TIDBITS 01/17/10

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We encourage you to forward this email to friends and colleagues. ====================================== Stork

Rhinestones ... strass ... diamante ... who founded the eponymous paradigm for all these stones. What? Did I hear anyone say Daniel Swarovski? The man was a genius from the Austrian Tyrol. But this is not about him.

Rather it's about a stork.

I digress as I am often wont to do.

Did you know that Aristotle made killing storks a crime?

Did you know that the stork was sacred to Venus and if one built its nest on the roof of your house it was considered a promise of love?

Also ... did you know that in addition to bringing a promise of love if it built its nest on your rooftop ... it was also a guarantee that your house would not catch fire.

Did you know that storks are supposedly very much like us and when it reaches old age its young look after it and care for it till it dies? Well ... perhaps very much like only some of us. Ya think they have old age stork nursing homes? Only if the stork is covered by Medicaid or Madicare I would presume.

As an aside ... ancient Roman law dictated that children should care for their aging parents. This was called the "Stork's Law".

Arab legend has it that when storks disappear in the fall they live on as men. This is surely true ... for haven't we all at some time or another looked at our fellow man and said to ourselves durned if he don't look like a stork.

Not only was it believed that the male stork would kill his mate if he caught her being unfaithful and "shtupping" another stork ... but he was also believed to be the Avenger of Adultery. So here's how this last one works. Out of the kindness of your heart ... you decide to allow Mr. Stork to make his nest on your roof. While you're out working and toiling to make a living in order to give the missus all the things she needs ... she has opened hearth and home to the local lothario who has his way with her all day quelling the intense passions that have been burning in her breast. Our stork from up above ... overtaken with intense feelings of loyalty to you for having given him a place to rest ... promptly approaches the wife and pokes her eyes out.

Ever notice how most babies are delivered by Mr. Stork carrying such baby in his bill. Well ... this is quite true ... if its a naughty baby boy. Good baby boys ride on the stork's back. Methinks there ain't many good baby boys around.

So how does this all connect to Swarovski and crystals and jewelry you may well ask? Well ... here's what it is. I have a stork pin with two huge emerald cut blue crystals, made with gold-plated base metal and accented with rhinestones. (Swarovski crystals?) It is three inches high. It dates back to the 1940's. And--I believe--is now worth around $100.00. Wanna see?

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at

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where you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says Current Tidbits ... and you will see represented on our pages a jaunty looking stork pin. And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark

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