Learn Something Today

[flutterbyebye]

The word "testis" cames from the Latin meaning to bear witness. In ancient Rome, only men could bear witness or testify in a public forum. In order to show importance to their testimony, they would hold their testicles as they spoke, and an oath was declared while holding another's testicles.

What a bunch of bollocks!

 

[NALA CAYENNE]

I didn't think I would have anything to contribute to this thread and then lo and behold...my boss gives me the prize from his Cracker Jack box:

A typical pencil can write 45,000 wors or draw a line 35 miles long

I just want to know whatever happened to the cool Cracker Jack prizes like secret decoder rings

 

[Arkhilokhus]

Decimation

Decimation was a punishment practiced by the Romans against cowardly or mutinous soldiers. From Wikipedia: "A cohort selected for punishment by decimation was divided into groups of ten; each group drew lots, and the soldier on whom the lot fell was executed by his nine comrades, often by stoning or clubbing. The remaining soldiers were given rations of barley instead of wheat and forced to sleep outside of the Roman encampment."

"The earliest documented decimation occurred in 471 BC during the Roman Republic's early wars against the Volsci and is recorded by Livy."

 

[satindesire]

Today's Topic: Cat Cafe

Some very interesting articles about a new cultural trend in Japan: The Cat Cafe, where people can go to a cafe, order some tea, have a muffin or hot cocoa, and play with the kitties that make their home there.

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUST34914420071204

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0425/p20s01-woap.html

 

[gypsy*seer]

Some very interesting articles about a new cultural trend in Japan: The Cat Cafe, where people can go to a cafe, order some tea, have a muffin or hot cocoa, and play with the kitties that make their home there.

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUST34914420071204

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0425/p20s01-woap.html

I love that idea! Problem is, I'd want to take them all home!

 

[DVS]

Filatova Elena Vladimirovna takes motorcycle rides through Chernobyl. She takes pictures on those rides. She has a web site where she shows those pictures and also tells the story of Chernobyl that most people probably don't know about.


Here's a link to her website With the menu on the left, you can choose where you want to go, and what pictures you want to see. It's a very interesting learning experience.

 

[missy_me]

.....

 

[CurlyKat]

Whereas most people think that dogs and cats eat grass because they're sick, it's not true. Grass tastes good to them, but it speeds up the digestive tract if they eat too much of it, causing the "sickness" we normally see.

Also, some people foods really are good treats for our pets. Apples and baby carrots are good for dog buscuit substitutes; and a little bit of lean meat, without the bone, skin, or anything else, is okay to give them, too.

 

[HoHoBomb]

lerndt you can't pay for fried turkery necks with foodstamps

 

[WriterDom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKf5C_fOago&feature=haxa_popt00us10

 

[DVS]

Whereas most people think that dogs and cats eat grass because they're sick, it's not true. Grass tastes good to them, but it speeds up the digestive tract if they eat too much of it, causing the "sickness" we normally see.

Also, some people foods really are good treats for our pets. Apples and baby carrots are good for dog buscuit substitutes; and a little bit of lean meat, without the bone, skin, or anything else, is okay to give them, too.

My sister's three dogs LOVE carrots. I mean, they think those little orange things are freaking candy!

After I visit, their poop is more noticeable in the back yard, too...because it's orange. Those dogs think I'm the special treat man or something.

 

[BiaTcHiNFiRe]

Too much of citalec will make you numb and sleepy.

 

[WriterDom]

The Platypus has no nipples.

 

[CurlyKat]

The Platypus has no nipples.

Poor platypus.

 

[gypsy*seer]

The Platypus has no nipples.

You would notice that....

 

[Homburg]

The Platypus has no nipples.

Platypus - Proof that god approves of drug use.

 

[DVS]

Platypus - Proof that god approves of drug use.

Sorry, but I'm confused. Huh?

 

[Homburg]

Sorry, but I'm confused. Huh?

Would a straight and sober creator produce something like the platypus?

 

[gypsy*seer]

Polar bears actually have black skin.

Their fur is like an optical filament, and takes on the appearance
of light ~ making it seem white.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Platypus - Proof that god approves of drug use.

Sorry, but I'm confused. Huh?

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/platypus.jpg

From Wiki:

The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. It is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record.

The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, with some considering it an elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the Platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia; it has appeared as a mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20 cent coin. The platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales.

When the Platypus was first discovered by Europeans in 1798, a pelt and sketch were sent back to the United Kingdom by Captain John Hunter, the second Governor of New South Wales. The British scientists were at first convinced that the attributes must have been a hoax. George Shaw, who produced the first description of the animal in the Naturalist's Miscellany in 1799, stated that it was impossible not to entertain doubts as to its genuine nature, and Robert Knox believed it may have been produced by some Asian taxidermist. It was thought that somebody had sewn a duck's beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. Shaw even took a pair of scissors to the dried skin to check for stitches.

