Trivia and Amazing Facts 31-03-08

The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated."Hagiology" is the branch of literature dealing with the lives and legends of saints.

A cluster of fireworks that revolve is called a "girandole."

The U.S. Coast Guard motto, semper paratus, means "always prepared."

The British refer to a grandfather clock as a "long-case clock."

Cool Quotes

Trivia and Amazing Facts 24-03-08

• A "threnody" is a song of lamentation, a funeral song, or a dirge.

• Someone who is eager or ready to shed blood is "sanguinary."

• The allele for six fingers and toes is dominant in humans.

• There are five types of simple machines: the lever, the pulley, the inclined plane, the screw, and the wheel and axle.

• Butterfly. The monarch butterfly can discern tastes 12,000 times more subtle than those perceivable by human taste buds.

Health Tips

Trivia and Amazing Facts 17-03-08

• Both Hitler and Napoleon were missing one testicle

• Prevent near-sightedness! Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. "It's usually caused by near-point stress." In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles-like the eyes-into relaxing as well.

• Human skin has about 100,000 bacteria per square centimeter. 10% of human dry weight is due to bacteria.

• The brain of Neanderthal man was larger than that of modern man.

• Extra Toes. The favorite horses of both Alexander the Great (Bucephalos) and Julius Caesar both had atavistic mutations- extra toes. Horses normally have only one toe per foot, but are descended from horses with three or four toes on each limb.

Tips & Tricks

Trivia and Amazing Facts 10-03-08

• The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."

• Wake the dead! If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.

• According to Boston University - more than 16,580 bananas are eaten each week in the Boston University dining rooms.

• Fashion. Fashion in the U.S. during the late 1950s had interesting restrictions. Women's trousers usually had side fastenings, as front zippers for women were considered "naughty."

• Read minds! Your own! "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.

Health

Trivia and Amazing Facts 03-03-08

• The word "taxi" is spelled the same in English, German, French, Swedish, and Portuguese.

• An obsolete term for a foolish, talkative person is "blatherskite."

• In "British English," a booger is called a "bogey" or "bogie."

• Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

• Before 1859, baseball umpires were comfortably seated in padded rocking chairs behind home plate.

Breakfast, Brunch & Bread Recipes