In the last few decades there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who are allergic to peanuts. According to an article in the June 24, 2006 issue of New Scientist, “Allergenic foods are often things a population eats a lot of,” and “Today, the average American eats 3 kilograms of peanut products per year…” (from “Dining with Death” by Anna Gosline).

Part of why peanut products have become so popular is that, more than many other plants, the fruit of Arachis hypogaea lends itself to so many different uses. Cultivated by ancient cultures in South America, and later transplanted to North America and Africa, the peanut has shown itself to be dazzlingly adaptable to both edible and non-edible purposes.

The famed American botanist George Washington Carver is said to have found 300 uses for peanuts, including cloth dyes, wood stains, cosmetics and wall boards. Here are six more intriguing uses for the humble groundnut.

1. Emergency Shaving Cream: Creamy peanut butter works best, although crunchy might have a nice exfoliating effect.

2. Chewing Gum Remover: Is there anything more annoying than getting gum stuck in your hair? Work creamy peanut butter into your clothing or hair to remove the sticky mess.

3. Adhesive Remover: In the same vein, peanut butter can be used to remove adhesive labels from jars and cans.

4. Bird Feeder Fodder: Didn’t everyone make a pine cone-and-peanut butter bird feeder as a kid? Don’t forget the birdseed!

5. Health Elixir: Signs and Wonders peanut milk, a mixture of ground peanuts, water and sugar, created at San Francisco’s KK Cafe by Jack and Margaret Chang, is reputed to have amazing health benefits. To learn more about it, see Peanut Milk at Interesting Thing of the Day.

6. Sandwich Filler: Although PB and jelly remains highly popular, other options include the Fluffernutter (peanut butter and marshmallow creme) and the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich (Elvis’s favorite).

This is the third entry in our series of IKEA lists.

• Alhagen
  Name for: A basket
  Could be: A license plate for an ice cream fan
• Brallis
  Name for: A clothes-hanger
  Could be: A license plate for a “natural” woman
• Brygd
  Name for: A pitcher
  Could be: A license plate for a dentist
• Espnäs
  Name for: A knob
  Could be: A license plate for an avid sports fan
• Gravyr
  Name for: A handle
  Could be: A license plate for a diner cook
• Skrud
  Name for: A candlestick
  Could be: A license plate for a carpenter
• Skydd
  Name for: Wood treatment oil
  Could be: A license plate for a NASCAR driver

Films that featured historical figures did very well at the 2006 Academy Awards; Philip Seymour Hoffman won Best Actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote, and Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for her work as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Additionally, Joaquin Phoenix and David Strathairn were also nominated in the Best Actor category for their portrayals of real people (Johnny Cash and Edward R. Murrow).

This fall, biographical elements will feature in a number of new films. It’s quite reasonable to expect that we will see some of these actors and films recognized come Oscar time.

1. Marie Antoinette—Kirsten Dunst, Marie Antoinette
2. Louis XVI—Jason Schwartzman, Marie Antoinette
3. Idi Amin—Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
4. Diane Arbus—Nicole Kidman, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
5. George Reeves (TV’s Superman)—Ben Affleck, Hollywoodland
6. Truman Capote—Toby Jones, Infamous
7. Perry Smith (subject of “In Cold Blood”)—Daniel Craig, Infamous
8. Harper Lee—Sandra Bullock, Infamous
9. Helen Thomas—Annette Bening, Dirty Tricks
10. Pat Nixon—Jill Clayburgh, Dirty Tricks

Update: This post was featured in The Carnival of Cinema #1.

When North Americans use the term “Swiss Cheese,” what they are most often referring to is a pale yellow cheese with many large holes throughout. This is a type of Swiss cheese, but it has a specific name, Emmentaler. It’s ironic that one type of cheese should come to represent “Swiss Cheese” since it’s been estimated that this relatively small country (about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined) produces about 450 different kinds of cheese!

Although I do enjoy a nice slice of Emmentaler, I find some of the lesser-known Swiss cheeses much more fascinating. From the near-gooey Vacherin Mont d’Or to the extra-hard Sbrinz, there is a world of cheese to discover beyond “Swiss Cheese.”

