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Cake day: July 2nd, 2023

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  • It looks as though your cousin’s “injuries” are only to his pride—both “in the doghouse” and “throwing someone under the bus” are vivid idioms, not literal events. In everyday English they just mean (1) he’s in trouble or out of favor, and (2) you shifted the blame to him to save yourself. So unless there really was a wayward city-bus careening through a backyard kennel, his bones and fur are perfectly safe—only his feelings might be a bit flattened. Below is a quick crash-course on both expressions, plus a few tips for patching things up.

    1. “In the doghouse”

    Meaning

    To be in the doghouse is to be in disgrace or disfavor with someone whose approval you normally enjoy—most often a partner, family member or boss. It conjures the image of being banished outside with the dog until you earn forgiveness.

    Where it came from

    The first clearly figurative use shows up in U.S. slang dictionaries of the 1920s (“in dog house, in disfavor”) and gained traction through the 1930s press. Popular lore also credits Peter Pan (1911) for spreading the image of Mr Darling sleeping in the kennel after a parenting blunder, giving the phrase extra cultural punch.

    1. “Throw (or toss) someone under the bus”

    Meaning

    To throw someone under the bus is to sacrifice, blame or betray them for self-preservation or advantage, as though pushing them into traffic while you stay safe on the curb.

    Origin snapshot

    The earliest solid print example so far is from 1982 in The Times (London), with wider U.S. political use exploding by the 2008 election cycle. Its exact birthplace is still debated, but all roads lead to late-20th-century journalism and politics.

    1. What this means for your cousin

    2. Tips to get him out of the kennel-zone

    3. Own your part – Admit you “drove” the bus. A candid apology often shortens kennel time.

    4. Repair, don’t excuse – Help fix the original problem rather than focusing on who got blamed.

    5. Set future guardrails – Agree on how you’ll both handle mistakes next time so nobody ends up canine-camping again.

    6. Inject a little humor – Shared laughter about the idioms can defuse tension, reminding everyone the “injuries” were metaphorical.


    Key sources consulted

    Phrases.org.uk: first printed definition of “in the doghouse”

    Wikipedia entry on “Throw under the bus” for meaning & early citations

    English StackExchange & TheIdioms.com for origin discussions

    Paula Reed Nancarrow blog on Peter Pan link to the doghouse image

    Bottom line: your cousin’s ego may need a pat on the head, but his vitals are almost certainly intact. A well-timed apology (and maybe a chew-toy peace offering) should get him back on the porch in no time.







  • Have you ever seen Amsterdam? About 60% of people ride a bike daily, and it accounts for about 40% of all traffic movements in the city.

    If you replaced all of these bike journeys with cars, the yearly economic burden would be around €750,000,000 (~$785,000,000) from congestion alone. Are bikes good for all journeys, no. But it’s hard to say that most cities wouldn’t benefit from design that allows more short bike journeys.

    If you’re willing to walk somewhere then the idea of the bike is to make that trip quicker and expand the range of the trip in the time you have. Not to replace all car journeys.



  • I think this is a classic case of “The complainers are way more vocal than the life enjoyers”, combined with modern technology being set up to promote controversial content. When someone’s enjoying this life and being chill, they also don’t usually care about spreading thier message. The complainers are either memetic or often political and seem to enjoy a much greater platform. Also more controversial content generates more negative engagement, and most social media promotes content that has high engagement, because it benefits them to have users engage and stay on the site longer.


  • I’m not trying to cause offence, but is there an ethical way to eat animals, or does it become unethical as soon as we have the means and ability to not do so?

    It seams like for a lot of people, thier traditions and culture outweigh thier personal ethical benefits and thats the biggest problem that has to be overcome. Some places do not allow for growing sufficient and complete protein to feed the population, for example Egypt or Bangladesh. It seems that the cultures might be harder to overcome in these places.

    I was thinking maybe insects as a protein source would be a positive step for these locations. But thats obviously hard to overcome culturally. What do vegans think of eating insects?




