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Interesting Facts About Yellow Colored Rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Have you ever wonder why babies cry more in yellow rooms? Interesting isn’t it? Base on my personal experience when I toke care of my younger cousin, I always wonder why they easily get irritated when I bring him to their yellow colored room. But as I bumped on to this article I now understand why. Well, according to specialists and researchers who have done studies on color and its affect of people, couples fight more in yellow kitchens, divas throw tantrums in yellow dressing rooms, and babies cry more in yellow rooms. It's not something you would think about really because we don't notice the color of a room most times we walk through it everyday but our bodies do. Color plays a huge role in the attitudes your children will have in a room. The color you choose for your child's bed room, for your toddler's bedding and even for your child's playroom is incredibly important, because it can go so far as to affect their health and emotions.

Yellow shades are believed to promote communication and as we all know that crying is a babies way of communicating so in theory, yes they do cry more as they tend to communicate more. Yellow is also an energizing color therefore don't expect too much sleep from a child in a yellow room. This color can also create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and so as babies. More light is also reflected by bright colors, resulting in excessive stimulation of the eyes. Therefore, yellow is an eye irritant to babies.

However whole yellow effect discussed above actually has a flip side. Where healthy people find it energizing and stimulating, so much so that they experience outbursts of energy, leading to clashing interests sometimes. It is also true that children who are sickly, suffering from asthmatic problems will actually respond the best to yellow rooms, yellow stimulates the health of the chest, heart and lungs.

Therefore, color in your toddler's room is really important. As you prepare to decorate for a growing child consider their personality, health and attitude and choose colors that will be the most comfortable for them.

Source:

http://www.colormatters.com/optics.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Courtney_Rogers

Some stuffs in the Kitchen that could probably save your life

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:22:00 +0000

I’m going to share with you these simple yet very useful article I received from my friend through email. And yes I agree with it. I think the purpose of God when He created grass, herb and fruit tree and give it to Adam was not only for his food consumption but also for his medication. We have plenty of medicinal herbs in our backyard and farms anywhere but only few medical people endorse them for our use. Nature given medicinal plants are effective, very cheap and without any harmful effects. We have plenty of herbal plants which we can utilize for healing of all sorts of ailments. Just be reminded that all drugs in capsules, tablets and liquids are processed herbal plants used commercially for profit.

When we’re feeling sick, we look at the medicine cabinet to see what medicine we can take. We should check out the pantry instead. Many everyday ingredients can treat different ailments and unlike drugs, they are inexpensive and yet effective.

Here are some interesting kitchen stuffs:

Honey

Honey is good for cuts and scrapes. It has three powerful components: sugar for absorbing moisture so bacteria can’t survive, hydrogen peroxide to disinfect and propolis to kill bacteria. Plus, the honey dries to form natural bandage. Just spread thickly over the infected area.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is actually the basis of many skin moisturizers. For eczema, rub olive oil on the skin to keep it from drying out.

Spicy dish

Good for a stuffy nose or congestion, spicy dishes loosen the mucus by making the eyes and nose run.

Garlic

Garlic is antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and an antioxidant so it has many uses. Take garlic when you have a cold to fight the infection and boost the immune system. Mix together minced garlic, warm water and honey for taste. Leave the garlic in the mixture for a few minutes then swallow without chewing. Another way of taking it is by chewing raw garlic cloves with honey. Repeat every two to three hours. Garlic can also be used for athlete’s foot due to its antifungal nature. Simply rub a clove of raw garlic to the affected area. Garlic is the secret to long life. It boosts our immune system, killing and neutralizing viruses that's harmful to our body and the Chinese knows this fact thousand of years ago.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is used to remove odor so it makes weird sense that you use it for body odor as well. Sprinkling baking soda on your armpits and feet will reduce the moisture you produce.

Chamomile Tea

Wrapping cold, wet tea bags in paper towels can help sooth itchy eyes from colds or hay fever. The tannic acid in tea reduces the itch. Chamomile tea can also be used for calluses. Soak your feet in a diluted chamomile tea bath to soften the hard skin.

Ginger

Ginger has anti-sickness properties so it can help in nausea. Pregnant women can also relieve morning sickness by taking ginger biscuits.

Turmeric

Turmeric is good for treating many skin ailments. It can be used to sooth acne, scrapes and sunburn. Mix several drops of water with ½ teaspoon of powdered turmeric to make a thin paste. Apply the mixture on the blemishes or sunburn and leave for an hour. Be sure to rinse after because turmeric stains.

Rice Water

Bangladeshis have been using rice water as a treatment for diarrhea forever. The proteins in the rice help stabilize the bowel and it’s tastier than any medicine.

Banana

Who knew that aside from being a yummy snack, bananas can be used for bug bites? All you have to do is eat the fruit and apply the banana peel fruit side down on the bite. Hold it there until the itching subsides.

Source:http://ph.news.yahoo.com/kitchen-cures-032617458.html

Interesting facts about MARS

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:04:00 +0000

[10 interesting facts about MARS from universetoday.com]
1. Mars is actually pretty small.

You might think that Mars is a near-twin of Earth, but it has a diameter of about half the Earth, measuring only 6,800 km across. With the smaller size comes an even smaller mass. The total mass of Mars is only about 10% the mass of Earth. The surface gravity is only 37% what you would experience on Earth. In other words, you would be able to jump 3 times as high on Mars as you can on Earth.

2. People used to think it had water and canals

Before the first spacecraft arrived at Mars in 1965, nobody had ever seen Mars up close. Dark blotches on the surface of the Red Planet were interpreted as lakes or oceans, and some people even thought they could seen dark lines crisscrossing the surface of the planet. They imagined these might be the irrigation canals of a dying civilization. It turned out these were just an optical illusion, and Mars is a dry dusty desert.

3. But Mars really does have water

Mars might not have oceans, rivers and lakes, but NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft detected huge deposits of water underneath the surface, across the planet - in the form of ice. The Phoenix mission has arrived on Mars to search for ice underneath the soil at the northern polar cap. It has all the tools on board to analyze the water ice to see if has any traces current or ancient life.

4. Mars has the tallest mountain in the Solar System

The tallest mountain in the Solar System is the mighty Olympus Mons on Mars. It rises up 27 kilometers above the surrounding plains. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano, like Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, and formed gradually over billions of years. Some lava flows on the volcano are so young that planetary scientists think that it might still be active.

5. And Mars has the longest, deepest canyon in the Solar System

One of the most distinct features on the surface of Mars is the Valles Marineris canyon. It stretches 4,000 km along the equator of Mars, and can be as deep as 7 km in places. If you could move the Valles Marineris to Earth, it would stretch right across the United States.

6. We have pieces of Mars on Earth

Both Earth and Mars have been slammed by large asteroids in the past. Although most of the debris kicked up by the impact falls back down on to the planet, some of it can be ejected so quickly that it escapes Mars entirely. These ejected meteorites can orbit the Solar System for millions of years before they finally crash down on other worlds. Some have crashed on Earth, and been identified by scientists. Tiny amounts of Mars’ atmosphere were trapped in the meteorites, and this is how scientists were able to study the Martian atmosphere before sending the first spacecraft.

7. One of Mars’ moons is going to crash into it

Mars has two, tiny asteroid-sized moons called Phobos and Deimos. Phobos orbits the planet at such a low altitude that it’s going to eventually be torn apart by the gravity of Mars. It will survive as a ring for a few years, and then the debris will rain down on Mars. Scientists disagree on when this will happen. It could happen as soon as 10 million years from now, and no later than 50 million years.

8. Mars has almost no atmosphere

If you tried to stand out on the surface of Mars without a spacesuit, you would die almost immediately. The freezing cold temperatures would be a problem, but even worse is the thin atmosphere. The air pressure at the surface of Mars is only 1% the pressure we enjoy here on Earth. And the atmosphere on Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and trace amounts of water and oxygen.

9. Mars is crawling and buzzing with spacecraft

At the time of this writing, there are three spacecraft down on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers, as well as the Phoenix Mars lander. And there are three orbiters watching from orbit: NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey and ESA’s Mars Express. No other planet in the Solar System has ever been so well studied.

10. And more spacecraft are on their way to Mars

Every two years, Mars and Earth line up so that missions can be sent with a minimum amount of fuel. NASA has plans to send one of their most ambitious missions to date: the Mars Science Laboratory. This will be an SUV-sized laboratory that can crawl across the surface of Mars for months and months, searching for past and current evidence of life.

[50 interesting facts about MARS from facts.randomhistory.com]
1. The Egyptians gave Mars its first recorded name: Har dècher (“The Red One”). The Babylonians called it Nergal (“Star of Death”). The Greeks and Romans named the planet after their respective gods of war, Ares and Mars. The Hebrews called it Ma’adim, or “the one who blushes.” Many ancient people believed the reddish color came from actual blood on the planet.
2. The month of March is named after Mars.
3. The symbol for Mars looks like a shield and a spear from the war god Mars/Ares. It is also the symbol for the male sex.
4. The ancient Greeks thought the Earth was the center of the Universe and that Mars was one of the five traveling stars that revolved around the Earth.
5. Egyptians called Mars the “the backward traveler” because Mars appeared to move backwards through the zodiac every 25.7 months.
6. Mars’ red color is due to iron oxide, also known as rust, and has the consistency of talcum powder. Literally, the metallic rocks on Mars are rusting.
7. The atmosphere (mostly made up of carbon dioxide) on Mars is so thin that water cannot exist in liquid form—it can exist only as water vapor or ice. Liquid water is considered for many scientists to be the “holy grail” of Mars.
8. No human could survive the low pressure of Mars. If you went to Mars without an appropriate space suit, the oxygen in your blood would literally turn into bubbles, causing immediate death.
9. If you were driving 60 mph in a car, it would take 271 years, 221 days to get to Mars from Earth.
10. Mars lacks an ozone layer; therefore, the surface of Mars is bathed in a lethal dose of radiation every time the sun rises.
11. Mars contains the largest labyrinth of intersecting canyons in the solar system called the Noctis Labyrinthus (“labyrinth of the night”).
12. Mars has the largest and most violent dust storms in our entire solar system. These storms often have winds topping 125 mph, can last for weeks, and can cover the entire planet. They usually occur when Mars is closest to the sun.
13. Only 1/3 of spacecrafts sent to Mars have been successful, leading some scientists to wonder if there is a Martian “Bermuda triangle” or a “Great Galactic Ghoul” that likes to eat spacecraft.
14. In 1976, Viking I photographed a mesa on Mars that had the appearance of a human face. Many individuals and organizations interested in extraterrestrial life argued that intelligent beings created the “Face.” Though the Mars Global Surveyor (1997-2006) revealed that the “Face” was likely an optical illusion, believers in the “Face” charged NASA with stripping data from the new image before it was released to the public.
15. Mars has an enormous canyon named Valles Marineris (Mariner Valley) which is an astounding 2,500 miles long and four miles deep. As long as the continental United States, this gigantic canyon was likely formed by the tectonic “cracking” of Mars’ crust and is the longest known crevice in the solar system.
16. During the Renaissance, Mars place a central role in one of the most important and fiercest intellectual battles in the history of Western civilization: whether the earth was the center of the universe. Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) coherently explained that Mars seems to move backwards across the sky because Earth overtakes Mars in its orbit around the sun.
17. Mars was formed about 4.5 billion years ago and is about 4,000 miles wide (half the diameter Earth). Because so much of Earth is covered by oceans, the amount of land surface of the two planets is nearly equal.e Mars is also much lighter than Earth: only 1/10 of its mass. It’s the fourth planet from the sun and is the last terrestrial (rocky) planet (the outer planets are all gaseous).
18. The Earth environment most closely resembling the current conditions of Mars is of the Antarctic deserts. However, even the most hostile environments on Earth are far more suitable for life than the surface of Mars.
19. Mars’ crust is thicker than Earth’s and is made up of one piece, unlike Earth’s crust which consists of several moving plates.
20. Although it is much colder on Mars than on Earth, the similar tilt of Earth’s and Mars’ axes means they have similar seasons. Like Earth's, Mars’ north and south polar caps shrink in the summer and grow in the winter. In addition, a day on Mars is 24 hours 37 minutes—nearly the same as Earth’s. No other planet shares such similar characteristics with Earth.
21. Mars’ seasons are twice as long as those on Earth because it takes Mars 687 days to orbit the sun, twice as long as Earth’s 365-day journey.
22. With no large moon like Earth’s to stabilize it, Mars periodically tilts much more toward the sun, creating warmer summers on Mars than it otherwise would have.d
23. The Earth’s moon is 240,000 miles away. Earth’s next closest neighbor is Venus, which comes as near as 24 million miles. After the moon and Venus, Mars is our next closest neighbor at 34 million miles away—though when Mars and Earth are at the opposite sides of their orbits around the sun, they are separated by 249 million miles.
24. Mars is home to Hellas, a vast and featureless plain that covers 1300 miles (the size of the Caribbean Sea). It was created by asteroids crashing into the surface of Mars nearly four billion years ago.
25. During a Mars winter, almost 20% of the air freezes.b
26. Mars’ two moons—Phobos and Deimos —are small (13 and six miles across, respectively) and oddly shaped. They reflect little light and are among the darkest objects in the solar system. They were discovered by American astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877 and are thought to be asteroids that were unable to break free from Mars’ orbit.
27. Mars’ moon Phobos (fear) rises in the west and sets in the east—twice a day. Deimos (panic), on the other hand, takes 2.7 days to rise in the east and set in the west. Mars’ moons are so named because the twin gods—panic and fear—accompanied Ares (or Mars) into battle.
28. Phobos orbits remarkably close to Mars and is gradually sinking into the Red Planet. In about 50 million years it will either crash into Mars or break up and form a small ring around the planet.
29. Mars has no magnetic field, indicating that it does not have a molten metal core, like Earth does. However, there is evidence that Mars once had a magnetic field and that the field experienced reversals, much like Earth’s magnetic field which reverses every few thousand years.
30. Mars has 37.5% of the gravity that Earth has. This means that a 100-pound person on Earth would weigh only 38 pounds on Mars and could jump three times as high.
31. Mars is home to the highest peak in the solar system: Olympus Mons. This towering peak is 15 miles high (three times higher than Mt. Everest) and has a diameter of 375 miles (the size of Arizona). It is called a shield volcano because it has such a wide base and rises very gradually.
32. The average temperature on Mars is minus 81 Fahrenheit and can range from minus 205 degrees in the winter to 72 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
33. Most researchers believe that Mars’ surface was shaped by catastrophic floods billions of years ago. Scientists are unclear on what form water may have taken early in Mars’ history. One theory is that early Mars was warmer and boasted rain and oceans. Another theory is that Mars was always very cold, but water trapped underground as ice was periodically released when heating caused the ice to melt and gush to the surface. No one knows what happened to the water on Mars. Many scientists speculate that Mars’ water may have been lost into space if the atmosphere of Mars thinned out over many eons. Large quantities of water, in either ice or liquid form, are thought to be still trapped underneath its surface.
34. In 1965, the United States spacecraft Mariner 4 made the first successful flyby of Mars. It took 228 days to reach Mars and sent 22 images to Earth. Many scientists were extremely disappointed that the images showed no signs of oceans or vegetation that they thought it would find.e In 2008, however, scientists believe they found significant evidence of carbonates in certain regions on Mars, which suggests that liquid water and perhaps even life once existed there.
35. On November 14, 1971, the United States’ Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit Mars (or any other planet). After a massive dust storm cleared, Mariner 9 began transmitting nearly 73,000 images and revealing enormous volcanoes, huge canyons, frozen underground water in the form of permafrost, and what appeared to be dried-up river beds.
36. Mars 2, built by the former Soviet Union, has the bittersweet distinction of being the first human-built object to touch down on Mars in November 1971. Unfortunately, it crashed into the surface during a massive dust storm.
37. July 20, 1976, was historic because the United States’ Viking 1 was the first human spacecraft to land intact and operational on the surface of Mars. Viking 2 followed, landing successfully on September 3, 1976. The Viking Landers relayed the first color pictures of the planet. When the second Viking had its last moments of contact in 1978, project manager George Gianopoulos said “It’s like losing an old friend; how do you express it?”
38. During the Viking missions to Mars, scientists were worried about contaminating the Martian environment with microbes from Earth.
39. In 1996, the United States launched Pathfinder (also called the Sagan Lander after famed astronomer and author Carl Sagan) so that it would land on America’s Independence Day July 4, 1997. It bounced for 92 seconds on airbags before stopping, making it the first successful air bag-mediated touchdown.
40. Pathfinder’s small robot, Sojourner, collected and studied Martian rocks. It moved less than .5 inches per second so that if it ran into trouble, scientists wearing 3-D glasses to gauge depth and perspective on their 2-D computers on Earth could send it precise directions. Sojourner was the first robot to explore another planet.
41. The unofficial names of many rocks on the surface of Mars are easy-going names, such as Barnacle Bill, Yogi, Pop-Tart, Shark, Half Dome, Moe, Stimpy, and Cabbage Patch, among others. Scientists chose these names because they were convenient to remember.
42. Only 12 Martian meteors are known to exist on earth and are collectively called Shergotty-Nakhla-Chassingy or SNC (“snick”) meteorites. The most famous Martian meteor is called Allan Hills 84001 (ALH 84001) and is believed to have blasted off Mars 16 million years ago, hitting Earth 13,000 years ago in Antarctica. It is so remarkable because it appears to hold microscopic fossils of Maritain bacteria, sparking intense debate about whether ancient life ever existed on Mars.
43. Until recently, it was thought that Mars’ polar caps were made from carbon dioxide (dry ice) with only a small amount of water. Later observations indicated that the polar caps were mostly frozen water with a thin layer of carbon dioxide.
44. If melted into liquid form, the amount of water in the southern polar cap would cover the entire planet to a depth of about 36 feet.
45. Galileo Galilee was the first person to observe Mars through a telescope, in 1609.
46. On August 27, 2003, Mars made it closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years. The next time it will be that close again will be in 2287.
47. In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered a strange network of lines on Mars and called them canali, Italian for channels, which were mistranslated as “canals.” American astronomer Percival Lowell (wrongly) guessed that the canals were used to move water from the Martian ice caps to the desert. His work sparked great public fascination with Mars.
48. H.G. Well’s 1898 novel The War of the Worlds portray Martians as technologically advanced invaders who destroyed thousands of lives in their attempt to take over the world. Its 1938 public broadcast by actor Orson Wells incited mass panic across the United States.
49. Mars’ northern and southern hemispheres are so different they could be different planets. The southern hemisphere is heavily cratered with a high elevation. In contrast, the northern hemisphere has a lower elevation with fewer craters. Scientists believe a meteor the size of Pluto once hit Mars, creating the smoother northern region of the planet.
50. NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) hope to collaborate on future missions to Mars, including sample-return missions as well as eventually landing humans on Mars by 2035.

