Coffee and Provocation

All He Wanted Was Freedom
Virginia used to have an official groundhog, but it killed itself on Groundhog Day 1954 trying to escape.

Flamingo Born in Africa, Jail Breaks from Zoo
A flamingo born in Tanzania, Africa, and which escaped from a Kansas zoo more than 15 years ago, has been spotted in Texas. Since it flew the coop, so to speak, it has reportedly been seen in Arkansas, Louisiana, and even Wisconsin. The Kansas flamingo from Africa seems to have found company in Texas with a Yucatan-born Caribbean flamingo.

The Vegans Have Unleashed the Ticks
Being bitten by a “Lone Star tick” can leave people with a red meat allergy.

Painted Ladies Migrate to Africa and Back
The Painted Lady butterflies of my youth in North Africa migrate form Europe, across the Sahara, and back. The round-trip journey usually plays out over several generations, and is an annual journey of 12,000 kilometers.

The Math Crisis
In the 1980s, A&W tried to compete with the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder by selling a 1/3 pound burger at a lower cost. The product failed, however, because most customers thought ¼ pound was bigger.

Strange House Mates
In 1936-37, Salvador Dalí, Henry Miller, and Anaïs Nin lived together in a house in Caroline County, Virginia. It seems the whole thing was the idea of Caresse Crosby, who patented the first modern bra at the age of 19. Ms. Crosby went to Paris in the 1920s with her second husband, where they created "Black Sun Press" and hobnobbed with authors and artists from the "Lost Generation". In 1936, as World War II loomed and her second husband and his female lover shot themselves, Ms. Crosby left Paris with her new husband (her third), to settle in Caroline County where she invited her odd collection of friends to join her at Hampton Manor, near Bowling Green.

Hammer and Glue to Fix Coral Reefs?
It's an unlikely fix that works. This is the story of how it was discovered.

Out With the "Bad Fat"
The eight billion pounds a year of partially hydrogenated oils (aka "trans-fats") that we once used to cook our food in the U.S. is now officially banned by the FDA.