Lighting Design India Knowledge Base
why allahabad is not on business map of india while IST is its nearst? Zero Technology and Design ask from the people of allahabad why this city is not known as his business identity while they use best suitable day light time as compared to any city of india. email: director.zerotech@yahoo.co.in wewbsite:www.zerotech.741.com phone:09889609268,9889577282
How can I get a reasonably priced kota saree (or other suitable summer Indian attire) without visiting India? I am interested in a plain kota doria sari (or perhaps lengha choli) in white,off-white, ivory, gold, moon, jasmine or other light colors. I don't mind simple/elegant embroidery, but I do not like very lively designs. If you can recommend a seamstress or tailor who would be able to do this, that would work as well. This is for an event that will be held outside, so both comfort and style are important. Please don't provide links to popular websites such as utsavsarees, sareesonline, kaneesha, eshakti, bargello, etc. I do have access to google and wanted more specific information. If you wind up giving me a great starting point or reference, I will choose your answer as best and close this question. Thanks!
India's first solar power light? BPL's latest product is a unique design of international class.A high performance LED,produces no pollution and creates flicker free light.Moreover its certified by India's foremost eye hospital.. A must buy... You can check out more details at: http://61.12.17.236/studylite/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=12&cid=cm
Can I negate my guilt over carbon emmisions ? Hi Folks. As a power engineer, I design & install medium-sized power stations for remote rural towns & villages in areas of Africa, Mid-East, India & parts of Eastern Asia. These are used to provide electrical power to drive pumps for water wells, simple lighting, refridgeration to store freshly caught meats, etc. so generally vastly improves the lives of local folks. However, they burn deisel fuel, so create inevitable polution in the big scheme of things. Is this a fair balance ? Bob.
Why is my henna (mehndi) coming out so light? So the other day I used some mehndi my friend got me from India, and it worked really well on my palm (very dark and visible.) However, when I paused for about ten minutes and went back to do my forearm, the design came out considerably lighter, even though I was using the same tube and left it on for the same amount of time! What can I do in the future to avoid this? Thanks in advance. I left it on for about 2 hours - should it have been longer?
career advice for interior designer in Canada..? I'm from India.I was enrolled in a bachelor's program for Architecture(5 yrs) which i continued for two years before deciding to shift to Interior Design and I'm currently in the final year of my three year course in interior design (B.Sc.Interior Design)..I have a few questions regarding career options in Canada as a practicing Interior designer. As far as my knowledge goes , to have to practice I need to have some educational background from a canadian university?..My plans are to pursue a Master's program in lighting design..the problem is I cant seem to find universities in toronto that offer a Masters in any related field..i found one in Manitoba but thats way up north n im getting married and settled in Toronto by the end of next year... Also before taking up my masters what i would ideally like to do is gain practical experience and knowledge working in Toronto and then see if theres a particular area i would like to specialise in rather than lighting design. I'd like to know if working like this is possible without having a degree from a canadian university? Also what is the accreditation system in Canada for an international degree..?how can i find out if my current university is accredited in Canada..? would i have to clear exams..just how does it work?.. Any advice on the course of action to be taken would be highly appreciated. Thanks alot for your time..really appreciate it.
Magnetic Earrings for Men!!? I don't want to get a piercing so I want to buy magnetics for now. Can someone tell me anywhere that sells magnetic earrings for men..should be light designs...websites and stores. (INDIA)
Pakistan nukes outstrip India’s, officials say ? U.S. reverses assessment of South Asia nuclear balance By Robert Windrem and Tammy Kupperman WASHINGTON, June 6 — Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is vastly superior to that of rival India, with up to five times the nuclear warheads, say U.S. military and intelligence officials now reassessing the South Asian balance of power. Interviews with senior U.S. officials in the past week revealed the view that Pakistan not only has more warheads than its longtime adversary, but has far more capability to actually use them. NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS by India and Pakistan in May 1998 caught American intelligence off guard. While U.S. agencies long had known about weapons-development research in both countries, the decision by both to go public with their capabilities shocked policymakers. Since then, U.S. intelligence and diplomacy has focused on South Asia with a new intensity. Until recently, for instance, Pakistan was considered to have somewhere between 10 and 15 nuclear weapons and India between 25 and 100. But after two years of intelligence gathering, officials now believe those figures overstate the capabilities of India’s home-grown arsenal and understate those of Pakistan, whose program has relied on generous Chinese assistance. One official said the Pakistanis “are more likely to have those numbers [25 to 100 weapons] than the Indians.” Perhaps most important, the official said, is that Pakistan appears far more capable than India of delivering nuclear payloads. “I don’t think their [the Indian] program is as advanced as the Paks,” the official said, speaking particularly of ballistic missiles. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said longtime assumptions that India had an edge in the South Asian strategic balance of power were questionable, at best. “Don’t assume that the Pakistani nuclear capability is inferior to the Indians,” said Zinni, the senior U.S. officer responsible for the Middle East and South Asia. Other military and intelligence officials, as well as an intelligence analysis of South Asia’s nuclear balance obtained by NBC News, shed more light on the revised view. NBC News is the broadcast partner of the MSNBC.com joint venture. “They both have a capability,” said one senior military official. “Pakistan’s may be better than India’s, with more weapons and more capability. “You can’t underestimate the Pakistani program,” said the official. Like most of the officials NBC News contacted, this one would speak only on condition of anonymity. DOCUMENTS SUPPORT REVISED VIEW These officials believe India understands that it is behind. A recent Defense Department analysis of the Indian program obtained by MSNBC.com states that India is moving to address its shortcomings. Quoting India’s recently publicized draft nuclear doctrine, the Defense Department report said that “India announced its plans to develop a minimum nuclear deterrent force comprised of a triad of nuclear delivery systems — air, mobile land-based launches and sea-based platforms. The air component of its triad is the only one that may be in place already.” The U.S. report also states that “India probably has a handful of nuclear bombs,” meaning about five. With regard to delivery systems — the missiles and bombers needed to launch a nuclear strike — U.S. officials now believe Indian capabilities to be seriously lagging. According to the Defense Department document, which is unclassified, India has no nuclear-capable missiles and fewer aircraft capable of delivering a nuclear payload than Pakistan does. India has twice tested a new intermediate-ranged missile, the Agni, which may eventually provide the basis of a nuclear missile force. However, current U.S. analysis suggests the Agni will not be fielded with nuclear warheads for another 10 years. Additionally, India appears to only have begun work on missile warhead design and on the miniaturization of weapons — two critical hurdles to the actual use of weapons. The U.S. assessment of Pakistan, on the other hand, has been greatly upgraded. A U.S. official stated that Pakistani air and missile delivery systems are now believed to be “fully capable of a nuclear exchange if something happens.” Other officials noted that Pakistan’s air force, with its U.S. F-16’s and its French Mirage fighter-bombers, are superior at penetrating enemy airspace than India’s Soviet-designed MiGs and Sukhois. Most importantly, Pakistan is now thought to possess about 30 nuclear-capable missiles: the Chinese M-11 short-range missile and its Pakistani variant, the Tarmuk, as well as the North Korean Nodong intermediate-range missile (known locally as the Ghauri). HAIR-TRIGGER CONCERN The mystery that shrouds both of these growing nuclear arsenals has become a major cause for concern among U.S. policymakers, who even before the 1998 tests had deemed South Asia the most likely site of a nuclear war Also i
Where can I find cheap but very awesome Graphic t-Shirts? I am looking for simple graphic t's with light colors and cute/big patterns, artsy design on it, but since I live in India..can you suggest something cheap less than 25 dollars ? cuz then my parents won't let me buy it =( thank you.
What would be the best Dell notebook for me ? I am a student living in India, I occasionally have to make presentations in Powerpoint, Flash. Light video editing and web designing. I would like to be able to play some decent games. Maybe not the most latest resource demanding ones. My budget is Rs 65,000. I was thinking of the Studio 15. What do you suggest. But I am deadlocked on a Dell. Cheers
india vs pak conflict solution ( a new dimension)? its pretty hard why these two countries fight - but tell if you nuke other country and win the war then do you have the right to merge that land in your territory?and read following writing to decide by yourself how to help each other to stop conflict, increase peace and love in both sides! from pak point i think it is loss of Bangladesh ( and they are pretty sure India was the main conspirator), and Kashmir(because dominance of Muslim community here) from India point of view - 1- Muslims are born aggressive and they cant live peacefully without violence(i dont say they are like this what i feel they think of pak ) 2- china helped them making their nuke weapons and also help him in coming years(because western community dont help him and china also wants to become a superpower, so he is making pak his little sister and will certainly throw her after her use, but ind is your true friend, dont you sense china motives com' on people they have a communism) ! 3- Pakistan will sell his nuclear technology to other rogue nation(which have nothing to lose) in attempt to make more fund for their military project 4- Muslims invaded Hindustan 16 century so they are not a ancestor in the Indian continent and their history was full of violence ! 5- after the massacre, of 1947 we cant say confidently even now that the Pakistani people used their freedom ,land and resources to gain knowledge, and developing of good personality traits in his people and for peace purpose! 6- In February 1948, the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah announced: “The weak and the defenseless in this world invite aggression from others. The best way we can serve peace is by removing the temptation from the path of those who think we are weak and, for that reason, they can bully or attack us. That temptation can only be removed if we make ourselves so strong that nobody dare entertain any aggressive designs against us. Pakistan has come to stay and no power on earth can destroy it. ” In 1974, in response to India's Smiling Buddha nuclear tests, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced: “If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass and leaves for a thousand years, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. The Christians have the bomb, the Jews have the bomb and now the Hindus have the bomb. Why not the Muslims too have the bomb? you can sense the danger and misuse of power and resources in coming future! 7 - in their elementary education books a child reads anti Indian education of their history ! and they force to take more aggressive religious education than science ,technology,performing art and other modern arts to earn your living! and these religious gurus manipulate people whenever they feel they cant light their kitchen anymore if they dont find money and support of their community then they find it by provacating people against India(by manipulating islam definition ) ! 8 - Pakistan politician always try to win the faith of their people by giving anti ind speech( they also try to stabilize their internal security by by this) ! and in return they take more tax from their community just to spend it on military and their security and staying in power! what about common people!!! 9- they have a policy if cant save thyself blow everything around you ! don't suffer lonely in this world! now let see if these two countries fight and use nukes who have more chance to survive pak- they are developing their nukes and big brother china helping him! so i dont see they lack in technical and technological area in deploying mass destruction weapons ! they can also use biological and chemical weapons! ind- no doubt India have a superiority over pak and developed space organization helping them lot in military superiority and advancement! though they have a long history in military weapons advancement they are not perfect and their weapon advancement is not as much fast as their neighbor country like pak and china(because lack of public interest and lack of funding of their crucial defense project) . though situation is improving, but brain drain is a problem! India have a history of good behavior so it have more reputation in western community so they can help him in conflict!great support! i think their main concern is not pak but china! the main culprit of this conflict was not not ind not pak but Britain !! people just think what we all need we need love, respect, trust we dont need this kind of superpower to live peacefully and show we are superior than others we need to be helpful to each other! because god hardwired us like this so please dont doubt and love each other blindly? thanks!
India vs pak conflict solution ( a new dimension)? i felt the need of writing on the topic( updated writing on the subject to let know others who hate wars and dont know why these two brother fight, and an attempt to explain the solution of this bitter relationship) these are some true insight of both of the countries! read following writing to decide by yourself how to help each other to stop conflict, increase peace and love in both sides! from pak point i think 1. it is loss of Bangladesh ( and they are pretty sure India was the main conspirator), and Kashmir(because dominance of Muslim community here) from India point of view - 1- Muslims are born aggressive and they cant live peacefully without violence(i dont say they are like this what i feel they think of pak ) 2- china helped them making their nuke weapons and also help him in coming years(because western community dont help him and china also wants to become master of south Asia, so he is making pak his little sister and will certainly throw her after her use, but ind is your true friend, dont you sense china motives com' on people ! 3- Pakistan will sell his nuclear technology to other rogue nation(which have nothing to lose) in attempt to make more fund for their military project 4- Muslims invaded Hindustan 16 century so they are not a ancestor in the Indian continent and their history was full of violence ! 5- after the massacre, of 1947 we cant say confidently even now that the Pakistani people used their freedom ,land and resources to gain knowledge, and developing of good personality traits in his people and for peace purpose! 6- In February 1948, the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah announced: “ The weak and the defenseless in this world invite aggression from others. The best way we can serve peace is by removing the temptation from the path of those who think we are weak and, for that reason, they can bully or attack us. That temptation can only be removed if we make ourselves so strong that nobody dare entertain any aggressive designs against us. Pakistan has come to stay and no power on earth can destroy it. ” In 1974, in response to India's Smiling Buddha nuclear tests, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto announced: “ If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass and leaves for a thousand years, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. The Christians have the bomb, the Jews have the bomb and now the Hindus have the bomb. Why not the Muslims too have the bomb? you can sense the danger and misuse of power and resources in coming future! 7 - in their elementary education books a child reads anti Indian education of their history ! and they force to take more aggressive religious education than science ,technology,performing art and other modern arts to earn your living! and these religious gurus manipulate people whenever they feel they cant light their kitchen anymore if they dont find money and support of their community then they find it by provacating people against India(by manipulating islam definition ) ! 8 - Pakistan politician always try to win the faith of their people by giving anti ind speech( they also try to stabilize their internal security by by this) ! and in return they take more tax from their community just to spend it on military and their security and staying in power! what about common people!!! 9- they have a policy if cant save thyself blow everything around you ! don't suffer lonely in this world! now let see if these two countries fight and use nukes who have more chance to survive pak- they are developing their nukes and big brother china helping him! so i dont see they lack in technical and technological area in deploying mass destruction weapons ! they can also use biological and chemical weapons! ind- no doubt India have a superiority over pak and developed space organization helping them lot in military superiority and advancement! though they have a long history in military weapons advancement they are not perfect and their weapon advancement is not as much fast as their neighbor country like pak and china(because lack of public interest and lack of funding of their crucial defense project) . though situation is improving, but brain drain is a problem! India have a history of good behavior so it have more reputation in western community so they can help him in conflict!great support! i think their main concern is not pak but china! the main culprit of this conflict was not ind not pak but Britain !! people just think what we all need we need love, respect, trust we dont need this kind of superpower to live peacefully and show we are superior than others we need to be helpful to each other! because god hardwired us like this so please dont doubt and love each other blindly? thanks!
Safety in Hyderabad, India for studying abroad? I'm a college student who is seriously looking into going to Hyderabad, India for a semester in the spring. I'll be traveling in a group specially designed for studying abroad there (CIEE) and I've done my research on things to look out for (don't go out alone, expect to be groped at least once because I'm a white female, watch out for those autorickshaw drivers and their scams, don't eat from the roadside stands, etc.). In fact, a lot of the warnings are similar to those that I followed when my family went with my old high school's group to Cheng De and Beijing, China, so most of it is common sense to me now. HOWEVER...my parents are worried about safety after hearing about the bombings and whatnot. I suppose I am too, but I've been doing my research and haven't seen much on recent problems or extreme concerns. In fact, it seems like the only life-threatening problems are not much different than going through the bad parts of some of America's largest cities. Could anyone shed some detailed light on the safety of Hyderabad? Useful sites, insider info, and anything really will be very much appreciated as I want to convince my parents that I'm not going to meet up with a suicide bomber the moment my group gets off the plane.
How does this sound???? Any errors or ideas on how to make it better? Just two years ago, around this time of year, I went to India. I stayed there for about three months and wow! Who knew what an adventure I was in for? It was a real nifty and fascinating experience. I got to meet a variety of people, taste new food, go shopping, and also get used to major changes of everyday life such as the bathrooms. First of all, the atmosphere was very unique in India. It was nothing like the atmosphere here. For example, smelly goats, towering camels, enormous buffalos, and active cows were everywhere including the roads and streets. You could see motorcycles and little toy-like taxis called rickshaws going here and there that people depend on for transportation. Buses, trucks, cars, rickshaws and camels share the road. You would also see dozens of people crossing the street and just hanging around. Furthermore, there were no stop lights. The driving conditions were extremely chaotic and you have to be very cautious of what you do. You can hear horns honking everywhere. People honk their horns mostly every second to get each other’s attention. It was actually amusing to me having to be careless about everything because I am familiar with an orderly life. In India, people just cooperate with one another to make things happen. Moreover, the food is absolutely mind-blowing! It is very tasty and appetizing. The food is very spicy and it opens up your taste buds. Their mouth-watering snacks that you could purchase from food stalls on just about every corner of the street will make you ask for more. Some snacks are samosas, pakoras, and cold drinks like faludas. The ice cream over there is their specialty. There are a great deal of flavors mixed with heaps of toppings. You can get anything you want for a very little cost. You name it! Most of the restaurants are open 24 hours. In India, people just enjoy themselves throughout the day. They go to sleep very late either watching movies or hanging out. They barely have any laws. It is similar to New York City, the city where everyone barely gets any sleep. In addition to, India offers a great deal of clothes. You can get any type of fabric or cloth. Traditional, modern, eastern, western, oriental and so much more. It has clothes from all over the world. India is one of the world’s largest textile industry. Additionally, India’s clothes are very fashionable. They have innumerable designs and colors. There are a wide variety of choices that you can choose from. Overall, India is an incredibly vibrant place. It has such a rich culture and many traditions that people follow. If you were to go there, at this time, I think you would be just amazed to see how different our life is from theirs. India is a very beautiful destination, full of majestic and dazzling sites, just out of your dreams. Food as tasteful as it is colorful, vast plains, incredible riches, and fashionable clothing. There are many different languages and cultures. It has so many diverse people with different needs, likes and dislikes, strengths, opinions and ideas. But they all come together and work as a team to support each other and achieve their goals.
