Dovi's Digest Volume 11
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hi All, and welcome to Volume 11 of Dovi’s Digest.
In a week that was full of news both local and international, in typical style, I completely disregarded breaking stories and instead focussed on the weird and wonderful articles that I read over the last seven days. You won’t be reading about corruption or delayed elections, or even the Mars rover “Perseverance” which began its seven-month journey to the red planet yesterday (although it will definitely make an appearance closer to touchdown in February). To show that I understand the zeitgeist, there is an article on masks, but it's not exactly breaking news.
In this week's edition, we have the relatively unknown world of the Jewish African American community in Harlem, the chilling account of the USA’s first public mass shooting and my personal favourite, the hilarity, thuggery and possible criminality of a mascot tasked with being unruly (The story with the Wolverhampton Wanderers mascot had me howling [I apologise] with laughter.)
There were three correct answers to last week’s riddle. Well done to Akiva Crouse, Ori Tobias and Josh Hazan (again!). The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
As always, thank you very much to all those who are referring friends, and welcome to all of those who are on the list via my Facebook posts and others’ referrals.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming!
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Rise of Mask Shaming Reveals the Tricky Science of Social Change
Mask shaming shows how quickly new behaviours can go from new to common. But in some places, you’re still more likely to be shamed for wearing a mask than not.
How a Century Old Recording Revealed the Lost World of African American Cantors
No blurb, the headline says it all.
A Warning from the Chickens of the World
How our reliance on mass produced foods increases the risk of pandemics.
Nikola Tesla: The Extraordinary Life of a Modern Prometheus
(Courtesy of Isaac Lipschitz)
Visionary, villain or somewhere in between?
The New Economics of Chess
How the sport’s one-time wunderkind is turning the industry on its head.
96 Minutes
On August 1st, 1966, Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the University of Texas Tower and started firing.
Swan Song
How a groundsman became British football’s most notorious mascot, Cyril the Swan.
Quote of the Week:
“If you ever find yourself in the wrong story, leave.” – Mo Willems, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
Facts of the Week:
Trees can recognise their offspring.
Dolphins provide babysitting services.
Cartoon of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Heather lives with her teenage son, James, in the countryside—a car ride away from James’ school. Every afternoon, Heather leaves the house at the same time, drives to the school at a constant speed, picks James up exactly when his chess club ends at 5 p.m., and then they immediately return home together at the same constant speed. But one day, James isn’t feeling well, so he leaves chess practice early and starts to head home on his bike.
After James has been biking for an hour, Heather comes across him in her car (on her usual route to pick him up), and they return together, arriving home 40 minutes earlier than they usually do. How much chess practice did James miss?
(Hint: Consider the case where Heather meets James exactly as she’s leaving the house)
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
Steven, Janet, and Martin got together for a round-robin table tennis tournament, where, as usual, the winner stays on after each game to play the person who sat out that game. At the end of their afternoon, Janet is exhausted, having played the last seven straight games. Steven, who is less winded, tallies up the games played:
- Steven played eight games
- Janet played 12 games
- Martin played 14 games
Who won the fourth game and against whom?
Answer:
Martin beat Steven. You can find answer explanations as well as the maths behind it here and here.
Is there something you particularly liked or didn’t like? Let me know at dovisdigest@gmail.com