I thought we should post a little trivia today about our friends in the animal kingdom. As weird as people can be animals are way worse. Read and be enlightened.
A bird has to fly at a minimum speed of 11 miles per hour to be able to keep itself aloft.
More than 1000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.
Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms a day.
A whales penis is called a dork.
A humpback whales milk is 54% fat.
If the eggs spawned by all the female cod in one season survived, they would fill the oceans from seabed to surface. Cod lay between four and 5 million eggs at a time – but usually only about five survive.
Crocodiles cannot stick their tongues out.
Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of the blue whale.
Neither horses nor rabbits can vomit.
A rat can survive longer without water than a camel.
It is illegal in Alaska to give a moose an alcoholic drink.
A pig always sleeps on its right side.
A lion’s roar can be heard from 5 miles away.
Human birth control pills work on gorillas.
A cat has four rows of whiskers.
The pet ferret was domesticated more than 500 years before the house cat.
Twelve or more cows are known as a flink.
Everything you ever wanted to know about animal trivia. There’s a lot more available and you can be sure I’ll be posting it in the future.
Celebrities are once again the subject of a post. I’m still amazed at how many people in this country live and die or gossip about celebrities. I suppose the quotation “get a life” no longer has much meaning. If I wanted to bore you by listing celebrities who died young from drug overdoses, plane crashes, or sheer stupidity, I’d be here writing forever. Today’s topic is the amount of death that seems to follow celebrities on a regular basis. There are times when being around a celebrity is also life-threatening as you’ll see as you review this list of interesting facts and how dangerous it can be as a hanger-on. Here we go . . .
In 2003 a rapper named Big Lurch was convicted of the murder and partial consumption of his roommate while under the influence of PCP.
In 1978, Oscar-winning actor Gig Young shot his fourth wife to death in their New York City apartment and then turned the gun on himself.
In 2001 actress Rebecca Gayheart struck and killed a nine-year-old pedestrian with her car in Los Angeles. She pled no contest to vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to three years probation and a fine
In 1963, future first lady Laura Welsh Bush ran a stop sign and accidentally crashed her car into the vehicle of a 17-year-old man, killing him.
In 1936, eccentric billionaire-to-be Howard Hughes struck and killed a pedestrian in Los Angeles.
In 1984, Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil was arrested for drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after he crashed into an oncoming car his passenger was killed and two occupants of the other vehicle were injured.
At age 12, future Illinois governor and presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson shot and killed a 16-year-old girl when his gun went off accidentally.
Boxing promoter Don King killed two people. One murder was ruled justifiable because King was being robbed at the time. He spent four years in prison for the stomping death of a second man.
In 1978 punk rocker Sid vicious of the group, Sex Pistols, stabbed to death his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, Vicious died of a heroin overdose before he could be brought to trial.
In 2009, famed record producer Phil Spector was convicted of the murder of Alanna Clarkson. He is currently serving a prison term of 19 years to life.
In 2002 a wrapper C-Murder, a.k.a. Cory Miller, was found guilty for beating and shooting a 16-year-old boy who had allegedly embarrassed Miller during a club’s rap contest.
In 1987, actor Matthew Broderick killed two women in Northern Ireland when his car veered into the oncoming lane.
In 1951 writer William S Burroughs shot and killed his common-law wife, Joan Vollmer. He claimed he was trying to shoot a glass off of Vollmer’s head and missed. He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to two years but only served two weeks behind bars.
In 1927 Tony award-winning actor Paul Kelly spent more than two years in prison after beating another man to death with a club. Kelly later married the dead man’s widow.
In 1970 Keith Moon, the late drummer of The Who, accidentally ran over and killed his bodyguard while fleeing attackers. Moon was not charged.
I could go on and on but there’ve been so many others it would take forever to list them all but my point has been made. If you’re going to idolize and worship the never-ending supply of celebrities and those who are seeking their 15 min. of fame, do it from a distance. It’s much safer that way.
As I’ve repeatedly stated I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving. I am also a huge fan of debunking silly and unusual superstitions when I find them. I found one about Thanksgiving after reading a book in my collection. For most of my life I looked forward to Thanksgiving dinner and always made a point of collecting the wishbone. I was told as a kid by people who I trusted, Mom and Dad, that if I won the larger half of the wishbone after it was broken I would have good luck. I did it year after year and we made quite a thing of it but now I come to discover I was lied to. Here’s the truth of the matter . . .
