Dovi’s Digest Volume 259
Hair today, gone tomorrow 👨🦲>👱♂️🤩
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 259 of Dovi’s Digest!
First off, there was a lot of confusion and consternation from readers about last week’s cartoon.
The very simple explanation is that beavers are instinctually drawn to building dams and will pile sticks and mud on the sound of running water. If you were to put a speaker playing the sound of running water in a field near a beaver, it would shortly have a pile of sticks on it. There are even documented cases of beavers hearing water flowing through pipes and trying to build dams in the house.
It wasn’t that deep.
I live a very privileged life (to the point that I have had enough time in my life to somehow learn about beaver instincts). I’ve never lacked, and to be honest my existence is very charmed. There is one thing in particular that I’m supremely aware that I’m lucky to have, but purely through genetic luck. Sure, a roof over your head, food on the table, and financial stability are nice, but it all pales in comparison to having a full head of hair in my mid 30s.
They say that one’s hair genes come from the maternal grandfather, and mine shuffled off this mortal coil at 87 with a full head of hair. A few of my friends are not as fortunate. One guy I know was balding at 17, while another decided in his early 20s to lean in and just shave his whole head – but now he just looks like an egg.
Hair is apparently linked to virility and is seen as an indicator of good genetic stock. Which explains why so many people are now taking trips to Turkey for 10 days yet are coming back just as pasty as when they left. An explanation: Turkey has become the world capital of hair transplants, where they take hairs from the side of the head and transplant them onto your crown. The reason people are going to Turkey is because it’s much cheaper than many places. However, it still costs thousands of dollars, which is out of reach for many.
As a result, there has been a resurgence of the much-derided toupee.
Read more about these new “rugs” in this week’s headline article.
In this week’s added extras:
The 25 Gardens You Must See
The Milky Way Photographer of the Year awards celebrates 25 of the most astonishing night sky images captured around the world – and beyond.
TripAdvisor names the world’s top 10 beaches.
The movies lied to us about volleys of arrows.
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 FIVE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Yona K, Chaim E, Ariel S, Ryan S, and Jeff C!! 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:
Why the Toupee Is Making a Comeback with Millennial Men
Long the butt of sitcom jokes, toupees—now called “hair systems”—have levelled up in recent years, and a growing number of balding men prefer the affordable flexibility they offer to the invasive risk of a transplant.
“My Life Was Saved by A Stranger on The Other Side of The World”
A man with a rare form of blood cancer has travelled 10,000 miles to meet the stranger who saved his life.
When Memories from Fiction Become Part of Who You Are
Scenes from books, movies and games sometimes carry as much weight as events from people’s own lives. We’re finding out why.
The Twisted History of Liquorice, the Candy We Love to Hate
Why this dud candy keeps on keeping on, despite a distinct lack of redeeming qualities.
An Inside Look at the New York Subway’s Archaic Signal System
About 85 percent of New York City’s subway system still operates with an analogue signal system. The outdated equipment is no longer manufactured and has to be manually operated, around the clock.
How Alcatraz Became America’s Most Notorious Prison
Inside The Rise and Fall of The Vaulter Bandit
To fellow tourists he met around the world, Jeffery Shuman was a semi-retired developer with a bright smile, an even tan, and a fat wallet. In truth, he was a legendary bank robber on the run from the Toronto police and the US Marshals.
Quote of the Week:
“An alcoholic is someone you don’t like who drinks as much as you do.” – Dylan Thomas
Word of the Week:
Ressentiment
ress-ahn-tee-MAHN/rɛˌsɒ̃tɪˈmɒ̃/
Noun
a psychological state resulting from suppressed feelings of envy and hatred which cannot be satisfied or acted upon.
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
Facts of the Week:
Chino is Latin American Spanish for “toasted”.
Levi's jeans are made to look pre-worn by scorching them with lasers.
The inventor of the laser didn't know what it would be used for.
The idea of the midlife crisis was invented by a Canadian in London in 1957.
Steel was invented in India around 400 BC.
The Humber Bridge is held up by 44,117 miles of steel wire, enough to circle the world twice.
Christmas Island has a bridge built just for crabs.
The carrier crab uses its back legs to grip a sea urchin, which it carries on its back like a shield.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Try to identify a famous historical figure from the following clues:
1. The person’s first and last names both contain seven letters.
2. Their full name only contains two different consonants (that occur multiple times).
3. Thirteen of the 14 letters in this person’s name occur in the first half of the alphabet (A–M), with the remaining letter being an “O.”
Who is it?
Last week’s brainteaser:
Fill in the blanks with three four-letter words that are anagrams of each other (they all contain the same four letters).
“The man ____ ____ of money because he couldn’t walk away from the ____ machines.”
Answer:
Lost, lots, slot