interesting facts about MARS on interestingunusualfacts.com

Exactly what is a "hollaback girl"?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Doesn't that song drive you bananas? The incessant beat, the stomping, the shushed-out swear words, and just what the heck is Gwen Stefani talking about? We don't want to get everybody fired up, so we put our pom-poms down and tackled this most important inquiry. After a few times around that track, we discovered what a Hollaback Girl is and why Gwen ain't one.

The OC Weekly's insightful analysis points to cheerleading as the source of the slang. The cheerleading captain 'hollas' a chant to the squad, and the girls 'holla' it back. So the hollaback girl is a follower, and by extension, she is treated like a doormat, especially by boys. Writers on the Urban Dictionary add that a hollaback girl is all talk, no action, and won't fight back.

Obviously, Gwen is gonna fight and give it her all. She even socks it to us by proudly confirming her cheerleader roots. And while similarly a cheerleader at heart, Toni Basil doesn't appear to be a hollaback girl either.

source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20060414.html

Interesting and unusual places to go online #1: Funky Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Funky Facts is the number one place to come to find funny, interesting and weird facts about animals, food, games, law, people and much more!

ColdRicePudding makes humorous posts about everyday things. This site is one to visit if you need more random facts to clutter up your mind. You can request facts or send articles of your own easily with the contact form. Funky Facts is also available in many different languages. Don’t forget to bookmark and follow!

http://funky-facts.blogspot.com

Why do dogs love to stick their heads out of car windows?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:51:00 +0000

Everyone has witnessed the rapturous joy dogs experience while sticking their heads out of car windows. Amazingly, we couldn't find any scholarly research to explain the behavior. Here are three theories we came up with...

1. The sensation of a brisk wind against your face carrying with it scents and fast-moving sights is appealing to many humans. So imagine speeding against the wind with the ability to sniff up to a million times better and to perceive movement at a much quicker pace. For a dog, sticking its head out a moving car must be an all-around sense-sensation the magnitude of which we olfactory-challenged humans can only imagine!

2. Everyone wants a better view. Dogs are no different.

3. Dogs sense what every teen instinctively knows: it's inherently cooler to travel on wheels than by foot.

While dogs may love the easy rider sensation, some pup-lovers believe the practice isn't safe. They recommend doggie seat belts or crates be used. This may sound extreme, but some dogs have actually mastered the use of automatic windows. In fact, lawmakers in Pennsylvania may pass a law requiring dogs to be constrained while traveling in cars. Freedom-loving dogs had better watch out -- the K-9 unit may soon be on their tails.

source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20050812.html

Interesting facts about GLOBAL WARMING

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:31:00 +0000

[www.socyberty.com]
* Percent of US business schools that now require a course in environmental sustainability or corporate social responsibility: 54%, up from 34% in 2001.

* The warmest January ever recorded: January 2007, 1.53 degrees warmer than normal.

* The dollar equivalent of the amount of energy and cost savings delivered by the Energy Star Program in 2005 to US businesses, organizations and consumers: $12 billion.

* Typical number of diapers used per baby in the United States, depending on when toilet training occurs: 5,000 to 8,000.

* The US burns 10,000 gallons of gasoline a second.

* Amount of time it takes to change a lightbulb: 18 seconds. Amount of CO2 that can be averted each year when that incandescent lightbulb is replaced with a compact fluorescent: 104 pounds.

* If just 25 percent of US families used 10 fewer plastic bags per month, we would save more than 2.5 billion bags a year.

* Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.

[homeenergysavings1.blogspot.com]
* The leading cause of global warming is from water vapor, then carbon dioxide emissions, nitrous oxides, and chlorofluorocarbons (used in household appliances like air conditioning).

* Chlorofluorocarbons are expected to be eliminated and put out of use by 2030 to help slow down global warming.

* The biggest business sectors that are contributing to global warming are the following: Industry, Transportation, Residential, Commercial, Agriculture.

* Methane is the second biggest cause of greenhouse warming. Gas from cows is a big contributor to global warming.

* A big enough volcano eruption could cool the earth for one or two years because sulfuric acid from the explosion would combine with water vapor to form a “shield” that would reflect some sunlight away from earth. Such an eruption would be quite catastrophic, though.

* The coloration of aerosols (miniscule particles in the air) generally changes their relationship with the sun. Lightly colored aerosols reflect light back away from earth (as a white t-shirt) while darker aerosols generally absorb heat (as a hot asphalt road when it is sunny).

* Generally, wispy clouds, such as cirrus clouds, trap light and thus warm the atmosphere whilst thick clouds generally reflect sunlight.

* Ice/snow cover cools the earth by reflecting sunlight.

* Without water vapor's effect on the atmosphere, the earth would be at below freezing temperatures.

interesting facts about global warming on interestingunusualfacts.com

Why is it that computers never have a "B" drive?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:29:00 +0000

The answer goes back to the glory days of floppy discs and DOS. The early DOS operating system designated two drives, A and B, strictly for floppy drives. Why? Because many early computers didn't have native hard drives -- they booted from Drive A, and ran applications from Drive B.

Later, as computers came with hard drives, the second floppy drive became a useless appendage -- the computer equivalent of an appendix. To avoid confusion during the evolutionary window when computers with new hard drives coexisted beside computers with two floppies, the hard drives were given the "C" slot.

Technically speaking, the "computer" isn't missing the B drive, it's just that later Microsoft operating systems have omitted it as unnecessary. You can read more about the ins and outs of archaic drive systems at Microsoft Support.

source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20050304.html

Interesting facts about strawberries

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:09:00 +0000

[strawberry interesting facts from londonstrawberryfestival.com]
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.

The average strawberry has 200 seeds.

The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.

To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.

In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that the elves, are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return.

Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin. Needless to say, she did not bathe daily.

Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.

There is a museum in Belgium just for strawberries.

Strawberries are a member of the rose family.

Ninety-four percent of US households consume strawberries.

Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus another 1.8 pounds frozen per capita.

Strawberries are low fat, low calorie; high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium

Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.

In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity.

Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.

In France, Strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac. A soup made of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, & powered sugar was served to newlyweds.

Over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit.

[strawberry interesting facts from growing-strawberry.com]
In actuality strawberry is not a fruit but only an enlarged receptacle of the flower of the plant in which strawberries grow. The land in almost all parts of the USA, are adaptable for cultivating strawberries. Strawberry is common in almost all provinces of Canada as well.

When it comes to the production of strawberries, California takes the first place by satisfying almost eighty percent of the strawberry requirements of the nation. California provides year round supply of strawberries by way of developing new methods of cultivation and by introducing new breeds of strawberries.

More than 20,000 acres of land in California is utilized for the purpose of cultivating strawberries. As per the statistics, near to 700 farmers in California are engaged in cultivating strawberries in their lands on a large scale basis. Export of strawberry from California normally begins in the southern parts of the state in the month of January and moves to the northern parts of the state when spring time begins with warming of the sun. April and May are known as the peak months of supply in a year. During these months weekly volume of strawberries exported from the state reaches to five million trays or more than nine million pounds a day.

In the 13th century, strawberry was known more for its medicinal value than as a delicious fruit to be consumed. Strawberries were widely cultivated in ancient Rome to be used in various medicines prepared by them to treat diseases like skin discoloration and digestive disorders. Belgium even maintains an exclusive strawberry museum to enlighten people more about the use and medicinal value of this fruit that belongs to the rose family.

Attempts to produce new hybrid varieties of strawberry were started in the world as early as in 1700. The experiments made by the French scientists to create a new breed of strawberry by crossing the strawberries brought from North America with the varieties from Chile became a success in 1700s. It is a scientifically proven fact that strawberry has more nutritional value than many other fruits that we consume. It contains 20% RDA of folic acid in a single serving. This water-dissolvable vitamin that is found in large amounts in strawberries is known for its ability to reduce birth defects involving various nerves and brain disorders.

Strawberries are considered as one of the most delicious and nutritional fruit now available in the market. FDA regulations declare it as sodium-free, fat-free fruit that can be used by any one without worrying about the increase of calories or cholesterol. They are both low in calories and free from cholesterol. The scientific studies show that one serving of eight medium sized strawberries is capable of providing the body 140% of the U.S recommended daily allowance of vitamin C required for human body. This amount of vitamin C contained in one serving of eight strawberries is more than the vitamin C in an orange, a fruit known for its high level of vitamin C contents.

Since strawberry contains no fat grams in it, it can be used by any one without fearing about the complications of consuming fat rich food items. It provides 20% of the daily value for folic acid a human body requires.

interesting facts about strawberries on interestingunusualfacts.com

If a person was buried in space, would the body decompose?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Although plenty's been written on the effect a total vacuum would have on a live human body, there's little information about the effects on a corpse. Based on what we've read, however, we'll venture a scenario.

Many of the same processes that cause a body to decompose on Earth would continue in space, since they don't require oxygen. Your intestinal system is host to millions of tiny bacteria that begin to "digest" you as soon as you kick the bucket. On a more elemental level, dying cells release enzymes that break down various proteins and molecules.

Contrary to urban legend, your eyes would not burst and your body would not explode when exposed to a total vacuum. Your body would experience internal ruptures as the pressure drops, but skin, even dead skin, is a fairly resilient container.

We assume that since water vaporizes in a vacuum, eventually your body would become entirely desiccated. You'd also be exposed to all sorts of radiation. Ultimately this would turn you into an interstellar Slim Jim. Lovely image, no?

source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20050927.html

Some unusual and interesting ipod facts you might wanna know

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:31:00 +0000

[interesting iPod facts from worldstart.com]

Many of us believe that iPods are the best thing since sliced bread and although they are great little devices, there are some things you should keep an eye out for when dealing with them. So, if you own an iPod, you'll want to listen up to this. I'm not trying to talk negatively about iPods, but it's my job to give you the information and that's what I intend to do.

Here are 10 facts about your iPod that you would probably never know otherwise.

1.) It's a known fact that the iPod is the most popular music player available today. Since debuting in 2001, nothing has been able to surpass it. The iPod brings so much to the table when it comes to music, including its user-friendly design and the easy to use iTunes file management program. Well, all of the sudden, the iPod might be facing some trouble. Apple, the developer of the iPod, has a proprietary format that may cause them some trouble in the near future. This format is completely incompatible with any other digital music technology.

If they don't do something to change their format soon, they may back themselves into a corner, because most people like to have options. If the iPod doesn't bring them their options in the future of digital music, they might find something else to love.

2.) You may have run into this second problem already. A lot of the big name companies are now charging their users just for a little technical support. If you have a problem with your iPod, you better expect to pay up in order to get some help. Apple gives you one free call to their support line, but it has to be used within the first 90 days of your purchase. Chances are, you're not going to have many problems with your product within that 90 days. After that is up, they will charge you $49 for a support call. A little outrageous, don't you think?!

3.) If you have an iPod, you probably know they're not the most sturdy thing in the world. I bet you especially know that if you've happened to drop yours on the ground or hit it against something. Yes, the iPod ads show everyone running down the street with their iPods in hand, so it may seem like you can do anything with it, but in all actuality, the iPod is very fragile.

The iPod runs off a tiny hard drive that can halt service if it's dropped even once or knocked around just a little. You also always need to be very careful with the iPod screens. They are a bit flimsy and can scratch or crack very easily. If that somehow happens to you, it will make it quite difficult to see what song is playing and all the information that goes along with it. You might not expect such a faulty thing to come from Apple, but it unfortunately has.

4.) How many songs do you have on your iPod? Is it over 15,000? If so (and even if it's not that many), you might want to delete some of your songs off so you can replace them with others. Well, that may not be as simple as it sounds. Once you have as many as 15,000 songs on your iPod, Apple will not let you transfer them to another computer or any other device. If you do, it's sort of put under the copyright infringement status. It may not be just Apple that is harping this issue, but I'm sure they're not losing any sleep over it.

5.) So, how long has your battery lasted? Yes, the new iPod promises a battery life of 20 hours or so, but their fine print really says that the "battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings." You can also only recharge your iPod battery so many times before it has to be completely replaced. It's said that the magic number is 500, but it just depends on how much you use your iPod. You will also know when the "death" of your battery is coming, because after about 400 charges, your iPod may only hold 80 percent of its normal capacity. You better start saving for a new battery now!

6.) This is a common factor when it comes to music players. Of course, if you have an iPod, you probably have earphones that go along with it. If you want to take your iPod anywhere with you (besides in your car), you must have the earphones in order to listen to it. Well, by doing that, you could be damaging your hearing. According to a study done, the iPod's full range of sound can go up to 120 decibels, which is just like standing next to a jet plane when it's taking off. If you listen to your iPod that loud (hopefully you don't), you could already be suffering from hearing loss.

On a positive note, Apple has come up with a fix for this though. They have designed some software that will allow you to cap the volume of your iPod. This is especially helpful for all the kids who have iPods. As their parent or grandparent, you can lower the sound on their iPod with this software. It's available for free on Apple's Web site.

7.) One thing you probably don't know (or even ever considered) is that sometimes products are out of date before they're even taken out of their boxes. It's possible that right after you buy an iPod, Apple will come out with a new model, just days after. They are shortening their product cycles, so it's possible that you could get your hands on an "older" version rather than the brand new product. No, it's not the end of the world, but who wants to spend that much money for an old version?

8.) If you have an iPod, you better keep a close eye on it, because they are starting a crime wave all over the place. iPods are one of the most favorite products of thieves these days. It's not just happening in urban places like New York City either. It's going on in high schools and colleges all over the U.S. iPods are so popular, because they're easy to steal and they have a good turnover rate on the street (black market). They are also very easy to spot. If you're listening to yours with your bright white headphones, you may be a target. So, make sure you keep yours safe and sound with you and no one else.

9.) Although Apple has made a fortune from their iPod product, they keep piling on the fees, etc. for owning an iPod. This doesn't even include the accessories you can get for your iPod. No, these days, they're charging for the things that once used to come along with the initial purchase of the music player. Some of these include chargers and a cord that allows you to hook your video iPod up to a TV.

10.) Finally, the last thing you may never had heard about your iPod is that once you start using one, you're stuck for life. If you use iTunes to manage your music files, you will always only be able to listen to that music with your iPod. They will not work with any other music device, because of the special format they're under. Also, no other company is allowed to make a format that will work with Apple's products. Seems a little stingy, doesn't it? But, I guess it's all about money and competition.

Once again, I'm not putting down the iPod, because I, myself, think it's a pretty cool device. I'm just letting you all know the truth about some of the things that go on behind the scenes. I know this isn't one of our normal tips, but I know iPods are popular among our readers and I thought it was important to share all of this with you. Also, I know that some of these things may never, ever pertain to you, but it's always nice to know the facts. Hope you all got something out of it!