In order of firmness:

1. Sbrinz: This extra-hard cheese is often compared to Parmesan cheese, and is used in a very similar way. It is claimed that Sbrinz is the oldest European cheese, first produced in 70 AD (according to the official website). For more information, check out the official Sbrinz Web site.
2. Emmentaler: The ubiquitous “Swiss Cheese” in North America. Originating in the Emme valley near Bern, this cheese bears the trademark large holes, caused by carbon dioxide released as part of the fermentation process.
3. Gruyère: Probably the second-best known Swiss cheese, Gruyère is produced mainly in the French-speaking areas of Switzerland, and also in France itself. A good melting and cooking cheese, this hard cheese is used often in fondues, French onion soup and the classic French sandwich, the Croque Monsieur. Claimed by both Switzerland and France, read this article for more information about the controversy.
4. Schabziger/Sap Sago: An odd-looking cheese, shaped into a cone and colored green by the addition of the herb blue melilot (sometimes called blue fenugreek), Schabziger is made with skimmed milk, and is virtually fat-free. It can be mixed with butter to be used as a spread, or used in fondue. It was originally marketed under the name “Sap Sago” in the U.S., on account of the green “sap” used in its production. Although the text is in German, the Web site for the Schabziger production group, Geska, includes some interesting photos.
5. Appenzeller: This semi-hard cheese, named for the Appenzell region from which it comes, is sold at various stages of the aging process. While it is curing, it is washed with a herbal brine, often incorporating wine or cider, which gives the cheese a fruity flavor.
6. Raclette: Raclette refers both to a type of cheese, and to the most-common method of cooking with it. Raclette, the dish, is prepared by heating the cheese and scraping (racler in French) the melted portion on to a plate, to be eaten with a variety of accompaniments (most commonly small potatoes and gherkins).
7. Tête de Moine: Originally called Bellelay after the monastery where it was first produced, it was renamed after the French Revolution; there are several theories about how the name came about, but it does refer to a “Monk’s Head.” Slighty nutty and quite pungent, this cheese is best served when sliced incredibly thin, often using a device called a girolle.
8. (& 9) Vacherin Fribourgeois & Vacherin Mont d’Or: Both made from cow’s milk (Vacherin comes from the French word for cow, vache), Vacherin Fribourgeouis is the firmer of the two, and is a common ingredient in fondue recipes. Vacherin Mont d’Or is much softer, and is often served by heating it in its wooden box, and then dipping items into it, like fondue, or spooning the melted cheese over other foods, as with Raclette.

Update: This post was featured in the October 9th, 2006 edition of the Carnival of Cheese.

For some reason, the seemingly simple task of hard-boiling an egg appears to be very confusing, and numerous techniques have sprung up to demystify it. Of course, you’re looking for a yolk that’s firm but not dry (or green!), a shell that remains intact during boiling, and, preferably, an egg that’s easy to peel. What follows is just a sampling of the many ways of achieving this.

• From the Wikipedia:
  1. Cover eggs with 1″ of cold water
  2. Heat to boiling
  3. Boil for 10–15 minutes
  4. Remove eggs from water; cool at room temperature
• Also from the Wikipedia; attributed (incorrectly, I believe) to Alton Brown:
  1. Heat water to boiling
  2. Add eggs
  3. Turn off the heat
  4. Remove eggs when water cools (about a half hour)
• From Alton Brown (for sure):
  1. Cover eggs with cold water
  2. Heat to boiling
  3. Cover pan, remove from heat, wait 12 minutes
  4. Peel immediately under cold running water
• From the British Egg Information Service:
  1. Poke a small hole in the large end of each egg
  2. Cover eggs with 1″ of cold water; add a pinch of salt
  3. Simmer for 7 minutes
  4. Serve immediately
• From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook:
  1. Poke a small hole in the large end of each egg
  2. Cover eggs with water
  3. Heat to boiling
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes
  5. Place in cold water immediately
• From the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook:
  1. Cover eggs with water
  2. Heat to boiling
  3. Simmer for 15–20 minutes
  4. Soak in cool water for 2 minutes or more
• Buy self-timing eggs

Ah, the martini. This simple and elegant pairing of gin and dry vermouth is always classy, but impossible to get right, because everyone has a different idea of the proper way to make one. There’s the whole shaken-or-stirred issue, of course, and the question of whether a martini made with vodka instead of gin is really a martini at all. Not to mention the thousand and one variations using fruit juices, chocolate liqueur, and so on. But the biggest question is the proper ratio of gin to vermouth.