Hair mess!!i colored my hair and highlighted it and its a mess. What can I do now? My natural hair color is black.I first put L'Oreal Preference color all over my hair.I applied the shade Gold Brown (the one which is for dark hair)it looked good.Then on the same day i applied L'Oreal Frost and Design Highlighting(Caramel color) and did highlights.I used the cap,taking too much of my hair out of the cap and the result is disastrous.Most of the hair on the top near the scalp(which was supposed to be highlights) is very blondish orangey color. Its very bold and not suiting me(i m an asian.light skinned from India).Now i called up a couple of salons and they gave me their suggestions.I wanna just tone it down.the color that i want is brown with a golden tinge. Should i do a chocolate brown for this.Because i think it already has tht golden tone to it.this will help toning it down and still look different from black and yet go with my complexion.I also heard its easier to make hair darker.should i put a nice shade of brown?suggest me the shade# & brand plzz
Help with History!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D? Hi i need some help with these couple of questions please help or gie me a refrence i already tried google and wikipedia but nothing thanks!!! 1. Due to monetary support and advancements in mapmaking, navigation, and astronomy, which two countries led the way in exploration of new lands? A. England and Spain B. France and England C. India and Italy D. Portugal and Spain 12. The advancement in ship design, which helped to carry more cargo and withstand heavier seas, was called a A. deep-draft ship. B. extended hull ship. C. caravel ship. D. expanded hull ship. 32. The new ship design which created lighter and faster sailing ships was called a A. deep-draft ship. B. extended hull ship. C. caravel ship. D. expanded hull ship. 54. The instrument brought to Europe from China which helped to determine which direction was north was called A. an astrolabe. B. a magnetic gauge. C. a Nordic pointer. D. a compass. 65. The instrument that the Muslims taught the Europeans to use to navigate by the sun and stars was called A. an astrolabe. B. a magnetic gauge. C. a Nordic pointer. D. a compass.
Need help finding bedding? I just got married last month and need to spruce up my home. I'm completely clueless as to *how* to design the bedroom. My husband is from India and is used to very simple, bright styles. In bedding in particular he is used to very light fabric (sleeping mostly with just a sheet on). I think a typical comforter would be too heavy for him and a quilt looks too 'grandmotherly.' Any tips for some light fabric + bright color bedding?
How to Develop business? Pls help? We are doing Flex, Vinyl , Back light, Front light, Banner, Hoardings and all printing with Solvent and Semi Solvent printing machines in Chennai, India. How can i develop my business? We have designing people also. Though At present we have 15 regular customers, we need to develop our customer base. Can any 1 help pls. If any of you want printers, u can also contact. followblack@gmail.com Thanks in Advance
Inventions invented by white people and other Caucasians but falsely claimed by blacks:? This is the correct list with the correct WHITE inventor: ALMANAC: Earliest versions in ancient Greece/Babylon; more modern versions occurred in succession starting in the Middle Ages in Europe. AIR CONDITIONING UNIT: Willis Carrier, 1902 AUTO FISHING DEVICE: In use in the US by the mid-1800s. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: Earliest example in Germany; in the US, the Sturtevant brothers had the 1st design for an automatic transmission in 1904. BABY BUGGY: William Kent, 1733. BICYCLE/BICYCLE FRAME: Kirkpatrick MacMillan, 1839. BISCUIT CUTTER: Used for thousands of years by ancient cultures. CELLULAR PHONE: Martin Cooper, 1973. CHAMBER COMMODE: Used in Europe well before the 1800s. CHESS: Originated in northwest India (Indians are Caucasians). CLOTHES DRYER: M. Pochon, 1800; electric version by Brooks Stevens in 1940s. DOOR KNOB: Used 1st in 1700s, well before patent by Dorsey. DUSTPAN: Lon Cheney Jr., 1858. EGG BEATER: Turner Williams, 1870 ELECTRIC BULB: Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison, 1879 ELEVATOR: Henry Waterman, 1850 and Elisha Otis, 1852 FIBER OPTICS: Daniel Colladon and Jacques Babinet in Paris, 1840s. FIRE ESCAPE: Daniel Maseres, 1784. FIRE EXTINGUISHER: Ambrose Godfrey, 1723. FOLDING BED: William Murphy, 1900. FOLDING CHAIR: Used in ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt. FOUNTAIN PEN: 1st example in Middle East; thereafter improved upon in Europe. GAS MASK: Lewis Phectic Haslett, 1849. GOLF TEE: Percy Ellis, 1892. GUITAR: Descended from ancient instruments; 1st incarnation used in Renaissance. HAIR BRUSH: Used in Britain before the 1800s. HAND STAMP: William Dockwra and Robert Murray, 1680. HORSESHOE: Used in Europe since the early Middle Ages. INSECT DESTROYER GUN: Invented in 1923 by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, patented as the ‘flit’ gun. IMPROV: Performed in Italy from the 16th century. IRONING BOARD: W. Vandenburg and J. Harvery, 1858. KEY CHAIN: Use of keys goes back thousands of years; key chains have been used for hundreds of years as use of keys became widespread. LANTERN: Earliest varieties go back hundreds of years to European and Chinese inventors. LAWN MOWER: Edwin Budding, 1827. LAWN SPRINKLER: J. Lessler, 1871. LEMON SQUEEZER: Used 1st in Turkey in early 1700s. LOCK: Used 1st 4000 years ago in Assyria. LUBRICANT: Used by the Romans thousands of years ago. LUNCH PAIL: Earliest examples in early 1800s US; Leo May invented the aluminum variety in 1954. MAIL BOX: 1st mail boxes installed in Paris in 1653; mail slots 1st widely used in Paris/England in mid 1800s. MOP: Jacob Howe, 1837 MOTOR: James Watts, 1763; de Rivaz, 1807; Karl Benz, 1896 (all white males). PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter was invented and reinvented many times during history. Peanuts were known as early as 950 B.C.; According to the Corn Products Company, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis patented a peanut butter-making machine in 1903 and some unknown doctor invented peanut butter in 1890. PENCIL SHARPENER: Bernard Lassimone, 1828. PHONE TRANSMITTER: Heinrich Hertz, 1887. RECORD PLAYER and RECORD PLAYER ARM: Thomas Edison, 1877. REFRIGERATOR: William Cullen, 1748; Oliver Evans, 1805 (both white males). RIDING SADDLE: Used in England in the 1700s. ROCK AND ROLL: Has its roots in a merge between early white and black musical forms, but the modern version ‘Rock’ had predominantly white performers and innovators. ROLLING PIN: Used 1st by the Etruscans in the 9th century B.C. SPARK PLUG: Etienne Lenoir, 1860. STRAIGHTENING COMB: Invented in France prior to patent by CJ Walker. STETHOSCOPE: Rene Laennec, 1816. STOVE: Used thousands of years ago 1st in Asia, then in Europe. STREET SWEEPER: C.S. Bishop, 1849. SUGAR: Produced in ancient India. THERMOSTAT: Warren Johnson, 1883. TRAFFIC LIGHT: J.P. Knight, 1868; Lester Wire, 1912 (both white males). TRICYCLE: Invented in Germany in 1680 and improved in France in 1789 by Blanchard/Maguier. TYPEWRITER: 1st patent in Britain: Henry Mill, 1714. The only inventions claimed by blacks to be invented by blacks from the list that checked out in my research were the following: BREAK DANCING (although it was originated by Latinos as well) CURTAIN ROD DOOR STOP EYE PROTECTOR (although this was an improvement on a previous design) ICE CREAM SCOOPER JAZZ (although the modern version is largely dependent on European musical elements, such as harmony). Other music types: Blues, Rap, Reggae, Ska SUPER SOAKER As you can see, all of the inventions above that actually checked out as being invented by black people are non-technical in nature, asides from the Super Soaker which employs limited mechanical understanding. My research has forced me to conclude that Afrocentric blacks have realized the dearth of inventions coming from their race and have decided to steal the inventions of white people by rewriting history. Spread this list if you can anytime you see black racist propaganda on the internet. @ Robie: Actually, all my claims are true and can be verified easily. If you look to Africa, you see genocide, modern day slavery in the Sudan, mass rape in the Congo, famine in Ethiopia, mass murders and child prostitution, etc...In the US, blacks account for over 50% of the violent crimes committed, yet are only 12% of the population. Yeah...
College Essay: Can you Correct? Can you edit this ?? :) Sound filled the auditorium, and I immediately became immersed in the music. The glittering candles burning vibrantly in the night, the brightly colored saris, and of course the various types of traditional dancing, altogether this describes my culture. This was the night of one of the largest Hindu festivals of the year, Diwali (the festival of lights). At once I was reminded of my visit to India and of all of my experiences there. This colorful atmosphere is what has influenced me the most in life, when it comes to making decisions, also it constantly encourages me to be creative, and it has always showed me the importance of tolerance of others. To enrich the UWM community I will bring with me my appreciation for my traditions and its values. Ever since I was little my parents have explained to me how important our culture is regardless of where we live. Although we moved to America when I was two my parents encourage me to take part in various Indian traditions, such as the Diwali festival. These principles have helped shape me as a well rounded person and have always pushed me in the right direction. At UWM I would continue to make good decisions and strive to set good examples for others. For example, the principal of our high school asked me to be a guest speaker at the elementary schools D.A.R.E. graduation, because of my positive involvement in the Peers with Impact program. Colorful is the one word that describes my culture above all. All aspects of Indian tradition are colorful and in my opinion the vibrant colors used in clothing and art spread joy. For instance, during the time of Diwali my brother and I use our creativity to make Rangoli, a design made from an assortment of colors of beans and colored powder. We always have a great time doing this and try a different design each year, sometimes we even use tea light candles. The most important thing my heritage has taught me is to be tolerant of others and other cultures. In return, because of this I have learned a great deal about other cultures and their values. For instance, I have gone to my friends church and taken part in their Sunday activities. As I visited UWM in the summer I observed the diverse population and am ready to learn more about different cultures. If accepted in UWM I will take all of my values and share them with the students there “Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.”(Nehru, Jawaharlal). I am a very well-rounded person and will continue to be a good role model making the right decisions in college. Also I will bring my creativity and take part in many clubs that interest me. I am prepared to share my culture and eager to learn from other people’s culture. With these characteristics I will be a good student at UWM.
can someone review my college essay? Hi guys, this is a rough draft for my college essay and i am sure that it'll bound to have some grammar mistake. Please review this essay and pick out grammatical errors if any.Any new suggestions are welcome. essay question : what experiences have lead you to choose your professional field and objective? I stared with amazement as the robotic arm came to life on the television screen. The arm was adorned with wires and metal knobs that made it look almost identical to a human arm. Then as the patient's brain sent messages to the artificial arm , the arm responded immediately and performed the commands given to it by twisting its robotic wrists and bending its titanium fingers which shimmered beautifully in the light as it made every move. The patient smiled with joy and thanked the doctor for his arm. This is one of the examples of beautiful works of art created by precise engineering and meticulous biological design and is a marvel of Biomedical Engineering, a new field which will revolutionize science Ever since I was a child , I wanted to pursue a field which would be challenging and would require a lot of hard work and determination to make something which will benefit people in someway on the other. I first thought of becoming either into an engineer ,scientist or a doctor and wished that I could pursue all three fields. Later on, I came across Biomedical Engineering which turned out to be my ideal field of choice. Everyday,people lose their limbs, eyes, etc due to an accident and become physically disabled, while others are born with such disabilities. Life is hard for a person who is physically disabled because such people usually can't lead a normal life find it difficult to do things that normal people do such as play outdoor games, get a job,drive a car,etc. My sole purpose of taking up a course in Biomedical Engineering is to learn the techniques and methods involved in creating wonders which will change people's lives for good. In addition to this, my grandfather served as a great source of inspiration for me. He used to advise my father that he should help and serve people and tell his friends and future generations to do the same. My grandfather volunteered himself by stitching clothes and providing food for the poor in the 1940s during India's struggle for freedom. In addition to this, he donated most of his used clothes to charity. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away twenty years ago due to old age and I couldn't get a chance to see him. My father who works in a company, does his best to follow his father's footsteps by donating to charities, participating in the terry fox run for cancer research,etc.My dad told me to become into a benevolent person by following my grandfather's advice that he once received a long time ago. With the aim of improving people's lives, I will do whatever it takes to reach my goals. I hope to one become into a bioengineer and become a part of a team of engineers and scientists which will work and research tirelessly in order to ensure that people live longer and make a difference to many more that are out there waiting for help.
Does Israel gain or lose from the US aid? American aid to Israel to the tune of $3 billion a year has been mentioned hundreds of times by Arabs as a "true reason" of the Israeli military victories over Arabs and also, as a reason of the Israel economic success. This aid is very important in the time of the active war actions, but in the time of peace Israel actually loses more than it receives. The conditions for the military assistance are designed to help the American military-industrial complex at the expense of the Israeli defense industry. One condition of the American aid to Israel is that three-quarters of the grant be spent in the United States. The 'buy US' requirement causes Israel to buy defense products at a high price, sometimes even products Israel may not need, like, American light firearms which are worse than the Israeli - produced ones. The direct loss to the Israeli defense industry in the result of the requirement to buy the US military equipment at the higher prices is calculated at $600-750 million per year. The use of American materials instead of those from Israel also hurts competitiveness in Israel and on the world market and is often used by the US to pressure Israel to cancel the military export contracts which would give it hundreds of millions of dollars in profit, like it was with the "Falcon" contract with India. America pushes all the Middle East countries into the arms race. For example, America gives to Egypt 2,6 billion dollars a year in military aid( Arabs do not like to talk about this, but it´s a fact ). But the home prices in Egypt are much lower than in Israel, and to retain a qualitative edge over Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan (who also receive the massive US aid), Israel must spend between $1.60 and $2.10 on every dollar spent by Egypt. It makes Israel buy US weapons on much more than $3 billion US grant. The truth is that Israel would be much better off without the US aid than with it. Edit. michardav. "Are you inlcuding all the military freebies Israel receives?" No, because it does not receive any. Even on the peak of the "freeze" show, Obama denied to Israel any reduction in price for F-35 - but it gave this reduction to Saudis for the same F-35. " The loan guarantees?" Loan guaranty for a country with the loan rating so high as the loan rating of Israel is an asset for the country which gives this guaranty. The loan rating of Israel has been raised by the S&P three times in three last years. It´s a success no other developed country can boast of. Enlist for the Basic Economy Course again; looks the first time you dragged through it with more pain than glory. "Or the 10 billion received to help shore up the economy during the recession?" I beg your pardon, you mean Israel gave to the US 10 billion dollars? I ask because the economy of Israel weathers the crisis a lot better than the economy of the USA, and the 10 billion dollars the USA gave to Israel exist Ezekelija, Edit: “Mr. Moore, you are aware of the gratis F35's are you not?” I am not aware. And nobody is, because the US offered F35 to Israel for $137 mln per each plane. (http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/09/21/Israel-seals-deal-for-20-Lockheed-F-35s/UPI-70311285091129/ ) . The Israeli air force wanted 75 F-35s but had to trim the initial purchase because of the high price US asked for them. “I believe this offer was not made to the Arabs”. You are absolutely right, THIS offer was not made to the Arabs. They got a better one. Saudi Arabia got 84 F16 for $74 mln per plane. You know, you with your pretensions on being “an expert” look quite pathetic.
Please suggest some new ideas on how to wear my new wardrobe in a more cool and appealing way? here's what i have in my wardrobe: 2 skinny jeans-one is sky blue with no patterns,one is deep blue with design on the left part. 2 capris-one is black jeans with no patterns,one is off-white and crumpled look 1 light brown and white checkered skinny pants leggings in these colours-red,black,green,pink,white,purpl… a turqouise top with black stripes,a long pink shirt,a red tee with white collar,a pink tee with silver designs,a yellow shirt with frilly collar and a white tee with red stripes. all have short sleeves(i live in a tropical country-india) pink disco sandals with a white stripe,brown and white wedge heels,black heels,blue and white flats,beige and brown flats,brown flats with rainbow design. i have plenty braclets and chunky bracelets,and have really short black hair and am 5' tall and my stats are 34'' 28'' 36'' and my skin's light brown with a tan. please give me ideas on how to wear these,and suggest accessories or anything which i can buy and team up with these!! thanks!!
