Some of the first sounds we learn to imitate as babies are the sounds animals supposedly make. I say supposedly, since each language has its own idea about what those sounds are. While most people hear the mewing of a cat in a similar way (some variant of mee-ow), there is a huge range of opinion about how best to represent the grunting of a pig (see below).

I’ve always thought the silliest animal sound in English is the traditional “cock-a-doodle-doo” attributed to the rooster. To my ear, the Hungarian “kukuriku” or the Portuguese “cucurucu,” come much closer to the sound of the original since roosters don’t really have the ability to pronounce distinct words as humans do.

Here then are some of the more interesting variations on common animal sounds (transliterated into the Latin alphabet as necessary).

Pig (grunting)

• Danish: øf-øf
• Dutch: knor knor
• French: groin groin
• German: grunz
• Hungarian: röf-röf
• Japanese: boo boo
• Russian: hrgu-hrgu
• Swedish: nöff-nöff

Cat (purring)

• Danish: pierr
• Dutch: prrr
• Finnish: hrr
• French: ronron
• German: srr
• Hungarian: doromb
• Japanese: goro goro
• Russian: mrr
• Spanish: rrr

Small Dog (barking)

• Danish: vov-vov
• Dutch: waf waf
• Finnish: hau hau
• French: ouah ouah
• German: wau wau
• Hebrew: how-how
• Hungarian: vau vau
• Italian: arf arf/bau bau
• Japanese: kian kian
• Russian: hav-hav/gav-gav
• Spanish: guau/gua
• Swedish: bjäbb-bjäbb
• Turkish: hev hev

Rooster (crowing)

• Danish: kykyliky
• Dutch: kukeleku
• Finnish: kukko kiekuu
• French: cocorico
• German: kikeriki
• Greek: kikiriku/kikiriki
• Hebrew: coo-koo-ri-koo
• Hungarian: kukuriku
• Italian: chicchirichi
• Japanese: ko-ke-kok-ko-o
• Portuguese: cucurucu
• Russian: kukareku
• Swedish: kuckeliku
• Turkish: kuk-kurri-kuuu
• Urdu: kuklooku

Source: Dr. Derek Abbott’s Homepage

Every year at Christmas it seems there are at least one or two items that are the “must-have” toy or gadget of the season. This year, the Sony PlayStation 3 appears to hold this position; in the past month there have been numerous reports about the lengths people are going to in order to obtain one for their kids or themselves.

In 1983, the quest for the “it” toy of the season was raised to a whole new level with the introduction of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. For those of you old enough to remember, the demand for these glorified rag dolls had frantic parents nearly tearing stores (and each other) apart to get one (since I was nine at the time, I really wanted one too).

Not every year sees this kind of toy phenomenon, but here are some of the most popular toys of the last twenty-three years.

• 1983: Cabbage Patch Kids

• 1984: Transformers

• 1985: Care Bears

• 1986: Pound Puppies

• 1989: Nintendo Game Boy

• 1991: Pogs

• 1996: Beanie Babies & Tickle Me Elmo

• 1997: Pokémon

• 1998: Furby

• 2000: Razor Scooters

• 2001: Bratz Dolls

• 2005: Xbox 360

Source: Wikipedia

Traditional British food typically gets a bad rap in other countries for being either too bland or too greasy, but as with any food, it might simply be an acquired taste. We all have a soft spot for comfort foods we’ve grown up with, and if nothing else, the Brits do comfort food extremely well. Although it can be heavy on potatoes and pork products, certain elements of British cuisine do have broader appeal, such as the iconic fish and chips dinner.

However, there are also certain food items that seem to appeal uniquely to British tastebuds; marmite, black pudding, and haggis spring immediately to mind. While some may shun them, there are others who are equally passionate in their appreciation of these foods.

