Alrighty then, with the presidential election taking place next week, have you ever wondered who actual turns out to vote? Well, think no more. According to the AARP Bulletin, the nationwide turnout for the 2018 midterm election was just at 50%. What percentage of eligible voters turned out in your state? Here are the ten highest and ten lowest states by the percentage of eligible voters who voted in the 2018 midterm election.
I acquired this gem nearly a year ago when I attended the “Art in the Square” event (always in early October) at Tulsa’s Utica Square. I have known this artist for several years now, but had not actually “collected” him until this last year. The title: A Fall Walk in the Woods, the artist: Larry Babb, the medium: watercolor, the size: 28-1/2 x 33-1/4. With this painting, I was immediately drawn to the rich earth tones and color palette, fell in love with it (i.e., it really tugged at my heart), and did not hesitate at all in my decision to purchase this magnificent painting. Of course, due to my growing collection and the inversely shrinking amount of wall space, this particular piece is actually hanging in my pantry, but hanging nonetheless. Thank you Larry! Keep up the good work.
Election 2020 is just around the corner . . . an epic election to be sure. Here’s an infographic that highlights the top security concerns that will be impacting Election 2020 (courtesy of onelogin.com)! Enjoy!
when choosing a fresh lobster, avoid lethargic ones. They should be frisky (flap its tail, wave its claws). If instead they are lethargic, have short antennae or have algae growing on them it is a sign of a long storage.
tying a soup spoon or table knife to the tail (prior to cooking) will keep the tail straight.
use a rolling pin to remove the meat out of the skinny legs (from the foot up the leg)
serve with infused garlic butter. Add small quantities of finely chopped garlic, citrus zest, or fresh herbs to the melted butter an hour or so before serving (keeping the butter warm).
Source: How to Break an Egg, by the editors, contributors, and readers of Fine Cooking magazine, p. 75, Jennifer Armentrout, Charles Trotter, Christine Adams, E. Burr.
Huzzah! The Big Ten Conference has entered the game and began their shortened eight-game season this week. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they had too many turnovers to overcome (seven, to be exact) and lost Coach Tucker’s MSU debut to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Alas. Next up for the Spartans: on the road to visit the Wolverines of Michigan. Go Green!
The Big Ten currently has five (5) teams ranked in the AP top-25: Ohio State (#5), Penn State (#8), Wisconsin (#14), Michigan (#18), and Minnesota (#21).
The upsets this week included: Penn State (#8) losing to unranked Indiana by one (1) point in overtime. Virginia Tech (#19) losing to unranked Wake Forest by seven (7) points.
The close calls this week (games that were won by a touchdown or less) included: Oklahoma State (#6) defeated Iowa State (#17) by three (3) points. Miami (#11) defeated unranked Virginia by five (5) points.
Top-25 match-ups won by the higher-ranked team included: Oklahoma State (#6) defeated Iowa State (#17) by three (3) points. Cincinnati (#9) defeated SMU (#16). North Carolina (#14) defeated NC State (#23). Michigan (#18) defeated Minnesota (#21).
Did you know that 40 million Americans lack reliable online access? This is according to broadbandnow. The current federal definition of “broadband” is a minimum download speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps), and an upload speed of 3 Mbps (known as 25/3). While urban households fair well (only 1.4%lack internet at this speed); 26.9% of rural areas are not able to connect at this speed. Hmm, Oklahoma is the second worst . . .
Source: broadbandnow.com, AARP Bulletin, October 2020, p. 36.
Here is a word from the English xenophilia, meaning “love of foreign people and things”; from the Greek xènos, a combining form meaning “a stranger, guest,” + the Greek -philos, a combining form meaning “dear, beloved.” As exemplified in The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate.
“The xenophilic home lives of students usually can account for their subsequent careers as specialists in foreign language studies”
xenophilic
\ zen-uh–fil-ik, zee-nuh \, adjective;
an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.
Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily LiterateeEugene Ehrlich and http://www.dictionary.com.
I acquired this gem nearly a year ago when I attended the “Art in the Square” event (always in early October) at Tulsa’s 
The Gun-Carryin' Librarian 