Recently, I was thinking of the many delights that accompany books. I first wrote about the delights of being a bookworm in April 2016, and I find my opinions haven’t changed! So here is that 2016 blog, in case you missed it then.
Bookworm delights come in all guises! I’m talking about the periphery, the delights beyond lovely language, powerful characters, and compelling plots.
Sometimes old books yield bonuses. This 1899 printing of the WHITE HOUSE COOKBOOK came with four 1917 U.S. Dept. of Agriculture pamphlets with titles like “Do You Know Corn Meal? ITS USE MEANS Service to Your Country, Nourishing Food for You.”
I don’t actually collect antiquarian books, cookbooks or otherwise. But I like having old books around, and many on my shelves date from the 1930s onward.
Given my druthers, I’d still read the fifty- and sixty-cent paperbacks rather than the shiny new editions from the bookstore.
Therefore, I have an array of books about Upstate New York, Washington, DC, and Maryland, as well as Ohio and Virginia.
Bookworm Delights #4: When I travel, especially abroad, I love bringing home books of memories.
I have everything from books of cityscapes to fiction in translation and historical summaries. I’ll spare you photos of all the foreign cookbooks I’ve accumulated. But here are a couple representing Germany and Italy, places I’ve visited more than once.
Bookworm Delights #5: Oddball books give me great pleasure.
My favorites of these are the three volumes of Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices by George Leonard Herter and Berthe E. Herter.
The first printing of the first volume was in 1960, and the three volumes are extremely entertaining examples of do-it-yourself publishing. The books contain wonderful paragraphs of opinion and assertion, with no attempt to document sources for the statements. For example, his recipe for Doves Wyatt Earp begins with four pages of purported biography of Earp. The recipe itself begins, “Pick ten doves and cut off their wings, feet and head. Remove the entrails and singe off the hair feathers with a candle.” Some of the recipes are quite tasty, the historical bits are fun reading, and all three volumes are illustrated with hundreds of black-and-white photographs, most of them by the author—at least, no photo credits are offered.
Closely related to oddball books are books on oddball topics—or if not oddball, at least on narrow topics—which I enjoy immensely because of the information therein.
There are whole books out there on toads, dung, how to hide one’s assets and disappear, and just about anything else you could think of.
Bookworm Delights #6: I love having shelves of unread books!
It feels like money in the bank.
Books for Future Enjoyment
With unread books on hand (and this can include unread books on an e-reader!), should you suddenly find yourself unemployed or otherwise short of money to buy more books just now, no problem! Ditto should you find yourself laid up with a broken back or a lingering case of flu.
Bookworm Delights #7: I love receiving books from family and friends.
It’s better if I actually enjoy the book. But opening books inscribed by loved ones, knowing they were thinking about me and my interests—however imperfectly—when they bought them, makes me glow.
They are simple, slim, and elegant. They stay put. And they can mark a page at top or side or bottom (though I don’t see the point of bottom). Unfortunately, the local Barnes and Nobel doesn’t carry them anymore.
And did you know that Post-It Notes were invented by a man who was trying to create a bookmark that would stay put when reading on airplanes?
And speaking of bookmarks, decades ago I started using postcards as markers in cookbooks—books that often need more than one marker AND are opened frequently.
Bookworm Delights #9: I love coming across a postcard sent thirty years ago by someone traveling near or far.
They make me smile and think of the sender. Many of those senders are dead now. And I suppose postcards are going the way of the dodo bird, as friends now send e-mails with photos. Oh, sigh. All the more reason to treasure the ones I have.
Last but not least. . .
Bookworm Delights #10: I delight in my reading chair!
Recliner where I read
True bookworms read anywhere and everywhere. I read in doctors’ waiting rooms, and in the dentist’s chair waiting for the impression gunk to set up. In the car when it isn’t my turn to drive. When I’m in bed, lights out, the only glow that from my Kindle. Yes, I’ve even been known to read in the bathroom. But the best, coziest reading—whether with fireplace or AC—is in my recliner, feet up, padded armrests supporting my elbows.
Bottom Line: Bookworm delights are as many and as varied as bookworms themselves. What are yours? Tell me in the comments below, on Facebook, or Twitter.
One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) and in one famous scene, Sir William is extolling dance as an exemplar of culture and elegance. Darcy observes that every savage can dance.
10,000 year old painting of dancers, Bhimbetka, India
To put it more elegantly: Dancing has always been a part of human culture, rituals, and celebrations. It promotes creativity, as well as healthy minds and bodies.
Many belly dancers perform in restaurants and at parties.
According to a friend of mine who belly dances, that form of dancing does all of the above. “Belly dancing has historic roots in fertility rites or celebrations in some areas. I’ve performed at baby showers and bachelorette parties. It’s so much fun, and I’ve met so many friends through dancing. It also helps me stay in shape and keep flexible. I get to design costumes, learn music, and create choreography while learning this amazing art form!”
Obviously, any given dance might serve multiple purposes. For this blog, I’ll focus on three categories.
Ceremonial Dance
Since humans formed societies, social groups have created or performed ceremonial dances for rituals or celebrations. People use ceremonial dances all over the world for worship, or to celebrate life events. The unique British tradition of Morris dancing, for example, is performed at seasonal festivals and holidays to banish the dark of winter, celebrate the warmth and fertility of summer, and bring in autumn’s golden harvest. The category of ceremonial dance also includes classical Indian dances, war dances, corroboree, Căluşari, and dances of Native American and West African culture.
