NAILED IT: FINGERS AND TOES

Posted on by vlaw759

Only primates have true finger- and toenails. We and our cousins have several uses for nails.

Fingernails are for protecting not only the fingertips but also the surrounding soft tissue from any external injuries.

Nails help enhance the sensitivity of fingertips by acting as a counterforce when pressed against something, improving the sense of touch.

Fingernails are much involved in fine motor skills.

Nail Facts

But for human primates, nails can be so much more!

by Dusan Rajic

Damaged or discolored nails can affect confidence and self-image in social or professional settings.

Certain cultures, social classes, or professions (e.g., models, musicians, corporate jobs) may expect well-manicured hands.

The global nail care industry is valued at about $26–27 billion in 2026, with the US market around $5.3 billion (roughly 79% of North America).

People typically spend about $20–$55 for a basic manicure and $25–$65 for a gel or standard full set, with premium services like acrylics, dips, or designs ranging from $25–$120+—overall, many nail services fall within roughly $15–$100+ depending on service, location, and add-ons.

In ancient Egypt, a person’s nail color indicated their social status. Noblemen wore black, and common men wore green. The highest rank, a noble lady, was symbolized by red fingernails. No wonder red manicures are so iconic!

Nail polish originated in China as early as 3000 BC. The ingredients? Egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes and beeswax.

Ching Dynasty fingernail protectors

Painting designs and pictures onto our fingernails isn’t something new and trendy. It was a familiar practice with the Incas, many of whom had eagle designs on their fingernails.

Miscellaneous Tidbits Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Just like hair, nails are composed of a protein called keratin, which is also found in animal hooves and horns. And this explains why specialized supplements are so often—usually—labeled as for hair and nail strengthening. Keratin is a protein made of dead cells, which is why cutting your fingernails and hair doesn’t hurt.

Typing with your fingernails will actually stimulate their growth.

Just like fingerprints, the pattern of ridges and grooves on your nails is unique to you.

Nails can’t “breathe” or sweat. Along with lips and ears, they are the only parts of the body that don’t sweat. (For more on sweat, see my blog).

While nails themselves don’t breathe like skin, the nail bed (the skin underneath the nail) does receive oxygen and nutrients through blood vessels. Medical providers can use the appearance of these blood vessels to assess dehydration and blood flow.

Our fingernails have no feeling. Zero. Zilch. Nor do our toenails.

Nails on a chalkboard make you cringe? There’s a reason for that. The noise hits a frequency that’s naturally amplified by the shape of our ear canals.

Our cuticles aren’t just for decoration. They serve a purpose! The cuticle seals moisture and environmental germs out of the body. This is why it’s important not to pick at your cuticles.

Are you a nail biter? There’s a name for that. Nail biting is known as Onychophagia. And stop it!

Feeling stressed out? It can show in your fingernails. Stress can cause your fingernails to weaken as nutrients are spread elsewhere in the body.

Fingernails need blood to survive. Have you ever wondered why your fingernail falls off after an injury? Our nail plates need blood flow, nutrients and oxygen to grow normally.  An injury can disrupt the delicate connections that provide the nutrition and can stop your fingernail from growing.

Record Nails

According to the  Guinness World Records , the longest fingernails on a pair of human hands belong to Diana Armstrong (USA), with a total length of 42 ft 10.5 in.

The longest fingernails ever recorded on a single hand belonged to Shridhar Chillal from India, whose nails on his left hand totaled 9.1 meters (30 feet) after he stopped cutting them for 66 years!

Growth

  • The nails on your writing hand grow up to 25% faster than those on your non-dominant hand due to increased blood flow and usage. And I didn’t know to include this in my blog on body asymmetry!
  • Fingernails grow about three times faster than toenails. On average, fingernails grow about 3 millimeters per month, while toenails grow about 1 millimeter per month.
  • Cutting nails doesn’t affect their growth. They grow from the base, so cutting or filing them doesn’t change how fast they grow.
  • Some studies suggest that nails grow slightly faster in warmer months, possibly due to increased blood circulation.
  • Men’s fingernails grow faster than women’s.
  • But, women’s fingernails do grow faster during pregnancy due to hormones.
  • Your thumbnail grows the slowest.
  • Your middle fingernail grows faster than your other fingers.
  • Fingernail growth slows down as we age.
  • Contrary to the popular “Moon Myth,” nails and hair do not continue to grow after death. The appearance of growth is due to the skin receding as the body dehydrates.

If you are just an info junky, ready for trivial pursuit type questions, consider stopping here. If you want to get more into the science and health issues, keep reading!

Healthy (and Unhealthy) Nails

Given how much we are willing to invest in nails (see above), what are the DYI options? For example, for weak or brittle nails?

Brittle nails can result from:

Nutritional deficiencies (e.g., lack of biotin, iron, zinc, or vitamins A, C, and E)

Excessive moisture exposure (e.g., frequent hand washing, dishwashing, or swimming)

Chemical damage (e.g., from nail polish removers, detergents, or harsh cleaning products)

Medical conditions (e.g., thyroid disorders, fungal infections, or psoriasis)

Aging (nails naturally become more brittle with age)

Trauma or repetitive stress (e.g., typing, manicures, or nail biting)

You Might Consider Improving Your Diet

Biotin (Vitamin B7): Supports keratin production. Found in eggs, nuts, seeds, and sweet potatoes. Studies suggest 2.5–5 mg/day can improve nail thickness.

Iron: Essential for nail health. Include spinach, lentils, red meat, and fortified cereals. Low iron can lead to spoon-shaped or brittle nails.

Zinc: Supports nail growth. Found in oysters, pumpkin seeds, and whole grains.

Protein: Nails are made of keratin, a protein. Include lean meats, beans, and dairy.

Vitamin E: Acts as an antioxidant. Found in almonds, avocados, and sunflower seeds.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Help reduce inflammation. Found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel) and flaxseeds.

Hydrate and Protect

Moisturize regularly. Apply jojoba oil, coconut oil, or shea butter to nails and cuticles daily. Look for products with urea or lactic acid to lock in moisture.

Protect your hands from water, detergents, and chemicals by wearing gloves during chores (dishes, cleaning, gardening).

Long baths, swimming, or soaking can weaken nails. Limit excessive water exposure and moisturize afterward.

Increasing your water intake can improve dry fingernails.

All-Purpose Gentle Nail Care

Trim nails regularly. Keep them short to prevent breakage. File them in one direction (not sawing back and forth) to avoid splits.

Use a nail strengthener. Look for products containing keratin, calcium, or hydrolyzed wheat protein. Avoid those with formaldehyde or toluene, which can dry out nails.

Limit nail polish and acrylics. Give your nails breaks between manicures. Acrylics and gels can cause thinning and peeling.

Avoid nail biting. Use bitter-tasting nail polish or keep nails trimmed short to break the habit.

Choose acetone-free polish removers. Acetone dries out nails. Opt for soy-based or oil-based removers.

Skip cuticle cutting. Cuticles protect the nail bed from infection. Push them back gently with a wooden stick after softening with oil.

Avoid antibacterial or deodorant soaps, which can strip natural oils. Use fragrance-free, moisturizing soaps.