NATIONAL SEEDS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER? NATIONAL SEEDS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (A CASE STUDY IN MAKE/BUY DECISION): In early January, 1979, NSRDC was organizing an international symposium on the hybrid of a cereal- a subject of considerable topical interest. About 500 delegates from all over India and some other tropical countries were to take part in scientific deliberations spread over six sessions for three days. In fact, NSRDC was hosting this and was able to draw many experts in the related fields of research to reach some consensus of opinion and conclusion over divergent views supported by experience and findings in different countries at different times. In this connection, the organization required 500 cozy cushioned chairs with extended arms- support fitted with folder retainer platforms and covered trays for cigarette ashes, especially designed for the purpose. The funds were available, but time was too shot for manufacturing and ordering. The organization had a medium –size carpentry workshop equipped with modern gadgets and other facilities. But the skilled hands to complete the job in time were considered insufficient. The extra labour bills for overtime payments were calculated and considered to be higher than the vendor’s extra charges for this rush order. Two competent suppliers specializing in the furniture and furnishing trade came with identical offers of Rs. 300 per chair, but added an extra cost of Rs. 50 per chair for this emergency purchase. Both of them, however, pre-conditioned their quotations with a price escalation clause and subjected supplies to the availability of power. The grandiose symposium hall was contracted to a well-known firm of interior decorators and lighting and other arrangements were similarly contracted to be completed before a target date. At the date of the symposium drew nearer, the materials manager of NSRDC was one day summoned by the chief scientific officer of NSRDC. Dr. P N Dhar to his office, who was playing the key role of a coordinator of this scientific symposium. Between them, conversation followed as below: Dr. Dhar: “Welcome, Mr. Jagamohan, to my office. You must have guessed how anxious I am to now about the details of the completion of all jobs necessary for the symposium. I think, you appreciate that we can’t take any chance about anything. Give all of them a hot chase, if any job is not ready for completion before the target date.” Mr. Jagamohan: “Yes, Sir, that’s all too right. But I am in hot soup with 500 chairs. The suppliers are charging us too high prices for this rush job and our carpentry shop is incapable to assume responsibility even with over time due to shortages of skilled labour. And the time is too shortly”. Mr. Dhar:” Make sure that there is no failure, either you buy from outside or make them in our workshop, but remember, the deadline is fixed. And above all you must assure me of your prompt decision and action in the matter.” Mr. Jagamohan: “I can very well understand your point. I must anyway shoot this trouble out and actually don’t allow time to slip off my hands Rest assured that thee will be ready before the date “. Thus, assuring the chief scientific officer of ND\SRDC, Mr. Jagamohan left the chief’s office, but was in a fix to make a firm decision. Question 1.Suppose you are the material manager of NSRDC, would you prefer to make these specially designed cushioned chairs and take the risk (since they are not readily available in the market) of making these in your own carpentry workshop or buy from outside manufacturers on order. Consider the time element in this case as most important and costing of manufacturing and ordering identical for all practical purposes. Also consider whether you will take a decision for making them partly in workshop and buy partly from either from one or both suppliers, ordering cost being the same, in light of the assurances given to the chief scientific officer of NSRDC by Mr. Jagamohan.
How do i translate this into Bahasa Malaysia? The main structure, which contains a main hall, ticket counters and offices, is primarily designed in a "Raj" styling, mixture of Western and Mughal similar to Moorish Revival or Indo-Saracenic architecture, which enjoyed brief popularity in late-19th century and early 20th century colonial India, as well as Europe and the. Dominated by horseshoe and ogee arches, and large chhatris (six originally, with two added later) at the corners of the building accompanying smaller variations at the front, the station is comparable to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and surrounding structures constructed around the Merdeka Square during the period. In addition to the main station building, a three-storey addition at the north wing was added early in its operation, adopting Westernised vernacular designs with surrounding venrendahs and segmental arches of various widths. The facade of the station is completely plastered, as opposed to buildings of similar styles that opt for exposed brickwork, and painted in light colours (usually white or cream) throughout its service. The platforms are covered by large steel-framed shelters, which were initially shorter during the station's early operation. The roofs were originally glazed, and were partially opened to allow smoke from steam locomotives to escape; corrugated roof sheets served as replacements later in the station's life. The sides of the platforms not adjoining the main building are surrounded by walls constructed in the same style as the main building. The platforms and main building are linked to each other via two underground passageways. The design of the extended platform for the 1986 refurbishment of the station took a more modernist approach, consisting simply of large concrete pillars supporting a latticed roof and a ticket office on concrete slabs at the north end, suspended two stories above ground. White walls and arches that serve as decorations to the extension are more alike that of the Dayabumi complex than the original station. The new extension is connected to Dayabumi via an elevated walkway. At least u could translate a little.. plz..
which gearless scooter is best for me? in the field of better comfort,better quality,better ride,better handling, braking,better suspension,less maintainance,more mileage(i am not looking for style and design....i need performance) which is the best to in the following....for a male in the roads of India which is bumpy & in bad condition....:- 1)Activa(Heavy) 2)Aviator(good comfort but less cc & power) 3)Dio(low cc & power and heavy) 4)Flyte(high power and light weight but not comfortable) 5)Nova 135(high power & cc & light weight) 6)Access125(high power & cc but heavy) 7)Duro(new.I have no idea) 8)Rodeo(new.I have no idea) these are my reviews........add your reviews too......which has more mileage,better handling & comparatively:-good power, cc, and light weight,,,,,,,, thank you...............
Which Laptop should i buy among these ? Urgent...? ** Sorry for posting this Question again. I had posted this some time ago but i do not see my Question listed now. Am using Yahoo Answeers for the 1st time. Maybe i did some thing wrong. Also, i am not finding a way to reply back to the answers that you Guys have posted. Am i missing something. Here is my Question again : I am Abhishek from Pune. I am looking to purchase a Laptop for my Wife who is doing PG in a College. Purpose is mostly for Seminar and Project Work and for normal Surfing and watching Movies occasionally. Gaming is of least Priority. It should also be a bit light in weight. I have shortlisted the following Laptops and wanted to know which would be my best bet taking into consideration the Specs, Performance, Build Quality, Reliability and After Sales Service. 1) Acer Aspire 4745 i3 2.26, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB HD, Win 7 HB - 34,990 /- 2) Acer TimelineX 4820T i3 2.13, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB HD, Win 7 HP - 37,000 /- 3) Dell Inspiron 14R i3 2.26, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB HD, Win 7 HB - 36,900 /- I was initially inclined towards the DELL but have read many horror stories of DELL's Build Quality and After Sales Service Issues. I do not know how is Acer compared to DELL in that respect. DELL does charge a Premium while you get the same Specs for a Bit lesser Price in Acer. Also, is Win 7 HB good enough or i should go for Home Premium. Is Acer 4745 discontinued as i do not see it listed in their Website? Please post your valuable suggestions as i will be purchasing a Laptop in a couple of Days. It's Urgent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I received quite a few Answers and the majority is towards DELL. While surfing the Web for reviews i checked this Mouthshut Link and Users have reported many DELL Issues of late. http://www.mouthshut.com/category/Dell_Laptops%7CNotebooks_reviews-927743.html Also, some Reviews of Inspiron in their own Dell India Website is not that Good. Has their Build Quality and Service deteriorated of late ? I found the Acer TimelineX 4820T quite value for Money and good in Design and Specs. It also has very Good Reviews from Review Sites over the Internet. DELL's extended Warranty is also very Costly. Don't know about Acer. Should i still go for the DELL Inspiron 14R ? Any Acer Lovers here have anything to say ? Sorry for resposting and please continue giving your valueable suggestions.
What do humans normally do in college? I'm writing a book where my main character is taking web design courses in college, but despite all of my searching there is not really any clear answer that I can find on Google or Bing. Can anyone shed some light on here? Preferably someone who has been to college before or is currently in college, and not just read a lot of books/seen a lot of movies. Also, the place is set in Cherrapunji, India, so I also need a bit of information about that place. It has a lot of rainfall is all that I currently know of. I need information such as what colleges are there, what are some characteristics about the city, etcetera. Although I don't need to know much about it's religion, because I already have a lot of Hinduism covered(I am a Hindu myself). @Catherin... I did start out writing about what I knew. Since I was in fourth grade, i have been obsessed with writing short stories, fanfiction, etcetera. I am currently 16, so I have had a lot of experience with this.
Please show me career path? 1.Sir Whether my career is promising?? because uptil now career journey is rough. Iam mechanical engineer by profession working in design field.what are the best possible career fields for me coz i have intrest in many fields. 2.When will i get married and some information about my wife, her looks career, nature. 3. Also please throw some light on D-10 chart. when birth time is changed by few seconds ( say from 00.04 A.M to 00.04.40 A.M) my D-10 lagna is changing from tauras to gemini. Giving you some imp career / job changes. 1. Joined my 1st job in June 2006. 2. Joined 2nd job in Jan 2008. 3. Again changed my job in Dec 2008 and joined a reputed organisation. My details Date- 26-12-1982 (male) Time - 00.04 A.M ( night of 25th dec ) ( 4 minutes past midnight) Place- Pune ( State- maharashtra country- India) 18.32 N 73.52 E virgo ascendent mesh rashi Regards
is it best web designing company in chennai, istudio technologies,? Istudio technologies: iStudio Technologies is a leading software development company in South India. iStudio Technologies focuses on providing software development, consultancy and services. iStudio Technologies provides you a full cycle software development from ideas, architecture, and development services. The staff is the key value of the corporate culture. The essential part of company’s employee development is global training program and knowledge sharing environment development including implementation of tools to support communication, collaboration, document sharing, knowledge sharing with geographically distributed development, business, infrastructure and other teams. In this technology world everything is fast but your website is lagging behind with some old technologies. iStudio Technologies provides a new look to your website through Ajax web application and introduce it to a new world of technology named Web 2.0. This has created a newness to the global users with seamless interaction , create richer and more compelling Web experiences that take greater advantage of the client for increased performance. About Us: istudio technologies is a custom software and web development company offers Project analyses, application development and deployment in south India. Our dedicated team has good experience in various verticals of most wanted technologies like silver light, flex and Ajax. Istudio Technologies has three years of experience in web technologies and custom software development. Our solution will provides you reliability, Scalability and highly integral with your existing system. We track the technology trends and implements to our clients and makes their business more interactive, trackable and more profitable than ever before.
How To Book Ramprastha The View Gurgoan The View Gurgoan? After Great Success of The Atrium, and huge demand of 3 BHK Apartments in Gurgaon, Ramprastha Developers has launched The View- 3BHK 3 Side Open, All Green Facing Apartments!! Kindly Register to get the best location and avoid the disappointment. The View (3 BHK 3 Side Affordable Homes) at Sector 37-D Gurgaon 0 KM from proposed Metro Station on Dwarka Expressway! Book 3 Bedroom Apartment by paying 10% of the basic cost and the rest to be paid in easy instalments !! Prices all inclusive!! No Hidden Charges!! Ramprastha City “The View” apartments are located in Sec 37D in Gurgaon on the main Pataudi Road and are well connected from proposed metro station and Dwarka Expressway. This elegant apartment cluster has spacious 3 Bedroom residences all 3 side open and all green facing apartments attached with a host of other amenities, at affordable and all inclusive price. It brings together the best mix of convenience and comforts of the city with plenty of open space, greenery and water bodies making it the oasis you can quickly come home to, after a hard day’s work! Project Options: Type Area Total Cost (All inclusive) Booking Amount 1. 3BHK 1485 sq.ft. (Approx.) Rs.38,00,000/- 10% Features: All 3 side open and all green facing apartments attached with a host of other amenities Experienced Indian and International architects Designed to get maximum ventilation and natural light Earthquake resistant RCC framed construction Sufficient car parking facility per apartment Extensive landscaping and landscaped court 100 % Power Backup and Water Supply Schools, hospitals, shopping malls, Multiplex, Golf Club (Golf Swing Training), Swimming Pool, Gym, kids play area, sports facility. Club, community drawing room, jogging and walking tracks, Post office and temples Why The View in Ramprastha City? The View in Ramprastha City is licensed, which makes it a safe investment which is legally viable. Unlike some of the other high risk projects being offered as “Pre Launch”. The pricing has been kept in such a way that the investor makes sufficient returns on the project and an end-user finds an affordable housing in his budget. The developer has a strong financial track record and running projects as well. As a location, the project is very strategically located amongst the major future development of Gurgaon. Proximity to the RIL SEZ and DLF Commercial Sector 88 will be one of the key drivers of price for Ramprastha City . Ramprastha City Gurgaon is 0 KM from proposed Metro Station on Dwarka Super-Expressway and well connected from ISBT Depot and major others projects. Designed in such a manner that every apartment faces green area. For further information about Booking process write to sales.vcorp@gmail.com or you may call on +91 9999937320 V Corp. S.Karan Certified By: National Real Estate Development Council & Hudco, Member: Association Of Certified Realtors Of India 79/12, U-Block, DLF Phase-3, Gurgaon Haryana 122001 India
Would genetic testing be useful in this? So I always wondered where my ancestors came from...my family is from northwestern india (near Pakistan). My grandfather and great-grandfather have blue eyes, my aunt, cousins and other great-grandfather have green eyes, these, as u know, are not typical indian traits. i also have very thick, rough, curly hair and have to often use hair products designed for african women. my skin is lighter than most indians as well and i have smaller eyes (i have been confused for being cambodian, thai, and also latina).....the area i m from has been conquered by the persians, mongols, and some of the greeks. would getting genetic testing help me determine my ancestory? if so, where can i get a test done? thanks
Which fighter aircraft is better? JF-17 or F-16? Hello, my name is Piraveen. When I ask this question, it is only for enthusiasm, as I am an aircraft enthusiast. Do not post any hate comments, whether China, India, U.S.A. or Pakistan is better and criticize other countries. It is absolute insulting and will not be tolerated. The JF-17 is designed to be exported to developing nations seeking for an inexpensive light-weight multi-role fighter to replace obsolete aircraft. The F-16 is high performance low-cost multi-role fighter that can dogfight, has limited air superiority, and ground attack capabilities. I have noticed that the JF-17 is being compared with the F-16 (any variants). My questions is, based on tests, performance, observation, and statistics, which aircraft is better? JF-17 or F-16 (any variants)? Why? Thank you!
How do you see Nandan Nilekani's decision of leaving Infosys and joining government? Nandan Nilekani is the face of the rise of India as a tech powerhouse. As co-founder of Infosys, he has helped transform the global software industry. In a forward to Nilekani's recently published book, "Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation," New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes, "Silicon Valley has Steve — as in Jobs. Seattle has Bill — as in Gates ... And Bangalore has Nandan — as in Nilekani." Bangalore-based Infosys was created by a handful of smart engineers with just $250. Its business remains strong despite the global recession. The company, which last year reported annual sales of $4.18 billion, has designed part of the wing of the Airbus A380 super-jumbo, written code for companies such as Apple and Cisco Systems, and even creates economic reports for U.S. investment banks. The 53-year-old executive, who is co-chairman of the Infosys board, swung through Silicon Valley recently. He will leave that position next month when he becomes chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)., which is similar to the U.S. Social Security Administration. According to me, this is a sign of the discussion that we often have in our coffee room and drawing room that good people should come forward and become the part of system instead of accusing system. Even though some of the literate and knowledgeable people have reached parliament through upper and lower house but that number is extremely insufficient. In such situation, we need capable to come forward and become the part of system to reform the system. We need people who have knowledge and experience not only in management but in technology can really bring reform in the system. People like Nandan Nilekani are not hungry for red light vehicle thus accepting appointment as chairman of UIDAI, is definitely for serving the nation. Leaving Infosys the organization that had built from the scratch with his hard work would not have been a easy decision for him. At this time, I can only remember of another appointment of Indian government when Indian Government appointed Sam Pitroda in 1984 as the chair person of newly formed department C-DOT. Not to forget, he started PCO system in India that brought telephone charges in India to a affordable price. There must me more such appointments but I am sure not many, that I can mention. I congratulation, Mr. Nandan Nilenkani on his decision to sacrifice his corporate life and business and coming to public life to serve the Nation. What is your view? Do you think it is right decision of the government to invite Mr. Nilenkani to join the government? And do you think it is right decision of Mr. Nelenkani to leave InfoSys and join the government? Do you think he will bring some change?