• British Sausage Appreciation Society: This group publishes a newsletter called “The Missing Link.”
• Everything brown sauce!: A Canadian Web site inspired by HP sauce (also called “brown sauce”), a tangy condiment popular in both Canada and the UK.
• I Love Crisps: Discussion and reviews of different kinds of potato chips (“crisps”), including British favorites Prawn Cocktail and Worcestershire.
• Marmite Fan Club: For fans of the yeasty, salty condiment.
• Sausage Fans: Another site for sausage lovers.
• Spam Fan Club: Technically an American food, it was immortalized in the Spam sketch by British comedy group Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Having trouble sleeping at night? It could be the light from a streetlight (or a neighbor’s floodlights) streaming through your bedroom window and interrupting your circadian rhythms. Intrusive artificial light at night can take several forms, and each causes its own set of problems. Here are five examples, taken from Interesting Thing of the Day and the Wikipedia:

• Light trespass: When someone else’s light shines onto your property (and, especially, through your windows), that’s known as light trespass. If curtains can keep it out, it’s not serious, but in many cases there’s no way to get away from your neighbor’s light.
• Over-illumination: Artificial lighting in excess of what is needed for its intended purpose (e.g., safety) is known as over-illumination. Excess nighttime lighting wastes an astonishing amount of electricity (and, therefore, money—not to mention natural resources).
• Glare: Any light that impairs your vision at night is known as glare; it’s especially dangerous for drivers but can cause problems for anyone whose eyes need to be adapted to low light levels.
• Clutter: Put too many lights too close together, and they can create a distraction for motorists and pilots.
• Skyglow: When lights—especially those pointing upwards—hit a layer of cloud, fog, dust, or pollution in the atmosphere, it creates a glowing layer of light above a city that makes it impossible to see the stars. Skyglow is the bane of astronomers, both amateur and professional, around the world. (Sometimes written as two words: sky glow.)

Lowest (People per square kilometer)

1. Mongolia (2)
2. Namibia (2)
3. Australia (3)
4. Botswana (3)
5. Iceland (3)
6. Surinam (3)
7. Libya (3)
8. Mauritania (3)
9. Canada (3)
10. Guyana (4)

Highest (People per square kilometer)

1. Monaco (16,205)
2. Singapore (6,386)
3. Malta (1,261)
4. Maldives (1,164)
5. Bahrain (1,035)
6. Bangladesh (1,002)
7. Vatican City (920)
8. Barbados (648)
9. Nauru (621)
10. Mauritius (603)

Source: WorldAtlas.com

Pumpkin pie is the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but there are many other ways to incorporate pumpkin into a tasty dessert. If you are not a fan of pie, or if you just want to do something different this year, here are some other pumpkin recipes you might want to try.

• Baked Alaska
• Bread Pudding
• Brownies
• Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Crème Brûlée
• Crisp
• Crumble
• Crunch
• Flan
• Fluff
• Fritters
• Fudge
• Jelly Rolls
• Mousse
• Poached
• Pudding
• Rum Mousse
• Souffle
• Truffles

This Thanksgiving, I’m sure there will be a significant number of people who will deep fry their turkeys instead of roasting them, a process that in my opinion produces a tasty end result, but does require a lot of preparation. According to a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, Martha Stewart started the whole turkey deep-frying trend, and as a result, inspired a renewed interest in deep frying other unconventional items. While I do enjoy some deep-fried foods (chicken, doughnuts, French fries), I think there are some foods that are better left alone. Not everyone agrees with me on this, which is obvious if you look at the examples below.

Savory

• Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick
• Cheeseburger
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Cheese Curds
• Pizza
• Dill Pickles
• Pretzels
• Vegetables & Fruit: Avocado, Tomatoes, Olives, Asparagus, Artichoke Hearts
• Cicadas

Sweet

• Coca-Cola
• Twinkies
• Oreos
• Cheesecake
• Mars Bars

I’ve always thought it was strange that the English word for the bird commonly eaten on Thanksgiving is “turkey,” since it did not originate from the Mediterranean country of the same name, but is native to North America. Upon further research, I’ve found that the early European settlers came up with the name because of the American bird’s resemblance to the African Helmeted Guineafowl, also known as the turkey-cock.

Confusion over the provenance of this particular bird is not limited to the English language, however; many other languages, including Turkish, have geographically related names for the Thanksgiving bird that are just as mixed up as ours. This information comes mostly from the Wikipedia, along with somewhat contradictory statements from the Linguist List (here and here).

