Clowns Laying Eggs, No One Dies Alone, and Johnny Stalin

Pryor Week #15

Hello there! May your week be filled with so much happiness even a unicorn would be jealous.

I haven’t written one of these “Pryor Week” articles in a while and kind of missed them! Not sure if any of you guys did too, but let me know either way in the comments, will ya?

Pic Descrip:

Before I ever ventured out here to Taiwan around 14 years ago, I believe I had a typical western perspective of the place—it was the place that made all our cheap crap!

Of course, it would be full of factories and pollution, right?

Well, those product churners certainly are here, just like every country, but the vast majority of the country is astoundingly beautiful. Most of the dense cities are located on a tiny part of the western coast, with the entire island sliced through by a giant mountain range and an incredibly scenic East coast.

Thanks to government efforts over the years, riddled throughout the island are stunning hiking trails heading up canyons, waterfalls, cliff fronts, and up to ancient temples.

I haven’t had much opportunity lately to go venture out into these places, so I asked a friend of mine to share a recent trip they took. The picture above is from her and her husband’s visit to an area called 二尖山步道 (Èr jiānshān bùdào), which translates to something like Two Tip Mountain Trail.

I’ve been nearby those parts before. It is breathtaking.

Some Cool Things I Learned This Week:

#1. Clown eggs for copyright

In 1946, one hell of a clown named Wookie Hole (I probably wouldn’t google that term…) started a tradition of painting clown faces on eggs in what grew into a collection called the Clown Egg Registry. Apparently, the elaborate assortment has over 240 eggs and serves as a form of informal copyright registration. You probably shouldn’t go there if you’re afraid of clowns, though.

#2. No one dies alone

In the 1980s, a nurse named Sandra Clarke was taking care of patients in palliative care. On a night of busy rounds, one of her patients asked her to kindly stay with her until he passed away. She said, “Sure, as soon as I check my other patients.” But by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away.

This episode moved her so greatly that she went on to found a program called No One Dies alone, where volunteers spend time with dying patients who have no one else left to be with them. The program is now employed around the US in hundreds of hospitals.

#3. Lyre, lyre, flute on fire

In the 1930s, a flute-playing farmer from New South Wales had a special pet bird — a lyrebird that could mimic certain phrases from his flute. After a few years, the farmer released the lyrebird into the nearby forest. Decades later, a park ranger recorded a singing lyrebird in New England National Park that sounded like a professional flutist playing the same tunes.

Upon analysis, an ornithologist discovered that the lyrebird was singing its own version of "The Keel Row" and "Mosquito's Dance." The superb lyrebird possesses a shared and learned sense of song that is passed down from generation to generation, allowing them to create their own unique remix of our music. The lyrebirds created their own version of the song that blends the two songs into their own, new language!

#4. Burn, burn, burn, Stalin the ring of fire

As part of the US Air Force stationed in Landsberg, West Germany, Johnny Cash was placed on the front lines of the Cold War as a wireless operator. He was tasked with listening in on Soviet communications, giving him a rare insight into the country.

On March 4th and 5th, 1953, Cash listened in on urgent encrypted Soviet communications that detailed the sudden decline in health of Joseph Stalin. These communications were decoded and sent through military lines, eventually reaching President Eisenhower, and news of Stalin's death soon followed.

So, the story goes, Johnny Cash was the first westerner to learn of Joseph Stalin’s death.

Note: It might not be true, the main source seems to be himself in his biography and his oldest daughter, Rosanne Cash, who said her father recounted the story during her childhood. Could just be another case of a celebrity bluffing their importance in the world. But either way, Johnny rocks!

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This message has been brought to you by J.J. Pryor.

Have any cool finds you want to share? Let me know in the comments and I’ll check them out!

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