Death of a Tree
Our neighbor's tree has not had a good summer. The left-most branch cracked during a storm, dropping its canopy on their porch roof and slightly breaking a window, loud enough…
No Tips, Everyone!
The US tipping culture has, no pun intended, tipped over. At restaurants you're expected to tip 20-25% - and watch out for those pre-printed amounts, which often include taxes or…
Random Learnings #46
"A Peasant Leaving His Landlord on Yuriev Day" by Sergei V. Ivanov I thought that Russian serfs were essentially slaves - a belief supported by many English-language references - but…
Neighborhood Turkeys
© 2024 Scott C Sosna Last fall wild turkey moved into our neighborhood with no indication that they ever intend to leave. They wander the neighborhood, I assume to forage…
Random Learnings #45
"United Nations" by japedi is licensed under CC BY 2.0. I knew that China joined the United Nations at Taiwan's expense - China also getting the permanent seat on the…
Highland Park Water Tower
The Highland Water Tower in St Paul, MN was completed in 1928 and is on the National Register of Historic Places (1984, Reference #84001209). The tower was designed by architect…
Random Learnings #43
Lebensraum is often attributed to Hitler and the Nazis as a component of Germany's imperial and racist visions towards the east, and contributed to the Holocaust as killing the Jews…
Duquesne Incline
The Duquesne Incline is one of two remaining funiculars that ascend Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opening in 1877, it originally carried cargo up the hill but quickly expanded to…
Allegheny County Courthouse
My wife and I made our first trip to Pittsburgh, and our hotel was just outside the Liberty area near Steel Plaza. After one of our outings, our bus didn't…
Random Learnings #42
In an article on The Guardian, a women describes her mother's abusive boyfriend and the impact on her and her mother's life. Ultimately, her mother dies - it's unclear whether…