For reasons I’ve never fully comprehended, people who otherwise dismiss homeopathy seem to follow one of its main principles when it comes to martinis: the weaker the solution (in this case, of vermouth), the more potent the cure. But just how little vermouth is little enough?

1. Winston Churchill is said to have looked toward France while ritually passing the bottle of vermouth over the gin (without pouring any in).
2. In a similar vein, legend has it that Franklin Roosevelt liked to shine a light through a bottle of vermouth and into the gin.
3. According to Make-Martinis-at-Home.com, there’s a joke that goes, “The driest martini I ever had was when I strained the martini into the glass and then whispered vermouth to it.”
4. Dan Meltz mentions that some people like to waft the vapor from an open vermouth bottle over a glass of gin.
5. Martini misters enable you to spray a few microdroplets of vermouth onto the top of the gin.
6. Alton Brown swirls a half ounce of vermouth around in crushed ice, then pours out the vermouth and adds two and a half ounces of gin.

The Wikipedia lists several other amusing ways of preparing a dry martini:

…One might prepare a martini by waving the cap of a vermouth bottle over the glass [#7], or observing that “there was vermouth in the house once” [#8] Winston Churchill chose to forgo vermouth completely, and instead simply bowed in the direction of France [same as #1], while General Patton suggested pointing the gin bottle in the general direction of Italy [#9]. Ernest Hemingway liked to order a “Montgomery,” which was a martini mixed at a gin:vermouth ratio of 15:1 (these supposedly being the odds Field Marshall Montgomery wanted to have before going into battle) [#10]. In a classic bit of stage business in the 1955 play Auntie Mame sophisticated pre-adolescent Patrick Dennis offers a martini, which he prepares by swirling a drop of vermouth in the glass, then tossing it out before filling the glass with gin [#11]. Similarly, in the 1958 movie Teacher’s Pet, Clark Gable mixes a martini by turning the bottle of vermouth upside-down before running the moistened cork around the rim of the glass and filling it with gin [#12].

As for me, I actually like the taste of vermouth; if I only wanted gin, then I’d just drink gin and drop the whole “martini” pretense. In fact, call me a complete heretic, but I even prefer sweet vermouth to dry vermouth. Or better yet, maybe just a glass of wine.

(For more ways to mix a martini—and lots of other drinks—visit GreatCocktails.co.uk.)

I have a great fondness for many different kinds of cuisine; one day I may be in the mood for Indian food and the next day for the spicy dishes of Ethiopia. I think of these cuisines as very distinct from each other, but in one major way they are similar: both feature a type (or types in the case of Indian cuisine) of flat bread that is eaten with the meal.

It’s not only these two cuisines that feature flat bread—many cultures around the world make their own versions. From unleavened breads, such as matzo and tortillas, to breads made from batter, like pancakes and crêpes, flat breads are a global phenomenon. And mighty tasty too…

Africa

• Injera (Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea)
• Khubz (Morocco)
• Ngome (Mali)

India/Sri Lanka

• Bhakri
• Chapati
• Dosai
• Naan
• Pappad
• Paratha
• Puri
• Roti

Mediterranean/Middle East

• Aish Mehahra (Egypt)
• Baladi (Egypt)
• Barbari bread (Iran)
• Lavash (Armenia)
• Matzo (Israel)
• Pita
• Sangak (Iran)

China

• Green onion pancakes
• Sanchuisanda

Southeast Asia

• Khanom buang (Thailand)
• Roti canai (Malaysia)

Europe

• Blintz/blini (Russia)
• Ciabatta (Italy)
• Crêpes (France)
• Crisp Bread (Scandinavia)
• Flatbrod (Norway)
• Focaccia (Italy)
• Lefse (Norway)
• Oatcakes (Scotland)
• Pane Carasau (Italy)
• Pannekoek (The Netherlands)
• Pfannkuchen (Germany)
• Piadine (Italy)
• Pizza (Italy)
• Waffles (Belgium)