Names Referring to India

• Turkish: Hindi (from/related to India)
• French: Poulet d’inde (chicken from India)
• Catalan: Gall dindi (Indian chicken)
• Hebrew: Tarnegol hodu (Indian chicken)
• Russian: Indiuk
• Polish: Indyk
• Yiddish: Indik
• Maltese: Dundjan
• Dutch: Kalkoen (from the Indian city of Calicut)
• Bahasa Indonesia: Ayam kalkun (bird + reference to Calicut)
• Danish: Kalkun (see Dutch)
• Swedish: Kalkon (see Dutch)
• Low German: Kalkuun (see Dutch)
• Finnish: Kalakuna (see Dutch)

Names Referring to France

• Greek: Gallopoula (French bird) [According to some sources, it’s a different word meaning “Egyptian rooster.”]
• Scottish Gaelic: Cearc frangach (French chicken)

Other Countries

• (Standard) Arabic: Dik roumi (Roman rooster) [According to some sources, it’s diiq hindi, or Indian rooster]
• Palestinian Arabic: Diik Habash (Ethiopian rooster)
• Egyptian Arabic: “Greek bird” or “Greek rooster” [According to some sources, it’s dik-rumi, or Turkish fowl, though that looks suspiciously like the “roumi” that supposedly means Roman]
• Malay: Ayam belanda (Dutch chicken)
• Portuguese: Peru (refers to the country)

As Thanksgiving draws ever closer, I’d like to offer another list excerpted from Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner. You know the old saying about too many cooks in the kitchen. As long as you have just one willing assistant and my book, you’ve got all the help you need to prepare a complete Thanksgiving meal, and adding more people might only serve to complicate your life. But guests frequently ask if they can help, and some of them won’t take “no” for an answer! I’d like to offer some suggestions for tasks that can keep them occupied yet out of your way:

• Set the table: If you haven’t already done this, it’s a good task for someone else. And if you have, someone can fill water glasses, light candles, or do other peripheral jobs.
• Set out snacks: Point your guest to the hors d’oeuvres that have magically appeared in your kitchen (see Five Things You Can Ask Guests to Bring on Thanksgiving).
• Greet other guests: If you’re up to your elbows in a turkey, you may not be able to leave the kitchen to answer the door. Having a designated greeter can take a load off your mind.
• Serve drinks: Your guests will probably expect to get a beverage of some kind shortly after they arrive. A volunteer can take orders and deliver drinks.
• Occupy the kids: Young children in the house? You can keep them and your guests occupied by setting them up with a board game or other distraction. Younger children (and older) might enjoy paper, scissors, and crayons or markers, which they can use to make decorations.
• Occupy the grownups: If children ask what they can do (my, what well-bred children you have!), tell them how much their seldom-seen relatives would like to hear about their school or hobbies.
• Run errands: In case of a last-minute need for ice or some other necessity, it’s nice to have a designated gofer.
• Read the directions: Sometimes it’s easier to have someone read cooking instructions out loud to you than to read them yourself when you’re busy doing something else.

You’ve carefully planned a full Thanksgiving menu, bought your ingredients, and arranged a lovely feast—and then, inevitably, someone asks, “What can I bring?” You have everything under control, but you also don’t want to turn away help or hurt anyone’s feelings. What do you say? Here are a few suggestions, excerpted from my book Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner:

• Wine: If your family drinks wine with Thanksgiving dinner, that’s a safe and easy choice; you’re not even obligated to serve the guest’s wine with that particular meal if you already have something else that you feel goes better.
• Bread: My suggested menu does not include bread—I figure you have enough starches with the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sweet potatoes. But people will eat bread if it’s on the table. I recommend asking for either dinner rolls or larger rolls suitable for leftover turkey sandwiches. You’ll be glad you have them the day after!
• Dessert: You’re probably already planning to serve pumpkin pie, but many people prefer apple pie or mincemeat pie—or even (gasp!) a non-pie dessert. A guest could bring one of these. Another suggestion: good-quality vanilla ice cream, which goes with just about any dessert. If time is short or stress is high, you might even decide to skip making your own pumpkin pie and let someone else bring it.
• Hors d’oeuvres: Your guests will probably arrive well before the meal, so it’s always a good idea to have something light to snack on. Anything from mixed nuts to fresh vegetables to deviled eggs could be a good choice.
• A personal specialty: If a family member who makes the world’s best gravy, cranberry sauce, or something else on this menu offers to bring something, take the hint! You’ll save yourself some work and give the guest a chance to show off.

For many more Thanksgiving ideas, including detailed instructions for making a complete traditional menu from scratch without going crazy, pick up a copy of Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner.

