Month: September 2016

Lynne Murphy is an American linguist who has been living in the UK for 21 years. For 10 of them she has been writing the blog Separated by a Common Language, detailing the many ways, both subtle and obvious, American and British English part ways. No one is more of an expert on the UK/North America differences, so you can imagine her shock when she realized that all this time, the people around her had a completely different understanding of the word frown. For her, the locus of the frown was the mouth. For the Brits around her, it was not the mouth, but the brow that made the frown.

She discovered this fact through an old blog post by Michael Wagner, a linguistics professor at McGill University, where he tells the story of how he found out that frown meant something different to him (he is British) than to his Canadian friend. They were looking at a piece of abstract art at a museum when his friend asked, “Do you think this is a frown or a moustache?” Wagner was confused because,

Whatever ‘this’ was, it was clearly below the eyes, and also, the facial expression was sad—so how could it be a frown? My understanding of frown was what I later found in Webster’s online dictionary:

1 : an expression of displeasure
2 : a wrinkling of the brow in displeasure or concentration

When I expressed my puzzlement, I learned that frown, in fact, also means the opposite of smile: a downward facing mouth expressing sadness, and that this is in fact the most common/salient meaning of the word, at least to some.

What is a frown? A look of displeasure, made with the eyebrows? Or a sad face, made with downturned mouth? Informal surveys performed by Wagner at the time and then six years later by Murphy both revealed the same result, which can be summed up as “Wait! OMG! THAT’S what you think it means? I had no idea!” And “Oooohhh, so that’s why Americans say ‘turn that frown upside down’!”

So what’s a frown to you? The opposite of a smile or a furrowed forehead of concern?

Check out Wagner’s original post, and read the very interesting ensuing discussion at Separated by a Common Language, which suggests there may be age and regional effects influencing your decision.

The 34 Spider-Men of the Spider-Verse. That’s a lot of flavors for one superhero!
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Dolphin Conversation Caught On Tape For First Time. Now if we could only figure out what they were saying to each other.
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The 10 Most Short-lived Countries. Some were only in existence for a few days.
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23 Reasons Fluffy Corgis Are A Gift From Dog Heaven. And if you can’t own one, you can enjoy the pictures.
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The Sweetest Debut: Jessica Luther Takes on College Football and Rape Culture. She talks about her book Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
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The Age When Having Kids Starts Getting Difficult. I immediately said the toddler and teenage years, but they are talking about getting pregnant.
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How Boston’s bartenders and barbers helped stop a TB outbreak. And it was only thirty years ago.
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10 Weird Resuscitation Techniques From 200 Years Ago. Sometimes they just scared you back to life.

The 34 Spider-Men of the Spider-Verse. That’s a lot of flavors for one superhero!
*
Dolphin Conversation Caught On Tape For First Time. Now if we could only figure out what they were saying to each other.
*
The 10 Most Short-lived Countries. Some were only in existence for a few days.
*
23 Reasons Fluffy Corgis Are A Gift From Dog Heaven. And if you can’t own one, you can enjoy the pictures.
*
The Sweetest Debut: Jessica Luther Takes on College Football and Rape Culture. She talks about her book Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
*
The Age When Having Kids Starts Getting Difficult. I immediately said the toddler and teenage years, but they are talking about getting pregnant.
*
How Boston’s bartenders and barbers helped stop a TB outbreak. And it was only thirty years ago.
*
10 Weird Resuscitation Techniques From 200 Years Ago. Sometimes they just scared you back to life.

Keep more of your earnings in your pocket with these sneaky (but totally legit) tax write-offs. Start saving your receipts now so that you don’t have to scramble come April.

1. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES

Many people don’t know that they’re even paying fees because they are automatically deducted from their accounts, and the fee disclosure is rarely obvious to them or to their accountants, says Holly Thomas, a certified financial planner and founder of Tampa-based Holly Thomas LLC. Thomas had a client with a brokerage wrap account who wasn’t aware it had a fee attached to it. When they went back over 10 years of statements, the client realized they had paid more than $20,000 in unnecessary taxes. To find out how much you’re paying in fees, look on the last page of the year-end statement you receive from your brokerage company. 

2. GYM MEMBERSHIP

If a doctor diagnoses you with a specific medical condition, such as obesity, and you’re using a gym membership to treat that illness as recommended by the doctor, then you might qualify for a deduction, says Jonathan Horn, a certified public accountant and senior manager with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. The catch: You can’t have gone to this gym prior to your diagnosis. 

