Tag: indoor storage

A European Fad We Can Live Without

Paris, the “City of Lights,” has fallen victim to a foul-smelling, unenlightened practice that also has befallen other great European cities.

Not since the days of the not-so-beloved outhouse has anything stunk up the city and its environs so badly.

It seems that a lot of European men don’t mind pulling out their “Oscar” and peeing on buildings, streets and in public parks without benefit of a rest room, leaving behind the foul stench of urine.

Paris has tried to cope with the problem by making it possible for men to take in a scene of the River Seine or the historic Notre Dame Cathedral while emptying one’s bladder in a legal, environmentally friendly way. But the installation of unscreened, bright red, straw-filled dry urinals hasn’t won over the populace. The uritrottoirs use nitrogen and other compounds to produce an organic, allegedly odorless organic compost. But the devices don’t shield the “Oscars” from view when some dude pees off a scenic tourist barge, from a bridge or on a cobblestone street.

Residents of the historic and upscale neighborhoods dotted with the red urine bins say there must be a better, less unseemly way. As one said, “It is definitely a desirable and historic neighborhood, but seeing people urinating right in front of your door is not the nicest thing.”

In Germany, folks have a whimsical-sounding word fo the act, wildpinkeln, or “wild peeing.”

Somewhat diabolical residents of Hamburg’s St. Paul quarter have begun coating walls in a “splash creating, urine retardant paint” commonly used on ships hulls that coats the wildpinkeler in his own urine. The Germans even have a word for that – Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is defined as taking pleasure in someone else’s humiliation.

Here’s to keeping our North American cities free of wildpinkelers!

Count Collectibles as Counting Blessings

As a youngster, you may have taken up the call of H.E. Harris and company, found as an ad in many of your favorite comic books, and started a stamp collection. You spent many an hour soaking stamps off envelopes, drying them and putting them in your album with tiny stamp hinges. You likely have that treasure book.

When you hit your teens, music became your passion. You began snapping up copies of your favorite vinyl singles and albums. You might still have them hanging around, though you may no longer have a phonograph to play them on. They are your treasures.

At some stage you may have gone from dumping your pocket change into a box or jar to actually examining the coins and holding on to some. The keepers likely included some U.S. “wheat” pennies. Billions – yes, Billions – of them were minted starting in 1909 and ending in 1958. Slim chance that any you have are worth more than a few cents.

Are you getting the picture? Sparsely filled stamp albums for children or beginners and any U.S. postal stamps from the past 70 years, which is what most people have, are of little value. As for those vinyl records, the most valuable albums are rare and ideally kept in climate-controlled, dust-free storage. Otherwise, expect pennies on the dollar. And those billions of wheat pennies hanging around in jars or boxes are, as you have heard, likely worth more than face value – usually from 3 to 4 cents, at best a few dollars.

Face it, you aren’t going to pay for your kids’ college educations or make a fortune on your treasured collections. Sure, you might make a few bucks, but unless you have something exceedingly rare and in perfect condition, it’s not going to be much.

A lot of other collectibles have similar track records to the stamps vinyl and wheat pennies. Take “brown furniture,” for example. Brown furniture is a is a catchall term in the antiques trade for sturdy, dark-wood warhorses such as cabinets and sideboards, dining tables and bedroom sets. Museum-quality work by noted crafters and designers of historic importance command the prices one might hope, but everyday home furnishings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries have taken a hit on aesthetic and monetary fronts. Today art deco and midcentury modern pieces are in demand. A walk through many an antique or consignment shop will find the old brown pieces relegated to the back or basement, with price tags to match.

The costume jewelry market is another one where myth doesn’t match reality. Driven by trends and pop culture, one season, long necklaces for layering are in, next it’s disco-era chokers. Some collectors bypass anything that isn’t signed (designers stamp their name or logo on the reverse), so iconic pieces from noted designers and manufacturers (vintage Miriam Haskell, Kenneth Jay Lane, Weiss, Eisenberg, and others) command top dollar. But the bulk of costume jewelry is mass-produced, designed to bring a bit of glamour within the reach of everyone. That means there’s an overabundance of pieces that, while pretty and intricate, fill the $5 or $10 tables at flea markets. Here, again, condition plays a part. It’s hard to unload pieces with missing rhinestones or faulty clasps.

That china serving platter given at your grandparents’ wedding and used by generations has finally been passed down to you. It was never nicked or chipped — a miracle — and it has to be worth something. But with so many reproductions or revivals of vintage patterns, it can be difficult for an amateur to authenticate a piece and accurately gauge collectible-quality condition and rarity. If the platter is pristine, and from a noted line such as Royal Albert Old Country Roses, you may be in luck. More often, though, passed-down pieces are valuable only for their family history.

Precious Moments bride-and-groom sets made good wedding gifts or keepsake cake toppers, going on to take pride of place in the new couple’s first home. A recent scroll through eBay found many have provoked nostalgia, but not envy, as, for example, 1979’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” — billed as “rare!” — was listed at just $8.50.

Many people focus on themes or manufacturers when collecting commemorative plates from the ubiquitous American artist Norman Rockwell. But owners should have thought twice before coddling these items, as an array of original retired/mint condition plates complete with box, Styrofoam and certificates of authenticity sell for less than $50 on Rockwellplates.com.