During the recent U.S. mid-term election, the town of Jupiter, Florida was mentioned in the news because it experienced some problems with its voting process. Hearing the town’s name made me wonder if there were other towns similarly named after planets. I found out that there are many, and I’ve listed the states that have towns named after a certain planet, in order of each planet’s distance from the sun. Strangely (or not), there were no towns named after Uranus, but I did find one location that uses that name (see below). Also, even though Pluto was recently downgraded from its former planet status, I’m including it because I’m assuming these towns were named before that switch happened.

Mercury

• Alabama
• Nevada
• Texas

Venus

• Arkansas
• Florida
• Kentucky
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania

Earth

• Texas

Also:

• Black Earth (Wisconsin)
• Blue Earth (Minnesota)
• White Earth (Minnesota & Maryland)
• Earth City (Missouri)
• Middle Earth (Maryland)

Mars

• California
• Pennsylvania
• Texas

Jupiter

• California
• Florida
• North Carolina

Saturn

• Indiana
• Texas

Uranus

• Uranus Ridge, Idaho (not a town, but a topographic feature)

Neptune

• Iowa
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Pluto

• Mississippi
• Texas
• West Virginia

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System

The Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye (or Y Gelli in Welsh) was the starting point for the international “book towns” movement, now made up of about 20 towns around the world. Boasting 41 bookstores for only 1500 inhabitants (that’s about one bookstore for every 37 residents), Hay-on-Wye also plays host to the annual Hay Festival, a literary gathering that draws 80,000 visitors each May.

The bookstores in Hay-on-Wye are notable not only for being so numerous, but also for their large range of subject matter and unique settings. I’ve read that there are 41 bookstores in the town, but depending on how you count, you can come up with a shorter or longer list. For example, there are numerous stores not listed here that sell books but just not as their main products, at least one wholesale book dealer, and a couple of additional book binderies. Most of the bookstores in this list are from the list of bookshops on the town’s official Web site and this PDF map of the 2006 festival. Feel free to leave a comment if you know of any others.

1. Addyman’s Books: General selection with a focus on English literature and modern first editions.
2. Addyman’s Annexe: Offshoot of Addyman’s Books that, according to their Web site, specializes in “the sexier material: beat, sex, drugs, art, modern firsts, poetry, philosophy, left wing history and the occasional occult work!”
3. Antique Golf & Books
4. Antique & Book Centre
5. C. Arden, Bookseller: Natural history and gardening books
6. Backfold Books & Bygones
7. B & K Books: Books about bees and apiculture.
8. The Black Mountains Bindery: Mainly a book repair shop, they also have a small selection of secondhand books.
9. Bookends: A chain of bookstores with its main operations in Hay-on-Wye.
10. The Bookshop
11. The Book Unit
12. Boz Books: Specializes in Dickens and other 19th century authors.
13. Broad Street Book Centre
14. Castle Street Books
15. The Children’s Bookshop
16. The Children’s Bookshop (Number 2)
17. Davidleesbooks.com
18. Greenways Corner Bookshop
19. Hancock & Monks
20. Hay Castle: Bookstore located in the town’s 13th-century castle.
21. Hay Cinema Bookshop: One of the largest stores in town, and as its name suggests, it was formerly a cinema.
22. Hay-on-Wye Booksellers
23. Hay-on-Wye Books Trade
24. Kestrel Books and Gallery
25. Lion Street Bookshop
26. Marijana Dworski Books: Specializes in languages (dictionaries, grammars etc.), and books on the Balkans, Russia, Central Asia and East Central Europe.
27. Andrew Morton Books
28. Murder & Mayhem: Offshoot of Addyman’s Books, sells detective fiction.
29. The New Strand
30. Outcast Books
31. Oxford House Books
32. Pembertons: Sells new books, and is the official bookseller for the Hay Festival.
33. Rare Comics & Cards
34. Richard Booth’s Bookshop Ltd: Located in the town’s old firehouse, this bookstore is owned by the man who began the book town movement in Hay-on-Wye in 1961.
35. Rose’s Books: Specializes in rare and out-of-print children’s and illustrated books.
36. The Poetry Bookshop
37. The Sensible Bookshop
38. The Strand Bookshop
39. Westhouse Books
40. Mark Westwood Books
41. Y Gelli Auctions

Of course most of us store our music digitally on a computer or iPod these days, but some people still think having physical CDs (or even—gasp—vinyl) is a pretty neat idea. If I learned anything from reading/watching High Fidelity (book | DVD), it’s that there’s more than one way to organize one’s albums, and an occasional resorting can do wonders for the spirit. If you’re looking for a novel way to organize your discs and want some inspiration, consider these ideas. (Full disclosure: My CDs are currently organized alphabetically by performer’s last name, and, for each performer, by the original album release date.)