3. MOVING EXPENSES

Moving expenses that aren’t reimbursed by your employer can be deducted by taxpayers if the relocation was the result of a job change. Eligible expenses include moving your items plus travel costs during the actual move, says Eileen Sherr, a certified public accountant and senior manager with AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. 

4. PRE-TAX DAYCARE AND PARKING AT WORK

Transportation benefits such as parking or train tickets can be written off, says April Walker, lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “Also, employer-provided childcare benefits and benefits for educational assistance programs can result in significant savings to employees,” she says.

5. DONATED STOCKS

If you made a pledge to a charitable organization that you need to fulfill by the end of the year, consider whether you’re holding any appreciated securities that you could transfer to the organization, says Henry Grzes, a certified public accountant and lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “As long as you have held the security longer than one year, you are able to deduct the fair market value of the security at the time of transfer without having to come up with the cash to fulfill the pledge,” Grzes says. “And you will not have to pay the capital gains on your individual income tax return.”

6. STUDENT LOANS

You can deduct your student loan interest, says Lawrence Carlton, certified public accountant and tax director with Carlton & Duran in Massachusetts. “Although many folks don’t have the level of deductions necessary to itemize on their tax return, you can still deduct up to $2500 per year of interest expenses on student loans without itemizing,” Carlton says. Even if someone else is making the payments, you can still take the deduction as long as you’re the one who is ultimately liable for paying the loan balance.

7. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

If it’s related to your work, then it’s eligible for a write-off, says Shannon Sullivan, accountant with Manning Silverman and Company.

Keep more of your earnings in your pocket with these sneaky (but totally legit) tax write-offs. Start saving your receipts now so that you don’t have to scramble come April.

1. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES

Many people don’t know that they’re even paying fees because they are automatically deducted from their accounts, and the fee disclosure is rarely obvious to them or to their accountants, says Holly Thomas, a certified financial planner and founder of Tampa-based Holly Thomas LLC. Thomas had a client with a brokerage wrap account who wasn’t aware it had a fee attached to it. When they went back over 10 years of statements, the client realized they had paid more than $20,000 in unnecessary taxes. To find out how much you’re paying in fees, look on the last page of the year-end statement you receive from your brokerage company. 

2. GYM MEMBERSHIP

If a doctor diagnoses you with a specific medical condition, such as obesity, and you’re using a gym membership to treat that illness as recommended by the doctor, then you might qualify for a deduction, says Jonathan Horn, a certified public accountant and senior manager with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. The catch: You can’t have gone to this gym prior to your diagnosis. 

3. MOVING EXPENSES

Moving expenses that aren’t reimbursed by your employer can be deducted by taxpayers if the relocation was the result of a job change. Eligible expenses include moving your items plus travel costs during the actual move, says Eileen Sherr, a certified public accountant and senior manager with AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. 

4. PRE-TAX DAYCARE AND PARKING AT WORK

Transportation benefits such as parking or train tickets can be written off, says April Walker, lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “Also, employer-provided childcare benefits and benefits for educational assistance programs can result in significant savings to employees,” she says.

5. DONATED STOCKS

If you made a pledge to a charitable organization that you need to fulfill by the end of the year, consider whether you’re holding any appreciated securities that you could transfer to the organization, says Henry Grzes, a certified public accountant and lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “As long as you have held the security longer than one year, you are able to deduct the fair market value of the security at the time of transfer without having to come up with the cash to fulfill the pledge,” Grzes says. “And you will not have to pay the capital gains on your individual income tax return.”

6. STUDENT LOANS

You can deduct your student loan interest, says Lawrence Carlton, certified public accountant and tax director with Carlton & Duran in Massachusetts. “Although many folks don’t have the level of deductions necessary to itemize on their tax return, you can still deduct up to $2500 per year of interest expenses on student loans without itemizing,” Carlton says. Even if someone else is making the payments, you can still take the deduction as long as you’re the one who is ultimately liable for paying the loan balance.

7. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

If it’s related to your work, then it’s eligible for a write-off, says Shannon Sullivan, accountant with Manning Silverman and Company.

With its oak tables, lofty ceilings, and sprawling walls of books, the Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library is a reader’s paradise. After a two-year renovation, Curbed NY reports, the library is preparing the historic space for its grand reopening on October 5.