Soak nails in warm olive oil or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water (1:1 ratio) for 10 minutes, 2–3 times a week.

Mix avocado oil with a few drops of lemon juice, apply to nails, and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing.

Use paraffin wax treatments at home or spas to deeply moisturize nails and cuticles.

If Home Remedies Don’t Work

Supplements: Talk to a doctor about biotin, collagen, or iron supplements if you suspect a deficiency.

Prescription treatments: For fungal infections, a doctor may prescribe antifungal creams or oral medications.

Nail hardeners: Some contain formaldehyde (e.g., nail hardeners like Duri Rejuvacote), but use them sparingly as they can cause brittleness over time.

Dermatologist consultation: If nails are discolored, peeling, or painful, rule out underlying conditions like psoriasis, thyroid issues, or fungal infections.

When to Consult a Healthcare Provider

Nails can be indicative of overall health, including signaling underlying problems. If you notice these conditions, you might want to have a professional check them out:

  • Nails are discolored, thickened, or crumbly (possible fungal infection)
  • There’s pain, swelling, or pus around the nail (sign of infection)
  • Nails are spoon-shaped or have ridges (could indicate anemia or thyroid issues)
  • Home treatments don’t improve brittleness after 4–6 weeks

Infections

Fungal infections (onychomycosis) can cause thick, discolored, or brittle nails.

Bacterial infections (e.g., paronychia) can lead to redness, swelling, and pain around the nail bed.

Ingrown nails (especially toenails) can cause pain, swelling, and infection if not treated.

Systemic Conditions

Psoriasis can cause pitted, discolored, or crumbly nails.

Diabetes can lead to poor circulation, increasing the risk of nail infections and slow healing.

Trauma to the nail (e.g., crushing or cutting) can cause bruising, detachment, or permanent damage.

Poor Nail Hygiene:

  • When dirt and bacteria accumulate under nails, it often leads to infections or spreading germs (e.g., during cooking or handshakes).
  • Long or unkempt nails can harbor more bacteria and viruses, increasing the risk of illness.
  • Overgrown or dirty nails are likely perceived as unhygienic in professional or social settings.
  • Some workplaces (e.g., healthcare, food service) have strict grooming standards that require short, clean nails.

Interference with Daily Tasks:

  • Long or broken nails can tear or snag on fabrics, keyboards, or touchscreens–and those are only examples!
  • They may make it difficult to perform tasks that require fine motor skills (e.g., typing, sewing, or handling small objects).

Discomfort or Pain:

  • Pressing too hard on a keyboard or touching sensitive skin can cause discomfort.
  • Nails that are too long or improperly shaped may press into the skin, causing irritation.

Workplace Hazards:

  • Long nails can pose risks in manual labor jobs (e.g., getting caught in machinery or tools).
  • They may not be allowed in certain industries (e.g., healthcare, laboratories) due to contamination risks.

Allergies:

  • Some people develop allergic reactions to nail products (e.g., acrylic nails, polish, or adhesives), leading to redness, itching, or swelling.

Bottom Line: There’s more to nails than a casual glance at hands or feet might reveal.

ON FEATHERS: WRITING, WARMTH, SALES AND SEX

Posted on by vlaw759

I thought I knew feathers. Researching this blog revealed the vastness of my ignorance!

Feathers have a variety of uses across history, cultures, and industries. Here are some of the most common and notable uses:

Writing

Historically, writers used feathers (especially from geese or swans) to make quill pens before the invention of the metal nib pen.

Quill pens were used from around the 6th century until the 19th century, evolving as a primary writing tool during the Middle Ages and remaining dominant until mass-produced dip pens emerged around 1820.

Warmth

One princess enjoyed feather ticks so much that she slept on a pile of 40 of them—and still felt the pea on the bottom!

Today, people use down feathers from ducks or geese in jackets, sleeping bags, and blankets for their excellent insulation properties.

The use of feathers for bedding dates back centuries, providing insulation and comfort in featherbeds

As a child, I slept with feather ticks at my granny’s house. These were made primarily from chicken feathers, some duck, with the nibs cut off.

Feather ticks were common in historical bedding, often placed over a harder mattress to make it more comfortable. Also called a featherbed or tick, it’s a linen or cotton bag filled with feathery down and sewn shut, traditionally used as a mattress topper or blanket to add softness and warmth to a bed. Regarding the origin of the term “tick,” it refers to the fabric covering or bag that holds the feathers, not the insect.

Feather-filled pillows and comforters are popular for their softness and insulation.

Feather Market

There is money to be made in feathers! Recent market figures confirm that the global market in feather products is significant and expecting steady annual growth.

Down jackets: $28.49 billion in 2025

Sleeping bags: $2.67 billion in 2025

Down bedding: $3 billion in 2025

Decorative Use

Fashion designers often use feathers in hats, boas, and capes for fashion.

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil wearing a wide collar of orange toucan feathers

Costume designers use them for Carnival and performance costumes (e.g., burlesque, theater, and dance). Feathered fans are traditional and iconic in fan dancing (especially in styles like burlesque or Hawaiian hula).

Some designers add feathers to clothing, bags, and shoes for a unique, luxurious, or exotic aesthetic.

Many traditional cultural attires include feathery adornments, such as Native American headdresses, Hawaiian chieftain capes, and Siberian Sakha winter clothing.

Home Decor

Decorators use feathers in wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, and wall art.

I made this bouquet of feathers in crab tails!

DYI Crafts and Art

Jewelry (e.g., earrings, necklaces)
Scrapbooking and card-making
Dreamcatchers and other handmade decor
Used in paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media art projects

Spiritual and Healing Practices

In some Indigenous traditions, participants use feathers to waft smoke from burning herbs (like sage or cedar) during smudging ceremonies.

Some believe a feather can to help direct or cleanse energy during rituals.

Symbolism and Ceremonies

Feathers often represent honor, freedom, and spirituality in many cultures.

Eagle feathers are sacred and used in ceremonies, rituals, and as symbols of honor in many Native American traditions. The laws around possessing an eagle feather are complicated and vary from state to state.

In ancient Egypt, feathers symbolized truth and justice (e.g., the feather of Ma’at).

Feathers are sometimes used as symbols of achievement, such as in military or scout badges.

Military Uses

Historically, fletchers used feathers to stabilize arrows in flight, for battle, hunting, and archery demonstrations.

Feathers have adorned military uniforms in some historical periods (e.g., cavalry helmets or officer hats). Particularly on headgear, these feather adornments aid in battlefield identification.

Several Native America tribes present feathers to members for particularly courageous actions, such as military feats. These feather awards often form part of traditional regalia, including war bonnets and hair ornaments.

Musical Instruments

Artisans sometimes use feathers to decorate instruments like guitars, violins, ‘uli’uli, or drums for aesthetic purposes.

In some cultures, musicians have used feathers to create sounds or as part of musical instruments for millenia. Appalachian dulcimer players today sometimes use a feather quill to pluck the strings.

Sports

Fishermen use feathers to create artificial flies for fly fishing, mimicking the appearance of insects or baitfish.

The word “shuttlecock” comes from the projectile’s resemblance to a rooster’s tail. A traditional shuttlecock is composed of feathers secured in a cork wrapped in thin leather. Badminton is the most well-known sport that uses shuttlecocks. Players hit the shuttlecock back and forth over a net using rackets.