Why do magicians like to say "abracadabra"?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:28:00 +0000

We all know how magicians saw people in half, but why do they say "abracadabra"? Many have wondered, and while theories abound, none definitively solve the mystery.

According to World Wide Words, the term first appeared during the second century in the Latin medical poem "De medicina praecepta." Apparently the poem's author, a physician named Quintus Serenus Sammonicus, believed the word could heal the sick when inscribed on an amulet and spoken in a particular way. Start with "abracadabra," then say "abracadabr," then "abracadab," and so on. Sort of like the kiddie ditty "B-I-N-G-O"--but in reverse.

As for how the word went from medical to magical, The ES Press believes abracadabra may have come from the Hebrew phrase "abreg ad habra," which means "strike dead with thy lightning."

Another theory argues the phrase comes from the Aramaic phrase "avrah kedabra," which translates to "I will create as I speak." Given magicians' flair for the dramatic, that makes sense to us.

Source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20060720.html

What Not To Eat: The Truth About Food

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:29:00 +0000

Low-fat is good, butter is bad; buy free-range, not battery; tofu's terrific, lard's a killer... Messages about what we should and shouldn't eat bombard us on a daily basis. So what are we to believe? And what about the cost to the planet? Rose Prince unravels the myths and explains what we need to know to choose our food with confidence - and a clear conscience

APPLES

Are there chemical residues on apples?

Red apples (Braeburn) in tray for transport and display in European Union. (Photo: Soren Breiting)
Yes. First, be aware that while it is in the interests of supermarkets to control the level of pesticide and post-harvest fungicide drenches applied to apples from the "dedicated" British farms that supply them, they are less able to monitor imports. In 2005, the government-backed Pesticides Residues Committee sampled 63 apples and found chemical residues on all but seven. No residues were found on the four organic samples taken. Residues were found on all EU-originated apple samples. Two samples contained residues at levels unacceptably high for children. Concerned parents should peel imported apples.

Are organic apples the right choice?

Not always. Organic apples from supermarkets, organic food shops and even box schemes are often imported, and the food miles they clock up negate any environmental gain. Buying British-grown organic apples is ideal but you will have to look hard for them. Growing a disease-free, good-looking apple without pesticides is a tough task in the British climate. Old trees that have never been treated with agricultural chemicals tend to produce abundantly without problems, but organic farmers say new orchards can develop disease/pest problems after just a few years, which are very hard to control.

After picking, British apples are stored for up to six months at 2-3C in a "controlled atmosphere" with nitrogen gas and ammonia to reduce oxygen levels. But not all apples are stored this way. In 2005, the chemical 1-methylcyclopropene was approved for use in Europe. This is a gas that, when pumped into cold rooms or shipping containers, halts the release of ethylene, the natural hormone in fruit that ripens it. This means the apple you buy can be up to one year old, because the chemical makes apples retain their "just-picked" looks, flavour and juice.

When are British apples in season?

The season for apple growing in northern hemisphere countries runs from August to March but, with the exception of a few varieties, the more unusual ones are available for only some of this time. This is either because they are in short supply or because they do not store well. Thanks to "controlled atmosphere" storage methods, British apples are available until March (although the supply is limited).

The southern hemisphere season kicks in neatly in April, lasting through the British summer and into autumn. Savvy shoppers beware - it can encroach on the start of the British season, the time when loyalty to British farms is paramount.

EGGS

No food is more versatile - or controversial. The increasing number of free-range eggs on sale in supermarkets indicates that shoppers are more aware of the cruelty of caging hens in batteries. That goes only partly towards solving our egg troubles; in spite of labelling laws, eggs are still not a safe food, especially in ready-cooked dishes.

Which eggs are safe to eat?

British eggs, individually stamped with a "red lion" logo, are laid by hens that have been vaccinated against salmonella. The scheme means that 90-95 per cent of British shop-sold eggs are. These are the ones to use when making mayonnaise, but seek out free-range eggs with the red lion logo if you are concerned about hen welfare, too.

Which eggs are unsafe?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports a serious problem in the catering trade with the use of imported eggs - Spanish eggs in particular - contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella infection is linked to poor husbandry and intensive systems. It is a mystery why there's no law to force caterers to provide consumers with information about the eggs they use, as retailers of fresh eggs do. British farmers are lobbying the catering trade, demanding that they stop using imports.

What's in the supermarkets?

Marks & Spencer operates an ethical egg policy, selling only eggs from free-range hens and using them in its ready meals and other foods - excellent. Its hens are fed on a GM-free, cereal-based vegetarian diet; there's one metre of floor space for every 11 birds, but the organic variety has more space. The Co-op sells 66 per cent UK-sourced eggs from hens whose welfare complies with the RSPCA's Freedom Food standards (loose requirements compared to Soil Association-certified organic systems). Feed for the hens is GM free and the diet consists of cereals, grass and meal. The Co-op has not banned the sale of battery eggs but is admirably honest in labelling products. Tesco, Morrisons and Asda did not supply information about their eggs.

TEA

We in the UK (with Russia) are the biggest tea-drinkers. Putting aside the taste and any benefits to be had, read between the leaves and you may change the way you buy it for ever.

Are there chemicals in my tea?

In 2001, 46 tea brands were tested and residues were found on five samples. The residues did not exceed government-approved maximum levels, but this is still unsatisfactory in a drink that should be 100 per cent pure.

Is tea an environmentally friendly crop?

Tea is grown in a monoculture - in other words, just one type is planted over vast areas. This reduces biodiversity (ie wildlife) and increases the need for agricultural chemicals, which can also be dangerous to estate workers who apply it. There are organic tea farms, which do much to lessen the impact of growing tea on the environment.

Who picks the tea leaves?

Production is very labour-intensive and workers' conditions are a serious cause for concern. The workforce can be trapped within the plantations, dependent on the "owners" for medical aid, housing, fuel, food and in many cases the education of their children, themselves destined for life on the plantation. Wages are low. In India, the rate varies from less than one US dollar a day to just over a dollar; it is estimated that the living wage should be more than $2 a day. Problems on estates include sexual discrimination, poor working conditions and abuse of migrant workforces.

So is all tea, apart from Fairtrade, unfairly traded?

Not necessarily. Some of the bigger conglomerates and all UK retailers have signed up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP). Both schemes promise an admirable code of conduct.

Can buying Fairtrade tea help?

Yes. The Fairtrade organisation either buys direct from an estate, if the social welfare and income of the workers are good, or it buys from groups or co-operatives of smallholder farmers, or gives farmers and workers shares in processing plants.

LAMB

Recently, mutton and meat from older lambs have finally entered the consciousness of British meat-eaters. For a long time, it seemed only that British lamb was tenderly sweet and pale; then, when stocks ran low, in came New Zealand lamb - tenderly sweet and, yes, pale. All the while that 100,000 tons of NZ lamb was coming into ports, it passed boats crammed with live sheep from the UK going on hellish journeys to southern Europe - 50,000 a year. Only these were the interesting ones: tasty, slightly older lambs with the flavours of wild grasses from fell, dale and highlands. Their destination was slow cooking, with garlic, tomatoes and wild marjoram. If one good thing came out of the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic, it was the exposure of this crazy swap and transportation scandal.

What lamb is in season, when?

March-April - spring lambs, newly weaned, born around Christmas. Most are bred for this season and the practice of getting them to this weight is fairly unnatural; many are reared indoors and fed concentrates.

May-July - British lamb will still be in shops, larger lambs born in early spring who have fed on the new grass. This is fine-tasting young lamb, often superior to "spring" lamb and cheaper, too.

August-October - hogget (or shearling). These are lambs (usually hill breeds) that have reached a year old or more; their meat is stronger flavoured and delicious.

November-spring - New Zealand lamb arrives. It's nice, and I'm glad the sensible New Zealand farmers, who never receive subsidies, have an outlet. But there is no getting away from the fact that this shipped-in lamb has a food-mile sickness.

What is mutton?

Mutton is from sheep that are slaughtered at over two years old. Older sheep have more flavour and may need a lot of slow cooking in order to be tender, but most mutton animals produce beautiful tender meat.

Is lamb farmed intensively?

Apart from those rushed for the Easter season, most lamb is farmed relatively naturally.

Is organic lamb superior?

A high-grade conventional lamb is as good a choice as organic; choosing organic in the case of lamb is more about the environment. It is good to know, for example, that the animal was not grazed on land treated with chemicals. This is not to say that most conventional lamb is; hill farmers in particular rear their lambs on untreated land.

LARD AND DRIPPING

Use lard in pastry and it promises to be endlessly crisp. Spread dripping on toast and top with cress for a filling meal. Both fats produce fabulous roast potatoes. In spite of the high vitamin content, doctors don't approve because these are saturated fats. But a little at a time is a pleasure, and at least these fats do not go through the horrendous refining process that diminishes the goodness of most vegetable oils - and, indeed, makes them potentially harmful.

What is lard?

Lard must be pork fat or it cannot be labelled as such. The fat is heated, which reduces most of it to a liquid. This is then filtered and cooled, leaving a white, naturally hard fat with a high melting point. Because it undergoes no further deodorising, lard retains a porky taste, which is great for cooking. Lard keeps in the fridge for up to 12 months.

How harmful are animal fats?

Animal fat is saturated and health experts recommend we limit the amount we eat. But animal fats have many good properties. They are a whole, natural food. Lard, dripping and dairy fat are antiviral and antibacterial, and they can play a part in fending off disease, including cancer. The fatty acids are important for metabolism and growth. The conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) actually help reduce body fat. Meat fats contain a good balance of omega-3 and omega-6, albeit in small quantities.

Where does lard come from?

Most lard you see wrapped in white paper in chiller cabinets hails from the slaughterhouses of Denmark, Holland and Belgium. Animal welfare standards are lower in these countries - for example, stalls and tethers are still legal practice. Although such practices are banned in the UK, up to 70 per cent of our pigs are indoor-reared. Lard from free-range pigs is a rare commodity, but easy to make if you buy pork fat from a butcher you trust and melt it at home.

Is beef dripping safe to eat?

In terms of BSE, beef dripping falls under the same rules as beef and may not enter the food chain unless it can be traced back to the farm. That's not to say illegal dripping does not slip through the net. Saving dripping from roasts is the best source.

SOY SAUCE

The lengthy, resonating flavour that characterises soy sauce is described as "umami" but it comes in two guises, natural and chemical. The former is the result of amino acids developing as the sauce brews naturally; the latter comes through the simple addition of monosodium glutamate. There are three types of soy sauce:

Japanese naturally brewed soy sauce - made using the koji process, similar to wine-making. Aspigillis bacteria are added to soya, wheat and water and the mash exposed to humid heat to grow a mould. The sauce is brewed for up to six months, and amino acids develop. This soy sauce contains no added sugar, colour or flavour, though it does contain salt.

Chinese fermented soy sauce - made with soya and no wheat, and less acidic. Sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate is usually added to preserve it. Japanese soy sauce is extracted by pressing the mash, while Chinese sauce is water that is flushed through the mash, taking on only its flavour. The liquid must then be coloured with caramel, and salt, sugar and sometimes artificial flavourings are added.

Hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP) soy sauce - a highly processed and disgusting product. Hydrochloric acid is added to the beans, creating flavour-producing amino acids. HVP has been found to contain chloropropanol, which is a carcinogen. Fortunately, HVP sauce represents a small share of soy sauce sold in the UK.

BUTTER AND SPREADS

Butter bad, margarine good - or so the mantra went. But recent evidence claims that the transfats in spreads and margarines are more harmful than in butter, and that dairy fat wins the nutrient quality stakes despite being a saturated fat. Could it be possible that butter is a safer, more wholesome food? It may be, but it has other drawbacks.

Which is better for you, butter or "spread"?

Spreads contain varying levels of transfats. Those made with hydrogenated oil have the highest levels, but transfats are formed when all vegetable fats are refined. Those in butter, dairy foods and other animal fats are naturally occurring and do not share the harmful properties of the synthetic transfat that results from hydrogenation.

Are low-fat and olive oil spreads the answer?

They can still contain transfats and a lot else. Bertolli "Lucca" Olive Oil Spread, for example, contains 21 per cent olive oil (Bertolli's own), plus rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, buttermilk, water, emulsifiers, preservatives, thickener, flavourings, colouring and vitamins. Watch out for the term "vegetable oil": it often means palm oil, a saturated fat that carries serious environmental concerns but that manufacturers like to use because it has a high melting point.

What's good about butter?

Butter made from cow's milk contains unique acids that protect against viral illness, fight tumours and guard the gut from pathogenic bacteria and the negative effects of microbes and yeasts. Butter is rich in vitamins A and D, which aid the absorption of calcium. However, do not ignore warnings about overeating saturated dairy fats - enjoy butter in moderation.

Surely butter is fattening?

In fact, evidence is emerging that eating a bit of butter helps with weight loss. The short- and medium-chain fatty acids (such as butyric and lauric acid) contained in butter are used rapidly for energy - faster than those in other oils, including olive oil. The medium-chain lauric acid in butter actually raises metabolism.

Are the problems with fat purely about health?

Sadly not. The production of palm oil has had a devastating impact on the ecosystem of South-east Asia, where large tracts of the natural forest have been cleared for palm plantations.

And is butter innocent?

Butter troubles abound. There is the poor quality of life for cows in large-scale, intensive dairy farms, and the effluent from such farms can poison the local environment and water supply. Cheap imports of butter (or cream for butter-making) have put economic pressure on farmers, causing them to increase herd sizes, keeping the dairy cattle indoors all their lives so they never graze in fields.

SUSHI

When a specialist food becomes available to everyone, it should be time to celebrate. In the case of sushi, the transformation in 10 years has been remarkable. Now, any city dweller can pop out to the supermarket for maki rolls. We are cheered by the low calorie count and ecstatic about the nutritional goodness... But it isn't all good news.

What's not to love?

The body count of the fish used is the big problem. Blue-fin tuna is listed as critically endangered, while stocks of yellow-fin - the one in supermarket sushi - are dropping. Some tuna is caught on long lines, which is a danger to other marine species. Ask about the retailer's dolphin policy when buying fish or sushi.

Where does all that fish come from?

The salmon in supermarket sushi is farmed and this can be problematic in terms of marine pollution and the decimation of wild stocks used for feed. Pollution issues also arise with another sushi ingredient, warm-water prawns. Environment agencies say the deforestation of mangroves in South-east Asia to make way for prawn farms leaves the coastline dangerously unprotected, and contributed to damage in the 2004 tsunami.

Is sushi safe?

Against all odds - yes. You'd think that a combination of cooled cooked rice and raw fish should carry a cigarette-pack-style health warning but the Health Protection Agency reports no trouble. It is, however, illegal for restaurants, takeaways and shops to sell sushi or sashimi that has not been previously frozen at minus 20C for 24 hours. Those that make the sushi on the premises are not subject to the "freezing" law. Some fish can contain worms, which the FSA says can cause illness. These worms die at low temperatures.

How fresh is the fish?

Ideally, the fish arriving in the UK is not more than four days old from catch time, stored at 0.4C. In the case of frozen fish, the catch may be blast-frozen on the boat itself.

Is sushi totally good for you?

The Japanese have the lowest heart-disease rate in the world, but it is not known whether this is down to their fish eating or the general diet. The oils in some fish are beneficial to heart health. There have been concerns about mercury levels in oily fish and dioxins in some farmed salmon. Weighing good against bad, the benefits of the essential fatty acids in fish oils win, and mercury levels are tiny in wild fish. If you worry about contaminants in farmed salmon, choose organic or wild Irish salmon.

TOFU

Like people, some foods have a permanent halo even if they don't always deserve it. Tofu is one such food. It was first made in China more than 2,000 years ago and was taken to Japan by Keno priests in AD700. Hand-made tofu is still a matter of pride and skill in Japan, but traditionalists say corners have been cut for the mass-market product, turning what should be a flavoursome, meaty curd into a bland slab. And there are some environmental concerns.

What's in tofu?

It's made from ground cooked soya beans, water and a coagulant that sets the paste into curds. These are pressed to remove liquid, leaving a cake that can be cut, eaten fresh, cooked or diced into soups and stir-fries.

How is tofu made?

The crucial point is the coagulant. Nigari - the mineral magnesium chloride, taken from evaporating seawater - is the traditional substance used to curdle the paste and give tofu a multifaceted, earthy flavour. But modern makers can use calcium sulphate, or gypsum. This retains a lot of water, boosting the makers' profits, but it gives tofu a chalky taste. The industry insists gypsum's calcium content is a good thing. The most artificial coagulant is glucono delta lactone, a highly refined chemical derived from maize.