North America

• Pancake

South & Central America

• Arepa
• Tortilla

The SPCA and most responsible veterinarians will tell you that you should never, ever declaw a cat. This is comparable to cutting off your finger at the first knuckle; it’s inhumane and can have seriously negative long-term effects. But there are other ways to keep your cat from scratching up the furniture. For example:

1. Trim the cat’s claws regularly. You can get an inexpensive clipper from any pet store. Be careful not to cut down to the quick, and trim the claws every couple of weeks or so. Your cat will still scratch, but the scratching will do less damage.
2. Provide other things to scratch. You can buy a scratching post or scratching box, or make your own with an old piece of carpet. Reward your cat when it scratches on the post.
3. Use a spray bottle. The theory is that if you spray a cat with water (using a spray bottle or even a squirt gun) every time it scratches where it shouldn’t, it’ll build up a negative association.
4. Choose the right furniture. If you have a choice, go for velour fabrics and straight wooden legs.
5. Use heavy plastic or aluminum foil. Placing aluminum foil or a sturdy plastic sheet over surfaces where your cat likes to scratch may discourage scratching.
6. Use double-sided tape. Put the tape where the cat likes to scratch; it’ll avoid the sticky surfact.
7. Use a spray. Numerous products are supposed to have a scent that keeps cats away; if you spray these on or near your furniture, you cat is supposed to avoid them. (I haven’t found one that my own cat dislikes, though, so take note: your mileage may vary.)
8. Make noise. Shake a can with some pennies in it when your cat scratches in the wrong place to scare it off.
9. Use an upside-down carpet protector. Cats will generally avoid the little plastic spikes.
10. Put plastic covers on your cat’s claws. Pet stores and veterinarians often carry little soft plastic tips that you can glue onto the claws.

Many of these hints came from How to keep cats from scratching furniture, Scratch THIS, Pussycat!, CatStuff: Cate Care Tips and Tricks, Cat Scratching Behavior Problems, How to Stop a Cat from Scratching Furniture, 13 Ways to Save Your Furniture from Cat Scratching, and Cat Scratching Solutions.

Now that digital photography has gained such popularity, there will soon be a generation for whom getting photos “developed” will seem entirely foreign. It’s just a fact of life that as a new technology gains popularity, it overshadows the previous one, and that is especially true in the case of photography. Early photographic processes may seem quite strange to us now (egg white and salt?), but soon our children and grandchildren will start asking us, if they haven’t already, to explain why we ever needed to go to the store (or darkroom) to create the family photo.

1. Daguerrotype
   Printed on: Silver-plated copper
   Materials used: iodine, mercury, chlorine and bromine vapors
   Inventors: Louis J.M. Daguerre in collaboration with Joseph Nicephore Niepce (1839)
2. Calotype/Talbotype
   Printed on: Paper
   Materials used: silver nitrate, potassium iodide, gallic acid
   Inventor: William Henry Fox Talbot (1840)
3. Wet Collodion Process
   Printed on: Glass
   Materials used: collodion, potassium iodide, silver nitrate
   Inventor: Frederick Scott Archer (1848)
4. Albumen Prints
   Printed on: Paper
   Materials used: egg white, salt, silver nitrate
   Inventor: Louis Desire Blanquart-Evrard (1850)
5. Ambrotype
   Printed on: Glass
   Materials used: iodized collodion, silver nitrate, chemical developer
   Inventor: Frederick Scott Archer (1854)
6. Tintypes
   Printed on: Thin sheet of iron, covered with black paint
   Materials used: iodized collodion, silver nitrate
   First used: 1856
7. Carbon Prints
   Printed on: Carbon “tissue”
   Materials used: gelatin, potassium bichromate
   Inventor: Joseph Wilson Swan (1864)
8. Autochrome
   Printed on: Glass
   Materials used: potato starch. silver-halide emulsion
   Inventors: Auguste and Louis Lumiere (1904)

For more information, go here or here.

