Fun

On Nov. 2, 676 Donus, Son of a Roman called Mauricius was consecrated Bishop of Rome or “Pope,” if you will. He was quite the builder. Even though he only lasted two years, “he paved the enclosed forecourt of St. Peter’s Basilica [and] paved the atrium or quadrangle in front of St. Peter’s with great blocks of white marble” according to Wikipedia. In spite of his gift as a general contractor, he was unable to fix the schism between Constantinople and Rome. That was left to Archbishop Reparatus, if that was his REAL name.

It’s World Communication Week. It’s National Men Make Dinner Day. It’s National Fig Week. Communicate to a man in your life that you want him to make dinner. Here’s a fantastic, not-as-sweet-as-you-might-think recipe for duck with dried fruit (toss in some dried figs) pilfered from epicurious.com:

Peppercorn-Crusted Muscovy Duck with Blueberries

Bon Appétit | January 1998

Serves 4

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1 cup mixed dried fruit, cut into matchstick-size pieces

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 12- to 16-ounce boneless Muscovy duck breast halves with skin

4 teaspoons crushed mixed peppercorns

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

Stir sugar and water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture is deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar (mixture will bubble). Add broth. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in dried fruit and ginger. Let stand 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, using fork, pierce duck skin (not meat) all over. Sprinkle with salt. Rub pepper over skin side of duck. Heat a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add duck, skin side down, and cook until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn over; cook to desired doneness, about 8 minutes for medium. Let rest 10 minutes.

Rewarm sauce over low heat. Whisk in butter a few pieces at a time. Stir in blueberries. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice duck breasts; serve with sauce.

Halloween is a scary time and what could be scarier than Halloween in the library? Music Librarian Antoinette Powell, Archivist Julia Stringfellow, and ILL wizard Angela Vanden Elzen demonstrate just how frightening it can be…

It’s National Knock Knock Joke Day! As a rule, we don’t think knock knock jokes are very funny, but here’s the best one:

Walk up to someone and say, “Say ‘knock knock.'”

Person: “Knock knock.”

You: “Who’s there?”

Person: …..

Hilarious.

A Prairie Home Companion does a joke show every year and here are some knock knock jokes heard on the show.

Oh, boy, we’ve been waiting for this. Today the New York Times reported that the Center for Biotechnology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook did experiments where they had mice stand on platforms that buzz at a low frequency for 15 minutes a day, five days a week. After this treatment, the mice not only had 27 percent less fat than the control mice, but they also had more bone mass. Also, scientists have discovered that a stem cell in bone marrow can morph into either fat or bone, depending which signal it receives. During the next round of office furniture purchasing at the Mudd, it’s buzzing chairs for everyone!

In 1975 New York City was in dire financial straights. Mayor Abraham Beame and Gov. Hugh Carey asked the federal government for a measly $1 billion line of credit. President Ford refused.

New York Daily News managing editor William J. Brink is credited with coming up with one of the most famous headlines in American journalism after rejecting FORD REFUSES AID TO CITY and FORD SAYS NO TO CITY AID. That same day, October 30, 1975, the erudite New York Times reported the story in its own way. To their credit, the Times editors did not go for the obvious when they printed Mr. Brink’s obituary on July 2, 2005.