Metal Monday: Hail Seitan

The power of puns is so mighty that the internet supports two entirely different metal chefs praising Seitan.



 

I Didn't Know You Cared....

Do you know that the words "caress" and "carrot" share an etymological root?   Yes, really!  Well, no, not really, but here are some roots sharing a caress:

"Cuddling Cwmbran Carrots Stun Gardening Gran"

source

Related news story: Swedish woman's lost wedding ring found on garden carrot after 16 years.

.

Lena Paahlsson says the ring was on a small carrot she was about to discard.

How is the news coverage on this story utterly devoid of caret/carrot puns?

One Carrot Ring by Solange Azagury-Partridge

Regional Bleat

Science reports:  "goats have accents."

Via NBC New York

Researchers found that as goats grew older and moved with different herds, their voices changed to adopt the specific call of their new herd, the U.K. Daily Telegraph reported. That suggests a goat’s voice is not solely genetic, but is also a product of their environment.

Full article from NBC New York.  (NBC's coverage is more succinctly goat-centric than the Telegraph's.  And they have a better picture).

NOW you tell me....

I totally missed Superb Owl Sunday, a day when:

the majestic strigiform will awake from its yearly slumber. If the Superb Owl sees its shadow, we're in for another 6 weeks of people quoting lines from TV ads!

Buzzfeed's Ultimate Superb Owl Sunday Roundup.

Romance Tips from Yahoo

From "Top 10 Sports Names Related to Valentine’s Day"

8. Do you Fila any love for sports?
In Persian, Fila is a name that means "lover". Naturally, this sports apparel must raise an eyebrow when it is sold in the country of Iran. For this reason, you can surprise your Iranian date with Fila fashion and doubly emphasize how you feel about them. After all, anyone that wears Fila shoes and clothing is technically a Persian lover.

Does your language affect your bank account?

Dictionary.com's Hot Word blog summarizes recent research about the effects of future-time-reference ("FTR") on speakers of various languages.

Analyzing retirement savings’ patterns, along with health habits, Chen found that people who speak weak-FTR languages prepare more thoroughly for the future than people who speak strong-FTR languages. In fact, weak-FTR countries save, on average, 6% more of their GDP every year. They also smoke less, exercise more, and are less likely to be overweight.

German is cited as a weak-FTR language.  No word on how FTR influences attitudes about chicken intelligence.

Full post here.

’Twas the Morning of Groundhog's

A Visit from a Groundhog
by Autumn Ward, adapted from Clement Clarke Moore

‘Twas the morning of Groundhog's, and all above the burrow
Not a crop row was stirring, not even a furrow.
Calories were stored in fat rolls with care,
In hopes the spring equinox soon would be there.

The marmots were nestled all snug in their dens,
While visions of vegetables danced in their heads.
And mamma in her slippers, and I, sans my shoes,
Were all settled in for a late morning’s snooze.

When out on the lawn there arose such a rumpus,
I slid from my bed to see what all the fuss was.
Across to the window I walked in a haze,
Opened the curtains and focused my gaze.

The sun on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Shone bright, then diffuse, fluctuating its glow,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a drowsy woodchuck departing his lair.

As dry leaves that before the calm breeze skate,
When they meet with an obstacle, flutter and shake,
So out of the burrow the rodent did heave,
Assessing the shadows, ‘hogmancy to weave.