Did you know... [Archive] - The Black Hole -//- Universal Community

diamondgypsy

07-18-2007, 08:30 AM

Did you know...

Real Names Of Famous Actors

Alan Dale (Aldo Sigismondi)

Albert Brooks (Albert Lawrence Einstein)

Alex Lifeson (Alexander Zivojinovich)

Alla Nazimova (Mariam Edez Adelaida Leventon)

Alpha Blondy (Seydou Koné)

Anne Bancroft (Anna Maria Italiano)

Ashley Judd (Ashley Tyler Ciminella)

Ashok Kumar (Kumudlal Kanjilal Ganguly)

Bela Lugosi (Be'la Ferenc Dezso Blasko)

Betty Hutton (Elizabeth June Thornburg)

Bob Hope (Leslie Townes Hope)

Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt)

Buddy Clark (Samuel Goldberg)

Burt Holiday (Bonaldo Bonaldi)

Carole Lombard (Jane Alice Peters)

Cary Grant (Archibald Alexander Leach)

Catherine Deneuve (Catherine Dorléac)

Cathy Carr (Angelina Helen Catherine Cordovano)

Charlie Sheen (Carlos Irwin Estevez)

Charlton Heston (John Charles Carter)

Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian)

Cozy Powell (Colin Flooks)

Damia (Marie-Louise Damien)

David Copperfield (David Seth Kotkin)

David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian)

Dean Martin (Dino Crocetti)

Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo)

Del Shannon (Charles Weedon Westover)

Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol)

Diane Keaton (Diane Hall)

Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan)

Dirk Bogarde (Derek van den Bogaerde)

Doris Day (Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff)

Duane Allman (Howard Duange Allman)

Elton John (Reginald Kenneth Dwight)

Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick Aloysius McManus)

Eminem (Marshall Mathers III)

Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholemew)

Ernest Borgnine (Ermes Effron Borgnino)

Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman)

Franz Welser-Möst (Franz Möst)

Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz)

Fredric March (Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel)

Gale Storm (Josephine Owaissa Cottle)

Geddy Lee (Gary Lee Weinrib)

Gene Simmons (Chaim Witz)

Gene Wilder (Jerome Silberman)

Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman)

Ginger Rogers (Virginia Katherine McMath)

Gogi Grant (Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg)

Greta Garbo (Greta Lovisa Gustafsson)

Gribouille (Marie-France Gaîté)

Groucho Marx (Julius Henry Marx)

Harry Houdini (Ehrich Weiss)

Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler)

Heino (Heinz Georg Kramm)

Henry Rollins (Henry Garfield)

Ice T (Tracy Morrow)

Jamie Foxx (Eric Bishop)

Janet Leigh (Jeanette Helen Morrison)

Jayne Mansfield (Vera Jayne Palmer)

Jean Harlow (Harlean Carpentier)

Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg)

Jennifer Jones (Phyllis Lee Isley)

Jacques Lu Cont (Stuart Price)

Jill Corey (Norma Jean Speranza)

Joan Crawford (Lucille Fay LeSueur)

Joan Fontaine (Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland)

John Ford (Sean Aloysius O'Fearna)

John Denver (Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.)

John Wayne (Marion Michael Morrison)

Johnny Desmond (Giovanni Alfredo De Simone)

Jon Stewart (Jonathon Leibowitz)

Joni James (Joan Carmella Babbo|Joan (or Giovanna) Carmella Babbo)

Judy Garland (Frances Gumm)

Judy Holliday (Judith Tuvim)

Kirk Douglas (Issur Danielovitch Demsky)

Kishore Kumar (Abhas Ganguly)

Lale Andersen (Liese-Lotte Helene Berta Bunnenberg)

Lauren Bacall (Betty Joan Perske)

Lionel Barrymore (Lionel Herbert Blythe)

Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Mortenson, later Norma Jean Baker)

Marion Hutton (Marion Thornburg)

Marni Nixon (Marni McEathron)

Martin Sheen ([Ramón Estévez)

Mary Astor (Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke)

Mary Ford (Colleen Summers)

Mary Pickford (Gladys Smith)

Meena Kumari (Mahjabeen Bano)

Meg Ryan (Margaret Mary Emily Ann Hyra)

Mel Brooks (Melvin Kaminsky)

Michael J. Fox (Michael Andrew Fox)

Michael Keaton (Michael John Douglas)

Michael Caine (Maurice Micklewhite)

Mike Dirnt (Michael Pritchard)

Natalie Portman (Natalie Hershlag)

Natalie Wood (Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko)

Nico (Christa Päffgen)

Patti Page (Clara Ann Fowler)

Paul Muni (Meshilem Meier Weisenfreud)

Paul Stanley (Stanley Harvey Eisen)

Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd)

Ray Charles (Ray Charles Robinson)

Richard Clapton (Terry Gonk)

Robert Gant (Robert Gonzalez)

The Rock (Dwayne Douglas Johnson)

Rock Hudson (Roy Harold Scherer Jr.)

Roger Vadim (Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov)

Ronnie Gaylord (Ronald L. Fredianelli)

Ronnie James Dio (Ronald Padavona)

Serge Gainsbourg (Lucien Ginzburg)

Shirley Strachan (Graeme Strachan)

Simone Signoret (Simone Kaminker)

Sophia Loren (Sofia Villani Scicolone)

Spike Jonze (Adam Spiegel)

Stanley Donwood (Dan Rickwood)

Stevie Wonder (Steveland Morris)

Stewart Granger (Stewart Granger|James Stewart)

Susan Hayward (Edythe Marrenner)

Susan Sarandon (Susan Abigail Tomalin)

Timea Margot (Tímea Vágvölgyi)

Tom Cruise (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV)

Toni Arden (Antoinette Ardizzone)

Tony Curtis (Bernard Schwartz)

Tony Martin (Alvin Morris)

Tori Amos (Myra Ellen Amos)

Totò (Antonio de Curtis Gagliardi Griffo Focas Comneno)

Trent Reznor (Michael Trent Reznor)

Twiggy (Leslie Hornby)

Vic Reeves (Jim Moir)

Victor Borge (Borge Rosenbaum)

Vivien Leigh (Vivian Mary Hartley)

William Holden (William Franklin Beedle Jr.)

Wilhelm Fink (Billie Joe Armstrong)

Willy DeVille [William Borsay)

Winona Ryder (Winona Laura Horowitz)

Woody Allen (Allen Stewart Konigsberg)

http://didyouknow.org/

diamondgypsy

07-18-2007, 08:47 AM

Did you know...

Sweet Facts

Do you know what the number one candy in America is?

What sells the most?

What package of confectionary delight satisfies the sweet tooth of more Americans than any other?

You probably don't know.

So what is the number one candy in the U.S.?

I would have said Mr. Goodbars if you had asked me before I knew the answer. I like Mr. Goodbars. They are full of fat and sugar, which are not very healthy, but I like them anyway. Does that sound familiar to you? Does that sound like you? Liking something that you know is not good for you.

You probably think Snickers or some other candy bar is number one.

No. Actually it's not a candy bar at all.

It's M&M's. M&M's are the number one selling candy in America.

"So what," you say, "What's it to me if M&M's are the number one candy?"

You can often learn a lesson from number one. Number one more often than not has done something right, something very right. No matter what the business, number one's have found and adhered to sound principles.

So what did M&M do?

They solved a need.

The rumor is that M&M's were developed so that soldiers could eat candy without getting their hands sticky. Soldiers weren't the only one that needed to keep their hands clean while eating candy. Your hands can get awful messy eating a Mr. Goodbar on a warm day. You know the slogan, "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand." You don't get messy hands with M&M's.

You would have thought that the best tasting candy would have been number one. No, it's the candy that doesn't mess up your hands.

M&M's are the only candy on the Presidential Jet, Air Force One. The number one man in the country eats the number one candy.

The business principle is this:
Fill a genuine need and people will buy your product.
Every problem has inherent within it a product that provides a solution. Even religion is like that. It promises to solve problems.

If you are in business or wish to be, learn to look at the problems of life as potential best selling products. All you have to do is identify the solution and figure out how to package it.

There are greater problems in life than sticky fingers. You may have the answer to one of them that is a potential top seller.
Now isn't that a sweet thought?
--MountainWings

diamondgypsy

07-22-2007, 12:33 PM

Did you know...

Nostradamus Predictions

NOSTRADAMUS, the French Christian Jew who lived in France in the 16th century, made many accurate forecasts, including the two World Wars. 18 of his 950 quatrains refer to a third world war. Some Nostradamus experts had given the date for the start of such a war as mid-1999, referring to the Balkan conflict surrounding Kosovo. They obviously misinterpreted the quatrains. Their attention then turned to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

NOSTRADAMUS
Born Michel de Notredame on 14 December 1503 in St Remy, France, he was the oldest of five sons. His grandfather, Jean, taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, mathematics and astrology at an early age. Nostradamus received a medical degree in 1529 and became physician-in-ordinary to Charles IX during the bubonic plague. He is said to have had extraordinary healing abilities.

Nostradamus was in his late 40s when, it is told, he frequently went into a meditative state and had visions of the future. He began to document the visions in a mixture of Lain, French, and Greek quatrains, publishing his famous "Centuries" in 1558.

Nostradamus was married twice, losing his first wife and two children to the plague. He died on 2 July 1566. "Centuries" was translated into English in 1672. In 1781 it was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, in 1553, when Nostradamus encountered a group of Franciscan monks he threw himself on his knees, clutching at the garment of one of the monks, Felice Peretti. When asked why he had done this he replied that he must yield "before his Holiness." Nineteen years after the death of Nostradamus, Peretti became Pope Sixtus V.

What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the Balkan war
The war prophecy is reserved for someone whom Nostradamus refers to as "the tyrant." He predicted that the Slavs will "change their prince" and "raise an army in the mountains," suggesting a guerilla war. He speaks of "when the north pole is united" (perhaps NATO?), and there are many geographical references to the Balkans, such as Greece, Italy and the Mediterranean.

The war is linked to when the "eagle" (United States) and the "cock" (France) stand together. There also is specific reference to the time when England, Poland and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) "form a new alliance." The former Eastblock countries recently joined NATO.

He predicted that the Allies will win, that the war will be protracted, lasting seven months, and that it may go beyond the Balkans, toward the north, but that after the war there will be "peace on earth for a long time."

The forecasts by Nostradamus seemed to be confirmed by other seers, including Nicolaas van Rensburg, the famous South African seer who lived 1862 to 1926. At the turn of the 20th Century Van Rensburg had also predicted the use of electricity, the massacre of six million Jews, the Chernobyl disaster, the rise and fall of Russia, and the European Union - in the last two instances accurately describing the flags before they were designed. Of the third world war, he predicted that England would left weakened, while Germany would rise to become the world's most powerful nation.

What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the WTC attack
"In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great king of terror. The sky will burn at 45 degrees... fire approaches the great new city... there will be thunder... The third big war will begin when the city is burning."
So it is quoted among rumour mongers. The facts are:

Nostradamus appears not to have made predictions about the World Trade Centre attack or, at least, none that could easily be understood from the quatrains. He did not mention "the new century," or "nine months" and New York is not at 45 degrees; the Manhattan latitude is 40° 47' N. For more, see Skeptic's Dictionary

What then?
Of course, not only have the "experts" on the prophets not always been correct - the seers themselves have not always been quite so accurate in their forecasts.

Time will tell if the Kosovo conflict or, indeed, the World Trade Center attack had put the spark to a bigger barrel. As for the end of the world... Nostradamus predicted it to be the year 3786 or 3797, depending on which Nostradamus expert you believe.

Cryptic numerology:
After the WTC attack on 11 September 2001, Uri Geller asked everyone to pray for 11 seconds for those in need. Why?
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11 by American Airlines;
Flight 11 had 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11;
Flight 77 had 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11;
New York City - 11 Letters;
State of New York - 11th State added to the Union

exitwound

07-22-2007, 11:46 PM

very, very good stuff. keep it comin' DG! :-)

Nyar

07-23-2007, 07:39 AM

diamondgypsy

07-23-2007, 08:58 AM

you left out Moses Horwitz, Jerome Horwitz, Samuel Horwitz and Louis Feinberg

O, yes - The Three Stooges.
I wonder why they were not included.

Thanks!

diamondgypsy

07-23-2007, 09:12 AM

Did you know...
(thanks for the idea regarding 'the three stooges' for this thread, nyar.)

Moe Howard
~Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://home.doramail.com/kissykisses:doramail.com/stoogesmoehoward.jpg

Birth Name Harry Moses Horwitz
Born June 19, 1897
Bensonhurst,
New York
Died May 4, 1975 (aged 77)
Los Angeles, California
Years active 1909-1975
Spouse(s) Helen Schonberger
(1925 - 1975)

Notable Roles

The Three Stooges
Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975) was one of The Three Stooges, the slapstick comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. His distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing a ragged shape approximating a helmet.

Biography

Early Life
Moe was born Harry Moses Horwitz in the Brooklyn, New York neighborhood of Bensonhurst to a Jewish family. He was the fourth of the five Horwitz brothers and of Levite and Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. Although his parents were not involved in show business, Moe, his older brother Samuel, and younger brother Jerome, all eventually became world-famous as members of The Three Stooges.

In school, Moe originally did quite well, aided by a prolific memory, able to quickly memorize anything. In later years, this helped him in his acting career, making memorizing his lines quick and easy. Moe loved reading, as his older brother Jack commented "I had many Horatio Alger books and it was Moe's greatest pleasure to read them. They started his imaginative mind working and gave him ideas by the dozen. I think they were instrumental in putting thoughts into his head to become a person of good character and to become successful."[citation needed]

Although his "bowl-cut" hairstyle is now widely recognized, as a child his mother refused to cut his hair, letting it grow to shoulder length. One day, he could not take his classmates' teasing any longer, snuck off to a shed in this parents backyard, and with the help of a friend and a mixing bowl, cut his hair. Moe was so afraid his mother would be upset (she enjoyed curling his hair) that he hid under the house for several hours causing a panic. He finally came out and his mother was so glad to see him that she did not even mention the hair.

Moe began to develop an interest in acting and, as a result, his schoolwork suffered. He began playing hooky from school in order to attend theater shows. Moe said, "I used to stand outside the theater knowing the truant officer was looking for me. I would stand there 'til someone came along and then ask them to buy my ticket. It was necessary for an adult to accompany a juvenile into the theatre. When I succeeded I'd give him my ten cents-that's all it cost-and I'd go up to the top of the balcony where I'd put my chin on the rail and watch, spellbound, from the first act to the last. I would usually select the actor I liked the most and follow his performance throughout the play."[citation needed]

Despite his decreasing attendance Moe graduated from public school 163 in Brooklyn, but he dropped out of Erasmus Hall High School after only two months. This was the end of his formal education. To mollify his parents he took a class in electric shop, but quit after a few months to pursue a career in show business.

Moe began by running errands for no fee at the Vitagraph Studios in Midwood, Brooklyn (currently the home of the CBS daytime serial As the World Turns), where he was rewarded with bit parts in movies being made there. Unfortunately, a fire at the studios in 1910 destroyed the film of most of Moe's work done there. In 1909 he met a young man named Lee Nash who would later provide a significant boost to Moe's career aspirations. In 1912, they both held a summer job working in Annette Kellerman's aquatic act as diving "girls."

Career

Moe continued his attempts at gaining show business experience by singing in a bar with his older brother Shemp until their father put a stop to it, and in 1914 joining a performing troupe on a showboat for the next two summers. In 1921, he joined Lee Nash, who was now firmly established in show business as Ted Healy, in a vaudeville routine. In 1923 Moe spotted Shemp watching the show and yelled at him from the stage. Shemp and Moe heckled each other to a large positive repsonse from the audience and Healy hired Shemp as a permanent part of the act. Next, Healy recruited a vaudeville violinist, Larry Fine, in 1925, to join the comedy troupe, which was billed as Ted Healy and His Racketeers (later changed to Ted Healy and His Stooges).

On 1925-06-07, Moe Howard married Helen Schonberger, a cousin of magician Harry Houdini[citation needed]. The next year, Helen pressured Moe to leave the stage, as she was pregnant and wanted Moe nearer to home. Moe attempted to earn a living in a succession of "normal" jobs, none of which was very successful. He soon returned to working with Ted Healy.

By 1930, Ted Healy and his Stooges were on the verge of "the big time," and made their first movie, Soup to Nuts—featuring Ted Healy, and his four Stooges (Moe, Shemp, Larry, and one-shot Stooge Fred Sanborn)—for Fox Films (later Twentieth Century-Fox). Shemp had never seen eye-to-eye with the hard-drinking and sometimes belligerent Healy, and left the group shortly after filming in order to pursue a solo film career. After a short search for a replacement, Moe suggested his baby brother, Jerome ("Jerry" to his friends, "Babe" to Moe and Shemp). Healy originally passed on Jerry, but Jerry was so eager to join the act that he shaved off his luxuriant auburn mustache and hair and ran on stage during Healy's routine. Healy hired Jerry, who took the stage name of "Curly."

Healy and the Stooges were hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as "nut" comics, to liven up feature films and short subjects with their antics. After a number of appearances in MGM films, Healy was being groomed as a solo character comedian. With Healy pursuing his own career, his Stooges (now calling themselves "The Three Stooges") signed with Columbia Pictures where they stayed until December 1957, making 190 short films.