Battledore is an ancient game similar to badminton, where players use a small paddle (battledore) to keep a shuttlecock in the air for as long as possible. Less structured than badminton, battledore is often played casually or by children.

Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese game similar to battledore and shuttlecock. Players use wooden
paddles to hit a shuttlecock and keep it airborne.

Home and Garden

Feather dusters are quite handy, traditionally used for cleaning delicate surfaces like lampshades, blinds, and furniture due to their softness and ability to trap dust.

Gardeners and farmers sometimes use feathers (especially owl feathers) in gardens or farms to deter pests like birds or rodents.

Environmental and Scientific Uses

Feathers are studied in biology and ecology to understand bird behavior, migration, and health.

Researchers use feathers in tracking and monitoring bird populations (e.g., banding feathers with identification tags).

Industrial Uses

Economists estimate that feathers yield a profit of about 50 cents per pound in industry, significantly higher than the profit from chicken meat—or so I read!

A byproduct of poultry processing, feather meal is used as a slow-release fertilizer in agriculture due to its high nitrogen content.

Research is ongoing into using feathers (keratin) to create sustainable materials like bioplastics or textiles.

Toys with attached feathers can stimulate playful cats or train hunting dogs.

Feathers provide extra comfort in pet nests or the filling of beds.

Ethical and Sustainable Considerations

Many feathers used today are byproducts of the food industry (e.g., from ducks or chickens raised for meat or eggs).

Feathers harvested specifically for use in fashion or crafts raise ethical concerns about animal welfare. Many people use synthetic feathers (made from polyester or other materials) as cruelty-free alternatives in fashion and decor.

And Because Sex Was Mentioned in the Title

Feathers have a long history of being used in sensual and sexual contexts, often for their tactile, visual, and psychological appeal, often used as part of foreplay, roleplay, or sensory exploration.

You can look it up!

Minneapolis hosts a city-wide pillow fight every year, perhaps the least erotic feathery orgy around!

Feathers can provide light, teasing touches to heighten sensitivity and arousal.

They are popular in sensory deprivation or tease-and-denial play. People might use feathers as part of bondage or restraint play, to enhance the experience of being controlled or immobilized. Partners may use feathers to explore each other’s bodies in new ways, adding variety to foreplay or massage.

Roleplay scenarios might feature feathers, such as feather dusters in domestic servant or maid fantasies.

Tantric or spiritual intimacy practices, where people use touch to deepen connection and mindfulness, may incorporate feathers.

In some cases, people use feathers in temperature play, either by chilling them or warming them.

Many people create homemade feather wands or ticklers by attaching feathers to handles or using them in combination with other tools like floggers or crops.

Issues to Consider

Ensure feathers are clean and free of allergens, especially if shared between partners or used in sensitive areas.

Always discuss boundaries and comfort levels beforehand, especially when introducing new sensations or tools.

Use soft, high-quality feathers to avoid irritation or discomfort.

Never use feathers in the eyes, ears, or throat, as they can cause injury.

Bottom Line: Feathers are useful as well as ornamental, valued for both profit and pleasure.

ON SWEAT: Triggers, Colors, and Gender

Posted on by vlaw759

Sweat—we all do it. Indeed, humans are the sweatiest of all animals. And there’s a lot more to sweating than feeling damp!

For one thing, it’s everywhere!

Japanese warriors perspired so much that their helmets came with drain holes (ase nagashi no ana) under the chin guard.

Humans have 2 to 4 million sweat glands distributed—except for ears, lips, and nails—all over the body, with higher concentrations in some places, like the palms, forehead, and armpits. Your feet alone have 250,000 sweat glands, more than on your back.

A “normal” person sweats about 275 gallons each year. This is enough to fill the gas tanks of three mid-size SUVs.

  • There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are found all over the body and produce a watery fluid, while apocrine glands are located in hairy areas (think groin) and produce a thicker, milky fluid.
  • About 99% of sweat is water, with the remaining 1% consisting of salts, proteins, and other substances.

Your Sweaty Friend

One might say sweat is the body’s best friend!

  • Sweating helps regulate body temperature. When the liquid on your skin evaporates, transforming from a liquid into a gas, it takes some heat from the blood right under your skin with it. Cooler blood cools us down.
  • Stress, anxiety, and excitement can activate sweat glands, leading to what is commonly known as “nervous sweat.”
  • Though not its primary function, sweating can help expel small amounts of waste products like urea and ammonia.
  • Unfortunately, mosquitoes, along with many other insects, are attracted to human perspiration. Insects need the sodium in salt, just like the rest of us, and our salty perspiration has what they need.

Surprising Sweat

Sweat has characteristics and roles that many people might not be aware of.

  • Sweat itself doesn’t smell. Perspiration dripping from your forehead and arms after a run is mostly odorless. The odor associated with sweating comes from bacteria breaking down the liquid on the skin’s surface.
  • Online sources are divided on whether men sweat more than women, but there is agreement that women have more sweat glands than men. Men start sweating sooner when physically active. One possibility is that the amount of perspiration is mediated by the size and shape of the body.
  • But women and men smell different. “Researchers asked 60 volunteers to squeeze cotton gauze in their unwashed hands for 10 minutes, then analysed the chemical profile of the volatile organic compounds (mainly derived from sweat) that make up a person’s scent. They were able to distinguish gender with 97% accuracy.”
  • Women often experience hot flashes and increased sweating during menopause. Similar symptoms are also possible in men, because their testosterone level drops with age.
  • Fitter individuals tend to start sweating sooner and more profusely than those who are less fit, because their bodies are more efficient at cooling down.

Sweaty Revelations

Sweat tells a lot about you.

  • Darker, more concentrated perspiration can be a sign of dehydration.
  • When a person sweats excessively, even when not hot or exercising, it may signal a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. An estimated 360 million people worldwide suffer from extreme sweating.
  • Recurring night sweats can be caused by several other health conditions—besides menopause and hyperhidrosis: hormone disorders, an infection, or side effects from certain medications.
  • Just like fingerprints, the composition of a person’s sweat is unique and can be used for biometric identification.
  • People might tend to bond more quickly when they have similar odor profiles.
  • Some foods increase sweating, include spicy foods like chili peppers, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, salt, meat, and many processed foods (especially the fat-filled ones).
  • Profuse sweating after eating, especially on only one side of the face, may be a sign of Frey’s Syndrome and might require medical treatment.
  • Fearful sweat is chemically different. Dogs and some humans can smell the difference.
  • Vegetarians have better smelling perspiration, according to one study. Women judged the sweat smell of non-meat eating and carnivorous men. The results: the vegetarian men had more attractive smelling sweat.
  • A genetic variation means that some people (mostly people of Asian descent) do not produce body odor, no matter how sweaty they get.

Odd Sweat

Sweat has some quirky aspects, too.