We tend to take honey for granted as just another sweetener choice, but in fact there is much more to this sticky treat than meets the eye. Honey has been used as a folk remedy in cultures around the world for millennia, and has been prescribed informally as a cure for smallpox, baldness, eye diseases, and indigestion. It’s even been used as a contraceptive. Now researchers are turning up new evidence of honey’s medicinal benefits left and right, mostly due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. I don’t think Winnie the Pooh would approve, but honey can be used for many other things besides food. Here are a few of those uses:

1. Anti-scarring agent
2. Anti-inflammatory: Effectively treats wounds, burns, and surgical incisions
3. Moisturizer: A useful treatment for sunburn as well as a general-purpose skin softener
4. Eye care: Effectively treats inflammation of the eyelid, some types of conjunctivitis, and keratitis (along with other forms of corneal damage)
5. Anti-fungal: Used to treat athlete’s foot and other fungal infections
6. Sore throat treatment: Can also kill the bacteria that sometimes causes sore throats
7. Dental care: Used to reduce tooth decay—all that sticky sugar notwithstanding
8. Anti-ulcer agent: Helps to heal ulcers and upset stomachs
9. Digestive aid: Can regulate intestinal function, alleviating both constipation and diarrhea
10. Sleep aid: Used as a sleep aid and to increase alertness
11. Embalming material: Once used in Ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures to embalm the dead

• Alanis Morissette takes the cake with no fewer than three list songs her album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie [Buy from Amazon.com]:
  • Thank U (Thank you India/Thank you terror/Thank you disillusionment…)
  • Are You Still Mad? (Are you still mad i kicked you out of bed?/Are you still mad i gave you ultimatums?/Are you still mad i compared you to all my forty year old male friends?…)
  • That I Would Be Good (That I would be good even if I did nothing/That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down/That I would be good if I got and stayed sick/That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds…)
• Sting has two (or three) list songs on his album Sacred Love [Buy from Amazon.com]:
  • Inside (Inside the doors are sealed to love/Inside my heart is sleeping/Inside the fingers of my glove/Inside the bones of my right hand…)
  • Whenever I Say Your Name (Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face/Whatever bread’s in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste…)
  • (Honorable mention: Dead Man’s Rope (Walk away in emptiness, walk away in sorrow/Walk away from yesterday, walk away tomorrow…)
• 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon, from the album Still Crazy After All These Years [Buy from Amazon.com] (You just slip out the back, Jack/Make a new plan, Stan/You don’t need to be coy, Roy/Just get yourself free…)
• 52 Girls by the B-52’s, from the album The B-52’s [Buy from Amazon.com] (Effie, Madge and Mabel and Biddie…)
• Daves I Know [Windows Media link] by Bruce McCulloch, from the album Shame-Based Man [Buy from Amazon.com] (David Hoffman/He works in my dad’s store…Dave Gort/I’ve known since I was six…Dave Jadiski/Man, this cat can swing…)
• Feel Good Hit Of The Summer by Queens of the Stone Age, from the album R [Buy from Amazon.com] (Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ectasy and Alcohol…)
• Johnny Saucep’n by Moxy Früvous, from the ‘b’ album [Buy from Amazon.com] Basil endive parmesan shrimp live lobster/hamster worchester muenster/Caviar radicchio snow pea scampi…
• Sodomy by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni, from the musical Hair [Buy album from Amazon.com] (Sodomy/Fellatio/Cunnilingus/Pederasty…)
• Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan, from the album Bringing It All Back Home [Buy from Amazon.com] (Johnny’s in the basement/Mixing up the medicine/I’m on the pavement/Thinking about the government/The man in the trench coat/Badge out, laid off/Says he’s got a bad cough/Wants to get it paid off…)
• Sweet Old World by Lucinda Williams, from the album Sweet Old World [Buy from Amazon.com] The breath from your own lips, the touch of fingertips/A sweet and tender kiss…

This is the second entry in our series of IKEA lists.

Another trend I noticed among the IKEA names was that a lot of the one-word names seemed tailor-made for would-be superheroes. There was an attitude of action and identity implicit in these names that seemed perfect for these fledgling caped crusaders.