Two people make a wish, and then grab the two long ends of the wishbone and pull. The one who breaks off the larger piece of the bone gets his or her wish. You must be sure the bone is dry – a day in the sun or on the stove dries it perfectly. The bone must be from the collarbone of a hen or a rooster. All of my family loved the routine of pulling the wishbone of the turkey after their meal. “Spoiler Alert”, turkey collarbones don’t work. I know this is devastating news to all of you but the truth will out. Here’s a short history lesson . . .
The Etruscans, those folks that came before the Romans, had a Hen Oracle. That person was often called upon to reveal hidden and magical knowledge. A hen or rooster was killed, the entrails examined – for what, no one can fathom – and the birds collarbone put in the sun to dry. The wishbone was then pulled apart as it is today. The Romans actually stole this custom from the Etruscans and it then spread throughout the Roman Empire and where did it end up, on this blog today.
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone it’s time for a few days of respite before the Christmas holiday kicks in. Just 28 more shopping days, Yikes! Today is as good a day as any for some self-reflection. Back on 11/07 I posted twenty questions designed to help a person reveal interesting things about themselves. I answered them as truthfully as I could as an example and thoroughly enjoyed the self-analyses that it caused. This post is just a continuation of that exercise with fifteen more questions. My answers as always are truthful and will make for some interesting discussions with my better-half and others. Hope you will do the same. Have fun with it . . .
What are your most compulsive habits? Do you regularly struggle to break these habits? My compulsions are neatness and organization. I never struggle with them, I embrace them.
Knowing that you had a 50% of winning and would be paid 10 times the amount of your bet if you won, what fraction of what you now own would you be willing to wager? None, I only bet on sure things.
At a meal, your friends start belittling a common acquaintance. If you felt their criticisms were unjustified, would you defend the person? Absolutely!
Do you usually make a special effort to thank someone who does you a favor? How do you react when you aren’t thanked for going out of your way for someone? I make the effort to be polite but if others choose not to it’s not my problem. But I’ll certainly remember who was polite and who wasn’t.
Since adolescence, in what 3 year period do you feel you experienced the most personal growth and change? My three years in the Army.
If you were having difficulty on an important test and could safely cheat by looking at someone else’s paper, would you do so? No way.
If you were at a friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and you found a dead cockroach in your salad, what would you do? Using humor, I would let the hosts know without embarrassing them.
If you were you able to wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, would you do so? Whom would you pick? I’m fine with things, both good and bad, as they are.
If you went to a beach and it turned out to be a nude beach, would you stay and go swimming? Would you swim nude? I love being naked therefore I’d be swimming and nude.
If you knew your child would be severely retarded and would die by the age of five, would you decide to have an abortion? No.
What if anything is too serious to be joked about? Deaths of children under any circumstances.
You notice a self-destructive behavior pattern in a friend who is clearly unaware of it. Would you point it out? Yes, as quickly as possible.
If you could increase your I.Q. by forty points by having an ugly scar stretching from your mouth to your eye, would you do so? Yes, facial scars can be sexy.
If you decided to do something and your friends strongly advised you not to, would you do it anyway? Almost always.
What do you most strive for in your life: accomplishment, security, love, power, excitement, knowledge or something else? Creativity,Excitement, Love, and then Knowledge.
Well, that was interesting. The next series of questions appear to be much more complex and I’ll be posting them in a few weeks once I figure out what my answers will be.
While I don’t fully respect most politicians, I do respect the office of the Presidency, regardless of party. It doesn’t change my opinion that most if not all politicians are underprepared for the responsibility of the office. Here are some facts concerning past presidents you might find interesting even if the individuals weren’t.
Our first president was George Washington. He is portrayed along with three other American presidents carved into Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. His birthday is the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen and was implemented by an act of Congress in 1879. He stood 6’2″ tall, weighed 200 pounds, and wore size 13 shoes. He is the only president who didn’t live in Washington during his presidency.
Eight presidents were born British subjects: Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams, Jackson, and W. Harrison.
Eight presidents never attended college: Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, A. Johnson, and Cleveland.
