In researching the Seattle Center observation wheel, I discovered that when the Space Needle first opened for the World’s Fair it had a carillon that was played several times a day. The operator console was at the bottom of the Needle and visitors could observe the carillonneur. An automatic player roll could also be used. I haven’t found out when it was removed, but presumably today’s neighbors wouldn’t enjoy a return performance of the 538 bells.

While researching nuances of New England dialect (more on that in the future perhaps) I came across “A List of Words That are Unique to New England.” It contains an entry for “Fluff-a-nutter” (which is really spelled fluffernutter, but since it’s pronounced with fewer ‘r’s in parts of Massachusetts I’ll let it go) and states that Marshmallow Fluff is a regional delicacy. I had no idea Fluff originated in New England. It was invented in Somerville, Massachusetts by Archibald Query in 1917. Marshmallow crème already existed at the time, but Query created an especially fluffy version in his kitchen and started selling it door-to-door. He sold the recipe for $500 to the Durkee-Mower company who expanded into retail and are still selling it today. In 1960 Durkee-Mower hired an advertising firm who concocted with great success and stickiness the name Fluffernutter for the Fluff and peanut butter sandwiches that had become a New England treat. In 2006 Somerville started celebrating an annual Fluff Festival (2010 site). Events include the crowning of the Fabulous Pharaoh of Fluff and, of course, a Fluff cooking contest with a grand prize of a private tour of the Durkee-Mower factory.

Violinist Min-Jin Kym lost her £1.2m violin while in a London sandwich shop this week. Along with the Stradivarius in the case were bows valued at £62,000 and £5,000. The insurance company is offering a £15,000 reward. A worker at the sandwich shop pointed out that Kym and her friends were preoccupied with their computers and phones at the time and not paying attention to their bags.

Looking like a shiny red alien mothership on a desert island, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has opened its gates. Billed as “the world’s largest indoor theme park” the roof of Ferrari World has a surface area of 2,200,000 square feet and is 160 feet high sporting a 213 by 159 foot Ferrari logo. Under that bright red roof visitors won’t be surprised to find race car themed attractions galore, including the world’s fastest roller coaster (150 mph). There’s a large Ferrari Store too, but I don’t know if you can purchase a car there.

Today at the commemoration of the 69th anniversary of the attack, the new Pearl Harbor Visitor’s Center will be dedicated. The overhaul of the center adds 6 acres of land, doubles the exhibition space in the museum, and improves the structural soundness of the building. The Visitor’s Center serves as the central entrance for four Pearl Harbor sites: USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum, USS Missouri Memorial, and Pacific Aviation Museum.

In the historic Niles district of Fremont, California the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum preserves the memories of early movie days. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company arrived in Niles in 1912. Having already produced 200 films, they settled in and made even more, including signing Charlie Chaplin for a year in 1914. Today the museum shows films on Saturdays, with traditional piano accompaniment. Museum historian David Kiehn was recently featured on “60 Minutes” for pinpointing the date of the “Trip Down Market Street” film to just days before the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

The Boston area MBTA is the latest to add “quiet cars” on its commuter rail lines with a 3-month pilot starting in January. Library etiquette is expected of riders in the designated cars. Signs, conductors, and other passenters reinforce the silence of no phone calls and loud conversations. Amtrak pioneered the concept 10 years ago, though Metro-North (NY-CT) was the first to consider it (critics shot it down as a violation of free speech). Now Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Chicago are also using or testing out quiet cars.

After Prohibition was lifted, California disallowed “rectification” of distilled spirits to protect consumers from “bad, homemade booze.” The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control advised in 2008 that they defined rectification as “any process or procedure whereby distilled spirits are cut, blended, mixed or infused with any ingredient.” The clarification put infusions, such as vodka flavored by bartenders adding fruit and vegetables, in violation of the law. State Senator Mark Leno has introduced a bill that will permit “the artisanal practice of making small amounts of spirits flavored with fruits, vegetables and spices.” Leno likes his vodka clear, but he’s looking out for his constituents in San Francisco.

Ever notice that television commercials are often louder than the show you were watching? It could be on purpose to catch your attention or a side effect of different compression techniques. Either way it sends many viewers scrambling for the volume button. Both the Senate and Congress have approved a bill that would require the FCC “to adopt industry standards that coordinate ad decibel levels to those of the regular program.” In characteristic politician-speak, Senate bill sponsor Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) stated “Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials…(It) adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans.” The name of the bill is the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM Act.

If picking out a Christmas tree at the corner lot or driving out to a tree farm is too tame for you, the U.S. Forest Service issues tree-cutting permits at many national forests. Just a few examples: in New Hampshire and Maine’s White Mountain National Forest a $5 permit, some searching and sawing can get you a balsam fir or a spruce. In the Rocky Mountain Region permits are $10 and you have your pick of several national forests. Seattle area folks can head out to Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest for a noble fir or a silver fir (avoid the hemlocks). It’s a lot tougher getting your tree from the wilderness. Tree hunters are advised to dress warmly and bring a four-wheel-drive vehicle or chains. But no chain saws please. Whether you end up using your hard won evergreen as a Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush or something entirely different is up to you.