The room has been closed to the public since one of its plaster rosettes broke from the ceiling in 2014. After seeing that the rosette would need to be replaced, the library decided to take the opportunity to revamp the entire area. Professionals from Tishman Construction, EverGreene Architectural Arts, and WJE Architects & Engineers were commissioned to modernize the space.

Visitors will need to look up to notice the biggest improvements: Each chandelier has been cleaned and their old light bulbs removed in favor of LEDs. All 900 rosettes adorning the 52-foot-tall ceiling have been reinforced, and after concluding that the mural had “sustained irreparable damage,” it’s been replaced with a replica from EverGreene. The below photo provides a glimpse of the new look.

PHOTOS: After two-year renovation, NYPL’s historic Rose Main Reading Room will reopen https://t.co/SSadXfYydF pic.twitter.com/BLCKBl1GJH

— Archinect (@archinect) September 13, 2016

The Rose Room has welcomed generations of bookworms since the opening of the library’s General Research Division in 1911. For bibliophiles looking to see the space’s 21st century makeover in person, the New York Public Library will be offering daily tours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. following the October 5 reopening.

[h/t Curbed NY]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

What’s better than waking up to sizzling bacon and fresh-cooked eggs? Waking up in Delaware to the smell of scrapple, or in New Jersey to the hangover cure that is Taylor Ham. Across the U.S., people are cooking up some unreal—and unusual—breakfast dishes, including these eight regional favorites that should be on every morning menu.

1. SPAM MUSUBI // HAWAII

You read that right: Spam for breakfast. Hawaii took that questionable blue can and turned it into a popular snack-turned-breakfast dish. Spam musubi puts a slice of grilled Spam between two blocks of rice, wrapped up with a sliver of dried seaweed. In other words, Spam sushi.

2. GOETTA // OHIO

Goetta, a mix of ground pork shoulder, beef, onion, spices, and pinhead oats, may sound more bizarre than appetizing, but it’s actually a breakfast icon in the greater Cincinnati area. The dish (pronounced get-uh) is a product of Cincinnati’s German roots, and is celebrated so widely that it has its own annual festival—the Glier’s GoettaFest in Newport, Kentucky. Meat lovers, mark your calendars: the next GoettaFest is August 2017. Until then, you can make your own at home to serve up with other breakfast staples like eggs and hashbrowns, or pancakes and syrup.

3. SHRIMP ‘N’ GRITS // THE SOUTH

While it started as a quick breakfast for busy fishermen, shrimp ‘n’ grits have evolved into one of the south’s most sought-after comfort foods. Southerners dress up this porridge-y mix of seafood and cornmeal with toppings like bacon, jalapeños, peppers, and mushrooms.

4. TAYLOR HAM // NEW JERSEY

Taylor Ham—or “pork roll” depending on who you ask—has been an east coast favorite since 1856, when John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey, introduced his secret pork roll recipe. Taylor Ham is sliced, grilled, and served on a round roll, typically accompanied by egg and cheese. While various types of pork rolls are served worldwide, New Jerseyans agree: The secret Taylor Ham recipe is the only way to go, and a bill was even introduced in April 2016 to make it the official state sandwich.

5. BEIGNET // NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans locals know the best mornings begin with powdered sugar and carbs. The beignet—a pastry made from deep-fried dough—originated in France, and has evolved into a staple Creole dish, served fresh and hot with bananas, plantains, and a heavy dash of powdered sugar.

6. JOHNNYCAKES // NEW ENGLAND

With a recipe that only requires cornmeal, boiling water, and a dash of salt and sugar, the Johnnycake may seem like a dull breakfast option, but it’s a tradition New Englanders have sworn by since the pilgrims landed at Plymouth. When their wheat spoiled on the Mayflower’s journey to America, the pilgrims adapted and learned to cook with corn as the Native Americans did. Today, the unleavened Johnnycake is served with maple syrup, honey, and a variety of other sweet toppings.

7. SCRAPPLE // DELAWARE

As a loaf of pork trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, it’s easy to see where scrapple got its name. Scraps of pig snouts. Scraps of leftover livers. Scraps of (gulp) hearts. But Mid-Atlantic residents know the “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach is well worth it for the absolutely mind-boggling tastes this Delaware delicacy has to offer.

8. ENCHILADAS MONTADAS // NEW MEXICO

New Mexico turns the traditional enchilada into a huge, gooey, scrumptious breakfast meal. The enchilada montada consists of enchiladas stacked with red or green sauce, and onion and cheese layered throughout. The cherry on top of this southwestern delicacy? A fried egg. Elastic waistbands recommended.