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Topic: Useless Fact's
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-01-2007 10:55 AM
Rated G ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Useless fact - What are the origins of tarot?
Tarot's origins are perhaps as misunderstood as the mystical symbols on the cards themselves. The promotional images and text on some of these divination decks claim ancient Egyptian origins or gypsy ancestry. But most serious sources say the roots of these symbolic cards can be traced to traditional playing cards. The predecessors of the playing cards we use today first migrated to Europe from Islamic countries around the 14th century. The suits used on these early cards were coins, cups, swords, and sticks. These suits are still used in the tarot deck but were changed to hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades by French cardmakers in the 15th century. The earliest deck of tarot cards was a hand-painted set created around 1440 for the Duke of Milan. They were used for a game similar to bridge and to create amusing poetry.
It wasn't until the 1700s that tarot cards became strongly connected to fortune telling or the occult. The writings of Antoine Court de Gebelin in 1781 were hugely influential on the image of the tarot deck. An amateur scholar, Gebelin suggested that the pictures on the tarot deck were related to occult Egyptian hieroglyphics. While the Rosetta Stone later proved him wrong, the idea stuck, and other occult writers and tarot-card artists expanded on Gebelin's Egyptian interpretation.
Tarot divination gained in popularity during the 19th century, probably spurred on by a growing interest in all types of spiritualism. The Waite-Smith tarot deck, created in 1909, is often considered the "standard" deck, although the symbols are more a product of the late Victorian age than the Italian Renaissance (much less ancient Egypt). These days, you can find a tarot deck in any style or theme conceivable. We'll leave the mystical interpretations up to you.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-01-2007 07:48 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - When and why did men begin wearing neckties?
The country of Croatia may just have given birth to the necktie. Sometime during the 1630s or 1640s, Croatian mercenaries involved in the Thirty Years' War visited King Louis XIV of France. The king was very impressed by the soldiers' traditional uniforms, which featured soft scarves tied around their necks. By 1650, Louis and his court were wearing Croatian neck scarves instead of the full lace ruffs that had previously been fashionable.
Many believe the word "cravat" (meaning a soft necktie) comes from the French interpretation of "Croate," short for "Croatian." But a few sources note that the word "cravat" was in use before the Thirty Years' War and referred to a strip of parchment or cloth.
Several sites suggest the Croatians weren't the first to wear neckties. One of the oldest examples of a necktie is found on the life-size terracotta soldiers buried with Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti in 210 B.C. Each solider wears a carefully wrapped silk cloth around its neck. Other early neckties are depicted on a marble column erected by Roman emperor Trajan in 113 A.D. The column shows legionnaires wearing three versions of neckwear. However, these images are unique, and there is no evidence that either Chinese or Roman men commonly wore neckties.
It seems clear that King Louis XIV popularized the necktie. Exiled King Charles II of England brought the French cravat with him when he returned to his throne. Englishmen soon began sporting stylish neck scarves and tied them in as many as 100 different knots. In the early 1800s, English dandy George Bryan "Beau" Brummell epitomized high fashion and reportedly changed his crisp, white linen cravat three times a day.
Styles of cravats changed and evolved over the years. The bow tie developed in the 1840s, and from the 1860s to the 1880s, cravats became narrower like the necktie we know today. In the 1890s, the four-in-hand knot (named for its resemblance to the knot used by a coach driver to control the horses' reins) was introduced. This continues to be one of the most popular knots.
As for why men wear ties, this can only be explained as a whim of fashion. In King Louis XIV's day, men wore elaborate outfits of brocade and lace. As the centuries wore on, the necktie has become the only remnant of those times. Today's ties aren't quite so fancy, but they can still add a splash of color and style to men's dress.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-02-2007 04:07 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - Do people really shrink as they age?
Well, if we believed our parents, they were all well over 6 feet tall in their prime, and have only shrunk to their current modest height due to the aging process.
