Summer is here, cafes are full to the brim with people who after months and months of lockdown find even the word ‘home’ unutterable. An undefinable laziness is creeping in, a desire for total holidays, complete relaxation, the ideal summer that… does not exist for most. However, while we are still dreaming about the innocent slow days at the blue sea, let’s open this week’s Crate without further ado.
- Before the entrance of Count Dracula to the silver screen, ‘vampire’ or ‘vamp’ has a somewhat different meaning – namely it designated an independent city woman, a pre-flapper, who lived as she liked and burned bright in the city nightlife. One of the first ‘vamps’ was Valeska Suratt, a silent movie actress and vaudeville star of 1910’s.
2. Continuing on the topic of darkness, let’s jump to one of the places of Earth with the most polluted air – that dubious honour belongs to the Nigerian city Onitsha. State capital Lagos (photo from the slum of Ebute Metta) and oil city Port Harcourt are not faring much better.
3. Don’t know if you’re sufficiently hydrated? Check your pee with this handy Pantone chart.
4. In order to remember just how remarkable forms nature is able and willing to create, I’d suggest spending some time on the wonderful site of Australian SeaGems.
5. What can we expect from the post-pandemic life? Are we ready for new Roaring Twenties? Ted Gioia thinks that there is a fair case to be made for it.
6. And to finish off for this week, another little gem from my beloved Incidental Comics by Grant Snider. Every time I’m planning to post something else, he comes up with something totally poignant – like this little chart of poets’ day jobs.
And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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