The Dead Sea is more than eight times saltier than ocean water, and there is less water in it every year -and that means it’s getting even saltier. The salt formations seen from the air is quite surreal. See more pictures in a collection at Boing Boing. Link

(Image credit: Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Friday The Thirteenth

The fear of Friday the thirteenth and the fear of the number thirteen are both so common that they each even have their own psychological names, paraskevidekatiaphobia and triskaidekaphobia, respectively. But who ever decided that one number is unluckier than any other or why it’s particularly bad for the thirteenth day of the month to happen to fall on a Friday? As it turns out, there are a lot of reasons behind the superstitions surrounding the mystical number.

In Christianity, there were thirteen people at the Last Supper, including Judas who has been rumored as being the last person to sit at the table. In Viking lore, Loki was the thirteenth god and in the story of Norna-Gest, when uninvited guests showed up at an infant’s birthday party, bringing the number of guests up to thirteen, the last of the guests cursed the child. Even ancient Persians were weary of the number thirteen because they believed the twelve constellations of the Zodiac would each rule the earth for a thousand years, but after the cycle ended (in the thirteenth millennia), the sky and earth would collapse into chaos.

Interestingly, the fear of Friday the thirteenth is actually a relatively recent development. In fact, historians have found no evidence that anyone ever had talked about “Friday the thirteenth” until the 19^th century and the earliest mention of the evils of the date were seen in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini. Even then, the myth didn’t really get going until the 20^th century, when Thomas W. Lawson’s novel Friday, the Thirteenth became a best seller. After the book became a household name, so did the stories about how unlucky the day was.

In reality, the idea of Friday the thirteenth being unlucky is most likely a result of the fact that both Fridays and the number thirteen are both considered unlucky. Friday has been considered unlucky since at least the 14^th century, as Chaucer mentioned the superstition in The Canterbury Tales. The most likely reason for people to consider Fridays unlikely is that according to scripture, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to imagine that people decided that if Fridays are unlucky and the number thirteen is unlucky, then any time the thirteenth occurs of the Friday, it’s really unlucky.

The fear of Friday the thirteenth is still very common. In fact, around 19 million Americans are affected by a fear of the day and many are so scared that they refuse to leave their house on Friday the thirteenth. Accordingly, the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that businesses lose around $850 million ever time the date rolls around on the calendar.

Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2

Images Via W.J.Pilsak [Flickr] and wiccked [Flickr]

Breaking A Mirror Causes Seven Years Bad Luck

When I was a kid, I was told that this superstition came about because in medieval times it would cost an average person seven years to save enough money to buy a mirror. As it turns out, this is bull hockey and the origin of the superstition is a lot more spiritual and a lot older than the one I was told.

The Romans were the first people to create glass mirrors. They also believed that their invention had the potential to steal part of the soul of the person using it. If a person’s reflection were distorted while using a mirror, then their soul would be corrupted and trapped as a result. Fortunately, the Romans believed your soul could be renewed –after seven years time. Until that point though, the person would suffer from bad luck since they did not have a whole, healthy soul to fight off evil.

If a person wanted to shed their bad luck a little sooner, there were a few methods to free your soul including grinding all the pieces of the mirror into a fine dust or burying the pieces under a tree during a full moon. While these options seem a little challenging, they still seem way easier than waiting seven full years to get your soul renewed.

Source

Image Via eeekays photography [Flickr]

Knock On Wood

Here’s one that never made sense to me. After all, how is taping on wood going to prevent you from jinxing yourself? As it turns out, the logic behind the superstition makes a lot of sense when you learn the beliefs of those who originated it.

This expression comes from Pagans, who believed that all living materials were imbued with spiritual properties, including trees. When they were cut down though, the spirit inside the tree would die and become hollow. It was at this point that evil spirits, like sprites, could take over the item and concoct ways to ruin the plans and hopes of people in the area. Fortunately, if someone knocked on the wood, it would drive away the malevolent spirits and prevent any potential misfortunes from occurring.

Source

Image Via Larry He’s So Fine [Flickr]

Black Cats

While most Western cultures consider black cats to be bad luck, many areas of the UK consider them to be a good omen. In fact, it’s likely because the Pagan groups from these areas considered them to be good luck for so long that early Christians started spreading stories of the cats being evil. Specifically, these stories often tied black cats to witches, which makes a lot of sense given that they also accused Pagans of being witches.

Source

Image Via DrL [Wikipedia]

Walking Under A Ladder

This has always seemed like the most rational of the more common superstitions. After all, if you walk under a ladder, you’re pretty likely to have something fall on your head from the top of the ladder. But that’s not the only reason that walking under a ladder is considered to be unlucky.

As it turns out, early Christians felt the triangle was a sacred sign that represented the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When a ladder was pushed against a building, it would form the shape of a triangle, and thus, by walking under it, you were breaking the triangle. This was such a bad thing to do that early Christians would often label anyone who walked under a ladder to be a witch in league with Satan –and that could be even more dangerous than having a hammer fall on your head.

