Today I learned

The Sandbox General
1

Albania had a civil war because ponzi schemes collapsed:

Albanian citizens thought the government profited from said schemes, and so they started protesting against the government in January 1997.

I seriously do not remember hearing about any of this, but maybe I was too busy with grad school.

2

TIL there’s a Today I Learned thread.

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3

This site actually has good search features, unlike the old AO

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4

Room sizes differ by language? The air purifier box says it is for a medium room, pero para una habitaciĂłn grande.

5

I guess it’s not venti…

6

It’s a mourning dove not a morning dove.

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7

There are many varieties of mangos. Which makes total sense, there are many varieties of apples, and grapes, and so forth. I’d just never thought about it before.

8

The British like a condiment called Salad Cream. It is somewhat similar to mayo, but the proportions of oil and vinegar are flipped; mayo has a lot of oil and some vinegar, where salad cream has a lot of vinegar and some oil.

That sounds like an interesting mayo alternative, as I like the tanginess of vinegar. I wouldn’t use it on a typical tossed salad, but might on sandwiches or in something like coleslaw.

9

TIL the word “incommoding”.

10

TIL the word “derogation”.

via EU extends Finland’s COVID-19 derogations

11

without looking at the definition, and playing some Balderdash:
“Going to the loo.”

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12

Today I learned Jackie Mason did not pass away years ago, but days ago.

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13

During a discussion with the wife about flat white’s we wondered where they came from. Well apparently that is a controversy…

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/the-contentious-history-of-the-flat-white/%3Famp=1

14

TIL: there is something called a “flat white.”
No, I do not drink coffee of any sort.

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15

I too did not know of “flat whites” prior to Nick’s post. And I held out longer than most people before I became a cannot-function-without-my-daily-coffee kind of person. I didn’t even drink coffee at all until grad school which I started a month before my 26th birthday. Then didn’t drink it at all for 5 years after grad school until I attempted FSA exams.

But alas, I am now a daily coffee drinker and get such a bad headache if I skip a day that I don’t ever skip a day anymore. I blame the SOA.

16

Haricot vert is a green bean

17

Coriander is the seeds of cilantro.

18

That atheists have Chaplains. And Harvard’s new chief Chaplain is an atheist.

19

Today I found this Wikipedia page:

20

There are 5 places named Midlothian in America.