Another big issue with tofu is genetic modification; one type of GM soya has been licensed for use in the UK but any food product, including soya, must be clearly labelled if it is derived from a genetically modified organism (GMO). GM's detractors say that crops are being gradually contaminated with GMOs.

How can I avoid GM soya?

Buy organic tofu, simply because the organic sector best polices the movement of GM-contaminated material.Trading standards offices in the UK are particularly concerned about fraudsters passing off non-organic foods as organic.

If tofu eco-friendly?

Not always. Soya farming has grown hugely. With not enough being grown and no more suitable agricultural land where it can be grown, large Amazon rainforest areas are being cleared to make way for it.

CHICKEN

The rise in popularity of free-range and organic birds is due solely to concerns about factory farming. But rumblings about avian influenza threaten the free chicken. We can expect to see birds back in the shed or, worse, mass slaughter. The irony is that disease spreads fast when animals are densely stocked.

Why do some chickens cost £3 and others £20?

The price reflects the farming method. It is possible to rear a chicken in only 38 days, and hence to sell it for less than a fiver, but traditional, slow poultry rearing (which can take up to six months) pushes up the farmer's costs and therefore the shelf price. Chickens bred specially for fast growth are reared indoors, on a diet designed to get them up to size in the minimum time, and welfare troubles are endless. The life of a broiler-house bird is horrendous, if mercifully short. Hope for change is remote; a European directive meant to change standards is under discussion but nothing is likely to happen until 2010.

Is a chicken what it eats?

No doubt about it. For the traditionally reared chicken, a cereal diet supplemented by forage in pasture, picking up the odd grub, will produce flavoursome meat with a well-exercised, muscular texture. Feed in the broiler house is also cereal-based, but high-protein feed for fast growth, based on fishmeal, can be soya (which can be GM derived), often fed to the chickens along with oils and additives, including vitamins, enzymes and antibiotics. Antibiotics "prescribed" by vets help to keep the birds disease free - a necessity in such cramped conditions.

Antibiotic residues in meat are a huge consumer problem. A government inquiry found the presence of antibiotics in meat to be responsible for 50 per cent of people's decreased immunity to infections.

Are free-range chickens the most welfare-friendly?

Not always. Free-range farms can be overcrowded, and handling of the birds on farms, during transport and at slaughter can be just as rough as for the broiler-house bird. To carry the free-range label, a bird has only to spend half its life with access to outdoors. Unless labelled organic, the bird's feed is also in question. Look for "traditional free range" or "free range - total freedom" on labels, as these indicate higher welfare standards. The strictest standard, in terms of welfare and feed, is the organic Soil Association mark.

How are chickens reared in Europe?

France and Italy farm poultry intensively, too, but they have always had large, thriving markets for the slow-reared farmhouse bird, regarded as a luxury and having a price to match.

CURED PORK

One huge attraction of the continuing love affair with all things southern European is the ever-changing menu of cured pork. Right now, the hot legs in town are Iberico hams, with their buttery fat and dark, tender meat. Lardo di colonnata will be next; wafer-thin strips of this peppery cured pork fat, melted over toast, are a revelation. A positive outcome of the 1990s food scares is growing consumer curiosity about provenance: where and how livestock are reared and what they are fed.

Like all pork products, cured meats have animal welfare issues. The assumption is that imported cured meats are bound to be made on cute farms on oregano-scented hillsides. Artisan charcuterie does exist but, like all specialist meats, it is available in specialist shops and markets, especially in the country where it is produced. However, almost all generic cured meats sold in the UK - although based on traditional recipes - are made using factory-reared pigs. Welfare standards in European countries are lower than in the UK. Mass-produced British pork comes from factory farms, too, but here they use marginally kinder methods.

What's in the supermarkets?

The overwhelming majority of supermarket hams and salamis are undistinguished, to say the least. There are exceptions; Tesco sells genuine Parma and San Daniele ham, and Sainsbury's and Waitrose stock genuine Iberico ham from Spain, although not equivalent in quality to Joselito Iberico. Sainsbury's stocks no other cured foods made with pork from free-range farms, but it does sell organic ham. Waitrose's own-brand Italian prosciutto, salami and pancetta are made with "farm assured" pork from inspected Italian farms - an improvement in information, reassuring on animal welfare.

PEAS

We guzzle 100,000 tons of frozen peas a year. Little wrong with that; our favourite brands boost British farm incomes and are relatively safe and unadulterated. But imported fresh peas pose troubling debates that environmentalists, aid agencies and consumers find hard to reconcile.

Where do frozen peas come from?

Birds Eye sells 50 per cent of frozen peas in our shops. Virtually all are grown in the UK (only a shortage will see the company import from New Zealand) and the business supports 380 individual farmers. Turning over £50m a year, Birds Eye (which is now part of Unilever) is vital to our farming economy. It does not pack "own brand" peas for supermarkets or other names, and its corporate transparency makes the brand a safe choice if you want to buy peas with British provenance.

What's the process from farm to freezer counter?

While the peas are processed by state-of-the-art technology, artificial additives are not used. Birds Eye peas are harvested from June to August and, at the moment of ripeness, are picked using special machines that shell and clean them before taking them to the factory. The peas are blanched in water at 90C for 60 seconds, cooled, and blast frozen in a special tunnel at minus 25C. The conveyor belt bounces, keeping the peas apart. They are held in stores, then packed through the year as required.

Are peas sprayed with pesticides?

Frozen peas were last tested for residues in 2003; 76 samples were tested and residues of the fungicide Vinclozolin were found on one sample imported from Belgium. No residues were found on the British samples. Podded, air-freighted fresh peas (from Kenya, Guatemala and Peru) were tested for residues in 2004; of 72 samples tested, 27 had residues.

Can peas be grown without chemicals?

Farmers are being encouraged to reduce artificial treatments and introduce environmentally friendly pest-control using predators, companion planting and pheromone traps, but these measures are voluntary. Birds Eye has worked with the Wildlife Trusts Partnership and birdlife ecologists on the issue, but this remains at the research stage. UK organic farmers are permitted some treatments deemed "natural" but admit that peas are a problematic organic crop.

by Rose Prince
'The Savvy Shopper' by Rose Prince is published today by Fourth Estate (£7.99)

Unusual | Interesting Facts About PLANTS

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:25:00 +0000

LONG LIST OF UNUSUAL AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PLANTS

A notch in a tree will remain the same distance from the ground as the tree grows.
A pineapple is a berry.
Advertisements for coffee in London in 1657 claimed that the beverage was a cure for scurvy, gout and other ills.
Almonds are the oldest, most widely cultivated and extensively used nuts in the world.
Americans eat more bananas than any other fruit: a total of 11 billion a year.
Until 1883, hemp was the world's largest agricultural crop, from which the majority of fabric, soap, paper, medicines, were produced.
An apple tree is at its prime when its about 50 years old. The United States produces about 100 million barrels of apples a year. That's a lot of old trees.
An arabica coffee tree can produce up to 12 pounds of coffee a year, depending on soil and climate.
An average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows.
Arrowroot, an antidote for poisoned arrows, is used as a thickener in cooking.
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
Banana oil never saw a banana; it's made from petroleum.
Bananas are actually herbs. Bananas die after fruiting, like all herbs do.
Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis sativa (marijuana) on their plantations.
84% of a raw apple is water.
A cucumber is 96% water.
Cranberries are one of just 3 major fruits native to North America. Blueberries and Concord grapes are the other two.
Dr. Joel Poinsett, the 1st US ambassador to Mexico, brought the poinsettia to US in 1828. The plant, called "flower of the blessed night" in Mexico was renamed in Poinsett's honor.
Eggplant is a member of the thistle family.
From the 1500's to the 1700's, tobacco was prescribed by doctors to treat a variety of ailments including headaches, toothaches, arthritis and bad breath.
Ginger has been clinically demonstrated to work twice as well as Dramamine for fighting motion sickness, with no side effects.
Hydroponics is the technique by which plants are grown in water without soil.
In 1865 opium was grown in the state of Virginia and a product was distilled from it that yielded 4 percent morphine. In 1867 it was grown in Tennessee: six years later it was cultivated in Kentucky. During these years opium, marijuana and cocaine could be purchased legally over the counter from any druggist.
In 1924, Pope Urban VIII threatened to excommunicate snuff users.
In 1932 James Markham obtained the 1st patent issued for a tree. The patent was for a peach tree.
In Siberia, in 1994, a container full of marijuana was discovered in the 2,000-year-old grave of a Scythian princess and priestess, among the many other articles buried with her.
In the Netherlands, in 1634, a collector paid 1,000 pounds of cheese, four oxen, eight pigs, 12 sheep, a bed, and a suit of clothes for a single bulb of the Viceroy tulip.
Morphine was given its name in 1803 by the discoverer, a 20 year old German pharmacist named Friedrich Saturner. He named it after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams.
No species of wild plant produces a flower or blossom that is absolutely black, and so far, none has been developed artificially.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
Oak trees do not have acorns until they are fifty years old or older.
One pound of tea can make 300 cups of the beverage.
One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen.
Oranges, lemons, watermelons, and tomatoes are berries.
Orchids have the smallest seeds. It takes more than 1.25 million seeds to weigh 1 gram.
Peanuts are beans.
Plants that need to attract moths for pollination are generally white or pale yellow, to be better seen when the light is dim. Plants that depend on butterflies, such as the poppy or the hibiscus, have more colorful flowers.
Quinine, one of the most important drugs known to man, is obtained from the dried bark of an evergreen tree native to South America.
Rice paper isn't made from rice but from a small tree which grows in Taiwan.
Tea was so expensive when it was first brought to Europe in the early 17th century that it was kept in locked wooden boxes.
The California redwood - coast redwood and giant sequoia - are the tallest and largest living organism in the world.
The first American advertisement for tobacco was published in 1789. It showed a picture of an Indian smoking a long clay pipe.
The fragrance of flowers is due to the essences of oil which they produce.
The largest single flower is the Rafflesia or "corpse flower". They are generally 3 feet in diameter with the record being 42 inches.
The oldest living thing in existence is not a giant redwood, but a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California, dated to be aged 4,600 years old.
The pineapple was symbol of welcome in the 1700-1800's. That is why in New England you will see so many pineapples on door knockers. An arch in Providence RI leading into the Federal Hill neighborhood has a pineapple on it for that very reason. Pineapples were brought home by seafarers as gifts.
The plant life in the oceans make up about 85 percent of all the greenery on the Earth.
The popular name for the giant sequoia tree is Redwood.
The rose family of plants, in addition to flowers, gives us apples, pears, plums, cherries, almonds, peaches and apricots.
The world's tallest grass, which has sometimes grown 130 feet or more, is bamboo.
There are more than 700 species of plants that grow in the United States that have been identified as dangerous if eaten. Among them are some that are commonly favored by gardeners: buttercups, daffodils, lily of the valley, sweet peas, oleander, azalea, bleeding heart, delphinium, and rhododendron.
Wheat is the world's most widely cultivated plant; grown on every continent except Antarctica.
When a coffee seed is planted, it takes five years to yield consumable fruit.
Willow bark, which provides the salicylic acid from which aspirin was originally synthesized, has been used as a pain remedy ever since the Greeks discovered its therapeutic power nearly 2,500 years ago.
Wine grapes, oranges, figs and olives were first planted in North America by Father Junipero Sera in 1769.
An acre of trees can remove about 13 tons of dust and gases every year from the surrounding environment.
Almost a third of the world’s total land area is covered by forests.
Some tissue-making machines can produce as many as 6000 feet of toilet tissuetree01.gif (1395 bytes) every minute out of trees.
About 1.5 million tons of ground cocoa beans from the tropical tree are used each year to make chocolate and cocoa products. That’s greater than the weight of more than 300,000 elephants!
Every year in the United States each person uses the equivalent of one tree, 100 feet tall and 16 inches in diameter, to fulfill their wood and paper needs.
Bananas are the most popular fruit in America. The average person eats 33 pounds of bananas a year!
A single baked potato contains less than 250 calories and is over 99% fat free.
Bell peppers are usually sold green, but they can also be red, purple or yellow.
Tomatoes are very high in the carotenoid Lycopene; eating foods with carotenoids can lower your risk of cancer.
Other vegetables high in carotenoids are carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and collard greens.
Most of the nutrients in a potato reside just below the skin layer.
A horn worm can eat an entire tomato plant by itself in one day!
In the United States, more tomatoes are consumed than any other single fruit or vegetable!
California produces almost all of the broccoli sold in the United States.
White potatoes were first cultivated by local Indians in the Andes Mountains of South America.

More about plants:
Unusual|Weird|Strange|Funny|Odd Plant Names
Unusual|Interesting|Strange|Weird|Odd plants

Unusual|Interesting Facts About Plants on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Unusual|Weird|Strange|Funny|Odd Plant Names

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:15:00 +0000

The common or vernacular names of plants are often strange and even amusing at times. The "pineapple" is not in any way related to either pines or apples, and "peppergrass" is not a pepper, nor is it related to the Grass Family (Poaceae). The logic behind names such as "bouncing bet," "ramping fumitory," "bastard toadflax," "lady-of-the-night," and "go-to-bed-at-noon" is not readily apparent. It is also rather disappointing to discover that "Kentucky bluegrass" was introduced from Europe and the "California pepper tree" is native to Peru. But in spite of the numerous irrational names for plants, there are many common names that are descriptive and meaningful; however, you may have to look very carefully to see the obvious derivation of the name.(http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/names/flownames.html)

Some unusual,weird,strange,funny,interesting, and odd plant names:

Amaryllis belladonna Naked Ladies
Brugmansia Angel's Trumpet
Anigozanthos Cat's Paw
Amaranthus Love lies Bleeding
Iresine Chicken Gizzard
Polygonum orientale Kiss me over the Garden Gate
Nigella Love in a Mist
Scaevola Fairy Fan Flower
Aloe cultivar Lizard Lips
Phallus impudicus Stinkhorn Fungus
Hedera helix English ivy
Chlorophytum comosum spider plant
Epipiremnum aureum golden pothos
Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa' peace lily
Aglaonema modestum Chinese evergreen
Chamaedorea sefritzii bamboo or reed palm
Sansevieria trifasciata snake plant
Philodendron scandens `oxycardium' heartleaf philodendron
Philodendron selloum selloum philodendron
Philodendron domesticum elephant ear philodendron
Dracaena marginata red-edged dracaena
Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana' cornstalk dracaena
Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig' Janet Craig dracaena
Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii' Warneck dracaena
Ficus benjamina weeping fig

Link to unusual|interesting|strange|weird|odd plants

Unusual|Weird|Strange|Funny Plant Names on INTERESTING|UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT ALL

Unusual|Interesting|Strange|Weird|Odd plants

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Swollen stems of "desert trumpet" (Eriogonum inflatum var. inflatum).

A "senita cactus" (Lophocereus schottii) south of the U.S. border in Sonora, Mexico. The gray, whisker-like spines on the upper stems suggest "old one" or senescence.

A shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana) in full bloom. Native to Mexico, this showy evergreen shrub belongs to the acanthus family (Acanthaceae). Formerly placed in the genus Beloperone, this interesting shrub is closely related to chuparosa (Justicia californica) of the Colorado Desert. Perhaps the next image will show its slight resemblance to a shrimp.
Flower-bearing spike of the shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana). Formerly placed in the genus Beloperone, this interesting shrub is closely related to chuparosa (Justicia californica) of the Colorado Desert. The tubular, white flowers spotted with purple are enclosed in showy, overlapping bracts.

The small fruits (silicles) of "spectacle pod" (Dithyrea californica) resemble miniature eye glasses. This wildflower is common in sandy areas of the Colorado Desert.

The glistening, gland-tipped hairs (trichomes) on the stem of the desert wildflower appropriately named tackstem (Calycoseris wrightii) resemble minute translucent tacks. Magnification approximately 15x.
Herniaria (Herniaria hirsuta) is a small annual herb in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae).

A dried "dune primrose" (Oenothera deltoides) held upright by the taproot. The outer branches have curled up to form the peculiar "lantern" or "bird cage".

Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) These beautiful flowers grow out of bare, parched ground during September in San Diego County. They arise from deep-seated bulbs, long after the leaves from the previous spring have withered away.

Owl's clover (Castilleja densiflora ssp. gracilis), formerly placed in the genus Orthocarpus. The individual flower superficially resembles an owl. White-flowered individuals can be found within large populations in coastal San Diego County.

Stinkhorn Fungus (Phallus impudicus) This is a fowl-smelling fungus that attracts flies to its spore-laden, slimy head, thus increasing the odds of its spores being dispersed to new habitats. The fruiting body can appear almost overnight, and may "scent" your entire backyard.