Rah, rah … rah? Those vintage felt college pennants hung by generations of students carry plenty of tradition — but their value is, again, subjective. While alumni might feel they’ve held onto gold, they likely won’t be able to pay off that college loan. An undated Boston College pennant “complete with tack hole” can go for only $15 on eBay.

Hummel figurines were based on the drawings of a nun with the surname Hummel — a fact that may be worth more than any of the zillions of collectibles her work sparked. The Hummel figurines from the Goebel company, first made in the 1930s, have graced many a mantel. But their charm has fallen largely out of favor. Many of the most ardent collectors have died, and recently, the classic “Village Boy” holding a basket was listed for $1 on eBay.

Autographed sports memorabilia is a tricky category. There are some authenticated signatures that will trade for the price of a new car or house — but the prevalence of forgeries, mass-produced products and the like mean there’s a greater chance that the jersey you bought at the local convention center isn’t worth much. If you witnessed the autograph, that’s another story, and lucky you.

Reporting on baseball cards from the 1980s and 1990s, the Cardboard Connection is blunt — “Sports card values from the late 1980s and early 1990s are pretty much worthless.” While they traded well during their time, now there is a glut, and that means you’re not the only one holding a dozen Jose Cansecos. Looks like you’ve struck out on this form of sports memorabilia too.

Andy Warhol was perhaps the world’s most famous cookie-jar collector, and his trove famously sold for around a quarter-million at Sotheby’s in the late 1980s. But for the general collector, these relics of the past can be scored for a few bucks at the local flea market or well under $50 on eBay.

Everyone knew you collected porcelain or metal bells commemorating locations, destinations and special events. Folks brought them back from Las Vegas and London for you, joining those you collected on your own travels or at special events, such as a town’s celebration of the Bicentennial. Today, you can travel the world through eBay, picking up bells from Mount Vernon ($4) to Hawaii ($6), Singapore ($5) or splurge on Liberace ($18). Not exactly world-class valuations.

If bells weren’t your thing, maybe people loved to bring you salt-and-pepper shakers. Today, most sell on eBay for well under $10 — not much more than the original prices. A recent lot featured cowboy hats, King Kong and the Empire State Building, pagodas, spice canisters, seagulls, horse heads and quite a few more, all for $40. Those pairs crowding your shelves are destined to collect more dust.

Broadway shows always seem like a luxury, especially with today’s ticket pricing, and vintage Playbills, especially from opening nights, might seem like theatrical gold. Unfortunately, prices have really dropped since the advent of the Internet, Broadway World readers say. A 1964 Playbill for “Funny Girl” featuring Barbra Streisand, once going for upward of $350, can now be had for around $10. There are exceptions, as always, but these collectibles may be best valued for the memories.

A decorating craze for vintage farm tools had collectors buying items for their looks, often not even knowing the original use. But reproductions glutted the market, and today, with tastes often skewing toward the modern, tools from pitchforks to sheep shears, and sickles to pulleys, can easily be scored on for well under $50.

You’re cleaning out grandma’s closet and come across dozens of dresses. Unless they have designer labels, back-in-trend silhouettes or standout details in pristine condition, you’re basically looking at a pile of old clothes. Vintage collectors are ruthless when it comes to provenance and condition, so know that before listing a 1950s prom dress for much more than $75, the going rate on eBay.

Kitschy carnival souvenirs were the darlings of antique shops for ages — “chalkware” dogs and Kewpies of particular interest. But these easily dented and damaged onetime prizes are no longer held in such esteem. It’s a rare example that fetches more than $25.

When an artist dies, they say, their work’s value goes through the roof. Well, with Thomas Kinkade, the “Painter of Light,” the sheer quantity of work has left some collectors chagrined. After his 2012 death, The Guardian reported that his work was featured in one of 20 U.S. homes, and now an Old World Santa ornament can be found for $3 online, and a framed “Spring Gate” painting for $15.

Childhood Treasures Gain Little Value

Seems like everyone had them, or at least wanted them – Beanie Babies, Happy Meal toys, Hess trucks, comic books, model train sets, children’s books, Cabbage Patch Kids, Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls.When first acquired they likely became favorite playthings. But as the years past folks began to think they had ever-growing cash value.

But if they are in less than pristine – never or barely used – condition, odds are that with few exceptions they are worth little more than what was paid for them. So much for the attic or basement storage over all the years.

The treasure of these items will be found in your heart and memory, not in your pocket.

Beanie Babies became a mania in the 1990s. Introduced by Ty in 1993, the plush toys – nine in the original collection – were suddenly must-haves. If they weren’t played with and had their paper tags still attached, some could indeed command tidy sums. But last year on eBay, a collection of 2001 Happy Birthday Bears – the complete set of 12 – sought a starting bid of just $15 and had no takers. The website Ty Collector laments, “The buying frenzy decreased significantly after 1998 when Ty produced so many Beanie Babies for the worldwide market that retailers had difficulty selling them all.”

Happy Meal toys have been available with Happyt Meals at McDonald’s since the late 1970s, and many of the tiny toys included with the food have indeed become collectibles worth several hundred dollars for a complete set. But most people probably haven’t collected all 101 of those “101 Dalmatians.” And like many other youth collectibles, Happy Meal toys are worth big bucks only in mint condition with their original packaging – which includes the Happy Meal box. Alas, these giveaways are most often ripped open and played with moments after purchase.