Adumu, the Maasai jumping dance, forms an important part of coming of age ceremonies, weddings, and celebration rituals. Participants dress in colorful garments and traditional jewelry and often carry spears. Individual dancers compete with each other to jump as high as possible while maintaining a straight and upright posture. Dancers are judged on the height of their jumps as well as their grace.
Marinera Paso is a Mestizo dance that mimics courtship rituals in Peru. The female dancer, accompanied by Spanish, African, and Creole instruments, marks the rhythm and leads her partner on horseback.
Dancing the Haka involves a combination of stamping, chanting, showing the whites of the eyes, and rhythmically slapping body parts with the hands. Maori people perform various Haka forms to welcome guests, issue challenges, and mourn loved ones. Recently, the Te Pāti Māori party went viral for performing a Haka in the New Zealand Parliament to express their opposition to a proposed bill.
Young women in Bali perform the Rejang Adat to welcome the gods during Kunnigan. They do not train or practice before the ceremony. Instead, they rely on their ngayah (dedication) to allow the gods to inspire their movement and harmony.
Rain Dances
Many agricultural societies have a tradition of rain dances. These dances ask the gods or spirits to send water for crops during the planting season. Other rain dances ask for rain during long periods of dry, hot weather. In Romania and Moldova, a young girl dresses in a skirt made of corn husks and dances through the village streets while people splash water on her. In 2022, the Dumagat tribe performed a rain dance during a drought in the Philippines. They claimed success as it rained three days later.
In the Southwestern United States, many tribes, including the Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni, and Apache, have elaborate rain dance traditions. The specifics of the dances vary from tribe to tribe. Most tribes have unique rituals and costumes, with some tribes wearing headdresses and others wearing masks.
In the early 19th century, the United States government banned certain ceremonial dances. To bypass these strict laws, tribal members would mask their ceremonial performances as “rain dances.”
Dance for Recreation and Community
This is any form of dancing that is for entertainment, fitness, fun, or strengthening community ties. Also known as social dancing, it uses dance without too much structure, as a way to let loose and express one’s own individual personality. Dancers focus less on form and technique and more on the joy they feel from dancing. Examples of recreational dancing include ballroom, line dancing, aerobic dance, or dance as a hobby.
Gumboot Dance evolved from mines in South Africa.Workers unable to communicate verbally developed a system of stomping signals to pass messages.
Ballroom Dance
Like many forms of dance, dancesport has been adapted for a range of abilities.
Historians trace the history of ballroom dance back to the 16th century in Europe, where it was primarily a social activity for the upper classes. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that participants began to formalize and standardize ballroom.
Commonly used as shorthand for any partner dance, ballroom has today evolved into two main sub-genres: standard/smooth and Latin/rhythm. Dances within these categories include the waltz, tango and foxtrot, and the pasodoble, bolero, and samba.
Ballroom is a popular form of competitive dance, or dancesport, with dancers participating in competitions all over the world.
Who can think of ballroom dancing without envisioning Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? Well, certainly not people of a certain age or old movie buffs.
The duo made 10 movies together in the 1930s and ‘40s. Their unique style was graceful and complex, while looking effortless. Perhaps the clearest legacy today are Fred Astaire Dance Studios, such as this one near Richmond, VA.
Community dancing often requires no formal training, choreography, or practice. It is sometimes completely spontaneous, such as mosh pits at rock and heavy metal concerts. Though communities often dance together at celebrations, such as weddings or birthdays, the dancing is not necessarily part of the ceremony.
There are many benefits to dancing in a group. Dancing together creates the same sense of group identity as singing or chanting in unison. Participants experience a reduction in stress and a release of endorphins.
In some instances, a Master of Ceremonies calls out steps for the group to follow. A dancemaster sometimes calls Irish céilí steps at social dances. The Electric Slide and the Cha-Cha Slide, popular at American weddings, feature a singer directing the participants in a simple choreography.
Some dances, like the Macarena, permeate society so thoroughly that it seems everyone knows the choreography. Other dances, like Armenian group dances, are simple and repetitive enough for beginners to follow the steps of more experiences dancers.
At Drag On Ball, 2018
Within marginalized communities, dancing is often a way of finding community and demonstrating belonging. Ballroom culture (not to be confused with ballroom dancing) in the United States grew from the gatherings of LGBT+ African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Participants combine recreational, community dancing with dancing for artistic expression. Dancers vogue, strut, and catwalk in elaborate choreographies and costumes to represent their “houses” and found families. Depending on one’s definition of ceremony and ritual, participating in these events could also be seen as modern cultural rites for people who have been denied acceptance in the cultures they were born into.
Dance for Artistic Expression
Shosagatsu, a form of Japanese Kabuki, blurs the line between dance and narrative theater.
Many artists dance with the primary intent to express or communicate emotion, feelings, and/or ideas. These dancers, including ballet, tap, and modern dancers, often perform in a concert or theatrical setting to an audience. Using rhythmic, patterned, or improvised body movement, it’s one of the oldest art forms found in every culture around the world.
For many people, artistic expression conjures images of ballet. Ballet developed during the Italian Renaissance, before evolving in France and Russia into concert dancing meant for public performance. Ballet choreographers often use classical music.
Harlequin Floors—a purveyor of dance floors—lists what they call popular types of dance on their blog. Ballroom and ballet are perennial favorites, but dancing doesn’t stop there!