With Healy's departure, Moe's character assumed Healy's previous role of the aggressive, take-charge leader of the Three Stooges: a short-tempered bully, prone to slapstick violence against the other two Stooges. In many ways, this was the antithesis of Moe Howard's real personality; he was quiet, loving, and generous to his friends and family. He was also a shrewd businessman, and invested the money made from his film career wisely. However, the Stooges got no subsequent royalties from any of their many shorts: they were paid a flat amount for each one and Columbia owned the rights (and profits) thereafter.

In 1934, Columbia released its first Three Stooges short, Woman Haters, where their stooge characters were not quite finalized. It was not a Stooge comedy in the classic sense, but rather a romantic farce; Columbia was then making a series of two-reel "Musical Novelties" with the dialogue spoken in rhyme, and the Stooges were recruited to support comedienne Marjorie White. Only after the Stooges became established as short-subject stars were the main titles changed to give the Stooges top billing. The version seen on TV and video today is this reissue print.

Their next film, Punch Drunks, was the only short film that was written entirely by the Three Stooges, with Curly as a reluctant boxer who goes ballistic every time he hears "Pop Goes the Weasel." Their next short, Men in Black (a parody of the hospital drama Men in White) was their first and only film to be nominated for an Academy Award (with the classic catchphrase, "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard"). They continued making short films at a steady pace of eight per year, such as Three Little Pigskins (with a very young Lucille Ball), Pop Goes the Easel, Hoi Polloi (where two professors make a bet trying to turn the Three Stooges into gentlemen), and many others.

In the 1940s, the Three Stooges became topical, making several anti-Nazi movies including You Nazty Spy (1940) (Moe's favorite Three Stooges film), I'll Never Heil Again (1941), and They Stooge to Conga (1943). Moe's accurate impersonation of Adolf Hitler highlighted these shorts.

On May 6, 1946, during the filming of Half-Wits Holiday, brother Curly suffered a stroke. He was replaced in the Three Stooges by Shemp, who agreed to return to the group until Curly would be well enough to rejoin. Although Curly recovered enough to appear in Hold That Lion! in a cameo appearance (the only Three Stooges film to contain all three Howard brothers; Moe, Curly, and Shemp), he soon suffered a series of strokes which led to his death on January 18, 1952.

The Three Stooges' series of shorts continued to be popular through the 1950s; Shemp co-starred in 73 comedies. (The Stooges also co-starred in a George O'Brien western, Gold Raiders, in 1951.) Moe also co-produced occasional western and musical films in the 1950s.

On November 22, 1955, Shemp died of a heart attack, necessitating the need for another Stooge. Producer Jules White used old footage of Shemp to complete four more films, until Moe hired Joe Besser in 1956. Joe, Larry, and Moe filmed 16 shorts through December 1957. With the death of Columbia CEO Harry Cohn, the making of short subjects came to an end, and Howard was forced to take a job as a gofer at Columbia.

Fortunately for the Stooges, Columbia sold the Three Stooges' library of short films to television under the "Screen Gems" brand. With this, the Three Stooges quickly gained a new audience of young fans. Ever the businessman, Moe Howard put together a new Stooges act, with burlesque and screen comic Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly-Joe" due to his resemblance to Curly Howard) as the new "third Stooge." The revitalized trio starred in several feature-length movies: Have Rocket, Will Travel, Snow White and the Three Stooges, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules, The Three Stooges in Orbit, The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze, and The Outlaws Is Coming!.

Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe continued to make live appearances, many notable "guest appearances", notably in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and 4 for Texas. The boys tried their hand at a children's cartoon show titled The New 3 Stooges, with the cartoons sandwiched between live action segments of the boys. However, by 1965, the three had aged too much to continue performing slapstick comedy. They did receive royalties from their features with Curly-Joe, and income from the volume of Three Stooges merchandising.

Moe sold real estate when his show-business life slowed down, although he still did minor roles and walk-on bits (Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title, Dr. Death: Seeker of Souls), television appearances (Here's Hollywood, Toast of the Town, Masquerade Party, and several appearances on The Mike Douglas Show). The Stooges also made several appearances on late night television, particularly The Tonight Show.

The Stooges attempted to make a final film in 1969, Kook's Tour, which was essentially an early "reality TV" show of Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe, out of character, touring the country and interacting with fans. On January 8, 1970, Larry suffered a major stroke during filming, and died on January 24, 1975, at age 72. Moe asked long-time Three Stooges supporting actor Emil Sitka to replace Larry but this final lineup never recorded any material before Moe's death on May 4, 1975, just a month shy of his 78th birthday.

Death
A lifelong smoker, Moe Howard died of lung cancer on May 4, 1975 and was cremated. His remains are interred at Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California.

Moe and Helen had two children: Joan (b. 1927) and Paul (b. 1935).

Further Reading
Moe Howard and the Three Stooges; by Moe Howard [1], (Citadel Press, 1977).

The Columbia Comedy Shorts; by Ted Okuda with Edward Watz [2], (McFarland, 1986).

The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion; by Jon Solomon [3], (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).

The Three Stooges Scrapbook; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg [4](Citadel Press, 1994).

The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons; by Michael Fleming [5](Broadway Publishing, 2002).
One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [6], (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).

Persephone

07-23-2007, 10:23 AM

Thanks for another interesting post, DG. Nostradamus is a Sag like you, I see... :)

Did you know...

Nostradamus Predictions

NOSTRADAMUS, the French Christian Jew who lived in France in the 16th century, made many accurate forecasts, including the two World Wars. 18 of his 950 quatrains refer to a third world war. Some Nostradamus experts had given the date for the start of such a war as mid-1999, referring to the Balkan conflict surrounding Kosovo. They obviously misinterpreted the quatrains. Their attention then turned to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

NOSTRADAMUS
Born Michel de Notredame on 14 December 1503 in St Remy, France, he was the oldest of five sons. His grandfather, Jean, taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, mathematics and astrology at an early age. Nostradamus received a medical degree in 1529 and became physician-in-ordinary to Charles IX during the bubonic plague. He is said to have had extraordinary healing abilities.

Nostradamus was in his late 40s when, it is told, he frequently went into a meditative state and had visions of the future. He began to document the visions in a mixture of Lain, French, and Greek quatrains, publishing his famous "Centuries" in 1558.

Nostradamus was married twice, losing his first wife and two children to the plague. He died on 2 July 1566. "Centuries" was translated into English in 1672. In 1781 it was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, in 1553, when Nostradamus encountered a group of Franciscan monks he threw himself on his knees, clutching at the garment of one of the monks, Felice Peretti. When asked why he had done this he replied that he must yield "before his Holiness." Nineteen years after the death of Nostradamus, Peretti became Pope Sixtus V.

What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the Balkan war
The war prophecy is reserved for someone whom Nostradamus refers to as "the tyrant." He predicted that the Slavs will "change their prince" and "raise an army in the mountains," suggesting a guerilla war. He speaks of "when the north pole is united" (perhaps NATO?), and there are many geographical references to the Balkans, such as Greece, Italy and the Mediterranean.

The war is linked to when the "eagle" (United States) and the "cock" (France) stand together. There also is specific reference to the time when England, Poland and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) "form a new alliance." The former Eastblock countries recently joined NATO.

He predicted that the Allies will win, that the war will be protracted, lasting seven months, and that it may go beyond the Balkans, toward the north, but that after the war there will be "peace on earth for a long time."

The forecasts by Nostradamus seemed to be confirmed by other seers, including Nicolaas van Rensburg, the famous South African seer who lived 1862 to 1926. At the turn of the 20th Century Van Rensburg had also predicted the use of electricity, the massacre of six million Jews, the Chernobyl disaster, the rise and fall of Russia, and the European Union - in the last two instances accurately describing the flags before they were designed. Of the third world war, he predicted that England would left weakened, while Germany would rise to become the world's most powerful nation.

What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the WTC attack
"In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great king of terror. The sky will burn at 45 degrees... fire approaches the great new city... there will be thunder... The third big war will begin when the city is burning."
So it is quoted among rumour mongers. The facts are:

Nostradamus appears not to have made predictions about the World Trade Centre attack or, at least, none that could easily be understood from the quatrains. He did not mention "the new century," or "nine months" and New York is not at 45 degrees; the Manhattan latitude is 40° 47' N. For more, see Skeptic's Dictionary

What then?
Of course, not only have the "experts" on the prophets not always been correct - the seers themselves have not always been quite so accurate in their forecasts.

Time will tell if the Kosovo conflict or, indeed, the World Trade Center attack had put the spark to a bigger barrel. As for the end of the world... Nostradamus predicted it to be the year 3786 or 3797, depending on which Nostradamus expert you believe.

Cryptic numerology:
After the WTC attack on 11 September 2001, Uri Geller asked everyone to pray for 11 seconds for those in need. Why?
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11 by American Airlines;
Flight 11 had 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11;
Flight 77 had 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11;
New York City - 11 Letters;
State of New York - 11th State added to the Union

diamondgypsy

07-26-2007, 03:18 PM

You're welcome, Per. Yes, ol' Nostradamus and I have something in common - besides being ancient. lol

diamondgypsy

07-26-2007, 03:19 PM

Did you know...

The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for the book most stolen out of libraries while the Bible not only consistently has been the biggest seller of all times, it also is the most stolen book in general. But the fastest selling book of all time is JK Rolling's new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The seventh and final book of the series sold 11 million copies within 24 hours, breaking the record of 9 million copies sold in the first day held by the sixth Harry Potter novel. Ten years after the first installment, some 340 million fans have bought Harry Potter books.

exitwound

07-26-2007, 03:24 PM

You're welcome, Per. Yes, ol' Nostradamus and I have something in common - besides being ancient. lol

:moose: :mrgreen: :moose:

diamondgypsy

07-27-2007, 12:08 PM

:moose: :mrgreen: :moose:

lol

Well, at fifty-four, many say I am ancient, ew. What do they know!

diamondgypsy

07-27-2007, 12:47 PM

Did you know...

THE BODY

Hiccups happen when the diaphragm, the muscle that controls our breathing, becomes irritated and start to spasm and contract uncontrollably. With each contraction, air is pulled into the lungs very quickly, passes through the voice box, and then the epiglottis closes behind the rush of air, shaking the vocal chords, causing the "hic" sound. The irritation can be caused by rapid eating, emotional stress and even some diseases. The best cure? Breathing into a paper bag. This calms the diaphragm by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream.

The length from your wrist to your elbow is the same as the length of your foot.

Your heart beats 101,000 times a day. During your lifetime it will beat about 3 billion times and pump about 400 million litres (800 million pints) of blood.

Your mouth produces 1 litre (1.8 pints) of saliva a day.

On average, people can hold their breath for one minute. The world record is seven-and-a-half minutes.

The human head contains 22 bones. More on the head and brains

On average, you breathe 23,000 times a day.

On average, you speak almost 5,000 words a day - although almost 80% of speaking is self-talk (talking to yourself).

Einstein's brain was of average size (1375 grams - 49oz).

Over the last 150 years the average height of people in industrialised nations increased by 10 cm (4 in).

In the 19th century, American men were the tallest in the world, averaging 1,71m (5'6"). Today, the average height for American men is 1,75m (5'7"), compared to 1,77m (5'8") for Swedes, and 1,78m (5'8.5") for the Dutch.

The tallest nation in the world is the Watusis of Burundi.

If the amount of water in your body is reduced by just 1%, you'll feel thirsty.

Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, suggested that a woman could enlarge her bust line by singing loudly and often.

A person can live without food for about a month, but only about a week without water.

You'll drink about 75,000 litres (20,000 gallons) of water in your lifetime.

After a certain period of growth, hair becomes dormant. That means that it is attached to the hair follicle until replaced by new hair.

Hair on the head grows for between two and six years before being replaced. In the case of baldness, the dormant hair was not replaced with new hair.

Men loose about 40 hairs a day. Women loose about 70 hairs a day.

In the Middle Ages the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow was called an ell.

A person remains conscious for eight seconds after being decapitated.

The first human sex change took place in 1950 when Danish doctor Christian Hamburger operated on New Yorker George Jargensen, who became Christine Jargensen.

The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body. It allows you to blink 5 times a second. On average, you blink 15 000 times a day. Women blink twice as much as men.

A typical athlete's heart churns out 25 to 30 litres (up to 8 gallons) of blood per minute.

We have four basic tastes. The salt and sweet taste buds are at the tip of the tongue, bitter at the base, and sour along the sides.

Unless food is mixed with saliva you cannot taste it.

The liver is the largest of the body's internal organs. The skin is the body's largest organ.

Not all our taste buds are on our tongue; about 10% are on the palette and the cheeks.

On average a hiccup lasts 5 minutes.

Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails.

It takes about 3 months for the transplanted hair to start growing again.

About 13% of people are left-handed. Up from 11% in the past.

In 1900, a person could expect to live to be 47. Today, the average life expectancy for men and women in developed countries is longer than 70 years.

A newborn baby's head accounts for one-quarter of its weight.

King Henry I, who ruled in the England in the 12th century, standardised the yard as the distance from the thumb of his outstretched arm to his nose.

The bones in your body are not white - they range in colour from beige to light brown. The bones you see in museums are white because they have been boiled and cleaned.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth.

Every person has a unique tongue print.

If all your DNA is stretched out, it would reach to the moon 6,000 times.

Approximately two-thirds of a person's body weight is water. Blood is 92% water. The brain is 75% water and muscles are 75% water.

The coloured part of the eye is called the iris. Behind the iris is the soft, rubbery lens which focuses the light on to a layer, called the retina, in the back of the eye. The retina contains about 125 million rods and 7 million cones. The rods pick up shades of grey and help us see in dim light. The cones work best in bright light to pick up colours.

We actually do not see with our eyes - we see with our brains. The eyes basically are the cameras of the brain. One-quarter of the brain is used to control the eyes.

diamondgypsy

07-29-2007, 06:07 PM

Did you know...

HANDWRITING AND WHAT IT MEANS

If letters slant to the left: Indicates introspection and a lot of emotional control.

If letter slant to the right: Reveals a person who's outgoing, friendly, impulsive, and emotionally open.

If letters are straight up and down: The sign of someone who's ruled by the head, not the heart.

Letters that slant in more than one direction: Indicates versatility and adaptability.

An erratic slant: Usually means a lack of flexibility.

Heavy pressure writing (like you can feel the rib made on the back of the paper): The writer is agitated.

Moderate pressure (the writing is dark, but you can't feel the rib on the other side of the paper): Shows ability to deal with stress.

Light pressure: Indicates someone who seems to take life in stride.

Tiny letters: Indicate the writer is has somewhat low self esteem but is intelligent.

Small letters: The hallmark of quiet, introspective types - they're generally detail-oriented and have good concentration.

Large letters: Sign of a confident, easygoing individual.

Huge letters: Indicate someone who's theatrical, usually loud, and needs to be the center of attention at all times.

Wide letters (their width and height are about the same): The mark of someone who's open and friendly.

Narrow letters: Show someone who's somewhat shy and inhibited but very self-disciplined.

Letters that don't touch: Indicate an impulsive, artistic, sometimes impractical free thinker.

Some letters connecting: Means the writer's personality blends logic and intuition.

All letters making contact: The sign of someone who's highly cautious.

A curved first mark: Shows a person who's traditional and plays by the rules.

A straight beginning stroke: Reveals someone who's rigid and doesn't like being told what to do.

A final stroke straight across: The writer is cautious.

An end mark that curves up: Reveals generosity.

Perfect penmanship: The hallmark of a communicative person.

An indecipherable scrawl: Indicates a person who's secretive, closed-up and likes to keep his thoughts to himself.

diamondgypsy

07-31-2007, 04:34 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Make a Budget Day? On the birthday of
economist Milton Freidman (1912), check out your personal
finances. Make a budget. Spend wisely.

diamondgypsy

07-31-2007, 04:15 PM

Did you know...

http://home.doramail.com/sweetcheeks:doramail.com/clint.jpg

Clint Eastwood wrote many of the theme songs of his movies
Clint Eastwood, better known as a cowboy and "Dirty Harry," also is a musician. In 1961, he cut a single called "Unknown Girl." Two more singles followed in the next three years and the release of an LP titled "Rawhide's Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favourites," from the 60s TV series that brought him fame.

Eastwood also demonstrated his singing abilities in the musical picture Paint Your Wagon, and had a hit with "Burning Bridges," the soundtrack to Kelly's Heroes. He sang in several duets on his movie soundtracks, including "Barroom Buddies" with Merle Haggard, and on "Beers to you" with Ray Charles in Any Which Way You Can. He even showed up on a few country recordings, including TG Sheppard's "Make My Day" and Randy Travis' "Smokin' the Hive".

Themes from Unforgiven, A Perfect World, The Bridges of Madison County, and Absolute Power were all written by Clint Eastwood. And you can catch him plucking some vocal cords on the soundtrack of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, where he sings lead vocals on the Johnny Mercer song "Accentuate the Positive."

Clint Eastwood purchased the script for Unforgiven in 1979. He waited until 1992 before producing the movie. It is said that that he thought it to be a project for himself when he was more mature. He also wrote the theme song for Unforgiven.

