Fact Of The Day

[Raffine]

A quarter of Americans don't know the Earth orbits the sun. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/15/newser-earth-circles-sun/5508413/

It does what now? 

[Trevor]

A quarter of Americans don't know the Earth orbits the sun. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/15/newser-earth-circles-sun/5508413/

It does what now? 

[claws]

Two facts: Germans still listen to Techno music (think European 1990s style) and still worship Italian actor Bud Spencer, who was the king of beat-em-up comedy movies in the 1970s.

[Chainsawmidget]

Your voice sounds deeper to you because you hear the sound vibration through bone instead of though air like everybody else does. 

[Paquita]

Two facts: Germans still listen to Techno music (think European 1990s style) and still worship Italian actor Bud Spencer, who was the king of beat-em-up comedy movies in the 1970s.

Three facts: I'm half German, I don't listen to techno music, but I do love me some Bud Spencer.

[BoyScoutKevin]

We talked already about Christmas shopping at Walt Disney World, so here's available or what was available at its counterpart on the West Coast. Disneyland

Art -- ashtrays (though tobacco products are no longer sold there) -- autographs books
Beach towels -- Beauty products -- Bellhop bells (Front!) -- Bells -- Buttons
Chandeliers -- Coasters
Glass miniatures -- Glow merchandise
Lanyards
Magic tricks
Paperweights -- prints
Sculptures -- ships' lanterns -- snowglobes -- stationery

Next time: Here a character! There a character! Everywehere a character!

[ER]

A hyperchondriac is someone who is almost unshakably convinced his health is absolutely perfect, even when it isn't.

A hypochondriac is someone who is almost unshakably convinced his health is poor, even when it isn't.

The latter outnumber the former by about twenty to one.

[Raffine]

[Raffine]

The minor league baseball team in Montgomery, AL is dubbed The Mongomery Biscuits, and their official mascot is an anthropomorphistic biscuit.




The biscuit's name is 'Monte'.

[ER]

When Lord Byron died in 1824 his publisher John Murray burned his diary, his letters, his half-completed memoirs, his unpublished poems, all his other personal papers, and a Turkish book of homoerotic ink sketches.

When Queen Victoria died in 1901 her personal letters filled 460 boxes. When the censors her son appointed, Viscount Esher and his son Lord Arthur Benson, were done combing through them, the contents of all but three of these boxes were burned.

When Elvis Presley died, it was reported that his friends immediately removed what was described as "several pillowcases full of films" from his bedroom.

In his will Pope John Paul II stated that though he left behind no property, he asked that all his papers be destroyed "unread."

When Whitney Houston died someone removed over half of her Twitter posts.

The tradition of cleaning-up for post-mortem posterity lives on.

[Raffine]

Many popular freshwater aquarium fishes are endangered in their natural habitiat, mainly through human development and loss of habitat.

The very popular Red Tailed Black Shark from Thailand -although still very common in pet stores - is believed to now be extinct in the wild due to loss of habitat.

[claws]

Two facts: Germans still listen to Techno music (think European 1990s style) and still worship Italian actor Bud Spencer, who was the king of beat-em-up comedy movies in the 1970s.

Three facts: I'm half German, I don't listen to techno music, but I do love me some Bud Spencer.

I'm not German but grew up in Germany. Techno music and Bud Spencer are (still) part of German (pop) culture, so is "Al Bundy" (Married.... with Children) and "King of Queens". It's amazing to me how something dated like this is still celebrated here. It's like, imagine Americans in 2014 still quoting the "Where's the beef?" Lady from 1984.

[Newt]

The messenger service known as The Pony Express existed for 18 months.

The Mongols had a similar network called the "Yam".  It lasted throughout the period of Mongol rule and remained intact, though cut back, until the empire crumbled in the 15th century.

[RCMerchant]

Bela Lugosi was an avid stamp collector.

[BoyScoutKevin]

When I was growing up, about the only non-generic product out there was Barbie and Ken. Nlow, with manufacturers getting wise to the fact that if you slap a character on a product, the people will come, you can get almost anything with a character on it. For example, no-prescription sunglasses . . .

For girls
Barbie
Doc McStuffin
Hello Kitty
Minnie Mouse
Princesses'
Sofia the 1st
Tinkerbelle

For boys
The Avengers
Cars
Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Planes
Spiderman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Toy Story

And kids' magazines are the same. I grew up with "Jack and Jill," if anybody is old enough to remember that one, which was mostly generic. Now there is . . .

For girls
Fairies
Friends
Princesses
Sparkles
Strawberry Shortcake

For boys
Cars
Phineas and Ferb
Marvel Superheroes
Scooby Doo
Thomas [Tank Engine] and Friends

For both
Disney Junior
and though some say they are above such commericalization "Sesame Street"

Of course, what I have said is somewhat given to stereotype, as there is no reason that boys cannot be as interested in "Princesses" as girls are in "Marvel Superheroes."

Next time: If you have ever wanted to dress up as a Tree or a Raccoon and . . .