Contemporary Dance
Developed during the mid-twentieth century, contemporary dance is now one of the most popular and technical forms of dancing studied and performed professionally, especially in the US and Europe. Drawing on classical, modern and jazz dance styles, contemporary dance has evolved to incorporate many characteristics of a broader range of dance forms. Known for its emphasis on strong torso and legwork, contract and release, fall and recovery, and floor work, it often features unpredictable and disordered changes in speed and rhythm throughout a performance.
As a cultural ambassador, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater showcases a blend of American and traditional dance styles to audiences worldwide.
Hip Hop Dance
B-Boys and B-Girls combine hip hop dancing with acrobatics and rhythmic freezes, as demonstrated by this breakdancer in Union Square.
Hip-hop dancing refers to a range of street dances that developed in relation to hip hop music and culture. Hip-hop dancing dates back to the early 1970s in New York and California, evolving out of Funk and the development of break beat. Main styles of hip-hop dancing include Breaking, Locking and Popping, with derivative styles emerging out of these including Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’ and Krumping. These were often popularized and made mainstream after being featured in music videos of the time.
Today, hip-hop is performed in outdoor spaces, in dance studios, and competitively. Unlike many competitive dance styles, hip-hop is often improvisational with dance crews challenging each other to dance battles.
Jazz
Bollywood dancing (the style often showcased in Bollywood movies) feature a combination of Indian classical and jazz styles to create a uniquely recognizable form.
Jazz dancing has its roots in seventeenth-century African traditions. People brought to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade continued dancing traditions in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere in North and South America. Known for its improvisational and dramatic body movements, jazz dancing grew in popularity in early twentieth-century jazz clubs.
Today, jazz dancing builds on African American vernacular dance styles that emerged along with jazz music in the United States. Swing, the Lindy Hop, the Shimmy, and the Charleston are popular kinds of jazz dances.
Tap
Zapateado dancers in Mexico combine Spanish and Indigenous South American dance elements with percussive shoe rhythms.
Tap dancing is a type of percussive dance characterized by the “tap” of shoes hitting the floor as the person dances. Tap dancers often wear metal “taps” on the heel and toe of a shoe to accentuate the sound. Frequently performed as part of musical theater, tap dancing often focuses on choreography and formations, with more than one tap dancer performing at once.
Tap dancing characterizes a range of dances including flamenco, rhythm, classical, Broadway, and postmodern tap.
Folk
Modern Samoan knife dancers often wrap their knives in burning cloth for extra pizzazz when performing Siva Afi, the traditional victory dance.
Folk dancing is celebrated worldwide. People of different cultures and religions use various forms of folk dance to portray emotions, stories, historical events or even aspects of daily life. Some well known types of folk dance include: Bharatanatyam (India), Samba (Brazil) and Hula (Hawaii). Some cultures may even perform multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea performing individual dances for key events such as victories in war, farming, music and religion. Folk dances are commonly held at public events, where people can participate regardless of whether they are professional or complete beginners. Such dances are often accompanied by traditional music to further enhance the cultural experience.
Irish
Irish dancing features jumps and leaps so high that dancers seem to have the temporary ability to ignore gravity.
Traditional Irish folk dance has been popular for hundreds of years amongst Irish people and other countries worldwide. The first recording of the rinnce fada (long dance) in Ireland was in 1689, when James II first came to Ireland. Popularized by shows such as Riverdance, Irish dancing is famously known for its fabulous display of footwork and dance formations. Most Irish dancing events are traditionally accompanied by signing and music. During festivals, dancers compete for trophies or medals to showcase their talents. While most people may recognize Irish dancing as being a group performance, there are many well-known forms of solo Irish dances, such as the stepdance.
Modern
Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” was such a departure from the formal ballets of the time that it caused a riot in the audience at its premiere in 1913.
Modern dance, a broad genre of dance, primarily arose from western countries such as the USA and Germany during the late 1900s. While most forms of dance feature set steps and formalized structure, the purpose of modern dance is to rely on the dancer’s interpretation of the music and feeling to guide movements. Modern dance was initially born out of dislike for the limitations of traditional dances such as ballet, which enforced rigid rules and techniques. Currently, modern dance is enjoyed across the world with participants having the ability to practice ballet-like dancing without having to place strict focus on their techniques or turnout. Instead, dancers can choose a piece of music and use unconventional movements to convey emotions or to tell a meaningful story.
Swing
“Jitterbug” was originally a derogatory term for a swing dancer, in the 1930s. As Big Band music and swing dancing became more popular, people came to use jitterbug interchangeably with swing dancing and Lindy Hop.
Swing is a variation of jazz dance. It developed during the 1920s to the 1940s as a response to the growing popularity of swing jazz music in America, encouraging faster, more rigorous movements. The Lindy Hop was the first form of swing, stemming from variations of the Charleston perfected by Black dancers in Harlem. Other popular forms of swing dance include the Lindy Charleston, the Jitterbug, and the Balboa, many of which are still performed today. Big Band music, whether live or on a recording, commonly accompanied swing dancing events.
Swing dance gained huge popularity in England thanks to the influence of American servicemen stationed there during World War II.
Pacu Jalur
And then there’s an annual dance event reported on in the Wall Street Journal (8/19/25). Where would you include this dance?
