Weekend Open Thread

The whole point of valor thieves is that they are either narcissists or straight up con men. Give a narcissist any kind of attention, negative or positive, and they just eat it up and revel in it (think Bernath). A con man will just try to sell the medal and tell the buyer it is something valuable and rip them off.

… an English king once had to pawn his crown? Richard II (1367-1400), who ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399, was something of a spendthrift. In the royal records is a parchment roll detailing just how much money the king spent during his reign … so much that, at one point, he actually had to pawn his gold-and-diamond crown to be able to pay his bills. His increasingly bizarre behavior eventually led to his overthrow in 1399 by Henry IV (1367-1413), who imprisoned Richard and basically allowed him to starve to death in prison. Additional trivia note: Richard II was only ten years old when he became king, and blamed his first indiscretions on his youth. He died at age 33. (One must wonder what he blamed his later indiscretions on, wouldn’t you agree?)

… a popular beverage is named due to a mistake? If you’ve ever enjoyed Ovaltine™, the drink made from milk, malt, egg and cocoa, you’ve had a real treat. Ovaltine was developed in 1904 in Berne, Switzerland, by the Nestlé company. But we’ve been calling it by the wrong name almost since it was invented. Initially, it was registered as Ovomaltine, but a clerical error in registering the name changed it to the name we use today. (I love Ovaltine, especially when it comes with a secret decoder ring!)

… a museum dedicated to watermelons exists? Why not, right? I mean, we have museums for everything else. But the China Watermelon Museum exists in Beijing, and it explores the entire history of watermelons, growing methods, and the role watermelons play in Chinese culture. (I didn’t even know watermelons played a role. Wow!)

… the voice of numerous cartoon characters has his most famous line engraved on his tombstone? Mel Blanc (1908-1989), the “Man of 1,000 Voices,” is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Blanc provided the voices of beloved cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and many others, but on his tombstone is the catch phrase of the character Porky Pig: “That’s all, folks.”

… one could find all sorts of heroism during World War II? For instance, during the Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944), nine Soviet scientists died of starvation while protecting the world’s largest seed bank, which was located in the city. The men refused to eat what they saw as the nation’s future food production.

… the Inuit language does not have a word for “yesterday”? (They also don’t have a word for, “This does not taste like chicken.”)

… you may be holding your wine glass the wrong way? Yes, there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” to hold a wine glass. Properly, wine glasses should always be held by the stem, not the bowl. The heat of your hand will raise the temperature of the wine. (Who knew?)

… cold showers are actually better for you than hot showers? A cold shower improves circulation, stimulates weight loss, and eases depression. (Among other things.)

Now … you know!