Comic books – Unless you’ve dug into a stash of comics and uncovered ultra-rare issues from the earliest days of Superman, Batman or the classic Marvel heroes, you’re likely holding onto a pile of childhood memories, and nothing more. As baby boomers age, they are paring down and trying to cash in, and the market for comics is glutted. Condition, as with so many collectibles, is key too. A random check of price guides and online marketplaces might prove eye-opening, to say the least.

Model train sets may not have seen the underside of a Christmas tree in years, but many were made by Lionel, which has been producing model trains for more than a century, so it’s tempting to think it’s valuable. “Many of the trains made in the early years right up through the present have kept their value, and some are highly valued by collectors,” the Lionel Collectors Club of America says. But also: “More common ones, while worthy of running, may not have a high collector value.” As usual, condition, rarity and an original box are key. If the train is in beaten-up boxes jammed with twisted wires, bent tracks and a bit of rust, forget it.

Children’s books – Some parents will pay anything to share a favorite childhood book with their own children. There are also collectors who collect books for their covers or to frame pages for decorative purposes. Last year, two first-edition copies of the Dr. Seuss classic “Green Eggs and Ham” from 1960 were selling for $4,750 and $3,500 on Biblio.com – but those featured quite specific qualities that most likely matter to just the rarest collectors. After all, the charm of most children’s books is they’ve been loved: They often carry children’s names (printed perhaps for the first time by them), bent pages, random crayon marks or even little stains — and those are not exactly selling points, especially when so many classics get frequent printings.

Cabbage Patch Kids – Remember when parents would literally rip Cabbage Patch Kids from each other’s hands in stores? When the soft-sculpture dolls went national in the early ’80s, people couldn’t “adopt” enough of these for around $30. As with many youth-oriented collectibles, condition is everything, so unless your “kid” hasn’t been out of its box, expect to perhaps break even.

Hot Wheels, the miniature die-cast cars from Mattel introduced in the late ’60s kept children excited for playtime for years, and collectors happy. Unfortunately, the sheer quantity of the models produced and the fact that most were played with roughly make for poor prices. There have been record sales, but more than a few 1960s models can be scored for a couple of bucks.

Barbie dolls – There are always going to be Barbie dolls that command top dollar, because there are always going to be deep-pocketed collectors who will pay anything. But the Barbies most people own, especially those “previously loved,” won’t make anyone rich. Even a Donna Karan Bloomingdale’s Limited Edition doll recently could be had for $22 online.

Hess Trucks – As with so many toys, kids loved and played with their annual Hess Truck gift, rarely leaving them untouched in the box. If you have the first one from 1964, when it sold for $1.39, and it’s in pristine condition, the Antiques Almanac says you may be sitting on nearly $2,500. A quick check on prices in mid-July, though, shows that since dozens of models, especially those from the 1970s, sell for well under $40. There are plenty of Hess collectors, but skyrocketing prices are not the norm.

12 Essential Money Tips

Everyone makes money missteps at some point in their lives, whether it’s splurging on unnecessary items or neglecting to contribute to retirement funds as soon as possible. To help you avoid the same pitfalls, here are some tips from the experts that will help you live your best money life.

1. Start With Saving – Although it’s tempting to spend rather than save when you get a paycheck, the experts say it’s important to prioritize contributing to your savings accounts. One way to make it easier is to automate payments.

2. Avoid Lifestyle Inflation – Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner, said it’s important to increase your savings rate whenever you start earning more to keep growing your net worth.“Save one-third of every pay raise you get so you don’t succumb to lifestyle inflation,” he said. By starting this practice early in your career, you’ll develop good habits like saving, investing and paying down debts instead of spending it on more stuff you won’t care about in a few years’ time.

3. Don’t Waste Your Money on Things You Don’t Need – Whether you’ve just received your first paycheck or your first raise, it can be tempting to spend your money on things you want rather than on things you need. This can be a huge mistake. “Don’t spend so much money on clothing,” said Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, founder of the personal finance blog “Making Sense of Cents.”

4. Don’t Buy Things to Impress Other People – Spending on immediate wants can hurt your future needs, said John Rampton, founder and CEO of Calendar. “Don’t waste your time on expensive cars or gadgets,” he said. “It’s better to save money for the long-term and for things that can keep generating money, rather than taking money.”

5. Start Investing in Your Retirement ASAP – It’s easy to put off saving for retirement when you’re in your 20s, but that’s the best time to start. The sooner you save, the sooner you can take advantage of compound interest. No matter your age, it’s important to prioritize investing in your retirement accounts, the experts said.

6. Don’t Fear the Stock Market – Doing something that scares you can be a good thing for your finances. Novice investors are often scared of the stock market, but just by getting started, even on a small scale, you’re furthering your financial life. That’s why Tom Hegna, financial author, speaker and economist, thinks you should invest in the stock market. Certified financial planner Jeff Rose concurs. “Invest sooner,” said Rose.

7. Now, Invest Even More – “Invest in the market, and lock in gains by purchasing income,” Hegna said. “Once you have your basic expenses covered with income, buy more.” By making wise investments now, you can create income for yourself in retirement to supplement Social Security, allowing you to live a more comfortable life in retirement.

