CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
Here's the angel of deforestation. Artist unknown, ca. 1948. A scan by Nasjonalbiblioteket. This will also be of interest:The Collected Lost Meanings of Christmas.
"Snow of San Gennaro: a view of Naples and the volcano Mount Vesuvius with boats and sailors in the foreground. San Gennaro is seen by the Neapolitans as their protector from the volcano." Circa 1836.
Here's what goes into a Christmas pudding, from Judy, Or The London Serio-Comic Journal, 1883. This will also be of interest:The Collected Lost Meanings of Christmas.