Christmas is coming and Texas based Neiman Marcus unveiled its
annual fantasy gift collection.
Gifts range from $9 to $1.6 million. The 91st annual Christmas
Book is a 300-page catalog with more than 780 items, nearly 50
percent of which are priced under $250. The most expensive is
$1.6 million for a rooftop party for 300 people above Times
Square on New Year's Eve. Two nights at 150 of the hotel's rooms
are included, as is everything necessary for a private party
with drinks, dinner, and a DJ.
Shoppers will also find
Neiman’s annual fantasy gift collection, which includes 11 more
extravagant presents like the Yours & Mine Rolls-Royce
Limited Edition Dawns, a pair of vehicles that can be purchased
in blue for $439,625 or orange for $445,750. Being conservative,
I prefer the blue one, in case you are wondering what to get
me.
Oct 27, 2017
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Before he was thirty, he already served
in the army and won numerous body building competitions, while
simultaneously going to business school and working at a health
club. Once he immigrated to America, he continued to compete in
bodybuilding competitions while also starting a bricklaying
business, which he then used the profits from to start a
mail-order business selling fitness related products like
workout instructional materials. He then used the profits from
that and his winnings in body building competitions to start a
real estate investing business, ultimately making him a
millionaire in his 20s, long before his breakthrough role at the
age of 35 in the 1982 Conan the Barbarian.
Google Tips
Use an asterisk within quotes to specify unknown or variable
words. Searching a phrase in quotes with an asterisk replacing a
word will search all variations of that phrase. It is helpful if
you cannot remember an entire phrase "imagine all the * living
for today", or if you are trying to find all forms of an
expression "* is thicker than water".
Compare foods using "vs." Type in "rice vs. quinoa," for example, and you will receive side-by-side comparisons of the nutritional facts.
Use "DEFINE:" to learn the meaning of words. Try "DEFINE: mortgage." For words that appear in the dictionary, you will be able to see etymology, a graph of its use over time, and the definition. It may also define slang words or acronyms.
Type "give me a love quote" or whatever topic you need a quote for.
Use "lyrics" in your search to have Google deliver lyrics of songs for you.
Compare foods using "vs." Type in "rice vs. quinoa," for example, and you will receive side-by-side comparisons of the nutritional facts.
Use "DEFINE:" to learn the meaning of words. Try "DEFINE: mortgage." For words that appear in the dictionary, you will be able to see etymology, a graph of its use over time, and the definition. It may also define slang words or acronyms.
Type "give me a love quote" or whatever topic you need a quote for.
Use "lyrics" in your search to have Google deliver lyrics of songs for you.
Rabbit Reproduction
We have all heard about 'breeding like rabbits', but few know
how prolific rabbits really are.
First, When a doe lets a buck know that she is ready to mate, he circles her, shows off his tail, and sometimes urinates on her. This is what passes for foreplay. Then, the act itself lasts about 20-40 seconds. A buck can mate up to 7 times a week effectively, sometimes twice a day.
The average rabbit reaches sexual maturity at 3-8 months old. They are receptive to mating about 14 of every 16 days. Their breeding season lasts three-quarters of the year, and a doe does not have a 'heat' cycle. They are ready to mate anytime. They also do not have a menstrual cycle, so pregnancy can happen anytime. The act of intercourse stimulates ovulation.
Rabbits gestate for about 29 to 31 days, and usually have litters of between 4 and 12 babies. Once the babies are born, a doe can mate and get pregnant again as soon as the following day. If they maintain a pace like that and all the babies survive, the large-litter breeds can have about 100 babies per season. During October through December, some rabbits go into molting and many do not conceive.
Incidentally, a rabbit is the only edible farm animal able to produce 1,000% of its own weight in offspring per year.
First, When a doe lets a buck know that she is ready to mate, he circles her, shows off his tail, and sometimes urinates on her. This is what passes for foreplay. Then, the act itself lasts about 20-40 seconds. A buck can mate up to 7 times a week effectively, sometimes twice a day.
The average rabbit reaches sexual maturity at 3-8 months old. They are receptive to mating about 14 of every 16 days. Their breeding season lasts three-quarters of the year, and a doe does not have a 'heat' cycle. They are ready to mate anytime. They also do not have a menstrual cycle, so pregnancy can happen anytime. The act of intercourse stimulates ovulation.