Steer's head (Dicentra uniflora) on the Dana Plateau of the Sierra Nevada.

Eminent botanist Gilbert Voss in a dense stand of golden eardrops (Dicentra chrysantha). Photograph taken on a recently burned slope of Tecate Peak in southern San Diego County (circa 1967).

These cone-like structures are the flower stalks of a seldom-seen wildflower called "ground cone" (Boschniakia strobilacea). The small flowers protruding from the purplish scales are proof that these are not pine cones.

The inflated flower stalks of "desert candle" (Caulanthus inflatus) appear on open flats and among shrubs in the Mojave Desert.

A genuine test tube cleaner (left) compared with three flower stalks of the infamous "desert bottle cleaner" (Camissonia boothii ssp. condensata).

King Richard III Suffered from Cerebral Palsy?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:13:00 +0000

While I was searching on the web for the "oldest person with cerebral palsy", I stumbled across a thread on YAHOO!Answers, where I found out that King Richard III was one of the persons who suffered from cerebral palsy.

There it mentioned:

'King Richard III was probably the oldest person historically to have the description of cerebral palsy documented.

In this case, the cerebral palsy symptom was spastic rigiditiy caused by lack of oxygen or damage from premature birth.

This was described by Shakespeare when he wrote, speaking as the then Duke of Gloucester, proclaming:

I that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
cheated of feature by this dissembling nature
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up
and that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them….'

So now we know... But take note that there is still no accurate evidence on this claim that King Richard III really had cerebral palsy.

King Richard III Suffered from Cerebral Palsy? on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Unusual | Interesting Facts About HALLOWEEN!

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:09:00 +0000

Halloween began as the ancient Celtic New Year, known as Samhain, thousands of years ago. The holiday fell on the first of November, and marked the end to the revered “season of the sun.” It was during this time that the ancient Celts believed that the veil between the spirit world and the mortal world was thinnest, and therefore performed rituals to honor the dead, keep evil spirits at bay, and to ensure that the sun could come back in the spring. On the eve of Samhain, October 31st, Celtic villagers would extinguish the fires in their hearths, and all would meet near the local.

The modern name, Halloween comes from "All Hallows' Evening," or in their slang "All Hallow's Even", the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is just another name for All Saints' Day, eventually, it became abbreviated to "Hallowe'en" and then "Halloween."

UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN
- Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.
- The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts wondered the streets on all Hallows Eve so they began wearing masks and costumes in order to not be recognized as human.
- The jack-o-lantern tradition comes from an old Irish folk tale about a man named Stingy Jack. It was said that he was unable to get into heaven and was turned away from the devil because of his tricky ways. So he set off to wander the world looking for a resting place. For light, Stingy Jack used a burning coal ember in a hollowed out turnip. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of 1845-1850, they found that turnips were not as readily available like they were in the homeland. So they started carving pumpkins as a replacement for their tradition.
- On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today.
- Of all the candy sold annually, one quarter of it is sold during Halloween time (September – November 10) making it the sweetest holiday of the year.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America
- The number one candy of choice for Halloween is Snickers
- There are an estimated 106 million potential treat-or-treat stops (i.e., housing units occupied year-round, per the U.S. Census)
- Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday, beat out only by Christmas
- The U.S. consumer spends upwards of $1.5 billion on Halloween costumes annually and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia, such as decorations, crafts, etc. More than $100,000 of that is said to be spent online
- Candy sales in the U.S. for Halloween average $2 billion annually
- Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday, respectively
- 86% of Americans decorate their homes at Halloween
- Halloween is the 8th largest card sending holiday. The first Halloween greeting is dated back to early 1900 and today consumers spend around $50 million dollars on Halloween cards each year.
- Of the pumpkins marketed domestically, 99% of them are used as Jack-o-lanterns at Halloween
- Approximately 82% of children and 67% of adults take part in Halloween festivities every year
- The official Orange and Black colors of Halloween came from orange being associated with fall harvest and black symbolizing darkness and death.
- There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with “orange”
- In the movie “Halloween” the mask worn by Michael Meyers is actually the mask of William Shatner painted white
- Magician, Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926 in Detroit, MI.
- It is during the Halloween festivity that about 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically, are utilized for the purpose of making Jack O'Lanterns for the Halloween party.
- In America, Halloween is celebrated on a large scale and about 86% of Americans get actively engrossed in the task of doing haunted house Halloween decorations.
It is interesting to know that there is no word in the dictionary that is in rhyme with orange.
- People give the credit of starting the tradition of Trick or Treating to Irish people.
- Jerry Ayers of Baltimore was the one to make a world record of fastest pumpkin carving, by carving out a pumpkin in just 37 seconds.
- Vampires don’t really participate in the night Halloween party celebrations, because they consider Halloween to be tacky.
- People are of the belief that light keeps the monsters away. Thus they prefer lighting a pumpkin lantern with a candle on the Halloween night.
Pumpkins can also be spotted in the colors of white, blue and green.
- Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
- Jack o’ lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
- Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
- Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
- The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
- Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
- Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
- Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
- Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
- Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
- A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
- Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
- Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
- More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
- A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.
- Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio has the record for the fastest pumpkin carver at 37 seconds
- More than 93% of children, under the age of 12, will go out trick-or-treating
- About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween, while 67% take part in the activities, such as parties, decorating the house and trick-or-treating with their children
- 86% of Americans decorate their house for Halloween
- Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion annually in the United States. It is the largest candy-purchasing holiday, bigger than Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day!
- The first Halloween card was made in the early 1920's. These days, over 28 million Halloween cards are sent each year. U.S. consumers spend about $50 million on Halloween greetings
- Over $1.5 billion is spent on costumes each year and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia
- About 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically are turned into jack-o-lanterns
- The biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at a whopping 1,446 pounds. This gigantic gourd was weighed in October 2004 at a pumpkin festival in Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada.
- More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces - enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.
- Halloween was born. The first Halloween celebration in America took place in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.

Unusual and Interesting Facts About Halloween on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Unusual | Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS II

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:44:00 +0000

Elements are simple substances which cannot be decomposed by chemical means. They are made up of atoms which are alike in their peripheral electronic configurations, their chemical properties, and in the number of protons in their nuclei. They may differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
Below is the second (from Gold to Polonium) of the three parts of unusual and interesting facts about elements. Have fun on the listed interesting and unusual facts about elements!

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gold
A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in veins and alluvial deposits and recovered by mining or by panning or sluicing. A good thermal and electrical conductor, gold is generally alloyed to increase its strength, and it is used as an international monetary standard, in jewelry, for decoration, and as a plated coating on a wide variety of electrical and mechanical components. The most common uses of Gold are in Currency, Coinage, Jewellery, Tableware, Dental alloys and Electronics
The name originates from the Old English Anglo-Saxon word 'geolo' meaning yellow. The Symbol Origin is from the Latin word 'aurum' meaning gold. Argentina was named for this precious metal.

Common Uses of Gold
Precious metal
Currency
Coinage
Jewelry
Tableware
Dental alloys
Electronics

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hafnium
A brilliant, silvery, metallic element separated from ores of zirconium and used in nuclear reactor control rods, as a getter for oxygen and nitrogen, and in the manufacture of tungsten filaments. The most common uses of Hafnium are in Nuclear reactors, Hafnium reactor, the Hafnium bomb, used in incandescent lamps and Tungsten filaments
The word Hafnium originates from the Latin Hafnia for "Copenhagen".

Common Uses of Hafnium
Nuclear reactors
Hafnium reactor
The Hafnium bomb
Used in incandescent lamps
Tungsten filaments

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hassium
An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic number 108 whose most long-lived isotopes have mass numbers of 264 and 265 with half-lives of 0.08 milliseconds and 2 milliseconds, respectively. Other Names: Unniloctium (Uno), Hahnium (Hn).
The name originates from the Latin name for the German state of Hessen.

Common Uses of Hassium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Helium
A colorless, odorless, inert gaseous element constituting approximately one percent of Earth's atmosphere, from which it is commercially obtained by fractionation for use in electric light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and radio vacuum tubes and as an inert gas shield in arc welding.
The name originates from the Greek word 'helios' meaning the sun.

Common Uses of Helium
Component of artificial atmospheres and laser media
Refrigerant
Lifting gas for balloons
Superfluid in cryogenic research
Deep sea diving
Helium balloons, tanks, neon laser

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Holmium
A relatively soft, malleable, stable rare-earth element occurring in gadolinite, monazite, and other rare-earth minerals. The most common uses of Holmium are in Nuclear reactors.
The name originates from the Latin word Holmia meaning Stockholm.

Common Uses of Holmium
Nuclear reactors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hydrogen
A colorless, highly flammable gaseous element, the lightest of all gases and the most abundant element in the universe. Used in the production of synthetic ammonia and methanol, in petroleum refining, in the hydrogenation of organic materials, as a reducing atmosphere, in oxy-hydrogen torches, and in rocket fuels. The most common uses of Hydrogen are in Hydrogen Peroxide, H Bomb, Fuel Cells, Fuel, Hydrogen Generators, Hydrogen Powered Cars.
Hydrogen is French for water-maker, from the Greek word hudor meaning "water" and gennen meaning to "generate".

Common Uses of Hydrogen
Hydrogen Peroxide, H Bomb, Fuel Cells, Fuel, Hydrogen Generators, Hydrogen Powered Cars.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Indium
A soft, malleable, silvery-white metallic element found primarily in ores of zinc and tin, used as a plating over silver in making mirrors, in plating aircraft bearings, and in compounds for making transistors.
The name originates from the color Indigo in its atomic spectrum.

Common Uses of Indium
Coating of high-speed bearings
Indium-tin-oxide thin films for liquid crystal displays (LCD)
Making mirrors
Making transistors
Photoconductors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iodine
A lustrous, violet-black, corrosive, poisonous halogen element having radioactive isotopes, especially I 131, used as a medical tracer and in thyroid disease diagnosis and therapy. Iodine compounds are used as germicides, antiseptics, and dyes.
The name originates from the Greek word Iodes meaning "violet".

Common Uses of Iodine
Germicides
Antiseptics
Dyes
Table salt
Organic chemistry
Photography

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iridium
A very hard and brittle, exceptionally corrosion-resistant, whitish-yellow metallic element occurring in platinum ores and used principally to harden platinum and in high-temperature materials, electrical contacts, and wear-resistant bearings.
The name "iridium" originates from the Latin word meaning "of rainbows".

Common Uses of Iridium
Hardening agent in platinum alloys
Fountain pen nibs
Making crucibles
Electrical contacts
Spark plugs
Phones
Goggles
Denso iridium

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iron
A heavy malleable ductile magnetic silver-white metallic element that readily rusts in moist air, occurs native in meteorites and combined in most igneous rocks, is the most used of metals, and is vital to biological processes as in transport of oxygen in the body.
The name originates from from the Latin word ferrum meaning iron. Its symbol 'Fe' is an abbreviation of ferrum.

Production of steel - the best known alloy of iron

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Krypton
A whitish, largely inert gaseous element used chiefly in gas discharge lamps and fluorescent lamps.
The name originates from the Greek word 'kryptos' meaning hidden.

Common Uses of Krypton
Photographic flash lamps
Gas discharge lamps
Fluorescent lamps

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lanthanum
A soft, silvery-white, malleable, ductile, metallic rare-earth element, obtained chiefly from monazite and bastnaesite and used in glass manufacture and with other rare earths in carbon lights for movie and television studio lighting.
The name originates from the Greek word lanthanein meaning 'to lie hidden'.

Common Uses of Lanthanum
Glass manufacture
Carbon lights for movie and television studio lighting
Camera lenses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lawrencium
A radioactive transuranic element synthesized from californium.
Named in honour of Ernest O. Lawrence the inventor of the cyclotron.

Common Uses of Lawrencium
No Known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lead
A soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets, radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds.
The name originates from the the Greek word protos meaning 'first' and the Symbol Origin 'Pb' from the Latin word plumbum meaning 'lead'. Plumbism is the medical term for lead poisoning

Common Uses of Lead
Plumbing
Solder
Shielding against radiation
Batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lithium
A soft, silvery, highly reactive metallic element that is used as a heat transfer medium, in thermo-nuclear weapons, and in various alloys, ceramics, and optical forms of glass.
Lithium comes from the Greek word lithos which means "stone".

Common Uses of Lithium
Lithium batteries
Lithium orotate, carbonate, polymer & bromide
Lithium ion battery

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lutetium
A silvery-white rare-earth element that is exceptionally difficult to separate from the other rare-earth elements, used in nuclear technology.
The name originates from the Latin word Lutetia meaning Paris.

Common Uses of Lutetium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Magnesium
A light, silvery-white, moderately hard metallic element that in ribbon or powder form burns with a brilliant white flame. It is used in structural alloys, pyrotechnics, flash photography, and incendiary bombs.
The name originates from a Greek district in Thessaly called Magnesia.

Common Uses of Magnesium
Dead-burned magnesite is used as brick and liners in furnaces and converters
Photography - old type flash powder and flash bulbs
Flares
Pyrotechnics
Incendiary bombs
Airplanes
Missiles
Magnesium chloride, citrate, sulfate, oxide , hydroxide, stearate, taurate , sulphate and glycinate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Manganese
A gray-white or silvery brittle metallic element, occurring in several allotropic forms, found worldwide, especially in the ores pyrolusite and rhodochrosite and in nodules on the ocean floor. It is alloyed with steel to increase strength, hardness, wear resistance, and other properties and with other metals to form highly ferromagnetic materials.
The Name Originates from the Latin word mangnes meaning magnet

Common Uses of Manganese
Batteries
Ceramics
Steel
Glass making

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Meitnerium
A short-lived radioactive element that is artificially produced. Other Name - Unnilennium (Une)
Named in honour of Lise Meitner the Austrian physicist and mathematician.

Common Uses of Meitnerium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Mendelevium
A radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles.
Named in honour of Dmitri Mendeleev

Common Uses of Mendelevium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Mercury
A silvery-white poisonous metallic element, liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers, barometers, vapor lamps, and batteries and in the preparation of chemical pesticides.
It was named after the Roman god Mercury. Its symbol (Hg) comes from hydrargyrum from the Greek word hydrargyros meaning 'water' and 'silver'.

Common Uses of Mercury
Thermometers
Barometers
Fluorescent lamps
Batteries
Chemical pesticides

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Molybdenum
A hard, silvery-white metallic element used to toughen alloy steels and soften tungsten alloy. An essential trace element in plant nutrition, it is used in fertilizers, dyes, enamels, and reagents.
The name Molybdenum originates from the Greek word molubdos meaning "lead-like".

Common Uses of Molybdenum
High strength alloys
High temperature steels
Aircraft parts
Missile parts

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neodymium
A bright, silvery rare-earth metal element, found in monazite and bastnaesite and used for coloring glass and for doping some glass lasers.
The name originates from the Greek words neos meaning new and 'didymos' meaning twin.

Common Uses of Neodymium
Coloring glass
Coloring ceramics
Infra-red radiation filtering

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neon
A rare, inert gaseous element occurring in the atmosphere to the extent of 18 parts per million and obtained by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is colorless but glows reddish orange in an electric discharge and is used in displays and indicators.
The name originates from the Greek word 'neos' meaning new.

Common Uses of Neon
Neon lights / signs
High-voltage indicators,
Gas discharge Lightning arrestors,
Television tubes.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neptunium
A radioactive metallic element that is chemically similar to uranium and is obtained in nuclear reactors as a by-product in the production of plutonium
Neptunium was named after the planet Neptune

Common Uses of Neptunium
Neutron detection equipment

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nickel
A silvery, hard, ductile, ferromagnetic metallic element used in alloys, in corrosion-resistant surfaces and batteries, and for electroplating.
Name Originates from the German word 'kupfernickel' meaning false copper from the deceptive copper color of the ore

Common Uses of Nickel
Coinage in the United States and Canada
Stainless steel
Corrosion-resistant alloys
Nickel plating
Burglar-proof vaults
Nickel-cadmium batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Niobium
A silvery, soft, ductile metallic element that occurs chiefly in columbite-tantalite and is used in steel alloys, arc welding, and superconductivity research. This element is still widely referred to by its original name - Columbium.
Name Origin - Columbium was the name originally given to this element by Hatchet but IUPAC officially adopted "niobium" as the name originally given by Heinrich Rose in 1846. The word Niobium originates from Niobe, daughter of mythical Greek king Tantalus.

Common Uses of Niobium
Tantalum capacitor
Steel alloys
Tantalum plating
Hot metal spraying
Arc welding
Super-conductivity research

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nitrogen
A non-metallic element that constitutes nearly four-fifths of the air by volume, occurring as a colorless, odorless, almost inert diatomic gas, N2, in various minerals and in all proteins and used in a wide variety of important manufactures, including ammonia, nitric acid, TNT, and fertilizers.
The name originates from the Greek Nitron and the Latin word nitrum meaning "genes" and "forming".

