An NPR story on Obsolete Occupations included telephone switchboard operators, about which it said:
When the first commercial telephone exchange began in Boston in 1878, teenage boys were hired to be operators. But after they played too many pranks on their customers, the company started hiring women, and the industry was almost completely female for nearly a century.
Sounds about right.
via www.npr.org
There really is a company selling laser-weight-reduction and laser-quitting-smoking programs, which they claim work by "stimulating endorphins when the pulsating light is absorbed by the skin and cells at acupressure points." They're working now to find a way to add bacon to the process.
Am I going to be so immature as to ridicule someone's passionate effort to open minds to something new just for a laugh? Oh yeah.
From the author's Lulu page:
"No, I'm not joking and no, I'm not some sort of whacky freak. I'm just passionate about everything I do, including cooking with cum."
There was one line in the book's preview that was hard to swallow:
"Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants."
Restaurants? Restaurants? Either the sous chef has more duties than at most establishments or you are supposed to produce your own (which will get you kicked out of a lot of places!). Definitely not a family affair.
It couldn't be a fast food place either, come to think of it.
Happily, Michael & Kathleen's skunks left voluntarily. In the meantime, though, something has moved in under our house. The stairs that lead from the basement up to the room addition and then outside are lined with the same limestone as the foundation. Recently, after I spread some boric acid, tracks appeared near holes between the limestone blocks on either side of the steps.
To find out what was living there, I first consulted these ingenious little plastic tags. Each tag has sized examples of front and back foot tracks, none of which matched the tracks on the steps.
So then I turned to the only book of tracks we own. Even though this one's for the Rocky Mountain region, I figured it'd probably have something close. I started by looking at the tracks of rodents, of course. All the examples included drag marks from tails, which ours didn't. I then looked at the tracks of critters without tails, like chipmunks, but still found nothing similar.
I finally just started thumbing through the book, and found an exact match! I know they don't usually live under basement stairs, but stranger things have happened.
We're very excited.
We have otters.
The New York Times Magazine reports that:
"...more than 60 million people in the United States are infected with a parasite that may migrate into their brains and alter their behavior in a way that -- among other things -- may leave them more likely to be eaten by cats. " The parasite "causes rats to become attracted to the smell of cat urine."
One researcher found that people infected by the parasite have "have slower reflexes and are 2.5 times as likely to get into car accidents." Some suggest that infection with the parasite might explain the "Crazy Cat Lady" syndrome.
Via callalillie. Image from ratterrell
Spanish researchers say "Beer after sport is good for the body." According to a recent study, beer can help someone who is dehydrated retain liquid better than water and its carbohydrate content can help to replace lost calories.
The Environmental Working Group reviewed the contents and claims of 783 sunscreen products, and learned that many fail to protect from more-damaging UVA rays, contain ingredients with known or suspected health effects, and may break down in the sun in a matter of minutes.
Of the 783 sunscreen products, only 17 of the 783 products were listed as most safe and effective, though the report recommends a total of 128 acceptable products. 37 products were rated so badly that they should be avoided. Read the summary and see the top 17 recommended products here.
From TechTalk via the wonderful ResearchBuzz, or in this case her del.icio.us list.
Neatorama pointed out an ad for Lysol douche from the Flickr "Her Secret Past" photo pool.
"So easy a way to banish the misgivings that often keep married lovers apart"
"Appealing daintiness is assured"
"make no mistake -- only a poison can kill germs"
"She should have known better, for she was no stranger to feminine hygiene"
"...no greasy aftereffect"
"No woman who has a normal foundation of good health can be forgiven for failing to 'stay young with her husband'"
"...restore every woman's confidence in her power to please"
"...thinking you know about feminine hygiene, yet trusting to now-and-then care, can make all the difference in married happiness"
More ads here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. A commenter pointed out the treasure trove of similar ads in the Duke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection.
You knew there had to be one, right?
Mike of Satan's Laundromat, one of my favorite photoblogs, is back. Click the photo to see the rest of today's entry from Red Hook.
