Stories: Old West & Beyond 04/23/24
“Silence is a true friend who never betrays.” —Confucius
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Good morning, it’s Tuesday, April 23, 2024. This is National Email Day, World Table Tennis Day, and National English Muffin Day.
STORY MENU
Lady Gamblers of the Old West ...Uber’s lost & found ...Disappointed dining ... Uber’s Lost & Found ... Libraries: still relevant ... Playing pilot ... the new LTV ... Over-the-top feast
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THE OLD WEST
No one expected a woman to be so skilled at playing cards. But Poker Alice Ivers proved everyone wrong by earning a reputation as the best-known female poker player in the American West. “The Wild Card.”
Another woman, a red-haired beauty named Lottie Deno, ranked among the most notorious gamblers in Texas.
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FIVE STORIES FROM HERE & THERE
1—DINING
With soaring food costs, no one wants to face disappointment while dining out. According to Food & Wine magazine, there are specific signs that you’ve visited a bad restaurant.
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2—TRANSPORTATION
A tray of meat pie, a fake tooth, and the results of a paternity test are among the items passengers leave behind in Ubers. Uber Newsroom published an index of lost and found so far this year.
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3—RESEARCH
Years ago, I wrote magazine articles for a living. Because of the variety of topics I wrote about, libraries served as my go-to resource. Today, most people use the Internet for research and information, but the newsletter Bibliolifestyle insists libraries are more important than ever.
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4—FLYING
When the pilot of a small plane suffered a medical issue and passed out, the passenger aboard - who had no flying experience - managed to communicate with Air Traffic Control and, subsequently, landed the plane safely. It got me wondering whether such a feat could be accomplished by a passenger on a commercial airliner. One airline pilot said, “... I reckon it would be about as easy as dictating brain surgery over the telephone to somebody who has never held a scalpel.” According to the online publication aviationfile, it might be possible but risky and complicated.
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5—TECHNOLOGY
Since we’re on the subject of air travel, the next men or women who soar to the moon could explore the surface in a redesigned Lunar Terrain Vehicle. The new LTV will be larger, safer, and more maneuverable and can be controlled autonomously or by astronauts on board.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
September 23, 1387, marked an event known as “King Richard's Feast,” which ranked among the most extravagant medieval English feasts ever recorded. The London banquet included 14 salted oxen, 120 sheep, 1200 pigeons, and 11,000 eggs. Here is a full list of the ingredients used for the lavish affair.
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REFLECTION
“It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.” —S.L. Hayakawa
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