  • Sweat doesn’t drip off without gravity, so “astronauts wear special underwear on their spacewalks; it’s filled with cooling tubes that whisk the heat away. One bonus in the controlled environment of a space station: Any extra moisture from sweat that does get into the air is sucked up by the ventilation system and recycled into fresh water for the astronauts to drink.”
  • “Chromhidrosis” is a rare condition that causes colored perspiration, which can be yellow, green, blue, or even black.
  • Humans can sweat blood if they have a rare condition called Hematohidrosis. Capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to discharge blood. It occurs when the affected person is under extreme physical or emotional stress. This condition is so rare, only a handful of cases have ever been recorded.
  • Research from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm suggests that sniffing sweat from strangers might help alleviate social anxiety.
  • The artificial sweat industry provides a variety of “sweats” depending on what it is needed for. Clothing, shoe, jewelry, musical instruments, and phone and tablet manufacturers all need to know how saltiness and pH (sweat is slightly acidic) affect their products. Forensic laboratories need a different blend for creating control fingerprints, whatever those might be.

Cultural Sweat

Sweat has played a role in various cultures and historical contexts.

Osho Inipi Sweat Lodge
  • Athletes in Ancent Greece scraped sweat, oil, and dirt off their skin after training at gymnasiums. This residue, gloios, was used to treat everything from skin ailments to joint inflammation.
  • Saunas are such an important part of Finnish culture that there are more saunas than people, including one attached to the Parliament building!
  • Several Native American communities, including the Lakota and the Maya, practice sweat lodge rituals. These steam baths are part of purification ceremonies and spiritual practices.
  • In some cultures, people view sweating as a sign of hard work and dedication. For example, in Japan, the phrase “sweat of one’s brow” is a compliment indicating diligence.
  • The “sweat of the brow” doctrine is an element of copyright law. It means that a creator has earned copyright control over their work by virtue of the effort expended to make it.

Useful Sweat

Sweat has contemporary uses.

  • Sweat sensors can monitor health metrics like hydration levels, glucose, and electrolyte balance.
  • Athletes use sweat analysis to optimize performance. By studying their sweat composition, they can tailor their hydration and nutrition strategies.
  • Because sweat is in part sourced from the liquid parts of blood, it’s packed with information: testing sweat can detect the presence of caffeine, alcohol, cocaine – or even spicy tomato snacks.
  • Sweat patches are sometimes used to monitor substance use over time.

Sweaty Interactions

Sweat also interacts with our surroundings.

  • When sweat evaporates, it absorbs heat from the skin, which can slightly cool the surrounding air.
  • The acids in sweat can alter the pH of materials it comes into contact with, such as clothing, mousepads, and musical instruments.
  • The salts in sweat can cause metals to corrode faster, which is why gym equipment and electronics often have protective coatings.

Mythical Sweat

Sweat myths debunked.

Healthy Sweat

Sweat plays a significant role in personal hygiene and health.

Bottom Line: Sweat isn’t just a sign of a good workout or a hot day; it plays a crucial role in our body’s ability to regulate temperature and maintain overall health.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAIR!

Posted on by vlaw759

What people notice first is the visual appearance of head hair. Indeed, I wrote a whole blog about head hair (Hairy Issues, May 27, 2025). But hair is much more than grooming!

Cultural and Social Importance

Identity and Expression: Hair is a powerful tool for self-expression. Hairstyles, colors, and length often reflect personal identity, cultural heritage, and social status. Hair length and cut often signal biological sex.

(photo) Laetitia Ky, a hair artist from Cote d’Ivoire

Symbolism

Rastafarians wear their hair long to symbolize their connection to the Biblical Samson.

Hair can symbolize various traits across cultures.

Freedom and Rebellion: Long, uncut hair often signifies a desire for freedom (e.g., hippie movement) or spiritual devotion (e.g., sadhus in India).

Religion and Spirituality: In many cultures, hair holds spiritual significance. Sikhs do not cut their hair as a sign of respect for God’s creation. Buddhist monks and nuns shave their heads to symbolize detachment from worldly desires. At least 14 religions have requirements or “recommendations” about hair length, style, and/or covering.

Rituals and Rites of Passage: Haircuts or hairstyles mark significant life events (e.g., first haircut in some cultures, mourning practices where the bereaved cut their hair or leave it uncut).

Social Status and Profession: Hairstyles can indicate profession (e.g., military buzz cuts) or social rank (e.g., elaborate hairstyles in royalty or aristocracy).

Biology and Health

What comes next to mind probably relates to temperature, for example hair up (pony tail, etc.) off the neck in hot weather.

Thermoregulation: Hair helps regulate body temperature by trapping heat close to the skin in cold conditions and aiding in sweat evaporation in hot conditions. We don’t often think about it, but scalp hair may help stabilize brain temperature.

Protection: Hair on the scalp protects the head from UV radiation and minor injuries. Tightly curled hair provides more protection from solar radiation (which is particularly strong around the Equator) than straight hair. Eyebrows and eyelashes shield the eyes from sweat, dust, and other debris.

Sensory Functions: Hair follicles connect to nerve endings, making them sensitive to touch, temperature, pain, and fear.

Indicator of Health: Changes in hair texture, thickness, or loss can signal nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, stress, autoimmune diseases, or underlying health conditions (e.g., thyroid disorders, alopecia). Hair is also used to assess exposure to substances.

Age: Pattern baldness and hair loss frequently advance with age. Ditto hair color/pigmentation loss.

Economic and Industrial Importance

Beauty and Cosmetics Industry: Hair care is a major source of profit in the beauty industry, from such products as shampoos, conditioners, dyes, and styling tools. The global hair care market is valued at billions of dollars annually.

Wigs and Extensions: Wig makers highly prize human hair for wigs, extensions, and hairpieces for cosmetic purposes, especially for cancer patients.

Textiles and Materials: Animal hair (e.g., wool, cashmere) is used in textiles, but human hair is also repurposed in some industries (e.g., for making felt).

Recycling and Sustainability

Human hair is increasingly recycled for environmental purposes.

Oil Spill Cleanup: Hair absorbs oil, making it useful for cleaning up environmental disasters.

Fertilizer and Compost: Hair decomposes slowly and adds nitrogen to compost.

Art and Crafts: Particularly creative people up-cycle human hair into jewelry, sculptures, or other art projects.

Environmental Impact

Biodegradability: Unlike synthetic fibers, human hair is biodegradable, reducing microplastic pollution when discarded. However, it takes several years to break down, so large amounts of it can still cause volume problems.

Waste Reduction: Recycling hair diverts waste from landfills and reduces the environmental footprint of industries like beauty and fashion.

Scientific Hair Uses

Forensic Uses

DNA Analysis: Forensic investigators can use hair to identify individuals or determine ancestry.

Toxicology: Hair analysis can detect drug use, poisoning, or exposure to certain chemicals over time.

Historical and Archaeological Insights

Reconstruction of Ötzi

Hair can survive for thousands of years under the right conditions, providing insights into ancient diets, health, and lifestyles (e.g., analysis of Ötzi the Iceman’s hair).

Psychological and Emotional Significance

Self-Esteem and Confidence: Hair can significantly impact self-image and confidence. Hair loss or changes in hair health can affect mental well-being.

Memory and Sentiment: People often preserve locks of hair as keepsakes (e.g., baby’s first haircut, memorial locks) to commemorate loved ones or significant life events.

