Monthly Archives: May 2013

Firth of Forth

Uncategorized

pod-of-sperm-whales-sleeping

For some unknown reason, Google decided that I would want to know that a pod of 14 Sperm Whales were spotted swimming in the Firth of Forth. Not that I don’t like Sperm Whales, but a pod swimming somewhere around Scotland is not of great interest to me. But I do find it interesting that something is named the Firth of Forth. Interesting in an humorous way.

Then the article – on the stv edinburgh website – went on to say The group were seen making their way from the island of Fidra to Lamb off the coast of East Lothian….They then changed direction, heading towards Crail in Fife. 

It all sounds like something from The Middle Earth Gazette. I know that Scotland and England make up Great Britain and it appeals to me that the blue cross of the Scottish Flag – shown here on David Coulthard’s F1 helmet –

David Coulthard    and the English flag – shown here on Jenson Button’s F1 helmet –

Jenson Button

together form the British flag and I suspect that the British flag is called the Union Jack to both honor the countries union and the visual union on the flag. But I really have no idea how two groups of people on a small island could develop such different languages.
As an aside: I am also a little disappointed that Tolkien just used psuedo-Scottish for Middle earth names, just like Frank Herbert ripped off  Arabic names for Dune. End aside.
Still, it is nice to have bumped into The Firth of Forth.
  
 

The paper towel dilemma

Americana, Around home

bounty-hero When Michele and I buy paper towels, what we get depends on where we are. If we are at Whole Foods, we will get some something like Seventh Generation which advertise that they are 100% recycled paper and 100% unbleached. If we are at Safeway, we will get something like Bounty which just touts their soaking up power.

But, when we get home, both choices seem wrong. The Bounty and their ilk are made from virgin forests and bleach, so we are wrong there. But the perforations allow us to use half sheets so we use alot less. The Seventh Generation paper towels are perforated so we can only use full sheets (unless somebody wanted to use scissors to cut the sheets). So they may be made in a way that has less impact, but using them uses almost double the paper.