The college that has the most presidents as alumni (seven in total) is Harvard: J. Adams, J.Q. Adams, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, John F. Kennedy, and George W. Bush.
Presidents who would be considered “Washington outsiders” (i.e., the 18 presidents who never served in Congress) are: Adams, Jefferson, Taylor, Grant, Arthur, Cleveland, T. Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, F. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Trump, and G.W. Bush.
The most common religious affiliation among presidents has been Episcopalian, followed by Presbyterian.
The ancestry of all 46 presidents is limited to the following heritages, or some combination thereof: Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, German, and African.
The oldest president inaugurated was Joe Biden (age 78); the youngest was Kennedy (age 43). Theodore Roosevelt, however, was the youngest man to become president – he was 42 when he succeeded McKinley, who had been assassinated.
The tallest president was Abraham Lincoln at 6’4″, Madison was the shortest.
Fifteen presidents served as vice presidents: J. Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, T. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, Nixon, L.B. Johnson, Ford, George Bush, and Joe Biden.
For two years the nation was run by a president and a vice president who were not elected by the people. After VP Spiro T. Agnew resigned in 1973, President Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as vice president. Nixon resigned the following year, which left Ford as president, and Ford’s appointed, Nelson Rockefeller, as second in line.
James Buchanan was the only president never to marry. Five presidents remarried after the death of their first wives – two of whom, Tyler and Wilson, remarried while in the White House. Reagan was the only divorced president. Six presidents had no children. Tyler – father of 15 – had the most.
Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated in office.
Assassination attempts were made on the lives of Jackson, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt, Truman, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush.
Eight presidents died in office: W. Harrison (after having served only one month), Taylor, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, F. Roosevelt, and Kennedy.
Presidents Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe all died on the Fourth of July; Coolidge was born on that day.
Kennedy and Taft are the only presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
There you have todays trivia. Can’t wait to see what odd facts Joe Biden will leave for us. For sure he won’t be a candidate for Mt. Rushmore. Hollywood has the Walk of Fame with hundreds of gold stars on their sidewalks. We should institute a Walk of Shame around Bill Clintons presidential library with gold 🚽’s instead of stars. The first three recipients could and should be Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Donald Trump. Coming up fast on the outside is Joe Biden looking for his spot. Actually I think I’ll just nominate him right now to avoid the rush later.
As promised, here are the answers to the questions posted a few days ago. I certainly hope someone out there was able to answer them all correctly. It’s been a long time since I found someone who did.
I needed a break from writing today and decided to offer something a little different than the usual.
I posted this quiz for the first time in 2008. No one was able to answer all of the questions then, not even me. Some are very easy and some are very difficult, hence the name. My best response back in the day was 21 out of 25 correct answers. Have a go at it and see how you do. I’ll post all of the answers in a few days. That will give you a little time to work on it. Have fun . . .
Each number corresponds to a common phrase.
Example: 12 = I. in a F. Answer: 12 = INCHES in a FOOT.
Today is Sunday, a day to relax and enjoy some trivia. It’s also necessary for me to help celebrate a family birthday, so I too can relax and enjoy this little bit of sunshine we’re having. It won’t be long before the snow flies. Enjoy . . .
A Crocodiles tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A kangaroo can’t jump unless its tail is touching the ground.
A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.
A man had the hiccups for 69 years.
A millipede has 4 legs on each segment of it’s body.
A mole can dig over 250 feet of tunnel in a single night.
A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana.
A noisy restaurant is 100,000 times as loud as a watch ticking. Rock Concert 1,000,000,000 times as loud. Loud headphones 10,000,000,000. Shotgun blast 1,000,000,000,000
A person at rest generates as much heat as a 100watt light bulb
A group of owls is called a parliament.
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
A quarter of Russia is covered by forest.
A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top.
A rat can last longer without water than a camel.
A rhinoceros’ horn is made of compacted hair.
A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn’t give her coffee
A shark can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A shark can grow a new set of teeth in a week
A silicon chip a quarter inch square has the capacity of the orignal 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a city block.
A sizable oak tree, during the typical growing season, gives off 28,000 gallons of moisture.
A snail can have about 25,000 teeth
A group of toads is called a knot.
About 300 million cells die in your body every minute.