8. Invest in Yourself – In addition to making financial investments, it’s important to invest in yourself by learning everything you can about personal finance so you can create a financial plan that works for you.
“No one will care about your financial success as much as you will,” said Marsha Barnes, certified financial social worker and founder of The Finance Bar. “Learn as much as you can today.”

9. Listen to Yourself and Take Action – “Figure out what you want in life, then make decisions based around this goal,” said J.D. Roth, founder of the financial website Get Rich Slowly. “Once I got clear on what my larger aims were, I was able to make financial decisions that supported these goals.” When you know exactly what you’re saving for, it motivates you to stick to your goals and work even harder.

10. Don’t Waste Time Worrying – Don’t let fear get in the way of going after what you want, said Jen Sincero, New York Times best-selling author and success coach. “Worrying is praying for what you don’t want, so stop worrying about money and focus on what you do want,” she said.

11. Remember That Money Isn’t Everything – Although you need money to cover expenses and other life necessities, it isn’t the be-all and end-all. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for what you deserve. “Ask for more money and learn to negotiate as soon as possible,” said money expert Brittney Castro. “Don’t chase money, because it’s not the holy grail. Enjoy it. Make lots of it. But always remember it’s a resource, not an indication of who or what you are in the world.”

12. Don’t Let Money Define You – Dominique Broadway, a millennial personal finance expert and founder of Finances Demystified, notes that money doesn’t define you or your success. “Do not link money with success,” she said. “Money can come and go. Focus on saving and growing your money and don’t focus on ‘shiny things’ to keep up with other people.”

Long May It Wave!

Motorists traveling the West Dodge Expressway near the west city limits soon will be greeted by a huge American flag at the site of Dino’s storage. The City Council approved a zoning waiver on July 10 to allow Dino’s owner to erect a 125-foot tall flagpole on the hill at 204th & West Dodge.

The Omaha Planning Board had previously approved installing the pole, which will be roughly 12 stories high. Paladino had said he wanted to fly the American flag and, on Nebraska football days, the N flag of Nebraska football. The council, however, said only the Stars and Stripes may be flown from the pole.

Zoning regulations allow no more than a 75-foot flagpole, but that was waived for Dino’s new flag pole. Paladino said construction will begin immediately.

Paladino said he wants to express his own patriotism and bring Americans together by flying the Stars and Stripes high atop the Elkhorn hill, a place of prominence on the west end of Omaha. “We just want to send a statement that we just need to be more patriotic,” said Paladino, who also puts Bible verses on message boards at his storage businesses. “I wish Americans loved America as much as other countries love America.”

Fact or Fiction?

In the era of “fake news” and conspiracy theories, it seems appropriate to look back on events we all have heard of from the distant past. We note that there are historians and others who claim some of these events never happened, but that by no means means that those claims are true. Make up your own mind about the events detailed below.

Nero didn’t fiddle while Rome burned
Nero, the original unconcerned bystander. While this first-century Roman emperor certainly isn’t blameless in the story of Rome’s fiery fall, he definitely wasn’t playing the fiddle during it. For one thing, Nero wasn’t even in the city when the fire began; he was in Antium, about thirty miles outside of the city. For another there was no such thing as a fiddle in ancient Rome. While Nero was a musician (and supposedly liked to play a harp-like instrument called the cithara), he sure wasn’t playing an instrument that wouldn’t appear until the 11th century. A Roman historian has claimed that, if anything, he was singing about the legendary fall of Troy when he learned his city was burning, but there were no witness accounts to back this up.

Rats didn’t actually spread the Black Death
Recent studies have discovered that rats may not actually be to blame for this devastating plague that wiped out a third of the 14th century population of Europe. So it’s time to rat out the real culprit. Scientists at the University of Oslo conducted an experiment that assessed the potential transmission routes for the deadly pandemic. They discovered that the parasites that carried the disease were much more likely to have come from humans than rats. The model showing the disease spread by human fleas and lice matched the death rates of the actual Black Death much more closely than the model involving parasite-carrying rats.

The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria weren’t the names of Christopher Columbus’s ships
When it comes to Columbus, the only fact that the history books really have right is that he sailed in 1492. First of all, he didn’t “discover” America – people had already been living on the continent for thousands of years. He wasn’t even the first European explorer to reach North America. A crew of Vikings sailed to Canada around 1000 AD. Even the oft-repeated names of his three ships aren’t historically accurate. In the 15th century, most sailing ships were named after saints, so while the Santa Maria is probably the real name, the Niña and the Pinta were probably just casual sailor nicknames for more piously named vessels. According to history.com, the Niña’s real name was most likely “the Santa Clara,” while the Pinta’s real name is unknown.

Martin Luther probably didn’t nail his 95 Theses to a church door
The revolutionary monk Martin Luther and his list of grievances about the Catholic Church have gone down in history as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. While the 95 Theses were real, and did have a major impact on people’s perceptions of the Catholic Church, the events didn’t quite go down the way you learned. There is no historical evidence that Luther posted the Theses on the church door; that story wouldn’t appear until 30 years after 1517, the year the act was supposed to have taken place. What we do know for certain is that he very politely mailed his 95 Theses to the archbishop, and that he never actually intended to start a revolution within the church. Luther was a devoted Catholic, and he simply wanted the clergy to recognize their corruption. Even if he did also post the Theses on the church door, that wasn’t quite the defiant act historians have portrayed it as. It was actually the norm, since that’s where the church notice board was located.

