Dovi’s Digest Volume 58
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hey everybody! Welcome to Volume 58 of Dovi’s Digest.
My parents are pretty adventurous. I say this because before I was born, in fact before I was even a twinkle in their eye, my parents went backpacking. And not your standard summer Contiki tour two-month trips, but serious hardcore stuff. Just after qualifying as an accountant, my father did the most un-accountant thing and immediately quit his job. His father had passed away less than a year before (which I have written about, see Volume 48), and I guess he needed a break (this is pure conjecture). My mother was game, and so with just a couple rucksacks and sleeping bags my parents headed off on what would be a three-year adventure. Their trip would take them to basically every country in Europe, to my grandfather’s old, walled and cobbled hometown in Germany (my mom’s dad, a story for another time), a kibbutz in Israel, and a yearlong road trip in America, sleeping and living almost exclusively in their Chevy Caprice.
Being away from home for three years is not only tough, but expensive. My parents both grew up in immigrant households, meaning they were entirely self-funded. Although it was the 80s and things cost a lot less, their combined salaries as an article clerk (accountant in training) and a radiographer shockingly didn’t cover their expenses. My parents took on odd jobs along the way, staying in a city for a couple weeks until they’d saved enough to move on. Their biggest money spinner though was my dad busking. Through a combination of magic rings, disappearing coins, never ending silk hankies, and many card tricks, my parents made their way across the globe. When they returned, although busking wasn’t necessary to keep me fed and in nappies, my dad carried on performing magic as a hobby. It was watching my dad when I was young that gave me my fascination with magic. By the time I was six, I was doing basic card tricks, then moving onto false cuts, forces, and fake shuffles. I still maintain that same wonder and awe whenever I see a magician. Give me an illusionist over a singer on a talent show any day of the week.
This week’s headline article is of course on a similar theme. It’s about someone who most of us haven’t heard of, someone who in our minds isn’t in the pantheon of famous magicians ala Penn and Teller, David Blaine, David Copperfield (sidenote, with whom my dad did a bit of magic with), Siegfried and Roy or Harry Houdini. Nevertheless, for years he enthralled the magic world with one amazing card trick which involved him not touching the deck. I really enjoyed the article, and I hope you do too.
In this week’s magical (herherher) edition, we have, among others, why Florida’s manatees are dying at an alarming rate, tips about better and longer sleep, and the never-ending fire at the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan.
We also have the final instalment of my UFO series. The U.S. government’s report on it drops this week, and it will no longer be considered “news”, which is something I’m very concerned about. If you would like more articles on the subject, please just hit reply and I’ll gladly pass them along.
There were FOUR correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, well done to Dovi Joel, Ariel Kahanovitz, Adam Frame, and Cheryl Geliebter!!! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Mystery of Magic’s Greatest Card Trick
At 94, the magician David Berglas says his renowned effect can’t be taught. Is he telling the truth?
Florida Manatees Died at an Alarming Rate in the First Months of 2021
Years of worsening water quality from toxic runoff have increased algae blooms and killed the sea grass that manatees graze on, experts say.
“I Wanted to Buy a Marine Aquarium”: Why People Around the World are Flocking to Onlyfans
During the pandemic, the subscription site known for explicit content attracted legions of new users and creators around the world.
The Darvaza Crater: The USSR's Top-Secret Desert Mystery
Known as "The Gates of Hell", a massive molten pit in the Turkmenistan desert has been spewing fire for decades – but its origin is considered top-secret.
The Lie We Tell Ourselves About Going to Bed Early
To get better sleep, stop treating it like a chore.
The Scrappy-Doo Wikipedia Mystery
The Wikipedia entry for fictional Great Dane puppy Scrappy-Doo is 25 623 words long, 2000 words longer than the entire history of Poland. But why?
Even if You Think Discussing Aliens Is Ridiculous, Just Hear Me Out
No, seriously, hear him out.
Quote of the Week:
“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” – Marie Curie
Facts of the Week:
The world’s oldest footprints are half a billion years old.
The first scientist to study dinosaur footprints thought they were made by giant birds (they were actually kind of right – ed.).
Archaeopteryx was a bird-like dinosaur that was too heavy to sit on its own eggs without cracking them.
The black feathers of the male superb bird-of-paradise absorb 99.95% of light.
The yellow-billed oxpecker bird sleeps in the armpit of a giraffe.
Ancient Egyptians used giraffes’ tails as fly swatters.
A male giraffe drinks the urine of a female giraffe to see if she's ovulating.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headlines of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Each of the following letters has something in common. What should the next letter be?
B C D G J O P Q R ?
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
Six and a half boys can eat six and a half pizzas in an hour and a half. How many pizzas could three boys eat in seven and a half hours?
Answer:
15