Stand Up

 Even though there is no one person who was the first stand up comedian, there are several who contributed to the art. Humor goes way back but when you think of what is called stand up comedy the person most credited as the first would be Artemus Ward, aka Charles Browne who started out writing funny letters in a newspaper then discovered other people using his gags at minstrel shows and circuses and decided to go on the lecture circuit with his own material, needless to say it worked. Mark Twain loved Artemus and took a page or two from his book and as we know the rest is history. Bert Williams had it a little rougher as he was a black man so it was harder for him to get into mainstream comedy, though his talent shined through and allowed him to make a name and business for himself, at times having to wear blackface to be able to perform at some venues. 

No Butts About It

 As one might guess, I read a lot. Some of it is off the wall stuff while some is science based though still on the strange side, today's post is a little of both. Researchers have found that shrinkage or inflammation of the gluteus maximus may reflect frailty, sitting time, fat deposition and diabetes risk, and these changes may occur differently in men and women. While past studies mainly looked at muscle size or fat the recent study was 3D mapping using 61,000 MRI scans, they also used detailed physical measurements, medical histories and lifestyles. Bottom line (pun intended!) it's not the size but the shape of the butt that determines not only how well a person is aging but also their risk for diabetes. Men tend to show thinning of muscle mass in the case of type 2 diabetes where women show an increase in their glutes muscle mass. Side note: this study is good until the next one proves it wrong. 

Reggie aka Mr. Terminator

Maybe since black swans are native to Australia that is the reason Reggie didn't get along with the native mute swans at Stratford-upon-Avon in England. Reggie got his nickname, Mr. Terminator as he tried to drown many of the mute swans and disrupted nesting swans not to mention terrorizing other birds and tourists. It was decided Reggie needed to be captured and relocated to Dawlish where there are others of his kind. The locals were sad to see him go but realized it was best for him, the mute swans and the river in general. 

 

Why Not Zebras?

Does anyone have enough time on their hands to wonder why we don't ride zebras? Even though they are in the same family as horses, zebras were in a very different location where they had to exercise their fight or flight instincts to survive. Unlike their Eurasian counterparts zebras had predators like lions, cheetahs and hyenas to deal with which put their survival tactics into overdrive, a kick from a zebra is powerful enough to break a lion's jaw. The same things that keep them safe in the wild are the very characteristics that make them difficult to domesticate. Of course it has been done but considering they are smaller than today's horses they really aren't suited to carrying loads or other uses associated with domestic horses. 

 

Death Coaster

 In a different twist on euthanasia a Lithuanian engineer designed a hypothetical rollercoaster of death with a fatal series of twists, turns and loops which would take around 60 seconds to complete. There would be space for 24 people and each would have two buttons in front of them, a go button and a stop button. If anyone pressed the stop button the ride would end for everyone which seems very likely that at least one person out of 24 would change their mind. The 1600 ft. rollercoaster would reach speeds up to 223 mph with a series seven looping tracks that would cause death from the G forces which at 10 Gs would cause euphoria, thrills, unconsciousness, blackouts and death. What a way to go. 

  

Cousin Walk

 Ready for a walk before Thanksgiving dinner? A.k.a. Thanksgiving walk and pre-dinner safety meeting, the cousin walk usually involves the younger members of the family stepping out for a few puffs of cannabis to both lessen the tension often felt with family gatherings and increase their appetite for the coming feast. Years ago it was considered a subversive activity but with marijuana being legal in 40 out of 50 states the pre-turkey toke has become part of the holiday tradition, so much so that "Green Wednesday" is the second biggest day for pot sales, only 420 (April 20th) has better sales. Of course this may be a short lived tradition with the currest administration looking to tighten restrictions on legal sales. 

Before Mr. Ed

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Ed it was a sitcom about a talking horse that ran from 1961-1966, but pre Mr. Ed (1925) there was another famous horse named Lady Wonder. Originally called Lady her owner noticed that the horse would often come before she called her and wondered if she could read her mind.  By the time Lady was 2 years old she could spell words using blocks with letters on them, when Lady correctly predicted the winner of the Demsey-Tunney boxing match rumors of the mind reading horse spread. In 1940 LIFE magazine included her in part of an article on ESP. Lady could also do basic math and tell time. Lady lived a long remarkable life, dying in 1957 at age 33. 

