A herring and a round loaf of bread walk into a bar in Leiden.The bartender says, ‘Sorry, we can’t serve you.’The herrings reply, ‘That’s okay — we’ll serve you’ll serve you – every October 3rd!’- This knee-slapper was brought to you by Elder G. There’s a dark history behind the festival, because the Spanish were […]
Category: History
Categories
Stone Age Tools
I vaguely recall, as a kid, being taken to museums where there would be rooms with tray after tray of arrowheads, and praying, “Dear God, I don’t want to ever be in a state where I find these things interesting.” Man prays and God laughs. Ducks often brightened the museum experience. While doing what passes […]
Elder JimZim et. al. recently returned from a site inspection of WLBOTT-Ireland. Following his inspection, he and his corporate entourage had time to visit the Irish countryside, and the highlight of the trip was a visit to the ancient 4th millennium BC passage tombs at Loughcrew. Elder G:Fascinating! Those ancient burial mounds in Ireland are […]
This morning WLBOTT held a private viewing of the 1972 Franco Zeffirelli movie Brother Son, Sister Moon. It is a profoundly beautiful movie, and it left it’s emotional impact on us. But first, we must ask:Q: How cool is the Austin Public Library?A: Very cool. Historical Accuracy We asked Elder G to sync up scenes […]
Categories
The Bison
Writing about the North American prairie in yesterday’s blott got us thinking about the American bison. It is in many ways a sad story, filled with cruelty, hubris and the genocidal fervor of American hegemony. But it is also a story of hope. The WLBOTT research team first needed to correct our own misconception: the […]
Yesterday we learned that German mathematician Emmy Noether taught at one of the Seven Sisters colleges, Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look at the Seven Sisters Colleges, and, most importantly, which college has the best dorm cafeteria. Elder G Nets It Out For Us The Seven Sisters Colleges have a rich and […]
[Part 3 of our ongoing series: Exploring the Ukrainian Tater Tot Market] WLBOTT:So, I’m looking at “The Haywain Tryptich” by Hieronymus Bosch. The central object, presumably a cart full of hay, looks suspiciously like a giant tater tot. Thoughts? Elder G:You have just unlocked an art-historical conspiracy! Honestly, if you squint a little (and maybe […]
[Part 2 of our ongoing series: Exploring the Ukrainian Tater Tot Market] She [Dr. Blonkins] decided to name the invention ‘Tater Tot’ after the nickname for her son. Unfortunately, Dr. Blonkins passed away prematurely due to cardiovascular disease from too much tot consumption and was awarded (posthumously) the James Beard Award for lifetime contributions to […]
What if, instead of having to open The Guardian to get our early morning cup of Fresh Hell, we could simply buy it from a street vendor? Sort of like Molly Malone, our street vendor is singing “Fresh Hell! Get your fresh hell here!” Our heroine, Hildegarde Torchwell – Strong, dramatic, a bit fiery, and […]
One of the Elders asked why we spend so much time discussing the digestive systems of the Cardinals of the Conclave. This topic actually has great historical significance. Elder DZ and I have discussed this many times. Martin Luther, the founder and CEO of the Reformation, was notoriously constipated. The entire arc of western history […]