Clint Eastwood's last four films, The Bridges Of Madison County, A Perfect World, Absolute Power, and Unforgiven, all grossed more than $100 million dollars. He also wrote the theme songs.

_______

EASTWOOD
The World Wide Web Page
http://www.clinteastwood.net/welcome.html

short_circuit

07-31-2007, 05:51 PM

:moose:
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9972/makemyday1fq7.gif

diamondgypsy

08-01-2007, 07:53 AM

:moose:
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9972/makemyday1fq7.gif

lol
That's great, sc!! I love it! And I love Clint, too! We/I watch all his movies - over and over and over.

short_circuit

08-01-2007, 08:03 AM

lol
That's great, sc!! I love it! And I love Clint, too! We/I watch all his movies - over and over and over.
I think I have seen most of his movies, I must have seen all Clint's cowboy movies more than three times each.:)

diamondgypsy

08-03-2007, 04:09 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Disposable Diaper Throwaway Day? According
to humorist Howard Mohr, in 1951 someone in a car with
Minnesota license plates was the first to dispose of a used
disposable diaper by throwing it out the window. The diaper
plastered itself on the windshield of the car behind. Can you
say... ewww??!

diamondgypsy

08-03-2007, 04:11 AM

I think I have seen most of his movies, I must have seen all Clint's cowboy movies more than three times each.:)

I love all of the Spaghetti Westerns, sc, not to mention the Dirty Harry's. We watch them over and over and over. He sure made some good stuff in his day - and is still going strong.

diamondgypsy

08-03-2007, 07:46 PM

Did you know...

Al Capone

http://home.doramail.com/elvis-elvira:doramail.com/capone.jpg

Al Capone is America's best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. Capone had a leading role in the illegal activities that lent Chicago its reputation as a lawless city.

Al Capone's mug shot, 1931. (CHS DN-91508.)

Capone was born on January 17, 1899, in Brooklyn, New York. Baptized "Alphonsus Capone," he grew up in a rough neighborhood and was a member of two "kid gangs," the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. Although he was bright, Capone quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. Between scams he was a clerk in a candy store, a pinboy in a bowling alley, and a cutter in a book bindery. He became part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and worked in gangster Frankie Yale's Brooklyn dive, the Harvard Inn, as a bouncer and bartender. While working at the Inn, Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname "Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother.

In 1918, Capone met an Irish girl named Mary "Mae" Coughlin at a dance. On December 4, 1918, Mae gave birth to their son, Albert "Sonny" Francis. Capone and Mae married that year on December 30.

Capone's first arrest was on a disorderly conduct charge while he was working for Yale. He also murdered two men while in New York, early testimony to his willingness to kill. In accordance with gangland etiquette, no one admitted to hearing or seeing a thing so Capone was never tried for the murders. After Capone hospitalized a rival gang member, Yale sent him to Chicago to wait until things cooled off. Capone arrived in Chicago in 1919 and moved his family into a house at 7244 South Prairie Avenue.

The unpretentious Capone home at 7244 South
Prarie Avenue, far from Chicago's Loop and
Capone's business headquarters. (CHS DN-91356)

Capone went to work for Yale's old mentor, John Torrio. Torrio saw Capone's potential, his combination of physical strength and intelligence, and encouraged his protégé. Soon Capone was helping Torrio manage his bootlegging business. By mid-1922 Capone ranked as Torrio's number two man and eventually became a full partner in the saloons, gambling houses, and brothels.

When Torrio was shot by rival gang members and consequently decided to leave Chicago, Capone inherited the "outfit" and became boss. The outfit's men liked, trusted, and obeyed Capone, calling him "The Big Fellow." He quickly proved that he was even better at organization than Torrio, syndicating and expanding the city's vice industry between 1925 and 1930. Capone controlled speakeasies, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, horse and race tracks, nightclubs, distilleries and breweries at a reported income of $100,000,000 a year. He even acquired a sizable interest in the largest cleaning and dyeing plant chain in Chicago.

Although he had been doing business with Capone, the corrupt Chicago mayor William "Big Bill" Hale Thompson, Jr. decided that Capone was bad for his political image. Thompson hired a new police chief to run Capone out of Chicago. When Capone looked for a new place to live, he quickly discovered that he was unpopular in much of the country. He finally bought an estate at 93 Palm Island, Florida in 1928.

~continued

diamondgypsy

08-03-2007, 07:46 PM

Capone's most notorious killing was the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, four Capone men entered a garage at 2122 N. Clark Street. The building was the main liquor headquarters of bootlegger George "Bugs" Moran's North Side gang. Because two of Capone's men were dressed as police, the seven men in the garage thought it was a police raid. As a result, they dropped their guns and put their hands against the wall. Using two shotguns and two machine guns, the Capone men fired more than 150 bullets into the victims. Six of the seven killed were members of Moran's gang; the seventh was an unlucky friend. Moran, probably the real target, was across the street when Capone's men arrived and stayed away when he saw the police uniforms. As usual, Capone had an alibi; he was in Florida during the massacre.

Capone masterminded the 1929 St. Valentine's Day
Massacre which left seven men dead, but was in
Florida when it happened. All but one of the victims
were members of rival "Bugs" Moran's gang.
(CHS ICHi-14406)

Although Capone ordered dozens of deaths and even killed with his own hands, he often treated people fairly and generously. He was equally known for his violent temper and for his strong sense of loyalty and honor. He was the first to open soup kitchens after the 1929 stock market crash and he ordered merchants to give clothes and food to the needy at his expense.

Capone had headquarters in Chicago proper in the Four Deuces at 2222 S. Wabash, the Metropole Hotel at 2300 S. Michigan Avenue, and the Lexington Hotel at 2135 S. Michigan Avenue. He expanded into the suburbs, sometimes using terror as in Forest View, which became known as "Caponeville." Sometimes he simply bribed public officials and the police as in Cicero. He established suburban headquarters in Cicero's Anton Hotel at 4835 W. 22nd Street and in the Hawthorne Hotel at 4823 22nd Street. He pretended to be an antique dealer and a doctor to front his headquarters.

Because of gangland's traditional refusal to prosecute, Capone was never tried for most of his crimes. He was arrested in 1926 for killing three people, but spent only one night in jail because there was insufficient evidence to connect him with the murders. When Capone finally served his first prison time in May of 1929, it was simply for carrying a gun. In 1930, at the peak of his power, Capone headed Chicago's new list of the twenty-eight worst criminals and became the city's "Public Enemy Number One."

The popular belief in the 1920s and 30s was that illegal gambling earnings were not taxable income. However, the 1927 Sullivan ruling claimed that illegal profits were in fact taxable. The government wanted to indict Capone for income tax evasion, Capone never filed an income tax return, owned nothing in his own name, and never made a declaration of assets or income. He did all his business through front men so that he was anonymous when it came to income. Frank Wilson from the IRS's Special Intelligence Unit was assigned to focus on Capone. Wilson accidentally found a cash receipts ledger that not only showed the operation's net profits for a gambling house, but also contained Capone's name; it was a record of Capone's income. Later Capone's own tax lawyer Lawrence P. Mattingly admitted in a letter to the government that Capone had an income. Wilson's ledger, Mattingly's letter, and the coercion of witnesses were the main evidence used to convict Capone.

~continued

diamondgypsy

08-03-2007, 07:47 PM

In 1931, Capone was indicted for income tax evasion for the years 1925-29. He was also charged with the misdemeanor of failing to file tax returns for the years 1928 and 1929. The government charged that Capone owed $215,080.48 in taxes from his gambling profits. A third indictment was added, charging Capone with conspiracy to violate Prohibition laws from 1922-31. Capone pleaded guilty to all three charges in the belief that he would be able to plea bargain. However, the judge who presided over the case, Judge James H. Wilkerson, would not make any deals. Capone changed his pleas to not guilty. Unable to bargain, he tried to bribe the jury but Wilkerson changed the jury panel at the last minute.

The jury that convicted Capone consisted almost
entirely of rural, white men. Among them, a retired
hardware dealer, a country storekeeper and a farmer.
Judge Wilkerson substituted this jury for the original
jury to prevent tampering. (CHS DN 97016)

The jury found Capone not guilty on eighteen of the twenty-three counts. Judge Wilkerson sentenced him to a total of ten years in federal prison and one year in the county jail. In addition, Capone had to serve an earlier six-month contempt of court sentence for failing to appear in court. The fines were a cumulative $50,000 and Capone had to pay the prosecution costs of $7,692.29.

In May 1932, Capone was sent to Atlanta, the toughest of the federal prisons, to begin his eleven-year sentence. Even in prison Capone took control, obtaining special privileges from the authorities such as furnishing his cell with a mirror, typewriter, rugs, and a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Because word spread that Capone had taken over in Atlanta, he was sent to Alcatraz. There were no other outfit members in Alcatraz, and security was so tight that he had no knowledge of the outside world. He was unable to control anyone or anything and could not buy influence or friends. In an attempt to earn time off for good behavior, Capone became the ideal prisoner and refused to participate in prisoner rebellions or strikes.

While at Alcatraz, he exhibited signs of syphilitic dementia. Capone spent the rest of his felony sentence in the hospital. On January 6, 1939, his prison term expired and he was transferred to Terminal Island, a Federal Correctional Institution in California, to serve his one-year misdemeanor sentence. He was finally released on November 16, 1939, but still had to pay fines and court costs of $37,617.51.

After his release, Capone spent a short time in the hospital. He returned to his home in Palm Island where the rest of his life was relaxed and quiet. His mind and body continued to deteriorate so that he could no longer run the outfit. On January 21, 1947, he had an apoplectic stoke that was probably unrelated to his syphilis. He regained consciousness and began to improve until pneumonia set in on January 24. He died the next day from cardiac arrest. Capone was first buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Chicago's far South Side between the graves of his father, Gabriele, and brother, Frank, but in March of 1950 the remains of all three were moved to Mount Carmel Cemetery on the far West Side.

___________

___________

A Selected Bibliography for The Capone Era in Chicago.

Allsop, Kenneth. The Bootleggers: the Story of Chicago's Prohibition Era. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1968.

Asbury, Herbert. Gem of the Prairie: an Informal History of the Chicago Underworld. New York, London: A.A. Knopf, 1940; 1986 reprint.

Bergreen, Laurence. Capone: the Man and the Era. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Boettiger, John. Jake Lingle: or Chicago on the Spot. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc., 1931.

Burns, Walter Noble. The One-way Ride: the Red Trail of Chicago Gangland from Prohibition to Jake Lingle. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran, 1931.

Enright, Richard T. Capone's Chicago. Likeville, MN: Northstar Maschek Books, 1931; 1987 reprint.

Halper, Albert, editor. The Chicago Crime Book. Cleveland: World Publishing Co., 1967.

Hammer, Richard. The illustrated history of organized crime. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1989.

Kobler, John. Capone: the Life and World of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1992.

Landesco, John. Organized crime in Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.

Murray, George. The Legacy of Al Capone: Portraits and Annals of Chicago's Public Enemies. New York: Putnam, 1975.

Nash, Jay Robert. Bloodletters and Badmen: A Narrative Encyclopedia of American Criminals from the Pilgrims to the Present. New York: Warner Books, 1975.

Ness, Eliot. The Untouchables. New York: Messner, 1957; 1987 reprint.

Pasl, Fred D. Al Capone: the Biography of a Self-made Man. New York: I. Washburn, 1930: 1987 reprint.

Ruth, David E. Inventing the Public Enemy: the Gangster in American Culture, 1918-1934. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone: the Real - and Complete - Story of Al Capone. New York: Morrow, 1992.

Smith, Alson Jesse. Syndicate City: the Chicago Crime Cartel and What to do About It. Chicago: It Regnery Co., 1954.

Spiering, Frank. The Man who Got Capone. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1976.

Waller, Irle. Chicago Uncensored: Firsthand Stories About the Al Capone Era. New York: Exposition Press, 1965.

short_circuit

08-04-2007, 06:26 AM

Did you know...

Al Capone

Who dose not Know Al Capone? lol
Good info, thanks DG.:mrgreen:

diamondgypsy

08-04-2007, 07:45 AM

Who dose not Know Al Capone? lol
Good info, thanks DG.:mrgreen:

I didn't know everything, and I thought I knew it all about Capone, etc. We even have his sketches, by the way. Got them in Vegas. Just a little tidbit I wanted to share.

diamondgypsy

08-07-2007, 10:07 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Revolving Door?
Theophilus Van Kannel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, patented
the revolving door in 1888. Revolving doors are never open to
both the outside and the interior of a building at the same
time. Celebrate by going round and round in one!

i love revolving doors. i could play in one all day. i usually get stuck in them, though. o, i hate escalators - anybody else? i always get my boot heel caught and trip so - wherever i go - i take the stairs. everybody hates me 'cause i make them walk the stairs (i won't walk alone) when we go to the big malls and the airport. just thought i'd share.
~too much information?

diamondgypsy

08-15-2007, 07:05 PM

Did you know...

... that today is Hello Day? In 1877, Thomas Edison wrote a
letter to the president of the Telegraph Company in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suggesting that when people answer
the phone, they use the word "Hello" instead of the word
"Ahoy" suggested by Alexander Graham Bell. So say Hello!

diamondgypsy

08-23-2007, 08:31 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Eat a Peach Day? Have a peach of a good time
with all your dear ones and let them know how they add a
special flavor to your life.

diamondgypsy

08-27-2007, 08:32 AM

Did you know...

... that today is ZZ Top Day? In 1986, the state of Texas
celebrated the rock group of ZZ Top. Let's celebrate unusual
musical groups today! Rock on!

________

I love -Legs aka She's Got Legs.

what's your favorite zz top song?

exitwound

08-29-2007, 10:19 PM

Great thread. Never-ending source of fascinating, rare info!

I hope that more members will take a crack at throwing their own unique contributions into this thread.....I'm amazed that it has so much great material and is still only 3 pages long after all this time!

diamondgypsy

08-31-2007, 07:28 PM

I like it, too, ew.
_______

Did you know...

Q. Is a purring cat purring with contentment?
A. Not always, but usually. It can mean a cat is in
terrible pain, such as is felt during childbirth
but if your cat is purring while you are gently
petting and holding it then most likely it is a
sign of contentment.

diamondgypsy

09-04-2007, 09:18 AM

Did you know...
_______

History and Quotes

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 4, the 247th day of 2007 with 118 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Saturn, Venus, Mars and Uranus. The evening stars are Neptune, Mercury and Jupiter.

This Day in History, September 4
On September 4th, 1964, Scotland's Forth Road Bridge officially opened.

Other Notable Events for Sept. 4th
In 1609, navigator Henry Hudson discovered the island of Manhattan.

In 1954, the first passage of the fabled Northwest Passage was completed by icebreakers from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

In 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine African-American students from entering Central High School in Little Rock.

Also in 1957, the Ford Motor Co. introduced the Edsel to beef up its mid-size market but the car was a failure, lasting only three model years.

In 1972, U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz became the first athlete to win seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

In 1980, Iraqi troops seized Iranian territory in a border dispute. The conflict escalated into all-out war.

In 1991, South African President F.W. de Klerk proposed a new constitution. It provided for universal voting rights and opened the parliament to all races.

In 1993, Fatah, the PLO's largest and most moderate faction, endorsed an accord with Israel calling for interim Palestinian self-rule.

In 1995, U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., a Republican presidential hopeful, called for English to be declared the official language of the United States.

In 1998, for the first time since news of his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky broke, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he was "sorry" for what he had done.

In 1999, more than 60 people were killed when Chechen terrorists detonated a car bomb near an apartment building in Dagestan, Russia.

Also in 1999, after East Timor voted for independence rather than remaining a part of Indonesia, hundreds died in a 5-day rampage by pro-Indonesian militants.

In 2002, U.S. President George Bush said he would seek congressional approval for any military move on Iraq. He also promised to consult with allies, some of whom were opposed to his "regime change" plan.

In 2004, Hurricane Frances pounded Palm Beach and Martin counties in Florida with its fury as the storm lumbered slowly ashore with 105 mph winds.

Also in 2004, an Argentine court in Buenos Aires acquitted five suspects in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people and injured 300.

In 2005, New Orleans officials completed evacuation of Hurricane Katrina survivors from the Superdome and convention center -- a total of 42,000 in one day. There still were 2,000 people reported at the airport and another 1,000 trapped in attics of their flooded buildings. While reports of violence were down, four people died in a shootout with police near the crash of a civilian helicopter.

In 2006, Steve Irwin, Australia's internationally renowned "Crocodile Hunter" TV star, was killed by a stingray barb to the heart while he was filming underwater.

Also in 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was abandoning plans to unilaterally pull Israeli troops out of the West Bank.

Notable Birthdays, Sept. 4th
Those born on this date include:
- French novelist and politician Francois Rene de Chateaubriand in 1768
- Architect Daniel Burnham in 1846
- Engineer-inventor Lewis Latimer in 1848
- Composer Darius Milhaud in 1892
- Novelist and essayist Richard Wright in 1908
- Bandleader Jan Savitt in 1913
- Radio news commentator Paul Harvey in 1918 (age 89)
- Actor Dick York ("Bewitched") in 1928
- Dancer/actress Mitzi Gaynor in 1931 (age 76)
- Pro golfer Tom Watson in 1949 (age 58.)
- Actress Judith Ivey in 1951 (age 56)
- Comedian Damon Wayans in 1960 (age 47)
- Actress Ione Skye, daughter of pop singer Donovan, in 1971 (age 36)

Classic Quotes by Mary Renault (1905-1983) English writer:

You can make an audience see nearly anything, if you yourself believe in it.

