Miscellany

A few years ago I picked up a book entitled Scott's Original Miscellany. It had a motley of useless trivia. I was fascinated by the content that ranged from Victorian Mourning to the Time's Person of the Year from 1927 (the recognition's inception) until 2002 (the year Schott's book was published).

Martha Stewart had Ben Shott on her show today. I was amazed at how young he was (according to him, he gets this frequently). He is only in his early thirties. He was peddling his new book being sold in the states. It was an almanac of trivia for 2008. He plans to release a new one each year. He included interesting words for 2008 such as "peerant". A peerant is a parent who tries to be a friend to their child.

Another term describing parents that teachers have heard in recent years is "helicopter parent". This term refers to parents who hover (I think "smother" is a more appropriate term) over their children. They often refuse to let their children take responsibility over their actions.

If your looking for an unusual read (keep in mind there is no plot but lots of fascinating facts for bibliophiles or people who love to further their knowledge), here is a definite gem.