The following is a first crack at an ostensive definition of 'American culture'-- things shared by the vast majority (let's say 90%) of native-born Americans. Many of these won't sound 'cultural' at all to Americans; they'll sound like just descriptions of the way things are. But each one of them would be contested in one or more non-American cultures.

[ American culture ]

I'm impressed with this list. I'd say it may even be closer to 95%. Of course there are a few that just don't apply to me, and a few that even I am unsure how the rest of the world works, but I think this is a good primer for the new folks, and for us Americans to remember that the truisms on this list aren't.

[ LEGO.com SpongeBob Homepage ]

I remember G$'s first day at Doceus very well. Typical of our style then, lunch the first day was on the company, and it was previous to the Georgia Browns fiasco which limited the lunch selection to "the list". Due to my many years of love with Greek food, I kind of forgot that it wasn't something that everyone knew about, but I think all parties enjoyed the meal. A few years later, however, and Mykonos closed. Or did they?

….and that's how the first Mykonos opened in Washington DC in April 1990, a few years later Mykonos Grill in Rockville was established.

[ Mykonos Grill > Our History ]

Hot Dog, I live in Rockville now! And more than that, the food is better than I remember. I think I've found yet another favorite, which is odd to find in a city known for having a crappy food scene.

"'Muslim terrorism' - have you ever read anywhere 'Christian terrorism'? - as if Islam propagates violence, but you have never spoken about what happened in Northern Ireland as Christian terrorism," he said.

"Fundamentally there is no faith that I know that propagates violence, that says it's a good thing to oppress anybody."

[ Tutu calls for better media reporting of religion|Breaking City News|Reuters.co.uk ]

But who's heard of this Archbishop Desmond Tutu guy?

If you are uncertain of the types of plastic in your toddler's drinkware, check the bottom of the cup, which may state it as a number. 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives.

[ Z Recommends: Sippy Cup Showdown: Safer, BPA-Free Drinkware For Toddlers ]

Toddler's drinkware? How about everyone's everything? Babies and toddlers are known to lick things, and who can keep track of kids 24/7? I need to commit 3, 6, and 7 to memory and make sure I avoid these newly found to be poisonous (and hormonal) plastics. I see aluminium is an alternative, but I thought that could cause alzheimers...

2007 SI Folklife Festival!

• Mekong River: Connecting Cultures
  Introducing visitors to the diverse cultures of the Mekong River
• Northern Ireland at the Smithsonian
  Highlighting the rich history, living traditions, and distinctive customs of this beautiful region
• Roots of Virginia Culture
  Exploring the roots of Virginia's contemporary cultural traditions

[ 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival ]

“If you could fast-forward 10,000 years and do an archaeological dig…you’d find a little line of plastic,” he told The Seattle Times last April. “What happened to those people? Well, they ate their own plastic and disrupted their genetic structure and weren’t able to reproduce. They didn’t last very long because they killed themselves."

[ Best Life Magazine: Travel & Leisure: Our oceans are turning into plastic...are we? ]

Great tip, Death Bringer!

New this week? Rolling over:

That means we're just about to be forced into... Baby Proofing!

Oh yes, I snore. I even have been witnessed having apneas. My sister-in-law recommends going to a sleep lab, but the site I went to says they're all far away, and I really dislike doctors. So, as usual, I'll try hair-brained crackpot ideas first. Last month it was Breath Right sleep strips. I picked up a box of transparent large size, and they seemed to do the trick great (at least Yaty says so, I'm asleep when I sleep, so...). This month went to grab another box and they only had the tan ones. Guess what? Tan don't cut it. The clear ones are more rigid, and apparently for me that matters. Went to another store to buy a box of the clear ones, and saw this:

Snoreclipse contains rare earth magnets that were carefully designed to apply a constant, gentle pressure on the nasal septum. This pressure increases circulation in the nasal area and promotes opening of the nasal passages. The opening of the nasal passages encourages relaxed breathing through the nose, which is very helpful in preventing snoring. Retraining the body to breathe through the nose in a calm, relaxed way is the objective.

[ Snoreclipse from Pureline Oralcare ]

Haven't a clue what "rare earth magnets" are, but at $15 I'm sucker enough. Only tried them one night, I'll have to update you later if these are a solution or not. (Though $15/year vs. $13/month I'm hoping this thingy does the trick)

"It's extraordinarily creepy, especially at night. The deceptive quaintness, hundreds of tall trees without any underbrush, the seriously pot-holed driveway, the dreariness. Honestly, it looks straight out of Silence of the Lambs. You can almost hear the muffled screams of restrained psychotics, the dull thuds of autistic headbutting, the weird gurgling, humming and shrieks of the severely disabled, and the almost palpitable swirling madness. If St. Elizabeth's nuthouse gave you chills, then Chestnut Lodge is what comes next."

[ Chestnut Lodge asylum, Rockville, Maryland ]

Ooooo creepy. There's even more on that page, but they seem to be trying to creep it up. Googling Chestnut Lodge turns up more creepy stories, but ultimately it's just about a sanitarium where creepy and insane things happened. Why do I care? I live about 1 block away, oh and they are going to do this to it:

Oh, now it's fancy schmancy.

The Chestnut Lodge site is located in the center of historic Rockville along West Montgomery Avenue. The main lodge was originally built in the late 19th century and maintained as the summer resort destination, Woodlawn Hotel. Great care will be taken to return the lodge to a more original appearance of circa 1886-1889 while providing necessary improvements and alterations for residential use. The lodge itself will house 7 luxury condominiums, 4 2 story units and 3 single level units with underground parking. The treed front lawn along West Montgomery avenue will be preserved.

[ Chase Communities ]

Odd, no mention of the crazies there, but still it looks like it is going to be very nice. Though what does this remind me of? Oh yeah.