Team Panglima Rimbo Piako
Kuantan Singingi, Indonesia holds an annual boat race, called Pacu Jalur, dating back to a 17th century celebration commemorating Queen Wilhelmina’s birthday during the Dutch rule. Today, it coincides with Indonesia’s Independence Day. Some 200 boats compete in a series of races, culminating in the main event, six-tenths of a mile long and lasting approximately two minutes. The hull of the jalur (boat) is usually 100 feet long, made from a single tree. Each boat is powered by 40 to 75 male rowers.
So where does the dancing come in? Each boat also has one dancer (anak joki)—always a boy for minimal weight and ability to balance while dancing on the bow, which is less than 1 foot wide! He wears traditional Malay outfits, cheers on the rowers, and performs 20-second dances to signal to bystanders when his boat is ahead. Each boat dancer has his own routine.
Today the most famous dancer is Dikha, whose dance—appearing effortlessly cool, smooth, and easy to copy—has been mimicked in celebratory dances by a football star, a soccer player, an F1 driver, as well as miscellaneous people at the office, on their cars, and inside Costco. Dikha’s dance mimics fanning air, flying, and shooting guns.
Bottom Line: “Dance”—for a plethora of reasons—has always been with us. Dare I predict it always will be? Enjoy!
As you all probably recall, my definition of beach reads is whatever people actually read at the beach. This year, fourteen people ages 16-94, read the following (in no particular order).
The important question isn’t whether the glass is half empty or half full, but how it likely affects your drinking.
Wide-Rimmed or Narrow-Rimmed Glass?
A recent (July 2, 2025) article in The Wall Street Journal reported on research which indicates that people prefer wider-rimmed glasses to narrow ones, are willing to spend more on drinks in wider glasses, and are more likely to reorder drinks served in wider rimmed glasses. In addition, “Drinking from wider glasses even makes them feel better.” I dug into environmental factors that affect drinking.
Glass Size and Drinking Amount
It is well known that people eat and drink more when using larger crockery and glasses. One study found that when a bar in Cambridge served wine in larger glasses, the amount customers bought and drank increased by an average of 9 per cent.
Glass shape does not affect actual drink pours in the US but glass size does, at least in some cases. In this research, larger glass size/volume was associated with larger on-premise pours of straight shots and mixed drinks; thus, the large-glass drinks were found to contain more alcohol than drinks served in short, wide glasses. Drinks poured in short, wide glasses did not contain more alcohol than drinks poured in tall, thin glasses. (As an aside: some research shows that bars with mostly black patrons serve spirits drinks with more alcohol than bars with other patrons.)
Glass Shape and Drinking Amount
The shape of a glass can influence how much people drink, particularly with alcoholic beverages.
Studies have shown that people tend to drink faster from curved glasses compared to straight glasses. Perhaps this is because curved glasses make it harder to judge how much liquid remains, which can affect how quickly someone paces their drinking.
In one study, although total drinking time was the same, participants drank more in the first half of the drinking session.
In a second study, during a bogus taste test, participants consumed less from straight-sided wine flutes than outward-sloped martini coupes.
In a third study, looking for facial expressions associated with decreased consumption, straight-sided glasses elicited more ‘pursed’ lip embouchures, which may partly explain reduced consumption from these glasses.
Using a combination of methods, including measures of amount drunk and physiological measures, the authors suggest that “switching to straight-sided glasses may be one intervention contributing to the many needed to reduce consumption of health-harming drinks.”
They argue that the curvy glassware makes pacing yourself a much greater challenge.
Researchers filmed a group of 159 men and women drinking either soft drinks or beer. The glasses all contained around half a pint of liquid, but some of the glasses were straight while others were very curved (a “fluted” glass with a curvy taper to a narrow base).
There was no difference in the drinking time for soft drinks.
However, for the beer drinkers there was a big difference: it took around seven minutes for people drinking from a curved glass to polish off their half pint, but 11 minutes for those drinking from a straight glass. The report said: “Drinking time is slowed by almost 60% when an alcoholic beverage is presented in a straight glass compared with a curved glass.”
Could it be that curvy glasses made it harder to pace drinking because judging how much is in the glass is more difficult for a curved shape? When researchers showed drinkers pictures of partially-filled beer glasses and asked participants to say whether they were more or less than half full, they were more likely to get the answer wrong when assessing the amount of liquid in curved glasses. The lead researcher Dr Angela Attwood told the BBC, “They are unable to judge how quickly they are drinking so cannot pace themselves.” She also said altering the glasses used in pubs could “nudge” people to drink more healthily by “giving control back”.
In addition, other research found that people were more likely to pour extra alcohol into short, wide glasses than tall, narrow ones.
Glass Color
Then, too, the color of a glass can affect how much people drink. Studies have shown that the contrast between the glass and the color of the wine influences how much people pour. For example, when pouring white wine into a clear glass, participants poured 9% more than when pouring red wine, which had a greater contrast to the glass.
Don’t Trust Yourself!
Researchers at Cornell University found that, when wine drinkers were asked to pour what they considered a normal drink, they poured about 12 percent more wine into a wide glass than a standard one. The same was true when holding a glass while pouring compared with placing the glass on a table. “People have trouble assessing volumes,” said lead author Laura Smarandescu, and, “They tend to focus more on the vertical than the horizontal measures. That’s why people tend to drink less when they drink from a narrow glass, because they think they’re drinking more.”
Thus, research shows that several external factors affect how much people drink. Studies show that larger groups also often correspond with greater alcohol consumption, especially when social norms encourage drinking. I suspect most people are aware of this social effect. But the less obvious effects of size, shape, and color of one’s glass need your attention as well. And in all cases, measure standard drinks, not “free pours.”