Did you hear about Maxxport ? Maxxport, the all new sports inspired lifestyle gear from the house of SG the world’s largest cricket equipment manufacturer today announced their entry in New Delhi by introducing it’s collection of apparels, footwear and accessories. This new range of clothing and accessories for men is a fusion of style, durability, comfort and performance. This all new collection is endorsed by Rahul “The Wall” Dravid himself and is designed for those who believe in those who don’t wait for things to happen, but make things happen. Speaking about the new collection, Mr. Paras Anand, Director Sanspareils Greenlands said, “With Maxxport, we have entered a whole new dimension in our business. This new category will offer products which will be at par with the best international lifestyle and fitness gear brands available in India. Maxxport is all about trendy, fashionable and premium apparels, footwear and accessories which will be light on the pocket and will be well within the reach of its customers.” The Maxxport Collection consists of apparels, footwear and accessories infused with a combination of sports and lifestyle. The apparels combine rich fabrics with performance minded constructions as well as products for leisurely day-to-day activities. The range seamlessly bridges the gap between sportswear and casual wear. The footwear range includes a smart trendy collection of shoes made with luxe materials, sporting a low profile for maximum comfort. The products have been designed aesthetically and are available in many different, unique & classy color combinations. Speaking about the inspiration behind the collection and the association with Rahul Dravid, Mr. Paras Anand added, “The inspiration for this collection is undoubtedly Rahul’s determination, focus and reliability. This collection will offer looks for men who want style with substance.” The cricketer’s personal style will play a big role in the development of the label as well. “Rahul Dravid enjoys being well dressed and he has great advice to offer on clothing and accessory options,” Paras said. “He appreciates being comfortable in his clothes, having the right fit, wearing fine shoes and eyewear, and he demands only the best materials for this brand.” As part of its first phase, Maxxport has introduced men’s active-wear collection and will be introducing a winter collection as well in the coming months. Availability – Ghulati Sports Emporium, 888, East Park Road, Chowk Chappar Wala, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110 005. Ph: 9511-2352 2380/ 9511-2355 4575. Om Enterprises, 1132-A, Haibat Pura, Najafgarh, New Delhi - 110 043. Ph: +919810177201 Price Range – Rs. 449 /- onwards
Hinduism is only scientifically proven religion.ht d u think? Hinduism is probably the only religion which provides great support for science and scientific discoveries. Most of the modern day inventions can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures. Below is a compiled list of the scientific discoveries of this era which can be found in the ancient scriptures. Cosmology & psychology According to India's ancient texts, around 3000 BCE sage Kapil founded both cosmology and psychology. He shed light on the Soul, the subtle elements of matter and creation. His main idea was that essential nature (prakrti) comes from the eternal (purusha) to develop all of creation. No deeper a view of the cosmos has ever been developed. Further, his philosophy of Sankhya philosophy also covered the secret levels of the psyche, including mind, intellect and ego, and how they relate to the Soul or Atma. Medicine (Ayurveda), Aviation Around 800 BCE Sage Bharadwaj, was both the father of modern medicine, teaching Ayurveda, and also the developer of aviation technology. He wrote the Yantra Sarvasva, which covers astonishing discoveries in aviation and space sciences, and flying machines - well before Leonardo DaVinchi's time. Some of his flying machines were reported to fly around the earth, from the earth to other planets, and between universes. His designs and descriptions have left a huge impression on modern-day aviation engineers. He also discussed how to make these flying machines invisible by using sun and wind force. There are much more fascinating insights discovered by sage Bharadwaj. Medicine, Surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology. anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation Around this era and through 400 BCE many great developments occurred. In the field of medicine (Ayurveda), sage Divodasa Dhanwantari developed the school of surgery; Rishi Kashyap developed the specialized fields of paediatrics and gynaecology. Lord Atreya, author of the one of the main Ayurvedic texts, the Charak Samhita, classified the principles of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, embryology, blood circulation and more. He discussed how to heal thousands of diseases, many of which modern science still has no answer. Along with herbs, diet and lifestyle, Atreya showed a correlation between mind, body, spirit and ethics. He outlined a charter of ethics centuries before the Hippocratic oath. Rhinoplasty, amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, anesthesia, antibiotic herbs While Lord Atreya is recognized for his contribution to medicine, sage Sushrut is known as the "Father of surgery". Even modern science recognizes India as the first country to develop and use rhinoplasty (developed by Sushrut). He also practiced amputation, caesarean and cranial surgeries, and developed 125 surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, and needles. Lord Atreya - author of Charak Samhita. Circa 8th - 6th century BCE. Perhaps the most referred to Rishi/physician today The Charak Samhita was the first compilation of all aspects of ayurvedic medicine including diagnoses, cures, anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, and blood circulation (excluding surgery). He wrote about causes and cures for diabetes, TB, and heart diseases. At that time, European medicine had no idea of these ideas. In fact, even today many of these disease causes and cures are still unknown to modern allopathic medicine. Other unique quality of Ayurveda is that it uncovers and cures the root cause of illness, it is safe, gentle and inexpensive, it sees 6 stages of disease development (where modern medicine only sees the last two stages), it treats people in a personalized manner according to their dosha or constitution and not in any generic manner. Further, Ayurveda being the science of 'life', Atrea was quick to emphasize, proper nutrition according to dosha, and perhaps above all else, that there was a mind/body/soul relationship and that the root cause of all diseases and the best medicine for all conditions is spiritual and ethical life. Rishi Sushrut is known as the father of surgery & author of Sushrut Samhita. Circa 5 - 4th century BCE. He is credited with performing the world's first rhinoplasty, using anesthesia and plastic surgery. He used surgical instruments - many of them look similar to instruments used today; and discussed more than 300 types of surgical operations. One of the Ayurvedic surgical practices being used today in India involves dipping sutures into antibiotic herbs so when sewed into the person, the scar heals quicker and prevent infection. The modern surgical world owes a great debt to this great surgical sage. Atomic theory Sage Kanad (circa 600 BCE) is recognized as the founder of atomic theory, and classified all the objects of creation into nine elements (earth, water, light or fire, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul). He stated that every object in creation is made of atoms that in turn connect with each other to form molecules nearly 2,500 years before Jo i didn't asked abt Muslims or Christians..i hv asked wt d u feel aftr knowing the truth.>>>>> plzzzzz first read it then post ur comment(it is proven by scientists).if u r here 2 do war against Hindu religion then plz don't waste ur and my time....... sorry edit.....read carefully,, Algebra, arithmetic and geometry, planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. force of gravity In the field of mathematics, Bhaskaracharya II (1114 - 1183 CE) contributed to the fields of algebra, arithmetic and geometry. Two of his most well known books are Lilavati and Bijaganita, which are translated in several languages of the world. In his book, Siddhant Shiromani, he expounds on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, and mathematical techniques. Another of his books, Surya Siddhant discusses the force of gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton. Sage Sridharacharya developed the quadratic equation around 991 CE. The Decimal Ancient India invented the decimal scale using base 10. They number-names to denote numbers. In the 9th century CE, an Arab mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, learned Sanskrit and wrote a book explaining the Hindu system of numeration. In the 12th century CE the book was translated into Latin. Th
Admission to 3 top colleges? Hey, I want to get into either University of Southern California, Harvard or Brown to study computer science/game designing or related subjects. Could you please rate my chances? My current GPA is in the range of 3.0 - 3.5. But then I'm from India so I don't know how well marks here conform to the GPA system in America. A reason my GPA is so low is that I kinda stupidly slacked off in my junior year (this year), but my GPA will be upto around 4 in my senior year. Here in India, the school exams are marked very strictly so I guess a more equating medium is the national level board exams which one gives at the end of their sophomore and senior years, where I got a 93, which corresponds to a GPA of 3.7. Do schools consider an improvement in GPA from junior to senior year? I'm also involved in a bunch of extracurriculars ... i'm the captain of the school quiz team, will probably be the president of the school quiz club next year, a member of the committee that organizes our school's annual inter-school quiz, a member of the school nature club and a member of the school basketball and rugby teams. I've also represented the school in english writing competitions and am one of the top english students in my year. I've also dabbled in dramatics and will be debating next year in addition to playing for my house's western music band. One problem is that i wasn't selected as a prefect so will that show me in poor light? As far as the SAT goes, I am going to give it in May this year. To give you guys an idea, i have been getting around 2100s in practice tests, which should be up to around 2250 by the time i give the test. One question, I can give SAT II in any 3 subjects right? Just because I am pursuing comp sc., doesn't mean i have to give it in phys & chem right? Finally, my biggest problem lies in my finanical condition which is very poor. So poor that unless I get full financial aid i won't be able to attend uni in US. I've heard that Harvard & Brown are very generous but does USC provide sufficient aid to international students? I've heard that they don't provide need-based aid to internationals. Because of my low finances, I can't give the TOEFL as the cost comes to around 10,000 rupees which is a lot for a family like mine. Do you think that'll be a problem? Lastly, I'd appreciate it if you guys could recommend some good safety colleges that offer good computer courses and provide lots of fin aid to international students. Thanks. Well, actually, I don't think everyone in America has the same financial problems as I do because to give you exact figures my family's monthly income is around $135. Plus, in India you have to pay around $50 extra for the SAT. And isn't Pomona hard to get into? I wanted to know about some good safe colleges.
Where can one find a religious organization that worships Sakia as the son of God? . " He is no mortal, but an incarnation of the Deity." ….He suffered death quietly, and without hate of your persecutor, to grieve not for one's own misfortunes, but for those of others ….submission in time of trial, equanimity at all times, but virtues unknown in some systems of morality, such as the duty of forgiving injuries, and not rewarding evil for evil." The above was said about Sakia, a Buddhist monk, 600 years before those words were written in the Gospels. "Six hundred years before Jesus visited the holy lands there were stories in India about the Crucifixion of the Hindu Sakia. "Sakia was said to have been born of a virgin and that his crucifixion was designed as a sin- atoning offering. "The following is a text about Sakia - the text was written 600 years before the New Testament was written. Paul and the authors of the Gospels could have simply copied the Sakia Myth - or other myths that were floating around - and then said it was a story about Jesus. “Sakia , according to the myth, took their sufferings upon himself that he might expiate their crimes and mitigate the punishment they must otherwise inevitably undergo." “Sakia condescended to suffer that punishment himself, by an ignominious death upon the cross, after which he descended into Hades (Hell), to suffer for a time (three days) for the inmates of that dreadful and horrible prison. "The object of Sakia's mission was to expiate the sins of mortals by his own suffering, and procure for them a happy entrance into Paradise by obedience to his precepts and prayers to his name." "Sakia's followers spoke of him as one with God from all eternity." His most common title was "the Savior of the World." He was also called "the Benevolent One," "the Dispenser of Grace," "the Source of Life," “the Light of the World," " the True Light,". "Sakia's mother was a very pure, refined, pious, and devout woman; never indulged in any impure thoughts, words, or actions. She was saluted as “the Holy Virgin, Queen of Heaven." "Sakia was once tempted by a demon who offered him all the honors and wealth of the world. But he rebuked the devil, saying, "Be gone; hinder me not." "Sakia began to preach his gospel and heal the sick when about twenty-eight years of age. And it was declared, "The blind saw, the deaf heard, the dumb spoke, the lame danced, and the crooked became straight." Hence the people declared, " He is no mortal, but an incarnation of the Deity." …. "Sakia, 600 years before anyone had heard about Jesus, suffered death quietly, and without hate of his persecutors." "Sakia proclaimed that salvation and redemption had come for all." “Sakia, according to the myth, sent forth his disciples into the world to preach his gospel to every creature. And if any convert had committed a sin in word, thought, or deed, he was to confess and repent. “Sakia's enemies became jealous and fearful of his growing power and crucified him near the foot of the Nepal mountains. But after his death, burial, and resurrection, we are told he ascended back to heaven, where millions of his followers believed he had existed with Brahma [God] from all eternity.”
My son is studying in canada toronto in community college. can he change his course.? I am narrating herewith certain facts in the light of which I seek clarification. My son has gone to Toronto, Canada to study. He has completed his graduation here in India in the field of Electronics and Communication Engineering. The consultants who guided him to reach Canada did not disclose that the programme for which he is going is not of post graduate or of master’s level instead we were told that it is of Post graduate level. On joining the college my son came to know that it is a post secondary diploma. Now he says that the programme for which he is admitted ie “Electrical Engineering Technology (fast track and co op) is a post secondary diploma whereas he wanted to get admitted in post graduate diploma or masters. Now he is willing to change the course from post secondary diploma to Masters. Can you advise me how he can change the programme now? The college in which he is studying does not have Post graduate or Master’ programme. Whether the feeses paid to the college will be refunded if he changes the programme.He has just joined the college during the present semester and he is required to pay some more fees before the end of Feb. 2010. What are the best options for him. Is the course which he has joined is a best course and if it is pursued even after graduation will it be worthy. He has got seven bands in IELTS and 64 percent marks in engineering. The college authorities in Toronto (I do not like to disclose college name) say that this programme is a very good programme designed in a perfect manner and that the quality of education is equal to that of the studies in North America. What ever the quality of education may be the student will be under mental pressure that he is studying a course which is less than what he has already studied, moreover the certificate which will be awarded after the course will be a diploma but not masters. I am mentally worried so please advise what to do now. I want to add that the college in which he is studying is appear to be an above average college in terms of studies which is having campuses in different locations of Toronto. I have invested an amount of around 6500 dollars towards fees apart from other related expenses. Waiting for reply.
Become a game designer in rockstar or naughty dog? Basically i want to become a game designer n ultimately wanna work in naughty dog or rockstar(imao big companies).I dnt even know where to go n wat do do...Presently i m in india doing high school(intermediate) n will surely go to US after i complete my engg to pursue MSc.But i dnt know what to do to become a game designer.Is there a grp in engg that lets u to do game designing.Or will i hav 2 join special animation courses.BTW what shud i do after goin to US.Is there a specific MSc kinda thing for game designning also. Can u plz help me out n shed some light upon me!
Dream interpretations, anyone please? The last four days in a row, I've had a couple of dreams: 1) I'm shopping around, walking in a mall when I see a store that's is made of bricks on the outside. I walk inside to see that there's a blow-out sale because the store's closing and it has beautiful things but nothing's in my size. I was out of the store towards another hallway in which the same store has an entrance. I'm walking past there and ridiculing two guys that work there because they're preaching that bands nowadays only get attention through MySpace music and MySpace is dead so it's a contradiction. I'm about to walk into the store when I pat one of them on the back, when he swings me around as if to dance, when we kiss and start laughing hysterically. I guess in this dream he was my boyfriend, until he mentions that we have to hide it and I acknowledge the fact that, "he may see us." Then came a nice two for $12 cardigan sale and that's where my dream ends. 2) I'm on a voyage to India with my mom and some other mother/daughter duo I knew in my dream but not in real life. We pull up to this amazing looking airport, filled with people and start walking and descending staircases until we reach what seems like a train platform. It almost resembles a subway, except it was nicer but just as equally packed. I hop on board with my mom and the other women, when all of a sudden we're crossing the Indian contryside and the train becomes a rickety, old, cheap looking train. Everyone's standing or sitting on the floor, when I take out my SLR camera and start taking pictures of my mom. Then I realize I shouldn't take too many pictures because I didn't have that much space on my memory card and I had no laptop to upload my pictures on until I got home. We step off from the train and continue to move through these Indian slums, with gravel and old buildings falling apart, children running barefoot in dirty streets and starved dogs. I found it beautiful nonetheless. We walk into a little convenience store which was full of grains and it just so happened it was also our hotel. Now, I'm accompanied by friends, no longer my mom and the other mom/daughter duo. We cross this tiny little space, (about the size of a cubicle) towards the outside, which just so happened to have about four full-sized mattresses pushed together on the floor, which were out beds. We lay in them and discuss what it is that we're going to do. We finally decide we're going to eat, and I wake up. 3) The third dream I don't remember as clearly, but rather fractions of it. It seems to me that I was in college, and I was in love with this other guy, whom I was having an affair with. We slept together, had a relationship and planned to be together. The problem is, I had a boyfriend already. Although the guy I'm in love with is flawless and everything I've looked for, I can't seem to break it off with my boyfriend for some odd, unknown reason. I can remember at one point I was with the other guy and my boyfriend came and said we were leaving. I left with my boyfriend in his yellow car. He was very possessive and told me to get in the car. We began driving and some other girl was in the backseat, when we pull up to a car with girls flashing at us. The car speeds up when the light turned green and my boyfriend took a turn, in which I decided to take off my clothes and expose my nudity to everyone. We ended up going to someone's house which was designed in a strange way. We walked in and there was a mural in front of a staircase. My boyfriend told me I had to look past the mural to find my best friend in the dream, which was my boyfriend's mistress. He lifted me up, and I peaked over calling her name out. He put me down and said to find her, that we had to get going. I somehow managed to end up on the other side of the wall, which was my best friend's bed room split up throughout the staircase. Each level was a different section of the bedroom. I call for my boyfriend from the otherside of the wall, telling him goodbye and that I loved him, kissing him twice and calling him "baby." I went to the portion of my friend's bedroom that contained her bed, in which she was getting dressed and turned to me and said, "you know you're a hypocrite for doing this to him." (By him, it was referring to the guy I was truly in love with). She kept saying that I was a hypocrite for saying that I wanted to be with the other guy, yet I'd never break up with my current boyfriend and tell him that I loved him when I didn't. I defended myself by saying that she was my best friend but a hypocrite as well because she was the "mistress" in my relationship with my boyfriend, which she defended by saying that it was because she owed it to my boyfriend after what he did for her, even though she didn't agree with it. That's when I wake up. 4) The fourth dream is more like a nightmare. All I can remember is seeing a very strange clip on an email. It consists of this ocean storm and a house at the bottom of the c
How do I begin to knit this cardigan? Would someone like to help a "beginner to intermediate" knitter? I would really appreciate it and I will pray God Almighty blesses you for your graciousness.. My mother in law from India, Christian beautiful family, I want to knit her a cardigan only thing is I have only ever knitted blankets, baby booties, and pot holders...I have never made a sweater. Could someone please go through with me and explain to me the process. I will be knitting each piece separately correct? And then at the end I will piece it all together? This makes sense to me when it is explained this way...the pattern is below. Do I start with "the back" piece first? And when that is done do I set it aside and start another piece? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really want to suprise my mother in law ! She is the size Large if this helps. Thank you! Designed by Barbara Breiter The angora blend yarn used to knit this sweater has great stitch definition so the pattern and cables are very crisp. It's soft, does not shed, and is machine washable. It's light weight and the short sleeves make it perfect for warmer weather. The cables on each side are reversed; you can see close ups of them here. Sizes: S, M, L, XL Finished Chest Measurement=36 (38, 42, 46)" Gauge: 20 sts and 26 rows=4" in Moss St Materials: Size 8 US (5 mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge Size 8 US (5 mm) circular needles 35" in length or size needed to obtain gauge Crystal Palace Yarns Bunny Hop 50 % micro Acrylic, 42% micro Nylon, 8% rabbit angora 50 grams/1.75 ounces - 113 yards/103 meters 8 (8, 8, 9) balls Caramel - color 2206 See this listing for a shop near you. Pattern Stitches: K2, P2 Rib Row 1: *k2, p2; rep from * across Rep this row Moss St Rows 1 and 2: *p2, k2; rep from * across Rows 3 and 4: *k2, p2; rep from * across Rep Rows 1-4 Eccentric Cable Worked over 10 sts Rows 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17: p2, k6, p2 Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18: k2, p5, k2 Row 5: p2, sl next 3 sts to cn and hold in front while working Right Front and hold in back while working Left Front, k next 3 sts, k 3 sts from cn, p2 Row 11: p2, sl next 3 sts to cn and hold in back while working Right Front and hold in front while working Left Front, k next 3 sts, k 3 sts from cn, p2 Rep Rows 1-18 Instructions: Note: First and last st are worked in St st throughout pattern as a selvedge st. Take this into account when following pattern. Back CO 90 (94, 106, 118) sts. Work in K2, P2 rib 6 rows. Work in Moss St until piece measures 12 (12, 13, 13½)" from beg. Shape Armhole BO 5 sts beg next 2 rows. Keeping to pat, dec 1 st at each end every other row 6 (8, 10, 12) times (ssk at beg of row and k2tog at end of row) - 68 (68, 76, 84) sts Work even in pat until armhole measures 9 (9, 9½, 10)". Shape Shoulders BO 6 (6, 7, 8) sts beg next 4 rows. BO 6 (6, 6, 7) sts beg next 2 rows. Place 32 (32, 36, 38) sts on holder for back of neck. Right Front CO 46 (50, 58, 62) sts. Work in K2, P2 rib 6 rows. Work 16 (22, 26, 30) sts in Moss St, pm, work Row 1 of Eccentric Cable over next 10 sts, pm, work 20 (18, 22, 22) sts in Moss St. Cont in pat as est until piece measures 12 (12, 13, 13½)" from beg. End with RS row completed. Shape Armhole and Neck BO 5 sts and complete row. Keeping first and last 2 sts in St st and cont in pat as est, at armhole edge dec 1 st every other row 6 (8, 10, 12) times. At same time, at neck edge dec 1 st every other row 5 (8, 16, 13) times, then every every 4th row 12 (11, 7, 9) times. Work even until armhole measures same as Back. BO shoulders as for Back. Left Front CO 46 (50, 58, 62) sts. Work in K2, P2 rib 6 rows but begin rows with P2. Work 20 (18, 22, 22) sts in Moss St (but begin row with K2), pm, work Row 1 of Eccentric Cable over next 10 sts, pm, work 16 (22, 26, 30) sts in Moss St (but begin row with K2). Work as for Right Front, reversing shaping. Sleeves CO 66 (66, 70, 74) sts. Work in K2, P2 rib 6 rows. Work in Moss St 2 rows. Cont in Moss St and keeping to pat, inc 1 st at each edge next and then every 4th row 7 more times - 82 (82, 86, 90) sts Work even until piece measures 6" from beg or desired length. BO 5 sts beg next 2 rows. Keeping first and last 2 sts in St st and cont in pat as est, dec 1 st at each end every other row 26 (26, 28, 30) times. BO rem sts. Band Seam shoulders. With RS facing and circular needles, beg at bottom right edge pick up 120 (120, 122, 124) sts, k 32 (32, 36, 38) sts from holder, pick up 120 (120, 122, 124) sts along left edge - 272 sts Work in K2, P2 rib 5 rows. BO in pat. Finishing Sew in sleeves. Seam sides and sleeves. Weave in ends on WS. Close at neck with a brooch. ©Barbara Breiter. This design may not be reproduced in any manner without the expressed written consent of the author.
