Len Augsburger passed along this Facebook post from the U.S. Mint noting that they're operating normally during the U.S. government shutdown. Thanks. -Editor

#DYK? The United States Mint's programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to the taxpayer.

The Mint remains open for business, including tours and gift shops at our Denver and Philadelphia facilities, as well as our coin store in Washington, D.C.

How is this possible? The Mint is funded by its own Public Enterprise Fund, not by annual appropriations.

More info can be found on our website https://www.usmint.gov/about/tours-and-locations

"Norman Nicol's bio brought back several fond memories for me. Dr. Uner Turgay, one of my dissertation advisors at McGill, was awarded a Fulbright to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Turgay conducted his dissertation research at the Ottoman archives in Istanbul, his home city. I remember Uner showing me some manuscripts in the Ottoman Turkish script. Dr. Turgay was a Professor of History at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, from 1976 to 2010.

"I spent two years teaching at Ramses College for Girls (RCG), a private Egyptian school in Cairo, Egypt, from 1981 to 1983. Dr. Harold Vogelaar volunteered to show the new American volunteer teachers at RCG around Cairo. Harold took us to see the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, one of our regular stops which we went to several times. At that time, Dr. Vogelaar was a Professor at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo. He earned a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern languages at Columbia University in 1971. Vogelaar is fluent in several Arabic dialects. Harold lived in the Middle East for a total of 25 years including Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Israel and Palestine.

"Harold is from a small town in Iowa. I was born and raised in Hastings, Nebraska."

"My wife Florence and I were attending a wedding in Traverse City, Michigan last weekend, and found this numismatic sculpture in the lobby of the Delamar Hotel. Employing an abundance of caution, I opted against trying to sit upon it.

"Swing used 27,000 welds to attach 5,000 quarters to a stainless steel infrastructure. Assuming that all of the quarters are clad, that gives us a base value of $650 for this work of art. "

Thanks! Great exhibit. We saw this first in 2010 when Kay Olson Freeman spotted it in a New York City exhibit. -Editor

Here's a timely artwork I came across myself this week - a medal of the late primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, posted on Facebook by the artist Nicola Moss. -Editor