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Douglas G. Pearce

Douglas G. Pearce is a retired scientist who lives in Mono, you can read more miscellany in other issues of Countryside Digest.

Prizes, propaganda and pollination

Nov 17, 2012

“Macdonald spoke on April 27, 1885. He noted that the definition of ‘persons’ should be broadened to include women, this being a half century before the deed would finally be done by the famous Person’s case of 1929.

Whales, wheat and Wonderland

Sep 13, 2012

Alice’s True Adventure “There was never a March Hare, a Cheshire Cat, or a hookah-smoking caterpillar. The mushroom upon which the caterpillar sat, however, is real. The iconic Amanita muscaria,…

Food for Thought

Aug 17, 2012

Only 16 per cent of watermelons now have seeds, down from 42 per cent in 2003. Alas, it is unlikely that the world record for spitting a watermelon seed will be broken.

Battles, balloons, vitamin B and Pierre Berton

Jun 17, 2012

Nearly 60 per cent of Americans 18 to 24 live with their parents – a higher proportion of adult children are living with their parents now than at any time since the 1930s.

Food for Thought

May 18, 2012

A battery consisting of a slice of boiled potato between two electrodes can power a small light for 20 hours, after which a new potato slice is inserted.

Libertarians, populists and procrastinators

Mar 22, 2012

Hot rocks, put it off, a passing thought, war flags and Holy typo! Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Motor cars, canines and capitalism

Nov 21, 2011

In a move reminiscent of the infamous family-planning measures introduced in 1976, residents of Shanghai are only allowed one dog per household.

Peacocks, oysters and rubber ducks

Sep 9, 2011

History traditionally has ranked alchemists with counterfeit artists, huckster quacks, snake oil salesmen, and witches. Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Food for Thought

Aug 19, 2011

“He that looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart.”
C.S. Lewis

Washing, wages, wax and worms

Jun 16, 2011

A review of recent studies suggests many amoebae have sex! Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Food for thought

May 14, 2011

Meaningful Mouthful “‘Eating is an agricultural act,’ as Wendell Berry famously said.

Cats, cannabis, kilts and kori bustards

Mar 24, 2011

Highland Security The fashion of wearing nothing beneath a kilt has been condemned by the Scottish Tartans Authority, which has called the practice “childish and unhygienic,” The Times of London…

Snowflakes, sap and socialist plots

Nov 20, 2010

Unfortunately, Bentley’s love of snow was not reciprocated: He died of pneumonia in 1931 after walking home in a blizzard.

Spotty apples, sleepy bees and mad economists

Sep 13, 2010

Spotty Apples, Sleepy Bees and Mad Economists. Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Fordlandia, Flying Machines and Formulas for Success

Jun 15, 2010

An American town in the Brazilian jungle, J. Paul Getty and Mark Twain. Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Beer, Beans, Banks and Brands

Mar 21, 2010

Beer diets, beans diets, Icelandic banks (on a crash diet?), pets, paws and small farm producers. Miscellany from Douglas G. Pearce’s Countryside Digest.

Lazy, seedy, devious and stay-at-home

Nov 15, 2009

Border Thaw “Climate change has led to the introduction of one of the world’s first ‘mobile borders,’ between Switzerland and Italy. The border was originally defined according to where the…

Confection, Congestion and Electrification

Sep 15, 2009

How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science.