Why Nokia 5800 is better than Apple Iphone? Do you agree that there are 20 Reasons Why Nokia 5800 is better than Apple Iphone? 1) Size The iphone is bigger in size and uneasy for one hand grip. Nokia 5800 is designed to fit well into your hands. Being smaller in width, its easy to operate single handedly. Iphone size: 115.5 X 62.1 X 12.3 mm Nokia 5800 size: 111 X 51.7 X 15.5 mm 2) Weight Iphone is much bulkier than Nokia 5800. Nokia 5800 is 25g lighter than Iphone in weight. Iphone: 133g Nokia 5800: 109g 3) Screen Resolution The Iphone has 3.5” screen while Nokia 5800 has 3.2” but the resolution of 5800 is far more superior to Iphone. Resolution: Iphone: 480 by 320 Nokia 5800: 640 by 360 4) Storage Iphone comes with two options- 8GB & 16GB internal memory. Nokia has a more flexible option to offer 8GB with micro SD card which is expandable upto 16GB. Nokia owners can expand memory size according to needs which the Iphone guys can’t do. 5) Input Methods Iphone: Finger only. Nokia 5800: Finger, stylus, plectrum, handwriting recognition. 6) Features Apple Iphone has lots of missing features like cut and paste function, saving email attachments, no support for third party headphones, ringtones, pricey iphone applications, many software bugs and other technical glitches. Nokia 5800 Tube has no such issues plus many more amazing features included. 7) Colors Iphone: Black for 8 & 16 GB, White for 16 GB only. Nokia 5800: Red, Blue and Black. 8 ) Battery Nokia 5800 provides upto 35 hrs of music playing time against Apple Iphone which claims just 24 hrs. Overall battery power (talktime/standby) is also about 30% more in Nokia 5800. What more, 5800 has a removable battery which Iphone lacks. Iphone: 5 hrs talk-time, 300 hrs standby, not removable. Nokia 5800: 8.8 hrs talk-time, 406 hrs standby, removable battery. 9) Camera Iphone: 2 MP, no flash, no zoom, no additional camera. Nokia 5800: 3.2 MP, Flash, 3x digital zoom with Carl Zeiss lens. A second camera in front is available for video calling/conferencing. 10) Video Calling Iphone: No Video calling possible in Iphone. Nokia 5800: Video calling is possible. 11) Video Recording IPhone: No option for video recording. Nokia 5800: Video recording is included. 12) Music Service Iphone: Paid service with Apple Itunes Store. You pay and download music to your Iphone. Nokia 5800: “Comes with music” service is bundled with Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic phone by which you can download as much music as you want for 1 year- FREE!! 13) Voice Dialing Iphone: Not Available Nokia 5800: Available 14) Voice Recording IPhone: Not Available Nokia 5800: Available 15) Web Browser Iphone: Webkit based Safari browser, no flash available. Nokia 5800: Webkit based browser, supports flash lite. 16) FM Radio Iphone: Not Available Nokia 5800: Available 17) Bluetooth Iphone: Bluetooth is available for just handsfree, no file sharing possible. Nokia 5800: Bluetooth available for handsfree and file sharing is possible. Better audio quality on bluetooth in 5800 with A2DP technology which Iphone lacks. 18) Messaging Iphone: It does not support message forwarding, multiple SMS deletion, sending SMS to multiple recipients and multimedia messages (MMS). Nokia 5800: All the above is possible plus it has MMS ver 1.3, message size upto 600kb, and automatic resizing of Images for MMS. 19) Price Nokia 5800 is hopefully unlocked (without any contract) and will sell much cheaper for just £219 in UK which is equal to 279 Euros or $385. Apple iPhone 3G, on the other hand, with contract in US comes for $199 & $299 for 8 & 16 GB models and the plans with AT&T are way too expensive. Unlocked Apple Iphones sells for around $800 on Ebay. In other parts of the world, the 8GB unsubsidized Iphone model costs 499 euros ($700) in Italy, 350 pounds ($620) in UK, $700 in India. Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic is expected to sell around the world for about $400 or below. 20) Experience Nokia: Ages of experience, hundreds of success stories and dozens of smart handsets in current portfolio. Nokia has about 40% market share with the No.1 spot with no close competitors. Certainly the king when it comes to brand value, service and experience. Apple: First phone ever launched by Apple is Iphone, no prior experience in the telecom market. It’s a novice in the market with a very less market share despite having millions of Iphone sold. Verdict: Almost all the major brands around the world like Samsung, HTC, LG, etc launched their touchscreen smartphones with a hope to beat Apple’s Iphone. No-one came close to Iphone when it comes to looks, style, feel and features. This is the first time a tech giant like Nokia has hit it hard with its first true touchscreen smartphone. Nokia 5800 is a real Iphone killer with way ahead features, perfect looks and great price. Bravo Nokia, Well Done!!
Bertrand 15? Bertrand Mpigabahizi Geography PAP A3 4-28-08 Field Study # 1 (Temple Emanu-El) The predominant building materials are light brown cement, dark brown wood, and some foreign marble from northern Syria. The temple Emanu – El was the first Jewish temple in northern Texas being built in 1875, without the additional work on the original building it would have been in terrible condition but with the better structural work the building looks brand new. The main colors are dark brown, white and blue. The Temple of Emanu-El was build over a century ago in 1875, making it 133 years old. In height the building isn’t that spectacular with most of the building being only 2 floors up , but the length of the building surpasses both of the previous buildings. So in height The Emanu – El does not bring anything special to the neighborhood, but with the fact that it goes on for miles it certainly has something alluring to its name. Like most modern church’s the architectural features does not hold a torch to the medieval church’s that litter southern Europe and east Africa. It was built more like a outside high school with many rooms and hall ways. Unlike the Islamic mosques the Jewish temple is littered with images of the holy figures and scenes from the Old Testament. The temple is located in a busy intersection surrounded by shopping centers, schools, malls, and hundreds of streets. There is a school that in height surpasses the temple in the east ward and there is also a medical center in the posterior of the property. Together with the school and the center it does have a presence in the busy area but it loses some shine from the near by mall and many shopping centers and schools. For more information you can check out the Temple’s web site: http://www.tedallas.org/index.html Field Study # 2 ( Dallas Masjid ) The Frisco Masjid is absolutely beautiful and the diverse building material certainly helps give the building the allure that helps attract so many visitors. It is predominantly made out of colored brick, cement, Egyptian marble and foreign materials from India and east Africa. The main building is considered old to some people being little bit under a half a century years old , but if you ever have the chance of visiting the mosque it looks like it has only been standing for two or three years. It’s truly in a healthy condition looking finer then buildings only standing for a couple of years. The main colors are blue , brown and green. The main building was built in 1968, but other structures have been constantly being built ever since. The size is beyond imagine, it sky rockets out of the ground and surpasses almost every building in its surrounding areas. Like most mosques in both the Middle East and around the world this building is littered with impressive architectural features and designs, from painted towers to eerie columns this mosque leaves little to the imagination. Other then towers and columns the building also has a huge dome the erupts out of the core of the building. Like many mosques the Dallas Masjid does not show off many symbolic pictures or paintings of Muhammad or God, but do have hundreds of paintings of angles and symbols in both the exterior and anterior of the building. Inside the main property the building is surrounded by lush gardens and a protective brick wall that circles around the anterior…..but on the outside of the property there are busy streets and many residential neighborhoods. There is no other building or structures surrounding the mosque except the brick wall that circulates the building. Other then a near by sky scraper, the mosques dominates the surrounding area which only consists of residential neighborhoods and busy streets. For more information you can check out the Mosque’s web site: http://www.masjidalislam.org/index.htm Field Study # 3 (Celebration Centre) The Celebration Covenant Church in Frisco Texas is made out of two prominent building materials red brick and white cement .The bricks beautifully make out the columns of the church and the minor roof, while the cement makes up the rest of the building. The structural condition is very sound , only being built a couple of years ago (6 years ) the building has not yet experienced the harsh conditions some church’s in Europe and other areas have gone through having being been standing for centuries The main colors are light brown, dark brown , and blue . .The church it self was built in May 19th , 2002 in Frisco Texas but the original plans for the church were made around the mid 90s by pastors Keith and Shelia Craft and the original CCC team . Where the church is located it is the biggest man -made structure second to the Frisco library, so comparing it to other buildings it’s a pretty outstanding size. But by 2010 after the present day church is upgraded it will pass the size of the Frisco library and many other buildings in Frisco. The church has some outstanding architectural features in its present form with brick columns and many glass openings. But by 2010 when the church is upgraded, many historic sculptures, cathedral like towers and numerous columns will be added that it even will rival some off the great church’s standing today. The Celebration Covenant Church is more of a modern church and does not display any symbolic icons on the exterior of the buildings expect a glass portrait of the Christ. The church is located near busy streets, gated communities, vacant green lands, and shopping spaces…..if it wasn’t for its noticeable size the church would be washed out into its diverse background. Other then the main building there is a medium size building nearing the exterior of the church, and a sports center in the far left. The Celebration Covenant Church is the dominant man – made structure in the area the only thing that out shines it is the Frisco library and depending where you are looking at a main high in the far end of the region. For more information you can check out the Church’s web site: http://www.celebrationcovenant.com/main.htm PICTURES Temple Emanu – El Dallas Majisid Celebration Centre
Is this idolatry in the Catholic faith? Well, excuse me if I'm attacking. Don't get me wrong, I love the catholic faith and although I'm not christian I faithfully go to church every friday. But I noticed that people bow before the crucifix the icon on Mary and many other saints. Isn't this considered idolatry? Even one of the commandments states, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Also another one states "You shall not bow down to them or worship them." Catholics in India have always persecuted Hindus for bowing down before idols but aren't Catholics doing the same thing? Is that the crucifix and icons are designed to represent Catholic figures so it doesn't make it idolatry? I'm just wondering and I'm sorry if I hurt anyone's sentiments. Could someone please shed light on the topic?
What is each section of following article mentioning and main point for each section, please tell specifically? The Axial Age It would be a mistake, however, to project modern, secularized thought onto the ancients -- and it is suggested here only for heuristic reasons -- but the mass religious mentality of these ancient values apparently did little to satisfy needs and yearnings of individuals. This inadequacy partially explains why, in the middle of the first millennium B.C.E, there suddenly were created across the inhabited world from Greece to China the "confesstional" religions of what the German philosopher Karl Jaspers called the Axial Age (800 -- 200 B.C.E.) of human history. For a century or so, unusual individual instituted remarkable and unprecedent religious developments. In China there was Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, and Confucius, whose social and political ethic became China's single greatest summary of values. Both systems required individual decision and commitment. In India two other significant figures created new meaning orientations for humans. The first was Mahavira, the founder of the extremely ascetic, life-reverencing Jain movement. The second, and more influential, was Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni, known as the Buddha, the "Awakened One." In Iran was a fundamental reform of Zoroastrianism, with a confessional message of truth and light for those who would join together against lies and destruction. (Zoroastrianism's influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is considerable, according to some scholars. At the least, there are similarities in worldview, ehics, historical consciousness, angelology, and demonology.) In Israel appeared a number of prophects who called for an enlargement of vision and heart that transcended normal Israelite chauvinism and pride of cultic purity and chosenness. jeremiah and Isaiah stand out for their emphasis on the responsibility of individuals and their promptings of universal mission. In Greece there came into maturity a variety of philosophical thought that spilled over into life orientation and ultimate commitment. This is seen especially in the life and teachings of Socrates (d. 399 B.C.E.), who finally was executed for "corrupting the youth of Athens" by inspiring them to think critically for themselves against the coercive traditional establishment. Pythagoras (d. ca. 507 B.C.E) and Thales (d. ca. 546 B.C.E.) also were influential. Confessional Religions Common to all of the confessional religions was the value placed on individual commitment, which is why "confessional" is an apt term. One dedicates oneself to a religious ideal not because one's ancestors did or because that is what the established authority requires but because one wants to, for personal reasons. There is a strong countercultural element in this kind of religious orientation, in that the locus of authority is beyond the circle of received, traditional values. Buddha relinquished his royal prerogatives and took to the road, even abandoning his family to which he was so devoted. What he sought required nothing less than his entire be,ing. Jeremiah defied, when necessary, both king and people in order to proclaim the word of the Lord to an indifferent generation, hopelessly trapped in the traditional structure of temple ritual. In his day the religious establishment had effectively come to substitute for the open, spontaneous, responsive mutual relationship between God and his people that the covenant was designed to ensure. Jeremiah called upon the people to stop being "religious" so that they could become alive to God! His request points to a paradox. But keeping the old covenant required external duties, whereas Jeremiah foretold of a new covenant that God would establish that would be situated in the very consciousness of the Israelities: I will put my law within them, and i will write it ipon their hearts; and i will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jer. 31:33) Confessional religion entalis great risks in that it threatens to remove people from their customary life and thought patterns. Then why are people attracted by it? Because of their thirst for freedom and personal meaning. The structures of traditional Near Eastern religious life had become so limited, and the spiritual needs of people so pressing, that more and more people were willing to follow new ways. Other changes were taking place, too, and all of life was becoming more complex, and society more differentiated. It is important to note that this emergence of persoanl choice was related to what historical individuals had achieved by discerning and preaching the new truths. The old systems had mythological and legendary origins, but the new religions were based on personal experience and testimony. whether God was speaking through the various new prophects and founders or a new plateau of human consciousness was finding appropriate voices and vehicles for commuication is beyond the bounds of this survey to determine. But once the new spiritual orientations gained momentum, they chang please help, please!
Designing a room. Help? I have to use this red carpet my dad bought in india in the room. I have some pictures below. I'd need some paint colour choices. No greys, and the room doesn't have any windows, so preferably lighter undertones. Any ideas? Corners of rug: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/~Tigers%20Rule!~/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Olympus%203/Olympus%203%20760.jpg Center of rug: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/~Tigers%20Rule!~/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Olympus%203/Olympus%203%20762.jpg Center/middle of rug file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/~Tigers%20Rule!~/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/Olympus%203/Olympus%203%20761.jpg Thanks!! I have to use this red carpet my dad bought in india in the room. I have some pictures below. I'd need some paint colour choices. No greys, and the room doesn't have any windows, so preferably lighter undertones. Any ideas? Center of Rug: <a href='http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m113/tu_turtles/Olympus3761.jpg'> <a href='http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m113/tu_turtles/Olympus3762.jpg'> Corners of rug: <a href='http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m113/tu_turtles/Olympus3760.jpg'> Okay so the pics aren't working... http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/ m113/tu_turtles/?action=tageditmany
Designing a room help! ArtsnHumanity? Ok, I found this shirt that inspires me it reminds me of a great poet/writer Poe Their seems to be a poem on the side that you can't read its light blue shirt and the words are on the left hand side and on the right is a huge black tree with ravens flying from it 1. Anyhow i really want to know the poem so if u have the shirt and know it please tell 2. Also how can I get this shirt made so i can put it on a over- head and paint it on... the wall to remind me of the shirt and Poe -I truthfully do not know how it makes me think of Poe but for the tree and the Ravens :P but anyhow so on the point :P The shirt is from Point Zero made in India
Is playing on Games24x7 legal? The web site declares it is legal to play. Can any one throw some light on this? Is playing on Games24x7 legal?Absolutely! All games offered on www.games24x7.com are games of "skill". The relevant law in India is absolutely clear that, unlike games of "chance", games which substantially require a player to apply his skill, are absolutely legal. In 1968, the Honorable Supreme Court of India ruled that games like rummy, chess, bridge and carrom are games of skill making them perfectly legal under the current laws. All games hosted by Games24x7 are carefully designed and the jurisdiction of prize winners is strictly monitored to ensure legal compliance with relevant laws currently in force in India.
