigadoon, a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe, directed by Robert Lewis and choreographed by Agnes de Mille, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, where it ran for 581 performances.