• The Platypus has an average body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F) rather than the 37 °C (99 °F) typical of placental mammals.
• The Platypus jaw is constructed differently from that of other mammals, and the jaw-opening muscle is different.
• The Platypus has extra bones in the shoulder girdle, including an interclavicle, which is not found in other mammals.
• It has a reptilian gait, with legs that are on the sides of the body, rather than underneath.
• Monotremes (see also echidna for the other species) are the only mammals known to have a sense of electroreception: they locate their prey in part by detecting electric fields generated by muscular contractions. The Platypus' electroreception is the most sensitive of any monotreme.
• Uniquely among mammals it propels itself when swimming by alternate rowing motion with the front two feet; although all four feet of the Platypus are webbed, the hind feet (which are held against the body) do not assist in propulsion, but are used for steering in combination with the tail.
• The species is endothermic, maintaining its body temperature about 32 °C (90 °F), lower than most mammals, even while foraging for hours in water below 5 °C (41 °F).

Less confused now about Homburg's comment?

 

[DVS]

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/platypus.jpg

From Wiki:

The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. It is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record.

The bizarre appearance of this egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, with some considering it an elaborate fraud. It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unique features of the Platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia; it has appeared as a mascot at national events and is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20 cent coin. The platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales.

When the Platypus was first discovered by Europeans in 1798, a pelt and sketch were sent back to the United Kingdom by Captain John Hunter, the second Governor of New South Wales. The British scientists were at first convinced that the attributes must have been a hoax. George Shaw, who produced the first description of the animal in the Naturalist's Miscellany in 1799, stated that it was impossible not to entertain doubts as to its genuine nature, and Robert Knox believed it may have been produced by some Asian taxidermist. It was thought that somebody had sewn a duck's beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. Shaw even took a pair of scissors to the dried skin to check for stitches.

• The Platypus has an average body temperature of about 32 °C (90 °F) rather than the 37 °C (99 °F) typical of placental mammals.
• The Platypus jaw is constructed differently from that of other mammals, and the jaw-opening muscle is different.
• The Platypus has extra bones in the shoulder girdle, including an interclavicle, which is not found in other mammals.
• It has a reptilian gait, with legs that are on the sides of the body, rather than underneath.
• Monotremes (see also echidna for the other species) are the only mammals known to have a sense of electroreception: they locate their prey in part by detecting electric fields generated by muscular contractions. The Platypus' electroreception is the most sensitive of any monotreme.
• Uniquely among mammals it propels itself when swimming by alternate rowing motion with the front two feet; although all four feet of the Platypus are webbed, the hind feet (which are held against the body) do not assist in propulsion, but are used for steering in combination with the tail.
• The species is endothermic, maintaining its body temperature about 32 °C (90 °F), lower than most mammals, even while foraging for hours in water below 5 °C (41 °F).

Less confused now about Homburg's comment?

Oh, I'm familiar with the Platypus. It's the drug comment that puzzled me. But, I'm guessing it means only someone on drugs would create such an animal?

OK, if we're going to go that route, what about mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, Poison Ivy? What about snow storms in springtime that kill the flowers?

What about tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes and tsunamis? Earthquakes, floods, drought? What about all of the diseases connected to sex, so we have to wear condoms?

And what about some of the most scary and pesky creatures of all...VANILLA people? God's not on drugs...he's a practical joker!

 

[WriterDom]

Word of the Day for Tuesday, April 7, 2009
nescience \NESH-uhn(t)s; NESH-ee-uhn(t)s\, noun:

Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Word of the Day for Tuesday, April 7, 2009
nescience \NESH-uhn(t)s; NESH-ee-uhn(t)s\, noun:

Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.

Presumably this would be the antonym for omniscience. Hadn't run into the word before, though. Thanks! Now we have a word to throw at some of the trolls and know-nothings who wander through occasionally.

"My god, man! Control your nescience!"

 

[Sir_Winston54]

At the end of the [Knights Templar's] trial [for heresy], Pope Clement V found the disgraced order not guilty. However, he succumbed to the pressure of King Philip IV of France, who coveted the Templars' wealth, and the order, whose secret rituals and lost treasures have long fascinated conspiracy theorists, was brutally dissolved after the 1314 trial. Several knights, including the Grand Mater Jacques de Molay, were burned at the stake.

 

[WriterDom]

Wild turkeys have 20,000 to 30,000 feathers. They can fly 50mph. This is interesting. A letter from Ben Franklin to his daughter.

For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country...

I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.