------------------------

It is bitter to lose a friend to evil, before one loses him to death.

------------------------

In hatred as in love, we grow like the thing we brood upon. What we loathe, we graft into our very soul.

------------------------

Miss Searle had always considered boredom an intellectual defeat

------------------------

How can people trust the harvest, unless they see it sown?

------------------------

Go with your fate, but not beyond. Beyond leads to dark places.

------------------------

Money buys many things...The best of which is freedom.

------------------------

The perpetual stream of human nature is formed into ever-changing shallows, eddies, falls and pools by the land over which it passes.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

diamondgypsy

09-05-2007, 08:02 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Be Late for Something Day? It's a great day
to be a procrastinator -- for just one day fight the
compulsion to be on time!

diamondgypsy

09-05-2007, 08:12 AM

Did you know...

Stannous fluoride, which is the cavity fighter found in toothpaste is made from recycled tin.

nuggy67

09-06-2007, 02:31 PM

Did you know...

yes, I know.
now, get naked bunny! :favorite:

diamondgypsy

09-15-2007, 04:55 PM

Did you know...

The chances of getting a cavity is higher if candy is eaten slowly throughout the day compared to eating it all at once and then brushing your teeth.

diamondgypsy

09-18-2007, 05:45 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Maxwell Smart, Agent 86? The
classic comedy spy show, "Get Smart," starring Don Adams as
Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99,
premiered on NBC in 1984. Do something today to get smarter!

_______

LOVED/LOVE the show but - cannot think of her name.pfffffttttt.

diamondgypsy

09-21-2007, 07:05 PM

Did you know...

Q. Why does static on a color television display in black
and white?

A. When enough of a TV signal is received to give a
reasonable picture, there is, hidden within the
information, a "color burst" which tells the receiver
that a colour signal is being transmitted. When a
receiver is operated without an incoming signal, the
input circuits are working at maximum gain (seeking to
find what is not there). At this time what we see is
a combination of random noise plus the noise in the
input stages of the receiver but there is no color
burst, the oscillator is not locked and thus the
spots are monochrome.

diamondgypsy

09-24-2007, 09:30 PM

Did you know...

http://home.doramail.com/elandellediablo:doramail.com/halloweenSamhain3.gif

http://home.doramail.com/elandellediablo:doramail.com/halloweenSamhain_fire.jpg

Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. For it was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween.

Samhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer's end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as Oíche Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf, the eve of the winter's calend, or first. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from Oct 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.

In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods in pagan times. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples -- for come November, the faeries would blast every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The endless horizons of summer gave way to a warm, dim and often smoky room; the symphony of summer sounds was replaced by a counterpoint of voices, young and old, human and animal.

In early Ireland, people gathered at the ritual centers of the tribes, for Samhain was the principal calendar feast of the year. The greatest assembly was the 'Feast of Tara,' focusing on the royal seat of the High King as the heart of the sacred land, the point of conception for the new year. In every household throughout the country, hearth-fires were extinguished. All waited for the Druids to light the new fire of the year -- not at Tara, but at Tlachtga, a hill twelve miles to the north-west. It marked the burial-place of Tlachtga, daughter of the great druid Mogh Ruith, who may once have been a goddess in her own right in a former age.

At at all the turning points of the Celtic year, the gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, so many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest. Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire, and at the end of the ceremonies, brands were lit from the great fire of Tara to re-kindle all the home fires of the tribe, as at Beltane. As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come.

The Samhain fires continued to blaze down the centuries. In the 1860s the Halloween bonfires were still so popular in Scotland that one traveler reported seeing thirty fires lighting up the hillsides all on one night, each surrounded by rings of dancing figures, a practice which continued up to the first World War. Young people and servants lit brands from the fire and ran around the fields and hedges of house and farm, while community leaders surrounded parish boundaries with a magic circle of light. Afterwards, ashes from the fires were sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, they also improved the soil. The bonfire provided an island of light within the oncoming tide of winter darkness, keeping away cold, discomfort, and evil spirits long before electricity illumined our nights. When the last flame sank down, it was time to run as fast as you could for home, raising the cry, “The black sow without a tail take the hindmost!”

Even today, bonfires light up the skies in many parts of the British Isles and Ireland at this season, although in many areas of Britain their significance has been co-opted by Guy Fawkes Day, which falls on November 5th, and commemorates an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the English Houses of Parliament in the 17th century. In one Devonshire village, the extraordinary sight of both men and women running through the streets with blazing tar barrels on their backs can still be seen! Whatever the reason, there will probably always be a human need to make fires against the winter’s dark.

... Divination at Halloween

Samhain was a significant time for divination, perhaps even more so than May or Midsummer’s Eve, because this was the chief of the three Spirit Nights. Divination customs and games frequently featured apples and nuts from the recent harvest, and candles played an important part in adding atmosphere to the mysteries. In Scotland, a child born at Samhain was said to be gifted with an dà shealladh, “The Two Sights” commonly known as “second sight,” or clairvoyance.

Apple Magic
At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous country, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, (Evan Avlach) and in Britain, Avalon. At Samhain, the apple harvest is in, and old hearthside games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin’ in Scotland, reflect the journey across water to obtain the magic apple.

Dookin' for Apples
Place a large tub, preferably wooden, on the floor, and half fill it with water. Tumble in plenty of apples, and have one person stir them around vigorously with a long wooden spoon or rod of hazel, ash or any other sacred tree.

Each player takes their turn kneeling on the floor, trying to capture the apples with their teeth as they go bobbing around. Each gets three tries before the next person has a go. Best to wear old clothes for this one, and have a roaring fire nearby so you can dry off while eating your prize!
If you do manage to capture an apple, you might want to keep it for a divination ritual, such as this one:

The Apple and the Mirror
Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.

(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)

Dreaming Stones
Go to a boundary stream and with closed eyes, take from the water three stones between middle finger and thumb, saying these words as each is gathered:

I will lift the stone
As Mary lifted it for her Son,
For substance, virtue, and strength;
May this stone be in my hand
Till I reach my journey’s end.

(Scots Gaelic)
Togaidh mise chlach,
Mar a thog Moire da Mac,
Air bhrìgh, air bhuaidh, ‘s air neart;
Gun robh a chlachsa am dhòrn,
Gus an ruig mi mo cheann uidhe.

Carry them home carefully and place them under your pillow. That night, ask for a dream that will give you guidance or a solution to a problem, and the stones will bring it for you.

© Mara Freeman, 1999

diamondgypsy

09-26-2007, 04:04 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the United States Postal
Service? With the appointment of the first U.S. Postmaster
General, the U.S. Postal Service was established. Forget
email, write a letter today to someone you love and send it
through the Post Office.

diamondgypsy

09-28-2007, 08:54 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the anniversary of the first Marathon? In
490 B.C., Phidippides, a Greek soldier, ran 26 miles to let
the people of Athens know about the Greek victory against
the Persians at Marathon. With his last breath he gasped,
"Rejoice, we are victorious." The modern day marathon is
based on this event. Celebrate by setting your own personal
goal, whether it's running or something else, and cross the
finish line.

diamondgypsy

09-29-2007, 08:44 PM

for some reason, the name davis came to (popped into) my mind tonight while watching television - college football. i don't know why. and then mount davis came to mind - even though i didn't know where it was. anyway, i googled and looked it up and was surprised to know it was in pennsylvania. instead of just tossing the information - i decided to post it in here. it's a rather interesting place/mountain in pennsylvania.
_______

Mount Davis (Pennsylvania)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount Davis

View from observation tower (looking SE)
Elevation 3,213 feet (979 metres)
Location Forbes State Forest
Somerset County, Pennsylvania,
United States
Range Allegheny Mountains
Coordinates 39°47′9″N, 79°10′36″W
Topo map USGS Markleton and Meyersdale
Mount Davis is the highest mountain in Pennsylvania, located in the 5,685 acre (23.01 km²) Forbes State Forest in Somerset County. The peak is the summit of a 30 mile (50 km) long ridge line known as Negro Mountain which extends from central Somerset County southward into Garrett County, Maryland. The peak was named for John Davis, an early settler, American Civil War veteran, surveyor and naturalist, who was known for his studies of the mountain, its flora and fauna.

The top can be reached by driving or by following one of several hiking trails. There are nine hiking trails in the park, but not all go to the summit. There is a metal observation tower at the summit with a relief map of the region. The summit is noted for its patterns of unusual circular stone formed by periglacial action.

Weather on the peak is characterized by frequent heavy winds and frequent rainfall. Annual temperatures range from -30 to 95 °F (-34 to 35 °C) though frosts have been recorded in every month of the year. Summer temperatures are generally mild and winters are characterized by heavy snowfall. Average annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 42 inches (970 to 1070 mm).

Trails in the park include:

High Point Trail: 0.8 mi (1,300 m)
Mt. Davis Trail: 0.1 mi (160 m)
Shelter Rock Trail: 1.0 mi (1,600 m)
Tub Mill Run Trail: 2.8 mi (4,500 m)
Timberslide Trail: 0.5 mi (800 m)
Laurel Run Trail: 1.9 mi (3,100 m)
Wolf Rock Trail: 0.8 mi (1,300 m)
Shelter Rock Road: 1.6 mi (2,600 m)
Livengood Trail: 1.1 mi (1,800 m)

diamondgypsy

09-30-2007, 04:12 PM

Did you know...

The Flying Dutchman Legend
This is the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a ship that was doomed to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa forever.

The legend of The Flying Dutchman is said to have started in 1641 when a Dutch ship sank off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope:

Captain van der Decken was pleased. The trip to the Far East had been highly successful and at last, they were on their way home to Holland. As the ship approached the tip of Africa, the captain thought that he should make a suggestion to the Dutch East India Company (his employers) to start a settlement at the Cape on the tip of Africa, thereby providing a welcome respite to ships at sea.

He was so deep in thought that he failed to notice the dark clouds looming and only when he heard the lookout scream out in terror, did he realise that they had sailed straight into a fierce storm. The captain and his crew battled for hours to get out of the storm and at one stage it looked like they would make it. Then they heard a sickening crunch - the ship had hit treacherous rocks and began to sink. As the ship plunged downwards, Captain VandeDecken knew that death was approaching. He was not ready to die and screamed out a curse: "I WILL round this Cape even if I have to keep sailing until doomsday!"

So, even today whenever a storm brews off the Cape of Good Hope, if you look into the eye of the storm, you will be able to see the ship and its captain - The Flying Dutchman. Don't look too carefully, for the old folk claim that whoever sights the ship will die a terrible death.

Many people have claimed to have seen The Flying Dutchman, including the crew of a German submarine boat during World War II and holidaymakers.

On 11 July 1881, the Royal Navy ship, the Bacchante was rounding the tip of Africa, when they were confronted with the sight of The Flying Dutchman. The midshipman, a prince who later became King George V, recorded that the lookout man and the officer of the watch had seen the Flying Dutchman and he used these words to describe the ship:

"A strange red light as of a phantom ship all aglow, in the midst of which light the mast, spars and sails of a brig 200 yards distant stood out in strong relief."

It's pity that the lookout saw the Flying Dutchman, for soon after on the same trip, he accidentally fell from a mast and died. Fortunately for the English royal family, the young midshipman survived the curse.

http://ms.essortment.com/dutchmanflying_rrqy.htm

diamondgypsy

10-01-2007, 09:37 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the start of International Microwave
Month? The first microwave was patented in October, 1945.
This month recognizes the microwave as the most important
tool in the modern kitchen. Do you realize there's a whole
generation out there that can only cook using a microwave?!

diamondgypsy

10-01-2007, 08:56 PM

Did you know...

CBS Airs First Episode of The Honeymooners (1955)
The Honeymooners, a short lived American sitcom based on sketches by Jackie Gleason, debuted in 1955 and was initially rated the #2 show in the US. The comedy, which starred Gleason and Audrey Meadows as a struggling working class couple, aired opposite the popular Perry Como Show and soon dropped 17 spots in the rankings. Though the show was cancelled after just 39 episodes, it has been aired for decades in syndication.

diamondgypsy

10-02-2007, 04:37 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Yogi Bear's birthday? In 1958, Yogi Bear
first appeared in an episode of "The Huckleberry Hound Show."
But Yogi was meant for bigger and better things -- he went on
to star in his own TV show two years later!

diamondgypsy

10-02-2007, 03:21 PM

Did you know...

Revolution in Texas (1835)
The Texas Revolution was a war fought between Mexico and the Tejas, or Texas, portion of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. Much of Mexico, including the American settlers in Texas, revolted soon after President Antonio López de Santa Anna appointed himself dictator and abolished the Constitution of 1824, which had established Mexico as a federal republic. What famous battle during the Texas Revolution saw the deaths of William B. Travis, James Bowie, and Davy Crockett?

diamondgypsy

10-03-2007, 08:49 PM

Did you know...

Online dating tips and relationship advice from Dr. Neder...

The Meaning Of A Jewelry Change
(and jewelry)

I have come a cross a question to which I can find no answer and was wondering if you can help me.

My wife recently returned from an overseas conference wearing an ankle bracelet on each leg. She is older and doesn't usually wear much jewelry at all.

The conference was with about a number of other women and a few men and held in French Polynesia. The day after she arrived home the left bracelet was gone but the right one has remained and she never takes it off.

She claims there is nothing to it, but I wonder. Is there any sexual connotation to wearing an ankle bracelet?

Thanks for your help!
_______

Hello!

Many people use "body modification" as an outward expression of the inward self. Many others do it for "fashion".

Examples of this is tattooing and piercing. In many cultures tattooing indicates a right of passage. In Samoa for example, young men are expected go get tattoos as a sign of their entry into adulthood. Tattoos are given by specialists using very crude tools, resulting in great pain for the wearer. For many in that culture tattooing continues throughout life often resulting in a "body suit". These are highly prized and given great respect by those in the culture. Others use piercing as a sign of cultural significance and personal growth. Examples of this include piercings worn in the lips, noses, nipples and genitals.

In both these cases there is a level of ritual combined with the modification. Often this ritual is spiritual in nature and surrounded by great ceremony.

Other "sub-cultures" use piercing and tattooing as a symbol of their involvement in that sub-culture. One example of this is the SM community where piercings and jewelry are used as a symbol of bondage, submission, dominance and power.

Today, many people are also doing these things for fashion rather than ritual. I personally believe that errantly altering the body is a deeply personal thing and to do it simply for fashion greatly lessen the cultural significance imbued in the act. For this same reason, many cultures are insulted by the west's fashion-attitude regarding these practices.

What does all this have to do with your wife's jewelry?

Many people use jewelry as the same outward exploration of these cultures, and the beliefs they hold. In fact, many pieces of clothing mimic these same aspects without committing the wearer to them. Examples of this include leather clothing and boots, high-heels - especially those with straps that circle the ankles, corsetry, certain forms of underwear, collars, bracelets, toe rings, etc.

It's very possible that your wife's interest in the ankle jewelry is like this. Perhaps she's enjoying the feeling of being "bound" by the chain around her ankle, or just that she thinks it makes her legs look good.

In any case, it doesn't mean that she has been unfaithful to you, just that she's exploring something in herself. I'll bet that if you ask her about it, she'd be happy to explain it if she senses you're really interested, and not ready to judge.

Best regards...

_______

Copyright (c) 2004-2007, Dr. Dennis W. Neder

diamondgypsy

10-06-2007, 02:29 AM

yes, I know.
now, get naked bunny! :favorite:

i am halfway there, baby!

diamondgypsy

10-08-2007, 08:07 AM

The Blonde & Her Naked Men

A blonde's car breaks down on the Interstate one day. So she eases it
over onto the shoulder of the road. She carefully steps out of the car
and opens the trunk. Out jump two men in trench coats who walk to the
rear of the vehicle where they stand facing oncoming traffic and begin
opening their coats and exposing their nude bodies to approaching
drivers...

Not surprisingly, one of the worst pileups in history of this highway
occurs.

It's not very long before a police car shows up.

The cop, clearly enraged, runs toward the blonde of the disabled
vehicle yelling, "What the hell is going on here?"

"My car broke down," says the lady, calmly.

"Well, what are these perverts doing here by the road?!" asks the
cop...

And she said....

(This is good...)

(Ready?)

(Remember, she's a blonde...)

"Those are my emergency flashers!" she replied.

diamondgypsy

10-08-2007, 10:16 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Elbows Off the Table Day? In 1952, The
Complete Book of Etiquette was published. Remember what your
mother always told you: Keep your elbows off the table!

diamondgypsy

10-08-2007, 03:17 PM

Did you know...

Did you know...

--from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. is a character created by comedian Bill Saluga. His schtick is to become annoyed when addressed as "Mr. Johnson", exclaiming in a loud voice, "You can call me RAY; or you can call me JAY", and so on listing other names he could be called, until finally finishing, "but you doesn't hafta call me JOHNSON!"

Capitalizing on the relative fame of Raymond J. Johnson, Jr., in 1979, Saluga released a disco single called "Dancin' Johnson." That same year, Bob Dylan quoted Johnson's schtick in the song "Gotta Serve Somebody" ("You may call me R.J./ you may call me Ray…") on the Slow Train Coming LP.