Inventions invented by white people and other Caucasians but falsely claimed by blacks:? Inventions invented by white people and other Caucasians but falsely claimed by blacks (this is the correct list with the correct WHITE inventor): ALMANAC: Earliest versions in ancient Greece/Babylon; more modern versions occurred in succession starting in the Middle Ages in Europe. AIR CONDITIONING UNIT: Willis Carrier, 1902 AUTO FISHING DEVICE: In use in the US by the mid-1800s. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: Earliest example in Germany; in the US, the Sturtevant brothers had the 1st design for an automatic transmission in 1904. BABY BUGGY: William Kent, 1733. BICYCLE/BICYCLE FRAME: Kirkpatrick MacMillan, 1839. BISCUIT CUTTER: Used for thousands of years by ancient cultures. CELLULAR PHONE: Martin Cooper, 1973. CHAMBER COMMODE: Used in Europe well before the 1800s. CHESS: Originated in northwest India (Indians are Caucasians). CLOTHES DRYER: M. Pochon, 1800; electric version by Brooks Stevens in 1940s. DOOR KNOB: Used 1st in 1700s, well before patent by Dorsey. DUSTPAN: Lon Cheney Jr., 1858. EGG BEATER: Turner Williams, 1870 ELECTRIC BULB: Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison, 1879 ELEVATOR: Henry Waterman, 1850 and Elisha Otis, 1852 FIBER OPTICS: Daniel Colladon and Jacques Babinet in Paris, 1840s. FIRE ESCAPE: Daniel Maseres, 1784. FIRE EXTINGUISHER: Ambrose Godfrey, 1723. FOLDING BED: William Murphy, 1900. FOLDING CHAIR: Used in ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt. FOUNTAIN PEN: 1st example in Middle East; thereafter improved upon in Europe. GAS MASK: Lewis Phectic Haslett, 1849. GOLF TEE: Percy Ellis, 1892. GUITAR: Descended from ancient instruments; 1st incarnation used in Renaissance. HAIR BRUSH: Used in Britain before the 1800s. HAND STAMP: William Dockwra and Robert Murray, 1680. HORSESHOE: Used in Europe since the early Middle Ages. INSECT DESTROYER GUN: Invented in 1923 by Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, patented as the ‘flit’ gun. IMPROV: Performed in Italy from the 16th century. IRONING BOARD: W. Vandenburg and J. Harvery, 1858. KEY CHAIN: Use of keys goes back thousands of years; key chains have been used for hundreds of years as use of keys became widespread. LANTERN: Earliest varieties go back hundreds of years to European and Chinese inventors. LAWN MOWER: Edwin Budding, 1827. LAWN SPRINKLER: J. Lessler, 1871. LEMON SQUEEZER: Used 1st in Turkey in early 1700s. LOCK: Used 1st 4000 years ago in Assyria. LUBRICANT: Used by the Romans thousands of years ago. LUNCH PAIL: Earliest examples in early 1800s US; Leo May invented the aluminum variety in 1954. MAIL BOX: 1st mail boxes installed in Paris in 1653; mail slots 1st widely used in Paris/England in mid 1800s. MOP: Jacob Howe, 1837 MOTOR: James Watts, 1763; de Rivaz, 1807; Karl Benz, 1896 (all white males). PEANUT BUTTER: Peanut butter was invented and reinvented many times during history. Peanuts were known as early as 950 B.C.; According to the Corn Products Company, Dr. Ambrose Straub of St. Louis patented a peanut butter-making machine in 1903 and some unknown doctor invented peanut butter in 1890. PENCIL SHARPENER: Bernard Lassimone, 1828. PHONE TRANSMITTER: Heinrich Hertz, 1887. RECORD PLAYER and RECORD PLAYER ARM: Thomas Edison, 1877. REFRIGERATOR: William Cullen, 1748; Oliver Evans, 1805 (both white males). RIDING SADDLE: Used in England in the 1700s. ROCK AND ROLL: Has its roots in a merge between early white and black musical forms, but the modern version ‘Rock’ had predominantly white performers and innovators. ROLLING PIN: Used 1st by the Etruscans in the 9th century B.C. SPARK PLUG: Etienne Lenoir, 1860. STRAIGHTENING COMB: Invented in France prior to patent by CJ Walker. STETHOSCOPE: Rene Laennec, 1816. STOVE: Used thousands of years ago 1st in Asia, then in Europe. STREET SWEEPER: C.S. Bishop, 1849. SUGAR: Produced in ancient India. THERMOSTAT: Warren Johnson, 1883. TRAFFIC LIGHT: J.P. Knight, 1868; Lester Wire, 1912 (both white males). TRICYCLE: Invented in Germany in 1680 and improved in France in 1789 by Blanchard/Maguier. TYPEWRITER: 1st patent in Britain: Henry Mill, 1714. The only inventions claimed by blacks to be invented by blacks from the list that checked out in my research were the following: BREAK DANCING (although it was originated by Latinos as well) CURTAIN ROD DOOR STOP EYE PROTECTOR (although this was an improvement on a previous design) ICE CREAM SCOOPER JAZZ (although the modern version is largely dependent on European musical elements, such as harmony). Other music types: Blues, Rap, Reggae, Ska SUPER SOAKER As you can see, all of the inventions above that actually checked out as being invented by black people are non-technical in nature, asides from the Super Soaker which employs limited mechanical understanding. My research has forced me to conclude that Afrocentric blacks have realized the dearth of inventions coming from their race and have decided to steal the inventions of white people by rewriting history. All of these inventions can be verified through the US Patent Office and through authoritative history books. Keep in mind that Africa to this day is mostly populated by primitive and savage tribes that have not contributed much of anything to humanity in general, so the argument that slaves were held "back from their true potential" because they were slaves, is highly dubious and unlikely. If we look at Africa, there is very little potential to talk about. I am not trying to be racist- I am just trying to protect the correct and true version of history- and that version says that whites invented the majority of inventions in use today. @ King Tut: From studies I've read, African American obesity rates are higher than white obesity rates. Furthermore, African Americans are the prime diabetes patients, a disease that affects mostly overweight individuals. @ Robie: Actually, all my claims are true and can be verified easily. If you look to Africa, you see genocide, modern day slavery in the Sudan, mass rape in the Congo, famine in Ethiopia, mass murders and child prostitution, etc...In the US, blacks account for over 50% of the violent crimes committed, yet are only 12% of the population. Yeah...
what grade would you give this short gcse geography end of topic writing? Sustainable Living In the last fifty years, the population of the world has more then doubled. London is not exempt from this problem. In urban environments such as London, problems are arising quickly. We now have to deal with carbon emissions adding to the pollution and housing problems caused by overpopulated areas. This is all happening within the same time period as the credit crunch, meaning we cannot afford to spend too much on new research or technology or methods to assist in reducing these problems. Sustainable living means reducing your own and society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources. Governments across the world have been trying to develop ways to make their economies become sustainable in many ways. The following are some examples of this: In the way we travel; hundreds of millions of cars release air pollution every day, resulting in climate change. Across the world each country is fighting a constant battle against this. In Cairo they have started building the Cairo metro system, an underground railway designed to get people out of their cars and starting to use public transport. In Darabi, Mumbai where the majority of the population are devastatingly poor, people are paid to divide the rubbish into sections of plastics, this way it is far quicker to recycle objects leading to a more sustainable environment. How we eat; recycling cannot be achieved with all objects however. In the United Kingdom only 40% of waste is recycled compared to India’s 80%. The packaging on our foods is held accountable for much of this. Less packaging (like the packaging in this picture) means less waste and growing our own foods would be even better. Organic foods can now be bought from most supermarkets. Organic means no pesticides or fertilizers are used during the process of growing the crop, which is yet another way of acting sustainably. Below is a picture of different organic foods Where we live; most of our life we are inside, therefore isn’t it obvious that our homes should be sustainable too. Every material is given an assessment of how sustainable its life cycle is. In order to be sufficient we need to be using the materials with a high sustainability factor on our roofs, windows and walls. Insulated walls are important because they take away the need for heating and cooling of the house, thick walls do this best. Aside from heating, the other three main ways we spend our money in the home are through the use of water, electricity and gas. Water can be stored to save money by special draining systems or by plants called sedum. In the way we receive our energy; there are two groups of energy sources, renewable and non-renewable. Non-Renewable energy comes from the ground and will run out eventually; these include gas, coal and oil. Renewable energy will last almost forever and is harnessed through everyday things such as light, wind and water. The main way governments are trying to be sufficient is through the power of renewable energy. The graph shows the percentage of energy used by each part of society. Industrial business uses the highest amount of energy with 33%. Eco-villages are villages in which everyone in the village is being carbon-sufficient. An example of this is BedZED in South London. Here they use only bicycles, not cars; have thick walls keeping their homes warm; use solar panels like in this picture on every house and use Sedum plants that contain water under ground. It is unrealistic to assume every town can change to mirror this though as the cost would be huge and renewable energy sources just aren’t as powerful as non-renewable energy sources. By 2080 the world will run out of non-renewable energy and will have to start being sustainable or it will be too late.
where can I buy this windows smartphone in India? The phone model is samsung omnia pro B7330.City - Bangalore. I know that omnia pro B7320 is available every where.But I am impressed with a bit more larger display,lighter design,trendier look of B7330 compared to B7320.I want to purchase this.I just saw reviews and photos of this model in many sites,but no where they are putting it in shops.This handset model released a year back.why it is not available in Indian market? where can I buy this model in Bangalore? I need response from the local people of Bangalore or anywhere from India.where this mobile phone samsung omnia pro B7330(non-touchscreen windows) is available
should christian missionary be prohibited in India? Sati-Pratha is a favourite topic among Hindu-bashers. As soon as they are questioned about the validity of their own claims, goals and methods they immediately start harping on Sati-Pratha. And lo! The trick works. The questioning Hindu becomes defensive. He never tries to probe into the origin of so-called Sati-Pratha, or at least about its rumours. So, let us try to do it here, what the typical-Hindu always refrains to. Sati-Pratha is nowhere mentioned in Hindu scriptures. Not a hint of it. There is no case of forceful widow burning in any of our scriptures. News about Sati-Pratha started surfacing only with the advent of Christian Missionaries in India. They with their mission of converting the wretched idolaters, i.e., Hindus to Christianity started slandering Hinduism. For they quickly perceived that Hindus were an unyielding, staunch lot. They would not yield to the treacherous methods of Christian Missionaries. So they devised a new way for accomplishing their Harvest. They decided to slander Hinduism in front of Hindus, so as to shake their belief in it, and also in front of global community so as to justify their demonic agendas of Conversion. And for that they had a new tool in their hands to which Hindus had no access. This tool was the combined institution of Modern British Education System and the newly born media, i.e., the propaganda machine. (How they developed these mediums in India is another topic, related to Macaulay and many others and too long to be discussed here). So, they started their well-planned campaign against Hinduism. A very good example of this is the English word ?Juggernaut?, meaning, ?a huge and overwhelming force?. It is originated form the Rath Yatra of Jagganath. Christian Missionaries said that there goes one evil Yatra among Hindus, in which wretched idolaters take out a procession of three idols. In the Yatra, they take intoxicating drugs, dance nude in front of the chariot, make obscene gestures to each other and then in a fit throw themselves in front of the chariot to commit suicide. Hence, the word with its meaning of an ?overwhelming force?. Swami Vivekanand also mentions this at one place along with many other calumnies heaped over Hinduism and Hindu civilization by the designing Christian Missionaries. Here is an excerpt of that, ?What is meant by those pictures in the school-books for children where the Hindu mother is painted as throwing her children to the crocodiles in the Ganga? The mother is black, but the baby is painted white, to arouse more sympathy, and get more money. What is meant by those pictures, which painted a man burning his wife at a stake with his own hands, so that she may become a ghost and torment the husband?s enemy? What is meant by the pictures of huge cars crushing over human beings? I have heard one of these gentlemen preach in Memphis that, in every village of India, there is a pond of the bones of little babies? What have the Hindus done to these disciples of Christ that every Christian child is taught to call the Hindus ?vile? and ?wretched? and the most horrible demons on earth?? Swami Vivekananda, The Complete Works, Vol. IV (1945 ed.) Any person even most slightly acquainted with the Rath Yatra needs no explaining about the truth. Similarly, they harped on Sati, and invented the very term and phenomenon of Sati-Pratha, citing some allegedly eye-witness accounts of widow burning on the funeral pyre of their husband. So, what was the truth in those accounts? If, there was any truth in those accounts, then what was their origin? For finding their origin, we have to stretch our memory some centuries back to the Medieval Ages, the era of great unprecedented rape, pillage and looting of India by Muslims and their armies. Among the very first provinces to bear the brunt of Islamic sword were Sindh, Punjab and Rajputana. Sindh being Buddhist in majority and Punjab also having a considerable population of Buddhists, succumbed soon to the unprecedented barbarous Islamic invasions. But Rajputana being completely Hindu held out for centuries. Even now there are only 9% Muslims in Rajasthan. But this resistance cost them a great deal. They had never faced such barbarous invaders and looters. All of the wars which they fought until then, were fought with a moral ethical code. Being synonymous with the Hindu philosophy, wars were fought only between warriors and concerned only them. Civil populace was never even touched, let alone molested. But the new Islamic enemy they were now facing was an unprecedented evil force, which did not rely on valour for victory, but instead on treachery, deceit, malice, crookedness and all other evil means. Those Islamic armies instead of fighting chivalrously with their opponents, chose to decimate the civilian populace, by laying siege to the country side, thus decimating the social, cultural and economic fabric of the nations. They massacred and butchered complete populations of Hindus, broke their idols, desecrated their temples, butchered the Brahmins, converted them forcibly to Islam (by making them eat beef!) destroyed their corps, poisoned their wells, burned their houses, abducted their children and raped their women. They took their inspiration from Quran. Ayats 2:193, 8:39, orders them to break idols. Ayats 8:12, 22: 19-22 exhorts them to massacre the religious leaders of the other religion. Ayats 33:59 and 4:24 encourages them to commit sexual transgressions without compunction with the non-Muslim women. This, this last atrocity done to the local populace by these Islamic marauders was without precedence in cruelty. (No one in Hindu era even thought of touching another woman, let alone raping her). It was a greater calamity on women than their family men. They did not think of such calamity befalling them in their wildest nightmares. They were free women under Hinduism with an equal say in society as men. They were not used to the sexual, and mental humiliation and torture to which Muslim and non-Muslim women under Islamic rule were subjected to. Chastity for them was everything, the prime value of life. They could not imagine an unchaste life. The very concept was unthinkable to them. And for preserving their chastity they were prepared to do anything, to break every barrier, to sacrifice every tying, even their life. And so they did. Facing these Islamic molesters, the brave Hindu women chose death. They built big cauldron like pots, lit then with fire and jumped into them, to die voluntarily and happily in order to save their honour and chastity. They chose and embraced death themselves and nobody forced them to do so. They with their very feminine bravery defied whole armies of Islamic marauders with all of their evil means and intentions. This phenomenon was called ?johar?, meaning giving themselves to fire in order to be saved from disgrace. So, this was ?Johar?, later practiced by Hindu women in every part of India in order to save themselves from the dirty hands of Islamic marauders. There was no forced immolation in that process, no malign Brahmins, no cruel priests, thus no ?Sati-Pratha.? And for suicide no other person can be blamed, other than those Islamic marauders whose threat forced Hindu women to suicide. ?Sati? is an ancient Sanskrit term, meaning a chaste woman who thinks of no other man than her own husband. The famous examples are Sati Anusuiya, Savitri, Ahilya etc. None of them committed suicide, let alone being forcible burned. So how is that that they are called Sati? The word ?Sati? means a chaste woman, and it has no co-relations with either suicide or murder. The term ?Sati? was never accompanied by ?Pratha?. The phrase, ?Sati-Pratha? was a Christian Missionary invention. Sati was taken form the above quoted source and ?Pratha? was taken from the practice of Johar?, (by distorting its meaning from ?suicide? to ?murder?) and the myth of ?Sati-Pratha? was born to haunt Hindus forever. So ?Sati-Pratha? (in its modern avatar of forcible widow burning) is not a fault of Hinduism but a crime of Islam. Islam is the perpetrator of crime here, and Hinduism, the victim. It is a joint crime of Islam and Christianity. The crime of Islam was transposed on Hinduism (absolving Islam in the process) by the historical connivance of anti-Hindu forces (Islam, Christianity and Marxism). To insert a spiritual clause here, it is very important to say that in modern times whenever is there a case reported of voluntary immolation of a woman on her husband?s pyre, it is never reported that the dying woman shrieked in the unbearable pain of the burning flesh. Sucha case is reported by Mark Tully in his book ?No Full Stops in India?. He tells of a woman Roop Kanwar in the village Deorala, district Sikar of Rajasthan who in Sep 1987 voluntarily died by burning herself with fire, without emitting any cries or shrieks. So what does it signify? No mortal can remain calm when his flesh is being burnt. So what is the reason of this superhuman quality of these women? The answer lies in dharma, Yoga and meditation. There are umpteen stories in Puranas and Vedas in which both men and women voluntarily accept death by immolating their mortal bodies by various means, including fire. The power of Yoga makes them oblivious of the pain of the decay of the mortal body. So women who voluntarily gave up their life in fire were empowered with the power of Yoga. Pain did not touch their chaste bodies. Hindus being oppressed for centuries have developed a mental state called ?Dhimmitude?, which means a mental slavery to its long time oppressor Islam. So, now even those Hindus who stand against Islam are timid, defensive and guilty of some hypothetical crimes, imagined for their chagrin, for them by their enemies. They still can?t think freely, analyze history objectively and recognize the true nature of Hinduism, i.e., Dharma. But, if they want to re-generate Dharma, Truth and Goodness then they will have to view History in its true light, with Courage, Resolution and with Objectivity. Then only they will be able to re-discover their Dharma and do something for its regeneration. History being ?Dharma? itself hopes them to do so.