Beyond Cuddly

 Regardless how a person feels about AI there are still some bugs to work out, to say the least. An AI powered teddy bear was pulled from the market after a watchdog group flagged how the toy could explore sexually explicit topics and give children advice that could harm them. The talking teddy bear shared how to find knives in a home, how to light a match and sexual concepts like spanking and kinks in graphic detail. The toy went on in length about sexual positions in step by step instructions, a good knot for tying up a partner, roleplay dynamics between students and teachers and parents and children, scenarios it brought up without prompting. Just what this world needs a teddy preddy (predator). 

Cat Schizos

 They claim having pets increases a persons well being, both health wise and mentally, that is until a recent study revealed having a cat increased the likelihood of schizophrenic related conditions, according to 17 studies. In a 1995 study schizophrenia was linked with exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii which is found in undercooked meat, contaminated water and cat feces. No need to panic yet if you're a cat owner as the conclusion of the study was it needed further study, though anyone who's been around cats can't argue that cats definitely exhibit schizo behavior on a regular basis so maybe it's more about assuming the characteristics of your pet? 

Pictures of the Year

National Geographic has released the 2025 pictures of the year featuring the images that most inspired and defined  the year. The photos speak to the beauty, fragility and wonder of our world, they also offer a sense of urgency to preserve what's in danger of being lost. Enjoy. 

A polar bear feasting on a decomposing sperm whale

2 day old piglet with altered genes to allow kidney transplants to humans 

Honoring Freddie

 Britian is celebrating Freddie Mercury with a new coin marking his iconic Live Aid concert 40 years ago. The coin features the Queen legend, head thrown back holding the microphone stand. A music stave runs around the edge of the coin representing his four octave vocal range. Freddie died too young to be awarded a royal medal for his talent so this is a fitting way to honor his memory. The coins go on sale on Tuesday at the Royal Mint website. The uncirculated 5 pound coing costs 18.50 pounds, $24.40 US, the 2 oz. gold proof costs 9,350 pound or $12,315. US. A special gold edition will be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust for AIDS and HIV. 

For the Record

 It's astounding to find what some of the Guinness World Records are for. Today's post looks at three good examples of the oddities surrounding the pursuit of getting into the Guinness Book. First up is a man who known as a serial Guinness World Record breaker. This time he managed to bounce 10 pencils into 10 glasses in 6.88 seconds for the record. The same man also set a record for carrying 7 bowling balls while riding a unicycle for 10 seconds. Last on today's list a Swedish man who was prompted by his kids to get into the record book, after searching the records he decided he could beat the record for 68 matchsticks up his nostrils and managed to pack 81 into his nostrils for the record. Who comes up with these ideas is my question. 

Vintage Thanksgiving

Today's post takes a look back at vintage Thanksgiving side dishes, I think most people would agree that there's no need for any of these to be resurrected. Has anyone ever heard of pimento pea salad with Miracle Whip? Then there were the various Jello molds and their unknown add ins. Creamed onions don't actually sound too bad, giblet gravy, not so much. Deviled ham stuffing? and last on today's list is suet pudding which apparently arrived with the pilgrims and originated in England before there was a holiday called Thanksgiving. 

 

In Case You Were Wondering

 A couple of days ago I posted about classic pet names including lists of the top ten male and female dog names according to the AKC. After doing some more digging I found another list of pet names including cats that was compiled by an animal boarding company named Rover, this year they looked into trends with pet names. For male puppies the three highest trending names were Caesar, Mufasa and Oswald, while the top female puppy names were Elphie, Tsuki and Rumi. For kittens the top three male names were Tater, Milton and Stewie, and for the females Priscilla, Snowball and Pickle. They also composed regional lists and pop culture lists, their methods seem to be a more accurate sampling than what the AKC listed. 

Going Naked

 Starting December 1st some Cheetos and Doritos will lose their signature bright colors. No need to panic the old style will still be available (no thanks to RFK Jr.) the Simply NKD snacks will be in addition to the their more colorful companions. The new NKD products will be available in four flavors: Doritos Simply NKD Nacho Cheese, Doritos Simply NKD Cool Ranch, Cheetos Simply NKD Puffs and Cheetos Simply NKD Flamin Hot. They claim the Simply NKD still have the same flavor and crunch but no artifical colors or flavors. Will Simply NKD Cheetos be the same addictive snack if your fingers don't turn orange?