According to most links we visited, people do indeed shrink gradually as they age, though it usually amounts to only an inch or so of height. According to one link, between the ages of 30 to 70, a man may lose about three centimeters as he ages, while a woman may lose five. As you grow older, you tend to lose both muscle and fat. You begin to feel the weight of gravity as your bones end up pressing closely together, resulting in a loss of height.
A major culprit of the shrinking process is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the result of the spongy tissue inside the bones breaking down and not being replaced by new bone tissue. This condition usually plagues women and those with smaller, lighter bones. How can you avoid osteoporosis? Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and don't drink, smoke, or take steroids. Certain conditions, such as hyperthyroidism and anorexia nervosa, can also increase bone loss.
Not only do you shrink as you age, you also shrink during the course of a day. The water in your spine is compressed by gravity so you finish the day a bit smaller in stature than you started it. However, your body recovers overnight as you sleep, so you are standing tall again in the morning.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 01:47 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - Why do people cross their fingers for luck?
There are a number of curious gestures and sayings in our modern society that leave us scratching our heads. Apparently, we have superstitious folk in merry old England to thank for the peculiar practice of crossing our fingers for luck. Witches, ghosts, and other supernatural ghouls were very real to people living in the 16th century. Illnesses and bad luck were blamed on these evil forces. Faith in the power of the Christian cross, therefore, was strong. A cough, a sneeze, or even a mention of a cold (thought to be a sign of the plague) was reason enough to cross yourself. The proper way to make the sign of the cross involves four steps -- touch the forehead, heart, left shoulder, then right shoulder with you right hand.
When a suspected witch crossed your path, you could make a cross shortcut by crossing your index and second finger or the index fingers of both hands. This would provide protection and ward off the evil influence. Just like in Dracula movies, it was believed the power of the cross or any religious talisman would combat the forces of darkness. People also wore crosses or carried their Bibles in case they happened upon a nefarious being. A clove of garlic worn around the neck was ammunition against werewolves and bad spirits, and both peasants and nobles attached bells known as "bezants" to their garments, hoping the sound would scare away evil spirits.
Though many of these beliefs have slowly died, the gestures they inspired have lived on. Let's face it, in today's scary world, we need all the luck we can get. If crossing your fingers, carrying a rabbit's foot, hanging a horseshoe, or rubbing a lucky penny helps you through the day, more power to you!
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 07:50 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - What is the smallest breed of dog in the world?
According to the links in our Chihuahua directory, not only is the Chihuahua the smallest breed of dog in the world, it's the only "natural" toy breed. That means that the Chihuahua is naturally small and, unlike toy poodles and other small dogs, it hasn't been purposefully bred to be a smaller version of a larger breed.
Chihuahuas can weigh up to nine pounds, but must be less than six pounds in order to compete in American Kennel Club shows. The dogs are usually between six and eight inches tall. They can have either smooth, glossy coats or long, shaggy coats, and both varieties of coat come in many solid and patterned colors.
Chihuahuas originated in the warm climate of Mexico, and is named for Chihuahua region in Mexico. They are are indoor dogs and make good pets for people who live in apartments, but are not known to be good with children.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-03-2007 07:53 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - How did April 15 come to be the day taxes are due?
What a timely question. One of the links explains that Congress passed the Sixteenth Amendment to the Consitution, which allows for the implementation of personal income tax, on February 3, 1913, and chose March 1 of the following year as the filing deadline. The deadline was changed to March 15 in 1918, and, as we learned at Tax History Project, to April 15 in 1955. Moving back the date from the end of the tax year served two purposes -- it gave the IRS more time to handle the work and, more importantly, more time to hang on to your money before issuing you a refund. And that's why April 15 is the day of reckoning.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-04-2007 07:24 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - What is the Adam's apple and what does it do?
Adam's apple is the big bump jutting out from the throats of most men and is really a part of the larynx or voice box. It is usually said that Adam's apple takes its name from the biblical story about Adam, Eve. the serpent and the apple. A piece of the forbidden fruit stuck in Adam's throat and created the anatomic Adam's apple. So the story goes. However, it may be wrong.