An apple never fell on Isaac Newton’s head
The story that the famous mathematician had an epiphany about gravity after being bonked on the head by a piece of fruit is most likely an embellishment of what really happened. The first time the apple story appeared was in a biography of Newton written by his friend William Stukeley in 1792. The account says, “the notion of gravitation came into his mind…occasion’d by the fall of an apple, as he sat in a contemplative mood.” Historians believe that he may well have seen an apple fall and begun pondering why it did so; but nowhere in any records of Newton’s life does it say it hit him on the head.

Suspected witches weren’t burned at the stake in Salem
Even though you probably think of “Salem witch trials” and “witch burnings” as interchangeable, not a single accused witch in 17th century Salem suffered a fiery fate. All but one of the 20 people executed for practicing witchcraft in the colonial Massachusetts town were hanged, while the twentieth victim was crushed to death with heavy rocks. While a few other accused sorcerers died in prison awaiting trial, there were no burnings – at least not in Salem. The widespread idea that witches were burned most likely stems from witch hysteria that took place in Europe. In the 15th to 18th centuries primarily, anti-witch hysteria raged throughout western Europe and Scandinavia, and many of those accused witches were burned at the stake.

Ben Franklin didn’t discover electricity
Ben Franklin’s famed experiment involving a key tied to a kite wasn’t quite the revolutionary scientific venture you might think it was. He certainly didn’t “discover” electricity; scientists already were well aware of its existence in 1752, the year of Franklin’s experiment. What Franklin sought to discover was whether lightning was a form of electricity, and he was the first to propose that hypothesis. But, complicating matters, it may not even have been Franklin himself who sent the famous kite into the air. In 1752, Franklin wrote in the Pennsylvania Gazette about the success of the experiment and described how it worked – but he never actually said that he performed it himself. It wasn’t until 15 years later that scientist Joseph Priestly wrote an account attributing the experiment to Franklin.

Marie Antoinette didn’t say “Let them eat cake”
The doomed French queen never actually made this condescending remark about her impoverished subjects. There are accounts of spoiled royals suggesting that poor people eat delicacies they can’t afford dating back long before Antoinette’s rule. In one such tale, a German noblewoman suggests that her subjects eat a sweet bread called Krosem in the 16th century. Antoinette was born in the 18th century. The “Let them eat cake” quote itself – “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” in French – first appeared in a 1767 autobiographical account by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He attributes the quote simply to “a great princess.” Considering that Marie Antoinette was a young girl at the time, it almost definitely wasn’t her.

Vincent van Gogh didn’t cut off his ear
Not all of it, anyway. The artist only severed the bottom part of his left ear, and no one knows for sure the reason he did it. He was certainly suffering from severe depression at the time. Some historians claim that he was agitated after a spat with his artist frenemy Paul Gaugin. Others claim that it was an act of rage committed after he learned that his brother, who was a major source of financial and emotional support for him, was engaged. One thing is for sure, though: it definitely wasn’t his entire ear.

Historic Folks or Mythical Legends?

History can be a funny thing, filled with names of folks and deeds that might never have existed or occurred except in folklore. We all know at least a little about such figures as William Tell, King Arthur, John Henry and many others. Some scholars, however, are convinced that they did not exist, that they are myths or legends handed down through folklore. Reader’s Digest provided a look at some of the most notable examples.

King Arthur
The best place for “”happy-ever-after” feelings is the kingdom of Camelot, ruled by King Arthur, who leaned on the advice of the wizard Merlin to lead the Knights of the Round Table. Except he likely is fictional: The tale was popularized in stories dating back to the 800s and it served as the inspiration for Alfred Lord Tennyson’s epic poem, Idylls of the King. Scholars aren’t sure if these works are based on a real man or on folklore. The legendary King Arthur may have been based on a real warrior who led British armies during the fifth or sixth century. He also may have been the inspiration for historical writings about a warrior king, but no one can confirm whether those were about the mythic Arthur or if he even existed at all.

Pythagoras
Even if you can’t remember exactly what the Pythagorean Theorem is about (triangles!), you’ve probably heard of the famous math equation. It’s possible that the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras wasn’t even the first to come up with it – it may have been the Egyptians. If Pythagoras did exist, he didn’t leave any records that he himself wrote, and the accounts that do remain may have been written by his somewhat unreliable followers.

Robin Hood
Robin Hood is most famous for stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but the fair-minded outlaw might only exist as a fictional hero. Medieval scholars turned up records of criminals named “Robehod” and “Rabunhod,” but they’re not sure who they were or how they got their names. What they do know is that stories about outlaws who buck the system seem to have been popular throughout history. Everyone roots for Robin Hood!

Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu is the author of the best-selling strategy guide The Art of War. The ancient book is believed to have been written in the fourth or fifth century, but no one knows for sure. And its age hasn’t stopped it from being consulted and employed by contemporary generals and CEOs. No one is sure if the Chinese military mastermind actually existed, or if the strategy classic was a compilation of Chinese wisdom gathered by many across time and then attributed to a single author.