Common Uses of Nitrogen
Used as a coolant for the immersion freezing
Gunpowder
Fertilizer
Rocket fuels
Liquid nitrogen
Nitrogen dioxide, oxide
Nitrogen Generators

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nobelium
A Radioactive metallic transuranic element, belonging to the actinoids. Also known as unnilbium.
Named in honour of Alfred Nobel

Common Uses of Nobelium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Osmium
A bluish-white, hard metallic element, found in small amounts in osmiridium, nickel, and platinum ores. It is used as a platinum hardener and in making pen points, phonograph needles, and instrument pivots.
The name originates from the Greek word 'osme' meaning odor

Common Uses of Osmium
Alloyed with other metals
Fountain pen points
Phonograph needles
Light filaments
Instrument pivots
Electrical contacts
Jewelry
Osmium tetroxide - tetraoxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Oxygen
A colorless tasteless odourless gaseous element that constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere and is found in water, in most rocks and minerals, and in numerous organic compounds, that is capable of combining with all elements except the inert gases, that is active in physiological processes, and that is involved especially in combustion processes. The most common uses of Oxygen are in Oxidizer, Rocket propulsion, Medicine, Welding, Sensors, Mask and Concentrators.
The name originates from the Greek words gennan meaning 'generate' and oxus meaning 'acid' - so named because it was believed that all acids contained oxygen.

Common Uses of Oxygen
Oxidizer
Rocket propulsion
Medicine
Welding
Oxygen sensors
Oxygen mask
Oxygen concentrator

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Palladium
A soft, ductile, steel-white, tarnish-resistant, metallic element occurring naturally with platinum, especially in gold, nickel, and copper ores. Because it can absorb large amounts of hydrogen, it is used as a purification filter for hydrogen and a catalyst in hydrogenation. It is alloyed for use in electric contacts, jewelry, nonmagnetic watch parts, and surgical instruments. The element played an essential role in the Fleischmann-Pons experiment, also known as cold fusion.
Named after the asteroid Pallas which was discovered two years before in 1801.

Common Uses of Palladium
Electric contacts
Jewelry
Nonmagnetic watch parts
Surgical instruments
Similar to gold, palladium can be beaten into a thin leaf form
Telecommunications switching-system equipment

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Phosphorus
A highly reactive, poisonous, non-metallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially apatite, and existing in three allotropic forms, white (or sometimes yellow), red, violet and black. An essential constituent of protoplasm, it is used in safety matches, pyrotechnics, incendiary shells, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion.
The name originates from the Greek words phos meaning light and phoros meaning bearer.

Common Uses of Phosphorus
Safety matches
Pyrotechnics
Incendiary shells
Fertilizers
Steel production
Incendiary bombs
Pyrotechnics
Pesticides

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Platinum
A silver-white metallic element occurring worldwide, usually mixed with other metals such as iridium, osmium, or nickel. It is ductile and malleable, does not oxidize in air, and is used as a catalyst and in electrical components, jewelry, dentistry, and electroplating.
The name originates from the Spanish word platina meaning 'little silver'

Common Uses of Platinum
Used in catalytic converters for automobiles
Making crucibles
Coating missile nose cones
Jet engine fuel nozzles
Medical treatments of cancer

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Plutonium
A radioactive metallic element similar chemically to uranium that is formed as the isotope 239 by decay of neptunium and found in minute quantities in pitchblende, that undergoes slow disintegration with the emission of an alpha particle to form uranium 235, and that is fissionable with slow neutrons to yield atomic energy.
The name originates from the the planet Pluto.

Common Uses of Plutonium
Radiological weapons
Poison
Electrical power generation

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Polonium
A radioactive metallic element that is similar chemically to tellurium and bismuth, occurs especially in pitchblende and radium-lead residues, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead. Also called Radium F.
The name originates from Poland the home of Marie Curie. Madame Curie was born Maria Sklodowski in Warsaw, Poland in 1867.

Common Uses of Polonium
Thermoelectric power in space satellites
To eliminate static charges
Removes dust from photographic films

Source: http://www.facts-about.org.uk/index-elements.htm
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part I
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part III

Interesting and Unusual Facts: Elements on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Interesting Facts About PERU

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:59:00 +0000

PERU? Well, before we go to the interesting facts about PERU, just a bit of introduction of PERU to add some spice. Peru, country in west central South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a land of sharp contrasts, of barren deserts and green oases, snowcapped mountains, high bleak plateaus, and deep valleys. The Andes mountains cross the country from northwest to southeast. Beyond the Andes, in the interior of the country, is a thinly settled area covered with dense tropical forests. Lima, situated along the Pacific coast, is the country’s capital and chief commercial center.

Peru was once the center of an extensive South American empire ruled by the Inca. This empire fell to conquerors from Spain in the 16th century. Attracted by the gold and silver mines of the Andes, the Spaniards quickly converted Peru into the seat of their wealth and power in South America. Peru remained a Spanish colony until the early 19th century.

Mining has remained the basis of Peru’s wealth, although agriculture, fishing, and tourism also contribute. Many tourists visit Peru to see the remains of the Inca empire, especially the Inca stronghold at Machu Picchu high in the Andes.

Many of Peru’s people are descended from the Inca or other Native American groups. Quechua, the language of the Inca, and Aymara, a related Indian language, rank with Spanish as official languages of the country. However, sharp class and ethnic divisions that developed during the colonial period persist to this day. In this divided society a wealthy elite of largely Spanish descent has long dominated Peru’s larger population of Native Americans and mestizos—people of mixed European and Native American ancestry. (1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation)

Now for the interesting facts about PERU. Some facts may not be new to you, and some may be. Just enjoy the list of interesting facts about PERU compiled below.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PERU
* If you are from Peru then your nationality is Peruvian.
* The life expectancy at birth for people in Peru is 69.84. This is due to the poverty in the country and the lack of doctors.
* The largest ethnic group in Peru is the Amerindian, followed closely by the Mestizo and white.
* 90% of people in Peru belong to the Roman Catholic religion.
* The literacy rate in Peru is 90.9% which is impressive for a country with so much poverty.
* Peru was the homeland of the Inca Empire until 1533 when it was taken over by Spanish conquistadores.
* Peru ranked 79 out of 177 countries in the UN Human Development Index in 2005. This was an improvement of 6 places since 2004’s ranking of 85.
* Peru’s most famous sport is Soccer, but they also enjoy tennis, surfing, beach volleyball, and sailing.
* In west Peru there are some desert lands, where in the east it is a very tropical climate
* Peru’s natural resources are silver, gold, copper, timber, fish, petroleum, coal, iron, ore, phosphate, potash, hydropower, and natural gas.
* Peru has to deal with natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, volcanic activity, and mudslides.
* Peru has 246 airports. That’s more than it has ever had before. This is a good sign for the economy.
* Unfortunately, the country only has 1 heliport.
* Peru features over of 3000 kilometers of railway.
* Peru is home to the famous Lake Titicaca. (http://www.factsaboutperu.com/)

* Peru borders the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador.
* Peru is roughly the size of Alaska.
* Peru has roughly 1,500 miles of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.
* The city of Caral has pyramid remains dated to between 2000 and 2600 B.C. This means Caral may be the oldest city on Earth.
* Peru is home of the Nazca Lines, football field sized drawings built for unknown purposes. Most of the drawing weren’t even discovered until viewed from the air.
* The Incan Empire was based in Peru, with the famous Machu Picchu in the Andes being the best known location. It was discovered in 1911.
* Spain ruled Peru for nearly three hundred years starting in the early 16th century.
* Spain introduced Christianity to Peru and forced locals to take Spanish names.
* Peru was the last Spanish colony in South America.
* Peru is now a constitutional republic.
* Lima is the capital of Peru.
* Peru achieved independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
* Members of the military and national police may not vote in elections.
* Leftist guerrilla groups including Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement tried to overthrow the government for 20 years from 1980 to 2000.
* Roughly 70,000 people were killed by both the government and rebel groups during the fighting.
* Beatriz Merino became Peru's first female Prime Minister in 2003.
* The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west and temperate to frigid in the Andes.
* Natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower and natural gas.
* Peru shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia.
* A remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River.
* As of 2005, the population of Peru was 27,925,628 people.
* Peruvians have the following ethnic breakdown: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%.
From a faith perspective, Peruvians are Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3%
* The Flag of Peru consists of three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath.
* Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds.
* Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas.
* After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005.
* The average Peruvian earns the equivalent of $6,000 a year.
* Peru's main agricultural crops are coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products and fish.
* Peru has major mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel and metal fabrication industries.
* In 1995, Peru was the biggest cocaine producer in the world. Production rates have dropped, but opium production is on the rise.
* 54 percent of people in Peru live below the poverty line.
* The literacy rate in Peru is 87.7 percent, with women primarily lacking in the skill. (http://www.factsmonk.com/facts_about_peru)

* Peru has had many famous visitors: Rosalynn Carter (ex-First Lady of the United States); Neil Armstrong (astronaut); Edwin Aldrin (astronaut); Michael Collins (astronaut); John Wayne (actor); Dennis Hopper (actor);Shirley MacLaine (actress); Yasuhiro Nakasone (Prime Minister of Japan);George W.Bush (President of the United States); Charles de Gaulle (President of France); Claudia Schiffer (supermodel); Mohammed Mahatthir (Prime Minister of Malaysia);Kim Young-sam (President of South Korea);Ernest Hemingway (writer); Gloria Estefan (singer); Julio Iglesias (singer); and Mother Theresa (religious)
* The Hawaiian Hiram Bingham (1875-1956) discovered Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world.
* Miss Peru, Gladys Rosa Zender Urbina, was supported by the artist Alberto Joaquin Vargas y Chavez, who was international judge at the Miss Universe pageant in 1957. Gladys Zender became the first Latin-American to win the Miss Universe…
* Writer Ciro Alegria (1909-1967) was born in Trujillo, a city in the north of Peru. His best seller was "The Golden Serpent".
* Different from Venezuela and Cuba, Peru is a democratic country in the Third World. Alan García Perez is one of the most popular presidents in South America.
* Peru maintains good relations with France, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Spain, Italy, China, and the United States.
* Mario Vargas Llosa is one of the most important writers in the world. He has written several novels and essays. Beginning the 1980s Vargas Llosa attracted international attention when he wrote perhaps his most famous novel "The War of the End of the World".
* Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa was born on March 28, 1936, in Arequipa, Peru. He was educated in Lima at the National University of San Marcos, where he studied literature. Literary recognition came gradually. His novels included: "The Green House" (1966), "Conversation in the Cathedral" (1969), "Captain Pantoja and the Special Service" (1972), "Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter" (1977), "The War of End of the World" (1981),"The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta" (1984), "Who Killed Palomino Molero?" (1986), "Notebooks of Don Rigoberto" (1997), and "Feast of the Goat" (2000).Vargas Llosa’s latest work "The Way to Paradise" was published in 2003.He received Spain’s Miguel Cervantes Prize in 1994.
* Since 1976 he became a spokesman for the democracy in Cuba. From 1987 to 1990 Vargas Llosa became active in the Peruvian democracy movement. During the 1990s, he was an outspoken critic of Alberto Kenya Fujimori’s dictatorship, as well as ardent supporter of the democratic revolution that brought Alejandro Toledo to power. During the Fujimori’s regime, Vargas Llosa went to exile in Spain.
* Peru has many famous people in Latin America: Bernardo Fort-Brescia (architect); Luis Dunker Lavalle (composer); Juan Giha (sportsman); Francisco Boza (sportsman);Luisa Fuentes (sportwoman); Madeleine Hartog-Bell (Miss World 1967); María Julia "Maju" Mantilla (Miss World 2004);Alberto Joaquín Vargas y Chávez (painter); Miguel Hart- Bedoya ( singer and composer); Boris Vallejo (painter); Luis Llosa (film maker); Phil Uriarte (entrepreneur); Carlos Baca Flor (painter).
* The City of Cuzco is considered a Cultural Heritage for Humanity by UNESCO. Like Mexico and China, Peru has many World Heritages Sites:
-Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (1983)
-Chavin Ruins (1985)
-Huascaran National Park (1985)
-Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (1986)
-Manú National Park (1987)
-Historic Centre of Lima (1988/1992)
-Lines Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana (1994)
-Historical centre of the City of Arequipa (2000)
* The soccer is the most popular sport in Peru. Peru qualified for the 1970 FIFA Soccer World Championship.
* Lima, Peru’s capital, hosted the 1982 FIVB Volleyball World Championship. Under the leadership of Cecilia Tait Villacorta, Peru beat USA 3-0 in the semi-finals. Peru won the silver medal in the FIVB World Cup. The United States was the favorite until last second. The American Flora Hyman was elected the best player. The final ranking was: 1-China, 2-Peru, 3-USA, 4-Japan, 5-Cuba. In 1982, Cecilia Tait was considered one of the best athletes in Latin America. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fun-facts-about-peru.html)

Interesting Facts About PERU on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

The World's Fattest Giraffe?

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Too weird and strange to be true? Well I don't know what to believe either. Some say yes and some say it's obviously edited. I saw this thread on my friends blog, and it's quite an unusual and interesting topic so I decided to put it here also. So, what's your call? Is this for real? Me, nah too tired to dig this up. More pictures below. Enjoy!

Yes, this is what will happen when McDonald's reaches Africa...

The Worlds Fattest Giraffe? on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Unusual | Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Elements are simple substances which cannot be decomposed by chemical means. They are made up of atoms which are alike in their peripheral electronic configurations, their chemical properties, and in the number of protons in their nuclei. They may differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
Below is the first (from Actinium to Germanium) of the three parts of unusual and interesting facts about elements. Have fun on the listed interesting and unusual facts about elements!

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Actinium
A radioactive element found in uranium ores, used in equilibrium with its decay products as a source of alpha rays.
The name originates from the Greek word 'aktinos' meaning ray or beam.

Associated Uses of the element Actinium
A neutron source
Medicine

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Aluminum
A silvery-white, ductile metallic element, the most abundant in the earth's crust but found only in combination, chiefly in bauxite. Having good conductive and thermal properties, it is used to form many hard, light, corrosion-resistant alloys.
The name originates from the Latin word 'alumen'

Associated Uses of Aluminum
Airplanes
Soda cans
Aluminium recycling
Statues including Eros in Piccadilly Circus in London
Abrasive as an oxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Americium
A radioactive metallic element produced by bombardment of plutonium with high-energy neutrons.
Named in honour of America

Common Uses of Americium
Smoke detectors
Radiography

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Antimony
A metallic element having four allotropic forms, the most common of which is a hard, extremely brittle, lustrous, silver-white, crystalline material. It is used in a wide variety of alloys, especially with lead in battery plates, and in the manufacture of flame-proofing compounds, paint, semiconductor devices, and ceramic products.
The name originates from the Greek words anti and monos meaning "opposed to solitude".

Common Uses of Antimony
Flame-proofing compounds
Matches
Batteries
Paint
Semi-conductors
Ceramic products
Antimony trioxide and dithiocarbamate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Argon
A colorless, odorless, inert gaseous element constituting approximately one percent of Earth's atmosphere, from which it is commercially obtained by fractionation for use in electric light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and radio vacuum tubes and as an inert gas shield in arc welding.
The name originates from the Greek word 'argos' meaning inactive.

Common Uses of Argon
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Arsenic
A highly poisonous metallic element having three allotropic forms, yellow, black, and gray, of which the brittle, crystalline gray is the most common. Arsenic and its compounds are used in insecticides, weed killers, solid-state doping agents, and various alloys.
The name originates from Greek word 'arsenikos'.

Common Uses of Arsenic
Insecticides
Poison
Weed killers
Various alloys
Medical Treatments
Semi-conductors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Astatine
A highly unstable radioactive element, the heaviest of the halogen series, that resembles iodine in solution.
The name originates from the Greek word 'astatos' meaning unstable.

Common Uses of Astatine
None. Astatine is studied by nuclear scientists. Its high radioactivity requires special handling techniques and precautions. Its toxicity is similar to that of iodine.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Barium
A soft, silvery-white alkaline-earth metal, used to deoxidize copper and in various alloys.
The name originates from the Greek word 'barys' meaning heavy. The oxide was at first called barote, by Guyton de Morveau, which was changed by Antoine Lavoisier to baryta, which was modified to "barium".