Rabbits gestate for about 29 to 31 days, and usually have litters of between 4 and 12 babies. Once the babies are born, a doe can mate and get pregnant again as soon as the following day. If they maintain a pace like that and all the babies survive, the large-litter breeds can have about 100 babies per season. During October through December, some rabbits go into molting and many do not conceive.
Incidentally, a rabbit is the only edible farm animal able to produce 1,000% of its own weight in offspring per year.
Mississippi Child Law
In Mississippi, it is illegal to have a second
illegitimate child - “If any person, who shall have previously
become the natural parent of an illegitimate child within or
without this state by coition within or without this state,
shall again become the natural parent of an illegitimate child
born within this state, he or she shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by
imprisonment in the county jail for not less than thirty (30)
days nor more than ninety (90) days or by a fine of not more
than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($ 250.00), or both.” I do
not make this stuff up folks, only politicians can make these
types of laws.
Antiperspirant vs. Deodorant
Antiperspirant is not the same as deodorant. Antiperspirant stops you sweating, the other stops you smelling like you are sweating.
Oct 20, 2017
My Latest Book
I have recently had my 53rd book published. A great read. "Amazing Facts IV - Tantalizing Trivia". If you enjoy this blog, you will love the book. you can pick one up at Amazon.
LINK
PS - After you read it, please leave a comment on the page. Thanks.
LINK
PS - After you read it, please leave a comment on the page. Thanks.
Happy Friday
When we are young,
beauty is on the outside, when older it comes from within.
Happiness always shines through, especially on a Happy Friday!
Happiness always shines through, especially on a Happy Friday!
Wordology, Lenticels
(LEN-tih-sells) These are
little pin size spots on apples, pears, and potatoes. Plants
need a constant stream of fresh air, just like people, and that
“fresh air” means carbon dioxide. Flowers, trees, and fruit all
take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, but unlike people,
plants do not
have nostrils.
The lenticel functions as a pore, providing a pathway for the direct exchange of gases between the internal tissues and atmosphere through the bark, which is otherwise impermeable to gases. The name lenticel derives from its lens-like shape. The shape of lenticels is one of the characteristics used for tree identification
Each little speck is an opening in the fruit or tuber’s skin or the tree’s bark. Carbon dioxide goes in, and oxygen comes out. Like any opening, lenticels are vulnerable to infection and sickness. In an apple disease called lenticel breakdown, a nutrient deficiency causes the apples’ spots to darken and turn into brown pits. This does not hurt the inside of the fruit, but it does make the apple look unattractive.
The lenticel functions as a pore, providing a pathway for the direct exchange of gases between the internal tissues and atmosphere through the bark, which is otherwise impermeable to gases. The name lenticel derives from its lens-like shape. The shape of lenticels is one of the characteristics used for tree identification
Each little speck is an opening in the fruit or tuber’s skin or the tree’s bark. Carbon dioxide goes in, and oxygen comes out. Like any opening, lenticels are vulnerable to infection and sickness. In an apple disease called lenticel breakdown, a nutrient deficiency causes the apples’ spots to darken and turn into brown pits. This does not hurt the inside of the fruit, but it does make the apple look unattractive.
Dawn, Sunrise, Twilight, Sunset, and Dusk
Dawn
occurs before sunrise, before the top of the Sun reaches the
horizon.
Twilight is the name given to the period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk, when light is still visible in the sky due to sunlight scattering off the atmosphere.
Sunrise and sunset are the points at which the top edge of the Sun reaches the horizon; the only difference between them is the direction in which the Sun is moving at the time. It actually occurs when the top of the Sun is 0.57° below the horizon due to refraction of the Sun’s light by the atmosphere.
Dusk occurs after sunset, once the top of the Sun has passed the horizon.
Dawn, dusk, and twilight can also be separated in astronomical, nautical, and civil sections by how far below the horizon the Sun is (18°, 12° and 6° below the horizon respectively).
Twilight is the name given to the period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk, when light is still visible in the sky due to sunlight scattering off the atmosphere.
Sunrise and sunset are the points at which the top edge of the Sun reaches the horizon; the only difference between them is the direction in which the Sun is moving at the time. It actually occurs when the top of the Sun is 0.57° below the horizon due to refraction of the Sun’s light by the atmosphere.
Dusk occurs after sunset, once the top of the Sun has passed the horizon.
Dawn, dusk, and twilight can also be separated in astronomical, nautical, and civil sections by how far below the horizon the Sun is (18°, 12° and 6° below the horizon respectively).
