As you are aware I hunt like an obsessed bloodhound for topics that are a 7-9 on the weirdness scale. Fortunately for me all that weirdness has for some reason had little or no effect on me (I hope you are someone who doesn’t miss a satirical comment when you read it). Todays post will contain six blurbs about well-known people who were truly weirder than anyone ever imagined.
WALT WHITMAN
When American poet Walt Whitman died in 1892, his brain was put in a jar and donated to the University of Pennsylvania. The University doesn’t have it anymore because a clumsy lab technician dropped the jar on the floor and damaged the brain. The University quietly discarded it, and Whitman’s “Specimens Days” were over.
MARGARET WISE BROWN
American children’s author Margaret Wise Brown (1910 to 1952), who wrote many tender kitty-and-bunny tales, including Good Night Moonand The Bunnies Birthday, loved to hunt rabbits and she collected their severed feet as trophies.
VOLTAIRE
Voltaire always fainted whenever he smelled roses. He also drank seventy cups of coffee every day. Are the facts related, who knows?
EMILY DICKINSON
Poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) will’s final requests were that she would be buried in a white casket, that heliotropes be placed inside along with a posy of blue violets to be placed at her throat. All of her wishes were granted.
AGATHA CHRISTIE
Agatha Christie nearly pulled off a real-life hoax worthy of her mystery novels. Upset that her husband was leaving her for another woman, she set up an incriminating crime scene that almost got him arrested for “her murder”. Luckily for him, an employee at a distant seaside hotel saw news photos of Christie and recognized her as the woman who had slipped into their hotel under an assumed name. Although Christie claimed amnesia, the police were not amused after having wasted a week of searching rivers and bogs for her body.
⚱️⚱️⚱️
And last but not least goes to someone who finally discovered his true worth.
TUPAC SHAKUR
Requested that his ashes be mixed with marijuana and smoked by his friends in the band Outlawz.
It’s Valentines Day Eve Eve and I think it’s time to take a closer look at our “Day of Love”. Let’s see, how about some facts on what it will cost you to make the love of your life smile this year. First a little history and then we’ll explore the anticipated costs of your love. for that special person in your life.
The history of Valentines Day goes way back:
The roots of St. Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year. (This is a lottery you don’t want to lose.)
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They’d wear these names on their sleeves for one week. Today, to wear your heart on your sleeve means being open and demonstrative with your affections. (A little bit of trivia for you.)
The Catholic Church struck St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969. (Leave it up to the church to be on top of such sinful behavior.)
The phrase "Sweets for the sweet" is a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1. (I knew reading Shakespeare would pay off some day.)
Never underestimate the power of the almighty dollar. With continuous aggressive campaigns from both greeting card companies and candy manufacturers we don’t stand a freaking chance. Their drumbeat of Valentines Day propaganda has created such a financial windfall they’re forced to keep it going for the survival of their companies. Who pays the bill? Mostly we men do. Here’s the financial estimates":
The average American will spend $119.67 on Valentine’s Day this year, up from $100.89 last year.
Men spend almost twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women do. This year, the average man will spend $156, while the average woman will only spend $85. (This double standard sucks.)
Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by kids, mothers, wives and sweethearts.
Over 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday.
One billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines (What a surprise!).
More than one-third of men would prefer not receiving a gift. Less than 20 percent of women feel the same way.
Around this season, a dozen long-stemmed roses can cost an average of $75, or about 30% more than the normal price of $58. (It’s just a coincidence the costs increase every February.)
More than nine million pet owners are expected to buy gifts for their pets this Valentine’s Day. (Morons!)
15 percent of U.S. women (just the losers) send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine’s Day money making machine also effects many other connected businesses who need to keep this holiday on everyone’s mind.
According to the condom company Durex, condom sales are highest around Valentine’s Day, which are 20 percent to 30 percent higher than usual.
More at-home pregnancy tests are sold in March than in any other month.
While the men in the US seem to pay a majority of the Valentines Day expenses my sympathies go out to the Japanese as well. In Japan, women are expected to give chocolate and other gifts to their men on Valentine’s Day. This tradition was started as a marketing campaign by a number of Japanese chocolate companies, of course. Men aren’t off the hook though, they’re expected to return the favor to their ladies on March 14th, commonly known as White Day.
I hope this helps put Valentines Day into it’s proper perspective for you. If you follow the unspoken rules laid down by years of tradition and retail propaganda you’ll get to see that big smile on your loved ones face for a least a day.
everyuselessthing.com 