Ethical and Compassionate Considerations

Animal Welfare: Using human hair instead of animal-derived materials (e.g., fur) can align with ethical and compassionate values.

Sustainability: Supporting businesses that recycle or up-cycle hair contributes to a circular economy and reduces environmental harm.

Controversies and Challenges

Exploitation: The hair industry has faced criticism for exploitative practices, such as unethical sourcing of human hair without fair compensation (e.g., from underprivileged communities).

Cultural Appropriation: Hairstyles rooted in specific cultures are sometimes adopted without acknowledgment or respect, leading to debates about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation.

Targeted Regulations: Many organizations adopt grooming standards that ban hairstyles disproportionately used by members of a particular ethnic, racial, or cultural group.


Health Risks: Poor hair care practices or excessive use of chemical treatments can damage hair and pose health risks (e.g., scalp irritation, chemical burns).

Sustainable Alternatives and Innovations

Hair Recycling Programs: Organizations like Hair We Share and Locks of Love collect donated hair to make wigs for those in need. Hair must be at least 10 inches long, measured tip to tip, to be used in a hairpiece. Some organizations accept shorter donations, which they might sell to offset costs or repurpose for environmental projects. Many salons participate in programs that collect waste hair for recycling.

Biotechnology: Scientists are exploring lab-grown hair follicles as a sustainable alternative for medical and cosmetic uses.

Vegan and Cruelty-Free Products: Many brands now offer plant-based or synthetic alternatives to human hair in wigs and extensions.

Bottom Line: Hair is important in virtually every aspect of people’s lives—culture, biology, even environmental sustainability.

OLD WORD OR NEW?

Posted on by vlaw759

The Wall Street Journal (8/18/26) carried an article about Bank of America’s CEO Brian Moynihan making a point of including old, unfamiliar, or archaic words in his speeches and written communications. The article cited specific words: Gainsay, Concomitant, Fantods, Ludically, Perspicuous, Fructify, Anfractuous, Intractable, Infructuous, Spurious, Apocryphal, Sinuous, Sanative, Salubrious, Salutiferous, Rejuvenescent, Jejune, Pedantic, Pedestrian, Operose, Axiomatic, Redound.

Why does he do it? To keep people’s attention? To make them think about what he’s really saying? His motivation is unknown. But if you are inclined to pursue such a hobby, there are whole dictionaries of such words out there.

An Old Word

Dictionary of Old-Fashioned Words word

The Dictionary of Old-Fashioned Words for example, provides 96 pages of words used more often in the past than currently, but still quite serviceable. Cooee is defined as an exclamation to attract someone’s attention. On the farms of my childhood, it was used to call in the cows for milking or the pigs for slops. Yonder hill meant that hill over there.

If your focus is less on age than familiarity, there is always the option of The Indispensable Dictionary of Unusual Words, with 259 pages of (according to the book jacket) “… the most unusual, improbable, unbelievable, and inexplicable words ever to find their way into a dictionary.”

Compiled by an actual lexicographer, this is a must-have dictionary for every logolept (word fanatic) out there.

The Indispensable Dictionary of Unusual Words word
Weird and Wonderful Words word

But for pure entertainment, I recommend Weird and Wonderful Words. Words appear alphabetically, as one would expect in a dictionary. A couple of things set this word book apart.

For one thing, Roz Chast, whose cartoons frequently appear in The New Yorker, illustrated many of the best entries. In addition, I enjoy the “extended coverage” that accompanies some words. For example, octothorpe is the # keypad symbol on touch-tone phones; also called pound, number sign, hash, or crosshatch. The nine-line entry tells when and how the symbol got its name, and how it relates to Olympian Jim Thorpe.

A New Word

Of course, some people are more concerned with the newest “in” words rather than the oldest or weirdest. Rizz, freestyle, girl dinner, bed rotting, climate breakdown, and global boiling are among the newest entries to dictionaries. Without further ado, here are some of the newest words major English dictionaries have included as of mid-2026.

Floordrobe (noun) clothes piled on the floor instead of being put away

Humblebrag (noun) a seemingly modest or self-deprecating statement whose actual purpose is to draw attention to something of which one is proud

Life Hack (phrase) a simple or clever tip or technique for accomplishing or managing a familiar task more easily and efficiently

Long Game (phrase) strategic planning or consideration of a situation over a long period

An AI Slop “medical information” poster containing no actual information and plenty of gibberish

AI Slop (phrase) digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence

Tasteslop (noun) content (such as food or media) that is excessively indulgent, overly sweet, or poorly balanced in a way that feels unappealing
OR the flattening of trends in fashion, art, design, etc. for the purposes of generating easily digestible social media content

Vibe Hacking (phrase) the practice of manipulating or optimizing one’s environment, mood, or social interactions to achieve a desired emotional or energetic state
OR using artificial intelligence agents and tools to plan and execute cyberattacks by automating key stages of the attack (the counterpart to vibe coding)

Dead Internet Theory (phrase) the suspicion that most online activity is generated by bots and algorithms rather than real people

Screenless Technology (phrase) technology that operates without a traditional screen interface, such as voice-controlled or gestured-based devices

Five-Finger style barefoot shoes

Barefoot Shoe (phrase) a minimalist shoe designed to mimic the experience of walking barefoot, promoting natural foot movement

Wardrobing (verb) the practice of returning used clothing after trying it on in a store, effectively shoplifting by using the item and then returning it

Script Kiddie (phrase) a person who uses existing computer scripts or code to hack into computers, lacking the expertise to write their own

Dubai Chocolate (phrase) a luxurious or ultra-premium variety of chocolate, often associated with high-end or exotic branding

Where Do New Words Come From?

Dictionary editors add new words through a systemic process that involves research, analysis, and consensus-building among linguists, lexicographers, and language experts.

New words, also called neologisms, emerge from various sources:

Technology: Words like selfie, hashtag, AI, and blockchain entered the lexicon due to technological advancements. Electric traction cars in 1883 gave us the first use of the word automobile.

The original spinster

Culture and Society: Words like woke, cancel culture, or climate anxiety reflect societal changes. In the 15th century, mistrust of left-handed people gave us the word sinister. Similarly, 14th century women able to support themselves through spinning and weaving gave us the word spinster.

Science and Medicine: As science and technology advance, terms like COVID-19, mRNA, and CRISPR enter common usage. In 1798, Edward Jenner published his research into variolae vaccinae (cow pustules), which gave us the word vaccine.

Pop Culture: Words from movies, TV shows, or music, such as bling (popularized by hip-hop culture) or spoiler (from fandom communities). Hooligan was the name of a raucous Irish family (Houlihan) popularized in a song from the 1890s.

Mayan pot showing chocolate making

Borrowings: Words borrowed from other languages like sushi (Japanese), kindergarten (German), or rendezvous (French). One of my favorites, chocolate, comes to us from Nahuatl.

Slang and Informal Language: Words like lit, ghosting, or yeet often start in informal contexts before gaining wider acceptance. In the 19th Century, when everything Norse was fashionable in England, the Old Norse word berserk (originally a compound of bear and shirt) became a slang term for out of control with anger.

Not every word makes it into a dictionary. Why some and not others is still a mystery to me. For example, whopper-jawed is recognized by the OED but not by Webster’s, and skiwappidy isn’t recognized any place I found (including the spell-checking program on the computer as I type).