Homer
The famous poet, supposed writer of the iconic literary works the Odyssey and the Iliad, may not have existed at all, argue scholars. They believe Homer was created out of a cultural need for an author for these great Greek myths. The works were possibly written much earlier than scholars originally believed and compiled by many authors across time through oral traditions.

Mulan
Mulan is the iconic Chinese warrior that Disney animated. This inspiring young woman is a figure in a beloved Chinese folktale that dates back to the fifth century. There are multiple versions of the tale of a girl who takes her father’s place as a warrior because he’s too old to fight. She usually hides her identity and leads an army to victory. But most scholars agree that there’s no evidence such a woman existed.

William Tell
William Tell is the famous Swiss archer who was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head by a despot. Tell’s arrow didn’t miss, and the Swiss point to the heroic act as the start of Switzerland’s movement to become an independent nation. Although the event is supposed to have taken place in 1307 A.D., researchers haven’t been able to find evidence that the story or the man are more than an inspiring myth.

Betty Crocker
You think of her as the classic kitchen goddess who knows everything about baking. Unfortunately, she’s not a real person. The company that became General Mills invented her to answer consumer queries. The surname Crocker came from a company director, and Betty was considered a “friendly sounding name.” Soon the persona became a reliable and beloved expert on cooking and recipes.

John Henry
The superhuman railroad man was a little too good to be true: The John Henry ballads sprang out of the post-Civil War era when the railroads were being built and America aimed to become a titan of industry. Henry was said to be a former slave who challenged a steam drill to a race and won, only to die shortly after. The story highlights grit and determination, but evidence of a real John Henry is hard to find. He seems to be a composite of many stories featuring citizens who embodied the fearless spirit that America wanted to project.

Uncle Sam
You know him as the top-hatted, patriotically dressed, gray-haired guy on the “I want you” recruiting posters. The figure was inspired by a real guy – a businessman who supplied army provisions and was nicknamed Uncle Sam. Soldiers during the war of 1812 would joke that their food came from ‘Uncle Sam,” but they weren’t referring to the distributor – more so to the actual army. The nickname usage spread, especially in newspapers, and Uncle Sam became the familiar popular figure by World War I.

Airlines Have an Alcohol Problem

One of the few remaining pleasures of commercial air travel is a cold pint post-security or a Bloody Mary to quell in-flight nerves. But for flight attendants and the airlines they work for, the grand tradition of drinking while traveling causes a host of problems that some blame on airports and which the airlines are intent on cracking down on.

European low cost carrier Ryanair is leading the charge. In a recent incident a flight from Dublin to Ibiza had to be diverted to Paris to de-plane a trio of drunk and disruptive. The airline has since announced that it will be lobbying for new restrictions on drinking in airports.

The proposed measures include a ban on serving alcohol before 10 a.m., which is common in European airports, and a two drink maximum in airport bars. Similar measures have been called for by fellow low cost carrier Jet 2 and by Aer Lingus which said they would turn away visibly inebriated passengers at the gate.

In a statement, Ryanair said that “It’s completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences.” They added that, because their flights are so short, it is rarely the case that passengers become problematically drunk on the plane; rather, intoxication usually begins before boarding. The airline had already previously banned the consumption of duty-free liquor on their flights, a practice which already is banned in many countries anyway, including the US.

It’s not just a European problem. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a May incident when an American Airlines flight attendant was on the receiving end of a vicious tirade after refusing to serve a passenger another beer. In an opinion piece calling for the banning of alcohol in the cabin, the opinion piece noted that when asked flight attendants overwhelmingly supported a ban on in-flight alcohol.

The FBI said reports of sexual assaults that take place during commercial flights have increased an “alarming” 66% between the years of 2014 and 2017. CNN said an FBI representative told reporters that a majority of offenses happen “on red-eye overnights, flights of three hours or more where cabin lights might be darkened, and/or instances where alcohol is being consumed.”

For frequent fliers who enjoy a drink, it may seem inconceivable that the future of flight might run dry. And indeed for airlines and airports – who gain a not-insignificant revenue stream from selling alcoholic beverages – removing the drinks may bear too high a cost.

A Teacher’s Great Summer Ideas

Betsy Eggart, a Pensacola, Fla., mom and teacher, believes kids should take a break from worksheets and equations over the summer and instead focus on resting and recharging for next year.

Many teachers send students home for summer vacation with worksheets and equations to tackle, But Eggart thinks outside of the box with her approach to keep kids sharp over the long break. Call it “the non-summer packet, summer packet.”

The R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School first-grade teacher posted her concept to Facebook where it quickly went viral. Eggart, 36, encourages parents to get back to some of the basics of life with their kids like tying shoes, behaving at the dinner table and putting away the iPhones and iPads to spend quality, uninterrupted time together. The teacher of 13 years also reminds parents of the importance of slowing down and letting kids rest and relax so they’re not burned out by the next school year.

The mother of two, an 8-year-old and a 1-year-old, says “I feel like when we just keep going and going and going, we hit a wall, and I think as adults we know that. We know for ourselves when we’ve been through a really busy season at work we hit a wall, and our kids do, too.”

Eggart offers some pointed advice within the post that she thinks could help children develop both in school and everyday life.

1. Teach Your Child How To Tie Their Shoes. Eggart encouraged parents to: Find a fun trick! Watch a video! Give an incentive! Be persistent! “Just make sure your child isn’t the one dragging their laces through the bathroom and cafeteria then asking the teacher to tie it” she wrote.

