DC Bike To Work Day 2012

Friday, May 18, 2012 is Bike to Work Day in Metropolitan Washington DC. 11,000 bike riders will hit the streets during rush hour, and motorists can observe the day by not running them over. Even though it’s “casual Friday,” bikers are urged to refrain from wearing Spandex to the office.

May is National Bike Month in the USA.

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Image (“Bike to Work Day in DC, after Abel Brunyer”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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la guerra allo scoiattolo grigio

In Italy, the brave people of Liguria, Piemonte and Lombardia are taking arms against a tough invader. An American invader, Sciurus carolinensis, the gray squirrel. Gray squirrels came to Italy after WWII, and are stealing food and habitat from their smaller European cousins, red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). Those ruthless, bushy-tailed Yanks have even resorted to germ warfare, carrying diseases lethal to local rodents.

“Basta!” said the Italians, mounting a 2 million Euro defense. Under the leadership of zoologist Andrea Balduzzi they’re trapping and sterilizing squirrels in their parks. And squirrels caught outside park borders? Firing squad. War is Hell.

More:

“Parte la guerra allo scoiattolo grigio,” Alessandra Pieracci, La Stampa

English-language summary:

“Squirrel Wars: Italy Vows To Eliminate Its American Invaders,” Worldcrunch

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Scholars in Pyjamas

Students at Oxford University’s Brasenose College (founded 1509) have been advised that sleeping costumes are not acceptible garb at breakfast. Young scholars are expected to wear academic gowns in the dining hall at dinner.

More:

“Oxford students told off for wearing pyjamas to breakfast,” Hannah Furness, Daily Telegraph

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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White House Soup

The White House Soup of the Day for May 15, 2012 via MSNBC and FishbowlDC:

French Onion.

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JPMorgan Chase: Banking as Betting

JPMorgan Chase & Co. had an awkward moment recently when it bet its hedges instead of hedging its bets. This resulted in a $2 Billion loss, some management changes, and loss of CEO Jamie Dimon’s ability to lobby against Wall Street reform with a straight face.

Shocking New Discovery of Oldest Cave Art

Scientists have determined that a big block of rock in southern France is engraved with the earliest example of prehistoric wall art. Research indicates that the limestone carving is 37,000 years old and shows what Early Aurignacian human artists were thinking about.

The carvings are of prehistoric lady bits. This is important for art historians and huge news for standup comic/archeologists.

More:

“Engravings of Female Genitalia May Be World’s Oldest Cave Art,” Michael Balter, ScienceNOW

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Mothers Day, a Horror Story

This is a tale of love, obsession, madness, candy, and carnations. It is the story of Mother’s Day.

The holiday was passionately promoted by single-minded spinster Anna Jarvis (1864-1948), described by Michael Farquhar as “… a woman of fierce loyalty and tireless enterprise and a total raving lunatic.”

Miss Jarvis worshipped her mother’s memory, and no wonder. Her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis (1832 – 1905), was truly a saint. Daughter of a clergyman, Ann Maria Reeves married merchant and minister Granville E. Jarvis and gave birth to 11 children, only four of whom survived into adulthood.  In 1851, Mrs. Jarvis, a Sunday School teacher, founded Mothers Day Work Clubs in West Virginia. These met in local churches, but were no parish sewing circles.  The clubs dealt with health care, disability, infant mortality, poverty, employment, worker safety, food safety, and sanitation issues. Mrs. Jarvis’ brother, James E. Reeves, MD, a public health authority, was a club lecturer and supporter.

The Civil War divided West Virginia communities and families, but Mrs. Jarvis kept Mothers Day Work Club members together. The women treated wounded soldiers on both sides and helped combat typhoid fever and measles epidemics.  After the war,  Mrs. Jarvis organized an annual Mothers’ Friendship Day to help reunite neighbors who had supported opposing sides. People honored mothers with carnations. After her husband died in 1902, Mrs Jarvis (and her daughters) moved to Philadelphia and lived with her son Claude, a prosperous businessman.

Bike DC May 13th

You’ve already missed Bike To School Day, so remember that this Sunday is Bike DC Day, fun for the whole family. It’s also Mother’s Day, so bring her along. Registration fee benefits Washington Area Bicycle Association. No bike? No problem, rent one (kids’ bikes, too).

The Washington and Arlington Community Bike Ride
Sunday May 13, 2012

Register online or in person

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Image (“Bike DC, After Abel Brunyer”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Michele Bachmann, Swiss Miss

Tea Party Sweetheart and Hyper-American Rep. Michele Bachmann (R, MN-6) is a citizen of Kenya Mars Switzerland. She claimed Swiss citizenship after endorsing the Swiss bank account presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Coincidence?

250th Anniversary of the Sandwich

John Montagu (1718– 1792), Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was Britain’s able but corrupt First Lord of the Admiralty during the period of the American Revolution. An avid promoter of exploration, Captain James Cook named the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) after him. Due to his other enthusiasm, gambling, he lent his name to something else. One evening the innovative Earl requested a meal of cold meat between bread slices so he could eat at the card table, and thus the “sandwich” was born. Nice story, anyway.

The incident is said to have occurred in 1762, so the town of Sandwich, Kent is celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich this weekend. Surely the Earl of Sandwich lived in Sandwich, right?

No.

“Thank You Earl! England Toasts 250th Anniversary Of The Sandwich,” Tina Kaiser, Die Welt via Worldcrunch

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Image (“Coat of Arms of the Earl of Sandwich”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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