Source

Image Via Alastair Thompson [Flickr]

Throwing Salt Behind Your Shoulder

Most people know that it has historically been considered bad luck to spill salt, largely because it was considered so valuable in olden times. There is also a story that says Judas spilled salt at the Last Supper, making the act even more unlucky. That being said, it seems strange to remedy the bad luck by throwing more precious salt behind your left shoulder. There is a reason for that, though. That’s because in olden times, it was frequently said that the devil was always sitting just behind your left shoulder. When you wasted something as valuable as salt, it was important to keep the devil at bay by either blinding him by throwing salt in his eyes or by placating him by giving him an offering of salt. Whether you’re trying to hurt the devil or buy him off, it seems that throwing salt in his direction is a good way to get him off your back.

Source

Image Via Domiriel [Flickr]

Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

If you’ve ever thought it was a bit gruesome to carry around the foot of a rabbit for good luck, consider the fact that some cultures say the rabbit’s foot is actually the foot of a dead witch who was killed while in her familiar form.

Interestingly, rabbits feet have been a symbol of good luck since at least 600 BC when Celtic people in England would kill rabbits possessing certain attributes that were seen as beneficial to the bearer of the lucky charm. While there is no documented evidence to show one way or another how this tradition got started, some folklorists believe it was started by the pre-Celtic hunter clans who introduced young males to hunting by sending them out to catch a rabbit. On their first successful attempt, one of the rabbit’s hind feet would be removed and awarded to the boy in a ceremony that celebrated his journey into manhood.

Source

Image Via Sobebunny [Wikipedia]

Do you believe in any superstitions? If so, were they included here? I know plenty of our readers are from other countries, so if your culture has some interesting myths you know Americans have never heard of, I know I’m not the only one who would love to hear what you have to share.

Previously at Neatorama: Seven Strange Lucky Charms

Skull & Crow Salt & Pepper Shakers – $14.95

Halloween is coming up soon. Are you on the lookout for a perfectly creepy salt & pepper shaker set for your kitchen table? You need the Skull & Crow Salt & Pepper Shaker from the NeatoShop.  There was nevermore perfect salt & pepper shaker for your next Edgar Allen Poe themed dinner party.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Halloween items and fantastic Salt & Pepper Shakers.

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Cherkees are beef jerky pieces with the texture of a potato chip.I’m honestly not sure if I should be terrified or excited by this concept because it’s so wrong, but it might just be the ultimate snack food. If you get a hold of them, let us know what they taste like.

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Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers – $11.95

Are you looking for a new salt and pepper shaker set that is visually appealing? You need the Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers from the NeatoShop.  This ghoulish set is magnetic and comes on a ceramic tray. With these beauties on your table your friends will know you have a real eye for design.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more  unusual and entertaining Salt & Pepper Shakers.

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Artist Bashir Sultani makes amazing art using nothing but table salt. You can see his process in the video above and check out more of his artworks at the link.

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Spock & Captain Kirk Star Trek Salt & Pepper Shakers – $12.95

Attention Star Trek fans! Behold the Spock & Captain Kirk Star Trek Salt & Pepper Shakers from the NeatoShop.

With the Spock & Captain Kirk Salt & Pepper Shakers you can boldly season where no food has been seasoned before.  Food alert, all hands to battle stations! Prepare to salt and pepper!

Be sure to check out all the fantastic Star Trek items available at the NeatoShop.

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Guy Nesher, a photographer based out of Tel Aviv, shot this picture of the Salar de Uyuni. At over four thousand square miles, this region of Bolivia is the largest salt flat in the world. It functions like a natural mirror, but I’ve never seen a picture of it that expresses that quality quite as well as this one.

Link via Super Punch

Salt Power Salt & Pepper Battery Shakers – $11.95

Does your kitchen table need more energy? You should get the Salt Power Salt & Pepper Battery Shakers from the NeatoShop!  With these little beauties your kitchen table will feel instantly recharged.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop’s large selection of funky and unusual Salt & Pepper Shakers!

]]> http://www.neatorama.com/2011/04/15/salt-power-salt-pepper-battery-shakers/feed/ 0 http://www.neatorama.com/2011/02/22/rolling-penguins-salt-pepper-shakers/ http://www.neatorama.com/2011/02/22/rolling-penguins-salt-pepper-shakers/#comments Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:14:05 +0000 Tiffany http://www.neatorama.com/?p=42308 Rolling Penguins Salt & Pepper Shakers -  $14.95

We know how tired you are after a long day of work.   Behold the Rolling Penguins Salt & Pepper Shakers from NeatoShop. Wind-up these adorable penguins and let the salt and pepper pass themselves.  Now you have more energy to do important things like changing the channel.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous kitchen items.

After his sister died of brain cancer, Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto began constructing enormous, detailed labyrinths. They’re temporary installations made out of ground salt and reflect a special significance that his culture places on that mineral:

In Japanese culture salt is not only a necessary element to sustain human life, but it is also a symbol of purification. He uses salt in loose form to create intricate labyrinth patterns on the gallery floor or in baked brick form to construct large interior structures. As with the labyrinths and innavigable passageways, Motoi views his installations as exercises which are at once futile yet necessary to his healing.