Saluga performed Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. on Sanford & Son as well as Redd Foxx's eponymous variety show [1], and later on television commercials for Anheuser-Busch's Natural Lite beer. The character was mentioned in 1993 and again in 1999 (as Ray Jay Johnson) on the TV program The Simpsons. In the 1993 episode, Krusty the Klown mentions that the only bad show he put on was when Johnson co-hosted, saying "That bit was funny for three seconds." In 2002, Saluga again appeared as Johnson in an episode of the show, singing (in a Branson, Missouri, theater), "You can call me Ray / Or you can call me Jay / Just don't call me washed-up / I do three shows a day." Johnson was referenced in yet another episode.

In a Season 7 episode of Garfield and Friends titled "Alley Katta and the 40 Thieves," the sultan character is always saying "you don't have to call me your highness" in a manner imitating Johnson, much to the annoyance of the other characters.

Johnson can also be glimpsed briefly, via a television commercial, in the film Being There.

diamondgypsy

10-09-2007, 07:26 AM

[b]Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Scott Bakula (1955), Tony
Shalhoub (1953), and Robert Wuhl (1951)? Grab the popcorn and settle in for a night of TV with your favorite actor.

diamondgypsy

10-10-2007, 05:32 AM

Did you know...
_______

Trivia
For Deborah
Wednesday October 10, 2007

Which was the first water-soluble drug?
The first drug that was offered as a water-soluble tablet, was aspirin in 1900.

When is Indian Summer?
In November, there is a stretch of warm dry weather with a little wind and usually a bit of haze in the air. In the United States, it is called “Indian Summer.” In England, France, and Italy, it is referred to as “St. Martin’s Summer.”

What makes the Isle of Man unique?
The Isle of Man is rich in history with Norse stone circles and long houses, signs of early Christianity and evidence of man’s first struggles to farm the land. This green, fertile land has the oldest continuous Parliament in the world, its own currency, stamps, telecommunications, language, castles, legends, and customs.

How long is a gondoliers' oar?
The standard single oar used by gondoliers in Venice is 14 feet long.

Where is a jellyfish's heart?
Strange creatures, jellyfish are comprised mostly of water-- more than 95 percent-- and have no brain, heart, or bones, and no actual eyes.

diamondgypsy

10-14-2007, 11:03 AM

Zen and the Samurai

17.09.2000

`The flower of flowers is the cherry blossom - the samurai is the man among men.' - Japanese proverb

No figure is more emblematic of Japan and the Japanese than the samurai, the heroic warriors who lived by the code of bushido - the way of the samurai - founded upon loyalty, justice and honour. The warrior tradition in Japan is as ancient as the country itself, but the true samurai emerged during the late Heian period (mid 12th century) and thereafter ruled Japan for some 800 years. During this time, the classic Japanese martial arts evolved, and with them the bushido code.

The most important influence on the code of the samurai was the introduction of Zen Buddhism during the Kamakura period (1192-1333 AD), which became the philosophical basis of bushido. Bushido demands, above all else, the willingness to face death - and facing death willingly means conquering fear. According to Zen principles, fear can only be truly conquered by eliminating the notion of self. By the period of the Warring States (late 15th -16th centuries), the most colourful period of the samurai chronicles, Zen and bushido had taken deep root among the samurai, and had penetrated into the culture and values of the Japanese people as a whole. The traditional samurai way of life came to an end after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the social structure that had supported the samurai for many centuries was subjected to sweeping change. Ironically, it was the samurai who had been instrumental in bringing the Meiji Government to power, and there were a number of rebellions by the disenfranchised warriors, the most famous being the Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori, `the last samurai'.

Today the samurai spirit and the code of bushido live on, notably in the practice of the martial art of kendo. Kendo means literally `the way of the sword'. Based upon traditional samurai swordsmanship, it transmits the ancient traditions and has attracted many followers. The essence of this classical martial art is that, in the pursuit of the desired aim, mental training is even more important than physical training - a fact that is now recognized in Western sports pyschology. Kendo , the practice of which is always preceeded and followed by a Zen kendo meditation, is an ideal means of personal developement, as it is designed to perfect of kind of discipline necessary to cultivate alertness, speed of action and direct cognition, - qualities that are as important today as in the days of the samurai.

Here are ten famous samurai sayings that bear on the theme of the primacy of the mind, translated from the Japanese by Minoru Kiyota, kendo teacher and Professor of Buddhist Studies.

Ten Samurai Sayings

Duel. 'One finds life through conquering the fear of death within one's mind. Empty the mind of all forms of attachment, make a go-for-broke charge and conquer the opponent with one decisive slash.' - Togo Shigekata.
Stance. 'An effective stance is to be attached neither to the opponent's sword nor to one's own sword.' - Yagyu Toshiyoshi.

Mental Calm. 'The undisturbed mind is like the calm body water reflecting the brilliance of the moon. Empty the mind and you will realize the undisturbed mind.' - Yagyu Jubei.

Mental Evenness. 'To be swayed neither by the opponent nor by his sword is the essence of swordsmanship.' - Miyamoto Musashi.

Self. 'Conqueror the self and you will conquer the opponent.' - Takuan Soho.

The Immoveable Mind. 'The mind unmoved by external distraction produces physical mobility.' - Yagyu Renyasai.

Tricks, Feints and Schemes. 'The hands manipulate the sword, the mind manipulates the hands. Cultivate the mind and do not be deceived by tricks, feints and schemes. They are the properties of a magician, not of the samurai..' - Saito Yakuro.

Maturity. 'Mental bearing (calmness), not skill, is the sign of a matured samurai. A samurai therefore should neither be pompous nor arrogant.' - Tsukahara Bokuden.

Peace. 'Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.' - Yagyu Munenori.

Samurai Character. 'An unpolished crystal does not shine; an undisciplined samurai does not have brilliance. A samurai therefore should cultivate his mind.' - Anonymous.

Three More Samurai Sayings
The following three sayings were aming the favourites of Omori Sogen, the foremost Zen Master of the twentieth century.

'When a cow drinks water, it becomes milk. When a snake drinks water, it becomes poison.' Omori often used this traditional saying in his teaching to illustrate the point that thinking about cause and effect is an empty chase after meaning. Awareness of conditions is far more useful.

'True 'no-thought, no-mind' zazen is just one thing - to have a dauntless mind.' This maxim of Suzuki Shosan was another favorite of Omori.

'The Way is a natural way of the Universe, and to learn it, one must revere Heaven, love man, and live one's life from first to last in self-control.' - This saying by Saigo Takamori was much valued by Omori. This translation of the saying is by Trevor Leggett.

http://www.keganpaul.com/articles_main.php?url=/main_file.php/articles/25/

diamondgypsy

10-14-2007, 01:47 PM

How's this for a novel idea?

1. If you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything.
2. Unless you have the IP address,don't assume so-and-so wrote something.
3. Take time to read or re-read posts or comments. Haste sometimes leads to confusion.
4. If you genuinely need advice or help, someone will come to your rescue, in words only, but, someone will.
5. Yes, people get to know each other and some become close friends. Some even get together as partners.
6. Please, don't let spoil-sports who relish in ruining other people's day get you down.
7. No matter what is said, you know that shit happens and that it comes and goes.
8. The main reason you log on to this site is that you are in need of human contact outside your own environment.
9. It might be a good idea to keep your circle of Roo friends under wrap, unless you want to become a target.
10. Keep it light! Humor is greatly appreciated.

The above requests don't cost anything, except for a bit of courtesy and respect.

Signed: Good Grief!
p.s. I have met people here who will be my friends for ever. I'm sure the list will keep on growing.

votes (7) 73262135. October 13th, 2007 at 11:17 pm.
--jokeroo.com

diamondgypsy

10-17-2007, 07:10 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Pigs Can Fly Day? In 2000, a 300-pound pig
named Charlotte boarded USAirways Flight 107 along with its
owner. For most of the six-hour flight from Philadelphia to
Seattle the pig slept, but it went hog wild as the Boeing 757
taxied to the terminal. The animal reportedly tried to enter
the cockpit and refused to leave the galley until a passenger
tossed food at it. The owner denied that Charlotte behaved
badly during the flight... :-)

diamondgypsy

10-17-2007, 07:04 PM

Did you know...

One of the Bond girls in the James Bond movie, "For Your Eyes Only," used to be a man.

diamondgypsy

10-18-2007, 11:57 PM

Even More Useless (and maybe incorrect) Facts #3
==========================================

There are two credit cards for every person in the United
States.

Cat urine glows under a black light.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the
child reaches 2-6 years of age.

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of
the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton
growers in the 30s lobbied against hemp farmers. They saw it as
competition.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan.

If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have
produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you
pass gas consistently for 6 years and 9 months enough gas is
produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the
body to squirt blood 30 feet.

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
(Maybe too many people saw the movie, "Arachnophobia.")

Do you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne
cork than by a poisonous spider?

The strongest muscle in the body is the TONGUE.

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
--MountainWings

diamondgypsy

10-19-2007, 12:09 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the beginning of National Character Counts
Week? Proclaimed in 1996, this week promotes the six pillars
of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility,
fairness, caring, and citizenship.

diamondgypsy

10-21-2007, 08:13 PM

Did you know...

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades - King David, Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts - Charlemagne, Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

diamondgypsy

10-22-2007, 09:38 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Clean Up the Earth Day? Six months after
Earth Day, take time out to renew your commitment to clean up the earth and preserve it.

diamondgypsy

10-22-2007, 07:27 PM

Did you know...

It's Caps Lock Day! As you have your drink, type with the caps lock key on all day long!

--from Today's Reason to Drink

diamondgypsy

10-23-2007, 03:52 PM

Did you know...

This Day in History
Peyo Introduces The Smurfs (1958)
The Smurfs, or Les Schtroumpfs in French, are a fictional race of small blue creatures that live in a forest somewhere in Europe. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world, but English-speakers perhaps know them best from the animated television series from Hanna-Barbera Productions. The Smurf franchise has spawned movies, television shows, figurines, and countless other merchandise. How did Peyo come up with the name for his famous creatures?

http://home.doramail.com/elvis-elvira:doramail.com/smurfs.jpg

diamondgypsy

10-24-2007, 10:05 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Live to Tell About It All Day? This day
celebrates the anniversary of the 1901 date when Anna Edson
Taylor became the first person and woman to go over Niagara
Falls in a barrel and live to tell about it.

diamondgypsy

10-25-2007, 07:49 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the start of National Magic Week? This week
is designed to make people happy by doing magic in nursing
homes and hospitals. Do your part and put a little magic into
someone's life.

diamondgypsy

10-29-2007, 06:53 AM

Did you know...

... that today is College Fraternity Day? The first college
fraternity was founded in 1833. Enjoy the day with all your
pals who shared the same college fraternity with you or just a group of great friends you have now!

diamondgypsy

10-29-2007, 02:36 PM

Did you know...

Today's useless fact:
Exactly what IS Victoria's Secret? How did they come up with that name?

The origin of a company name is often a mystery. What we discovered, (besides the fact that Heidi Klum has been chosen to wear the Victoria's Secret jewel-encrusted Fantasy Bra a record three -- count 'em, three! -- times) is that there is no one "secret.

The Victoria of Victoria's Secret likely refers to the British queen. Ipso facto, one can conclude the aforementioned "secret" is merely part of a clever branding strategy, alluding to the titillating possibility that the prudish monarch (who at one point during her reign went into seclusion for 25 years) liked to wear sexy lingerie like the stretch lace Miracle Bra. Lucky Prince Albert.

But despite what some would say was a cultivated aura of Anglicism, Victoria's Secret started in the early 70s as a small lingerie shop in San Francisco. The store was decorated, according to Les Wexner, CEO of Victoria's parent company, like a Victorian brothel, complete with red leather sofas.

diamondgypsy

10-30-2007, 06:22 AM

Did you know...

... that today marks the start of Mischief Night? The night before
Halloween is a night for harmless pranks. Hide your toilet paper
from your kids!

diamondgypsy

11-01-2007, 03:23 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the start of National Clean Out Your
Refrigerator Month? During the month before Thanksgiving Day, take time to clean out and organize your refrigerator before the holiday season. Make room!

diamondgypsy

11-04-2007, 03:21 PM

Did you know...

There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.

diamondgypsy

11-05-2007, 04:37 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Harry Potter the Movie Day? In 2001, the
first Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone," premiered on movie screens in Great Britain. 11 days
later, it premiered on USA screens nationwide on November
16th. The movie set a new three-day opening weekend record.

diamondgypsy

11-05-2007, 02:58 PM

Did you know...

Received from: FactMaster
Today's useless fact - Is the Bible copyrighted?

There are no original Biblical copyright holders. The Bible was written by roughly 40 or so people over the span of 1,500 years (from around 1450 B.C. until A.D. 100). It was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. Many modern translations of the Bible are copyrighted. While several of these Bible copyright holders offer their translations online and allow people to make attributed quotes, they would probably frown upon someone printing their translation and trying to sell it. Besides, since a Bible quote in English is by definition a translation, it's good practice to attribute the source.

As we quickly discovered, copyright law is a complicated affair. Many books become public domain 70 years after the author's death. Of course, it goes without saying that the Bible isn't your average book, so we suggest you check with the publisher. However, the Bible Gateway notes that many versions are in the public domain including the King James Bible.
--Top Greetings.com and Freaking News

diamondgypsy

11-06-2007, 02:47 PM

Did you know...

When Scott Paper Co. first started manufacturing toilet paper they did not put their name on the product because of embarrassment.

Atlas

11-07-2007, 12:18 AM

...That absent weight gain or childbirth, a womans boob is always the same shape as her nose.

Atlas

11-07-2007, 12:19 AM

...That your foot is always exactly the same length as the inside of your forearm, from crook to wrist

diamondgypsy

11-07-2007, 08:10 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of In-Flight Meals? In 1910,
during a 63-minute flight from Dayton, Ohio, to Columbus,
Ohio, pilot Philip Parmalee ate a sack lunch provided to him
by Orville Wright. That lunch was the world's first in-flight
meal. Gosh, a sack lunch sounds like a gourmet meal
nowadays... ;-)

diamondgypsy

11-08-2007, 04:35 PM

Did you know...

The White House has 35 bathrooms, 3 elevators, 132 rooms, and 412 doors in it.
--Weird Fact of the Day
~Jokeroo.com

diamondgypsy

11-12-2007, 03:08 PM

Did you know...

... that today is National Pizza with the Works Except
Anchovies Day? Pizza lovers, unite! Grab a pizza with the
works and enjoy... Anchovy lovers, you're invited too!

diamondgypsy

11-12-2007, 03:12 PM

Trivia
Monday November 12, 2007

How high are the Angel Falls?
Venezuela's Angel Falls are a mile high. They were originally discovered from an airplane.

How bright is the Luxor beam?
The beam of light shining from the top of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada is the most powerful in the world. The equivalent of 40 billion candle power, the beam is visible to airplanes from a distance of 250 miles.

What made the District of Columbia unique?
Washington, D.C. was the first American city planned for a specific purpose. It was designed by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, to be a beautiful city with wide streets and many trees. The district was originally a 10 miles square crossing the Potomac River into Virginia. The Virginia part of the district was given back to Virginia in 1846.

Where can you see the chandelier of bones?
In a Czechoslovakian church there is a chandelier made of human bones. The ceiling is festooned with the remains of former worshipers. This most unusual chandelier is in the ossuary in Sedlec, in what used to be Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.

Who made the first teddy bears?
Ideal Toy Company was the first company to mass produce teddy bears.
--ArcaMax

diamondgypsy

11-13-2007, 09:27 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Artificial Snow? In 1946, an
airplane flew over Mount Greylock in western Massachusetts and
seeded the clouds with super-cooled ice crystals. It marked
the first field test of scientist Vincent Schaefer's
laboratory experiments. Today, virtually every American ski
area produces artificial snow, and snowmaking is a
multi-million dollar global business.

http://home.doramail.com/blondie:doramail.com/letitsnow.gif

diamondgypsy

11-14-2007, 09:17 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day, a day to remind
people of all the benefits of joy and laughter? Take time
today to experience a little joy and laughter with those you
love. It's good for you... and for them!

joelimo

11-15-2007, 09:02 AM

diamondgypsy

11-15-2007, 02:14 PM

poysanally,,,I've got nothing but time to enjoy anything and everything there is to do whatever it happens to be!!!
the glass is almost allways half full and ifin it ain't i'll find something to make it so!!!

good to hear, joe!

my glass is always half full, too, no matter what may be going on in my life. i am a - hopeless optimist - who tries to see a little bit O' good in everything - even bad stuff.

we seem to think and act the same.
great minds, huh?

diamondgypsy

11-15-2007, 02:15 PM

Did you know...

... that today is America Recycles Day? On this day, recycle
yard waste, glass, plastics, and more. Plus buy recycled
products as well. And don't stop after today. Our world is
worth it, don't you think?

diamondgypsy

11-17-2007, 01:10 AM

Did you know...

In the 1960 movie "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock, chocolate syrup was used to show the blood in the shower scene.

diamondgypsy

11-19-2007, 08:15 AM

Did you know...