Adam's apple in Latin is "pomum Adami." This may have been a mistranslation of the Hebrew "tappuach ha adam" which also means male bump. Between Latin and English there's many a slip.
When boys go through puberty, hormones cause the larynx to grow rapidly, deepening their voices and causing the Adam's apple to form. Girls' voices also deepen with puberty, but since their larynxes don't tend to grow as much, they don't usually develop an "Eve's apple."
We learned the protrusion is actually composed of thyroid cartilage. Your larynx is surrounded by a skeleton of cartilage plates that prevents it from collapsing. The Adam's apple, properly called the prominentia laryngea, is the central ridge where two plates of cartilage meet.
Technically speaking, the Adam's apple doesn't really "do" anything. In fact, some folks consider the bobbing bump an eyesore and undergo cosmetic surgery to make it less prominent. The procedure is called a trachea shave and is typically performed on men who either want to reduce an uncommonly large Adam's apple or who want to make the bump completely invisible after a gender reassignment.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 05-05-2007 10:55 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Who was the first woman to be featured on a postage stamp?
Though there is some debate among experts and collectors, it is generally agreed that the first postage stamp was issued in England in 1840. Until that time, the recipient of a letter paid the postage directly to the postman. Sir Roland Hill, a schoolmaster who would later be called "the father of the modern post office," introduced the idea of pre-paid postage; he proposed a charge of one penny per letter.
And so, the first postage stamp was issued by the British Treasury, and it bore the image of a woman. The profile of Queen Victoria graced the stamp, called a Penny Black. Hill himself suggested the design, based on a portrait of Queen Victoria as an 18-year-old princess. Approximately 72 million Penny Blacks were issued, and they remained in use until 1841.
In 1893, the first American stamp featuring a woman was introduced. Part of a series commemorating the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the new world, the stamp pictured Columbus soliciting funds for his voyage from Queen Isabella of Spain. The first American woman commemorated by a stamp was none other than the first First Lady -- Martha Washington. This stamp was introduced in 1902.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-06-2007 08:04 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - What gives some parrots the ability to speak?
Psittaciformes is the order of vocal birds that includes lorikeets, cockatoos, and parakeets, as well as over 340 species of parrot. It turns out the bird with the record for the largest vocabulary of human phrases is not a human-sounding African Grey or Yellow-headed Amazon parrot, but their tiny cousin, the budgie (short for budgerigar, a small Australian parrot).
Biologist Michael Schindlinger studies how parrots communicate in their native habitat. Although parrots make a wide range of sounds in the wild, their complex communications are musical -- they may be singing for social status. Schindlinger's recordings of Yellow-headed Amazons in Northern Mexico show that isolated social groups have highly localized "neighborhood" dialects
Some links imply that parrots are simply gifted mimics who lack language comprehension and cognitive ability. The work of Dr. Irene Pepperberg, a parrot intelligence advocate, and her star pupil Alex, an African Grey, have helped to change that assessment.
Dr. Pepperberg and several other online sources emphasize that not all parrots are capable of human speech -- a fact that potential parrot owners should be aware of. All parrots have the physical ability for speech, but some breeds are more likely than others to pick up human language. Just as with people, much of a parrot's ability also depends on the individual bird, its teacher, and its environment. Nonetheless, repetition, attention, and rewards may help teach Polly to curse like a sailor, sing like Pavarotti, or even revive an extinct Mayan dialect.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-07-2007 09:16 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - What's the dangly thing in the back of your throat for?
That "dangly thing at the back of your throat," sort of between your tonsils, is called the uvula. It is derived from the Latin meaning "grape". The uvula plays an important role in the creation of a human voice sound especially the creation of guttural sounds. It functions in tandem with the back of the throat, the palate, and air coming up from the lungs to create a number of guttural and other sounds.
Consonants pronounced with the uvula do not appear in English; however, languages such as French, Arabic, Hebrew and Ubykh use uvular consonants to varying degrees. Certain languages in Africa also use the uvula to produce click consonants.
