Side-trips are occasionally great fun, often educational, and
sometimes invaluable.
I am having a great fun trip enjoying another educational and
invaluable Happy Friday!
Nov 30, 2012
New Monkey Species
This monkey was discovered in 2012 in
the mountains of Myanmar (Burma) by a group of scientists who were
originally participating in surveys on gibbons.
Its nose is upturned to such an extent that it actually sneezes when it rains. Local hunters say that ‘Rhinopithecus strykeri’ can be seen on rainy days with its head down between its knees to avoid inhaling water.
Its nose is upturned to such an extent that it actually sneezes when it rains. Local hunters say that ‘Rhinopithecus strykeri’ can be seen on rainy days with its head down between its knees to avoid inhaling water.
Caught Red Handed
This means to be caught doing something
wrong. It originated because of a law. If someone butchered an
animal that did not belong to him, he had to be caught with the
animal’s blood on his hands to be convicted.
More Uses for Marshmallows
Stash a few marshmallows in a
box of brown sugar or the sugar bowl to prevent the sugar from
hardening or clumping.
Make ice cream cones less messy by sticking a few marshmallows in the bottom of the cone to prevent the ice cream from leaking out.
Eat three or four marshmallows to sooth a sore throat. Apparently, the gelatin is very helpful when it comes to relieving irritation and soothing pain in your throat.
Make ice cream cones less messy by sticking a few marshmallows in the bottom of the cone to prevent the ice cream from leaking out.
Eat three or four marshmallows to sooth a sore throat. Apparently, the gelatin is very helpful when it comes to relieving irritation and soothing pain in your throat.
Pig DNA
Scientists announced that they have mapped the
entire genome of the domestic pig, revealing that besides providing
tasty bacon and sausages, the animal may also be useful in fighting
human diseases.
The study published in the journal Nature found that pigs and humans share more than 100 DNA mutations that have previously been linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, dyslexia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, according to US and European researchers.
"In total, we found 112 positions where the porcine protein has the same amino acid that is implicated in a disease in humans," researchers wrote.
Researchers said that because pigs share many of the same complex genetic diseases as humans, the animals would serve as excellent models for studying the underlying biology of human disease.
A domestic pig breed is already being used extensively in medical research because of its anatomical similarity to humans, and pig heart valves have been used by doctors to replace faulty human ones.
Scientists can use the new genome map to improve meat production by breeding a new generation of super-pigs that will grow faster, survive longer, produce more offspring and yield more meat for less feed.
"This new analysis helps us understand the genetic mechanisms that enable high-quality pork production, feed efficiency and resistance to disease," Sonny Ramaswany, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture said, according to Reuters.
Scientists in the sequencing project compared the domestic pig's genome to that of the wild boar, human, mouse, dog, horse, and cow.
A recent study also revealed that pigs had the most olfactory receptor genes, which highlights the importance of smell in the scavenger animal's lifestyle, and that pigs also had fewer bitter taste receptors meaning that "pigs can eat food that is unpalatable to humans," which is one of the reasons why pigs have become such a highly valued farm animal. I am still trying to figure out how they will know if a pig has Alzheimer's.
The study published in the journal Nature found that pigs and humans share more than 100 DNA mutations that have previously been linked to diseases like obesity, diabetes, dyslexia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, according to US and European researchers.
"In total, we found 112 positions where the porcine protein has the same amino acid that is implicated in a disease in humans," researchers wrote.
Researchers said that because pigs share many of the same complex genetic diseases as humans, the animals would serve as excellent models for studying the underlying biology of human disease.
A domestic pig breed is already being used extensively in medical research because of its anatomical similarity to humans, and pig heart valves have been used by doctors to replace faulty human ones.
Scientists can use the new genome map to improve meat production by breeding a new generation of super-pigs that will grow faster, survive longer, produce more offspring and yield more meat for less feed.
"This new analysis helps us understand the genetic mechanisms that enable high-quality pork production, feed efficiency and resistance to disease," Sonny Ramaswany, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture said, according to Reuters.
Scientists in the sequencing project compared the domestic pig's genome to that of the wild boar, human, mouse, dog, horse, and cow.
A recent study also revealed that pigs had the most olfactory receptor genes, which highlights the importance of smell in the scavenger animal's lifestyle, and that pigs also had fewer bitter taste receptors meaning that "pigs can eat food that is unpalatable to humans," which is one of the reasons why pigs have become such a highly valued farm animal. I am still trying to figure out how they will know if a pig has Alzheimer's.
Presidential Trivia
One person has the distinction of being
vice president without ever being elected and also president without
ever being elected. Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (born Leslie Lynch
King, Jr.) was the 38th President of the United States and the 40th
Vice President of the United States. He was the first person
appointed to the Vice Presidency by Richard Nixon after Spiro Agnew
resigned. He became President after Richard Nixon resigned. It
is difficult to think about Gerry Ford without thinking of Chevy
Chase doing an impression of him.
Nov 28, 2012
Tequila
The clear white liquor with the unique taste that
people either love or hate, tequila is thought to have been first
produced around the second half of the 16th century in Mexico. It is
made from the blue agave plant that grows so abundantly around the
city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco. Tequila is said to have
been a result of the Spaniards running out of their own brandy. Upon
hearing the Aztecs had once used the blue agave plant to produce an
alcoholic drink (known as octli or pulque), the conquistadors set
about distilling the plant to produce a drink they could use to
replace their beloved brandy.
Mexican law dictates that tequila can only be produced in this and a few other very select areas if it is to carry the name of tequila. Over 300 million agave plants are harvested each year for the production of tequila.
