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Busload of Books travels to all 50 US states

10/25/2022

This tale of a family travelling around the US to spread their love of reading inspires me; it also strikes me as being very American.

Busload of books article

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Now for an important question:

9/25/2022

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What's the better way to cut a sandwich? For the answer, click on the link. But warning: I stopped pretty quickly to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich. Yumm.

Triangles or Rectangles?

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Untrained passenger lands Florida plane after pilot falls ill

8/15/2022

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Could you land a small airplane if your pilot passed out? I'm not sure I could!

details here

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I'm not the only one taking a break

7/22/2022

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Scientist finds professor who supported her love for bugs when she was 4

6/15/2022

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This little girl knew what she wanted, and luckily an adult encouraged her.

WaPo article

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Hot dogs are serious business in the US

5/18/2022

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Does this slide show tempt you? Read all about it.

click

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The surprising afterlife of used hotel soap

4/23/2022

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Did you ever wonder where that little sliver goes? Here is one answer.

The Hustle article

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181 Writing Prompts

3/15/2022

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Do you want to practice writing? or maybe inspire your kids to try their hand at it? Here are 181 writing prompts that can also be used as discussion questions, even around the family dinner table.

181

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All the Superbowl ads together

2/9/2022

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hit me

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How travelling by train ushered in the era of time zones

1/12/2022

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Quick - in what year were international time zones set up in the US? Read this fascinating account of how travelling by train ushered in the era of time zones. (The answer is 1884.)

Time zones

Intern'l Meridian Conference

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52 things one guy learned in 2021

12/29/2021

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OK, so I'm a sucker for these kinds of lists. This one is called "52 things I learned in 2021", written by an innovation consultant and "reformed journalist" based in London. Still I think you will find at least one entry interesting, or quite possibly more. If you like this list, you can read what the guy learned in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Let me know!

Medium.com article + list

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British Teenager Finds Bronze Age Hoard of Artifacts with a Metal Detector

12/22/2021

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Using her metal detector for just the third time, 13-year-old Milly Hardwick from Suffolk in the UK found 65 artifacts dating back to 1300 BCE.

3,000-year-old ax +

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How Chicago's neighborhoods got their names

12/8/2021

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Here is a bit of history about my home town, Chicago.

article

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2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography contest

11/24/2021

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read me 2021

2020

2019

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Lost Colorado hiker ignored rescuers' calls because the hiker didn't recognize the phone number, officials say

10/27/2021

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really! (read about it here)

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The Science of Biscuits

10/4/2021

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There are so many recipes for biscuits it's hard to know which one to try. This enterprising baker first determined the basics that change from one recipe to the next. Then he made batches varying only one thing at a time to assess what matters. Butter or shortening? Milk or buttermilk? How much baking powder? Is overkneading really a thing? I haven't made these yet, but it won't be long. How about you?

yumm

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7 Years and 21 Self-improvement Experiments (not mine!)

9/15/2021

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I came across this blog post by accident, found it interesting, and think you might too. Has everyone tried something along the vein of a "self-improvement exercise"? This blogger writes about what changed him and what didn't. Food for thought.

blog article

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How to make friends as an adult

8/30/2021

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Small leaps aren't easy, but they are often worth it.

article

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Podcasts to binge

7/30/2021

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See the comments of the NYTimes article linked below for more suggestions.

7 podcasts with starter episodes

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Vocab boost

6/30/2021

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Bird paramedics is a thing

6/16/2021

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In New York City, volunteers collect injured and dead birds, identify hot spots and try to make skyscrapers less dangerous for migrating birds. Read more here.

Bird EMTs

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Hallmarks for writing English as a Second Language: Clarity, Simplicity, Brevity, Humanity

6/1/2021

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William Zinsser, nonfiction writer, editor and teacher, delivered this speech in 2009 to incoming international students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Zinsser explains how writing well in one language does not necessarily lend itself to writing well in English, and what to do about it. Does this ring any bells?

speech

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Low Hum of Menace

5/14/2021

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This American Life #696 Act Two

This episode of the podcast This American Life is an excerpt from a play based on the transcript of an FBI interrogation. I listened to it without knowing any of the background, and you can too. See if you can track your emotions from start to finish. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Please let me know what you think.

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