Breaking News

Lifestyle Columns

Labels can add value, history to antiques

By Terry and Kim Kovel Brass inlaid inkstands were not a rarity in Victorian times. This one recently sold for $188 at New Orleans Auction Galleries. It features a brass handle, two compartments for ink pots and a stamp box in the center. Its most unusual feature isn’t immediately obvious in a picture: If you turn it upside down, you can see a nearly intact paper label on the base. The original paper label adds value to an antique. It also provides useful information, often more than just a mark. A label can tell you the name and possibly the address of the maker or retailer. This ...

Great ways to discover books

Librarians always have our eyes peeled and ears perked in order to discover the next book to add to our to-be-read lists. Have you ever wondered how your New Ulm librarians discover all of the books that we read and recommend? First of all, we’re always recommending books to one another, and to the public, through conversations, displays, posters, and the TV display near the service desk. We also sneak our recommendations into our weekly News and Notes and Wowbrary newsletters. To subscribe to News and Notes, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose “Stay Connected.” To subscribe ...

How to help a struggling reader

I love reading, I am sure that comes as no surprise. You’d be hard pressed to find a librarian who dislikes reading. I love curling up with a book on a chilly morning. I love falling asleep with a book at night. I love stolen moments of the day reading, when I should really be doing something else. I read on planes, trains, and in the car as long as I’m not driving. I read in restaurants, coffee shops, and in waiting rooms. I read fiction and non-fiction from the adult shelves and the children’s room. I love young adult fiction and biographies about almost anyone. I must confess ...

Silhouettes were cheap to make, but expensive to collect

Silhouettes and profile images date to ancient times. Usually limited to the head and shoulders, the shape is a filled solid color attached to a high contrast background. Featureless, but easily recognizable, they offer fast identification. Silhouettes were at their peak of popularity in the late 18th century as an inexpensive way to create a portrait miniature. French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette, who was known for cost cutting, became associated with anything made cheaply. Cutting a person’s likeness from paper was the simplest and most economical way to document their ...

Senior Meals

MONDAY Chicken fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, dinner roll, dessert, milk. TUESDAY Chicken a’la king, peas and carrots, pineapple chunks, bread stick, dessert, milk. WEDNESDAY Fish sandwich on a bun, cheesy diced potatoes, mixed green salad w/dressing, tropical fruit, dessert, milk. THURSDAY Pork loin, candied yam, california/normandy vegetables, dinner roll, dessert, milk. FRIDAY Lemon pepper fish, baked potato w/sour cream, coleslaw, bread margarine, apple Brown Betty, milk. The New Ulm Community Center is OPEN for in person dining. Call 359-2243 for ...

Inventors have tinkered with robots for centuries

Robots may sound like current cutting-edge technology or science-fiction dreams of the future, but automated mechanical creatures have captured people’s imaginations for centuries. Animals and music were always popular themes. Legends say that King Solomon surrounded his throne with mechanical animals, including lions that would raise their paws and roar when he approached and birds that would descend to give him his crown and a scroll. Hero of Alexandria, a mathematician from the first century, wrote a treatise called “On Automaton-Making” with designs for a water basin with ...