FrontPage Archive - August 2009
Created | Updated Sep 1, 2009
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3 August 2009
The Claque: Art Appreciation Or Nuisance? - Paying the audience to applaud might seem like a practical solution to the performer.® The Russian Language - It is a highly-structured member of the Slavic family of Indo-European languages.
® Cleaning Brass - In times gone by, this was a task that would be carried out by junior members of the household staff.
QOTD: The surest sign that a boy fancies you is that he doesn't talk to you but keeps riding past on his bike and pulling wheelies.
4 August 2009
Getting Enough Sleep as a Parent - Routines, common sense and basic psychology are crucial in order to achieve this.The Ironic Death of Arthur Flegenheimer - This gangster's last words were pored over by writers and fortune hunters alike for years.
® William Henry Harrison - The ninth US President died a mere 32 days after his inauguration, where he had caught pneumonia.
QOTD: "If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney … It may not look dangerous but the more I think about it the worse it gets.
5 August 2009
Unwanted Mail - How to avoid receiving seemingly harmless but often extremely annoying unsolicited post.® Winking and its Social Implications - We usually wink to show someone we're just kidding, though there can be more to it than that.
® Les Dawson - This British comedian was as well-known for his distinctive piano-playing as for his deadpan delivery.
QOTD: I'm still trying to find an effective indicator of "stop talking now!" to end the long and one-sided calls from my mother
6 August 2009
Little Black Sambo: A Controversial Book - Few books have attracted as much controversy as Helen Bannerman's story published in 1899.® An Introduction to Pharaonic Egypt - The Nile Valley in Egypt was home to one of the earliest and longest-surviving of ancient cultures.
® The Lord of the Rings - An overview of Tolkien's classic trilogy, including spoilers for those of you still intending to read it!
QOTD: Why on a clock face using Roman numerals is the number 4 written as IIII rather than IV?
7 August 2009
The Case for Despair - Do we have the wit or wisdom to tackle global warming, population growth and over-consumption?® Flora Sandes - During the First World War this English nurse risked her life to fight for the cause of a people she barely knew.
® Selecting, Taming and Training a Budgie - When a single bird is kept as a pet, it will build a strong bond with a caring and attentive owner.
QOTD: That's a ridiculously simple idea which has made me wonder why I've been trying to colorize pictures of Bruce Forsyth and Rolf Harris.
10 August 2009
The Human Herpes Viruses - The viruses of the family Herpesviridae are responsible for much woe among humans, chickens and monkeys.® Formula One Racing in the 1960s - This was a time of great change as the first generation of heroes was replaced by younger drivers.
® Diophantine Equations - Named after the Greek mathematician, Diophantus of Alexandria, who lived in the 3rd century.
QOTD: Your cat is obviously a talented life & design guru.
11 August 2009
How Shakespeare Gave a Name to Irish Pipes - How the bard labelled an instrument that hadn't yet been invented.® Pogo Sticks - A toy that has withstood the test of time, being largely unchanged since its invention in 1919.
® Mission Statements - If anyone asks you exactly what your business does, you may need to refer to one of these.
QOTD: Henry Ford was a brilliant engineer but, like many engineers, he was completely clueless about human nature.
12 August 2009
Crazy Joe Gallo - New York City gangster and racketeer 'Joey' was immortalised in a Bob Dylan song.® German Pronunciation - German is the official language of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and one of the languages of Switzerland.
® The Human Respiratory System - We breathe in and out between 15 and 25 times a minute, but how does this automatic process work?
QOTD: What's your little victory for the day? … Mine is eating a bowl of tomato soup for dinner without spilling on my white top!
13 August 2009
The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge - Once the longest suspension bridge in the world, it spans New York's turbulent East River.® Pond Life in the UK: Introduction to a Microcosm - These places are veritable 'jungles', teeming with the strangest of creatures.
® Torque or Moment - When you turn a screwdriver or use a ratchet you are applying (if not necessarily caring about) the concept of torque.
QOTD: The strange thing is that I used an anti insect spray - the others with me didn't and they don't seem to have been bitten … Maybe I'm just tasty!
14 August 2009
How To Do The Laundry Properly And Efficiently - Excellent 'homespun' advice that will take you to clean clothes nirvana.® Cake Recipes - There's no greater component of a ritual Sunday teatime than cake, so here are some lovely recipes to try out.
® How to Pronounce Italian - Italian has a very simple phonetic pronunciation system, so it can be learned very quickly.
QOTD: It's a wedding ring. Technically they're not grooves, they're ruts.