1. chronologically by album release date
2. chronologically by historical era (Bach before Bacharach before Beck)
3. chronologically by when you purchased them (autobiographically)
4. chronologically, grouped by life stage you associate with each album (e.g., high school, college, first job, important relationships)
5. alphabetically by performer’s name
6. by album cover—color, type of image, size of title font
7. by length of album (based on number of tracks or total play time)
8. by length of album title
9. by genre
10. by relationship links between performers (e.g., Elvis Costello and Diana Krall)
11. by the frequency with which you listen to them
12. by composer (good for classical music)
13. by instrumentation (string quartets, solo pianos, 4-piece rock bands)
14. by country of origin (of performer, composer, or genre)
15. by the activity you like to perform while listening to it (cooking, cleaning, studying, romancing)
16. by average tempo
17. by mood (slow, ponderous albums together; peppy, danceable albums together)

When I was a kid, I remember passing through the town of Vegreville, Alberta on a family trip and seeing the giant “Pysanka” that is the town’s claim to fame. I found this enormous replica of the highly decorated eggs that are a Ukrainian Easter tradition impressive not only for its size, but also for its wonderful oddness. I thought then that it was a strange idea to create a 31-foot-tall (9.5 meter) Easter egg, but I’ve since learned that the Pysanka was designed as a tribute not only to the province’s large population of Ukrainian immigrants, but also to the centennial of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974. I was further interested to know that new computer programs had to be developed to map out its intricate pattern, and that this represented the first time an egg had been modeled using computers.

This charming combination of local pride, engineering know-how, and a sense of fun are elements of many other “World’s Largest” attractions throughout the world. Here is a selected list of other enormous food-related structures.

Fruit & Nuts

• Banana (Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia)
• Lemon (Lemon Grove, California)
• Olive (Lindsay, California)
• Peach (Gaffney, South Carolina)
• Peanut (Ashburn, Georgia)
• Pecan (Brunswick, Missouri)
• Pineapple (Nambour, Queensland, Australia)
• Strawberry (Strawberry Point, Iowa)
• Tomato (Leamington, Ontario)
• Watermelon (Luling, Texas)

Vegetables

• Artichoke (Castroville, California)
• Ear of Corn (Rochester, Minnesota)
• Potato (Maugerville, New Brunswick)
• Pumpkin (Circleville, Ohio)

Processed Foods

• Catsup Bottle (Collinsville, Illinois)
• Can of Chili (Beloit, Wisconsin)
• Can of Coca-Cola (Portage La Prairie, Manitoba)
• Can of Fruit Cocktail (Sunnyvale, California)
• Box of Raisins (Kingsburg, California)
• Container of Yoghurt (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Eastern European Foods

• Kielbassa (Mundare, Alberta) Polish Sausage
• Pyrogy (Glendon, Alberta) Ukrainian Dumplings
• Pysanka (Vegreville, Alberta) Ukrainian Easter Egg (A symbolic item, not meant to be eaten)

You’ve heard of the Book-of-the-Month Club, no doubt, a handy way for bibliophiles to feed their obsession without leaving the house. I’ve personally been a member of a fruit-of-the-month club and a chocolate-of-the-month club too. But the range of items you can receive by mail, once a month by subscription, is truly staggering. This list barely scratches the surface, but it does provide a pretty good cross-section of the kinds of things you can subscribe to in this way. (For the purpose of this list, I include only physical items, not things delivered in digital form over the Internet.) You can read more about ___-of-the-Month Clubs at Interesting Thing of the Day.

