It’s 7am and I’m sitting here drinking my coffee and staring out the window. It’s a sky full or gray and dark clouds and a light annoying rain. I get to top that off with another annoying doctors visit later in the day. How did I ever manage to stay alive this long before I had all these experts making me pay for the privilege?
I feel better now that I’ve gotten that whine out of the way. I think todays post should consist of a general list of interesting oddities. It’s just what the doctor ordered (no pun intended). Enjoy . . .
- In the 10th century, the Grand Viser of Persia, carried 117,000 books with him as he traveled. It took 400 camels to carry all of the volumes.
- Sportscaster Foster Hewitt is credited with being the first person to say, “He shoots! He scores!” It happened at a hockey game between 1931 and 1935.
- In 1985, 300 people who were alive in 1910 gathered to watch Haley’s Comet make its first return to Earth in 75 years.
- In 1967, the town of St. Paul, Alberta, built the world’s first UFO landing pad as a project to mark Canada’s 100th birthday.
- A typical child laughs 26.67 times more per day than the typical adult.
- Vatican City claims the honor of having both the lowest divorce rate and the lowest birth rate of anywhere in the world.
- The first snowboard was called a “snurfer” and was made with two skis attached together.
- The “Spirit of Ecstasy” is the name of the sculpture on the hood ornament of a Rolls-Royce.
- Each of your nostril’s registers smell differently. Your right nostril detects the more pleasant smells, but your left one is more accurate.
- It has been reported in Ripley’s Believe It or Not that the toe tag from the corpse of Lee Harvey Oswald, President Kennedy’s alleged assassin, sold at auction for $9500.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It is an open question whether any behavior
based on fear of eternal punishment can be
regarded as ethical or should be regarded
as merely cowardly.”
Margaret Mead
‘
I mentioned about a week ago that I was reasonably sure that the History Channel would begin the “Dooms Day” drumbeat once the election was over. I hate to say “I told you so” but “I told you so”. They’ve been playing the same old programs about the Mayan predictions and for the millionth time we also are getting hammered with tales of Nostradamus. Apparently the “Doomsday” flu has also begun to infect someone in my household as well when my back was turned and I wasn’t paying the proper attention.
Certain mornings are a special time for me when sleeping-in is permitted, no telephone calls are taken, and snuggling with my honey is looked forward to. Until this morning that is. I was warm and toasty and in that place between sleep and awake where weird dreams and odd thoughts make their appearances. It’s a place I look forward to visiting often and many good ideas and projects have been started there. My better-half was tossing and turning and she then slowly rolled over, looked me in the eye, and stated clearly “Do you think we’re survivalists?”. I was dumb-founded but immediately answered “No”. She then asked if I thought we had enough guns and ammunition to get us through the trouble that was coming. Again I said “No”. Too weird! It seems that some of my better-half’s family have been whispering “Doomsday” craziness to her and she’s been somewhat infected. I assured her that Doomsday prophesies aren’t uncommon and that I could easily remember at least five from recent years alone.
Pat Robertson, 1982 – In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder startled and alarmed many when he informed his “700 Club” TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end.
Heaven’s Gate, 1997 – When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet — covered up, of course, by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell’s paranormal radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM.” These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven’s Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. The world did indeed end for 39 of the cult members, who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.
Nostradamus, August 1999 – The heavily obfuscated and metaphorical writings of Michel de Nostrdame have intrigued people for over 400 years: “The year 1999, seventh month / From the sky will come great king of terror.”
God’s Church Ministry, Fall 2008 – According to God’s Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us– again. His 2006 book “2008: God’s Final Witness” states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, “there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history.
The Mayans, 12/21/2012 – A few thousand, human sacrificing, savages decided long ago that the earth would end this December. It’s amazing how many reasonably intelligent people eat this nonsense up. I’m certainly not getting all excited by the ravings of a bunch of primitive Indians who weren’t smart enough to keep their own civilization from disappearing.
I hope I’ve succeeded in convincing her and anyone reading this that Dooms Day nonsense has been around for centuries and panicked millions of people for no good reason. Why do certain arrogant humans believe that for whatever reason they’ve been given all the answers by God and he apparently just “needed to tell someone”. Crap piled on crap, and covered with more crap.
everyuselessthing.com 