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Author Topic: Useless Fact's Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-08-2006 07:14 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is modern-day ink made out of? Back in the good old days (circa 2500 BC) ink was comprised of various colored juices and exotic extracts including alizarin, indigo, pokeberries, cochineal, and sepia. Much later, in 1772, the first patent was issued in England for making colored inks. In the 19th century, chemical drying agents appeared, giving rise to a wide variety of pigments. Then things got complicated At the beginning of the 20th century, ink-making became a complex chemical-industrial process. The manufacture of modern ink takes into account dozens of factors, including "color, opacity, transparency, brilliance, lightfastness, surface hardness, pliability, wettability, purity, and odourlessness." Goodbye, sepia! Hello, methyl alcohol! Inks for low-speed letterpress printing (the process usually used in book production) are made up of of carbon black,a heavy varnish, and a drier to reduce the drying time. Most pen inks incorporate those three main ingredients in different ratios. Intaglio (i.e. -- cartoon) inks are composed of petroleum naphthas, resins, and coal-tar solvents.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-08-2006 08:47 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What are the nutritional properties or health benefits of wasabi (a kind of Japanese horseradish usually served with sushi)? Wasabi is known botanically as either "Wasabia japonica" or "Eutrema japonica", a semi-aquatic member of the Cabbage family. Apparently, wasabi's medicinal properties were first documented in a 10th-century Japanese medical encyclopaedia. Wasabi is believed to act as an antidote to food poisoning, which is a useful property when served with fresh raw fish. Research in Japan suggests that wasabi may also have anti-carcinogenic properties. It can certainly clear your sinuses. It is sold either in root form, as a dried powder which is then mixed with water to make a paste (the hot taste develops after a few minutes, the powder itself tastes rather dull), or as a ready- to-use paste, which comes in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of wasabi root's hot flavor. They can be eaten as wasabi salad by pickling overnight with little salt and with a vinegar based dressing, or by quickly boiling them with a little soy sauce. It is also very tasty on roasted peas, or in small amounts on sushi or sashimi. Wasabi is commonly mixed with soy sauce to make a dipping sauce for sushi and sashimi. However, wasabi's flavor dissolves very quickly in water and the best way to enjoy wasabi is to apply wasabi after dipping into soy sauce or carefully avoiding wasabi from mixing with soy sauce. The demand for wasabi is very high. It is grown and supplied mostly by Japan.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-09-2006 04:54 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Why is there a pyramid and an eye on the back of the U.S. dollar and what do they represent? According to U.S. Treasury, the eye and the pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar are part of the Great Seal of the United States. "The unfinished pyramid means that the United States will always grow, improve, and build. In addition, the 'All-Seeing Eye' located above the pyramid suggests the importance of divine guidance in favor of the American cause."  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-10-2006 06:24 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What's the difference between Turkish coffee, espresso, and Thai coffee? Coffee drinks come in all shapes and sizes, and you've identified three interesting choices. Here are the recipes for all three: Turkish coffee originated in the Middle East in the Middle Ages. The coffee is very finely ground (finer than espresso), and is brewed in little pots called ibriks or cezves. Depending on where it's served, it may also be called Greek, Arabic, or Middle Eastern coffee. Espresso comes from the Italian phrase "caffe espresso," or "pressed out coffee." It is coffee brewed by forcing steam through finely ground, dark-roasted coffee beans. Espresso is very strong, and is usually drunk in a few gulps, sometimes with a twist of lemon peel. However, with the addition of frothed milk, espresso becomes a more sippable drink offered in variations such as cappucino, macchiato, and caffe latte. Thai coffee consists of strong, chicory-tinged coffee, sweetened condensed milk, and ice. To make it at home, add a tablespoon of condensed milk to a six-ounce cup of strong coffee, then throw in some ice. It's an excellent complement to Thai food, which is often very spicy.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-11-2006 04:59 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What makes popping corn pop? Popcorn's ability to pop lies in the fact that the kernels contain a small amount of water stored in a circle of soft starch inside the hard outer casing. When heated, the water expands, creating pressure within, until eventually the casing gives way, and the kernels explode and pop, allowing the water to escape as steam, turning the kernels inside out.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-12-2006 02:07 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - Who came up with the idea of the teddy bear? Teddy Bear was named after former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy" and who enjoyed big game-hunting. The name is said to come from an incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902, when Roosevelt's attendants found and caught a juvenile Louisiana Black Bear. Roosevelt refused to kill the lassoed animal, calling it "unsportsmanlike", and "Teddy's Bear" was immediately publicized by political cartoonists. The first such cartoon appeared the following day, November 16: Clifford Barryman, an editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, immortalized the incident as part of a front-page cartoon montage. Barryman pictured Roosevelt with his gun beside him with the butt resting on the ground and his back to the bear, gesturing his refusal to take the trophy shot. Written across the lower part of the cartoon were the words "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," which coupled the hunting incident to a political dispute. Toymakers Morris Michtom and his wife Rose displayed two stuffed bears in the window of their Brooklyn store shortly thereafter (February 15, 1903), and received President Roosevelt's permission to call them "Teddy's bears". Nowadays, everyone knows these toys as Teddy Bears, but few people know that they were named after President Theodore “"Teddy"” Roosevelt.