1. Amber: Amber of the Month Club
2. Art Made from Dead Animals: Unfortunate Animal of the Month Club
3. Avocados: Avocado of the Month Club
4. Bacon: Bacon of the Month Club
5. Barbecue Sauce: BBQ Sauce of the Month Club, BBQ Sauce of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), BBQ Sauce of the Month Club (The Month Club Store), BBQ Sauce Club (Delightful Deliveries)
6. Beef Jerky: Beef Jerky of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
7. Beer: Beer of the Month Club (Clubs of America), Hog’s Head Beer of the Month Club, Micro Beer of the Month Club, Beer of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Beer Club (Delightful Deliveries)
8. Books: Book-of-the-Month Club, The Literary Guild, Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club, Bestsellers Monthly Book Connection
9. Cake: Cake of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Mrs. Beasley’s Cake Plan (Delightful Deliveries)
10. Candles: Candle of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Candle of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
11. Candy: Candy of the Month Club
12. CDs: CD of the Month Club (Echodisc)
13. Cheese: Cheese of the Month Club (iGourmet), Wisconsinmade Award Winning Cheese of the Month Club
14. Cheesecake: Cheesecake of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
15. Chicken Soup: Once-a-Month Chicken Soup Club
16. Chocolate: Chocolate of the Month Club (Clubs of America), Chocolate of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Ethel M Chocolate Club (Delightful Deliveries), Nirvana Chocolate Club (Delightful Deliveries)
17. Cigars: Cigar of the Month Club (Clubs of America), The Premium Cigar of the Month Club, Cigar of the Month Club (The Month Club Store), Cigar of the Month Club (Delightful Deliveries)
18. Coffee: Coffee of the Month Club (Clubs of America), Coffee of the Month Club (iGourmet), Illy a Casa (Illy), Coffee of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Green Mountain Coffee Tours (Delightful Deliveries)
19. Cookies: Cookie of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Cookie of the Month Club (The Month Club Store),j Mrs. Beasley’s Cookie Plan/The Nutty Cookie’s Cookie Club/Cookie Club by Pacific Cookie Company (Delightful Deliveries)
20. Desserts: Dessert of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
21. Erotic Gifts: Sexy Gift of the Month Club
22. Flowers: Flower of the Month Club (Clubs of America), Fresh Cut Flower of the Month Club, Flower of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
23. Fruit: Fruit of the Month Club (Clubs of America), Fruit of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Fruit of the Month Club (Delightful Deliveries)
24. Gags: Gag of the Month Club
25. Golf Balls: Golf Ball of the Month Club (THe Month Club Store)
26. Gourmet Foods: Connoisseur’s Club
27. Gourmet Meals: Dinner of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
28. Hot Sauce: Hot Sauce of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Hot Sauce of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
29. Ice Cream: Ice Cream Club, Ice Cream of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
30. Jelly Beans: Bean-of-the-Month Club
31. Jelly: Jelly of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
32. Lobster: Lobster of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
33. Magic Tricks: Magic Trick of the Month Club
34. Minerals: Mineral of the Month Club
35. Movies: Movie of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs; includes Blockbuster gift card and popcorn or candy)
36. Mustard: Mustard of the Month Club (Mustard Museum), Mustard of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
37. Neckties: Necktie of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs)
38. Nuts: Nut of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
39. Olive Oil: Olive Oil of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
40. Olives: Olive of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
41. Organic Fruit: Organic Fruit Club (Delightful Deliveries)
42. Pasta: Pasta of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Pasta of the Month Club (The Month Club Store), Pasta of the Month Club (Delightful Deliveries)
43. Pickles: Pickle of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
44. Pizza: Pizza of the Month Club (Clubs of America)
45. Plants: Plants by the Month
46. Popcorn: Popcorn of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
47. Potato Chips: Potato Chip of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
48. Puzzles: Puzzle of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
49. Salsa: Salsa of the Month Club (iGourmet), Salsa of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
50. Sci-Fi DVDs: William Shatner DVD Club (Selected by William Shatner!)
51. Sock-Making Kits: Sock of the Month Club
52. Software: Software of the Month Club
53. Soup: Soup of the Month Club (The Month Club Store)
54. Stationery: Stationery of the Month Club
55. Steak: Steak of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Monthly Smile Maker (Omaha Steaks)
56. Tea: Tea of the Month Club (iGourmet), Tea of the Month Club (Adagio Teas), Tea of the Month Club (The Month Club Store), Green Tea Club/Black Tea Club/Assorted Tea Club/Herbal Tea Club (Delightful Deliveries)
57. Wine: Wine-of-the Month Club (Clubs of America), California Wine Club, Wine of the Month Club (Amazing Clubs), Wine Club (Delightful Deliveries)

