You can’t tent for ghosts…
That the name “Homer Simpson” for a dim-witted character is from the novel Day of the Locust.
The name Homer almost certainly comes from Matt Groening’s father Homer (just like Abraham, Lisa, Maggie and Patty are members of his family). Wikipedia suggests that he picked the last name Simpson because it sounded like “simpleton”, but who knows for sure.
Nuts are almost as complicated and error inducing. In German more than in English, as more things are called XXX-nuss in German than in English. From the Wiki:
Some common “culinary nuts”: hazelnuts, which are also botanical nuts; Brazil nuts, which are not botanical nuts, but rather the seeds of a capsule; and walnuts, pecans, and almonds (which are not botanical nuts, but rather the seeds of drupes)
Actually, tomatoes are berries too.
Matt Groening named the main Simpsons family after his own family (Marge, Homer, and Lisa). He grew up in Portland and many of the characters from the show are named after local landmarks: Kearny, Quimby, Van Houten, Lovejoy, Terwilliger, and Flanders are Portland city streets for instance. So is Evergreen Terrace.
Maybe Groening once upon a time in high school or college did a book report on Day of the Locust and it was subliminally in his head?
I recently learned of another popular Japanese portmanteau. There’s a new movie coming out this summer:
Brad Pitt has a starring role. I learned that in Japan, he is referred to as “Burapi” (ブラピ).
Sharks evolved before trees.
The first ever recording by Cher ?
“Be My Baby” was the first recording by Cher, who performed back-up vocals with Estelle, Nedra, and Sonny Bono. As the girlfriend of Bono, who was working for Phil Spector at the time, Cher was asked to join the back-up singers when one was a no-show. “‘Be My Baby’ was the first record I ever sang on,” Cher later wrote. “I went out and stood in front of this big speaker and sang ‘be my, be my baby’ with the Ronettes and all these other singers.” After “Be My Baby”, Cher became a permanent back-up singer on recordings by the Ronettes, as well as other songs Phil Spector produced until “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”.
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Today I learned that it’s illegal to take more than $5.00 worth of nickels or pennies out of the country at a time, to prevent people from offshoring large quantities and melting them down for the metal value. Punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to 5 years in prison.
Hopefully you didn’t learn that the hard way. 
Fortunately not, but I could see how one could easily run afoul of that by accident. Five bucks is 10 rolls of pennies, but just three rolls of nickels would be $1.05 too much.
Trying to do the maths, failing. Hopefully a typo rather than my feeble mind.
Rolls of nickels are $2.00 if memory serves, from my Safeway cashier days. Three rolls would be $6.00.
The price of nickel is so high that Tesla has contracted with a nickel mine in Minnesota – which isn’t even operational yet.
Thinking of Ukraine tonight, I googled.
1. According to Ukrainian folk tales, Kiev boasts up to three official witch gathering places. They share the name Lysa Hora (Bold Mountain).
2. Weaving with handmade looms is still used in some parts of the country, including Krupove, located in Rivne Oblast.
3. Unlike many cultures around the world, Ukrainians wear wedding rings on the right hand not the left.
4. “O Sole Mio” the world-famous song was composed in the country.
5. Ukrainian romanticism started developing in the 1830s. Romanticist poet-painter Taras Shevchenko played a central role in this regard. He is widely regarded as the father of national revival.
There’s a pic of pretty girls in national costume between #6 and #7.
#15 is your bonus:
Several Hollywood stars were born in Ukraine including Milla Jovovich who had leading roles in The Fifth Element and Resident Evil. Another is Mila Kunis who is known for films like Gia and Black Swan, as well as the sitcom That ’70s Show.
I guess this is the same Bald Mountain that Mussorgsky made famous.
Wow, I never connected those two, interesting!
Have you heard Bob James’s version?
While we’re at it, Deodato’s take on Strauss
Back to Ukraine…
9. The popular Easter egg tradition originated in Ukraine. Originally, the eggs were patterned using wax and dye. The wax was eventually removed leaving an impressive pattern with dashing colors.
WOW!!! Here’s a google image search. I’ve never seen Easter eggs like those…
I made these for many years. You need special dyes, beeswax, and a ‘kitska’ which is a tiny metal funnel on a stick, to heat the beeswax, and a candle. That’s all. I’d make them all through Lent (although traditionally they are made by groups of women who gather during Holy Week, which is the week which precedes Easter). The eggs are not hard to make, once you get the hang, they just take a long time, as each dye bath is for 15 to 30 minutes, and there may be as many as 10 colors. I’d go to Midnight Mass with a basket of them and give them out to people afterward with the traditional greeting “Christ Is Risen!” The correct response is “He is Risen Indeed!” and then you share little glass vodka, if you are really Ukrainian.
I would botch them, I’m sure. But wow, they’re stunning!