Sir John Gordon was a Scottish nobleman who lived from 1707 to 1783. In 1723, the French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon composed this bust of him. The statue was present around the family estate in the town of Invergordon, but was, at some point in the 1970s, disposed of by the estate. BBC News reports that it was rediscovered in 1998 being used as a doorstop in the nearby town of Balintore.

Legally, the antique belonged to the community at large, so the Invergordon Common Good Fund is offering it up for auction. It's valued at over $3 million USD.

-via My Modern Met

The 1947 Treaty of Paris ended the war between Italy and the Allied powers. Articles 64-66 placed severe limitations upon the Italian Air Force, which the Italians hoped to circumvent.

For this purpose, the postwar Italian government sought assistance from the Order of Malta, a chivalric order that dates back to 1099 and exists to this day.

Are the Knights of Malta their own country? That's hard to answer. They have sovereignty over their headquarters building in Rome. They have diplomatic relations with 113 countries, permanent observer status in the United Nations, and issue their own passports which are recognized internationally.

For a few years, starting in 1947, the Order of Malta even fielded its own air force. This consisted of military aircraft transferred by the Italian government. The Order painted a roundel derived from its flag on the planes and flew them on transport and humanitarian missions.

After Italy joined NATO as a founding member in 1949, it was permitted to resume normal air operations and resumed control over these loaned aircraft.

-via Eric S. Raymond

The science fiction genre often falls into the escapist direction of storytelling, so it's no surprise that male writers tend to create ideal heroes, villains, and other characters. So the male gaze comes into play. That's not criticism--in fact, I'm a fan at times. There's a female gaze, too, although it is far from a direct equivalent.

This video shows a clip from the improvisational comedy show Make Some Noise. Comedian and actress Caitlin Reilly is tasked with depicting an idealized female character from a male writer. The character keeps us abreast of the true dangers facing the group in what I'm guessing is a Robert A. Heinlein story.

Due to Japan's shrinking population, some schools are closing permanently. For anime fans like myself, this presents a new opportunity. Would it not be fun to pretend to be a Japanese high school student, just in your favorite anime series?

Mainichi reports that an entertainment company has taken over a closed high school in Kimtsu in the Chiba Prefecture. Tourists get to wear stereotypical uniforms, eat lunches from animes, and attend classes. My suggestion: choose the back right corner of the classroom next to the window so that you become the main character of the series.

-via Spoon & Tamago | Photo: Mainchi

X user Science Girl reminds us of the innovative German techno band Klangphonics. That ensemble seems committed to convincing the world that it's possible to produce techno music with any instrument. In the past, we've seen their performance with a pressure washer. Since that time, they've also experimented with a sewing machine.

Strictly speaking, all mayonnaise is drinkable if you can reduce its viscosity sufficiently by mixing it with whiskey. But the difference here is that this mayonnaise is intended to be drinkable without modification. The British newspaper The Times reports that a Japanese food company is offering a smooth-sipping variation of Japan's favorite condiment.

The convenience store chain Lawson sells this fine chilled beverage which some eccentric people online find to be unpalatable. Sadly, the packaging reveals a tragedy: this drink is just made to resemble mayonnaise in flavor and texture. It's not real mayonnaise yet. But perhaps, as Thomas Aquinas argued that the human ability to conceive of a highest possible form made that form possible, a real mayonnaise drink will soon be within our grasp.

-via Dave Barry

The U.S. Naval Institute posted on X that, in earlier days, ship flagbags sometimes contained a pennant that would express frustration and/or confusion at other vessels. I traced the origin story down to Vice Admiral Milton E. Miles, who described the pennant in his book A Different Kind of War: The Little-Known Story of the Combined Guerrilla Forces Created in China by the U.S. Navy and the Chinese During World War II.

In 1934, Miles was captain of USS Wickes, a destroyer then responsible for being the rearmost ship while in a formation operating off the coast of China. He thus had the opportunity to witness blundering movements of other vessels and wished to communicate his distress. His wife suggested the above design which he then had made and later transferred with him.

Miles had amusing pre-war interactions with a Japanese admiral over the pennant which later led to questions directed to him in Washington, D.C. You can read his story here.

