Mereja

Author: Erin

  • Anybody really good at math?

    I’m taking a math placement exam tonight, and was going through a practice test because my math skills have been in hibernation for a looooooong time. I think the last time I actually opened a math book was 10 years ago. I’m going back to school to (hopefully) become a nurse, and (possibly) eventually a CDE somewhere down the line.

    I did relatively well — I needed to look a few things up (formulas and some such) but I think I’m pretty well prepared for the test. There is one question, however, which I have NO idea how to solve.

    3^4 – (-8.3) (-10) -20

    The answer key says this somehow is equal to -22. Can anyone explain how this is done — without a calculator?

  • Restauri Artistici Squatriti – Ospedale delle Bambole

    Rome, Italy | Wonder Cabinets

    In a cobblestone alley near the Piazza del Popolo, a weather-striped window showcases the porcelain heads, limbs, and bodies of dolls long lost and in complete disrepair. Above the ghastly repository of broken faces pressed to the glass, small owl figurines perch menacingly. What appears to be Rome’s own little shop of horrors is actually the Restauri Artistici Squatriti, known to Romans as “un’ospedale delle bambole,” or a dolls’ hospital. Here, Federico Squatrito and his mother Gelsomina nurse ailing dolls and other porcelain objects back to health.

    The minuscule workspace is approximately 50 square feet and pungent is the odor of glue and solvents, the “medications” Squatrito doles out to his porcelain patients. The walls and counters are covered with parts of broken toys and figurines, along with antique plates, vases, and any number of mysterious objects waiting for Squatrito to give them new life.

    Though the cluttered shop might be intriguing enough to draw the attention of passersby, the contents of the collection are as worthy of a visit as the shop window itself. Because Squatrito is equally adept at repairing an ancient Roman platter as he is an heirloom plaything, visitors may encounter any number of curiosities – and stories – when they stop by.