On This Day
1725 – The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by Empress Catherine I. It would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on 1 June [O.S. 21 May] 1725 by Empress Catherine I of Russia.[1]
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Born On This Day
1867 – Anne Walter Fearn, American physician (d. 1939)[20]
Anne Walter Fearn (May 21, 1867 – April 28, 1939) was an American physician who went to Shanghai, China, on a temporary posting in 1893, and remained there for 40 years.
FYI
NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day
By Jon Burlingame, Variety: Vangelis, Oscar-Winning Composer for ‘Chariots of Fire,’ Dies at 79
HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer: Longtime New Yorker writer, editor Roger Angell dies
By Ernie Smith, Tedium: Social Imagineering Despite what you’ve heard, the word “imagineering” is not unique to Disney. In fact, it’s a phrase that was first used in World War II corporate propaganda.
Rare Historical Photos: Vintage computer ads that show how far we’ve progressed, 1970-1990
Rare Historical Photos: These historical mug shots reveal intriguing criminal stories, 1880-1930
Gastro Obscura: Exploring the internet’s hidden food shops
Gastro Obscura: Why does the U.S. have a billion-pound stash of cheese?
Fixing Toxic Relationships
Are there people in your life who regularly cause you to feel bad about yourself? Most of us care what others think of us, so knowing that someone doesn’t like or approve of the judgments we’ve made or how we look can be hurtful. And when we’re judged by someone whose approval we crave, such as a parent, spouse, teacher, or boss, the criticism can cause intense distress and damage self-esteem.
Harsh or relentless disparagement from people who love us, often clothed as caring advice or helpful prodding, can be particularly toxic.
It’s helpful to realize that it’s one thing to feel bad when someone doesn’t approve of us; it’s quite another to allow their disapproval to shape our self-image.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” She was absolutely right. Negative comments about our lives are opinions, not facts.
How we feel, however, is a fact, and an important one at that. Thus, it’s rational and healthy to nurture relationships that bring out the best in us and to cut off or distance ourselves from those that bring us down.
There are, however, two strategies worth trying before you limit or eliminate contact with critical people whom you care about.
Try to fix the relationship by respectfully confronting the negative influences in your life. Don’t attack them for hurting you, just explain how you feel when they criticize you and see if they care about you enough to modify their conduct.
If that doesn’t work, try to build immunity to their negativity. Think of the hurtful comments of your incorrigible critic as irrational ravings – and ignore them.
Michael Josephson
Ideas
By Allison_Leung: Laminar Flow Fountain
By petachock: Faceted Curved Wooden Chair
Recipes
By Angel_vbc: Ecuadorian-style Baked Short Rib Sandwich
By andimadethings: Origami Cake With Buttercream Frosting
By Marianholdings: Wanna-Be Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Just the Recipe: Paste the URL to any recipe, click submit, and it’ll return literally JUST the recipe- no ads, no life story of the writer, no nothing EXCEPT the recipe.
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Mini Christmas Cakes – gift! November 30, 2023Mini Christmas Cakes! Great to serve at gatherings and ideal for gifting – long shelf life, packages up beautifully, easy to make and economical. Made with my classic Christmas cake batter, the rich fruit cake is moist and velvety. Mini Christmas Cakes Here are the Mini Christmas Cakes I promised in last weeks’ Holiday Gift... […]Nagi
- Chef’s Dinner Ticket Giveaway! November 30, 2023Your chance to join us for a degustation dinner at a small, intimate event!! We are giving away TWO tickets to our Chef’s Dinner taking place next week to celebrate our new RTM kitchen! Just 16 guests have been invited to enjoy a specially crafted tasting menu created by our Chef JB and yours truly.... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 1 December 1, 2023Picture of the day Aerial view from a helicopter of a group of Burchell's zebras (Equus quagga burchellii), Okavango Delta, Botswana.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 30 November 30, 2023Picture of the day The Blue Marble (2007)
AV Club Wiki Wormhole
- The Golden Bachelor has finally reached the end of his journey December 1, 2023Well, folks, it’s finally over. Gerry picked Theresa and her birthday suit and left Leslie heartbroken, hurt, and completely blindsided. It was a bleak two hours that left host Jesse Palmer looking like he’d rather be getting a root canal than dealing with this at certain points, but at least Gerry and Theresa seemed…Read more...Emma Keates
- The Curse recap: "Under The Big Tree" December 1, 2023I know The Curse is supposed to be a comedy (and it’s a cringe-inducing one at that), But can we talk about how every episode turns up the Lynchian vibes to give us plenty of scary moments that will haunt us for a good long while? “Under The Big Tree” ends on one of those […]Manuel Betancourt
- Welp, the Golden Bachelor is getting married on live TV December 1, 2023Here’s a fun fact: Despite it being the whole entire premise of the series, ABC’s Bachelor and Bachelorette franchise of reality dating programs has produced a shockingly small number of weddings over the years. (The Bachelorette has been slightly better at this than its male-led counterpart, having generated all of 4…Read more...William Hughes
- O.C. writers admit they made Seth a stoner to cover for how horribly bored Adam Brody was December 1, 2023In one of the most grimly hilarious admissions we’ve ever seen crop up in an oral history of a once-beloved TV drama, the writers of The O.C. have now admitted that they made Adam Brody’s character Seth Cohen a stoner in the show’s later seasons in order to cover up for how phenomenally bored Brody […]William Hughes
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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?