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-13-2006 04:30 PM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is marsh gas? You rarely see it. You can't smell it. So what is it? Marsh gas is another term for methane, produced by plants decomposing under water. Methane is highly combustible and has caused several coal mine explosions, but in marshy areas it's not as dangerous since it's diluted with air. Methane is a chief component of natural gas, which is an effective, biodegradable form of energy. Some communities use marsh gas to heat their homes and provide energy for gas-fueled lamps. Marsh gas is lighter than air, and floats in a pale, eerie haze until blown away by a strong wind. It also burns with a mysterious blue flame when ignited. This may explain the high incidence of UFOs, apparitions, and unexplained lights that tend to occur in swampy areas. It may also be responsible for ghost stories like the Scottish legend about the haunting of Mary King's Close.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-14-2006 09:55 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What makes straight hair curly? When you curl your hair, whether in a perm or a wet-set, you change the chemical bonds that hold together the protein fibers on the coiled strand of each hair's cortex. In a wet set you change hydrogen bonds; a permanent wave breaks the disulfide bonds.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-15-2006 10:18 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - I'm searching for a term to describe a lover of cheese. Can you help? Hmmm... Let's see... cheesehead? Cheese-o-phile? It turns out that a person who fancies cheese -- creamy camembert or Kraft Philly -- is called a "turophile". Turo is derived from "tyro", that's Greek for cheese, and "-phile" means "lover of."  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-16-2006 09:04 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What does the word LEGO mean? The word LEGO was formed from the Danish phrase "leg godt", meaning "play well". Danish toy company LEGO is best known for its line of interconnecting plastic bricks. The company adopted the name LEGO in 1934. Until 1949, the LEGO company primarily produced wooden toys, though modern LEGO toys are made from plastic.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-16-2006 11:05 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How can I prevent or decrease indigestion? Drinking water right after or while eating reduces the acid in the mouth by 61%. It also reduces the acid in your stomach and can lead to indigestion. The best thing you can do is wait at least 30 minutes after eating and then have a glass of water. Drink Black Licorice Tea. Stash Brand is good and health food stores carry other brands. Eat Yogurt with live active cultures. The enzymes in yogurt are natural bacteria that aid in digestion and keep your stomach in balance. Avoid Aspirin products. If you are having a bad patch of indigestion you can use Pepcid AC (an acid controller) for a couple of weeks to heal any erosions that are flaring up. While on the Pepcid add the yoghurt and Tea to your diet and it should help. I went through a bad patch of stomach problems and this treatment fixed the problem without me having to go the whole Gastro/scope route. Also get a medical check asap to ensure it is in fact indigestion, there are other conditions (don't want to scare you but some are serious) that appear to be indigestion but are not. Even if it is indigestion it could be caused by some medical condtion such as an ulcer or hiatus hernia so better sure than sorry.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-18-2006 08:31 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - Which state has the most lighthouses? According to the links in our Lighthouse category, Michigan has seen the construction of 90 lighthouses in its history, the most in the United States, followed closely by Maine with about 80.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-23-2006 11:10 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is the origin of the word cop? Does it refer to police badges made of copper? Theories for the origin of cop abound, including the copper badge explanation you mention. I have always been under the impression that the term was an acronym for "constable on patrol." Well, it seems we're both mistaken, as I learned from the roundabout quest for the answer. Around the year 1700, the slang verb "cop" entered English usage, meaning "to get ahold of, catch, capture." By 1844, "cop" showed up in print, and soon thereafter the -er suffix was added, and a policeman became a "copper", one who cops or catches and arrests criminals. Copper first appeared in print in 1846, the use of cop as a short form copper occured in 1859.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-23-2006 11:12 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - What is incense made of and how is it made? Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic or simply aesthetic purposes as it smolders. Powdered or granulated incense is thrown onto hot coals or into a censer or thurible. Incense is also available in a more convenient stick, cone or wedge form; one lights the incense on fire, and then extinguishes the flame so that the incense continues to glow and smoke. Incense has five main ingredients: wood pulp; potassium nitrate (to light the incense); an adhesive such as gum arabic; water; and an aromatic material. The aroma generally comes from various woods and resins, such as cedar or frankincense. Incense was traditionally used as a timing device in ancient China.  |  IP: Logged Bob Maar (Maar stands for Maartini) Posts: 28608 From: New York City & Newport, RI Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-23-2006 11:14 AM                        Rated G Useless fact - How can I grow avocados from seeds? Avocados are extremely expensive. I'd like to grow them for my family. It is possible to grow an avocado from seed, just don't let it dry out, but keep in mind that avocados planted from seed take anywhere from 5 to 13 years before they flower and produce fruit. So, there you have it. Avocados are pricey, but your youngsters could be in college by the time your first avocado is harvested. If you have just a little patience, consider investing in an avocado tree. Expect to see your first fruit after 3 to 4 years. The climate should be just right in Corpus Christi. Good luck!  |  IP: Logged

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