When he wasn’t busy drafting the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia, or serving as President, Thomas Jefferson liked to invent things (and, frequently, improve upon other people’s inventions). He never took out a patent, owing to his belief that every invention should benefit all of society. Just a few of his numerous inventions (or innovations) include:

1. dumbwaiters for wine bottles
2. the Great Clock
3. the hideaway bed
4. macaroni and cheese, not to mention
5. a macaroni extruding device
6. the pedometer
7. the plow moldboard of least resistance
8. the polygraph (not a lie detector, but a copying machine)
9. a revolving bookstand
10. the spherical sundial
11. an improved swivel chair
12. the wheel cipher

You can learn more about many of these inventions at About.com and Jefferson’s Inventions.

October is Fair Trade Month, a time to raise awareness about the benefits of buying Fair Trade products such as coffee, tea, and chocolate, among others. The Fair Trade movement is based on the principle that farmers and small producers around the world should receive equitable pay for their work. As part of this effort, importers of Fair Trade goods make purchases directly from producer groups, ensuring that profits are not diverted by unnecessary middlemen. Other key principles of Fair Trade include the promotion of fair labor conditions, community development and environmental sustainability.

Below are a few online sources for Fair Trade products; visit TransFair USA’s Web site for a more complete list.

Coffee

• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
• Grounds for Change
• Java for Justice
• Mr. Espresso
• Peet’s Coffee
• Seattle’s Best Coffee
• Starbucks

Chocolate

• Dagoba Organic Chocolate
• Guittard Chocolate Company
• Ithaca Fine Chocolates

Multi-Item

• Equal Exchange: Coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar
• Global Exchange: Coffee, tea, chocolate, clothing, jewelry, crafts
• Ten Thousand Villages: Home furnishings, jewelry, toys, accessories, stationery

Anise is a common flavoring for everything from soup to cookies, and is popular in many parts of the world. One of the most prominent uses of anise is its inclusion in various liqueurs (sweetened spirits distilled with natural ingredients such as fruits and herbs) and unsweetened liquors such as absinthe, arak, and raki. Although there are many local variations on anise-flavored beverages, a common element is their ability to be “louched,” that is to turn cloudy when water is added to the liquor. This occurs because the oil from the anise remains suspended in higher concentrations of alcohol, but is released when the concentration decreases.

• Absinthe (France)
• Aguardiente (Colombia)
• Anis del Toro (Spain)
• Anisette (France)
• Arak (Lebanon/Syria/Jordan/Iraq)
• Galliano (Italy)
• Herbsaint (United States)
• Mastika (Bulgaria)
• Oghi (Armenia)
• Ouzo (Greece)
• Pastis (France)
• Patxaran (Spain)
• Raki (Turkey)
• Sambuca (Italy)
• Tsipouro (Greece)
• Xtabentún (Mexico)

Although I haven’t been able to find a Web site for people who dislike hot peppers, I think it’s pretty interesting that there are groups of people organized around their dislike of the other main ingredients of salsa. If you are among their number, here are the Web sites for you.

• Tomatoes: tomatoesareevil.com
• Cilantro: IHateCilantro.com
• Onions: onionssuck.com
• Garlic: JK’s Anti Garlic Club

Halloween is just around the corner, and for those of you already making plans to carve a jack-o-lantern, I’ve got some suggestions for you. Sure, you could make a traditionally spooky pumpkin, or you could create a pumpkin that expresses your political views, your love of George Lucas films, or your weakness for southern-born country crooners. The choice is yours.

Political Pumpkins

• Arnold Schwarzenegger: He’s going to “PUMP-kin” you up!
• George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein: Think ghosts and goblins are scary?
• George W. Bush and E.T.: Troops come home?
• Uncle Sam: This pumpkin WANTS YOU!
• Iwo Jima: Just in time for the Clint Eastwood film Flags of our Fathers, you can commemorate the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima in handy pumpkin form.
• Mahatma Gandhi: Civil rights pioneer and Father of the Indian Nation, he also looks mighty good on a pumpkin.

Jedi-O-Lanterns

• Yoda: “Carve me on a pumpkin you must.”
• Darth Vader: “The Force is strong with this pumpkin.”
• Boba Fett: For those of you hunting for the season’s bounty.

Singing Stars

• Johnny Cash: Add a “Ring of Fire” and this pumpkin will light up the night.
• Elvis: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” with this pumpkin.