2. Establish A Regular Bedtime. “If we keep our bodies in a routine with sleep, August won’t hit quite so hard,” Eggart wrote. That’s good advice for both parents and kids!

3. Find A Pen Pal. Whether to a close friend or distant family member, “Writing with a purpose makes it relevant and real for your child,” Eggart said.

4. Have Dinner Together. Better yet, try to have dinner together every night.

5. Practice Being Kind. This is perhaps the easiest and most important assignment on Eggart’s list.

6. Let Your Child Make Mistakes. “Our children need us. But they need us to let them learn to problem solve,” she wrote, “if your child is in a situation that is frustrating, but not harmful (example: can’t put together a new toy, can’t open a Lunchable, can’t decide which color shirt to wear) let them work it out! It saves time and our nerves to just do it! But in the long run, it’s crippling our children of the basic and necessary skill to problem solve and think through an issue … for themselves. Hang back … just a bit. They’ll be OK!”

7. Read To Your Child. “I can’t encourage reading enough!” Eggart said. “Please visit the library and make books a part of your summer days. Most importantly, let your child see you read- to yourself and to them.”

8. Put Down Your Phone. “We could spend this summer scrolling through strangers’ vacation pictures wishing we had their reality,” Eggart wrote, “or we could be chasing our reality through the sprinkler in our own backyard.” It’s your call.

9. Take A Moment To Relax Every Once In A While. “Be OK with not constantly going somewhere,” Eggart challenged families, adding: “Boredom gives way to creativity. Rest renews our bodies and our minds for all the next school year has in store.”

Behind the Brand Names

You’re sporting your favorite Nike sneakers and Lululemon pants as you head to the mall to shop at the Gap. En route you grab a latte at Starbucks. After a few good hours of shopping, you head to Panera to meet a friend for lunch. You Venmo her for the meal and you both decide dessert is in the cards: Next stop, Häagen-Dazs.

All these brands are staples in our lives. But do you have any idea what their names actually mean?

You might think these corporate brand names were all made up by professional marketers, or company executives huddled for hours or days to come up with them. But, as Business Insider tells us, most came from much simpler beginnings.

Here’s a guide to the origins and meanings of some of the popular brand names we all know.

Adidas isn’t an acronym for ‘All Day I Dream About Soccer’
It turns out the athletics-apparel brand is named after its founder, Adolf Dassler, who started making sport shoes when he came back from serving in World War I, according to the LA Times. The name combines his nickname, Adi, and the first three letters of his last name.

Amazon was named after the world’s biggest river
When Amazon was launched in 1995, founder Jeff Bezos had a different idea for his brand name. Bezos wanted to call his online bookstore Cadabra, according to Brad Stone’s book about the company. But Amazon’s first lawyer, Todd Tarbert, managed to convince him that the name sounded too similar to “Cadaver.” Bezos is also said to have favored the name Relentless, and if you visit Relentless.com today, you’ll be redirected to Amazon’s website, Business Insider reported. Finally, Bezos settled on Amazon, named after the largest river in the world, and incorporated an image of the river in the company’s first logo.

ASOS is an abbreviation of AsSeenOnScreen
The British online retailer was founded as AsSeenOnScreen in 1999 and lived at asseenonscreen.com. The abbreviation ASOS – which is pronounced ACE-OSS – quickly caught on, and the website was shortened to asos.com.

Gap refers to the generation gap between adults and kids
The first Gap store opened in 1969 with the goal of selling good jeans. The name referred to the generation gap between adults and kids.

Gatorade was developed for the Florida Gators
A team of doctors at the University of Florida developed the sports drink for the Florida Gators football players, who were struggling to play in the heat.

Google owes its name to a typo
Google’s name emerged from a brainstorming session at Stanford University. Founder Larry Page was coming up with ideas for a massive data-index website with other graduate students, Business Insider reported. One of the suggestions was “googolplex” one of the largest describable numbers. The name ‘Google’ came about after one of the students accidentally spelled it wrong. Page then registered his company with this name.

Häagen-Dazs may sound Danish, but it’s completely made up
Reuben Mattus, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, named his ice-cream company Häagen-Dazs as a way to pay tribute to Denmark, according to an interview with the Jewish news publication Tablet Magazine. But the name doesn’t actually mean anything. “The only country which saved the Jews during World War II was Denmark, so I put together a totally fictitious Danish name and had it registered,” Mattus said. “Häagen-Dazs doesn’t mean anything. (But) it would attract attention, especially with the umlaut.”

IKEA isn’t a Swedish word that you don’t understand.
Founder Ingvar Kamprad chose the brand name by combining the initials of his own name, IK, with the first letters of the farm and village, where grew up in southern Sweden: Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd.

J.C. Penney is named after its founder, whose name is just too good to be true
With a name like James Cash Penney, it’s as if the retail founder was born to make money.

J. Crew’s name set it up to compete with Ralph Lauren’s Polo line
According to Forbes, “The name Crew was picked to compete with Ralph Lauren’s Polo label and (founder Arthur) Cinader added the J because he thought it added (cachet).” Makes sense. Polo and crew are both pretty preppy sports.

