Today I Learned

[sbrothy]

That was everywhere until infant mortality improved in the 20th century

Good point! Not difficult to see why.

 

[BWV]

Well, they must be doing something right.
https://ministeriumfuerglueck.de/blog/world-happiness-report-2024/
But Denmark comes in second!

Well if Das Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden says so, it must be. One must follow orders

And one dares not contradict Das Oberanführer des Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden, the happiest person in the world

Curious what Das Ministerium für Schádenfreude thinks is the least happy country?

 

[fresh_42]

Well if Das Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden says so, it must be. One must follow orders

And one dares not contradict Das Oberanführer des Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden, the happiest person in the world

Curious what Das Ministerium für Schádenfreude thinks is the least happy country?

If you like this better ...
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report

 

[sbrothy]

Well, they must be doing something right.
https://ministeriumfuerglueck.de/blog/world-happiness-report-2024/
But Denmark comes in second!

I've always been more than skeptical of these surveys. To what parameters do they ascribe importance? If I tell an American that I pay 50-60% taxes back to the government of a pension I'm payed by them in the first place, I'm pretty they'll do a facepalm.

[SARCASM]
And we're constantly told that "hygge" (read: cosyness) is a unique Danish phenomenon. Yeah right, I'm sure no other people in the world enjoy hanging out with their family and friends. It probably a very unique Danish thing! :rolls eyes:
[/SARCASM]

But with all the US-, Finn-, (EDIT:) and Denmark-poking going around this is still funny (although possibly more feel-good):

https://satwcomic.com/

 

[sbrothy]

Hah, 2 just as skeptical posts overtook mine!

EDIT: Ah well, 1. Although I'm sure @fresh_42 has his tongue in his cheek or a glint in his eye or whatever it's called.

 

[BWV]

I call BS on Finland and Scandinavia - How can people in a crappy climate with crappy food be happy?

Italy I could believe

 

[sbrothy]

Well if Das Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden says so, it must be. One must follow orders

And one dares not contradict Das Oberanführer des Ministerium für Glück und Wohlbefinden, the happiest person in the world

Curious what Das Ministerium für Schádenfreude thinks is the least happy country?

Obersturmbannführer Gemütlichkeit.

 

[fresh_42]

Hah, 2 just as skeptical posts overtook mine!

EDIT: Ah well, 1. Although I'm sure @fresh_42 has his tongue in his cheek or a glint in his eye or whatever it's called.

Yes and no. There is a very obvious reason why Scandinavian countries rate high. It has to do with the different priorities compared to, e.g., the USA. But this is a social science result that could be considered politics here. Already, the connotations of the adjective social are completely different.

 

[fresh_42]

I call BS on Finland and Scandinavia - How can people in a crappy climate with crappy food be happy?

Italy I could believe

I would prefer Norway over Italy at any time. I start to feel comfortable below 18°C.

 

[sbrothy]

I call BS on Finland and Scandinavia - How can people in a crappy climate with crappy food be happy?

Italy I could believe

Nah, the food has improved considerably in later years. We even have restaurants with Michelin stars now. Though I mean the everyday cooking though. I don't know if it's a global phenomenon but morning TV always makes dinner. Which I've never really understood.

EDIT: But granted, the climate is cruddy, half of the year. Those pesky 23,5 degrees tilt never cease to amaze me with their consequence.

 

[BWV]

I would prefer Norway over Italy at any time. I start to feel comfortable below 18°C.

Ok, so enjoy

 

[sbrothy]

Ok, so enjoy

View attachment 365150

Nah that must be Sweden. They eat anything up there. Even glass! (Swedes call ice "glass".) Look up "surströmmning". But beware!

A newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, even stronger than similarly fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeo-hoe, the Japanese kusaya or the Icelandic hákarl, making surströmming an acquired taste.

--- Wiki

 

[sbrothy]

Yes and no. There is a very obvious reason why Scandinavian countries rate high. It has to do with the different priorities compared to, e.g., the USA. But this is a social science result that could be considered politics here. Already, the connotations of the adjective social are completely different.

Yeah. I know. The socialist element makes for a happier population. Wealth is a little more distributed. It probably helps that the countries are so small. Demographically if not geographically.

EDIT: I was just poking fun. It *is* one of the lighter threads after all.
EDIT2: And yeah, we're veering into politics. I'll stop here.

 

[fresh_42]

Ok, so enjoy

View attachment 365150

I prefer

and

 

[sbrothy]

I prefer

View attachment 365151

and

View attachment 365152

Enjoy your red sausages.

The dye is made from the dried bodies of female cochineal bugs, which are harvested mainly in Peru and the Canary Islands. The bugs feed on prickly pear cacti, and after being collected, they are dried, crushed, and processed with an acidic alcohol solution to produce carminic acid, the primary coloring agent.2 It takes about 70,000 bugs to produce one pound of dye.

---- https://theheartysoul.com/13-foods-cochineal-extract/

I even think it's only the pregnant insects that contains the dye but don't take my word for it.

 

[BWV]

I prefer

View attachment 365151

and

View attachment 365152

It must take near the whole bottle to make the dish below look appetizing

but this is what life could be

 

[fresh_42]

Well, food is an argument. I like the dishes in central Europe, from Hungary to halfway Germany, and from Spain to also halfway Germany.

 

[BWV]

Well, food is an argument. I like the dishes in central Europe, from Hungary to halfway Germany, and from Spain to also halfway Germany.

