A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 242 of Dovi’s Digest!
Once again last week my intro was frustratingly cut off. All you read about was that I have a favourite pair of shoes and then nothing.
So I’ll precis here: I own multiple pairs of Reebok Club C85s. They’re not fancy, they’re not expensive, but they’re comfortable and I love them. They’ve literally done hundreds (if not thousands) of miles with me.
I used to get stick for wearing them as they’re a little boxy and old fashioned but with the resurgence of retro 80s and 90s shoes in the last few years, I inadvertently became cool. Well, maybe not cool, but certainly well dressed – if you only count my feet.
Over the years trends change, cool becomes passe, that which was ugly and outdated has become cool again, and then old school cool comes back, and the cycle continues. Two things that I really hope never make a comeback though are those boot cut jeans that looked dumb even when they were fashionable (not to mention got wet at the first sign of moisture, making your shoes wet too) and super skinny ties, which at their extreme started looking like a piece of string round your neck.
Thing is, as we get older, we start to care less about what’s cool and more about what’s comfortable.
I used to exclusively wear ironic and iconic t-shirts that included: a pink Freud (a pun on the band name), one with Darwin’s evolution of man done in Lego, and one covered in bananas (which I still own and which I’ve been told to get rid of by multiple family members and girlfriends. The shirt lasted, the girlfriends didn’t. No correlation).
These days I dress more for comfort than style in what has become a de facto uniform for me: black jeans and a white shirt (or a tee if I’m feeling summery). Pair this with my white Reeboks and you get an old-school cool look if there ever was one. Plus, it’s easy to decide each day.
Enough about my sartorial choices though, you have a Digest to read.
On Monday we marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, in which more than 1 million jews were murdered by the Nazis during World War Two. It has become the International Day of Holocaust remembrance, and there was a very moving ceremony at the camp with talks by survivors, and an emphasis on not allowing hate back into society. There are a few articles this week about the Holocaust and its survivors. One day I’ll share the story of my grandparents who lost everyone and everything during those horrific years.
In this week’s added extras:
A list of predictions made in 1925 about 2025.
In Connect Dots without Crossing Lines, players have to draw a line linking dots of the same colour. A line connecting dots of one colour cannot, however, cross a line connecting the dots of a different colour. As the levels get harder, more dots and more colours are introduced. Try it here.
A scientific explanation of whether you should walk or run when you forget your umbrella.
A 100-year-old’s advice on finding meaning in life.
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles I’m sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here 👇. Thank you!
There were THREE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, Well done to Josh H, Yisroel G, and Gilad A! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Man Who Revealed Auschwitz's Atrocities to The World
One man's daring mission to infiltrate Auschwitz revealed its atrocities to the world – this is his story.
Auschwitz: 80 Years After Its Liberation, Three Survivors Tell Their Stories
Monday 27 January is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. Three survivors, two of whom were interned there as teenagers, tell their stories.
'It Was an Escape into Excellence': How Music Saved the Life of a Teenage Jewish Cellist in Auschwitz
The Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945. Anita Lasker, a Jewish teenager, managed to survive there simply because the camp orchestra needed a cello player.
How to See Six Planets Lined Up in the Night Sky This Month—and Glimpse a Rare Seven-Planet ‘Parade’ in February
While the planets are technically always “aligned” along the same plane in our sky, seeing so many at once is a special opportunity.
Early Warning Signs You’re Becoming ‘Frail’—and How to Prevent It as You Age
What you do in your 40s, 30s, or even 20s can make a big difference down the road.
Eight Figures For ‘The Big Bang Theory’? Inside The World of TV Theme Songs
For a lucky few, a composition on an enduring, popular show can rake in millions of dollars and be, as one songwriter puts it, “the gift that keeps on giving”.
He Is Credited with One of History’s Most Indelible Photos. A New Documentary Questions Who Took It
It is one of the 20th century’s most memorable images: a naked girl, screaming, running from a napalm bombing during the Vietnam War.
Quote of the Week:
“I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass.” – David Lee Roth
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Marlee L)
Malaise
muh·layz/məˈleɪz/
Noun
a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is difficult to identify.
"a general air of malaise"
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
Facts of the Week:
Russia has a police riot squad made entirely of sets of identical twins.
2% of the world's twins are currently involved in a scientific study about twins.
Until the 17th century, mothers hung their babies on hooks as they worked.
Prehistoric women had stronger arms than members of modern-day rowing clubs.
Before he became the first person to row solo across the Atlantic, John Fairfax was apprenticed to a pirate.
Captain Hook was an Old Etonian and his last words were the school motto: “Floreat Etona”.
Wood-mouse sperm hook onto one another to catch a ride.
The longest spider sperm is twice as long as the smallest spider.
A pooter is a device used by entomologists to suck insects into a jar without accidentally inhaling them.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
The answers to these questions are spoonerisms, a phrase repeated with its initial sounds swapped. Thus, the answer to “What’s the difference between a lovely glove and a small, silent cat”?” is “One’s a cute mitten, and one’s a mute kitten.”
What’s the difference between:
a) a martial arts star and unpackaged French cheese?
b) an intrigued visitor to our shores and someone angrily holding an inquest into a death?
c) the jewellery of Vermeer’s painted girl and an aristocratic Peeping Tom?
Last week’s brainteaser and answer:
On an island, every resident is either half-hearted or enthusiastic. A visitor from a distant land was invited for dinner by a group of 10 residents. After dinner, the visitor asked all 10 members of the group about the number of enthusiastic inhabitants within their group.
She received the following answers: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Knowing that the answers of the half-hearted individuals cannot be more than the actual answer, and the answers of the enthusiastic individuals cannot be less than the actual number, determine the number of enthusiastic inhabitants within the group.
Answer:
6.
Line the inhabitants in a row according to their answers: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. The first thing to note is that no half-hearted person can be to the right of an enthusiastic person, so the half-hearteds are on the left.
Let’s say there are exactly 3 enthusiastic people. If this were so, the person who said ‘4’ must be enthusiastic, as must everyone to their right, totalling 9 enthusiastic people. Contradiction! So we can eliminate the solution being exactly 3 enthusiastic inhabitants.
Let’s say there are exactly 4 enthusiastic inhabitants. Again, this leads to contradiction because it would mean there are at least 8 enthusiastic inhabitants. (The people to the right of the person who said ‘4’)
Likewise, it is impossible for there to be 5 enthusiastic inhabitants, as this implies at least 7 enthusiastic inhabitants.
If there are 6 enthusiastic people, there are no contradictions. But if there are 7 or more enthusiastic people, then it is impossible, since it would mean that some of these enthusiastic people are giving answers of less than 7, so this is impossible.
Thus, there are 6 enthusiastic people.