New Pulsar 220..?? check it out? some more details and photographs of the bajaj pulsar 220cc bike Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi: More images and specs Engine Type Single Cylinder Air Cooled, 4 Stroke Sohc Valve Train 2 Valve Displacement 220cc Bore & Stroke NA Comp. Ratio NA Starting Electric Start only Ignition/fuelling Fuel injection (DTS-Fi) • First four stroke engine in the world employing DTS-Fi technology o Intelligently controlled ignition timing for each plug o High combustion efficiency o Low performance variability between engines o Precise metering of fuel for highest outputs and lower emissions o Easy engine starts in all conditions of temperature and altitude o Best in class fuel economy [as in beating the Karizma? Is that even a task? First natural air-cooled 4-stroke engine in India employing a oil cooler o Maintains lube-oil viscosity even under extreme conditions of stress and ambient temperatures. o Also helps in cooling the engine internals • First high capacity engine in India to employ rollers at rocker arm pivits and camshaft interfaces for low friction • First engine in India to have electric start as the sole means of cranking Performance Max. Power 20 bhp (no rpm claim) Max. Torque 1.95 kgm (no rpm claim) Top speed 135 kph Fuel economy 50 kpl in 'sane riding' Transmission Gear Box 5 Speed Constant Mesh Clutch New. Superior to Pulsar 180/150 Electricals Battery MF typre, 12V 9Ah Head Light Ellipsoidal projector 55W/parabolic 55W H7 Tail Light High intensity LEDs Chassis Type Double cradle (new frame) Suspension Front 37 mm Telescopic Hydraulic Type 130 mm travel Rear Ellipitical section Swing Arm With twin Hydraulic Gas-charged Shock Absorbers; 101 mm travel Brakes Front 260mm Disc Type Rear 230mm Disc Type Tyres Front 90/90-17 tubeless Rear 120/80-17 tubeless • First two wheeler in India to employ tubeless tyres for superior performance and safety • First vehicle in the class to employ the widest tyres • First vehicle in India to employ a hydraulically actuated 230 mm rear disc brake o Enhances braking performance and control • First bike in India to employ a large 37 mm front fork for class leading vehicle dynamics First...India to employ a non-contact digital speedo drive for accuracy, simplicity and long life • First...India to use clip-on handlebars • First...India to use a unique damping method for damping high frequency vibrations in clip-on handlebars (patent applied for) • First...India to employ a pure sports riding position [don't agree. Thought the bars could have been still lower and more sporty. Great position for fast touring, though] First...India to incorporate a pinch clamp for front axle o Ensures smooth parallel fork sliding action for lower fork stiction o The usual method can force the legs to flex the tubes due to non-parallelism - high stiction • First...India to use a 3000 combination ignition cum steering lock with a twin-track pilfer proof key • First...world to employ backlit handlebar switches • First...India to employ non-contact handlebar switches for soft touch feel and zero maintenance • First...world to employ non-contact 'intelligent' self-cancelling turn signals First...India to employ 'black mask' twin headlamps in a vertical stack configuration • First...India to employ a high wattage (H7, 55W) ellipsoidal projector lamp for white light low beam illumination • First...India to employ a high wattage (H7, 55W) compact clear lens parabolic lamp for white light high beam illumination • First...India to employ white light pilot lamp bulbs • First...India to employ a large free form orange backlit LCD speedo panel, displaying among other things the vehicle speed [accurate to within 2 kph], odometer, 2 tripmeters, graphic fuel level indicator and other information icons [diagnostics: air filter choked, oil temperature, battery voltage and oil level] • First...India to employ a stepper motor driven tachometer needle for quick undamped response • First...India to incorporate a flashing over-rev warning light in the speedo console • First...India to have an electronic speedo console which when keyed on goes through a self-diagnostic check • First...India which incorporates a flashing warning light for low fuel level • First...India to incorporate a day-night mode for the speedo console. In day mode, the indicating lights are brighter for clear visibility in ambient sunlight. In night mode, these lights reduce their brightness to prevent glare • First...India to employ a battery-saving function to automatically switch off headlamps while cranking • First...India to employ a battery-saving function to automaticallyregulates the number of continuous cranks • First...India equipped with a high-capacity O ring chain for final drive - smooth operation and long life in harsh operating conditions • First...India employing elliptical section swingarm on needle roller pivot bearings • First...India to incorporate sculpted, compact, fairing mounted rear view mirrors First...India with sporty, sculpted two-piece grab rail for sleek big bike looks • First...India with a split seat design for easy access to tool kit and first-aid kit • First...India to sport 'twin slash' high intensity LED clear lens tail lamp, requiring zero maintenance • First...India to sport and aggressive and stylish anti-scratch tank pad to prevent damage to petrol tank paintwork due to zippers Dimensions Kerb Weight 150 kg Wheel Base 1,350 mm Length 2,035 mm Width 750 mm Overall Height 1,140 mm Ground Clearance 177 mm Tank Capacity 15 l • Forced lubrication for the transmission • Beefed up tranmission to handle high power and torque output • Engine equipped with counterbalancer for controlling vibration from large dia piston • Engine equipped with oil level inspection window • Improved fin geometry for better heat dissipation • DTS-Fi system is optimised for razor sharp response to throttle inputs New high strength chassis designed to handle high engine outputs and making possible precise handling traits with arrow-like straightline stability • Large 260 mm front disc for precise and progressive braking • Crystal finished clear lens blinkers to complement the clear lens tail lamp • DC Ignition and lighting ensures quicker engine startups and constant illumination • Low maintenance battery to reduce frequent top-up needs • A red malfunction indicator lamp in the speedo gives the error codes in order to identify any malfunctioning fuel injection components • Sculpted looking top clamp with pinch bolts for greater rigidity • New gear shifting mechanism for a positive shift feel [really works] • New low friction shift drum for a smoother shift feel [really works] • New large capacity clutch incorporating anti-judder mechanism for superior clutch performance in all conditions • Highest power to weight ratio: 133 PS/Tonne • High flow intake and exhaust ports Large bore, light slipper type piston • Large capacity main bearings for high output handling • Large capacity output shaft bearing to handle high loads • Equipped with a roll-over sensor to cut off fuel supply in case of a vehicle fall • Brake and shift lever pivots incorporated on the footpeg mounting to give a clean, uncluttered look • Nitrox rear shocks optimised (spring and damper ratings) for all riding conditions • High output 200 watt, 3-phase magneto • All stainless steel exhaust with a sporty aluminium clad canister • ExhuasTEC Source:- http://clubrpm.co.in/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=131
What about Skeptics of Buddhism, like us ? Please Patiently read everything.? Buddhism for beginners (and sceptical Westerners) Introduction Now that Buddhism is such a fast-growing religion in the West, a lot of Westerners are attracted to its rational approach and rejection of an all-powerful deity. But all too often we Westerners quickly get stuck on the idea of rebirth and the various cultural traditions that have become a part of Buddhism in Asia. I've been there myself - wondering if rebirth is for real, if karma is scientific, if Buddhism is rational, why I have to bow to a statue, and so on - and I almost gave up at one point. I've noticed also that some Westerners pop up on the Internet looking for others who've converted to Buddhism, hoping they can discover the trick to becoming a Buddhist despite a materialist upbringing. So this page is a mixture of useful resources and my own personal experiences in fully accepting Dharma as a way of life. I hope it will be of some use to others on the same path. •Where should I start? •What is Buddhism? •Are rebirth and karma for real? •What is our purpose in life? •What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? •Which tradition should I choose? •How do I become a Buddhist? •Which are good books to read? Where should I start? If there's one place you should not start, it's reincarnation/rebirth. Newcomers to Buddhism tend to open every book at the section on rebirth because what happens to us after we die is all-important in the monotheistic culture we come from. But the Buddha wasn't teaching rebirth as the goal of life. He said many times, "I teach suffering, and the way out of suffering." That was his message, to make nirvana (Pali: nibbana) - the end of suffering - the goal. So the place to start is with the basics, the Four Noble Truths and a practice aimed at reducing suffering. If this seems worthwhile to you, you're on your way. In fact, the best way to start is by doing a lot of reading. You need to know about the basic principles of Buddhism, its founder, its history, the different traditions, and what it can do for you. Even though there's a lot of stuff available free on the Internet, I still think a well-written book is the best way to go. For all of the above, try John Snelling's The Buddhist Handbook : A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History or Gill Farrer-Halls' The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist Wisdom (which is also a handbook). These two books are both excellent primers to start off with. There's also a short overview titled What is Buddhism? from the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. For inspiring books written by Western monks who really understand Westerners' problems, try Ajahn Sumedho's The Mind and the Way : Buddhist Reflections of Life or Ajahn Jagaro's True Freedom, which is available online: •Chapter 1: True Freedom •Chapter 2: Compassion - The Natural Expression of Awakening •Chapter 3: Buddhism and God •Chapter 4: Beyond Boredom and Depression •Chapter 5: Buddhism and Vegetarianism •Chapter 6: Death and Dying Another book that's a must-read is Thich Nhat Hanh's little-known masterpiece, Old Path, White Clouds : Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, a beautiful and easy-to-read story of the Buddha's life drawn from accounts in the Pali Canon and illustrated with line drawings. For a thorough explanation of the nuts and bolts of the teachings and practice, check out Ayya Khema's Being Nobody, Going Nowhere : Meditations on the Buddhist Path (very good at showing how ego rules our lives) or Henepola Gunaratana's Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness : Walking the Buddha's Path. There are a lot of good books on Dharma (Pali: Dhamma), but I'd recommend starting of with the original Theravada Buddhism and checking out the Mahayana traditions like Zen and Tibetan when you have a grasp of the basics. What you read will depend on what particular problems brought you to Buddhism in the first place. Some authors, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, for example, have written books on anger management. But it's important to practise too. In addition to following the Five Precepts, try practising Right Speech, generosity, compassion, being less self-centred, being less addicted to pleasures of the senses and being less concerned with possessions. And once you have a good grasp of the basic teachings and different traditions, it will be time to start meditating. Your situation in life may affect your practice and progress. If you live near a temple or Buddhist group, you'll be able to listen to Dharma talks, make Dharma friends and be with a community of like-minded people. If you don't, there are always the Internet and Buddhist forums such as E-Sangha and the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. I personally live in a Buddhist country where the majority of people don't understand the deeper teachings of Buddhism, so their focus is on making merit for a better rebirth and participating in ceremonies. So I rely a lot on the Internet, on Amazon and a few friends. I rarely go to temples. What is Buddhism? The following article is from the website of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. The author explains karma and rebirth in the traditionally accepted way and is somewhat sceptical about the origins of the Mahayana sutras, but otherwise it's an excellent overview of Buddhism. Introduction For more than 2,500 years, the religion we know today as Buddhism has been the primary inspiration behind many successful civilizations, the source of great cultural achievements and a lasting and meaningful guide to the very purpose of life for millions of people. Today, large numbers of men and women from diverse backgrounds throughout our world are following the Teachings of the Buddha. So who was the Buddha and what are His Teachings? The Buddha The man who was to become the Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama around 2,600 years ago as a Prince of a small territory near what is now the Indian-Nepalese border. Though he was raised in splendid comfort, enjoying aristocratic status, no amount of material pleasure could satisify the enquiring and philosophic nature of the young man. At the age of 29 he left palace and family to search for a deeper meaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India. He studied under the wisest religious teachers and philosophers of his time, learning all they had to offer, but he found it was not enough. He then struggled alone with the path of self- mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism, but still to no avail. Then, at the age of 35, on the full moon night of May, he sat beneath the branches of what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, in a secluded grove by the banks of the river Neranjara, and developed his mind in deep but luminous, tranquil meditation. Using the extraordinary clarity of such a mind with its sharp penetrative power generated by states of deep inner stillness, he turned his attention to investigate upon the hidden meanings of mind, universe and life. Thus he gained the supreme Enlightenment experience and from that time on he was known as the Buddha. His Enlightenment consisted of the most profound and all-embracing insight into the nature of mind and all phenomena. This Enlightenment was not a revelation from some divine being, but a discovery made by Himself and based on the deepest level of meditation and the clearest experience of the mind. It meant that He was no longer subject to craving, ill-will and delusion but was free from their shackles, having attained the complete ending of all forms of inner suffering and acquired unshakeable peace. The Teachings of the Buddha Having realized the goal of Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching a Path which, when diligently followed, will take anyone regardless of race, class or gender to that same Perfect Enlightenment. The Teachings about this Path are called the Dhamma, literally meaning "the nature of all things" or "the truth underlying existence". It is beyond the scope of this pamphlet to present a thorough description of all of these Teachings but the following 7 topics will give you an overview of what the Buddha taught: 1. The way of Inquiry The Buddha warned strongly against blind faith and encouraged the way of truthful inquiry. In one of His best known sermons, the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the danger in fashioning one's beliefs merely on the following grounds: on hearsay, on tradition, because many others say it is so, on the authority of ancient scriptures, on the word of a supernatural being, or out of trust in one's teachers, elders, or priests. Instead one maintains an open mind and thoroughly investigates one's own experience of life. When one sees for oneself that a particular view agrees with both experience and reason, and leads to the happiness of one and all, then one should accept that view and live up to it! This principle, of course, applies to the Buddha's own Teachings. They should be considered and inquired into using the clarity of mind born of meditation. Only when one sees these Teachings for oneself in the experience of insight, do these Teachings become one's Truth and give blissful liberation. The traveller on the way of inquiry needs the practice of tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that one embraces every idea or view but means one doesn't get angry at what one can't accept. Further along the journey, what one once disagreed with might later be seen to be true. So in the spirit of tolerant inquiry, here are some more of the basic Teachings as the Buddha gave them. 2. The Four Noble Truths The main Teaching of the Buddha focuses not on philosophical speculations about a Creator God or the origin of the universe, or on a heaven world ever after. The Teaching, instead, is centred on the down-to-earth reality of human suffering and the urgent need to find lasting relief from all forms of discontent. The Buddha gave the simile of a man shot by a poison-tipped arrow who, before he would call a doctor to treat him, demanded to know first who shot the arrow and where the arrow was made and of what and by whom and when and where ... this foolish man would surely die before his questions could be well answered. In the same way, the Buddha said, the urgent need of our existence is to find lasting relief from recurrent suffering, which robs us of happiness and leaves us in strife. Philosophical speculations are of secondary importance and, anyway, they are best left until after one has well trained the mind in meditation to the stage where one has the ability to examine the matter clearly and find the Truth for oneself. Thus, the central Teaching of the Buddha, around which all other teachings revolve, is the Four Noble Truths: 1.That all forms of being, human and otherwise, are afflicted with suffering. 2.That the cause of this suffering is Craving, born of the illusion of a soul (see below, note 7). 3.That this suffering has a lasting end in the Experience of Enlightenment (Nibbana) which is the complete letting go of the illusion of soul and all consequent desire and aversion. 4.That this peaceful and blissful Enlightenment is achieved through a gradual training, a Path that is called the Middle Way or the Eightfold Path. It would be mistaken to label this Teaching as 'pessimistic' on the grounds that it begins by centring on suffering. Rather, Buddhism is 'realistic' in that it unflinchingly faces up to the truth of life's many sufferings and it is 'optimistic' in that it shows a final end of the problem of suffering - Nibbana, Enlightenment in this very life! Those who have achieved this ultimate peace are the inspiring examples who demonstrate once and for all that Buddhism is far from pessimistic, but it is a Path to true Happiness. 3. The Middle Way or Eightfold Path The Way to end all suffering is called the Middle Way because it avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Only when the body is in reasonable comfort but not over-indulged has the mind the clarity and strength to meditate deeply and discover the Truth. This Middle Way consists of the diligent cultivation of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which is explained in more detail as the Noble Eightfold Path. 1.Right Understanding 2.Right Thought 3.Right Speech 4.Right Action 5.Right Livelihood 6.Right Effort 7.Right Mindfulness 8.Right Concentration Right Speech, Action and Livelihood constitute the training in Virtue or Morality. For a practising Buddhist it consists of maintaining the five Buddhist Precepts, which are to refrain from: 1.Deliberately causing the death of any living being; 2.Intentionally taking for one's own the property of another; 3.Sexual misconduct, in particular adultery; 4.Lying and breaking promises; 5.Drinking alcohol or taking stupefying drugs which lead to lack of mindfulness. Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration refer to the practice of Meditation, which purifies the mind through the experience of blissful states of inner stillness and empowers the mind to penetrate the meaning of life through profound moments of insight. Right Understanding and Thought are the manifestation of Buddha-Wisdom which ends all suffering, transforms the personality and produces unshakeable serenity and tireless compassion. According to the Buddha, without perfecting the practice of Virtue it is impossible to perfect Meditation, and without perfecting Meditation it is impossible to arrive at Enlightenment Wisdom. Thus the Buddhist Path is a Gradual Path, a Middle Way consisting of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom as explained in the Noble Eightfold Path leading to happiness and liberation. 