... that today is All Odd Day? November 19, 1999, was the last
All Odd day of our lifetimes (every digit being an odd
number). The next such All Odd day will be on January 1, 3111.
So be sure to celebrate this one today!

diamondgypsy

11-20-2007, 08:17 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Timecard Clock? William
Bundy invented the timecard clock in 1888. With his brother,
Bundy formed the Bundy Manufacturing Company (1889), which later was consolidated into one of IBM's forerunners in 1902. So let's blame William!

diamondgypsy

11-23-2007, 07:58 AM

Did you know...

... that today, in addition to being Black Friday (the start
of the big Christmas shopping season) is the birthday of the
Pencil Sharpener? J.L. Love patented the first pencil
sharpener in 1897. Over a hundred years later, people around
the world continue to use his invention in some form. The next time you sharpen your pencil, make sure to remember the African American famous inventor, John Lee Love.

diamondgypsy

12-06-2007, 01:52 PM

Did you know...

... that today is 19th Nervous Breakdown Day? In 1965, the
Rolling Stones recorded "19th Nervous Breakdown." Instead of
having a breakdown, though, think about what you have to be
thankful for this holiday season -- so rather than having a
"19th Nervous Breakdown," you'll have a "Peaceful Easy
Feeling."

nuggy67

12-08-2007, 06:29 AM

I don't care about this. I wanna know if your pussy is shaved.

short_circuit

12-08-2007, 07:16 AM

Some look as if they are too skanky when they are shaved..! :mrgreen:
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9083/angryshavedcatbe4.jpg

diamondgypsy

12-18-2007, 02:37 PM

Did you know...

... that today is National Scrooge Week? According to an old
episode of "Mr. Ed" TV show, the seven days before Christmas
should be known as National Scrooge Week. Let's prove them
wrong by being nice to every person you meet!

diamondgypsy

12-31-2007, 12:20 PM

Did you know...

... that today, besides being New Year's Eve, is You're All
Done Day? Pat yourself on the back and savor your past year's
accomplishments. Happy New Year, everyone!

al_gy

01-06-2008, 07:18 AM

The Three Magi
Status: Fake
Yes, that's Tony Blair on the left and President Bush on the right. In the middle is the Duke of Edinburgh. They're dressed up as the three magi. It's pretty obvious that the picture is fake. Bush and Blair didn't really don these costumes. But it's not fake in the sense of being photoshopped. These are actually dummies (wax dummies, specifically) that appeared in a nativity scene at London's Madame Tussauds last Christmas. (Victoria and David Beckham served as Mary and Joseph.) Church leaders protested the scene, and it was soon shut down (http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/controversial%20nativity%20scene%20closed) after being vandalized. But this picture still seems to be circulating around.
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/EE/images/forumuploads/threemagi.jpg
Posted By: Alex | Date: Mon Dec 19, 2005 | Comments (http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/3834/) (4)

Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end. Page 1 of 1 pages Those church leaders. Always being not amused.
Posted by Citizen Premier in spite of public outcry on Mon Dec 19, 2005 at 10:35 PM A wax dummy, eh? So it is the real Bush!
Posted by Terry Austin in Surf City USA on Tue Dec 20, 2005 at 08:18 AM I knew it wasnt them, after all, the Magi were "wise" men.
Posted by Tom on Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 03:42 AM Very English humour, and the built-in giveawya is the Duke - A man whose wisdom and public utterances are not immediately reconcilable.

This after all is the man who once asked the then new Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, during the official handover of power from England, " Are you sure you want to do this?"
Posted by DFStuckey in Auckland New Zealand on Tue Jan 03, 2006 at 08:56 PM

exitwound

01-07-2008, 05:08 PM

Fascinating! I swear, even I can't quite digest all of the amazing info that you guys have been posting on TBH......keep it coming, folks! :mrgreen: :clap:

diamondgypsy

01-14-2008, 11:40 AM

Fascinating! I swear, even I can't quite digest all of the amazing info that you guys have been posting on TBH......keep it coming, folks! :mrgreen: :clap:

I know a lot of it is nothing more than 'useless/facts/information', but - believe it or not, sometimes it comes in handy for me in conversation. It's fun and well - like you, I find it amazing, ew.

diamondgypsy

01-14-2008, 11:41 AM

Did you know...

... that today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day? Celebrate by
picking out the perfect outfit for your pet and grabbing the
camera!

al_gy

01-16-2008, 06:24 PM

Ayatollahs Britain

من دلائل القدرة الإلهية في آليات الانتثار النباتية
Signs of divine power in the mechanisms of dispersion plant

http://www.55a.net/firas/photo/31451Star_rel.gifبقلم الدكتور نظمي خليل أبو العطا
By Dr. Nazmi Abu Khalil Ata

Pursue a livelihood in one of the ways God's creatures, everyone seeks to livelihood, Man sought by his feet, and the beasts, and the wheels, and boarding planes, ships and water space true to the words of God Almighty: (disperse in the land and seek of Fadlallah) Friday 10.

The birds seek the living Vaitir wings, and walk on his legs, back and hungry Vigdoa has filled Houselth after Snap love, seeds and animal Bmenkarh and revive land Bargelh, diving in the water with all his body attending abundant livelihood to Frakh several times a day, at the time of sunset is the Football Fans thanking the got a living, thank God.

The fish swim and dive into the rivers and seas and banks of fresh water and salt lakes in search of a living, and pay the water and Bvelh Zaaanfe, dive and Badilath Mthanth air, and breathes Bkhiahimh, filtering out food and go grovel to get a living.

The beasts seek a living in the active positive, and the erosion of sponsors and kill the prey, and bite into the lead and capture multiple tentacles, and Karonha and extract and every way God created them.

What do poor plant Aldroaon claiming that the creation of coincidence and indiscriminate, and without measure in this vast terrestrial environment?! And how to seek a living intensity has its roots firmly to the ground, and a single tree produces millions of seeds, fruits, cereals, which should remain in place after the crash threatened her mother and sisters The same loss of depletion of food and lack of space and lack of light?!

Why do plants in this place and narrowly defined and limited, and the territory around it God is great, and everybody demobilized and roaming and move and migrate in search of livelihood and living good?!!

If this plant relied on chance and random mutation and natural selection and, as planned Darwin, is doomed to hunger and vulnerability and loss, destruction and extinction!!

But God Almighty that anonymous Aldarun the quality, which gave him sustenance rights and the mind, hands, legs and raw materials for the machinery industry, which created wing of the bird and insect flying by, and the creation of fish fins and muscles, and Rizk Almthanat snake muscle, and ants Alvkok been established and has not forgotten this plant, which cost each food industry These assets ground, God Almighty Razzak, Alim, the expert, Latif behind still has not forgotten one of the created, and included mercy plants and created all the mechanisms provided the plant, and the spread of the means of dissemination to the pursuit of a livelihood in the vast land of God, the Almighty God and gave him and the sympathy for these mechanisms miracle that previously by humans and animals in the reconstruction of the universe Vtzlk coat http://www.55a.net/firas/photo/arabic/untitled_resize.jpg
Al, and flew in the air and swimming in the water, and human and animal behind, and fell valleys, and spare meridian and oceans and countries and spread in the hills and plains, and fields and deserts, and eyes cold and hot, and warm and cold areas, all the mechanisms and means of creative miracle Mottagnnh carried germs, seeds and grains The Securities and fruits, roots and legs everywhere Harweel and Harweel in this land.

فبذور بعض النباتات دقيقة الحجم كالدقيق خفيفة الوزن فحملتها الرياح إلى مكان بعيد جداً , كما هو الحال في نباتات الأراشد (Orchids) وحبوب اللقاح (Pollen grains).
CIP plant some minutes sized Flour lightweight Vhmmeltha wind to a place too far, as in plants Alarashid (Orchids) and pollen (Pollen grains).

ولثمار بعض النباتات أجنحة تحمل تلك الثمار إلى مسافات بعيدة , فعندما يحرك الهواء أغصان تلك النباتات المحملة بثمارها الجافة المجنحة الخفيفة المتزنه , فإنها تطير في الهواء بطريقة حلزونية طوربيبيه دواميه عجيبه فتصل إلى مسافات بعيدة, ومثالها نبات أبو المكارم Machaerium tipa .
The fruits of certain plants wings bear such fruits to the long distances, when air moves twigs those plants dry fruit-laden winged light balanced, they fly in the air in a spiral Torbibih tip wonderful amounted to long distances, such as plant Abu Makarim Machaerium tipa.

وفي نبات الحميض Romex sp .
In plant Sorrel Romex sp. يتحول الكأس الزهري إلى أجنحة تحمل الثمار بعد تمام نضجها إلى مسافات بعيدة .
Turn pink cup to the wings bear fruit after full maturity to long distances.

وأما في نبات الجعضيض Sonchus sp .
The plant in Aljedeid Sonchus sp.

The shift to fruit cup whiskers umbrella bear fruit to the thousands of kilometres, we saw how these strange fruits plane flying in the sleight-of-hand and Fitness in the air in balance, builders and activist Ajeeb How Llerena left in the fields and gardens, flying ahead, and the more of them paid close air away from us , and crying to the moon crying to the moon or to Nlhak Nmskha, how it was beautiful and gentle to come Bnoarh this plant, Nnther fruit in the air, which fills the place in the lightness of creative and wonderful beauty exceed all toys membrane filters water modern harmful
With all that Aldarun alleges that the plant-wise by Aimitlk factories and Amajnbarat not Abagesin tools and the process itself and the need incidentally random trial and error and even making this system engineering biophysical creative in the dissemination of seeds and fruits and spread, and forgot Hla million attempts by rights from the time Abbas Ibn Firnas even able to make the plane, how this plant is estimated that fruits and the length Filaments centres weight and balance to see this miracle in the creatures, scientific answer to those is what was said by Moses Talking peace when Pharaoh (it is said Rbakma Iamuse?!! said: God gave all created anything then Huda) Taha 49 - 50. وخلقه : بتسكين اللام أي صورته اللائقه بخاصيته (1) .
And created: reside cricket any improper image Boukasith (1). http://www.55a.net/firas/photo/arabic/conker.jpg

وهدى : أي أرشده لما يصلح له (ويصلح معيشته) ولا رد أبلغ وأعظم من هذا الرد المعجز (2) .
Hoda: any fixes it for him (and fit living) in response informed the greatest of this response Mu (2).

ولنبات الخشخاش Papaver : ثمرة كبيرة محموله على حامل طويل مرن متلاعب بالهواء وللثمرة في أعلاها ثقوب , فإذا حرك الهواء الثمار تمايلت لطول عنقها, ونثرت بذورها على اليمين وعن الشمال وفي الشرق والغرب وكل مكان حولها .
The poppy Papaver: fruit of the great portable carrier long flexible messing about air and fruit at the top holes, if the air moved Young men fruits of the long neck, and spread seeds on the right and on the north and east and the west and every place around.

فمن أعطى هذا النبات في الصحراء الخالية القاحلة المنقطعة هذا العلم الدقيق المتخصص لتصنع هذا التركيب العجيب من المظلات والأجنحة لاجتياز الفيافي والقفار , وعبور البحار والأنهار (3) ؟!!
It gave this plant in the desert arid free interrupted this exact science specialist to create this strange installation of umbrellas and wings to cross the meridian and wasteland, and crossing the sea and rivers (3)?!!

وهكذا وسعت رحمة ربك , التي وسعت كل شيء , هذا النبات فطارت ثماره كما يطير الطير في الهواء بجناحيه بحثاً عن الرزق والمكان المناسب في أرض الله الواسعة , فقد شملت رحمة الله كل جنس (Genes) نباتي, وكل نوع (Species) وكل صنف (Varaites) وكأن لكل منها عناية خاصة به وحده من دون خلق الله , فمن دبر أحوال ترليونات الأجناس والأنواع والأصناف النباتية , وحسب لها الغذاء , وهيأ لها المكان , ورزقها بآليات للوصول إلى مكان الرزق؟!!.
Thus sought mercy Lord, which has everything, this plant result fruit fly as the birds in the air wings in search of livelihood and the right place in the vast land of God, God's mercy has included every race (Genes), Plant Each type (Species) Each item (Varaites ), each of which special attention by the unit without God's creation, it is arranged conditions trillion races, species and varieties of plants and, as with food, and have no place, and the livelihood mechanisms for access to the place of livelihood?!!.

وبعض النباتات تركب الحيوان والانسان وتتعلق به لتصل إلى مسافات بعيده فنبات الشبيط Xanthium زوده الله سبحانه وتعالى بخطاطيف تتعلق بفراء الحيوان وشعره وصوفه وريشه , وتتعلق بملابس الانسان فتنتقل إلى كل مكان يصل إليه الحيوان والانسان , كما أنها تتعلق بأجولة التعبئة للمحاصيل لتصل إلى بلاد بعيدة عبر الشحن البري والمائي والجوي .
Some plants mounted animals and humans and relates to reach long distances plant Alcbit Xanthium gave him God Almighty Bouktaatif on Pfera animal and poetry and Soufah and brushes, clothes and related rights to moving everywhere have reached animals and humans, as they relate Pajulh packing of crops to reach far across the country freight land, water and air.

كما يقوم الانسان في عمليات التصدير والاستيراد, والتهادي , والبيع والشراء بنقل النباتات والبذور والحبوب وتوزيعها على البلاد القريبة والبعيدة , وينقل الانسان والحيوان والطير البذور التي يأكلها ولاتتأثر بالعصارات الهاضمة بما وهبها الله من أغلفة حامية لها من العصارة الهاضمة , ينقل الانسان والحيوان والطير هذه البذور والحبوب إلى أماكن بعيده, وتقوم الأبقار والأغنام والخيول والغزلان بنفس الآلية مع العديد من النباتات البرية.
As the rights in the export and import operations, Strutting, and the sale and purchase transfer plants and seeds, grains and distribution of the country near and far, and transferred humans, animals and birds that eat seeds and not affected Balasarat feet including God-given casings from preservers of succulents feet, convey human, animal and bird seed and the grain to distant places, and the cattle, sheep, horses and deer same mechanism with many wild plants. http://www.55a.net/firas/photo/arabic/image_sci_plant018.jpg

ويقوم الماء في العيون والأنهار والبحار والمحيطات والسيول والمصارف وقنوات الري والصرف المنتشرة في العالم , يقوم بنقل الثمار والحبوب والبذور المهيأة للنقل المائي إلى مسافات بعيدة , وقد زود الله هذه الثمار والحبوب والبذور بأغلفة عوامة وحافظة للثمار حتى لاتتلف , وقد تتبع أحد المصورين ثمرة نبات انتقلت عبر المحيط من الهند إلى أوروبا في آلية معجزة وغريبة.
The water in the eyes, rivers and seas and oceans and floods, banks and irrigation canals and drainage deployed in the world, the transfer of fruits, grains, seeds prepared to transfer water to distances far, God has provided these fruits, grains, seeds and casings buoy portfolio of fruits even Ataatlv, has been tracking one of photographers moved through the fruit plant Pacific from India to Europe in the miracle and strange.

وهناك الآليات الذاتية الميكانيكية لتفتح الثمار وانتثار البذور وانتشارها وتبدوا هذه الآليات مبكرا في الحزازيات المنبطحة (Hepaticeae or Liverworts) حيث توجد آلية ميكانيكية لتفتح الحوافظ الجرثومية (Capsule) للنبات الجرثومي (Sporophyte) حيث توجد تراكيب عقيمة ملتوية بين الجراثيم الخصبة كما في نبات الماركانتيا Marchantia sp .
A self-mechanical mechanisms to open fruit and seed dissemination and proliferation of these mechanisms and show early in mosses lying (Hepaticeae or Liverworts) where there is a mechanism for mechanical open portfolio germ (Capsule) plant bacterial (Sporophyte) where no structures sterile roundabout between microbes fertile as in the plant Almarcantea Marchantia sp . فإذا انفتحت الحوافظ تطايرت الخيوط العقيمة الناثرة (Elaters) بما لها من خاصية هيجروسكوبية (Hygroscopic) فتنثر الجراثيم بعيداً عن النبات الأم.
If opened portfolio torn threads sterile Natherh (Elaters) with its characteristic Hygroscopy (Hygroscopic) Vtnther germs away from the mother plant.

وفي نبات الفيوناريا Funaria sp .
In plant Fayyonaraya Funaria sp. تتكون أسنان بريستومية (Peristome teeth ) والطوق (Annulus) والغطاء (Operculum) وهي تراكيب توجد في الطور الجرثومي (Sporophyte) , تقوم بفتح الحافظة الجرثومية (Capsule) بآلية عجيبة في الجو الجاف , ناثرة الجراثيم إلى مسافات بعيده , كما تخرج الرصاصات من بندقية الصيد بالرش (الخرطوش).
Consisting teeth Brictomih (Peristome teeth), the ring (Annulus) and cover (Operculum) structures are in a stage bacterial (Sporophyte), the opening of the portfolio germ (Capsule) mechanism wonderful in the air dry, oozing bacteria to long distances, and graduated from rifle bullets fishing spray (cartridge).

وفي السراخس (Ferns) مثل نبات كزبرة البئر Adiantum تنفتح الحافظة الجرثومية (Sporangium) بآلية تلقي بالجراثيم (Spores) بعيداً عن الأم كما تلقي الكرة بالمضرب في لعبة التنس (4) .
In Ferns (Ferns) as well Adiantum Coriander plant opens portfolio germ (Sporangium) received a clean persist (Spores) away from the mother also received a ball bat in a game of tennis (4).

