amusements, links, natural history, science, sexuality

Links of the Week

This week’s collection of links to items you may have missed …

First off something scary. Just look at the size of this giant bug!

Not all critters are quite so scary … For instance, we know the crow family are highly intelligent, now Ravens have been shown to use ‘hand’ gestures to communicate.

But then who would have thought that there are cognitive benefits to chewing gum.

Now here’s a job that you never even dreamt existed, nor wanted … castrating sheep with teeth, which has been shown not to be a great idea!

Here is a list of ten of the most dangerous chemicals in the world. And to think I’ve worked with some of those, as well as a few which aren’t on that list!

Talking of dangerous, this one is really worrying … ‘End of virginity’ if women drive, Saudi cleric warns. WTF do these people think they are! Made me see red.

But then again the Egyptian authorities are clearly no better (and equally make me see red), prompting a young Egyptian woman to stand up for women’s rights and argue that modesty objectifies women. She reinforces this by appearing nude too. Two reports in a weblog here and this one from the Guardian. More power to her elbow. Let’s all hope for her safety.

Finally, for amusement, more on the vulva cupcakes. Maybe a new fashion statement?

amusements, books, quotes, science, thoughts

Quotes of the Week

The usual eclectic mix. Firstly something dear to my heart …

A bookshelf is as particular to its owner as are his or her clothes; a personality is stamped on a library just as a shoe is shaped by the foot.
[Alan Bennett]

So long as a judge keeps silent his reputation for wisdom and impartiality remains unassailable: but every utterance which he makes in public except in the course of the actual performance of his judicial duties, must necessarily bring him within the focus of criticism. [It would] be inappropriate for the judiciary to be associated with any series of talks or anything which can be fairly interpreted as entertainment.
[Lord Goddard, Lord Chief Justice, 1955]

I suppose one shouldn’t expect anything less po-faced coming out if the 1950s, but oh, dear we are on our dignity aren’t we! Next something I’ve long suspected, from someone who should know …

Science is organized common sense. Philosophy is organized piffle.
[Bertrand Russell, philosopher and mathematician]

There are three faithful friends:
– An old wife
– A shaggy dog
– And ready money
[Thoughts of Angel]

Slightly dodgy ground there, methinks! And finally …

The best of all stratagems is to know when to quit.
[Thoughts of Angel]

amusements

Where do they get this stuff? And who buys it?

Our irregular spotlight on the amusing and downright weird from our local auction houses.

A brass and glass cylindrical clock, the hours marked on a brass sphere with moving miniature fish.

A decorative picture of a 1914 London bus, made from watch parts …

An 833 silver small tray, and 3 800 forks and a similar souvenir teaspoon, 8.2 ozs, together with 6 fish knives and 11 forks with filled silver King’s pattern handles, 2 foreign small forks, and 4 brushes with blue enamelled silver backs

Yes, I read that as three thousand eight hundred forks as well!

A wonderful interesting lot on two shelves including old tins, a light depicting a golf ball and club, bakelite objects, cameras, an unusual dome barometer, medicine bottles, shells, postal scales, Davey lamp, miniature dominoes, a tin of old brass door furniture, cast iron stamps, etc.

You just know anything beginning “an interesting lot” is going to be a pile of old toot.

An old boxed brass and iron sexton marked Hezzanith endless tangent screw, an electrical Weston Union Cablegrams sign, and a boxed wind meter marked V.E.B. Anemometerbou, Dresden.

And who doesn’t want an “endless tangent screw”?

Four cuckoo clocks, Bonzo figurine and ashtray, wooden shoetrees, two tambourines, five cameras … Matchbox Rolls Royce, a pair of barleytwist candlesticks, fire warden/football rattle, etc.

A shelf of god quality glass including a quantity of lustre drops and facetted spheres, studio glass blue and amber vase, lampshades, vases, glasses, pintray, cakestand, a brass light fitting in the form of a flying cherub, etc.

With a flying cherub it must be “god quality”!

An old swordfish rostrum, 33 ins long

Makes a change from the usual collection of stuffed beavers and foxes.

2 African throwing spears in leather and fur, each with with steel blade and pointed end, 32 ins.

A Portuguese caldas Palissy ware dish applied with amphibians on a shredded ground, and a pottery portrait roundel of Dante with wrought iron suspension dated 1871-1921.

A moose head with six point antlers on shield shape wall mount.

A 1950′s full length beaver lamb coat with bobble buttons.

Two cartons containing 1920′s and 30′s under garments including satin embroidered nightdresses, silk underwear and stockings, wool ‘Chilprufe’ long johns, many in original packaging, Aertex vests, children’s knitted slippers with leather soles, knitted bootees and socks, fur tails, etc.

An ancient wheelbarrow in creosoted elm with an iron wheel.

memes, words

Word of the Week : Decorticate

Decorticate (verb).

  1. To remove the bark, rind, or husk from; to strip of its bark. Hence, to divest of what conceals, to expose.
  2. To ‘flay’ or to peel.

Decorticate (adjective).

  1. Destitute of a cortex or cortical layer (applied specifically to some lichens).

When I was a child I remember my mother always used to describe a peculiarly tasteless wine (usually her own home-made wine) as being “like decorticated cardboard”. Somehow one didn’t have to be told exactly what the word meant!

beliefs, memes, music

Listography : Christmas Tunes

I haven’t done Kate’s Listography for a couple of weeks and this week it’s being hosted by Alma at These Precious Things. Getting into the spirit of the season Alma is asking us to nominate our five favourite Christmas Songs.

Hmmm …. Well I don’t do Christmas songs in the sense that is meant: those produced by the “popular music combo”. 🙂

But I do do Christmas music, so here are five nominations.

Carols. I like most carols, but the traditional ones are better. There are a few which I abhor: never bring me Away in a Manger, In the Bleak Midwinter, or anything made of modern concrete block music. But I’ll take most of the traditional carols for a good sing, or authentic renditions by groups like The York Waits.

Heinrich Schutz, Weihnachtshistorie. The Christmas Story as told by the 17th century German composer, contemporary of Monteverdi, who also worked in Venice. Which is brilliant as I recall it includes tropes where the singers are asked to perform in similitudine pastorum (in the likeness of shepherds).

Bach, Christmas Oratorio. Well it’s actually six short oratorios in total for the Christmas season, starting with Christmas Day. Great music, which you all probably know — although you probably don’t know that you do!

Handel, Messiah. The traditional Christmas concert piece. I still love it after all these years, largely because I sang it when still at school (over 40 years ago!) — and I still carry chunks of the bass and tenor parts in my head!

Church Bells. Until a few years ago, BBC Radio 3 or Radio 4 always used to start Christmas Day with a short programme (usually only 10-15 minutes) of a variety English church bells. Yes, that quintessentially English tradition of change ringing. What a glorious way to start Christmas Day. Sadly that programme is no more. It should be revived.

Now how do The Pogues beat any of this? 🙂