In the 19th century, printers were proud of their craft and made everyday jobs into works of art. Consider county records, such as maps and deeds and such. They were bound into volumes of boring but useful historical data, and the typography printed on the cover was magnificent ...at least compared to the computer-generated cover pages and labels used today. See more of this collection at BibliOdyssey. Link
This makes perfect sense to those who drive in Denmark, where fart means speed. Which has English-speaking people expressing interest in watching a certain Sandra Bullock/Keanu Reeves film in Danish. Link
Elizabeth Kolbert wrote an overview of parenting books and research at The New Yorker, in which she marvels at the Matsigenka tribe of Peru and their helpful unspoiled children. She give examples of how spoiled modern American children are, and then gives examples from her own life.
Not long ago, in the hope that our sons might become a little more Matsigenka, my husband and I gave them a new job: unloading the grocery bags from the car. One evening when I came home from the store, it was raining. Carrying two or three bags, the youngest, Aaron, who is thirteen, tried to jump over a puddle. There was a loud crash. After I’d retrieved what food could be salvaged from a Molotov cocktail of broken glass and mango juice, I decided that Aaron needed another, more vigorous lesson in responsibility. Now, in addition to unloading groceries, he would also have the task of taking out the garbage. On one of his first forays, he neglected to close the lid on the pail tightly enough, and it attracted a bear. The next morning, as I was gathering up the used tissues, ant-filled raisin boxes, and slimy Saran Wrap scattered across the yard, I decided that I didn’t have time to let my kids help out around the house. (My husband informed me that I’d just been “kiddie-whipped.”)
Well there's your problem. There is no reason a teenager cannot pick up shards of glass that he himself caused. Other, worse examples are given, like the boy who demanded his father untie shoes for him or the 8-year-old girl who sat down at the table to find no silverware at her place setting and said, “How am I supposed to eat?” Those stories come from a study done by Anthropologist Elinor Ochs and her colleagues at UCLA in which they recorded an entire week of activity in 32 middle-class families in Southern California.
It isn't that the kids were unable to do the tasks or that their parents didn't express a need for help, say the researchers. Rather, the studied children didn't seem to view it as their routine responsibility to contribute, the researchers say.
Read more about this research at the Wall Street Journal. Link -via Metafilter
National Geographic's "Digital Nomad" Andrew Evans investigated Swiss chocolate by visiting a factory in Broc, Switzerland, in which tourists can take part in an all-you-can-eat sampling. There are guides to help participants rein in their tendency to overdo it, because the enjoyment comes from the quality, not the quantity. Swiss chocolate expert Michel Baud tells us step-by-step how to get the most out of chocolate.
* Begin by snapping the chocolate in half. Inhale and ponder the aromas you can sense: cocoa, vanilla, smoke, malt, etc.
* Let the first bite be small to “warm up” the tongue, which can only taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter. Some chocolates can hit all four tastes.
* The second bite is the one that counts. Suck on the chocolate and feel how it melts, sense the texture (grainy or smooth?). Is it sweet or dry?
There's more to the process, which you can read at NatGeo's Intelligent Travel blog. Link-Thanks, Marilyn!
(Image credit: Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler)
Imagine that the dream you've nurtured for a lifetime came down to a coin toss. The U.S. Olympic trials saw a tie for third place in the 100-yard dash this past weekend as Allyson Felix and Jenebah Tarmoh both crossed the finish line in 11.068 seconds. Since only one of them can be in the top three and race in the Olympics, they will have to break the tie one way or another.
It took nearly 24 hours after the 11-second race ended for USTAF to announce its ruling that Felix and Tarmoh will be given the option of breaking the tie with a coin toss or a runoff. And it's not as simple as it sounds, explains the Associated Press: "If both athletes choose the same option, [that option] will determine the tiebreaker. If the athletes disagree, the tiebreaker will be a runoff. If both athletes decline a preference, the tiebreaker will be a coin toss." The runners have not been given a timeline to announce their decisions, but it's expected they'll wait until after they compete in the 200 meters race later this week.
These hand-painted satin shoes are designed specifically so that a bride can wear "something blue" that's very special. Etsy seller nora has all kinds of hand-painted and decorated shoes for weddings or other special occasions, and will do custom projects, too. It almost makes me wish I had a special occasion coming! See the variety at her shop, norakaren. Link -via Nag on the Lake
Simon's Cat's latest adventure involves making sure the window is there, even when you can't see it. Another cute animation by Simon Tofield. -via The Daily What
Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss is actually two quizzes, so you can take your pick or try both. Can you name all the songs on Bruce Springsteen's huge 1975 album Born to Run? Maybe you'd prefer to try naming all the songs on Nirvana's hit album from 1991, Nevermind? Select one and see how you score against the other fans who took the challenge. Me? I knew I wouldn't do well, so I didn't take a chance on ruining the stats. Yeah, that's the ticket! Link
Clipperton Island is an abandoned atoll in the Pacific Ocean, 1,000 kilometers from the coast of Mexico. Its history is one of being passed from nation to nation as its value was explored and judged inadequate. Around 1910, Mexico sent 13 soldiers to guard the island. They were joined by their wives and some servants, and soon children were born. Another island resident was a reclusive lighthouse keeper named Victoriano Álvarez. Then in 1914, supply ships stopped coming. Malnutrition set in, and the men were the first to die. After an escape attempt cost three men their lives, only two soldiers remained, along with the women and children. And the lighthouse keeper.
Just then, Álvarez the hitherto-unassuming lighthouse-keeper abruptly arrived at the destroyed settlement, collected the weapons, and threw them into the deep waters of the lagoon. Saving one rifle for himself, he announced to the women and children that he was now the king of the island. With that, he began a campaign of enslaving the women for whatever purposes he desired. One mother-daughter pair who refused to obey him were raped and shot to death. The rest were given regular beatings at the minimum.
Two years later, in 1917, an American ship found the survivors: three women and eight malnourished children. They were taken to Mexico to be reunited with relatives who had given up all hope. The survivors told the story of what happened on the island, but the crew of the rescue ship kept the details secret for seventeen years, lest the women face legal consequences. But you can read the whole thing at Damn Interesting. Link
You know what they say -don't complain about getting old because it beats NOT getting old! But there are some advantages. While some mental capabilities diminish, others get better. And the wisdom of age comes in handy in social situations.
For a 2010 study, researchers at the University of Michigan presented “Dear Abby” letters to 200 people and asked what advice they would give. Subjects in their 60s were better than younger ones at imagining different points of view, thinking of multiple resolutions and suggesting compromises.
It turns out that managing emotions is a skill in itself, one that takes many of us decades to master.
And what's even better, people over 50 tend to be happier. Read a roundup of recent research on aging at Smithsonian. Link
Campers in Ethopia threw a bag of garbage into a volcanic crater to see what would happen. The bag broke through the thin crust covering a pool of magma and allowed the lava to spew out. And, of course, the garbage was incinerated. No word on whether they were fined for littering. -via reddit