Common Uses of Barium
Sparkplugs
Vacuum tubes
Fireworks
Fluorescent lamps
Paint
Rat poison
Medical Uses - Given orally as a barium meal or as an enema (enima) , to increase the contrast of medical X-rays of the digestive system
Barium sulfate, hydroxide octahydrate, nitrate, carbonate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Beryllium
A high-melting, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, rigid, steel-gray metallic element used as an aerospace structural material, as a moderator and reflector in nuclear reactors, and in a copper alloy used for springs, electrical contacts, and non-sparking tools.
The name originates from the Greek word beryllos meaning beryl.

Common Uses of Beryllium
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bismuth
A white, crystalline, brittle, highly diamagnetic metallic element used in alloys to form sharp castings for objects sensitive to high temperatures and in various low-melting alloys for fire-safety devices. The most common uses of Interesting are in Pharmaceuticals, Fuses, Fire detection, Magnets and Bismuth oxychloride.
The name originates from the German word 'wissmuth' meaning white mass and the Latin word bisemutum.

Common Uses of Bismuth
Pharmaceuticals
Fuses
Fire detection
Magnets
Bismuth oxychloride

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bohrium
A short-lived radioactive element that is artificially produced.
The name originates in honour of Niels Bohr the Danish physicist . Other Names: Unnilseptium (Uns) and Nielsbohrium (Ns)

Common Uses of Bohrium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Boron
A soft, brown, amorphous or crystalline nonmetallic element, extracted chiefly from kernite and borax and used in flares, propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard metallic alloys. The most common uses of Boron are in heat resistant alloys.
The name originates from a combination of words taken from borax and carbon

Common Uses of Boron
Heat resistant alloys

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bromine
A heavy, volatile, corrosive, reddish-brown, nonmetallic liquid element, having a highly irritating vapor. It is used in producing gasoline antiknock mixtures, fumigants, dyes, and photographic chemicals. The most common uses of Bromine are in Gasoline anti-knock mixtures, Fumigants, Poisons, Dyes, Photographic chemicals, Medicines and Brominated vegetable oil.
The name originates from the Greek word 'Bromos' meaning "stench"

Common Uses of Bromine
Gasoline antiknock mixtures
Fumigants
Poisons
Dyes
Photographic chemicals
Medicinals
Brominated vegetable oil

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cadmium
A soft, bluish-white metallic element occurring primarily in zinc, copper, and lead ores, that is easily cut with a knife and is used in low-friction, fatigue-resistant alloys, solders, dental amalgams, nickel-cadmium storage batteries, nuclear reactor shields, and in rustproof electroplating. The most common uses of Cadmium are in Batteries - Nickel Cadmium, Pigments, Coating and plating, Barrier to control nuclear fission, Televisions and Nickel cadmium batteries.
The name originates from the Greek word kadmeia and from the Latin word cadmia

Common Uses of Cadmium
Batteries - Nickel Cadmium
Pigments
Coatings and platings
Barrier to control nuclear fission
Televisions
Nickel cadmium batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cesium
A soft, silvery-white ductile metal, liquid at room temperature, the most electropositive and alkaline of the elements, used in photoelectric cells and to catalyze hydrogenation of some organic compounds. The most common uses of Cesium are in Atomic clocks, Removes air traces in vacuum tubes, Ion propulsion systems, Medical, Photoelectric cells, Cesium vapor and the Magnetometer.
The word Caesium originates from the Latin word 'caesius' which means "sky blue" from the bright blue lines in its spectrum.

Common Uses of Cesium
Atomic clocks
Removes air traces in vacuum tubes
Ion propulsion systems
Medical
Photoelectric cells
Cesium vapor
Magnetometer

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Calcium
A silvery, moderately hard metallic element that constitutes approximately 3.5% of the earth's crust and is a basic component of most animals and plants. It occurs naturally in limestone, gypsum, and fluorite, and its compounds are used to make plaster, quicklime, Portland cement, and metallurgic and electronic materials. The most common uses of Calcium are in Dairy products ( deficiency can affect bone and teeth formation - Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium ), Reducing agent and an Alloying agent used in the production of alloys.
Originates from the latin word 'calcis' meaning lime.

Common Uses of Calcium
Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium. Deficiency can affect bone and teeth formation
Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium
Reducing agent
Alloying agent used in the production of alloys
Coral calcium , calcium carbonate, chloride, citrate, carbide, hydroxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Californium
A synthetic element produced in trace quantities by helium isotope bombardment of curium. All isotopes are radioactive, chiefly by emission of alpha particles. The most common uses of Californium are in Neutron moisture gauges and Portable neutron source in gold and silver prospecting.
Named in honour of the U.S. state of California and for the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Common Uses of Californium
Neutron moisture gauges
Portable neutron source in gold and silver prospecting

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Carbon
A naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules. One of the hardest (diamond) substances known to man. The most common uses of Carbon are in Fossil fuels - methane gas, Diamonds, Crude oil (petroleum), Radiocarbon dating, Smoke detectors, Graphite carbon used as charcoal for cooking & artwork, Gasoline, Kerosene, Carbon monoxide - dioxide and Carbon Fiber.
The name originates from the Latin word carbo meaning "charcoal"

Common Uses of Carbon
Fossil fuels - methane gas
Diamonds
Crude oil (petroleum)
Radiocarbon dating
Smoke detectors
Graphite carbon used as charcoal for cooking & artwork
Gasoline
Kerosene
Carbon monoxide - dioxide
Carbon Fiber

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cerium
A lustrous, iron-gray, malleable metallic rare-earth element that occurs chiefly in the minerals monazite and bastnaesite, exists in four allotropic states, is a constituent of lighter flint alloys, and is used in various metallurgical and nuclear applications. The most common uses of Cerium are in Making aluminium alloys, Cigarette lighters, Incandescent gas mantles, Petroleum refining and Arc lighting.
The name originates from the asteroid Ceres after which it was named.

Common Uses of Cerium
Making aluminium alloys
Cigarette lighters
Incandescent gas mantles
Petroleum refining
Arc lighting

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Chlorine
A highly irritating, greenish-yellow gaseous halogen, capable of combining with nearly all other elements, produced principally by electrolysis of sodium chloride and used widely to purify water, as a disinfectant and bleaching agent, and in the manufacture of many important compounds including chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. The most common uses of Chlorine are in Bleaches, Mustard gas, Water purification, Production of chlorates, Paper production, Antiseptic, Insecticides, Paint, Plastics and Medicines.
The name originates from the Greek word 'khloros' meaning green referring to the color of the gas.

Common Uses of Chlorine
Bleaches
Mustard gas
Water purification
Production of chlorates
Paper production
Antiseptic
Insecticides
Paint
Plastics
Medicines
Hypochlorous acid
Chlorine dioxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Chromium
A lustrous, hard, steel-gray metallic element, resistant to tarnish and corrosion and found primarily in chromite. It is used in the hardening of steel alloys and the production of stainless steels, in corrosion-resistant decorative platings, and as a pigment in glass. The most common uses of Chromium are in Dyes and paints, Stainless steel, Metallurgy, Chrome plating, Green rouge metal polish and Magnetic tape.
The name originates from the Greek word chroma meaning color

Common Uses of Chromium
Dyes and paints
Stainless steel
Metallurgy
Chrome plating
Green rouge metal polish
Magnetic tape
Hexavalent chromium
Chromium trioxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cobalt
A hard, brittle metallic element, found associated with nickel, silver, lead, copper, and iron ores and resembling nickel and iron in appearance. It is used chiefly for magnetic alloys, high-temperature alloys, and in the form of its salts for blue glass and ceramic pigments. The most common uses of Cobalt are in Magnets, Ceramics, Magnetic alloys, Cobalt boats, Glassware, Catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries, Steel-belted radial tires and it is also used in radiotherapy
The name cobalt comes from the German word kobalt , meaning evil spirit, the metal being so called by miners because it was poisonous.

Common Uses of Cobalt
Magnets
Ceramics
Magnetic alloys
Cobalt boats
Glassware
Catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries
Steel-belted radial tires
Used in radiotherapy

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Copper
A ductile, malleable, reddish-brown metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and is widely used for electrical wiring, water piping, and corrosion-resistant parts, either pure or in alloys such as brass and bronze. The most common uses of Copper are in Copper sulfate, Hammered copper, Tubing, pipes - Plumbing, Wire, Electromagnets, Statues, Watt's steam engine, Vacuum tubes, Musical instruments, Component of coins, Cookware and Cutlery.
The name originates from the Latin word cyprium, after the island of Cyprus. Copper was associated with the goddess named Aphrodite / Venus in Greek and Roman mythology. The island of Cyprus was sacred to the goddess. In alchemy, the symbol for copper was also the symbol for the planet Venus. In Greek times, the metal was known by the name Chalkos. In Roman times, it became known as Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus.

Common Uses of Copper
Copper sulfate
Hammered copper
Tubing, pipes - Plumbing
Wire
Sheets
Electromagnets
Statues
Watt's steam engine
Vacuum tubes
Musical instruments
Component of coins
Cookware
Cutlery

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Curium
A radioactive transuranic metallic element; produced by bombarding plutonium with helium nuclei. The most common uses of Curium are in Pacemakers, Remote navigational buoys and in Space missions.
The name originates from the word 'Curie' as it was amed in honour of Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie.

Common Uses of Curium
Pacemakers
Remote navigational buoys
Space missions

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Darmstadtium
Darmstadtium (formerly known as Ununnilium) is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ds and atomic number 110. It has an atomic weight of 281 making it one of the super-heavy atoms. It is a synthetic element and decays in thousandths of a second. Due to its presence in Group 10 it is believed to likely be metallic and solid.
The name originates from its place of discovery in Darmstadt, Germany

Common Uses of Darmstadtium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Dubnium
An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic number 105 whose most long-lived isotopes have mass numbers of 258, 261, 262, and 263 with half-lives of 4.2, 1.8. 34, and 30 seconds, respectively.
The name Dubnium originates from its place of origin in Dubna, in Russia where it was was first synthesized at the Joint Nuclear Research Institute in 1964

Common Uses of Dubnium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Dysprosium
A soft, silvery rare-earth element used in nuclear research. The most common uses of Dysprosium are in Nuclear research / reactors.
The name originates from the Greek word 'dysprositos' meaning hard to get at.

Common Uses of Dysprosium
Nuclear research / reactors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Einsteinium
A synthetic transuranic element first produced by neutron irradiation of uranium in a thermonuclear explosion and now usually produced in the laboratory by irradiating plutonium and other elements.
Named in honour of Albert Einstein

Common Uses of Einsteinium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Erbium
A soft, malleable, silvery rare-earth element, used in metallurgy and nuclear research and to color glass and porcelain. The most common uses of Erbium are in metallurgy, Nuclear research, Color glass, Color porcelain and Photographic filters.
Carl Gustaf Mosander was able to separate gadolinite into three materials, which he named yttria, erbia and terbia.

Common Uses of Erbium
Used in metallurgy
Nuclear research
Color glass
Color porcelain
Photographic filter

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Europium
A silvery-white, soft, rare-earth element occurring in monazite and bastnaesite and used to dope lasers and to absorb neutrons in research. The most common uses of Europium are in Color televisions
The name originates as it was named after the continent of Europe

Common Uses of Europium
Color televisions

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Fermium
A radioactive metallic element artificially produced, as by bombardment of plutonium with neutrons. The most common use of Fermium is for research.
Named in honour of Enrico Fermi, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Rome and Nobel Prize winner whose work resulted in the discovery of slow neutrons leading to the discovery of nuclear fission and the production of elements lying beyond what was until 1938 the Periodic Table.

Common Uses of Fermium
No known uses of fermium outside of basic research

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Fluorine
A pale-yellow, highly corrosive, poisonous, gaseous halogen element, the most electronegative and most reactive of all the elements, used in a wide variety of industrially important compounds. The most common uses of Fluorine are in the Production of uranium, Air conditioning, Refrigeration, Insecticide, Toothpaste, Added to municipal water supplies and Teflon.
The name originates from the Latin word 'fluo' meaning flow.

Common Uses of Fluorine
Production of uranium
Air conditioning
Refrigeration
Insecticide
Toothpaste
Added to municipal water supplies
Teflon

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Francium
An extremely unstable radioactive element of the alkali metals, produced artificially from actinum or thorium, having approximately 19 isotopes, the most stable of which is Fr 223 with a half-life of 21 minutes.
The name originates from its country of origin - France

Common Uses of Francium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gadolinium
A silvery-white, malleable, ductile, metallic rare-earth element obtained from monazite and bastnaesite and used in improving high-temperature characteristics of iron, chromium, and related alloys. The most common uses of Gadolinium are in Gadolinium yttrium garnets, Phosphors for colour TV tubes, Compact discs and Computer memory.
Gadolinium is named after the Finnish chemist and geologist Johan Gadolin

Common Uses of Gadolinium
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gallium
A rare metallic element that is liquid near room temperature, expands on solidifying, and is found as a trace element in coal, bauxite, and other minerals. It is used in semiconductor technology and as a component of various low-melting alloys.
Gallium was discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. The name originates from the Latin word Gallia meaning France also gallus, meaning "rooster"after himself 'Lecoq' .

Common Uses of Gallium
Semi-conductors
Component of various low-melting alloys

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Germanium
A brittle, crystalline, gray-white metalloid element, widely used as a semiconductor, as an alloying agent and catalyst, and in certain optical glasses. The most common uses of Germanium are in Electric guitar amplifiers, Semi-conductors, an alloying agent, Infra-red spectroscopes and optical equipment,
Camera and microscope lenses and for Medical purposes.
The name originates from the the Latin word Germania meaning 'Germany'

Common Uses of Germanium
Electric guitar amplifiers
Semi-conductor
An alloying agent
Infra-red spectroscopes and optical equipment
Camera and microscope lenses
Medical

Source: http://www.facts-about.org.uk/index-elements.htm
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part II
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part III

Interesting and Unusual Facts: Elements on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Interesting Facts: Food

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Food... Since the very first day we were given life, it has been going in and out - from mouth to anus nonstop till now. For some, it's what they live for. Others, it what makes their world go round... I just ate a 8x8 - 12 inches thick lasagna and then an idea about posting an unusual and interesting facts about food came up. So here's the result. Enjoy the long list of unusual and interesting facts about food.

UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS FOOD

The average kid in America eats about 46 slices of pizza a year. In the U.S. pepperoni is the number one favorite topping and anchovies are last. In Japan the favorite topping is squid!

Wisconsin is the state that grows the most cranberries. Each year cranberry producers grow more than 300 million pounds of cranberries.

Raisins are made from grapes that have dried in the sun for two to three weeks. Most of the raisins eaten in the United States come from California - and about three quarters of all raisins are eaten with breakfast.

It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. The average cow produces 2,100 pounds of milk in a month or 210 pounds of cheese. By the way, that same cow can produce about 46,000 glasses of milk in a year.

6 out of every 10 apples that get eaten every day in the U.S. were grown in Washington State. The most popular varieties are Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Fuji.

Pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables. The average pumpkin weighs between 10 and 30 pounds. The winner of the 2003 biggest pumpkin contest weighed 1,140 pounds.

Guess how many honeybees it takes to produce a tablespoon of honey? If you said 12, then you are right!

How many turkeys do Americans eat at Thanksgiving? Americans gobble up 45 million turkeys each year on Thanksgiving - about one for every seven people.

Hawaii is the only state that grows pineapples. You can grow your own by cutting (or screwing) the top off a fruit and planting it in a pot in a warm place. In 3 to 4 years fruits develop from tiny, lavender flowers that grow from the center of the leaves.

Which vegetable do Americans eat the most? Potatoes. The average person in the United States eats 140 pounds of potatoes every year. Bet you didn't realize that the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space!

Three quarters of all raisins are eaten with breakfast. California is the heart of the world's largest raisin producing state because of ideal weather conditions for drying freshly picked California grapes into sun-dried raisins.

Sheep raised in North Dakota produce more than 800,000 pounds of wool each year. That is enough wool to knit more than 600,000 sweaters.

The biggest hamburger ever served weighed 8,266 lbs. It was cooked in 2001 at the Burger Fest in Seymour, Wisconsin. Hungry hamburger fans can visit Seymour, the "Home of the Hamburger" and site of the Hamburger Hall of Fame, paying tribute to hamburger inventor Charles Nagreen. According to local legend, Nagreen served the first burger in 1885 at the Outagamie County Fair.

Why do fresh apples float? Fresh apples float because 25% (or ¼ ) of their volume is air.

Maine produces almost all of the nation's wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are smaller and sweeter than "commercial blueberries", and they hold their shape, texture and deep-blue color through a variety of baking and manufacturing processes.

Each American eats approximately 22 pounds of tomatoes yearly. Over 1/2 of the tomato consumption is in the form of catsup and tomato sauce. Florida is the number one tomato producing state, closely followed by California.

