Symmetry is truly a lovely, lovely thing; but perhaps it’s the differences that make the difference.

John Wiley and CPSC are jointly recalling a Dummies book on soapmaking, just because of a small matter of boiling lye!

I don’t usually come across books in the three figures with much general interest, but here’s a big ole book of every dang Far Side cartoon, ever.

Some kind person in Norway has done us all the service of collecting all that crap that people send you. I was surprised how entertaining I found it to browse. Some of them are too, too cute.

News to me: it’s not the flu that makes you feel like shit (and sometimes kills you); it’s the immune response. Researchers at Imperial College London think they may have found a way to moderate that response.

Yeah, sure I’ll crack my head open or at least be wet and miserable most days of the year, but can I please please have an electric scooter? Common sense is always trumped by cute euro styling.

Because the weather is frightful and some close pals (while always delightful) are going through a rough patch, I submit something that always brightens my day: FDA Import Alerts.

I tried (not all that hard) to find more recent status for Chess in the States, but I ended up finding (again) only this cache of a page that indicates that the only version of the show that can legally be performed in the States is the horrible Broadway re-write. The Yahoo discussion group seems to be members-only, and I don’t quite feel energetic enough to sign up and see what more recent info might be available. Bad blogger, I am. No biscuit.
I was able to see a "concert" of the show, wherein talented people sang the songs and discussed the action between the songs, but no actual acting took place. The flow and music were clearly not from the horrible Broadway re-write, and it was a good show (I believe they said in the Q&A afterwards it was a mélange of the West End, US, and Australian versions). I did hate my fellow east-siders, though, for their audible consternation when the word "fuck" was uttered. Not quite as much as I hated the Seattleites at ACT when several of them said a line in the play along with the actor. And no, it wasn’t a production of The Rocky Horror Show.

According to this article, "Having regular and enthusiastic sex … confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, be you male or female." This seems similar to the earlier results that show frequent orgasms are helpful. Another tidbit: "Seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay." Forbes declined to elaborate on the delivery mechanism.

There may be several of these excerpts to come, but here’s a bit of medical advice from “It Cured Me!”

“When your children’s health is in question, and such symptoms are noticed as a variable appetite, with strange cravings, picking the nose, excessive thirst, low fever, bad breath, pale, sallow complexion, occasionally flushed cheeks, a wasting away, great nervousness, fitful sleep, grinding of the teeth, accompanied by weakness of the bowels — they indicate that the child is troubled with those dreadful pests, WORMS, which worry its delicate system, and are producing such irritation and debility as will surely break down the constitution, and, if the cause is not removed, may bring on St. Vitus’ Dance or Convulsions, and render its after-life a burden. To save your child use DR. JAYNE’S TONIC VERMIFUGE, according to the directions, and you will not only destroy the Worms, but its Tonic properties will rebuild the general health, — no other Worm Medicine possessing such qualities. When Worms are not indicated, and a gentle Tonic is required, the VERMIFUGE may be given with excellent results after each meal, in much smaller doses than for Worms.”