Its all good, but think the Italian versions of Austrian food are better, like Cotoletta (or parm) vs Schnitzel or Veal Marsala vs Jagerschnitzel

At least they use chiles in Spain and Hungary

 

[fresh_42]

Today I learned that prison escapes, whether successful or not, are not punishable in Germany. The law respects the natural law of the desire for freedom. This, of course, excludes the use of weapons, hostage-taking, and the like.

 

[Janus]

That was everywhere until infant mortality improved in the 20th century

With Finland, I think it's more related to their cultural past. In their national epic, the Kalevala, there is a lot of mention of words/names having power. Wizards were able to do great feats just by knowing and using the right words. Names also tended to reflect something about the person more so than in other cultures. For example, many people today have the surname "Miller" because some ancestor had that as their profession and it was then just handed down from generation to generation after that. In Finland, this wasn't always the case. Not only could surnames change from generation to generation, but they could change within a person's lifetime. This occurred in my paternal line. My grandfather was born with a surname that reflected the name of their homestead. Prior to immigrating to the US, they sold the homestead, and upon doing so changed their surname to one that reflected a region, since they no longer owned that land. Likewise, waiting to name the child was so you could get some sense of what they were like, so you could choose a name that would suit them.

 

[sbrothy]

With Finland, I think it's more related to their cultural past. In their national epic, the Kalevala, there is a lot of mention of words/names having power. Wizards were able to do great feats just by knowing and using the right words. Names also tended to reflect something about the person more so than in other cultures. For example, many people today have the surname "Miller" because some ancestor had that as their profession and it was then just handed down from generation to generation after that. In Finland, this wasn't always the case. Not only could surnames change from generation to generation, but they could change within a person's lifetime. This occurred in my paternal line. My grandfather was born with a surname that reflected the name of their homestead. Prior to immigrating to the US, they sold the homestead, and upon doing so changed their surname to one that reflected a region, since they no longer owned that land. Likewise, waiting to name the child was so you could get some sense of what they were like, so you could choose a name that would suit them.

Sounds like this could be said of any nationality. As to wizards and names this is also pretty common. “As above so below.”

Not to detract from Finnish magic though.

 

[fresh_42]

With Finland, I think it's more related to their cultural past. In their national epic, the Kalevala, there is a lot of mention of words/names having power. Wizards were able to do great feats just by knowing and using the right words. Names also tended to reflect something about the person more so than in other cultures.

I think, those wizzards were a paraphrase for child mortality.

 

[jack action]

It must take near the whole bottle to make the dish below look appetizing

but this is what life could be

View attachment 365153

Ah, Canada! This is where I call home (litteraly, all of this within 2 km of my home!):

Summer:

Winter:

Food:

Nice climate, nice food, and we speak the language of love!

 

[BWV]

Ah, Canada! This is where I call home (litteraly, all of this within 2 km of my home!):



Nice climate, nice food, and we speak the language of love!

Aside from the food, I love Canada, and while cold, at least the days are longer in Quebec than in Norway. but could not live anywhere without good Mexican food

But why is it the French in Louisiana developed this great cuisine and all they ever did in Canada is fries in gravy?

 

[Hornbein]

TIL that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski -- that's possibly the most powerful position in the House -- served 15 months in prison for abusing the congressional post office. He legally got stamps in bulk for free but then sold them instead of using them to mail letters. Rep. Joe Kolter was also convicted.

When John Kiriakou was 18 he was an intern/pageboy for Joe Kotler. Kolter had had knee surgery and John would push him about in his wheelchair. John saw Kolter, Rostenkowski, and Kolter's chief of staff playing poker. They were so intent they skipped an important House vote. He said that not only were all of them convicted of the stamp abuse, but John Kiriakou was later questioned by the FBI as to whether he knew some of the resulting cash was used to deal cocaine.

 

[fresh_42]

TIL that botany can be quite exciting!

 

[sbrothy]

TIL that botany can be quite exciting!

I'm sure but some details would be nice!

 

[fresh_42]

I'm sure but some details would be nice!

It is hard enough to know the botanical terms in my own language, let alone the English versions.

I have seen a documentary that was about sensing and communication. I was already aware of the complex symbiosis in forests and how mycelia form a communication web for trees. But I didn't know that there are parasitic plants that can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy potential host, or whether a plant is strong enough to host them. Others (corn) fight parasitic insects indirectly by releasing chemicals that attract the natural enemies of these insects. Or that plants react to various sound frequencies, presumably figuring out where more water can be found and whether there are obstacles in the ground. They do this with a sort of hair that is genetically the same as the hair in our ears. There was a story about wild tabac. It blooms at night to attract a night moth for pollination. But the moths leave their eggs, and their offspring eat the plant. If there are too many of them, they change to blooming during the day, calling for hummingbirds as pollinators who are harmless. So why don't they use hummingbirds by default? The answer is that the moths travel hundreds of miles per night and thus provide a greater genetic variance than the hummingbirds do. So the plant balances between conflicting goals. And many more facts, e.g., about bacteria as part of the game. Really cool.

 

[BillTre]

They do this with a sort of hair that is genetically the same as the hair in our ears.

This is highly unlikely.

 

[fresh_42]

This is highly unlikely.

Why? We share large parts of the genome. Wasn't it 50% with a banana? IIRC it was from an Israeli scientist.

Edit: It had been said in the context that those "hairs" on the plants' roots react to sound frequencies.