According to the website Lowering the Bar  President George Washington has been accused by a New York Library for failing to return valuable library materials checked out during his presidency. It seems the former President  took out two books on in October of 1789, one  on international law and another that contained transcripts of debates in Britain’s House of Commons.  The books were due back November 2, 1789.  If it’s found to be true, that neither book was ever returned this would mean that , setting aside the value of the items themselves, and adjusting for inflation, Washington currently owes about $100,000 in late fees.

Source: boingboing

Read more Lowering the Bar

The post Does George Washington – Owes Library Fines, about $100,000 in Late Fees? first appeared on River View Observer.

Here are over 100 such designs from 13 remarkle artists. Some of these designs can be located in museums and also in various  exhibitions within the world.  PAPER ART 

 

The post 13 Remarkle Artists and their 100 Extraordinary Paper Art Designs first appeared on River View Observer.

 BREAD SHOES: Here’s an interesting concept shoes made of bread and according to the website where you can buy these  “Loafers”  You won’t have to pluck down a lot of dough. 

 Eatable…dries itself… made from bread…first in fashion…needs no pressing…feels good in dry climate …wonâ€t sag

BREAD SHOES

Source: boing boing

The post Bread Shoes – Yes, you can wear them and eat them? first appeared on River View Observer.

Look at the Hudson County, New Jersey waterfront on the left- its all but gone.

Interactive Flood Maps show us how familiar land contours will change as the oceans rise.

Source: boing boing

The post Hudson County Waterfront Would All But Disapear; If and When, the Oceans Rise first appeared on River View Observer.

Living  Art

As seen on boing boing

The River View Observer’s “Site Seeing” we  find interesting posts from around the world and present them to you.

The post Living Tree Chair-“Site Seeing” Garden of Art first appeared on River View Observer.

Amy Stewart’s new book, Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis; a vine that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. In Wicked Plants, Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Natureâ€s most appalling creations. Itâ€s an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. Youâ€ll learn which plants to avoid (like exploding shrubs), which plants make themselves exceedingly unwelcome (like the vine that ate the South), and which ones have been killing for centuries (like the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother).

As seen on boing boing

Menacing botanical illustrations and splendidly ghastly drawings create a fascinating portrait of the evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.

The post Wicked Plants;The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities first appeared on River View Observer.

“Tin-Can” Curt Degerman, a well-know aluminum can scavenger in the Swedish town of SkellefteÃ¥, was apparently a multi-millionaire when he died last year. He was apparently very thrift and also a shrewd investor. From Sweden’s The Local:
The relatives of a man who spent the last three decades collecting empty cans on the streets of a town in northern Sweden were surprised to learn he was worth millions when he died.

boing-boing

At the time of his death last autumn, 60-year-old Curt Degerman, known to the residents of SkellefteÃ¥ as “Burk-Curt” (‘Tin-Can Curtâ€), had amassed a fortune worth more than 12 million kronor ($1.4 million), the Expressen newspaper reports.

Relatives attribute Tin-Can Curtâ€s previously-unknown riches to a mix of frugality and a penchant for playing the stock market.

He was always seen cycling around the streets of SkellefteÃ¥ in the same worn blue jacket and ragged pants, but punctuated his rounds of the cityâ€s rubbish bins with visits to the local public library.

“He went to the library every day because he didnâ€t buy newspapers. There he read [Swedish business daily] Dagens Industri,” a cousin to Expressen.

“He knew stocks inside and out.”

And Tin-Can Curt used that investing know-how to turn the modest deposits he collected from returning empty cans into mutual funds worth more than 8 million kronor.

In addition, he had purchased 124 gold bars currently valued at 2.6 million kronor and had nearly 47,000 kronor in the bank.

Tin-Can Curt also owned his own home, which was found to have 3,000 kronor in loose change, bringing the total value of his estate to 12,005,877 kronor.

The closet millionaire died of a heart attack in his sleep last autumn and left his estate to his cousin, who visited him several times a week up until he died.

“Curt didnâ€t begrudge anything to anyone and never bought anything. But he had a really good head on his shoulders and was smarter than most,” said the cousin.
David Landes (david.landes@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6518)

The post Site Seeing- River View Observer-You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover first appeared on River View Observer.