Dictionary Updates

As Gregory Barlow, President of Merriam-Webster explains, “The one constant of a vibrant living language is change. We continuously encounter new ways of describing the world around us, and the dictionary is a record of those changes.” If a word is approved, it is added to the dictionary in its next update. Dictionaries are updated regularly, though the frequency depends on the format.

Print Dictionaries: updated every few years (e.g., Merriam-Webster updates annually).

Online Dictionaries: updated more frequently (e.g., Oxford English Dictionary adds new words quarterly).

Here are some words major dictionaries have added in recent years:

Merriam-Webster:

The post-truth deepfake of Pope Francis in drip rizz was ultra moist but not authentic.
  • Deepfake (2023)
  • Rizz (short for “charisma,” 2023)
  • Authentic (as an adjective describing “genuine” or “trustworthy,” 2023)

Oxford English Dictionary:

  • Vax (short for “vaccine,” 2021)
  • Moist (as slang for something exciting, 2021)
  • Post-truth (2016)

Collins Dictionary:

Some dictionaries, like Urban Dictionary, focus on slang and informal language, which may not meet the criteria for traditional dictionaries. Technical terms like CRISPR or quantum computing are added to specialized dictionaries first. Words like y’all (Southern U.S., second person pronoun) or chuddies (British slang for underwear) appear in regional dictionaries.

Social media and the internet accelerate the creation of new words, making it hard for dictionaries to keep up.

One’s acceptance of – or resistance to – new words, I believe, relates to age. I read somewhere, sometime, that what is considered correct depends on what was taught during one’s last year of formal education. My mystery co-author, seventeen years my senior, thought using till instead of until an abomination, ditto the word prioritize. Personally, I deplore the current acceptance of data as singular; the correct singular is datum. “The data is…” makes me cringe. Ditto criteria vs. criterion.

Bottom Line: Language changes, and people must go with the flow, like it or not.

Language changes; words come and go. Should you hold on to each archaic word as it slips from usage? Or grab every fresh slang term as it flits across society?

BEACH READS 2026

Posted on by vlaw759

As you all probably recall, my definition of a beach read is whatever people actually read at the beach. This year, twelve people ages 17-95, read the following 21 actual books (listed alphabetically by author).

Aykatsuki, Yukito: The Decagon House Murders
Baldacci, David: Absolute Power
Buchlman, Christopher: Between Two Fires
Ephron, Nora: Heartburn
Erdrich, Louise: The Mighty Red
Gaige, Amity: Heartwood
Green, John: Everything is Tuberculosis
Huckelbridge, Dane: No Beast so Fierce
Kapoor, Deepti: Age of Vice
Kraus, Daniel: Angel Down
Kendig, Laraba: Her Admiration for Mr. Darcy

Loeb, Jeph: The Long Halloween
Pavic, Milorad: Dictionary of the Khaars
Radford, Leigh: One Yellow Eye
Setterfield, Diane: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Starlin, Jim: The Infinity Gauntlet
Taylor, Mary Ellen: The Sky Beneath Her
Yu, Vincent: Seek Immediate Shelter
Whitehead, Colson: The Colossus of of New York (two readers)
Whitehead, Colson: Harlem Shuffle
Whitehead, Colson: Cool Machine

The thirteenth member of our group lodged a protest: “I read! Just not books.” Perhaps in the future I’ll have to add substack and other online reads.

STAYING ALIVE

Posted on by vlaw759

Note: The blog I recently wrote about entomophagy reminded me of this short story I wrote in 2011. “Staying Alive” was originally published without illustrations in The Alembic, 2011 and in studio one, Vol. 34, 20ll.

by
Vivian Lawry

It started with Simon’s conviction that the world’s population growth was far out-pacing the food supply. In spite of the growing popularity of minicattle—only half as big as standard cattle, eating only a third as much, and producing proportionately more beef for the grain they consume—Simon concluded that eating animal protein is an inefficient use of resources and became a vegan. For months he harangued family and friends, and wrote letters to the editor of the local paper, citing statistics on how much grain is consumed to produce a pound of beef and the nutritional value of that pound of beef compared to the nutritional value of the grain if consumed directly by humans.

His wife Millicent, also a research statistician and usually sanguine, had weathered Simon’s past rants on everything from regreening the Sahara to mandating solar heat in all new buildings. But one morning, her patience snapped. She slapped two plates of bacon and eggs onto the table. “You might as well eat it. Your vegan campaign is doomed from the get-go.” Simon glared at her but she talked on. “The global bread basket isn’t big enough to feed everyone on plants alone. Only about one tenth of the land not under ice is suitable for cultivation and nearly all of that is already under plow.” She forked eggs and bacon into her mouth and talked around them.

“Besides, nearly sixty percent of the world’s meat comes from grazing, foraging, and free-range feeding. Why give that up? Instead, we should use more of what’s already available—hearts and livers, brains and feet, kidneys and tongues.”

Simon pushed his plate aside but made no answer. Over the next several days, he verified her data and scrutinized her logic and could find no fault. He settled onto the sofa with his gloom and watched TV, barely stirring for days on end. When the papers carried reports of international rice shortages and wholesale food suppliers across the nation limited customers to four twenty-pound bags of rice per visit, anxiety lay in Simon’s stomach like a stone. One day he said, “You’re right, Millie. But you didn’t go far enough. Cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens—why limit ourselves to them? What about rabbits and squirrels? Feral dogs and cats? Voles, rats—anything?”

Millie said, “That’s very rational. There’s a Swahili saying—kila nyama nyama tu—every meat is meat. People in China and Vietnam and India have eaten rats and snakes for centuries. I’ll get recipes.”

As they shifted their menus from beef steak and chicken breasts to dog ham, raccoon barbecue, and grilled rats Bordeaux style, Simon’s gloom lifted. When his children came home from school crying because their friends said smoked eel sandwiches were gross, Simon and Millie switched to the foreign names for their food—told them they were having escargot instead of snails, for example, hasenpfeffer instead of pepper rabbit for dinner—and household peace returned.

This idyllic interval came to an end when Simon read that the real threat of global warming wasn’t rising temperatures per se, or even rising water tables, but that vast expanses of currently arable land would become desert. Desert wouldn’t support even free-range grazers. In addition, warmer climates and more frequent warming cycles would increase insect populations, which would compete with humans for plant food. This time, Simon’s depression was so severe that he was hospitalized for three months. His indigo mood lightened only when the solution came to him: people should eat more insects.

Simon checked himself out, and a week later he handed Millie a sheaf of recipes for Rocky Mountain Locust Stew, Woodlouse Sushi, Green Salad with Toasted Beetles, and similar international delicacies. He said, “Global warming is still in its infancy, but this planet already has seventy pounds of insects for every pound of human flesh. Think about that. Besides, we eat crabs and lobsters and other bottom feeders. Why not nice vegan insects? Just think of them as microlivestock.”

Millie sat silent for a long time. Eventually she smiled. “Kila nyama nyama tu.”