The uvula has also contributed to snoring or heavy breathing during sleep; having an elongated uvula can cause vibrations which lead to the snoring. In some cases, this can lead to sleep apnea. This can be treated by removal of the uvula or part of the uvula if necessary.
Today, the uvula has also become something that people pierce. However, uvula piercings are very dangerous, and only a small amount of people have had this procedure.
Cartoons often feature the uvula when characters yawn or open their mouth wide. Screaming animations often show the uvula in a wiggling motion.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-07-2007 11:28 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - My parents said I could get a cat if I can find one that doesn't shed. Can you help?
We hate to break it to you, but all animals with fur shed to some degree. Even humans shed an average of 150 hairs from our heads each day. Shedding is how animals replenish their fur and keep it in good condition. And we've found that a little bit of shedding is a fair trade for the cuddliness of a fluffy cat.
But if your parents absolutely forbid fur, your best option is a purebred hairless cat, such as the Sphynx. This unusual cat isn't totally hairless. It has a fine down on its body, rather like the fuzz on a peach. Some people say the skin of a Sphynx feels like suede or chamois. Due to its virtually hairless condition, this cat requires special care. Sphynxs must be bathed frequently because they have no hair to absorb their body oils, so they get dirty quickly. This breed is rare, and there are usually waiting lists for the kittens.
Two cat breeds are often touted as shedding a minimal amount. The Cornish Rex cat has short, curly fur that lies close to its body. The Devon Rex is similar and has curly fur that can be in a very thin coat across the cat's body. Both of these cats may shed less noticeably due to their short, fine fur.
It's important to note that unlike purebred dogs, purebred cats are very uncommon. Only an estimated 1% to 3% of all house cats are purebreds. To find a Sphynx, Cornish Rex, or Devon Rex, you and your parents should visit local cat shows to talk with breeders.
However, if your parents want a non-shedding cat because they are allergic to cats, a hairless or low-shedding cat might not be the answer. People who are allergic to cats are actually allergic to a glycoprotein called Fel d1 found in the cat's saliva, dander (dried skin flakes), fur, and other places. Getting a cat that doesn't shed or have fur will cut down on the amount of this allergen but won't eliminate it completely.
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 05-08-2007 04:50 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - How do bees actually make honey? What exactly are we eating?
Bees do not create honey; they are actually improving upon a plant product, nectar. The honey we eat is nectar that bees have repeatedly regurgitated and dehydrated.
A bee colony or hive consists of one queen bee, hundreds of drones, and thousands of busy worker bees -- sterile females who gather pollen, produce beeswax, build honeycombs, and make the honey that feeds the other bees. The honeybee uses her tubular tongue to suck nectar from the flower into her abdominal honey sack (the bee's second stomach or "honey stomach"). In the sack, complex plant sugars in the nectar begin to break down into simpler, more digestible sugars. When the sack is full, the bee returns to the hive to offload droplets of nectar to another food- processing worker bee. That bee will distribute it to the young or place it into the honeycomb for long-term storage.
At the hive, "fanning" bees dehydrate and preserve the stored substance by flapping their wings to reduce its moisture content. Later, the individual cells of the comb will be sealed with beeswax, also secreted from the worker's abdomen, and synthesized with the help of honey, to safely preserve the bee's food supply.
It takes about 2 million flowers and over 55,000 miles in flight to make a single pound of honey. A typical hive can produce 60 to 100 pounds per year. As bees forage for honey, they transfer pollen (which sticks to their feet) from male to female plant parts -- this pollination of crops is essential to human agriculture and to our food supply.
Subtle flavor and color differences in honey depend on floral varieties and local weather. In the U.S., there are over 300 sources of honey, including popular varieties like clover, alfalfa, buckwheat, and orange blossom, and regional specialties like fireweed, tupelo, and macadamia nut honey.
Healers, herbalists, and medical practitioners through the ages have recognized the healthful properties of honey as a local dressing for wounds. New research suggests it's also a potential dietary antioxidant, especially if it's dark in color. Keep in mind that honey is not safe for infants under one year old -- they are at risk from botulism spores that do not pose a threat to older children and adults.
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