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A movie about the burial of Bruce Lee called “Inter the Dragon.” Is this something

This German joke from 1939 is disconcertingly easy to transplant to today.

A Berliner returns home through the darkened streets.

Suddenly a voice behind him: "Halt or I shoot!" Then: "Hand over your briefcase!"

Whereupon the greatly relieved Berliner says to the robber: "My God, you gave me a shock. I thought you were the police."
A joke going the rounds in 1939

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"Oh, you like New York Times' recipes? Then you'll want an extra-big bowl for this."

Cover of "The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook"
by JEAN HEWIT

FRUIT BAT SOUP Recipe
(This soup is offered on the off-chance that a reader may find himself in Micronesia, specifically the Caroline Islands, where this is a natural, native delicacy.)
3 fruit bats, well washed but
neither skinned nor eviscerated
Water
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh ginger
1 large onion, quartered
Sea salt to taste
Chopped scallions
Soy sauce and/or coconut cream
1. Place the bats in a large kettle and add water to cover, the ginger, onion and salt.
Bring to a boil and boil 40 minutes. Strain broth into a second kettle.
2. Take bats, skin them and discard skin.
Remove meat from' the bones and return meat, including any of the viscera fancied, to the broth. Heat.
3. Serve liberally sprinkled with scallions and further seasoned with soy sauce and/or coconut cream.
Yield: Four servings.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" wrote William Shakespeare, who was one of history's greatest authors but obviously ill-versed in public library usage. Curious! www.ft.com/content/c05f...

"Financial Times" article intro by Bill Gross:

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be," wrote William Shakespeare, who was one of history's greatest authors but obviously ill-versed in economics. Without lending or borrowing, our modern economic society wouldn't grow very much,
Al or not.

Librarians Discuss the Challenges and Triumphs of Running a Library Today (Gift Article)

I was reading a library book in our dentist’s lobby, and another patient looked over and asked, “Is that a *library book*? I didn’t know anyone checked those out anymore.” Dude. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

nytimes.com

We asked dozens of them about America’s libraries — what they provide, what they need to survive. Here’s what they told us.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

(Today, the Supreme Court hears about 60 arguments a term. 😑)

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

In 1983, John Roberts was a lawyer in the Reagan White House. SCOTUS justices heard 184 arguments that term and complained. Roberts then wrote: “While some of the tales of woe from the court are enough to bring tears to the eyes, only SCOTUS justices and schoolchildren [take] the entire summer off.”

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

[real conversation] FORMER NEIGHBOR: Bart, is that *you*? You look so different! Is everything alright?! ME: It was until a moment ago.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Archaeologists enjoy unlimited screen time.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“It’s a massive cultural criticism of millennial decision-making.” Brilliant, sir. Yes, it’s just like “Titus Andronicus.” 🙄

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"Sorry Timmy, but DOGE cuts delayed your passport's arrival. See you in two weeks! Love, Mom"

"How do I get a passport for my child?" over a photo of a forlorn boy leaning into an airport window as a jet aircraft loads passengers.

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Yes, agree 100% class size matters, y'all!!!

And the worst ranked idea for improving education is:

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As a longtime public school teacher, imo: • home environment can’t be underestimated • cellphone bans are a must • living in a nation led by the worst possible role-model is antithetical to education

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Finally, this is piece’s the lowest ranked and least effective idea for good reason.

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What a great visual by Ricardo Tomás for a NY Times piece about schools.

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Love hearing this. I chanced upon it in our high school’s library, and it absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Must have reread it a half-dozen times since— how wonderful that you get to teach it!

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More like “Ooh La Nah” amirite

Sign for a decidedly wilted hosta reading “Ooh La La Hosta”

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Yeah, that sounds like me.

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NPR announcer Carl Kassel was once asked how early he got up to do "Morning Edition." His answer: "1:05 a.m." The followup question: "Why not 1 a.m.?" "Because," Kassel replied, "I like to sleep in."

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*Flock of Seagulls voice* 🎵 “And I ran I ran so farro whey…”

Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Being married to someone with good taste = Still life happens

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A woman with an enormous tabby in her arms set the cat down in front of our house and then continued walking. As we watched, the cat froze like a meatloaf, then waddled after her. “It’s the only way he’ll get some exercise!” the owner shouted back to us.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Was just reminiscing with a sibling about how our family was both highbrow and downwardly mobile. For example, we kids loved playing “Upstairs, Downstairs”: “I’ll be the servant.” “No, no, *I’ll* be the servant, you be the landed gentry.” “Fine. But then I get to mismanage the estate!”

Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Is this a Star Trek character or a tropical bird species? "Trogons eat small wild avocados, swallowing the fruit whole and digesting all but the woody kernel. The Trogons then regurgitate the kernel."

A trogon is a colorful tropical bird. Here's one on a branch looking awesome.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Not to be confused with Van Gogh’s “Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed.”

“Four Sunflowers Gone to Seed” painting, which is pretty much what it sounds like.

Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

IMPORTANT: This is a pretty badass book.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Although little remembered today, Kaitlin's Bombardment of Times Square made headlines in 1947.

A girl wearing a helmet mimes firing an actual massive howitzer in Times Square in 1947. Three members of the military gaze on approvingly.

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Haha, same. Now it's more like, "Would you bring an iced coffee from a major chain to the monthly meeting of your local sustainability group?"

Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I’ll always remember our long talks. <sigh>

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My friends, I come bearing news of Gertrude Jekyll, who led an amazing life as a writer, artist, horticulturist, and partner of the architect Edwin Lutyens. And yes, her surname inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's title in "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrud...

en.wikipedia.org

Gertrude Jekyll - Wikipedia

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Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“I can’t believe you drove pasta that place.” 🍝

Bart King @bartking.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'm no nerd, but in the 1991 film “Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country,” Praxis is the Klingon moon that explodes due to overmining. This leads to the fall of the Klingon empire. Anyway, good luck to these tech-bros, and fingers crossed for life imitating art! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/w...

nytimes.com

Tech-Utopian Movement Praxis Says It Has Found a Home in Uruguay (Gift Article)

After a sprawling world tour, Praxis, a New York-based, crypto-backed “digital nation,” has signed a deal to build a physical city in Uruguay.