critters in my head

wwnorton:

GRIMM TALES FOR ADULTS

In the recent New Yorker article on the lure of the fairy tale,Joan Acocella discusses the virtues of Maria Tatar’s Annotated Brothers Grimm:

“Her edition is the one I would recommend. The book is dazzlingly illustrated…another virtue of Tatar’s edition is that she has isolated, at the end, a group of ‘Tales for Adults’—stories that she feels should be examined by parents before they are read to children. Included in this section is ‘The Stubborn Child,’ together with such items as ‘The Hand with the Knife’ and ‘The Jew in the Brambles.’ Still, ‘The Juniper Tree,’ which Tatar herself describes as ‘probably the most shocking of all fairy tales,’ is not placed among the ‘Tales for Adults,’ presumably because it is too characteristic, to echt Grimm, to be cordoned off in a special section. (Parents should simply not read it to children. If they give the child the book, they should get an X-Acto knife and slice the story out first.)

Always excited to celebrate a major anniversary, Norton will be publishing a new, expanded bicentennial edition of the Annotated Brothers Grimm in October.

mothernaturenetwork:

8 alarmingly unhealthy snacks to avoid
A muffin with the same amont of calories as 10 chocolate donuts? A pretzel with more saturated fat than a Big Mac? Read this and weep.

sp00nful:

Truffles The Most Expensive Food in the World (12 minute documentary video)

Interesting parts of the documentary:

1. Truffles are wild mushrooms from France or Italy (they are an underground fungus)
2. Pictured above, the world’s most expensive truffles sold at auction for $330,000
3. One NYC restaurant sells a $150 truffle burger
4. Chinese truffles are fake low-grade versions used in black markets to pass off as the real deal.
5. Only truffles from Italy and France are considered legitimate, but must be careful when visiting these countries because Chinese truffles are being mixed with authentic ones.
6. American law doesn’t require a distinction between varieties of truffles so labels on American sold truffle products maybe deceitful. Legally, if the truffles are packaged in France they can label them as “product of France” when in fact they maybe a Chinese truffle product. 
7. Truffle black market trade is similar to drug trade, dangerous and mafia like.
8. Dogs are used to hunt for mushrooms

mothernaturenetwork:

Queen of Sheba’s genetic legacy lives on in Ethiopia
Study: Some Ethiopians have 40-50 percent of their genomes that match more closely with populations outside of Africa than those within.

nationalpost:

Meet Spencer West, the legless Toronto man who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
Toronto’s Spencer West, whose legs were amputated below the pelvis when he was five years old due to a genetic disorder, did what few people have done earlier this week when he climbed to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. A public speaker with Free the Children, he began his journey on June 12 with two friends and a team of guides and porters. The 31-year-old, spent over a year with a personal trainer in preparation for the climb, which has raised over $500,000 to create clean water programs in Kenya — still shy of the $750,000 goal. The National Post’s Jake Edmiston spoke with Mr. West on the phone from Moshi, Tanzania, at the base of Kilimanjaro.

(via mothernaturenetwork)

mothernaturenetwork:

Want healthy knees? Focus on your gums
New data add more evidence of the link between poor oral health and poor health in general.

mothernaturenetwork:

10 wacky pet accessories
From playtime robots to canine sex toys, here are some of the most bizarre pet products on the Web.

mothernaturenetwork:

The best workouts for your body shape
Make the most of your gym time by exercising with your body shape in mind. Here’s how to find your best fit.

mothernaturenetwork:

Why you have to pee in the middle of the night
That glass of water you guzzled before bed isn’t the only reason you’re making a beeline for bathroom at night. Turns out, your genes are to blame, too.

mothernaturenetwork:

5 mind-bending facts about dreams
As scientists become increasingly able to probe deeper into our minds, they are beginning to shine some light on the mysteries of what happens when we sleep.

mothernaturenetwork:

From ‘Jetsons’ to your driveway: A folding car
Modern electronic controls help make science-fiction visions like the Hiriko Fold possible. It’s an Explorer-sized electric car pod that folds to fit into a third of a parking space. Here’s the ultimate solution to urban charging issues.

mothernaturenetwork:

We may not know the secret to to physical immortality, but these 11 eponymous inventors have the next best thing: They live on in etymological eternity.

mothernaturenetwork:

Richard Branson bringing native birds back to Virgin Islands
Billionaire philanthropist says the reintroduction of 3 bird species marks the first time they’ve been seen on the island chain in more than 100 years.

mothernaturenetwork:

18 foods that fight common ailments
Try healthy eats that help fight diabetes, heart disease, migraines and more.

mothernaturenetwork:

Scientist creates lifelike cells out of metal
Researcher says he has created living cells made of metal instead of carbon — and they may be evolving.