Lululemon means nothing at all, and it’s intentionally hard to pronounce
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson came up with the yoga-wear brand’s name because he thought Japanese people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it. He wrote in 2009: “It was thought that a Japanese marketing firm would not try to create a North American sounding brand with the letter ‘L’ because the sound does not exist in Japanese phonetics. By including an ‘L’ in the name it was thought the Japanese consumer would find the name innately North American and authentic. In essence, the name ‘lululemon’ has no roots and means nothing other than it has 3 ‘L’s’ in it. Nothing more and nothing less.” A Lululemon representative said the brand’s name was chosen from a list of 20 brand names and 20 logos by a group of 100 people.

McDonald’s is named after two brothers who ran a burger restaurant
Raymond Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, was a milkshake machine salesman when he first met brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, who ran a burger restaurant in San Bernardino, California. The McDonald brothers bought several of his Kroc’s Multimixers and he was so impressed by their burger restaurant that he became their agent and set up franchises around the U.S., Money reported. Years later, he bought rights to the McDonald’s name.

Monsanto is the middle name of the founder’s wife
Agrochemical company Monsanto was founded in 1901 by John F. Queeny. He named the business after his wife, Olga Monsanto Queeny.

Panera is a portmanteau of the words ‘pan’ and ‘era’
According to Panera’s Facebook page, the sandwich chain’s name “has Latin and Spanish roots.” In Spanish, “pan” means bread and “era” means age or time. So put together, Panera means “age of bread.”
Ron Shaich, the founder of Panera, also told Fortune the name comes from the Latin word for breadbasket.

Pepsi was named after the medical term for indigestion
Pepsi inventor Caleb Davis Bradham originally wanted to be a doctor, but a family crisis meant that he left medical school and became a pharmacist instead, according to the company website. His original invention, known as “Brad’s Drink,” was made from a mix of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil and nutmeg. Three years later, Bradham renamed his drink, which he believed aided digestion, to “Pepsi-Cola,” taken from the word dyspepsia, meaning indigestion.

A genie whispered ‘Rolex’ in the founder’s ear
Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, wanted a brand name that could be said in any language. “I tried combining the letters of the alphabet in every possible way,” said Wilsdorf, according to Rolex. “This gave me some hundred names, but none of them felt quite right. One morning, while riding on the upper deck of a horse-drawn omnibus along Cheapside in the city of London, a genie whispered ‘Rolex’ in my ear.”

Soylent gets its name from a sci-fi novel
Soylent – that meal-replacement drink that’s a Silicon Valley favorite – got its name from the science-fiction novel “Make Room! Make Room!” which is about how population growth depletes the world’s natural resources. In the book, soylent is a blend of soybeans and lentils.

Starbucks is named after a character in ‘Moby-Dick’
In an interview with The Seattle Times, Starbucks co-founder Gordon Bowker told the story of how they arrived at the name. At first, they were going through a list of words beginning with “st” because they thought those were powerful. “Somebody somehow came up with an old mining map of the Cascades and Mount Rainier, and there was an old mining town called Starbo,” he said. “As soon as I saw Starbo, I, of course, jumped to Melville’s first mate (named Starbuck) in ‘Moby-Dick.'”

Under Armour decided to use the British spelling because it made a better phone number
The name Under Armour came about somewhat accidentally, according to The Washington Post’s interview with CEO Kevin Plank. Plank said he had landed on the name Body Armor, but couldn’t get the name trademarked. He told The Post: “I was a bit dejected, but I had lunch plans that afternoon with my oldest brother, Bill. So, I show up to pick him up, knock on the door, and he looks down at me the way only an older brother can look at a younger brother, and he asks, “How’s that company you’re working on, uhh … Under Armor?” So how did Under Armour end up with that weird spelling? “The reason we added the ‘U’ in ‘Armour’ is that I was skeptical at the time about whether this whole internet thing would stick,” Plank told The Post. “So I thought the phone number 888-4ARMOUR was much more compelling than 888-44ARMOR. I wish there was a little more science or an entire marketing study behind it, but it was that simple.”

Venmo was inspired by a dead language
Andrew Kortina, founder of the digital-payments app, writes on Quora: “When we were brainstorming names, one of the roots we were exploring for inspiration was the Latin, vendo/vendere, ‘to sell.’ As soon as we said venmo, we liked it because it was short and made for a good verb: ‘Just Venmo me for dinner.'”

Verizon stems from the latin word Veritas, meaning ‘truth’
Verizon was the product of a merger between Bell Atlantic and GTE, both telecommunications companies. The name is a mix between the latin word “veritas” meaning “truth,” and horizon, which is meant to signify that the brand is forward-looking.

Wawa is named after an area of Pennsylvania
The convenience-store chain’s name means two things: 1. It’s the name of the area in Pennsylvania where the company’s first dairy farm was located. 2. It’s an American Indian word for a Canada Goose – the one pictured in the company’s logo.

Zara came from Zorba, its original name
Zara founder Amancio Ortega originally named his company after the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek.” But this didn’t last long.The first store, which opened in La Coruña in 1975, happened to be two blocks down from a bar called Zorba, The New York Times reported. Ortega had already made the mold for the letters of his sign when the bar owner told him that it was too confusing for them to have the same name. In the end, Ortega ended up rearranging the letters to make the closest word he could come up with – hence Zara, according to The New York Times.