According to the 2023 NSDUH report, of adults ages 18 and older, 67.1% reported that they drank in the past year. Of adults ages 18 and older, 51.6% reported that they drank in the past month. Among adults ages 18 and older, 6.3% reported heavy alcohol use in the past month. (The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy alcohol use for men as consuming five or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week; for women, consuming four or more drinks on any day or eight or more per week.) And 23.5% of adults 18 and older reported binge drinking in the past month. (The NIAAA defines binge drinking according to blood alcohol levels that result when a typical adult male has five or more drinks, four or more drinks for a female, in about two hours.)
Approximately 178,000 deaths occur each year due to excessive drinking.
While bartenders and other purveyors of drinks—particularly alcoholic beverages—might claim differently, there is much evidence that people should consume less alcohol. And no amount is too little!
Bottom Line: Using the information above can reduce alcohol intake pretty painlessly, and discretely. No reason not to!
Doesn’t everyone have favorite brands? Speaking for myself, I’ve never really thought about the “parents” of brands I prefer or brands I avoid. But, lo and behold! It turns out that just a few companies control almost every major food and beverage brand worldwide.
Nestlé’s Brands
“N-e-s-t-l-e-s, Nestlé’s makes the very best chocolate” or so the old jingle goes. Nestlé is chocolate, right? Think again. The Nestlé company makes more than 2,000 brands, from global icons to local favorites. Among the ones I think most familiar to Americans:
Nescafe coffee
Coffee Mate
Nesquik
Starbucks Coffee at home
Purina pet food
Alpo
Beneful
Beggin’ dog treats
Fancy Feast
Tidy Cat
Nature’s Bounty nutritionals
Osteo-Biflex supplements
Puritan’s Pride supplements
Perrier
San Pellegrino
DiGiorno
Häagen-Dazs
Carnation
Cheerios
Trix
Gerber
Heinz
Maggi seasonings
Hot Pockets
Lean Cuisine
Stauffers
KitKat
Toll House
Mars Brands
The Nestlé company isn’t alone in product diversity. Mars, more than 100 years old and still family owned, for example, makes one think candy, but think again! Their products include many candies, of course, such as:
3 Musketeers
American Heritage Chocolate
Dove
Dove Bar
Kudos
M-Azing
M&M’s
M&M’s World
Mars
Milky Way
My M&M’s
Snickers
Twix
Wrigley
The Wrigley Company brands (Mars being the parent company) include:
Quaker Oats registered the first trademark for a breakfast cereal in 1877, and since then, Quaker means oats, right? Well, yes. But it also means so much more now!
Although you might think of Quaker Oats Company as a stand-alone, think again! It was actually acquired by PepsiCo in 200l, primarily to gain control of Gatorade. So now one umbrella company also produces these, among others:
Pepsi
Lay’s
Mtn Dew
Doritos
Gatorade
Ruffles
Cheetos
Brisk
Propel
Pasta Roni
Sabra
Simply Baked
Rice A Roni
SunChips
Jack Link’s
So, what’s my point? There isn’t one, really, just my shock and awe that when it comes to commercial brands, earlobes are connected to elbows—i.e., bodies of products that seem to have no relation to each other.
Bottom Line: It seems multi-national companies are “all over the map” when it comes to diversifying product lines. And does it matter?
When I—naively—thought of AI (artificial intelligence), I thought of students using it to do homework or the rest of us doing quick online searches, but it is everywhere!
Yes, it is in classrooms. On 7/29/25, 60 Minutes replayed a segment in which Anderson Cooper visited a school where AI is used not only to catch plagiarism but also to guide students toward the correct answers or conclusions without actually giving the answer and help teachers identify who needs help with what.
Rachel Madow (7-21-25) presented some of the many ways artificial intelligence has been used to create fake news about her on X, Facebook, etc. For example, images showing her with a baby she never had and helping rescue victims of the Texas floods, where she never was.
The Wall Street Journal (6/30/25) had a Journal Report on AI with multiple sections:
Perhaps the computer behind these images should not be consulted for fitness advice…
An AI built career coach and its advantages
Having a romantic relationship with AI and what 3 experts had to say about them and the people who seek them
A woman who wrote a novel about a woman building an artificially intelligent lover and why the author believes they won’t replace real partners
How and why advertising offerings as “Powered by AI” reduces people’s inclination to trust and buy them
How AI makes learning easier but may result in a weaker understanding of the topics afterward
AI telling people what they want to hear and the dangers of that
Being a Wall Street Journal story, of course it had a commercial slant. The essence of the article is that Mars (makers of Whiskas food and Temptations treats) is hoping to benefit from the rise in cat ownership in Gen Z households. They initiated an internal program called “Cattitude” to get their dog-loving employees on board with this new cat emphasis.
Buying Love with Treats
Their research revealed that, compared to cat-only owners, dog-only owners were 32% more likely to give daily treats.
Products and cats connect through people. So Mars also investigated cat owners’ concerns, and cited their findings from typing “does my cat…” into a Google search: the top two results were “love me” and “know I love her.” I did the same search with DuckDuckGo and found that, among the top eight searches that came up, four questioned owner-cat love and one “does my cat hate me.”
So, my search confirmed the WSJ conclusion that cat owners often suffer from “feline insecurity.” The Mars solution is to produce foods and treats that cats like better, often with a new twist. For example, lickable spoons to be hand held “to create what the company calls an ‘enhanced bonding moment.’”