Jim Steinman's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" as sung by Bonnie Tyler is one of the most iconic pop songs of the 80s. It is a mournful ballad about broken love. So it is fitting that a modern version is performed on rubber chickens.

Our musician is Lord Vinheteiro, a Brazilian master of several instruments, including the piano. He's not, though, actually a nobleman--Brazil hasn't recognized peerages since 1889. Lord Vinheteiro is just his stage name.

We love his work here at Neatorama and are pleased to see him expand his repertoire to include this revered orchestral instrument. Watch as he uses ever smaller chickens to move your heart.

-via Laughing Squid

Only a few decades ago, a limousine with a personal driver was a sign of great affluence. Now their status as a socioeconomic signal has greatly diminished. Why? Emily Stewart, a writer for Business Insider, explains.

Limousines began as large, horse-drawn carriages. When cars became more common in the West, some automakers produced extended sedans for wealthy buyers. In later years, limos became symbols of extravagance as builders tried to outdo each other by making their cars longer and equipped with more amenities.

Stewart concludes that limousines fell into decline after the 2008 financial crisis when being conspicuous about one's consumption became gauche. Now limousines have been replaced by large SUVs--to the extent that people would choose limousines over Uber and Lyft.

-via Jalopnik

Happy Thanksgiving, everyturkey. Stay safe out there. Cartoonist Tyson Cole reminds us that the humans are on the hunt this day. It's like a Purge. So stay inside, lock your doors, and keep your mind clear of the horror films that you watched.

Norfolk Island is a community of about two thousand people in the south Pacific Ocean that are governed by Australia. They have a unique heritage with much of the population descended from the mutineers of HMS Bounty. The island is a mixture of Tahitian, English, Australian, and mutineer cultures.

There's even an American element. During the Nineteenth Century, American whalers frequently visited Norfolk. When an islander became the American consul, he decided to put on an American Thanksgiving Day celebration.

The practice stuck, although Gastro Obscura explains, the Norfolk approach has a local flavor. Churches are decorated with corn. There are pumpkin pies, but there are also coconut pies. Tahitian fish salads and many banana dishes appear at the feasting table. Norfolk is almost self-sufficient agriculturally and the Thanksgiving Day menu proves it.

It had never occurred to me that one could use a Bundt pan to prepare yeast breads. But it makes sense. Bluesky user Neven Mrgan is a genius! A ring sandwich continues indefinitely with no end until you bite into it. And you don't have to think too much about which part to bite into first because they are identical.

Question: could one prepare a sandwich in the shape of a Möbius strip? If so, how?

-via Super Punch

Traffic Management in the Gobi Desert. 行人停，骆驼行。 pic.twitter.com/kaQEW2xgEN

— Ambassador Nicholas Burns (@USAmbChina) October 13, 2024

R. Nicholas Burns, the current US ambassador to China, shares these photos of a traffic signal in the Gobi Desert. CNN reports that government officials in Gansu province installed them three years ago to make it clear when camels should and should not cross the road.

They're unusual and have thus become a popular destination for tourists, who take advantage of the large camelid population to hire rides. Keeping those tourists safe from camel collisions is a priority for the government, hence the traffic signals.

-via Super Punch

CTV News in Vancouver reports that people in the town of McBride, British Columbia have spotted a deer wearing what appears to be a high visibility vest--the kind of vest that hunters wear to avoid being mistaken for deer.

It's uncertain how the deer ended up wearing the vest, although the best explanation is that someone managed to wrestle the deer into it. This activity is, wildlife officials warn, very dangerous to both the humans and the deer. They hope to be able to locate the deer, tranquilize it, and the remove the jacket safely.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Andrea Arnold

Think of this facility as optimized for multitasking. If you're already going to make one mistake, why not make a second one at the same time?

Chuck's on the Avenue is a locally-famous liquor store in New Orleans. It occupies a prominent place in the city's celebrations. Now, the New York Post reports, you can book it as a wedding venue. On November 16, a couple got married next to the beer cooler. An ordained minister/Elvis Presley impersonator presided over the ceremony. A brass band provided Dixieland jazz music and a little girl threw beads instead of flowers.

It was thus a supremely New Orleans event. You can book your own happy wedding here.

-via Dave Barry