• Bandora
  Old identity: Floor lamp
  New identity: Superheroine who paralyses her enemies with music
• Bläddra
  Old identity: Wall newspaper rack
  New identity: Superheroine with awesome knife-wielding skills
• Glittra
  Old identity: Scented block candle
  New identity: Superheroine who assaults her enemies with confetti
• Grankulla
  Old identity: Storage stool
  New identity: An elderly superhero with vampiric powers
• Hedra
  Old identity: Knob
  New identity: Superheroine with amazing cognitive abilities
• Hokus
  Old identity: Quilt cover & pillow sham
  New identity: Superhero who uses magic to defeat his enemies
• Mimik
  Old identity: Tealight holder
  New identity: Superhero who can change his shape
• Nandor
  Old identity: Chair
  New identity: Superhero who disarms opponents by throwing Indian bread
• Skimra
  Old identity: Shade
  New identity: Superheroine who can out-read her opponents
• Solros
  Old identity: Plant pot
  New identity: Superhero who can harness the sun’s power
• Stryka
  Old identity: Ironing board
  New identity: Superheroine who overwhelms her opponents with bowling moves
• Tindra
  Old identity: Scented candle
  New identity: Superheroine who can start fires on command

When I go to Las Vegas, I always enjoy taking in a show or two. You can always find magic shows, comedians, and musical acts of all sorts, as well as burlesque and family-oriented production shows and a few hard-to-categorize acts like Blue Man Group. And then there’s Cirque du Soleil, the artsy Montréal-based circus specializing in astonishing acrobatics. Years ago, when Mystère was the only permanent Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, I went with some friends and thought it was one of the most impressive things I’d ever seen. Shortly thereafter, when O took up residence at the Bellagio, I was slightly surprised that the town could sustain two Cirque du Soleil shows. At the moment, Cirque du Soleil has an unbelievable five permanent shows in the city, all very different from each other. At this rate, they’ll outnumber magic shows in a few years, which would be…a trick.

1. Mystère (Treasure Island)
2. O (Bellagio)
3. Ká (MGM Grand)
4. Zumanity (New York New York)
5. LOVE (Opened June 2 at the Mirage)

This list was suggested by The Trapeze at Interesting Thing of the Day.

One day I glanced at the ingredients on a bottle of Chinese Five Spice in my spice rack and was confused to see that it contained not five, but six spices. When I tried to figure out which was the rogue sixth spice, I ran into some trouble, because in fact there are several different “traditional” mixtures known as Chinese Five Spice, and at least one of those contains six spices. In fact, the only ingredients found in every variant are cinnamon and cloves. Here are a few sample Chinese Five Spice ingredient lists.

• McCormick (as sold in the USA; also includes “sulfiting agents”)
  • Anise
  • Cinnamon
  • Star Anise
  • Cloves
  • Ginger
• McCormick (as sold in Canada)
  • Fennel Seed
  • Anise Seed
  • Ginger
  • Licorice Root
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
• Morton & Basset
  • Cinnamon
  • Anise Seed
  • Cloves
  • Ginger
  • Fennel Seed
• Wikipedia
  • China Tung Hing Cinnamon (a type of cassia)
  • Powdered Cassia Buds
  • Powdered Star Anise
  • Powdered Anise Seed
  • Ginger Root
  • Ground Cloves
• Also from the Wikipedia
  • Cinnamon
  • Black Pepper
  • Cloves
  • Fennel Seed
  • Star Anise

Living in San Francisco has its benefits: the weather is temperate, the views are spectacular, and the cultural scene and cuisine are world-class. There are trade-offs: the potential risk of earthquakes, the high cost of living, and if the 1955 Sci-Fi movie, It Came from Beneath the Sea, can be trusted, the threat of giant radioactive octopi leveling our roadways.