Giving Love, Getting Cattitude
So do cat owners know love when they see it?
Cats show their love in many quirky and subtle ways. According to a veterinarian, weird things cats do when they love you include slow blinking, kneading, bringing gifts, head bunting, wrapping their tails around you, and showing their belly. Other signs are purring, grooming, sitting next to you, following you around, and even mooning you as a sign of trust (YouTube.) Animal Wellness Magazine published an article explaining ten sometimes-confusing ways cats show affection for their humans.
And cats communicate lots more than affection through their behaviors. For example, chattering when they see prey indicates excitement or frustration, while rubbing their head on you (bunting) shows marking territory as well as affection. Kneading reflects contentment or stress relief, and sleeping in small spaces like boxes makes them feel safe. Eye contact, slow blinking, and tail wagging can signal trust, affection, or alertness. When they bring gifts, it’s a sign of sharing their hunting success and affection. Understanding these behaviors helps strengthen your bond with your cat.
Problematic Cattitude
Of course, not every feline oddity signals pleasant feelings. Worrisome cat behaviors may indicate health or stress problems.
Aggression
Litter box issues
Excessive scratching
Sudden changes in eating, drinking, or activity levels
House-soiling
Increased vocalization
Over-grooming
These signs should prompt a vet visit, as they could signal medical or behavioral issues (PetMD, MedVet, Brookside Vet).
Bottom Line: To make the most of cat ownership, “listen” to what your cat is telling you.
The Wall Street Journal recently (7/2/25) featured a story about rich people in Sǎo Paulo, Brazil who pay up to $200 per hour for an off-duty police officer and his scent hound to find lost pets. Sometimes the cost of flights to and from far parts of the country were added to the bill to find the missing pet. I may be in the minority here, but that seemed truly shocking to me.
Cost of Finding a Lost Pet
So of course I searched online for more info. Several options came up immediately.
(Please note: the citations in this article are informational examples and imply no endorsement or recommendation!)
“Lost pet? Don’t panic. We’re here every step of the way – 24/7 support and guidance. Find Your Lost Pet in Your City. 8000+ Pets Found. Start now! Start in 1 Minute. 5 Stars on Google & FB. 100% Satisfied Guarantee. 24/7 Direct Help. Not satisfied? Money Back. 68% Gets Found.”
“Find Your Lost Pet And Alert Local People on Facebook & Notify the Rescue Squad™, For Free. Put Out a Free Alert! We Have Over 4 Million Pet Lovers in Our Alert Network. Boost Recovery Chances. Post A PawBoost Alert. Email Shelters For Free. Notify Thousands Nearby.”
Pet Detectives
The Pet Detectives is a company that has established itself as a market leader in the investigation of animal theft and the recovery of stolen and missing cats… This company is located in the UK, and has a TV show Pet Detectives.
As in most other professions, there are specialists. For example:
12 Years of Pet Detective Experience After thousands of lost cat cases all over the world, I’ve learned there is no “cookie-cutter advice” for every lost cat case. What does work is tailoring your strategy to your situation (indoor-only cat or outdoor access) with methods curated for each cat’s personality.
According to the Brazilian pet detective in the WSJ article, dogs want to be found but cats, not so much.
But even if your pet never leaves home, pet love can be pricey! The rest of this article will focus on cats and dogs because they are the most common pets in the U.S.
The Cost of Acquiring a Pet
American Curl
As a cat owner for more than twenty years, I was aware primarily of relatively small veterinary bills. The cats had come free, one from a shelter, the other from a farmer’s barn. I was completely unaware that people actually pay for cats, sometimes a lot. I found one listing that said buying an American Curl, for example, costs $1000 to $2000. They are really cute, but still…
Cats
A 2019 Yahoo article, “The Most and Least Expensive Cat Breeds in the World,” quotes what it calls “sometimes staggeringly high prices” for 15 cat breeds. Here are the acquisition cost estimates the article listed for the world’s most expensive breeds:
An article at Brownsburg Animal Clinic compared purchase prices for popular purebred and crossbred dogs, finding (not surprising to me) that purebreds are more expensive than crossbred dogs.
French Bulldog
Labrador Retriever $650 to $4,000
French Bulldog $3,000 to $10,000
Golden Retriever $750 to $5,000
German Shepherd $300 to $3,200
Standard Poodle $300 to $3,000
Average purebred price $1,000 to $5,040
Despite these purebred costs, cats are generally cheaper than dogs due to lower adoption fees, and because they require less maintenance and fewer resources.
How much do animal shelters typically charge for adoption fees? A discussion on Quora provided a few examples (Jun 15, 2023): “At my shelter puppies are the most expensive. Cost depends on age. Dogs range from $450 to $100. Kittens are $125. Cats $40 to $20.”
The Animal Humane Society of Minnesota uses a sliding scale to determine adoption fees. Pets with special needs or who have been in the shelter longer can be adopted at a lower cost than others. They also have an option to delay the decision. If you need more time to complete an adoption, you can place an animal “on hold” for 24 hours for a fee of $30 for dogs and cats, or $10 for all other animals.
But back to veterinary bills: Of course the cost of veterinary bills varies depending on the type of visit, the location, and the specific needs of the pet. Routine vet visits in 2025 can range from $70 to $174 for dogs and $53 to $124 for cats. Emergency vet visits can be significantly more expensive, potentially ranging from $200 to $10,000.