  • In the UK you can get on a train without booking a ticket for that specific train, for example an open return or just a day pass. The train company has no idea how many seats will be taken or how many people will get on the train. So say it’s a 10 carriage train. Every seat is taken by someone, reserved or unreserved, and theres not a bit of standing room anywhere (this is very common). Which person sat on a reserved red light indicator seat should you kick out? And how do you know they didn’t reserve that seat specifically before you do that? Or do you kick someone out of a green lit non-reserved seat, with thier proof that the seat is not reserved and they are allowed to sit there, and your proof that you dont even have that seat reserved. It will also be the old people and small children sat down, and you won’t really be popular if you make them stand. Yeah you’re not sitting if you have this ticket. You’ll likely be stood by the entrance door for 3 hours instead. This seat reservation ticket may as well say, “sorry no seat today”, and it’s definitely infuriating to lean that you will be standing for your journey when you’ve payed full price for a seat, maybe £40 depending where.









  • Just because you said medieval ruins, I’m much more impressed with the medieval buildings that aren’t ruins. Definitely worth looking into some of these less well know places if you ever plan a trip, or just want to look up some cool pictures.

    For US people, the thing thats most impressive, is that all of these were built before Christopher Columbus even started his voyage to the americas in 1492.

    Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham - Established around 1189, makes it approximately 835 years old. The pub is partially built into the sandstone caves beneath Nottingham Castle. Still a great looking and fully functioning pub today, I want to go there.

    Anne Hathaways Cottage, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire - Dates back to about 1463, which makes it around 560 years old. A very British medieval farmhouse and the childhood home of William Shakespeare’s wife.

    Stokesay Castle, Shropshire - Was built in the late 13th century, around 1291, which makes it over 730 years old. It’s one of the best preserved fortified manor houses in England.

    Monnow Bridge, Monmouth, Wales - Was built in the late 13th century, around 1272-1297, making it about 725 years old. It’s the only remaining fortified river bridge in Britain with its gate tower intact.

    St. Ives Bridge, Cambridgeshire - Built in the 1400s, making it around 600 years old. The bridge has a full chapel in the middle.



  • Just for interest, this is the latest model chatgpt 4o, seems to have focussed more on the emotions and the simplicity.

    Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything” by BJ Fogg is a practical guide that explains how to make lasting changes in behavior by starting small. The core idea is that by focusing on tiny, manageable habits, individuals can create significant and sustainable changes in their lives.

    Key Concepts:

    1. Behavior Design Framework: Fogg introduces the Behavior Model, which asserts that behavior is a result of motivation, ability, and prompts converging at the same moment. For a behavior to occur, there must be sufficient motivation, the ability to perform the behavior, and a prompt to trigger it.

    2. Start Small: To create lasting habits, start with tiny behaviors that are easy to do, such as flossing one tooth or doing two push-ups. This minimizes resistance and makes it easier to maintain consistency.

    3. Anchor New Habits: Attach new habits to existing routines. For instance, after brushing your teeth (an existing habit), perform a tiny habit like flossing one tooth. This linkage helps in remembering and performing the new habit.

    4. Celebrate Successes: Immediately celebrate after completing a tiny habit, no matter how small it is. This positive reinforcement helps wire the new behavior into your brain, making it more likely to stick.

    5. Iterate and Expand: Once the tiny habit is established, gradually increase its complexity or add new tiny habits. This approach allows for scaling up behavior change in a manageable way.

    6. Focus on Positive Emotions: Fogg emphasizes the importance of feeling good during and after performing the habit. Positive emotions reinforce the habit, making it more likely to become automatic over time.

    Practical Applications:

    • Habit Stacking: Create chains of tiny habits that build on each other throughout the day.
    • Behavior Swapping: Replace unwanted behaviors with positive tiny habits.
    • Tiny Habit Recipes: Develop specific, actionable plans for incorporating tiny habits into daily life.

    By following these principles, Fogg argues that individuals can create powerful, lasting changes in their behavior without relying on sheer willpower or motivation alone.