Together they attended workshops with titles like Incredible Edible Insects and came away armed with statistics on the protein, fat, and mineral value of termites, caterpillars, and weevils compared to beef or fish. They picked up valuable tips about everything from covering the colander with wire mesh when washing crickets to putting cleaned insects in the freezer for fifteen minutes or so to kill but not freeze them before cooking. For her birthday, Simon gave Millie The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook. Soon she was making insect flour and adapting standard recipes to include insects. They bought less from supermarkets and more from pet stores, bait shops, and insect suppliers. Simon and Millie wore matching T-shirts that said Proud to be Entomophagous, and informed anyone who inquired that eighty percent of the world’s population eats insects intentionally.

Predictably, the children rebelled, even though Simon pointed out that honey is just a form of bug juice. Annie said, “Look, I stuck it out through tripe and guinea pig in that spicy Peruvian sauce, even creamed snails. But I draw the line at white ant pie.” Junior agreed.

Simon said, “This isn’t a negotiation. Hit the floor and give me push-ups. Keep at it till you decide to eat your dinner or you collapse, whichever comes first.” In bed with Millie, he said, “I feel bad about the push-ups. But we’re talking survival here. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to save my children.”

After that, the children’s surrender was complete. Though they never talked about it with their friends, cockroach samosas were a big hit, as were Ant Brood Tacos and Chocolate Chirpie Chip Cookies.

When Simon learned that cockroaches are one of the most populous insects, he read all that he could find about them. He pored over The Compleat Cockroach for hours. He sprinkled tidbits of information into the dinnertime conversation. “Did you know that it takes twenty seconds to explode a cockroach in the microwave? They explode because they’re so fat—not like ants, which just sit there.” He grinned at Millie. “You can grease cookie sheets with their fat, there’s so much of it.” Another time he said, “Cockroaches can live for a week without their heads. They die after a week only because they can’t drink.” He learned that cockroaches have been around for 360 to 400 million years, compared to only two million for modern man. He built a cockroach farm, like an ant farm only bigger, and spent hours a day observing those splendid creatures. He contemplated opening an insect factory. When Millie objected to using their 401-K money to fund the project, he said, “Insects are the food of the future. Some day there will be money made farming insects, and I’ll be ahead of the curve. Cockroaches could be my flagship product.”

Simon attended to the cockroach hissing, read their thoughts, and realized that, for the most part, cockroaches aren’t profound thinkers. But they are masters of survival. They can live on nothing but book bindings or laundry detergent. And when all else fails, they cannibalize their own. One day Simon realized that the king cockroach was mocking him, deriding the miniscule human history and making much of the longevity of the cockroach family. Mulling this over, Simon became convinced that the only sure way to survive the coming apocalypse was to meld with the cockroaches. For weeks he fretted about how to do this—until one day he burst out laughing. He’d begun already. If not, how could he read their thoughts?

Coming home from Junior’s ball game, tired and hungry, Simon and Millie turned on the kitchen light and found the king cockroach on the counter. They could have harvested him in an instant. But they had leftover veggie pizza in the fridge, so they ignored the king. The king stretched out his neck and flew at Millie. She batted him away. When he persisted, Simon dropped a plastic dishpan over him. On their way to bed, they found two huge cockroaches on the hallway wall, stretching their necks out and eyeing them both. Simon and Millie hurried into the bedroom and slammed the door. Long into the night they heard the cockroaches dive-bombing their door. The next morning, the cockroaches were gone. But Simon knew that, come nightfall, they would be back.

Simon fretted over why the cockroaches were attacking them. He consulted two entomologist friends and learned that cockroaches stretch their necks and fly when they are interested in mating. Simon’s laughter bubbled forth. He and Millie and the cockroaches were on the verge of total melding. Their children’s children’s children would survive.

The End

NaNoWriMo

Posted on by vlaw759
NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo author

Today’s guest blog was written by Kathleen Corcoran

For several years, I’ve had the idea of a story bouncing around in my head. I had a vague plot and a few bits of interesting dialogue in mind. Occasionally, I’d dive into a flurry of research, absorbing every book I could find related to minor elements that might factor into the story. But I never actually sat down and wrote anything.

A talk with some friends revealed that all three of us were in the same spot. Great ideas, plenty of research… very few words written. One friend suggested that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) might be the answer.

The official writing challenge has been in a kind of limbo for a few years, but the idea is pretty simple: write a complete draft of a novel, at least 50,000 words, in one month. Traditionally (since 2000 at least), NaNoWriMo has taken place in November, but we decided to do it in February. We wouldn’t have local celebrity endorsements or official contest entries, but we could try writing 2,000 words every day.

And so I spent January of this year coming up with an outline and writing character backgrounds. On the morning of February 1st, I sat down to answer a question I’d been considering for years: How would the residents and staff of a retirement community behave during the Zombie Apocalypse?

For the first few days, meeting the daily goal was easy. I got up extra early and typed up 2,000 words of scenes I’d already mapped out in detail. Dialogue that had been perfected and smoothed for years transferred from my brain to the screen with no trouble. By 6am, I had met my word count and could start my regular morning schedule.

And then, around the fifth day, I ran out of outline. All the interesting bits and scenes I’d so carefully worked out over the preceding month were already written. The rest was much more vague than I realized. Meeting my daily word count was no longer a simple matter of typing the words I had already polished.

Ladybug, my collaborator

With my road map gone, I developed a routine to force out the words every day. Before sitting down to write, I’d take my dog for a very early morning walk. In the freezing pre-dawn, I’d ask her about whatever story bits were giving me trouble. How to move a character who needed to be in two places at once? Which character should I send to scavenge medicine? What’s a realistic reaction for a nurse when confronted with the walking dead? Ladybug gave excellent feedback, though I admit I didn’t understand most of it. When I sat down to write, she’d park her chin on my knee to make sure I didn’t give up early.

Part of what makes NaNoWriMo successful is community support. Participants can meet up with other writers to work together. Schools or libraries sometimes sponsor all-night marathon writing sessions. My fellow novel sprinters and I were in different time zones, so meeting up in person to write together wasn’t really feasible. We checked in frequently over the phone and helped each other with sticky plot points, but we were basically working in isolation.

For the entire month of February, NaNoWriMo more or less took over my brain. I asked random people I met how their job skills would help them fight zombies. At work, I listened to nursing school lectures, podcasts about wheelchair accessible farming techniques, and audiobooks about the pathology of rabies. My spouse put up with me turning every conversation back to the problems of corpse disposal or scavenged weapons.

People around me started to get concerned. I asked a doctor for suggestions of medications that a patient would die without. At one point, my boss overheard me talking through a plot point with a friend: “I think I need to kill Hank, just to make everyone else sad. Plus, he doesn’t have the upper body strength to decapitate anyone.”

I had a really hard time killing anyone. After writing extremely detailed character backgrounds, I found that I liked these fictional people and didn’t want them to be in any danger. I didn’t even want them arguing with each other. Keeping everyone alive and happy during a zombie attack makes for a pretty boring story.

But the story kept growing! More characters, more subplots, more interesting bits I wanted to work in. Halfway through the month, when I had already written nearly 30,000 words, I decided to introduce an entirely different conflict.