Did you know there are over 40,000 varieties of rice grown worldwide? Rice has been produced in the United States for more than 300 years. The major rice-producing states are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Missouri. In the winter the flooded rice fields provide safe places for migrating birds, ducks and other animals.

Did you know that in Japan, the most popular topping for pizza is squid? In the United States the most popular pizza topping is pepperoni. Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second. October is Pizza Month!

The first olive trees were planted in California at the San Diego Mission by Franciscan monks in 1769. Today, over 1,200 growers grow olives on on 35,000 acres in the warm inland valleys of California.

It takes between four and five pounds of grapes to make one pound of raisins. Most raisins are made from the Thompson Seedless variety of grapes. Because you can keep them indefinitely without having them spoil, raisins are a good choice for long trips.

During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush, (1897-1898) potatoes were practically worth their weight in gold ? Potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded gold for potatoes. In fact, there is even a potato called Yukon Gold. These potatoes are slightly flat and oval in shape with light gold, thin skin and light yellow flesh.

Almonds are actually stone fruits related to cherries, plums and peaches ? California produces 80% of the world's supply of almonds. The world's largest almond factory is in Sacramento, California. It processes 2 million pounds of almonds a day. Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts. Japanese teenagers enjoy snacking on a mixture of dried sardines and slivered almonds.

Not all carrots are orange ? The first carrots originated some 5,000 years ago and were white, purple, red, yellow, green and black. The orange carrots we find in the supermarket come from a variety bred in the 1700's by the Dutch. And did you also know that three carrots give you enough energy to walk three miles...if cows eat too many carrots their milk tastes bitter.... all brides should be given carrots because it supposedly brings luck in the kitchen.

Alfalfa is supposedly the oldest know plant used for livestock feed ? Records of its use date as early as 1,000 BC in the Middle East. Alfalfa is very drought resistant and one of the most nutritious crops to feed to animals. Alfalfa sprouts are used in salads, and the leaves may also be used raw or cooked as a vegetable.

More than 87,000,000,000.00 (87 billion) eggs are produced in the U.S. each year ? The average person eats the equivalent of 254 eggs yearly. Eggs will age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator. To test eggs for freshness, place two teaspoonfuls of salt in a cup of water, then put in the egg. A fresh egg sinks; a doubter will float.

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

The onion is named after a Latin word meaning large pearl

Half of the world's population live on a staple diet of rice

The remains of fast-food shops have been found in ancient ruins! Even ancient Greeks enjoyed take-out. The only thing that is new is the mass production, standard menus and recipes of fast-food "chains." Wow! fast.gif (4964 bytes)

Potato crisps were invented by a North American Indian called George Crum

During a lifetime the average person eats about 35 tonnes of food

Ice Cream Is Chinese Food!

When the famous explorer Marco Polo returned to his homeland of Italy, from China in 1295, he brought back a recipe (among other things). The recipe, was a Chinese recipe for a desert called "Milk Ice." However, Europeans substituted cream for the milk, and voila..."Ice Cream." Ice cream has been a hit ever since!

The founder of McDonald's has a Bachelor degree in Hamburgerology

In France, people eat approximately 500,000,000 snails per year

Carrots Really Can Help You See In The Dark!

Vitamin A is known to prevent "night blindness," and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A. So, why not load-up today!

The first breakfast cereal ever produced was Shredded Wheat

There are about 100,000 bacteria in one litre of drinking water

The Word "Salary" Comes From "Salt!"
Salt, our oldest preservative, was extremely rare in the past. So rare, in fact, that it was often used as pay. Imagine...earning a couple of tablespoons of salt for a hard-days work. Today, salt is so common that restaurants give it away for free, and packaged food contains so much that it's far too easy to eat too much salt (salt is also known as "sodium")

Cream is lighter than milk

Over 1,000 litres of beer are drunk in the House of Commons each week

Sometimes frozen fruits And vegetables are more nutritious than fresh fruits!
The longer that fruits or vegetables sit around waiting to be sold or eaten, the more nutrients they lose. But fruits and vegetables grown for freezing are usually frozen right after they're picked. Therefore, they have less time to lose their nutrients.

Instant coffee has been in existence since the middle of the eighteenth century

The dish chop-suey does not come from China. It was created by Chinese immigrants in California

You're more likely to be hungry if you're cold! Temperature can affect your appetite.

Frankfurter sausages were first created in China

Within 2 hours of standing in daylight, milk loses between half and two-thirds of its vitamin B content

Have A Tomato With Your Burger! When a source of Vitamin C (orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry, tomato, potato, etc.) is eaten with meat or cooked dry beans, the body makes better use of the iron in the protein food.

A portion of the water you drink has already been drunk by someone else, maybe several times over

Bakers used to be fined if their loaves were under weight, so they used to add an extra loaf to every dozen, just in case -- hence, the expression "baker's dozen"

It Takes 3500 Calories To Make A Pound Of Fat!
So, as long as you're active, and burning of calories, calories shouldn't have too much of a chance to turn into fat.

Peanuts are used in the manufacture of dynamite

It has been traditional to serve fish with a slice of lemon since the Middle Ages, when people believed that the fruit's juice would dissolve any bones accidentally swallowed

The Average Person Eats Almost 1500. Pounds Of Food A Year!
On average, that can be thought of as 150 pounds of meat, 290 pounds of milk and cream, 35 pounds of eggs, 48 pounds of chicken, 68 pounds of bread, 125 pounds of potatoes, and 80 pounds of fruit. That should be enough to fill your stomach.

almonds are a member of the peach family.

americans eat approximately 10kg of tomatoes yearly, over half of which is in the form of catsup and tomato sauce.

apple is made of 25% air, that is why they float.

apples, onions, and potatoes all have the same taste? Try the test: Pinch your nose and take a bite out of each.

avocado has the highest protein and oil content of all fruits, but most of this is the healthier unsaturated type.

barbecue comes from barbacoa, a Caribbean "rude framework for sleeping or drying meat over a fire".

beer drunk with dinner works better than drinking red wine, gin or sparkling mineral water in controlling homocysteine, a blood factor that promotes heart disease by boosting blood levels of vitamin B6.

beer is a popular ingredient in batter for deep fried foods since the protein in beer provides browning and produces a light, crisp, dry batter when cooked.

beer of 375mL has fewer calories than two slices of bread and contains no fat.

birds eat half their own body weight in food each day! So, why do people say that a poor eater "eats like a bird"?

biscuit is a word derived from Latin via Middle French and means "twice cooked".

black-eyed peas are really beans.

blenders were invented by Stephen Poplawski when in 1922 he became the first person to put a spinning blade at the bottom of a small electric appliance to make Horlick's malted milk shakes.

brown sugar is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar with some residual molasses or produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar.

butter and margarine are similar in calories, the difference is that butter is higher in saturated fats, while margarine generally has more unsaturated fats.

butterflies taste with their feet.

canola is derived from "Canadian oil, low acid".

cabbage is 91% water.

capers are the unopened green flower buds of a wild and cultivated bush which is related to the cabbage family.

capsaicin, which makes hot peppers "hot" to the human mouth, is best neutralized by casein, the main protein found in milk.

carrots were originally purple in colour, changing in the 17th Century to orange with newer varieties.

celery requires more calories to eat and digest than it contains.

cereal as a word is derived from the name of the Roman goddess Ceres, protector of crops.

champagne contains 49 million bubbles in a bottle and has a pressure 3 times that of a car tyre.

cherries are a member of the rose family.

chewing gum may keep you slim by boosting the metabolic rate by about 20%.

chewing gum stimulates signals in the learning center of the brain and thus help save memory as you age.

chicken is one of the few things that we eat before it's born and after it's dead.

chili heat is measured in Scoville units, named after the pharmacist Thomas Scoville.

chocolate bloom occurs when the cocoa butter has separated causing it to rise to the surface of the chocolate and is a result of the chocolate being stored in too humid or too warm a temperature.

chocolate is a particularly good source of magnesium, potassium and calcium. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. On the down side it contains caffeine and has a high fat level.

chocolate may have its romantic effect due to the effects on the brain of a naturally occurring substance called phenylethylamine which enhances endorphin levels, increase libido and act a natural antidepressant.

coca-cola was originally green.

coffee is the most recognized smell in the world.

coffee originated from the Arabic word “qahwah”.

corn always has an even number of ears.

corn makes up about 8% of the weight in a box of corn flakes.

cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

doughnuts were orginally made of raised dough with a nut in the centre.

eggs contain most of the recognised vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. egg spills can be fixed by sprinkling a generous amount of salt on the egg and let it dry. Then sweep the egg up with a broom.

eggplants are actually fruits, and classified botanically as berries.

fish consumption may be more than brain food but also help protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration, a potential cause of blindness.

flamingos owe their pink or reddish colour to the rich sources of carotenoid pigments in the algae and small crustaceans that the birds eat.

fortune cookies are not Chinese, they were invented in Los Angeles around 1920.

gelato comes from the Italian word gelare which means to freeze; it is made from cow milk and its rich taste comes from being denser (30% air whereas ice cream is around 50%).

Gerber's top selling baby food in Japan is sardine dish.

Guinness beer, after pouring, produces bubbles that sink to the bottom. The bubbles go up more easily in the centre of the beer glass than on the sides because of drag from the walls. As the bubbles go up, they raise the beer, and the beer has to spill back, and it does. It runs down the sides of the glass carrying the bubbles - particularly little bubbles - with it, downward to the bottom of the glass

hamburgers were invented in 1900 by Louis Lassen. He ground beef, broiled it, and served it between two pieces of toast.

Heinz Catsup leaves the bottle traveling at 40 kilometers per year.

himalayan gogi berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges.

honey is the only edible food for humans that will never go bad.

horseradish was the first product sold by Heinz in 1869.

humble pie comes from the food "umble pie", a pie consisting of the innards of deer, which very poor people in Medieval England ate.

Kopi Luwa from Indonesia is the world's costliest coffee, at US$350 a kilgram, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of droppings of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat, which eats ripe robusta coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal. Plantation workers track them and scoop their precious poop.

lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

lettuce is the only vegetable or fruit which is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh.

lobster was so common in Maine in the 18th Century that it was used as fertiliser.

margarine was first called Butterine in England when it was introduced.

mayonnaise will kill lice and also condition your hair.

Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

milk from reindeer has more fat than cow milk.

milk is the new diet drink since low-fat, high-calcium dairy foods may burn off fat since extra calcium increases metabolism.

nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

olive oil has lots of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory activity to fight rheumatoid arthritis.

olive oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the olive tree.

olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be created simply by pressing the raw material.

orange does not rhyme with any other word.

organ meats were known as garbage in the 16th Century, the term then used for the innards of an animal.

parmigiano is a natural source of and has a high concentration of Monosodium glutamate (MSG), giving it the unami taste, found as small white crystals formed during maturation.

peanuts are legumes and not a tree nut.

peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.

pear is a fruit that ripens from the inside out.

Pepsi-Cola was invented by Caleb Bradham in 1898. Originally called "Brad's Drink," the beverage was first marketed as a digestive aid and energy booster. It was renamed Pepsi-Cola because of its pepsin and kola nut content.

percentage alcohol in a bottle of liquor is estimated by dividing the proof by two.

pineapple is the international symbol of hospitality.

pizza originated in the early 1700's in Naples, Italy.

pizza toppings of squid are the most popular variety in Japan.

Popsicle were invented by an 11 year old, Frank Epperson when he left his soda water drink with a stirring stick overnight on his porch.

pound cake was so named because of its original proportions of 1 lb (500g) each of butter, sugar, and flour.

puffed grain were invented by Alexander Anderson in 1902. Unlike popcorn, a type of corn that naturally pops or puffs up with heat, puffed cereal or snacks are formed by exploding whole grain kernels under high pressure and steam.

raisin in a glass of champagne will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

refried beans aren't really what they seem. Although their name seems like a reasonable translation of Spanish frijoles refritos, the fact is that these beans aren't fried twice. In Spanish, refritos literally means "well-fried," not "re-fried."

rice paper does not contain one grain of rice - its made from either Rice straw, Bamboo, Hemp, Mulberry leaves, Wingceltis or Gampi.

sandwiches are named after John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-92), for whom beef was placed between 2 sliced pieces of bread so that he could stay at the gambling table without interruptions for meals.

shredded wheat was the first breakfast cereal to ever be produced.

sliced bread was introduced by Otto Frederick Rohwedder who invented the bread slicer, which he started working on in 1912. At first, Rohwedder came up with the idea of a device that held the slices together with hat pins (not a success). In 1928, he designed a machine 1.52m long by 0.90m high that sliced and wrapped the bread in waxed paper to prevent the sliced bread from going stale. On July 7, 1928, the first loaves of sliced bread were made by the near bankrupt baker Frank Bench.

soup has its origin as a word from 'sop' or 'sup', meaning the slice of bread on which the broth was poured.

soy flour and soya flour are richer in calcium and iron than wheat flour, gluten-free and high in protein. Soy flour is ground from raw soybeans; soya flour from lightly toasted soybeans.
spilling salt is considered good luck in Japan.

strawberries are the only fruit which has its seeds on its outer skin.
swiss cheese ferments with bacteria generating gas which bubbles through the cheese leaving holes; cheese-makers call them "eyes."

tea strengthens bones because isoflavonoid chemicals in tea may have a weak estrogenic effect, reducing bone deterioration and osteoporosis risk.

ten gallon hats only hold about 6 pints or 2.8 Litres.

thyme's most active ingredient is thymol, the antibacterial ingredient found in mouthwashes and Vicks Vaporub.

toasters for bread using electricity were invented by Crompton and Company, Leeds, England in 1893; the first automatic pop-up electric toaster was designed in 1919 by Charles Strite.

tomato used to be considered poisonous.

Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.

traditional italian food is an anagram of radiation, toil, fat and oil.

TV dinners were introduced in 1954 by Omaha-based C.A. Swanson and Sons featuring roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes and peas, selling for 98 cents.

Vegemite is an Australian icon which was developed in 1922 by Dr. Cyril Callister. He took used brewer's yeast and blended the yeast extract with ingredients like celery, onion, salt, and a few secret ingredients to make this paste rich in B vitamins; it was developed for the Fred Walker Company which is now Kraft Foods.

white chocolate is not a true chocolate because it contains no chocolate liquor, instead its made of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla.

white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and earlobes while brown eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and earlobes; the colour has no relationship to the nutritional quality or taste of the eggs.

Wrigley's gum was the first product to have a bar code.

yelling for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days produces enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

Unusual|Interesting Facts About Food on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Interesting|Unusual Facts About everything that is unusual and interesting. Feed your mind with weird, strange and unusual facts, interesting random facts, funny random facts, funny interesting facts, unusual science facts, amazing weird facts, strange but true facts or little known facts about people, animals, events, places and anything under the sun online! Pure interesting and unusual facts... ENJOY!

Unusual Facts About ANTS

noreply@blogger.com (Jay) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Who hates ants? Well, I hated ants back when I was a kid... But now, nah... They're a regular resident at our house. I've realized they arent as worthless and mean after all. I even decided to post some unusual facts about ants. Check'em out!

UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT ANTS

An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human. Ant brains are largest amongst insects. An ant's brain may have the same processing power as a Macintosh II computer. Thousands of years ago, King Solomon wrote: "Go to the ant, consider its ways and be wise".
The average life expectancy of an ant is 45-60 days.
Adult ants cannot chew and swallow solid food. They rely on juice which they squeeze from pieces of food.
If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse.
Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight.
With their combined weight greater than the combined weight of all humans, ants are the most numerous type of animal.
The abdomen of the ant contains two stomachs. One stomach holds the food for itself and second stomach is for food to be shared with other ants. There are over 10000 known species of ants.
Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump.
Some birds put ants in their feathers because the ants squirt formic acid which gets rid of the parasites. The Slave-Maker Ant (Polyergus Rufescens) raids the nests of other ants and steals their pupae. When these new ants hatch,they work as slaves within the colony.
If a worker ant has found a good source for food, it leaves a trail of scent so that the other ants in the colony can find the food.
Army Ants are nomadic and they are always moving. They carry their larvae and their eggs with them in a long column.
The Army Ant (Ecitron Burchelli) of South America, can have as many as 700,000 members in its colony.
The Leaf Cutter Ants cut out pieces of leaves which they take back to their nests.
Wood ant workers live seven to ten years.
The queen ant lives up to ten or twenty years.
The wood ant can threaten the enemy with open jaws.
There are thirty-five thousand kinds of ants in the world.
Some ants sleep seven hours a day.
Ants are normally from 2 to 7 mm long, although carpenter ants can stretch to 2 cm, or almost an inch.
Some ants care for and "farm" other insects.

Source: http://www.thaibugs.com/Articles/ant%20facts.htm

Unusual Facts About Ants on INTERESTING|UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT ALL