This is but one instance of cinematic imagination wreaking havoc on the premiere landmark of San Francisco—the Golden Gate Bridge. A surprising number of films, most recently X-Men III, have used the bridge to showcase amazing special effects work, and a few have gone so far as to entirely destroy it. Here are four of the most egregious offenders:

1. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
   Method of destruction: Magneto, a.k.a. Eric Lensherr, uproots one end of the bridge and bends it towards Alcatraz
2. 10.5 (2004)
   Method of destruction: Collapses during a 10.5 earthquake
3. The Core (2003)
   Method of destruction: Collapse caused by loss of electromagnetic field due to the fact that the earth’s inner core has stopped spinning
4. It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955)
   Method of destruction: Giant radioactive octopus attempts to pull down the bridge with its tentacles

As I described in Rise of the Bagel at Interesting Thing of the Day, I’m a big bagel fan from way back, but I can’t get over the way some people insist on treating a bagel like a piece of bread or a dinner roll. It’s a wonderful, unique food with a distinctively crunchewy texture, but if you don’t know how to enjoy it properly, you miss all the goodness that makes a bagel a bagel. Here are my rules for good bageling:

1. Buy your bagels from experts. The best place to buy bagels, of course, is a Jewish bakery, preferably one that only sells bagels. Failing that, at least make sure your bagels are freshly baked, and don’t be embarrassed to ask if they were boiled first. It matters. A lot. All things being equal, I’d trust a mom-and-pop store to get my bagels right before I’d trust a chain, but there are a few exceptions.
2. Always eat your bagels on the same day they were baked. You may be able to keep a loaf of store-bought bread around for a week and still find it edible, but bagels have an extremely short shelf life. With each passing hour they get drier and harder. If your bagel is more than 12 hours old, consider using it as a doorstop or a weapon, but not as food. For best results, eat bagels while they’re still warm from the oven.
3. Test your bagel for freshness. A well-made bagel is shiny and hard (but not crispy) on the outside, very soft and chewy on the inside. Squeeze the bagel lightly but firmly between your fingertips. It should squish almost all the way through. If you meet a lot of resistance, you’ve got an old bagel.
4. Do not eat bagels that have been frozen. If your bagel was frozen, chances are it was baked considerably longer ago than 12 hours. Even if it went straight from the oven to the freezer this morning, freezing has the remarkable tendency to dry out foods. And moisture, remember, is the main thing that makes a good bagel. Sorry, Lender’s fans, but frozen bagels just don’t taste like the real thing.
5. Do not toast your bagels. I know a lot of people disagree with me here, but think about it: your bagel has already been boiled and baked. Do you really need to cook it a third time? Well, if it’s a day or two old (or if it was frozen), then of course you need to toast it, because that softens it on the inside even as it makes the outside crunchy. But it also dries it out further, and almost completely eliminates the chewy texture. Fresh bagels not only don’t need toasting, they suffer when toasted. If you’ve gotten into the toasting habit because all you ever ate were frozen bagels, see what a really fresh one tastes like without. You probably won’t want to go back.
6. Adorn your bagel lovingly with cream cheese. Or don’t. Toppings are a personal matter, and with all these other rules to remember I don’t want to burden you further. But please consider: a bagel is not merely a vehicle for transporting cream cheese into your mouth. Too much of any topping and you miss experiencing the True Bagel Essence.

The idea that there are dozens of Eskimo words for snow is (mostly) an urban myth, but in English, we have at least eight different terms for a snow crust. These are from the Glossary of Meteorology at the American Meteorological Society by way of Interesting Thing of the Day:

1. snow crust: the general term for any hard surface on snow
2. sun crust: a crust formed when the sun melts the top layer of snow, and then it refreezes
3. rain crust: a crust formed when rain falls on snow and then freezes
4. spring crust: a crust formed when warmer weather (but not necessarily sunshine) melts the top layer of snow and it refreezes
5. wind crust: a crust that forms when wind packs down a layer of snow that has already been deposited
6. wind slab: a crust in which the wind packs the snow at the same time as it’s being deposited
7. ice crust: a crust that forms when water (from whatever source) flows onto the surface of snow and then freezes
8. film crust: a very thin ice crust

In academic circles, the question of Shakespeare’s “real” identity has long been debated. Some scholars believe, for various reasons, that the historical person known as William Shakespeare was not the actual author of the works he is known for today. Entire books have been dedicated to the subject, on both sides of the issue. I recently read Stephen Greenblatt’s biography of Shakespeare, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, which carefully lays out the existing evidence that links William Shakespeare, the historical person, to elements of the writings, and in the absence of direct evidence, makes reasonable assumptions about these connections. I found the book quite convincing, but I personally don’t need proof of authorship to enjoy the plays and poems, although I do love good literary gossip. For those interested in the controversy, here are the leading contenders:

