Lydia Schoch

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, photographs, graphic novels, short stories and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

The Cask of Amontillado. This is by far my favourite Edgar Allan Poe short story.

From Only Happy People Can Fix the World:

Seriousness is a man-made disease, terminal in nature.

Linear Parks are Reshaping Urban Landscapes. Now this is a hopeful article. I wonder how else unused land in urban and suburban communities will be reclaimed as parks in the near future?

From The Saddest Toys in the Universe:

It is easy to forget that among the sexy nurses, and goofy decorations that Halloween is one of the few times a year that we engage with the idea of death…This still comes through in small ways in our modern Americanized Halloween.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic. This is how the CDC wants you to react in the event of a zombie uprising. I love that the CDC has such a fantastic sense of humour!

Sometimes what you need more than anything is a book that will make you laugh until your stomach muscles ache. F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers is just such a book.

What have you been reading?

Forgotten Heroes is a series of posts about extraordinary men and women who are (probably) not remembered by the average person.  Previous heroes include Alvin Ratz Kaufman, Fred and Cela Sloman and Ghandl and Skaay. 

If you know of a forgotten hero who should be included in this series let me know about him or her in the comment section or via my contact form.

Time: June 21, 1813

Place: Niagara Peninsula

If you’ve heard of Laura Secord it’s probably in this context.

The real Laura Ingersoll Secord was born in 1775. At 22 she married James Secord, a United Empire Loyalist. Soon after the Battle of Queenstown Heights James was wounded by a musket ball. The War of 1812 was raging on.

Remember, this happened well over a hundred years before the invention of penicillin. Wounds like this were serious. A systemic infection could kill even the healthiest person very quickly.

James had been recovering from his injury for about eight months when Laura learned that Lieutenant James FitzGibbon was planning a surprise attack at Beaver Dams. If the Americans carried out this attack successfully they would have gained even more control of the Niagara Peninsula.

Laura started walking. We believe she travelled about 20 miles (30 kilometres) through swamps and woodlands to warn British forces of an impending American attack. She was alone and the terrain was rough. If you’ve ever hiked off-trail you know how much more difficult is to climb over and around rocks, fallen trees and other obstacles. Walking one mile in this environment is like walking three or four on a flat, dry pavement.

Because of her warning the British were able to attack the enemy at Beaver Dam and capture almost all of the American soldiers despite the fact that the British had about 400 less men.

How did Laura find out about the attack?

We don’t know.

She told FitzGibbon that that an American soldier has told her husband about the attack but as an elderly woman she told her granddaughter that she learned of the plan by listening to the conversations of American soldiers she had been forced to feed and allow to sleep under her roof.

It’s possible that both of these stories were fabrications and that she was warned about the attack by a friend or acquaintance living in the U.S. who would have been hanged for treason had his or her identity been revealed.

Logo by Tara Logue.

This brings us back to the chocolatier.

In 1913  Laura Secord Chocolates was founded. The name was chosen to honor the original Laura Secord.

One of their most well-known sweets is dark chocolate moulded into a pendant with Laura Secord’s face carved into the white chocolate in the middle of it.

Unfortunately my dairy allergy prevents me from ever trying one. Readers who live outside of Canada should definitely add visiting one of these shops to their list of stuff to do on vacation here, though! 🙂

I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived.  – Chris Cleave, Little Bee.

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, poems, photographs and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Rediscovered Kitchen. My family moved around a bit while my brothers and I were growing up.  Each time we moved I wished fervently to discover some cool antiques or a long-forgotten room.  It never happened to us…but it sure did recently to Archie and Philippa Graham-Palmer!

Money Trees. How did the very first person to hammer a coin into these trees came up with the idea, I wonder?

Women in Elevators. This article is a great peek into how gender affects how men and women react to certain situations.

From All Quiet on the Western Frontier:

He stood there, shell shocked, with a thousand yard stare
In the last 48 hours he’d survived unspeakable horrors, but never left his station
Now, I needed to talk to him.

Seeking Quotes from Queer Women who Partner with Trans Women and/or Cis Men. If anyone reading this is part of this group please click on the link and participate. Everyone else – check it out as well. Some of the stories that have been shared so far are (almost) unbelievable…except that I’ve heard similar nonsense. 😉

What a gorgeous fall view!

Photo by Ximonic, Simo Räsänen

Today’s recommendation is Sex on Six Legs. Before reading it I’d never known that insects can exhibit consistant personality traits like shyness or boldness (or at least that’s our human interpretations of their behaviour. It’s difficult to know what an ant is actually thinking or feeling!)

What have you been reading?

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, comics, photographs and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos. I suspect some of these photos have been doctored and/or set up but it’s still fascinating to think about how and why they came into existence. Fair warning: a few pictures are mildly NSFW.

Pandhandlers Do Not Grow Up Dreaming of Pandhandling. A fantastic review of an eye-opening blog.

Smoke In Your Eyes: Dragon’s Breath. Sometimes the truth does not set you free.

Lawns. This is one of many reasons why I love living in urban environments. Why spend so much time, money and valuable land growing a plant that we cannot eat, wear, build stuff out of or make into medicine? And It isn’t even an aesthetically pleasing crop which at least can be said about ornamental flowers and shrubs.

From How Swearing Works (emphasis mine):

All languages have swear words, but the words that are considered expletives and the social attitudes toward them change over time. In many languages, words that used to be taboo are now commonplace and other words have taken their place as obscenities. In American English, the words currently considered to be the most vulgar and offensive have existed for hundreds of years. Their designation as obscenities, however, took place largely during and after the 1800s.

I love Tina Fey. If you’re a fan of her work as well (or even if you’re not), buy or borrow Bossypants. It’s the perfect blend of sarcasm, biting social commentary and self-deprecating humour for which Fey is so well known.

What have you been reading?