Everybody’s Talking

Glow in the dark: An American artist with a love of photography and black light found a new canvas to create images: the human body. John Poppleton uses UV body paint in a dark studio to create incredible scenery and imagery on the backs of his models. He paints balmy sunsets, purple clouds, rolling waves, and shimmering waterfalls that glow luminously under black light. Viewers describe the results as magical. He was once a wedding and portrait photographer and uses his extensive photography experience to prepare his surreal pieces.

Fake food: In Japan, restaurant owners often use plastic food to portray the dishes on their menus. Some of this fake food, known as sampuru, appears very realistic. One woman from Chiba Prefecture thinks sampuru is so interesting that she started collecting it. Akiko Obata boasts a collection of about 8,000 pieces. She has a special love for the displays of fake desserts, but she has everything from spaghetti and sushi to French bread, hamburgers, and pizza. She keeps her huge assortment of authentic-looking, fake food in a room in her home.

Lost and found: A three-year-old boy named James O’Reilly wandered away from the home where his family was vacationing in Wyadup, South Australia, one day around 7:30 a.m., and was missing until 7 p.m. His parents were frantic, but the story has a happy ending: he was found by his grandfather and uncle. That was after police were called in and a search party was organized, which included dozens of people from the area who volunteered to help. It also included the police dog squad and helicopter. Despite being out in chilly rain for 12 hours, James was healthy and happy to see his family after his ordeal.

Forehead photos: A Greek man, Georgios Schieich, posts images of himself on social media, but his photos are not the usual smile-at-the-camera selfies. Rather, they are pictures of his forehead, with various environments in the background. Behind his forehead, the photo may show a city street, a building’s façade, a harbor, or a blank wall. Schieich says he started posting his forehead in response to a girlfriend asking, “Where are you?” That was over six years ago, and while the girlfriend is long gone, Schieich is enjoying the game of taking the same kind of photo for his social media posts.

Quoteable Quotes

“When you have nothing to say, say nothing.”
—Charles Caleb Cotton

“These are all our children. We will profit by, or pay for,
whatever they become.”
—James Baldwin

What’s Happening

Trivia

1. Statins are a class of drugs used to treat what?
2. Brazil, macadamia, and pignoli are types of dances or nuts?
3. Lying under oath in a court of law is called what?
4. In the Chinese Zodiac, 2021 is the year of what animal?
5. The Bermuda Triangle is approximately bounded by Bermuda, the U.S., and what other landmass?

Your Weekly Horoscope

Did You Know...

Light the way: The Fisgard Lighthouse, located near Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), started guiding boats into Esquimalt Harbour in 1860. Automated in 1929, the lighthouse is still operating today and is a National Historic Site.

Small island: Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands and is located in the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. It is small, at only 34 kilometers (21 mi.) long and 23 kilometers (14 mi.) wide.

Save the frogs: The Togo slippery frog lives in lush highland regions along the border of Ghana and Togo in western Africa. This amphibian is endangered because its habitat is being destroyed by human activity.

Early gig: Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame, was once a member of the psychedelic rock band Fritz. Leader Lindsey Buckingham called her to join after the pair met in 1966. Fritz used to open for big acts, such as Santana and Janis Joplin.

Big money: The town of Campbellford, Ontario (Canada), is home to a giant statue of a Toonie, the country’s two-dollar coin. Like the real thing, the statue has silver around the edges with a gold disk in the middle. It is 8.2 meters (27 ft.) tall.

On the Lighter Side

Hotel clerk: “Would you like the $80 room or the $100 room?”
Guest: “What’s the difference?”
Clerk: “The $100 room comes with free TV.”

Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you someone playing golf with the boss.

What does the winner of the race lose? Her breath.

Reporter on the campaign trail: “After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.”

Worry is the interest you pay on trouble before it’s due.