وكما قلنا سابقاً فإن حبوب اللقاح نفسها خفيفة الوزن وكثيرة العدد حيث تحملها الرياح لأميال لتلقيح الأزهار المؤنثة واتمام عملية التلقيح والاخصاب.
As we have said before, pollen same lightweight, where many wind-blown number of miles to vaccinate feminine flowers and complete the process of pollination and fertilization.

وهناك الفطريات التي فصلت في مملكة مستقلة كما قلنا في مقالات أخرى تلك الفطريات تنتج العديد من الجراثيم يصل عددها في فطر البافبول العملاق (Gaint puffball) إلى خمسة ترليون جرثومة (5) تطلقها في الهواء ناشرة إياها في مساحات واسعة , فتصور معي أن هذا العدد من الجراثيم قد سقط ونبت ونمى في نفس المكان فأي كارثة حيوية وبيئية تنتظر هذا الفطر الضعيف ؟!.
There are fungi, which separated in the Kingdom of independent, as we said in other articles that fungi produce many germs up in the giant mushroom Puffball (Gaint puffball) to five trillion germ (5) launched by the publishers and in the air in large areas, Imagine with me that this number of germs had fallen and grew and grew in the same place any vitality and environmental disaster waiting this fungus weak?!.

كل ذلك يدلل على أن الله قد خلق هذه الكائنات وقدر لها رزقها, ووهبها على ضعفها من الأليات التي تنشرها بفضل الله في الأرض لتحصل على رزقها مصداقاً لقول الله تعالى : ( وعنده مفاتيح الغيب لايعلمها إلا هو ويعلم ما في البر والبحر وما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها ولا حبة في ظلمات الأرض ولا رطب ولا يابس إلا في كتاب مبين ) الأنعام59 .
All of this demonstrates that God has created these organisms destined livelihood, and donated to the weakness of the mechanisms published by the grace of God on earth to get their living true to the words of God Almighty: (Him keys of the unseen Ayalmha only knows what is in the Land, Sea and the drop from paper only not known bead in the darkness and wet land Yebis not only shown in the book) cattle 59. http://www.55a.net/firas/photo/arabic/iris.jpg

فهو سبحانه يعلم كل حبة من ترليونات الحبوب والبذور والثمار والأوراق التي تسقط على الأرض , وتنتقل في الرطب واليابس , والسهل والجبل , والبحر والهواء وتنضج وتيبس ثم تنبت وتترطب في البيئة الأرضية , فإذا كانت فطرة البافبول العملاقة Gaint puffball )) الواحدة تعطي خمس ترليون جرثومة في الثمرة الزقية (Ascocarp) الواحدة , وكل جرثومه تطير وتسقط وتنبت وتنمو وتتزاوج وتتكاثر وتنقسم حتى تعطي من جديد الثمرة الزقية (Ascocarp) كل ذلك لايمكن أن يحدث دون علم الله وتقديره وتدبيره , فالله لم يخلق الخلق عبثاً , ولم يتركهم هملا , بل خلقهم لغايات مقدره , ورعاهم برعايته , وتكفل برزقهم سبحانه وتعالى كما قال في كتابه الكريم (ومامن دابة في الأرض إلا على الله رزقها ويعلم مستقرها ومستودعها كل في كتاب مبين ) هود 6.
It Almighty knows every grain of trillions of grain, seeds and fruits, securities, which fall on the ground, and moves in the wet and the ground, valleys and mountains, sea, air and mature and then grows and desiccate Taatrdob in the terrestrial environment, if the encroachment Puffball giant Gaint puffball)) gives five per trillion in Germ Zekaya fruit (Ascocarp) each and every germ fly and fall and grow and grow and breed and multiply and divided so as to give the new fruit Zekaya (Ascocarp) All of this can happen without the knowledge of God and appreciation and get it, God did not create the creatures in vain, and left word, but created the goals ability , and rose care, and ensure Brozkhm Almighty God and as he said in his book Karim (and safe animal in the ground only to God livelihood, and he knows every creature and its repository shown in the book) Hood 6.

فكل بذرة تدب على الأرض , وكل ثمرة تدب على الأرض , وكل جرثومة تدب على الأرض , وإذا استطعنا أن نكبر أصوات دب تلك المخلوقات لسمعنا دبيب سقوطها , ودبيب تحرك جذورها وسيقانها , وكل هذه الترليونات على الله وحده رزقها مصداقاً لقوله تعالى ( وبارك فيها وقدر فيها أقواتها في أربعة أيام سواء للسائلين) فصلت 10 (5) .
Every seed runs on the ground, and all the fruit runs on the ground, every germ runs on the ground, and if we were able to admire the votes needed to hear those creatures creeping crash, and creeping roots movement and legs, all Altrliunat to God alone livelihood illustration of the meaning (and Park and the extent sustenance in four days for both asking) FIRE 10 (5).

وهو سبحانه الذي هيأ لها آليات الانتثار والانتشار في الأرض لتحصل على رزقها المقدر لها , وهذا مايجب على كل مؤمن أن يتعلمه ولاتنسيه ألفة الأشياء عظمتها , فكل شيء مخلوق لغاية مقدره , وبتقدير فائق , وبحكمة بالغة , وآليات انتثار البذور والثمار والحبوب والجراثيم من دلائل القدرة الإلهية في المخلوقات النباتية
It Sublime, which provided them dispersal mechanisms and proliferation in the land to get the estimated livelihood, and this is every believer to learn and Atenseeh familiar things might impress, everything creature of the very ability, in high esteem, and very wisely, and mechanisms for the dissemination of seeds and fruits, cereals and germs signs of divine power creatures in the plant

-------------------------
-------------------------

(1) – انظر : كلمات القرآن, تفسير وبيان الشيخ حسنين مخلوف, الاسكندرية: دار الصفا والمروة للنشر والتوزيع.
(1) - See: words of the Koran, and the interpretation of the statement, Sheikh Hassanein Makhlouf, Alexandria: Dar al-Safa and Marwa for publication and distribution.

(2) انظر موضوع (ربنا الذي أعطى كل شيء خلقه ثم هدى) في كتابنا آيات معجزات من القرآن الكريم وعالم النبات.
(2) See the subject (God who gave everything and then created Huda) in our book states Miracles of the Koran and the world of plants.

(3) انظر موضوع اوائل المعمرين جاءوا بالبارشوتات في كتابنا اعجاز النبات في القرآن الكريم : مكتبة النور- القاهرة.
(3) See the subject came early aged Balbarashwtat in our book trunks of plants in the Koran: Library light - Cairo.

(4) لم أشأ أن ادخل القارئ غير المختص في تفاصيل تلك التراكيب وأجزائها حتى لاتضيع الفكرة في خضم التفاصيل العلمية.
(4) did not want to enter the non-specialist reader into the details of those combinations and even parts of Atadhaa idea in the midst of scientific details.

(5) Biology life on Earth , Teresa Audesirk and Gerald Audesirk.
(5) Biology life on Earth, Teresa Audesirk and Gerald Audesirk. Prentice Hall , upper River.
Prentice Hall, upper River. New jersey(1996)(P.432).
New jersey (1996) (P.432).

(6) انظر موضوع ( وقدر فيها أقواتها ) من كتابنا آيات معجزات من القرآن الكريم وعالم النبات
(6) See the subject (and to the extent where sustenance) of the Federated States of our book Miracles of the Koran and the world of plants

جميع حقوق الموقع محفوظة
All rights reserved site

لموسوعة الإعجاز العلمي في القرآن والسنة
Guinness Book of scientific miracle in the Quran and Sunnah

www.55a.net
Www.55a.net

diamondgypsy

01-23-2008, 01:57 PM

Did you know...

... that today is National Handwriting Day? On the birthday of
John Hancock (1737), who was the first and boldest signer of
the Declaration of Independence, celebrate good handwriting.
This day encourages people to write neatly so others can easily
read it. So get off the computer and reintroduce yourself to a
pen or pencil and a piece of paper, and start writing!

al_gy

01-24-2008, 12:38 AM

YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 WHEN (http://www.ihasan.com/you-know-you-are-living-in-2007-when/)

June 28th, 2007 by Hasan Life (http://www.ihasan.com/category/life/)
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list.

One Response to “YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 WHEN”

Sarah (http://www.itamer.com/) Says:
October 11th, 2007 at 10:03 pm (http://www.ihasan.com/you-know-you-are-living-in-2007-when/#comment-11)You’re working on a multiscreen system and get frustrated that you can’t copy and paste between them - same keyboard!!!

diamondgypsy

02-04-2008, 01:43 PM

Did you know...

... that today is National Homemade Soup Day? Good, delicious
homemade soup is a work of art... and love! Show your love
today... just stew it!

Persephone

02-04-2008, 02:07 PM

Did you know...

... that today is National Homemade Soup Day? Good, delicious
homemade soup is a work of art... and love! Show your love
today... just stew it!

Hmmm... good to know. I guess I will make that coconut curry dahl with carrots and potatoes after all. :favorite:

diamondgypsy

02-16-2008, 02:10 PM

Hmmm... good to know. I guess I will make that coconut curry dahl with carrots and potatoes after all. :favorite:

Yum! Sounds good, Per.

How have you been?

diamondgypsy

02-16-2008, 02:10 PM

Did you know...

What is gjetost made from?
Gjetost is the national cheese of Norway, and its name means "goat" and "cheese," though it is now commonly made of cow's milk.

Why can't an Orca sleep?
Orca whales are voluntary breathers. For this reason, they sleep with only half of their brain at one time. The other half remains alert to regulate breathing. Resident whales typically remain near the surface, breathing and swimming in a pattern. When traveling together, resident pods have been observed to breathe in unison. Although it is not known why this occurs, it could be a way of helping the pod keep tabs on one another.

Which American city is warmest?
Key West, Florida, is the top-ranking American city for warmth, with an annual average temperature of 77.7 degrees F; International Falls, Minnesota, is the coldest, with an annual average of 36.4 degrees F.

Which planet has the shortest day?
Jupiter is the planet with the shortest day: slightly under 10 hours. However, its years are 12 times as long as ours.

How corrosive is stomach acid?
The hydrochloric acid of the human digestive process is so strong a corrosive that it easily can eat its way through a cotton handkerchief, and even through the iron of an automobile body. Yet, it doesn't endanger the stomach's sticky mucus walls.

--ArcaMax Publishing

diamondgypsy

06-18-2008, 01:58 PM

Did you know...

... that today is Count Your $$ Day? Count your money on the
birthday of money management writer Sylvia Porter. She was born
on June 18, 1913, at Patchogue, New York.

diamondgypsy

06-23-2008, 11:42 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Remington Typewriter?
Christopher Sholes received a patent for the typewriter in
1868. Six years later in July 1874, Sholes introduced the
Remington No. 1, the first commercially successful typewriter.

Just think of how many people have never ever touched a
typewriter!

diamondgypsy

06-25-2008, 10:02 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Leon Day? Leon Day (Noel spelled backwards)
is six months from Christmas. This is a day to celebrate anyone
named Leon. It is also a day to receive rather than give a
gift. If nothing else, it is a great reason to start making all
those home-made gifts and decorations so they might be done by
Christmas!

_______

O, groan - I guess I have to start shopping soon! Six months will go by in a flash.

diamondgypsy

06-26-2008, 06:07 PM

Did you know...

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
116 years
from 1337 to 1453

2) Which country makes Panama hats?
Ecuador

3) From which animal do we get catgut?
From sheep and horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
November
The Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
Squirrel fur

6) The Canary Islands are named after what animal?
Dog
The Latin name was Insularia Canaria - Island of the Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Albert
When he came to the throne in 1936 he respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert

8) What colour is a purple finch?
Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
New Zealand

10) How long did the Thirty Years War last?
Thirty years, of course - from 1618 to 1648

diamondgypsy

07-01-2008, 01:08 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Sunglasses? Sunglasses were
invented in China in 1200 to conceal the eyes of judges while
sitting in court. Only in the 1930s did tinted glasses get used
to cut the glare of the sun. Be sure to keep your eyes safe
outside by keeping on your shades...

diamondgypsy

07-03-2008, 07:19 PM

Did you know...

History of the 4th of July

“Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen and Amen.”
--Virginia Gazette on July 18th, 1777--

Schoolchildren in America learn the basic history of the events surrounding the Fourth of July, but the details of this monumental occasion in American history somehow fall through the cracks.

Although July 4th is celebrated as America’s official split from Britain’s rule and the beginning of the American Revolution, the actual series of events show that the process took far longer than a single day.

Taxation without representation! That was the battle cry of the 13 colonies in America who were forced to pay taxes to England’s King George III with no representation in Parliament. As dissatisfaction grew, British troops were sent in to quell any signs of rebellion, and repeated attempts by the colonists to resolve the crisis without war proved fruitless.

The original resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776, and called for the Continental Congress to declare the United States free from British rule.

On June 11, 1776, the colonies’ Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, formed a committee with the express purpose of drafting a document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. The document was crafted by Jefferson, who was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer (nevertheless, a total of 86 changes were made to his draft!) The final version, the document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, although the resolution that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved two days earlier.

The following day, copies of the Declaration of Independence were distributed and, on July 6, The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to print the extraordinary document.

On July 8, 1776, the first public readings of the Declaration were held in Philadelphia’s Independence Square to the ringing of bells and band music.
All of this had occurred with some of the delegates to the Congress not even present; New York, for example, did not even vote on the resolution until July 9th. (Did you know that that not a single signature was appended to the Declaration on July 4th. While most of the fifty-six names were in place by early August, one signer, Thomas McKean, did not actually sign the Declaration until 1781.)

One year later, on July 4, 1777, Philadelphia marked Independence Day by adjourning Congress and celebrating with bonfires, bells and fireworks.

The custom eventually spread to other towns both large and small, where the day was marked with processions, oratory, picnics, contests, games, military displays and fireworks. Observations throughout the nation became even more common at the end of the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C., to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter, Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote. In it, Jefferson says of the document:

May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ... For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.
In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal Federal holiday. Today, communities across the nation mark this major midsummer holiday with parades, fireworks, picnics and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner" and marches by John Philip Sousa.

Special Celebrations

Many Fourth of July customs have not changed since our earliest celebrations. But some communities across the nation have developed their own special traditions:

Celebrants in Seward, Alaska, take part in a six-mile foot race to the top of Mount Marathon and back. Further north in Kotzebue, Alaska, traditional Inuit contests are held.
The citizens of Lititz, Pennsylvania have spent their winters since 1818 making thousands of candles so that the children of the town can light them during a special "Festival of Candles" the night of July 4.
And, on the morning of July 4, the community of Tecumseh, Nebraska, raises more than 200 flags around the courthouse as a way of remembering those who have served in our country’s armed forces. Each flagpole bears the name of a man or woman from Tecumseh who has served in the United States military.
On July 4, 1976 major celebrations throughout the country marked America’s 200th birthday. In Washington, D.C., 33 tons of fireworks were exploded in the sky above the Washington Monument, along with Laser beams that spelled out " 1776-1976, Happy Birthday, USA." In New York, a succession of tall sailing ships from all over the world sailed up the Hudson River.

http://www.festivefever.com/independence/historyfourth.htm
http://home.doramail.com/blondie:doramail.com/gypsyboot.gif

diamondgypsy

07-14-2008, 09:45 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Crop Circles? In 1988, the
first crop circles appeared on Silbury Hill in England. Crop
circles are an unexplained phenomenon that appears in fields of
wheat and other grain. Explanations range from tricky rascals
to UFOs to unusual energy fields.

diamondgypsy

07-15-2008, 09:15 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Be a Dork Day? This is the day to celebrate
being a Dork. Be proud! Wear goofy clothing, don't brush your
teeth, eat yucky food, and fall off a swing set...

diamondgypsy

07-24-2008, 12:16 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Marvin Martian? This Looney
Tunes cartoons character made his debut in 1948's Haredevil
Hare. Because Bugs Bunny soon learned to outwit the blustery
Yosemite Sam, animation director Chuck Jones decided to create
the opposite type of character; one who was quiet and
soft-spoken, but whose actions were incredibly destructive and
legitimately dangerous. Fast fact: Marvin's likeness appears in
miniature on both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars!

diamondgypsy

07-24-2008, 12:29 PM

Did you know...