Link via Dude Craft | Artist’s Website

For a very long time, the source of the abrasions on this cave’s walls remained a mystery.  Some speculated ancient peoples, possilby Eygptians, were responsible. But no, the carvings in the cave weren’t man made at all… elephants had been the culprits all along! The cave is the elephant equivalent of drunk college students raiding their fridge at midnight. Late at night, the Pachiderms go into the cave, get their salt lick on under the cover of darkness, and emerge unseen. Take that, Egyptians!  (Unfortunatly the cave is also the site of the deadly Malburg virus, so, visiting the cave is ill advised.)

Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

Faulders Studio has designed a building called GEOtube that, if built in Dubai, would develop its own outer surface from salt! The building plans include a lattice of pipes on the outside, which would grow solid from salt deposits over 15-30 years.

The GEOtube building is covered in a vascular pipe system following a grid of structural lattice and is situated in a salt-water pond, carried to the building from the adjacent Persian Gulf via an underground viaduct. Utilizing floating solar panels for power, the seawater is pumped from basement level to the rooftop and is then gravity-fed through the vascular system.

The lace-like skin forms once the seawater, misted onto its exposed mesh, evaporates and leaves a layer of salt behind. Because the Persian Gulf has the world’s highest salinity for oceanic water, the salt deposits accumulate quickly, making the transparent skin take on a new crystalline appearance.

Once the building is covered, salt could be harvested for other uses. Of course, this project is just a concept for now. Link

The advertising agency of Grey G2/Group in Düsseldorf, Germany made this salt shaker as a promotional item for a line of anti-dandruff shampoo by Pantene. When salt remains on the top, it looks like the model has dandruff.

Link via Super Punch | Photo: Björn Giesbrecht

Record snowfall has covered the U.K., while cold temperatures are gripping Europe.  Seoul and Beijing have seen their heaviest snowfalls in recent memory, and arctic temperatures have penetrated the U.S. far enough to threaten crops in Florida.  For those who have to commute to work in such weather, this is a good time to appreciate the technology incorporated into winter service vehicles.

Sand- and salt trucks have evolved a long way from the era when two men with shovels used to stand on the back of a dump truck. Modern grit is a mixture of sand and rock salt, but the latter has deleterious effects not only on metal vehicle frames, but also on vegetation and freshwater lakes and streams.  A variety of techniques have therefore been devised to keep roads on a “low-salt diet.”

“Pre-wetting” the salt — spraying it with brine as it’s dropped — helps it stick to the road better, meaning crews can cut back from 500 pounds per mile to 200…

Vehicle-mounted electronic thermometers let supervisors know how far above or below freezing the pavement is. Some truck cabs have up-to-the-minute weather radar so crews know how long it’ll be before the freezing rain or snow hits…

To prevent the grit from being thrown off the road surface by vehicle tires, additional substances may be intermixed to increase adherence.  The earliest additive was molasses, but it was difficult to use in cold weather and tended to attract cows and wildlife to the roads.

That means using brine, magnesium chloride and a sugar beet byproduct, which are mixed via a dozen yellow-handled valves marked with letters of the alphabet.

Fine-tuning the grit application to the weather conditions not only saves taxpayers money (one truckload of salt costs ~$800), but also reduces chloride levels in nearby lakes.

Link.  Photo credit Richard Tsong Taatarii, Star Tribune

Photo: Dr. Ian Redmond

Kitum Cave in Kenya used to be a lot smaller than it is, but over hundreds of years it has been dug out deeper and deeper.  In theory, the excavators turned out to be area elephants; along with other mammals the pachyderms gather in the cave to partake of its natural saltlick properties.  In the process, they have been using their tusks to scrape and remove the cave’s walls throughout time.  Atlas Obscura has the story, along with another piece of trivia.

The Kitum cave is more recently famous for a very different sort of lifeform, a deadly virus. In 1980 and again in 1987 visitors to the cave contracted Marburg virus, a deadly virus very similar to Ebola. The cave and Marburg virus rose to notoriety when it was featured in bestseller “The Hot Zone.” It is believed that the bats in the cave may carry the virus and that their powdered guano may act as the disease vector.

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Pink salt from the Himalayas has been used for seasoning by chefs at fancy restaurants … and now, you can cook food directly on the slabs of the stuff!

The thick 8-by-11-inch piece of solid salt can be placed directly on a stove burner and heated gradually; it will not melt. Lightly brushed with butter or oil, it will fry eggs that come away with quite enough salt. The same goes for jumbo shrimp, fish steaks or fillets, thin slices of beef and portobello mushroom caps.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Minnesotastan.

A hotel in Bolivia always has salt on its dining table – actually, its dining table is salt! Here’s the strange Salt Hotel of the Uyuni Flats:

The hotel was built in 1993 by a salt artisan who saw a mint in the number of tourists looking for places to stay while visiting the flats. The lodge has 15 bedrooms, a dining room, a living room and a bar.

The buildings’s roof, and bar are built of salt and even the floor is covered with salt granules. The walls are made of salt blocks stuck together with a cement-like substance made of salt and water. During rainy seasons, the walls are strengthened with new blocks, while the owners ask the guests to avoid licking the walls to prevent deterioration.

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