Sopranos star James Gandolfini dies in Italy

Goodbye Tony. You lived large.

More at  CBC News

The Rat Pack

They were the coolest cats ever.

Via The Queen is not Amused...but I am.

Mr Rogers Breakdancing

When my sons were little I encouraged them to watch Mr.Rogers because I thought he epitomized good values but he appears very creepy in this video. I don't love him any less though.

Inside Japan's Most Insanely Expensive Fruit Parlor

After reading this I feel even more fortunate to live in Ontario's fruit belt. Our cantaloups may not wear hats but at least we can afford to eat them.

$69 for a twelve-pack of Queen Strawberries

Cherries for $159.50 per box ($4 per cherry)

Yubari cantaloups ($160 for one, or $265 for two)

Apparently there are fruit museums under every department store in Tokyo, where perfect melons probably sit behind velvet ropes and bulletproof glass. To protect the fruits from crazed gunmen?

More at Buzzfeed 

The Corset X-Rays of Dr Ludovic O’Followell

In 1908 French doctor Ludovic O’Followell set out to prove that tightly laced corsets were bad for women's health by taking x-rays of women in corsets.  Curiously he also wrote a regular column for the deluxe corsetier’s magazine Les Dessous Elegance.

Diagram showing the corset’s ill-effects upon the ribcage.The bold lines
(B and D) show the position of ribs and corset’s line before tightening;
the dotted line (A and C) shows the new path of the corset
and subsequent new position of the ribs after tightening.

Ouch! I'd rather have my tummy and love handles on display than wear one of these contraptions.

Via The Public Domain Review

The History of Typography

A paper-letter animation about the history of fonts and typography.
291 Paper Letters.
2,454 Photographs.
140 hours of work.
Created by Ben Barrett-Forrest
Via 3quarksdaily

Martin Usborne's Portraits Of Abandoned Dogs

London-based artist Martin Usborne's photographic collection Nice To Meet You, captures images of dogs photographed through different mediums: a wet pane of glass, faint smoke, dense material, bleeding light. Almost all of the dogs had been abandoned and their expressions reflect a deep sadness.

Via DesignBoom 

Related post: Usborne's Dogs In Cars

Mary Margaret O’Hara

Dangerous Minds posted a great piece on Mary Margaret O'Hara. I remember going to see her at the El Mocambo in Toronto when she sang with Songship and the Go Deo Chorus.
The video below is from her quirkily wonderful album Miss America.

Reusable Cling-like Wrap

Abeego is a hemp and cotton fabric infused with beeswax and jojoba oil. Simply fold it over leftovers as you would cling wrap or foil. It’s pliable at room temperature, then becomes rigid and holds its shape when cooled down. Hand wash in cold water after using and it's ready to go again. And it's made in Canada!

I just ordered some. I'll let you know how they work out.

Via Gajitz

The Giant Black Catfish that Shook Japan

After the catastrophic Ansei Earthquake struck the city of Edo, Japan in 1855 a new type of color woodblock print known as namazu-e  became popular among the residents of the shaken city. These prints featured giant catfish (namazu) who, in Japanese mythology, caused earthquakes by thrashing about in their underground lairs.
The origin of the story may derive from the notion that catfish can sense the small tremors that happen before many earthquakes and are more active at such times. This sudden pre- earthquake activity may have led to the belief that the catfish were causing the quakes.

Namazu and the kaname-ishi rock

The 1855 earthquake acted as a catalyst for growing dissent about Japan's government. The namazu-e were a cheap, disposable tool through which common people could express their displeasure subversively. 
The government responded with intimidation, including briefly jailing nine guild officials. All namazu-e printing blocks were destroyed on the fourteenth day after the earthquake. The namazu-e had been in production for just two months and only a handful of these prints remain.

More prints here
via  Curious History

This related article on the catfish prints is interesting reading.