1. Francis Bacon: aristocrat and philosopher known for formulating the Baconian method; the earliest contender
2. Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford: a poet and patron of the arts; currently the most popular contender (see “Shakespeare” by Another Name by Mark Anderson)
3. Christopher Marlowe: poet and playwright; a historically popular contender even though he died before many of Shakespeare’s works appeared
4. Sir Henry Neville: diplomat and distant relative of Shakespeare; the newest addition to the list (see The Truth Will Out: Unmasking the Real Shakespeare by Brenda James and William D. Rubinstein)
5. William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
6. Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
7. Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke
8. William Shakespeare (yes, it’s still possible)

For much more information on this debate, go here, here, or here.

When you think of The B-52’s, the songs that first come to mind may be Rock Lobster and Love Shack. But as you review the band’s entire oeuvre, stretching back to 1979, the biggest theme that emerges is songs making some reference to outer space. Vocalist Fred Schneider is not only a major Star Trek fan, he wrote and performed the song “Beam Me Up” for the soundtrack of Trekkies 2. The spacey songs I could find were:

1. Planet Claire She came from Planet Claire… [The B-52’s, 1979: Buy from Amazon.com]
2. There’s a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon) There’s a moon in the sky/It’s called the moon…This is the Space Age [The B-52’s, 1979: Buy from Amazon.com]
3. 53 Miles West of Venus 53 Miles West of Venus (repeats…) [Wild Planet, 1980: Buy from Amazon.com]
4. Whammy Kiss On Planet X-oh/It won’t be long now /I got a light year to get to the phone now… [Whammy!, 1983: Buy from Amazon.com]
5. Song for a Future Generation Wanna be the ruler of the galaxy…Wanna be the captain of the Enterprise… [Whammy!, 1983: Buy from Amazon.com]
6. Detour Thru Your Mind I hear another galaxy spinning around… [Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986: Buy from Amazon.com]
7. Ain’t It a Shame Flying saucers could land/And it wouldn’t make much difference to my man… [Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986: Buy from Amazon.com]
8. Communicate Baby, baby bounce it off your satellite, yeah… [Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986: Buy from Amazon.com]
9. Cosmic Thing While cruising through the ionosphere, I saw these alien beings/Everywhere I went up there, they were shakin’ their alien things… [Cosmic Thing, 1989: Buy from Amazon.com]
10. Channel Z Space junkâ‚Ǩ”laser bombsâ‚Ǩ”ozone holes/Better put up my umbrella!… [Cosmic Thing, 1989: Buy from Amazon.com]
11. Topaz Our universe is expanding/Moonrise upon the sea/Starships are blinkingWe’ll walk in ecstasy… [Cosmic Thing, 1989: Buy from Amazon.com]
12. Good Stuff The big dipper sure ain’t big enough/To hold all of your dang good stuff… [Good Stuff, 1992: Buy from Amazon.com]
13. Revolution Earth Endless distance/Wildlife and stars/Blanket the night… [Good Stuff, 1992: Buy from Amazon.com]
14. Is That You Mo-Dean? On the bus, to the plane/To the UFO and to outer space baby… [Good Stuff, 1992: Buy from Amazon.com]
15. Hallucinating Pluto See the fool who mimicks the sun/Burning out like a quasar pulsing… [Time Capsule, 1998: Buy from Amazon.com]

• (bonus) Beam Me Up by Fred Schneider Trekkies, who go boldly where no one would even think of going/way, way out there… [Trekkies 2 Soundtrack, 2004: Buy from Amazon.com]

Quick, name something that was invented in San Francisco! You probably thought of Rice-a-Roni, and you’d be right. You’d also be right if you said the television, fortune cookies, the slot machine, bay windows, or any of these famous beverages:

1. The Martini (maybe)
2. The Cosmopolitan (probably)
3. Irish Coffee (sort of)
4. The Mai Tai
5. The Mimosa
6. Bloody Brigid