I didn’t write particularly good words, but there were an awful lot of them. In fact, one scene wound up being a commercial for a particular brand of lock as an explanation for why a character couldn’t break into a pharmacy. But the idea of NaNoWriMo is to focus on quantity over quality, then go back and fix the quality later. After spending years with a nebulous idea of a story and endlessly procrastinating with research, I finally had some things written down.

So, did I succeed at NaNoWriMo? Well, sort of. The ultimate goal has two parts: a finished novel and 50,000 words. I completed the latter but not the former. My novel is well beyond the minimum word limit, but I haven’t quite finished the plot. Throwing in an additional villain and a moral quandary separate from zombies meant I have more threads to tie up.

Forcing out so many words every day did become easier as the month went on, but I was completely exhausted by the end. On the morning of March 1st, I opened my computer and stared at the screen for a while before simply walking away. In fact, I haven’t written anything else on the project since the end of February. The marathon writing habits of NaNoWriMo haven’t translated to a reasonable writing habit I could keep up.

Perhaps I should try for another 50,000 words in November.

YOU’RE EATING WHAT?

Posted on by vlaw759

If you are considering eating cockroaches, don’t microwave them! They are so fatty that they explode in the microwave. You just don’t want the mess.

Which is not to say you shouldn’t eat them. According to the EntoMove Project, the cockroach nutritional profile, per mg/100g, (3.53 oz) is 19 g protein, 10 g fat, calcium 38, iron14, zinc 32, potassium 224, niacin 44, magnesium 50, B12 237 mcg.

You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. is listed among countries where cockroaches are either a common or semi-common ingredient in the country’s cuisine or they are offered in at least some restaurants, possibly as a novelty. Other countries include China, Mexico, Japan, and Thailand. (For the Love of Chocolate in Carytown, VA offers scorpion lollipops and ant candy!)

Current research on this topic is non-comprehensive. It is likely that insects are a regular part of the diet in countries not listed above particularly in South America, Africa, and southern Asia. Many traditional cuisines are often more accepting of the idea of insects as a protein source.

And it isn’t just cockroaches. In many cultures around the world, insects are a traditional and nutritious part of the diet. This practice, called entomophagy, is common in regions where insects are abundant, sustainable, and rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Here are some cultures and regions where eating bugs is more common.

Latin America

chapulines insects
Chapulines in Mexico

Mexico: Insects like chapulines (grasshoppers), escamoles (ant larvae), and gusanos de maguey (maguey worm) are popular, especially in Oaxaca and central Mexico. Cooks often toast chapulines with chili and lime and serve them as snacks or added to tacos.

Colombia: Hormigas culonas (big-bottomed ants) are a delicacy, particularly in Santander. People often toast them to eat as a crunchy snack.

Brazil: In the Amazon, indigenous communities eat tucum (palm weevil larvae) and suri (palm beetle larvae).

Southeast Asia

Cambodian fried tarantula insects
Cambodian fried tarantulas

Thailand: In markets and street food stalls, you can find insects like crickets, silkworm pupae, water beetles, and bamboo worms. They are often fried or roasted and seasoned with spices.

Laos: Khao tom mat (ant egg soup) and deep-fried insects are common snacks.

Vietnam: Cricket and silkworm dishes are popular, often stir-fried or used in soups.

Cambodia: Fried tarantulas and water beetles often serve as snacks.

Myanmar: Many cooks include beetle larvae and ants in salads or soups.

Africa

South Africa: The mopane worm (a caterpillar) is dried or canned and eaten as a protein-rich food.

Zimbabwe and Zambia: Madora (larvae of the mopane moth) are a traditional food source.

Congo: Roasted or boiled palm weevil larvae and termites are a popular ingredient and snack.

Palm weevil larva farmer, displaying their stock

Nigeria: In some regions, rising livestock feed prices are leading people to raise palm weevil larvae and grasshopper as alternatives to chickens and cattle.

Australia and Oceania

Indigenous Australians: Traditionally ate honey ants, witchetty grubs (larvae of cossid moths), and bardi grubs (larvae of palm weevils). People most often eat these raw or only lightly cooked.

Dora Napaljarri Kitson, hunting for Witchetty grubs (Ed Gold)

Papua New Guinea: Sago grubs (larvae of the sago palm weevil) are a delicacy, often eaten raw or roasted.

East Asia

Inago and hachinoko

China: In many provinces, including Yunnan and Guangxi, people eat insects like silkworm pupae, cricket, bee larvae, and water beetles. Cooks often stir-fry them or use them in soups.

Japan: Inago (grasshoppers) and hachinoko (bee larvae) are traditional foods, often boiled in soy sauce.

South Korea: Beondegi (silkworm pupae) is a popular street food, steamed or boiled and seasoned with spices.

Middle East

Oman and Yemen: During swarms, locusts and desert locusts make a very handy addition to many dishes, often roasted or fried.

Why Do These Cultures Eat Bugs?

Fried insect vendor in Thailand

Nutritional Benefits: Insects are high in protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins (like B12), and minerals (like iron and zinc).

Sustainability: Insects require far less land, water, and feed compared to traditional livestock, making them an eco-friendly protein source.

Cultural Tradition: In many regions, eating insects is a long-standing practice tied to local ecosystems and food security.

Availability: Insects are often abundant in tropical and subtropical regions, making them a reliable food source.

In many cultures, insects are recognized/consumed for their medicinal as well as nutritional properties.

Bottom Line: Are you open to exotic and beneficial foods?

Centipedes: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Housemates

Posted on by vlaw759

Note: This centipedes blog was first published on September 12, 2015.

centipede dead in bathtub
Centipede little cutie

I first saw this little cutie in the bathtub. Not being a firm believer in reincarnation, I snuffed it.

Over the following days and weeks, they seemed to be everywhere: medicine cabinet, kitchen floor, toothbrush holder. . .

centipede dead in bathtub

But no matter how often they ended up like this, there were always more of them.

They were especially noticeable—and challenging—because we weren’t having problems with ants, spiders, flies, etc. Why these critters?

So I did what any scientist would do—I researched the subject. (You do recall that I’m a scientist by training?) The first thing I learned is that my housemates are Scutigera coleoptrata, or common house centipedes. The second thing is that, oddly enough, “centipedes” don’t exist. Centipedes never have 50 pairs of legs (i.e.,100 legs). Although some species have as many as 191 pairs, all centipede species have an odd number of pairs of legs as normal adults. The common adult house centipede has 15 pairs of legs. Juveniles are shorter and have fewer pairs, adding pairs as they grow.

large centipede on bathtub
Beauty

If you look closely, a centipede is actually beautiful. The legs are long, slender, and thread-like. Their movement is not only fast (1.3 ft. per second) but graceful. On females, the last pair of legs is more than twice as long as the body, which can be up to 1.5 inches. The bodies are long and flat, with three dark racing stripes running head to back. The legs have black and white banding.

One of their most endearing qualities is that they run away from me.  

But the real reason I have come to love centipedes is that they are “good” eaters: cockroaches, flies, moths, mosquitos, crickets, silverfish, earwigs, spiders—almost any insect pests. They do kill their prey with venom. However, they rarely sting humans and when they do, (I’ve read) it’s much like a mosquito bite. Maybe the reason we aren’t having problems with other insects is that we have our own little squad of live-in exterminators!