Besides emergency care, modern veterinary hospitals provide virtually all the types of care that human hospitals do. Veterinarians help owners keep pets healthy as well as treating infections and injuries. Many veterinary services treat chronic medical conditions, including arthritis, cancer, physical therapy, cardio-pulmonary services, etc.
Cost of Online Pet Doctors
Just like human healthcare providers, many veterinarians are now offering services online. Virtual appointments offer pets the same convenience and accessibility as their owners. Additionally, they allow pets who become anxious or volatile in a vet’s office to see their doctors in a calm, familiar environment.
However, most online veterinarians cannot diagnose pets or prescribe medications over the internet.
Cost of Pet Insurance
No wonder so many people opt for pet insurance! This, too, is a big market. Pet insurance typically comes in three options: accident-only, accident and illness, and wellness. According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, the average monthly pet insurance premium for accident and illness coverage is $56.30 for dogs and $31.94 for cats. However, there are plans for as little as $16 a month for dogs and $10 a month for cats.
Owners can even get a credit card specifically for pet health care—though why one would not use any regular credit card is a mystery to me. Some companies, such as All Pet or CareCredit, offer special rates and cashback options for healthcare spending.
Cost of Routine Maintenance
The annual cost of cat ownership can range widely, but generally falls between $340 and $4000. It depends on factors like food and litter choices, veterinary care needs, and whether the cat requires ongoing medical treatment.
For dogs, a recent survey gives an average annual cost of $4,512. These costs also vary widely, depending on the same factors as for cats.
Food alone is notable: the annual cost of dog food can range from $250 to $700. The annual cost of cat food can range from $225 to $1,980, depending on the brand, type of food, and frequency of feeding.
No doubt you are aware of what I call TV advertised convenience: Fresh Pet and Chewy will deliver to your door—for a fee.
Bottom Line: Consider the above factors when you think of pet ownership (whether cat, dog, or something else entirely), consider your personality and finances, and then decide the price you will pay for pet love.
This blog is intended to make you think. What are your expectations about people who do these various things?
Card Games
I’ll start with three well-known card games.
Euchre
Euchre is played in Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Upstate New York, and the Midwestern United States. It is often associated with blue-collar culture, particularly in the Midwestern United States, where it has long been popular among families and friend groups. Its roots are in working-class communities and its role in bringing people together for social interaction contribute to this perception.
I found no data on the ratio of male to female players, so assume it is roughly equal, given that it is often a family or couples game.
Bridge
Bridge players are often stereotyped. Common stereotypes include: a tendency towards higher education, and the game attracting a relatively high proportion of atypical individuals. (Bridgebase.com, macewan.ca) Bridge was initially a game for the upper class, but later gained popularity among other social classes.
A common stereotype is that bridge is an old person’s game. In 2019, the World Bridge Federation used Survey Monkey to gather data about American bridge players. They limited the survey to people 45+ with some college education because, “We are confident that the vast majority of bridge players fall into this category…” About 16M (out of 75M)—i.e., about 20%—reported that they know how to play bridge. 10M+ have not played in a long time, 3M+ play a few times a year, 2M+ play regularly (monthly/weekly/weekly+).
Poker is a man’s game—at least at the professional level. According to recent statistics, around 95% of professional poker players are men. However, among online poker players, research shows that nearly a third of new player buy-ins are female players. This makes one ask why male players still dominate traditional tournaments. One explanation posited is that because it’s male dominated, there’s likely an intimidation factor in in-person play.
Many historical factors have shaped modern poker: cultural expectations and gender norms, targeted advertising, and marketing campaigns. There’s nothing masculine or feminine about the game itself. Medium and Personality-Psychology have published some poker stereotypes based on players’ tendencies:
NITs (tight players)
TAGs (tight-aggressive players)
LAGs (loose-aggressive players)
Loose passive players
Calling machines
Maniacs
Other Table-Top Games
Of course, cards aren’t the only games people play around the table.
SCRABBLE
Most competitive SCRABBLE players are women. Indeed, when regular people are asked about whether they would expect more male or female SCRABBLE champions, the intuition seems to be that women should be more common. As it turns out, within the highest-performing competitive SCRABBLE divisions, 86% of the players are male, while only 31% of the players in the lowest-performing divisions are. In fact all 10 of the last world champions have been male. Psychology Today has a lengthy article trying to determine why this might be.
FYI: Nigel Richards is the widely acknowledged GOAT for SCRABBLE. Originally from New Zealand and now based in Malaysia, he has won the World Scrabble Championship five times. No other player has won more than once. His national-level titles include five in North America, twelve in Singapore, fifteen in Thailand, and many others around the world.
Monopoly
As of 2015, the game had sold approximately 275 million copies worldwide. Clearly, lots of people play Monopoly, but I found virtually no information about them. Lots of information about its history, racism, whether it’s detrimental to family relationships, but otherwise…
One tidbit: Monopoly game token choice can reveal aspects of a player’s personality. For example, players who choose the car are often male and passionate, while those who choose the hat may be introverted but strategic in the game.
Mah Jongg – a Chinese tile game of skill, strategy, and calculation similar to rummy—was developed in the 19th century in China. It has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. Rules vary by location. In China and Japan in particular, it is a gambling game, often played by men in Mah Jongg parlors.
Travelers first brought mahjong to the United States in the early 1920s. It was an instant hit among white Americans. People in the U.S. soon came to think of it as a game for women.
At least the perception of mahjong as a women’s game is founded in reality: American mahjong players are at least 95% female. Male players likely comprise less than 5%.