It is distilled after fermentation and the end product is usually 38% to 40% alcohol. That brings it in at 76% to 80% proof.
Mexican law dictates that tequila can only be produced in this and a few other very select areas if it is to carry the name of tequila. Over 300 million agave plants are harvested each year for the production of tequila.
It is distilled after fermentation and the end product is usually 38% to 40% alcohol. That brings it in at 76% to 80% proof.
Wordology, Hysteria
From the Greek "hystera" = uterus.
For a few thousand years until the late nineteenth century, hysteria
referred to a medical condition thought to be particular to women
and caused by disturbances of the uterus.
Definitions include: uncontrollably emotional; irrational from fear, emotion, or an emotional shock; very funny as from hysterical or uncontrollable fits of laughter.
In psychology they say it is a disorder in which a psychological conflict is converted into a bodily disturbance.
During the 1800s it was decided that men could also be hysterical. In time it could be applied to anyone as the definition expanded to be an emotional state, rather than a physical state.
Incidently, the Oxford English Dictionary says the colloquial term 'hissy fit' for someone would go into hysterics and throw a tantrum if they didn't get their way. comes from hysteria.
Definitions include: uncontrollably emotional; irrational from fear, emotion, or an emotional shock; very funny as from hysterical or uncontrollable fits of laughter.
In psychology they say it is a disorder in which a psychological conflict is converted into a bodily disturbance.
During the 1800s it was decided that men could also be hysterical. In time it could be applied to anyone as the definition expanded to be an emotional state, rather than a physical state.
Incidently, the Oxford English Dictionary says the colloquial term 'hissy fit' for someone would go into hysterics and throw a tantrum if they didn't get their way. comes from hysteria.
Statistics
6 Million were using Facebook in 2005, now it
has over a 1 billion users
67.2 million watched the last presidential debate and 111.3 million watched the Super Bowl in 2012
There are 500 million Twitter users
67.2 million watched the last presidential debate and 111.3 million watched the Super Bowl in 2012
There are 500 million Twitter users
Titanic Numbers
It cost 7 million dollars to build the
Titanic and 200 million dollars to make a film about it. The
ship sank and the movie is still floating.
Ponzo Illusion
Have you ever wondered why the Moon
looks bigger on the horizon? It is an illusion, known as the Ponzo
Illusion. What is happening is actually something that your brain
does all the time. The yellow lines are the same size, but the top
one appears larger.
Think about what happens when you see one of your friends on the horizon. Although they appear to be very small, your brain doesn’t actually interpret them as being that tiny. This is what happens when we look at the moon. Your brain inflates the size of the Moon to make it appear larger than it really is. Next time you are looking at an over-sized moon, block everything else out with your hands and watch it appear to shrink.
Think about what happens when you see one of your friends on the horizon. Although they appear to be very small, your brain doesn’t actually interpret them as being that tiny. This is what happens when we look at the moon. Your brain inflates the size of the Moon to make it appear larger than it really is. Next time you are looking at an over-sized moon, block everything else out with your hands and watch it appear to shrink.
Nov 23, 2012
Happy Friday
There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is
kindness.
My philosophy tells my brain and my heart to always have a Happy Friday!
My philosophy tells my brain and my heart to always have a Happy Friday!
Wordology, Racking
Rack likely comes from the Middle Dutch
“rec”, meaning 'framework', and the Old English 'recken', meaning
'to stretch out'. Usage became the word used for a frame that you
put things on to dry or to stretch something out on.
Later the word also came to mean a frame for putting people on for torture. This expanded the meaning to include causing mental or physical harm or suffering or to stretch or strain. So, when someone says they are racking their brain, it means they are straining their brain. I reckin this stuff is true.
Later the word also came to mean a frame for putting people on for torture. This expanded the meaning to include causing mental or physical harm or suffering or to stretch or strain. So, when someone says they are racking their brain, it means they are straining their brain. I reckin this stuff is true.
John Josefa Moe
Born in India to Samoan father Pulu Moe and
Filipino-Hawaiian mother Louisa Moe while his parents were touring
in Hawaii. He performed with Hawai'i notables Don Ho, Kui Lee and Ed
Kenney between the 1950s and 1970s, did a vaudeville act in England,
carved tiki, created a then-innovative koa Hawaiian Kepi bracelet
with names etched in old-English lettering, and designed restaurants
and clubs on the East Coast of the US.
He had other skills including: one of the best fire knife dancers in the world; comedian; musician and singer; middleweight Golden Gloves boxing champion; did custom airbrush art on t-shirts; surf boarding instructor.
Moe was Samoan, but had a thick British accent because he attended an English boarding school while his parents toured. Another famous Samoan with an accent is Dwayne, the rock, Johnson, although his is American English. At one time, Josefa was roommates with Sir Roger Moore of James Bond fame and was once considered the most photographed Samoan in the world.
He passed away Nov 3, 2006 at 73 years of age in Summerlin, Nev. (near Vegas), his home. He had 12 children.
He had other skills including: one of the best fire knife dancers in the world; comedian; musician and singer; middleweight Golden Gloves boxing champion; did custom airbrush art on t-shirts; surf boarding instructor.
Moe was Samoan, but had a thick British accent because he attended an English boarding school while his parents toured. Another famous Samoan with an accent is Dwayne, the rock, Johnson, although his is American English. At one time, Josefa was roommates with Sir Roger Moore of James Bond fame and was once considered the most photographed Samoan in the world.
He passed away Nov 3, 2006 at 73 years of age in Summerlin, Nev. (near Vegas), his home. He had 12 children.
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