17 August 2009
Reusing Baby Equipment - Some excellent tips on how you might put obsolete equipment to sometimes novel use.® The Second Amendment to the US Constitution - 26 words have been the final word on US firearms regulation for over 200 years.
® Baked Potato Toppings and Fillings - The humble baked potato isn't exactly what you'd call fast food, but there couldn't be anything easier.
QOTD: I find these posters allmost as irritating as the motavational ones . You know the type , a photo of waves crashing against a cliff under it written ' To discover new horizons you must first leave the shore ' or some such drivel .
18 August 2009
Grace Gifford's Wedding - Married and widowed on the same day, Grace Gifford dedicated her life to her late husband's cause in Ireland.® The Scots Leid - It's close to English but it's not simply a dialect; Scots is to English what Dutch is to German.
® The Decline and Legacy of the Samurai - The people of Japan soon became nostalgic about the heroic warriors of the past era.
QOTD: If I've remembered my Latin right, I think the title translates as 'Hope in onions'.
19 August 2009
Unattended Luggage - A modern philosophical dilemma occurs the moment you attend to your suitcase.® Russian Crazy Sevens - Despite its name, this card game originated in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1998.
® The Lava Lamp - This oozy symbol of spaced-out 1960s kitsch is still regarded as a contemporary piece today.
QOTD: Not a fan of death classical myself, though I'm partial to thrash coral and new wave string quartet metal...
20 August 2009
The Great Divorce: A Novel by CS Lewis - This could be seen as a theological work, but at its heart it's really a fantasy. ® William the Conqueror - Also known as William the Bastard, he's remembered as one of England's most powerful kings.
® Clotted Cream - Thick, rich and golden, clotted cream is probably the best-known delicacy of Devon and Cornwall.
QOTD: How do you deal with house spiders?
21 August 2009
Ditherington Flax Mill - This Entry makes the case for the mill being the most important building in Shropshire, if not the world. ® Great Radio Shows - In its heyday, before the mass production of TV sets, radio was the link for everyday families with the wider world.
® The Main Street of America: Route 66 - Immortalised in song, it's one of the most celebrated roads in the world.
QOTD: I'm the only competent driver in the world...
24 August 2009
Star Trek: Phasers - The phaser's name is derived from PHASed Energy Rectification replacing the primitive projectile-based gun.Michael Morpurgo: Children's Author - According to some, Morpurgo is 'one of the greatest storytellers alive and well in the 21st Century'.
® The Lion of Chaironeia - A giant statue erected in Central Greece in about 300 BC which commemorates the dead who fell in a battle.
QOTD: Just decided I could take a break for the length of the next song my randomiser came up with....and it was a 17-minute one
25 August 2009
Meningitis - The bacterial form of this illness tends to be potentially life-threatening though in its viral form it's usually relatively benign.Anthony Comstock and the Death of Ida Craddock - Comstock's desire to enforce Victorian moral codes had tragic consequences.
® Making Tea in the Australian Bush - Brewing a cuppa in a billycan can add a kind of picnic atmosphere to the occasion.
QOTD: Deliberately blocking someone from in front or charging up from behind is rude whether you are on foot, in a swimming pool, on a bike, in a car or on a spaceship.
26 August 2009
A Cup of Cake - We've heard of cups of tea and coffee but but never a cup of cake. Well, until this Entry that is.Urge Incontinence - This describes the urgent need to pass urine due to untimely contractions of the bladder muscle.
® Sir John Soane Museum, London - Born to a bricklayer in 1753, by the end of his life, he was one of Britain's wealthiest collectors.
QOTD: I've been to paradise but I've never been to Leeds.
27 August 2009
Sir Bobby Robson - Best-known as manager of the England football team, he also established a cancer research charity.Stress Incontinence - The involuntary loss of urine upon any activity, such as coughing, that puts pressure on the bladder.
® Ancient Mayan Cultures - The cultures of Central America are recognised as one of the great early centres of human civilisation.
QOTD: There's a lot to be said for being an ugly duckling.
28 August 2009
Collecting Sea Glass - Sea glass is variously described as mermaid's tears, shards, beach glass and flotsam or jetsam.Osama bin Laden - It is difficult to assess the 'real' Osama bin Laden due to the many myths that surround him.
® What's the Point of Astronomy? - Some of the earliest human inscriptions and paintings have illustrated the stars above us.
QOTD: Make a tomato/pepper sauce 'base' and freeze it. … And then STEP AWAY FROM THE CELERY it's evil...
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