In my opinion, there are two bits of history that contribute to this.
The first was the Wright-Patterson approach, started by spouses of Air Force officers stationed at Wright Field in Ohio. The Wright Patterson method was intended to regularize rules so that when military men were transferred, their wives wouldn’t have to learn new rules for every place.
In 1937 a small group of Jewish women in New York City standardized the rules for the game. Generally referred to as American Mahjong, today it is the most common version played in the U.S., and has spread worldwide. In the U.S., one stereotype is that mahjong players are often older Jewish women.
Games of Sport
Some games are more physical than cards and table-tops.
Golf
Golf is subject to various stereotypes. For example, that golf is an elite sport, a game of cliques, or a sport for older people. Other stereotypes suggest that golf is expensive, complicated, or only enjoyable in the summer. (Golfshake.com).
Since the pandemic, more than 800,000 women have taken up golf. According to the National Golf Foundation, 3.7 million juniors played golf on a course in 2024, more than in any year since 2006. Thirty five percent of these were girls. This young segment is more diverse than the overall golf population and has seen a 48% increase since 2019, the largest gains of any age group.
The NGF also reports that 41% of off-course golfers are women. (Off-course golfers participate in golf-related activities that occur outside of a traditional golf course. This includes activities like driving ranges, golf simulators, mini-golf, and entertainment venues such as Topgolf. (LightSpeedHQ, NGF ))
Basketball
Basketball is the opposite of golf on many dimensions. Stereotypes include the assumption that players are tall, and that the sport is mainly for men. Some also believe that basketball is an African American-dominated sport. (gunnoracle.com) Additionally, the ‘jock’ stereotype portrays athletes as unintelligent, but physically well-endowed.
Basketball is perhaps the sport most available for pick-up games. It requires minimal equipment, equipment is inexpensive, and hoops are everywhere from driveways to public parks.
Expensive Games
Many sports require substantial monetary investments for the equipment, training, and space to practice. Utopia.org broke down the costs of the most expensive sports today.
The cars alone can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Rather than competing individually, racers usually compete under the sponsorship of corporations. Over $1000 is typically spent on fuel for each car per race.
Racing is also environmentally expensive. F1 racing generates 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, with 72.7% of those emissions resulting from transporting equipment and personnel.
Sailing
Sailing is one of the most expensive sports globally. It requires a lot of equipment such as life jackets, grippy shoes, and weatherproof sunglasses—not to mention the cost of the boat itself. A trailer is necessary to transport it to the water, unless you rent a slip at a marina or live on water and have your own dock, etc. Even smaller sailing boats, such as the single-person Laser, have a starting price of around $2000 for a used model. For many, there are additional sailing club membership fees and lessons.
Bobsledding
Bobsleds are expensive, starting at around $30,000, so teams often rely on corporate sponsorship to pay for the sled, protective gear, training, and track rental. Bobsledding also carries significant risks; “sled head,” or concussion in bobsledders, affects 13-18% of participants, making it one of the most dangerous Olympic sports.
Tennis
At first glance, tennis requires only a racket, ball, net, and a partner. However, tennis ranks among the most expensive sports, primarily due to the fees associated with renting tennis courts, which can range from $50 to $100 per hour. Additional expenses may include competition entry fees, lessons, and specialized shoes and clothing.
Pentathlon
The pentathlon, which includes running, swimming, horseback riding, shooting, and fencing, is among the most expensive sports primarily due to the extensive equipment requirements. There may be additional costs for lessons or classes in each discipline.
Equestrian Games
Polo, known as an elite sport (participants include members of the British Royal Family), is quite expensive. Any sport involving horses requires substantial funds, but playing polo also involves club and tournament fees on top of the costs of training and keeping horses. Nevertheless, equestrian events— show jumping, dressage and eventing—are all expensive. Owning a horse is expensive in and of itself, including costs for feed, shelter, winter care, shoeing, and veterinary bills. If you don’t own a horse, you can expect “rent” payments as well as covering many of the expenses listed above.
Additionally, equestrian competitions involve the costs of equipment for both the horse and rider, transportation (such as a horsebox), and riding lessons. Sports involving horses are universally expensive.
Swimming
Swimming is a favorite sport for many, and for most people it isn’t particularly expensive. But competitive swimming can be costly. Large pool rental costs per week add up, in addition to training, gym sessions, specialized diet, and even hair removal to maintain the sleekest body.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey expenses include the cost of gear and ice rink rentals, which can be around $250 per hour. In addition, ice hockey players often suffer injuries, leading to substantial healthcare expenses. Altogether, the annual costs of playing ice hockey run in the thousands.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is more expensive than it looks at first glance. Competitive gymnasts often start training as very young children, taking regular classes for years. Those pursuing a professional career may also invest in private coaching, space in a dedicated gym, and travel to train and compete. Specialized equipment, such as vaults, balance beams, and climbing ropes, can quickly add up to serious costs.
Please note: Utopia.org includes more details and suggests less expensive alternatives for these expensive sports.
Not surprisingly, how people spend time, and the places they frequent, imply a lot about personality, lifestyle, and values. Sport are no exception. Knowing a person’s sport and game choices—both the activity and the level of involvement—often sets others up to make inferences about socio-economic standing, level of education, and more, as well as traits like openness and extraversion, competitiveness, work ethic, organization, and motivation.
Bottom Line: Sports and other games definitely play a role in how people are perceived. What do your hobbies say about you?
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