Health Care Cost
The US has the most bureaucratic health care system in the
world. More than 31 percent of every dollar spent on health care
in the US pays for paperwork, overhead, and other non
direct-health related expenses.
The US spends 17.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare. The Netherlands is the next highest, at 12 percent of GDP. Ten percent of Canada’s GDP is spent on health care. The average among OECD countries was almost half that of the US, at 9.5 percent of GDP.
The US spends 17.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare. The Netherlands is the next highest, at 12 percent of GDP. Ten percent of Canada’s GDP is spent on health care. The average among OECD countries was almost half that of the US, at 9.5 percent of GDP.
OECD
The
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has a
mission to promote policies that will improve the economic and
social well-being of people around the world. It was established
in 1961 and has membership of 35 countries. Its annual budget is
EUR 374 million and has a staff of 2,500. It publishes 250 new
titles per year.
The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. It works with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. It analyses and compares data to predict future trends. It sets international standards on things, such as agriculture and tax, to the safety of chemicals. It seeks to foster globalization and promote the 'green agenda' by working with the countries involved in the Paris climate agreement.
It looks at issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. It compares how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.
In addition, it tries to make life more difficult for the terrorists, tax dodgers, crooked businessmen, and others whose actions undermine a fair and open society.
From its web site "Today, we are focused on helping governments around the world to:
Restore confidence in markets and the institutions that make them function.
Re-establish healthy public finances as a basis for future sustainable economic growth.
Foster and support new sources of growth through innovation, environmentally friendly ‘green growth’ strategies and the development of emerging economies.
Ensure that people of all ages can develop the skills to work productively and satisfyingly in the jobs of tomorrow."
The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. It works with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. It analyses and compares data to predict future trends. It sets international standards on things, such as agriculture and tax, to the safety of chemicals. It seeks to foster globalization and promote the 'green agenda' by working with the countries involved in the Paris climate agreement.
It looks at issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. It compares how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.
In addition, it tries to make life more difficult for the terrorists, tax dodgers, crooked businessmen, and others whose actions undermine a fair and open society.
From its web site "Today, we are focused on helping governments around the world to:
Restore confidence in markets and the institutions that make them function.
Re-establish healthy public finances as a basis for future sustainable economic growth.
Foster and support new sources of growth through innovation, environmentally friendly ‘green growth’ strategies and the development of emerging economies.
Ensure that people of all ages can develop the skills to work productively and satisfyingly in the jobs of tomorrow."
Cutting the Cord
Cord cutting refers to those who give up their cable TV plan
and find TV and movie watching over the internet, TV antenna,
smart phone, computer, etc. The research firm eMarketer says that
by 2016 year end, 16.7 million U.S. adults had already cut the
cord and that by the end of 2017 it will be 22 million. The five
biggest TV providers are projected to have lost 469,000 customers
during the third quarter of 2017.
Sixty one percent of 18 to 29 year olds say the primary way they watch television now is with streaming services on the internet, compared with thirty one percent, who say they mostly watch via a cable or satellite subscription and five percent, who mainly watch with a digital antenna, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2017.
The main cause for cord cutting has been the high cost of cable, bad service, annual price increases, and lack of competition in many areas of the country. Cost reductions average about 50% savings and range from a few dollars a month to as much as a 90% drop in monthly fees.
In addition, many are finding better picture quality and more diversity of offerings. Even TV antennas provide a sharper picture than offered by any of the major cable companies, because the signal is not compressed. With the coming proliferation of reasonably priced 4K TVs, picture quality is even more important and cable companies offer virtually no 4K content, with the exception of some sporting events.
Sixty one percent of 18 to 29 year olds say the primary way they watch television now is with streaming services on the internet, compared with thirty one percent, who say they mostly watch via a cable or satellite subscription and five percent, who mainly watch with a digital antenna, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2017.
The main cause for cord cutting has been the high cost of cable, bad service, annual price increases, and lack of competition in many areas of the country. Cost reductions average about 50% savings and range from a few dollars a month to as much as a 90% drop in monthly fees.
In addition, many are finding better picture quality and more diversity of offerings. Even TV antennas provide a sharper picture than offered by any of the major cable companies, because the signal is not compressed. With the coming proliferation of reasonably priced 4K TVs, picture quality is even more important and cable companies offer virtually no 4K content, with the exception of some sporting events.
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