Athlete's foot

Athlete's foot through a microscope...for the overly curious, you can see a symptomatic foot here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlete's_foot

At the risk of my “grab bag” theme leading me into downright unpleasant territory, I will now move (possibly just this once) into the realm of medical conditions. 

This nasty (but relatively common) fungal infection is associated with athletes because of its ability to thrive in moist environments where people walk around barefoot, like locker rooms. It is a communicable disease, usually going from one host to another when they share shoes or hang out in the same wet place. Towels can spread the disease, but this is uncommon for an obvious reason: how long did you spend vigorously drying your foot with a towel today? There are several over the counter remedies, although in rare cases antibiotics can kick the stuff for good. Athlete's foot can spread to other areas, including your groin (!) or elsewhere. This condition has been common for a long time, and there are several “alternative methods” of treatment found across the world. Tea tree oil can ease the symptoms, and some even use Ajoene, a compound in garlic! Apparently stinky things will find each other eventually...  

Thanksgiving (United States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

The choice is obvious, but I think it's a fun choice. I always enjoyed those Wikipedia pages that explain things to you like you're an alien that's never been to Earth. Most people who might find their way to this blog should already know the basics of Thanksgiving, so I'll move right along to...

Highlights:

-The event we usually think of as the “First Thanksgiving” (although there is evidence of earlier celebrations of the holiday) lasted three days and featured six different kinds of seafood, four different kinds of meat, and every easily accessible new England vegetable in existence! No wonder we have to overeat to keep this tradition alive.

- In its early days, the holiday was not set and observed on a particular day every year; rather, the current president would declare a specific day (often in mid-December, rather than November) as a Thanksgiving Day only on some years, as he saw fit. In fact, no Thanksgiving was declared at all between 1799 and 1814. Them thar were a slender 15 years for America, I'd imagine.

-All the traditional Thanksgiving dinner animals/plants (turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries) were native to the Americas, and largely foreign to the pilgrims.

Stephen Baldwin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Baldwin

WARNING: Today's article is rife with subjective comments.

The youngest of the “Baldwin brothers”, Stephen is the annoying conservative one (and therefore also the most interesting one to read about). The Baldwins have been known in Hollywood for the past 25 years for their ability to suck at acting (with the obvious exception of Alec, the oldest), and Stephen is certainly no different. However, his off-screen antics, which have dominated most of his time for the past decade, are what has kept him in the limelight. In 2006, he led a campaign to prevent an adult bookstore from being opened in the small town in which he resides. He's popular in the US among fellow “evolutionary skeptics”, and like most of them, seems unfazed by the unshakable science behind evolution. During the 2008 presidential election, Stephen endorsed the McCain/Palin ultra-conservative dream team until they lost. In fact, Sarah Palin herself remarked to his brother, Alec, that Stephen was her favorite Baldwin brother. Well, that seals the deal for me...hopefully Stephen sticks around, as he seems just as good at entertaining us in this world as his brother is in all the imaginary ones.

Anubis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis

This ancient Egyptian deity, said to preside over the underworld, first appeared in Egyptian writings around 4,500 years ago. Anubis was depicted as a half-man, half-jackal; the latter animal was associated with death and graveyards in Egypt due to the threat it posed of exhuming bodies for consumption. Anubis is known as a son of Ra (think the Egyptian version of Zeus or Odin), but the facts surrounding him changed as he became more associated with Osiris, another god of the Underworld who became more important later in history. The mummification process and the Egyptian belief that one can bring earthly objects with them into the afterlife are popular concepts in modern interpretations of this culture; it is the meeting with Anubis for which the dearly departed were preparing. Anubis has been misconstrued and misrepresented several times since the advent of the cinema, most recently and memorably in the American film “The Mummy Returns”, in which he is depicted as actually having a vested interest in the events of the living world. This is inaccurate; rather than a “soul harvester”, Anubis was more of a liaison between one place and the next.  

Scotch whisky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky

The crown jewel of the European liquor industry, this alcoholic beverage has been in production in the northern part of the British Isles for centuries. Usually consumed “on the rocks” or “straight” for maximum taste appreciation, Scotch is subject by legal regulations to a very specific formula and method of preparation. In fact, Scotch Whisky doesn't just mean “whisky made in Scotland”- it's actually illegal for whisky to be produced in Scotland that isn't made by the rules of Scotch (as this practice might reduce Scotch's quality). Scotch can be single malt, blended malt, or single grain, which refers to the ingredients used to make the whisky (malted barley as opposed to mixture of other cereals) and the process that a distillery employs to get its end product; a single batch of scotch “mash” is produced for Single Malts, whereas different batches are mixed in the creation of blended malt. Another Scottish law requires whisky to be aged for three years and one day in order to be considered Scotch. It's safe to say that a developed palate for the stuff requires a strong stomach, a seasoned liver, and (most importantly) a plump wallet.

Cat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

This small, domesticated feline's worldwide popularity as a companion of humans has caused the species' population to skyrocket to ridiculous heights. This association has also brought them to virtually every corner of the globe. Since cats often represent a living example of science/animal biology in the home, proactive parents often teach their children some of these basics through the household cat; this tendency has caused a slough of misconceptions about the animal. Conversely, the factual details of feline anatomy are also widely known for this reason. The internet has been directly responsible for recent crazes of "cat obsessiveness", and "lolcats" widely evince humanity's gullability for the faux innocence of these charmingly cocky little creatures.

Highlights:

-There is much truth to the common folktale that depicts cats as objects of worship in ancient egypt; they were “sacred animals” for Egytians, representative of grace and cunning, and in some instances the animals even received mummification with comparable care to their masters.

-Cats aren't entirely color blind. They can see two colors clearly, green and blue, but have trouble discerning other color contrasts. Conversely, cats have perfect vision in 1/6^th the amount of light required for humans.

Tech N9ne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_N9ne

This famously underground rapper from Kansas City, Missouri, has made waves for his dynamic rapping styles, delivery speed, and nationwide cult popularity, despite spending much of his career unsigned (or affiliated with his own small record label, Strange Music). Tech got his start in the early 90's with a group called Black Mafia. In 2008, his album Killer helped him reach one million career record sales. Tech N9ne may be approaching his first taste of true widespread fame, as he has plans for collaboration with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Lil Wayne. One of my personal favorite aspects of Tech's influence is the “Caribou Lou”, an alcoholic concoction the creation of which is explicitly explained in Tech's track of the same name. The drink is well-recognized in a lot of bars.

Highlights:

-Tech N9ne's early life was marked by a serious search for a higher power; he spent much of his post-high school career exploring abandoned buildings in search of a ghost sighting.

-Although he did not appear in the film, Tech's song “Caribou Lou” (mentioned above) appeared in the 2006 film Alpha Dog; he was also instrumental in assisting the production staff in placement of tracks.