Thin cutting boards are used in Germany as a plate, especially for breakfast, or as a small serving dish. This board fits a sandwich perfectly, with just enough room for a bit of mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard on the side. It’s also great if you want to cut your sandwich, fruit or other food into bite-size pieces. Cutting into wood instead of a porcelain is much easier on the knife (and the ears).
I found this whisk broom at a flea market a couple of years ago. It’s made in the 1920s and I’m still using today. For something with no other purpose that to sweep away dirt, I’m amazed at the craftsmanship that went into it — it’s durable, with sturdy bristles that don’t snap or fray, that are bound so neatly and tightly with twine and metal wire.
Whisk Broom Circa 1920, flea market find.
German Film Poster for 'Christiane F.', (1981), Produced by Bernd Eichinger (11 April 1949 – 24 January 2011)
From the same drug company that invented heroin and marketed it as a “non-addictive substitute for morphine.”:
Timeline of a Bee Massacre: EPA Still Allowing Hive-Killing Pesticide
and Bayer: Bee-Toxic Pesticide Killed German Bees, but is Safe in America
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Christiane F. (pictured), The Name of the Rose and others. RIP:
German Filmmaker Bernd Eichinger Dies at 61.
“The rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing”:
The Beautiful and the Damned: the Links Between Rising Inequality, the Wall Street Boom and the Subprime Fiasco
Sometimes you have to go forward to go backward:
Industry’s New Food Labels: the Race to Beat the FDA
Things Neatly Organized
Stapler of the Week
“For your stapling pleasure…”
Brand Name Pencils
“Pencils wanted! Drop me a line if you’ve got an unsharpened one!”
Things Neatly Organized (pictured)
Someone who shares my secret obsession
Medama Yaki
“Love fried egg, mostly sunny-side up, sometimes turn over, unusually poached egg.”
Strange Maps
The Map of One Arm Waving, Imperial Texas, Sudan’s Zoomorphic Cities, et cetera.
Underwater Image of Waves Breaking by Mark Tipple, Courtesy of Telegraph UK
WD-40 issues 1950s style collector’s can by Philip Kennicott, The Washington Post
“Can a toxic liquid that feels like some frothy byproduct of making jet fuel or plastic really attract online fans?”
NRDC Ratings for a Selection of U.S. Popular Beaches, NRDC
“Each star indicates that this beach met a specific standard”
Display
“a curated collection of important graphic design books”
Photographer captures amazing underwater images of waves breaking by Mark Tipple, Telegraph UK (pictured)
“heavy enough to hurt”
Is Coconut Water Really Better Than Sports Drinks? by Kiera Butler, Mother Jones
“a natural alternative to Viagra”
Cotton has a long history of being an immensely destructive crop, both ecologically and culturally, from its integral role in inciting the massive slave trade between Africa and the U.S. Colonies, to its current boast as one of the most environmentally disruptive crops on the planet.
African American Cotton Workers, Courtesy of Voices Education Project (Click on Image to Enlarge)
Alfa Romeo, Courtesy of A Time To Get
A Healthier World – Bar by Bar by Kelly Corrigan, National Geographic Blog
“Soap for Hope”
Alfa Bravo, A Time To Get
“(…) a serious medical condition which prohibits his ability to let an Alfa Romeo go up for sale” (Pictured)
BP Oil Spill, by the Numbers by Jessica Ramirez, Newsweek
“25 million – Number of birds that crisscross the Gulf Coast each day”
World governments fail to deliver on 2010 biodiversity target, UNEP
“(…) biodiversity is still being lost as fast as ever”
COUNTERINFORMATION
The European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers informs about PVC
“(…) science indicates that it is not very different from other materials and indeed posseses some interesting natural advantages.”
We’re excited to tell you our store is opening soon and we’ll let you know once we have an exact date.
We hope you enjoy the wide variety of subjects we cover on our blog. With our store we will try to do the same. The store will start out with a small selection of items, but we’ll be adding more over time. For more information about Kaufmann Mercantile click here.
Thanks for reading.
Click on Image To Enter Store
Other Voices & Readings
Persian Calligraphy, "The distant ports will not entice me. Leave me to open seas, and salt-laden winds", by Nadeem Naimy
Contemporary art produced in the Middle East, Muraqqa
History of Iranian Tile, Iran Chamber Society
Persian Rugs, Guide to Qashqai Kilims, Persian Carpet Guide
Farsi Calligraphy Blog (pictured)
Daily Photos from Iran, Vahid Rahmanian’s photoblog