Mosquitoes prefer children to adults, and blondes to brunettes.

diamondgypsy

08-04-2008, 06:03 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Kentucky Fried Chicken? In
1952, Colonel Harland Sanders granted the first KFC franchise
to Pete Harman of Salt Lake City. A handshake agreement
stipulated a payment of a nickel to Sanders for each chicken
sold. And now today, more than a billion of the Colonel's
"finger lickin' good" chicken dinners are served annually in
more than 80 countries and territories around the world! Way to
go, Colonel!

diamondgypsy

08-12-2008, 11:11 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Truck Driver's Day? Today is a time to give
a nice thought to all of those people who travel the road.
Truckers move our mail, our groceries and about everything
else -- including, sometimes, us! They keep the economy going,
but they also spend a lot of time far away from home. Today
let's say, "We Love Truckers!"

diamondgypsy

08-20-2008, 10:08 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Voyager Spacecraft? In
1977, the Voyager 1 space probe was launched from Cape
Canaveral, Florida. It was the first earth spacecraft to come
close to Jupiter, Saturn, and the other outer planets. Today,
in a dark, cold, vacant neighborhood at the very edge of our
solar system, Voyager 1 holds the record as the Earth explorer
that has traveled farthest from home.

diamondgypsy

09-03-2008, 02:37 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of BowieNet? In 1998, David
Bowie launched the world's first artist-created Internet access
service, BowieNet. BowieNet offers news, sports, and finance
information, and of course music and entertainment coverage.

diamondgypsy

09-18-2008, 11:47 AM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Nimda Computer Virus? In
2001, the W32.Nimda computer virus hit more than 100,000
computers worldwide, primarily affecting computer networks and
servers running Microsoft Windows NT or Microsoft 2000
software. Multiple propagation vectors allowed Nimda to become
the Internet's most widespread virus/worm within 22 minutes!

diamondgypsy

10-06-2008, 10:22 AM

Did you know...

... that today is Mr. Z Rex Discovery Day? In 1992, Mr. Z. Rex,
the largest T. Rex ever discovered, was uncovered by
paleontologists Alan and Robert Detrich on a private cattle
ranch in northwestern South Dakota. Mr. Z. Rex has the largest
and best male skull with the longest, most imposing teeth --
some measuring 13 inches -- of any T. Rex ever discovered.
Yikes!

diamondgypsy

10-15-2008, 09:13 AM

Did you know...

... that today is National Grouch Day? This day recognizes
people who are chronically irritable. It doesn't necessary
accept these people or encourage them. And it certainly doesn't
honor them. It only recognizes that they exist. Celebrate today
by not being a grouch!

diamondgypsy

10-21-2008, 10:38 AM

Did you know...

The first credit card was issued in 1951
Credit was first used in Assyria, Babylon and Egypt 3000 years ago. The bill of exchange - the forerunner of banknotes - was established in the 14th century. Debts were settled by one-third cash and two-thirds bill of exchange. Paper money followed only in the 17th century.

The first advertisement for credit was placed in 1730 by Christopher Thornton, who offered furniture that could be paid off weekly.

From the 18th century until the early part of the 20th, tallymen sold clothes in return for small weekly payments. They were called "tallymen" because they kept a record or tally of what people had bought on a wooden stick. One side of the stick was marked with notches to represent the amount of debt and the other side was a record of payments. In the 1920s, a shopper's plate - a "buy now, pay later" system - was introduced in the USA. It could only be used in the shops which issued it.

In 1950, Diners Club and American Express launched their charge cards in the USA, the first "plastic money". In 1951, Diners Club issued the first credit card to 200 customers who could use it at 27 restaurants in New York. But it was only until the establishment of standards for the magnetic strip in 1970 that the credit card became part of the information age.

The first use of magnetic stripes on cards was in the early 1960's, when the London Transit Authority installed a magnetic stripe system. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit installed a paper based ticket the same size as the credit cards in the late 1960's.

The word credit comes from Latin, meaning "trust".

Cheques (checks) came into use in 1875.

http://www.didyouknow.cd/creditcards.htm

diamondgypsy

10-21-2008, 10:41 AM

Did you know...

Odd Laws

During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because it was thought that they were expelling evil from their bodies. During the great plague of Europe, the Pope passed a law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed.

There still are some weird laws on the books. In Washington state, it is against the law to boast that one's parents are rich. In Maryland, it's illegal to play Randy Newman's "Short People" on the radio. In Alabama it is illegal to play Dominoes on Sunday. And in Minneapolis, double-parkers can be put on a chain gang.

In 1313, King Edward II enacted that "You are forbidden from dying in parliament."

An old statute in Kentucky states that men who push their wives out of bed for inflicting their cold toes on them can be fined or jailed for a week. A 100-year-old law in Willowdale, Oregon makes it illegal to swear during sex. An odd law in Minnesota makes it illegal to hang male and female underwear on the same washing line. In Melbourne, Australia it is illegal for men to parade in strapless dresses - but they are allowed to cross-dress in anything with sleeves.

An old law in Russia allows a police officer to "beat a peeping tom soundly." In Texas, two categories of men are exempt from peeping tom charges: men over 50 and men with only one eye.

A pregnant woman can urinate anywhere she wishes, including a policeman's helmet, according to a London local by-law. But in Vermont, women require their husbands permission to wear false teeth.

In Virginia, horses of more than one year old are prohibited in a place of worship. In Tennessee, shooting any game other than whales from a moving automobile is against the law. In Normal, Oklahoma you could be sent to prison for "making an ugly face at a dog."

http://www.didyouknow.cd/laws.htm

diamondgypsy

10-21-2008, 09:29 PM

Did you know...

There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day.

The sperm count of an average American male compared to thirty years ago is down thirty percent.

An adult esophagus can range from 10 to 14 inches in length and is one inch in diameter.

Men sweat more than women. This is because women can better regulate the amount of water they lose.

The average amount of time spent kissing for a person in a lifetime is 20,160 minutes.

The average adult has approximately six pounds of skin.

Infants spend more time dreaming than adults do.

In one day, adult lungs move about 10,000 liters of air.

The condom made originally of linen was invented in the early 1500's. Casanova, the womanizer, used linen condoms.

Sex burns about 70-120 calories for a 130 pound woman, and 77 to 155 calories for a 170 pound man every hour.

Impotence is grounds for divorce in 26 U.S. states.

There are approximately 45 billion fat cells in an average adult.

Kissing can aid in reducing tooth decay. This is because the extra saliva helps in keeping the mouth clean.

During the female orgasm, endorphines are released, which are powerful painkillers. So headaches are in fact a bad excuse not to have sex.

During World War II, condoms were used to cover rifle barrels from being damaged by salt water as the soldiers swam to shore.

http://www.funshun.com/amazing-facts/sex-human-body-facts.html

diamondgypsy

10-29-2008, 12:33 PM

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Pepe the King Prawn? In
2001, the sassy Pepe the King Prawn puppet made its debut as a
spokes-shrimp for the Long John Silver restaurant chain. Pepe,
whose full name is Pepino Rodrigo Serrano Gonzales, started
life in Madrid, Spain where he worked as a chef, before moving
to Hollywood and following his true calling in show business.
Celebrate Pepe's birthday by pretending to eat some seafood!

al_gy

11-22-2008, 07:10 AM

http://www.dvdreview.com/fullreviews/Images/ShortCircuit/ShortCircuit8.jpghttp://www.dvdreview.com/assets/images/dot_clear.gifThere is a roughly 12 minute long segment, that is labeled as a "Behind-the-scenes Featurette" and that’s exactly what it is. Unfortunately, it is made up of a series of video segments shot on the set, which aren’t accompanied by any sort of narration, commentary or explanation. But, I must say that it was entertaining to see John Badham dancing with Ally Sheedy, among other moments. Another featurette entitled "The Creation of Number Five" features interviews with Badham and robot-creator Eric Allard, and gives the viewer insight into how Number Five was actually conceived and built by taking us into Allard’s workshop.

diamondgypsy

01-02-2009, 01:38 PM

Did you know...

... that today is Working Women in the White House Day? In
1890, Alice Sanger became the first female White House
staffer.

diamondgypsy

01-02-2009, 01:54 PM

Did you know...

How is New Year's Day celebrated around the world?

Celebrating New Year's Day is one of the oldest and most-exciting customs around the world.

Ringing church bells, tooting horns and ear-piercing shrieks echo throughout the world on this festive day.

Whether visiting relatives or watching New Year's Day parades at home on the TV, welcoming the New Year is always a time of entertainment, celebration and resolution.

Since this festival marks the beginning of the year, New Year's Day is thought of as a perfect time for a "clean start" or New Year's resolutions. People worldwide resolve to act better in the year just beginning than in the year just ended.

No day has ever been observed on so many different dates or in so many different ways. All over the world, countries have their own special beliefs about what the New Year means to them.

While many people in the United States observe New Year's Day on January 1st by throwing parties late into the night on the eve of December 31st, people in China celebrate this holiday for several days between January 17th and February 19th, at the time of the new moon. The Chinese called this time of feasting and celebrations Yuan Tan. Lanterns illuminate the streets as the Chinese use thousands of lanterns "to light the way" for the New Year. The Chinese believe that evil spirits roam the earth at the New Year, so they let off firecrackers to scare off the spirits and seal their windows and doors with paper to keep the evil demons out.

In Scotland, the New Year is called Hogmanay. In the villages of Scotland, barrels of tar are set afire and then rolled down the streets. This ritual symbolizes that the old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.

New Year's Day is also the Festival of Saint Basil in Greece. Children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year's Day with the hope that Saint Basil, who was famous for his kindness, will come and fill their shoes with gifts.

The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. It is a holy time when Jews recall the things they have done wrong in the past, and then promise to do better in the future. Special services are held in the synagogues, children are given new clothes and New Year loaves are baked to remind people of harvest time.

Iran's New Year's Day, which is in March, celebrates not only the beginning of the new year according to the solar calendar, but also bahar, "the beginning of spring."

On New Year's Day in Japan, everyone gets dressed in their new clothes and homes are decorated with pine branches and bamboo--symbols of long life.

In European countries such as Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, families start the New Year by first attending church services. Afterwards, they visit friends and relatives. In Italy, boys and girls receive gifts of money on New Year's Day.

http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/newyears.asp

al_gy

02-24-2009, 04:04 AM

Denis Beaudoin, former boyfriend and possible father of Nadya Suleman's octuplets (as well as the previous six children birthed by Suleman), aired this morning, and he related the details of their previous relationship. One of the most shocking revelations is that Suleman initially told Beaudoin she needed him to be a sperm donor because she had cancer and couldn't conceive on her own. There is no evidence that Suleman has, or had, cancer.
Beaudoin said that while he hasn't spoken to Suleman in several years, he recently reached out to her but has yet to receive a response. According to Beaudoin, Suleman is very different from the woman he used to know and there was never any indication that she wanted to have so many babies.
Questioned about why he is coming forward now, Beaudoin replied that it is all about the children, and he needs to know if they are his. Suleman has stated that Beaudoin is not the father (she says the father is a platonic friend who is aware of the situation), but Beaudoin wants to take a paternity test, insisting that there is no way he can trust Suleman since she has previously lied to him. In an unusual statement, Beaudoin said that regardless of the paternity of the octuplets, he would like to be there to help her with the children.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/65249/thumbs/s-DENIS-BEAUDOIN-large.jpg

diamondgypsy

07-06-2009, 10:18 AM

Did you know...

What animals need fleas to live?
Fleas are essential to the health of armadillos and hedgehogs; they provide necessary stimulation of the skin. Deloused armadillos and hedgehogs will die.

How old is a pecan tree which produces nuts?
Pecans vary in size, from thirty to ninety nuts per pound. No nuts are produced until the trees are at least five years old.

How much did Ida receive in Social Security benefits?
Ida May Fuller of Brattlebor, Vermont was the first U.S. citizen to receive a Social Security check. She lived to be over 100 and collected her first check in 1940. She collected over $20,000 in total benefits.

Why are 15th century French doorways so high?
In 1418, women's headgear was so tall that the doorways of the royal castle of Vincennes, France had to be raised, on the orders of the queen, to allow the ladies of the court to pass through without ducking.

What sort of footwear shouldn't you give as a gift in China?
One gift-giving taboo in China is the giving of straw sandals, which are associated with funerals, and therefore considered bad luck.

diamondgypsy

08-13-2009, 10:11 AM

Did you know...

Where are the highest tides?
In Burntcoat Head, Minas Basin, part of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, tides can range 38.4 feet (11.7 meters). The bay is funnel-shaped - its bottom slopes upward continuously from the ocean inlet. The result is an extreme "tidal bore," a wavelike phenomenon at the leading edge of the changing tide. Bores in Fundy can travel up feeder rivers at 8 mph (13 kilometers per hour) and be more than 3 feet (1 meter) tall.

Where did the term "Gypsy" come from?
The English, who did not know where the Gypsies originated, called them "Gypsies" as a shortened form of "Egyptians." The Spanish referred to the same group as "Flemish," the Swedes as "Tatars," and the French as "Bohemians."

What is a "bluestocking"?
A bluestocking is a woman with literary or intellectual interests. The term originated with an informal group of 18th century intellectual women based in London. This group hosted literary salons with the sole intention of discussing the prevalent philosophical and literary ideas of the day. The reference to the blue stocking may have come from the hosiery worn by Benjamin Stillingfleet, an impoverished gentleman who attended these evening socials, but who was too poor to possess formal evening wear. Mr. Stillingfleet attended in daytime garb, which included stockings of blue worsted.

How big was the Latrun Menorah?
Pretty big -- In 1997, a Menorah was built in Latrun, near the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It was more than 60 feet tall, weighed 17 metric tons, and took up an area of 600 square meters. A rabbi was lifted in a crane each night of the holiday to light the candles on the menorah, which was made of metal pipes.

What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?
The alligator is actually a subspecies of the crocodile, with a rounded snout (crocodile snouts are usually pointed) and a generally less aggressive attitude. It is part of the family Crocodylidae. You can also tell them apart by their teeth. Nearly all of the crocodile's teeth stay on the outside of the mouth when closed. The upper and lower teeth showing makes them look like they are smiling. The alligator, on the other hand, has a slight overbite--the bottom teeth fit inside the top.

--ArcaMax Trivia

diamondgypsy

08-13-2009, 09:05 PM

Did you know...

... that today is International Lefthanders Day? This day
acknowledges the special needs and frustrations of
lefthanders. Also celebrate some of history's greatest
lefthanders: Picasso, Alexander the Great, Michelangelo,
Babe Ruth, Jimi Hendrix, and Leonardo da Vinci. Trivia buffs:
According to SAT results, left-handed students have higher
math scores than right-handed students.

al_gy

08-26-2009, 04:16 PM

*DJ CBO: US Public Debt Could Hit 64% Of GDP By 2019

:toothless:

al_gy

08-26-2009, 10:01 PM

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/91efc5004f5acb079881ffacb7db5507/Hakimullah-Mehsud-608.jpg?MOD=AJPERES

al_gy

09-01-2009, 12:13 PM

Jen:Savings Glut Sufficient To Fund US Deficits In Years Ahead.......:washboard:.....:lmfao:
.
(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
September 01, 2009 12:57 ET (16:57 GMT)

WakeUp

09-01-2009, 04:09 PM

Leave it to al_gy to mix up economy and politics with 'light-hearted' posts. :slap:

al_gy, you get 'lost' at TBH more than any other member. :whoknows:
My advise: get a compass :lmfao:

kidcanuck

09-07-2009, 12:10 AM

I don't care about this. I wanna know if your pussy is shaved.

Ha!

Man I miss nuggy.

WakeUp

09-07-2009, 12:19 AM

Yeah, me too.

kidcanuck

09-07-2009, 12:31 AM

I'm still laughing. I was reading all the serious stuff DG had posted and then came nuggy's response. ha!

diamondgypsy

09-30-2009, 10:58 AM

Ha!

Man I miss nuggy.

I miss him too, kid...a lot.

diamondgypsy

09-30-2009, 11:00 AM

Did you know...

Was Elizabeth a clothes horse?
When Elizabeth I of Russia died in 1762, 15,000 dresses were found in her closets. She used to change what she was wearing two and even three times an evening.

Are false teeth radioactive?
False teeth are often radioactive. Approximately 1 million Americans wear some form of denture; half of these dentures are made of a porcelain compound laced with minute amounts of uranium to stimulate fluorescence. Without the uranium additive, the dentures would be a dull green color when seen under artificial light.

Why are a hummingbirds wings so colorful?
The brilliant colors in a hummingbird's feather are created by tiny platelets that resemble a pancake filled with air bubbles. They are called "interference colors," and are much like the shimmering colors seen in a soap bubble or in a drop of oil.

How long have people played cats' cradle?
The game of a cats’ cradle -- two players alternately strength a looped string over their fingers to produce different designs -- has been around since about 1760.

Where would you have “St. Martin’s Summer?"
In November, there is a stretch of warm dry weather with a little wind and usually a bit of haze in the air. In the United States, it is called “Indian Summer.” In England, France, and Italy, it is referred to as “St. Martin’s Summer.”

diamondgypsy

10-20-2009, 10:50 PM

Did you know...

How large is Greece?
The land area of the country of Greece is slightly smaller than Alabama.

Is Scotch tape as useful as duct tape?
Ornithologists often use Scotch tape to cover cracks in the soft shells of fertilized pigeon eggs, allowing the eggs to hatch. Scotch tape has also been used as an anti-corrosive shield on the Goodyear Blimp.

What does a lobster call its claw?
The official term for the pincerlike claw of a crab, lobster, or scorpion is a "chela."

Should you get your faucet fixed?
A dripping hot water faucet wastes an average of 40 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. This is the equivalent of running a color television 8 hours a day for about 31 days.

How long can an eclipse last?
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

diamondgypsy

06-01-2010, 01:02 PM

Did you know...

... that today is International Children's Day? Among
other countries, this day is celebrated in the People's
Republic of China, Poland, Germany, and Russia. In
China, all entertainment places (cinemas, parks,
museums, etc.) are open free to children during this
official Chinese holiday.