4. Kamma Kamma means 'action'. The Law of Kamma means that there are inescapable results of our actions. There are deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' harm, one's own harm, or to the harm of both. Such deeds are called bad (or 'unwholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Because they bring painful results, they should not be done. There are also deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' well being, one's own well being, or to the well being of both. Such deeds are called good (or 'wholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by generosity, compassion or wisdom. Because they bring happy results, they should be done as often as possible. Thus much of what one experiences is the result of one's own previous kamma. When misfortune occurs, instead of blaming someone else, one can look for any fault in one's own past conduct. If a fault is found, the experience of its consequences will make one more careful in the future. When happiness occurs, instead of taking it for granted, one can look to see if it is the result of good kamma. If so, the experience of its pleasant results will encourage more good kamma in the future. The Buddha pointed out that no being whatsoever, divine or otherwise, has any power to stop the consequences of good and bad kamma. The fact that one reaps just what one sows gives to the Buddhist a greater incentive to avoid all forms of bad kamma while doing as much good kamma as possible. Though one cannot escape the results of bad kamma, one can lessen their effect. A spoon of salt mixed in a glass of pure water makes the whole very salty, whereas the same spoon of salt mixed in a freshwater lake hardly changes the taste of the water. Similarly, the result of a bad kamma in a person habitually doing only a small amount of good kamma is painful indeed, whereas the result of the same bad kamma in a person habitually doing a great deal of good kamma is only mildly felt. This natural Law of Kamma becomes the force behind, and reason for, the practice of morality and compassion in our society. 5. Rebirth The Buddha remembered clearly many of His past lives. Even today, many Buddhist monks, nuns and others also remember their past lives. Such a strong memory is a result of deep meditation. For those who remember their past life, Rebirth is an established fact which puts this life in a meaningful perspective. The Law of Kamma can only be understood in the framework of many lifetimes, because it sometimes takes this long for Kamma to bear its fruit. Thus Kamma and Rebirth offer a plausible explanation to the obvious inequalities of birth; why some are born into great wealth whereas others are born into pathetic poverty; why some children enter this world healthy and full-limbed whereas others enter deformed and diseased... The fruits of bad Kamma are not regarded as a punishment for evil deeds but as lessons from which to learn, for example, how much better to learn about the need for generosity than to be reborn among the poor! Rebirth takes place not only within this human realm. The Buddha pointed out that the realm of human beings is but one among many. There are many separate heavenly realms and grim lower realms, too, realms of the animals and realms of the ghosts. Not only can human beings go to any of these realms in the next life, but we can come from any of these realms into our present life. This explains a common objection against Rebirth that argues "How can there be Rebirth when there are ten times as many people alive today than there were 50 years ago?" The answer is that people alive today have come from many different realms. Understanding that we can come and go between these different realms, gives us more respect and compassion for the beings in these realms. It is unlikely, for example, that one would exploit animals when one has seen the link of Rebirth that connects them with us. 6. No Creator God The Buddha pointed out that no God or priest nor any other kind of being has the power to interfere in the working out of someone else's Kamma. Buddhism, therefore, teaches the individual to take full responsibility for themselves. For example, if you want to be wealthy then be trustworthy, diligent and frugal, or if you want to live in a heaven realm then always be kind to others. There is no God to ask favours from, or to put it another way there is no corruption possible in the workings of Kamma. Do Buddhists believe that a Supreme Being created the universe? Buddhists would first ask which universe do you mean? This present universe, from the moment of the 'big bang' up to now, is but one among countless millions in Buddhist cosmology. The Buddha gave an estimate of the age of a single universe-cycle of around 37,000 million years, which is quite plausible when compared to modern astrophysics. After one universe- cycle ends another begins, again and again, according to impersonal law. A Creator God is redundant in this scheme. No being is a Supreme Saviour, according to the Buddha, because whether God, human, animal or whatever, all are subject to the Law of Kamma. Even the Buddha had no power to save. He could only point out the Truth so that the wise could see it for themselves. Everyone must take responsibility for their own future well-being, and it is dangerous to give that responsibility to another. 7. The Illusion of Soul The Buddha taught that there is no soul, no essential and permanent core to a living being. Instead, that which we call a 'living being', human or other, can be seen to be but a temporary coming together of many activities and parts - when complete it is called a 'living being', but after the parts separate and the activities cease it is not called a 'living being' anymore. Like an advanced computer assembled of many parts and activities, only when it is complete and performs coherent tasks is it called a 'computer', but after the parts are disconnected and the activities cease it is no longer called a 'computer'. No essential permanent core can be found which we can truly call 'the computer', just so, no essential permanent core can be found which we can call 'the soul'. Yet Rebirth still occurs without a soul. Consider this simile: on a Buddhist shrine one candle, burnt low, is about to expire. A monk takes a new candle and lights it from the old. The old candle dies, the new candle burns bright. What went across from the old candle to the new? There was a causal link but no thing went across! In the same way, there was a causal link between your previous life and your present life, but no soul has gone across. Indeed, the illusion of a soul is said by the Buddha to be the root cause of all human suffering. The illusion of 'soul' manifests as the 'Ego'. The natural unstoppable function of the Ego is to control. Big Egos want to control the world, average Egos try to control their immediate surroundings of home, family and workplace, and almost all Egos strive to control what they take to be their own body and mind. Such control manifests as desire and aversion, it results in a lack of both inner peace and outer harmony. It is this Ego that seeks to acquire possessions, manipulate others and exploit the environment. Its aim is its own happiness but it invariably produces suffering. It craves for satisfaction but it experiences discontent. Such deep- rooted suffering cannot come to an end until one sees, through deep and powerful meditation, that the idea 'me and mine' is no more than a mirage. These seven topics are a sample of what the Buddha taught. Now, to complete this brief sketch of Buddhism, let's look at how these Teachings are practised today. Types of Buddhism One could say that there is only one type of Buddhism and that is the huge collection of Teachings that were spoken by the Buddha. The original Teachings are found in the 'Pali Canon', the ancient scripture of Theravada Buddhism, which is widely accepted as the oldest reliable record of the Buddha's words. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Between 100 to 200 years after the passing away of the Buddha, the Sangha (the monastic community) split over the political question of 'Who runs the Sangha?' A controversy over some monastic rules was decided by a committee of Arahats (fully Enlightened monks or nuns) against the views of the majority of monks. The disgruntled majority resented what they saw as the excessive influence of the small number of Arahats in monastery affairs. From then on, over a period of several decades, the disaffected majority partially succeeded in lowering the exalted status of the Arahat and raising in its place the ideal of the Bodhisattva (an unenlightened being training to be a Buddha). Previously unknown scriptures, supposedly spoken by the Buddha and hidden in the dragon world, then appeared giving a philosophical justification for the superiority of the Bodhisattva over the allegedly 'selfish' Arahat. This group of monks and nuns were first known as the 'Maha Sangha', meaning 'the great (part) of the monastic community'. Later, after impressive development, they called themselves the 'Mahayana', the 'Greater Vehicle' while quite disparagingly calling the older Theravada 'Hinayana', the 'Inferior Vehicle'. Mahayana still retains most of the original teachings of the Buddha (in the Chinese scriptures these are known as the 'Agama' and in the Tibetan version as the 'Kangyur') but these core teachings were mostly overwhelmed by layers of expansive interpretations and wholly new ideas. The Mahayana of China, still vibrant in Taiwan, reflects an earlier phase of this development, the Mahayana of Vietnam, Korea and Japan (mostly Zen) is a later development, and the Mahayana of Tibet and Mongolia is a much later development still. Buddhism's relevance to the world today Today, Buddhism continues to gain ever wider acceptance in many lands far beyond its original home. Here in Australia, many Australians through their own careful choice are adopting Buddhism's peaceful, compassionate and responsible ways. The Buddhist Teaching of the Law of Kamma offers our society a just and incorruptible foundation and reason for the practice of a moral life. It is easy to see how a wider embracing of the Law of Kamma would lead any country towards a stronger, more caring and virtuous society. The Teaching of Rebirth places this present short lifetime of ours in a broader perspective, giving more meaning to the vital events of birth and death. The understanding of Rebirth removes so much of the tragedy and grief surrounding death and turns one's attention to the quality of a lifetime, rather than its mere length. From the very beginning, the practice of meditation has been at the very heart of the Buddhist Way. Today, meditation grows increasingly popular as the proven benefits to both mental and physical well being become more widely known. When stress is shown to be such a major cause of human suffering, the quieting practice of meditation becomes ever more valued. Today's world is too small and vulnerable to live angry and alone, thus the need for tolerance, love and compassion is so very important. These qualities of mind, essential for happiness are formally developed in Buddhist meditation and then diligently put into practice in everyday life. Forgiveness and gentle tolerance, harmlessness and peaceful compassion are well known trademarks of Buddhism, they are given freely and broadly to all kinds of beings, including animals of course, and also, most importantly, to oneself. There is no place for dwelling in guilt or self-hatred in Buddhism, not even a place for feeling guilty about feeling guilty! Teachings and practices such as these are what bring about qualities of gentle kindness and unshakeable serenity, identified with the Buddhist religion for 25 centuries and sorely needed in today's world. In all its long history, no war has ever been fought in the name of Buddhism. It is this peace and this tolerance, growing out of a profound yet reasonable philosophy, which makes Buddhism so vitally relevant to today's world. Are rebirth and karma for real? Is rebirth for real - either as a human or in one of the other realms? This is the question most Westerners ask as soon as they become interested in Buddhism. Karma (Pali: Kamma) - the law of cause and effect - operates across multiple lifetimes, but where's the proof that there is any life other than the current one? It's a complex subject and each tradition has its own explanation. It isn't uncommon for different teachers in the same tradition to have a different take on rebirth. One thing's for sure, there is no scientific proof of rebirth (yet). There are rational explanations, but they all rest on unprovable assumptions. One way to approach the question of rebirth is suggested by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, who says, "You don't have to believe in rebirth, you just have to take it as a working hypothesis." Other teachers, such as Ajahn Summedho, have a similar view, that since we can never know what will happen after death, it makes sense to practise Dharma (Pali: Dhamma) and live this life in the best way possible. Some well-known monks, Ajahn Brahm and P.A. Payutto among them, say that when meditators reach the third or fourth jhana (level of absorbtion) they are able to "read their past lives" as the Buddha did and experience the truth of rebirth. But this ability is by no means universal, even among meditation masters. Another explanation championed by Buddhadasa, Thailand's most revered monk, is that rebirth in a series of physical bodies is "conventional talk" to make the subject understandable for the masses, but in "Dharma talk" what the Buddha really meant was that each life was the arising of the ego in the mind. So we experience "death" and "rebirth" (of the ego) many times each day. Similarly, the six realms of existence all correspond to states of mind. In the same way, the cause and effect of karma can be observed in our own mental states - when we do good deeds it results in a wholesome mental state, when we do bad deeds, we experience unwholesome mental states. This rational explanation of rebirth and karma doesn't necessarily exclude the traditional view. It augments it. What works for me is to take both of them as working hypotheses and practise accordingly. Recalling the Buddha's story about the man shot with a poisoned arrow, if we need to have every detail of the teaching proved to us at the outset, we'll be dead before we start practising. What is our purpose in life? The traditional answer to this is that our purpose is to attain nirvana and stop the endless cycle of rebirths and suffering. But the idea of a general purpose for mankind suggests that someone or something created that purpose, which in turn suggests an omnipotent deity. The way I think of it is that we have no pre-ordained purpose. We evolved, and here we are. Because we also evolved language and conceptual thinking, we got stuck with this concept of a self, an ego that makes us feel separate from everything else. The ego needs constant reassurance of its importance, which is why we cling to our views and defend them fanatically, and why we are constantly criticizing others. Our ego rules our lives. It is terrified of being snuffed out. We handle this in different ways. Some of us have lots of kids so we can feel that a part of us lives on forever through our descendants. Some of us perform heroic deeds so that our names will live on in history forever. Some of us get onto Ripley's Believe It Or Not with the world's longest moustache or beating the world record for smashing melons with our head, or some such nonsense, so that we'll achieve digital immortality. Some of us cling to the idea that a god will give us eternal life in some form after death. For those of us who don't find this pseudo-immortality or unguaranteed immortality satisfying, there's a need to create our own purpose in life. This is where Buddhism fits the bill nicely. Instead of being ruled by the ego and its fears, get rid of it! Being rid of the ego and the suffering it brings is what Ajahn Jagaro called "True Freedom" - a very appealing idea for all of us. If we don't achieve true freedom in this life, we should get another chance in a future life. But simply diminishing the ego and increasing freedom in this life seems like a worthwhile purpose to me. What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? To preserve the monastic order, the Buddha set down 227 rules for a bhikkhu (monk) to observe and 311 for a bhikkhuni (nun). Before his death (known as parinirvana) he said that some minor rules could be changed. Within a short time of his passing away there was disagreement over what could be changed and different sects emerged. The more reformist sects later called themselves Mahayana (greater vehicle) and referred to the conservative sects as Hinayana (lesser vehicle). The only conservative sect remaining today is Theravada, which is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. Theravada recognises the Pali Canon as its scriptures and a variety of ancient Theravadin commentaries. Whereas Theravada spread to the south and east, Mahayana moved to the northwest through what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan and then across Central Asia to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. For historical reasons, the language of Mahayana scriptures was Sanskrit and that of Theravada was Pali. Hence the difference in spelling of some common Buddhist terms: Nirvana/Nibbana, Sutra/Sutta, Karma/Kamma, Dharma/Damma, etc. Westerners are more familiar with Mahayana Sanskrit terms. Mahayana also has its own scriptures in addition to the Pali Canon, the most important of which is the Lotus Sutra. These sutras are purported to be the Buddha's secret "higher" teachings, which were handed down only to those who were ready for them - an idea emphasised at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra. Apart from a modified monastic code which made monasticism possible in harsh environments such as Tibet, Mahayana emphasises the Bodhisattva Ideal, where a man vows not to achieve final enlightenment until all sentient beings have been saved. So anyone helping others to achieve enlightenment can be considered a bodhisattva. In Theravada, the term bodhisattva usually refers only to the historical Buddha in his previous lives. Historically, some Mahayanists consider Theravadins to be selfish for seeking enlightenment only for themselves, while some Theravadins consider Mahayanists to have deviated from what the Buddha taught. The various sutras and sects of Mahayana reflect different ways of reaching enlightenment appropriate for different people with different levels of ability. Because of this, a number of "mythical" buddhas and bodhisattvas are revered and used as objects of meditation. Theravadins revere only the historical Buddha and only his image is seen in temples. Mahayana tends to emphasise the concept of sunyata (void-ness) in its teachings and tends to have a more specific idea of what passes from rebirth to rebirth (consciousness, comprising awareness and memory). Personally, I found that the more I read about Mahayana and the Tibetan tradition known as Vajrayana, the more I accepted that all sects are going in the same direction and there is no point in considering any one of them better than another. Which tradition should I choose? I suggest reading about Theravada first and then investigating the other traditions to see which suits you best. Your decision may also depend on your Buddhist friends and what is available where you live. As far as I know, the main traditions known in the West are Theravada, Tibetan, Zen, Pure Land and Nichiren. One myth that seems to have grown up over the years is that with Mahayana one can reach enlightenment in one lifetime whereas with Theravada it takes aeons. This notion seems to have been pushed by the Chinese Zen patriarchs, in particular Huang Po, as illustrated in The Zen Teaching of Huang Po. In modern times the idea has been spread by influential author-scholar John Blofeld, who translated Huang Po's works into English and wrote several excellent books on Buddhism. But it all seems pretty ridiculous because how could anyone know how many lives ago any particular person started consciously working towards enlightenment? Blofeld followed Zen and then Tibetan Buddhist Tantrism, describing both as the "Short Path." However, it isn't difficult to see that any tradition that emphasises meditation - as the Buddha did - will be a short path. In the past century, the Thai Forest Tradition is a good example of a Theravadin tradition that produced a number of enlightened masters. According to Blofeld, Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism in particular offer ways of practice to suit people at every level. After all, not everyone has an aptitude for meditation. A lot of people prefer something simpler, such as praying, chanting, various forms of devotion and pilgrimages. He describes Zen and Theravada as "formless," meaning the practice is mostly just you and your mind. But in fact there's a lot more to both than just meditation. Tibetan Buddhism seems to attract Westerners because there are now a lot of Tibetan lamas and monasteries in the West, because of the charisma of the Dalai Lama, because it can be a "Short Path," because of its reputation for developing psychic powers and because of its many varied methods of practice. However, Tibetan Buddhism has absorbed much of the ancient, shamanistic Bon religion of Tibet, so it's wise to read up on Tibet thoroughly before committing to it. Zen attracts Westerners because it's something of a "back to basics" tradition with an emphasis on meditation and very little ritual. Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is revered rather than the other mythical buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Mahayana sutras. Although it originated in China, the type of Zen practised in the West is mostly Japanese. Theravada attracts Western practicioners because it is seen as the oldest and purest form of Buddhism, one that reveres only Sakyamuni and in theory concentrates on meditation. The Thai Forest Tradition which developed in the late 1800s was an effort to practise exactly as the Buddha did, wandering in the jungle and meditating in caves. Although the jungle is largely gone now, a number of Westerners joined Ajahn Chah's international monastery in the 1970s and later spread the practice in other countries: Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm in Australia, Thanissaro Bhikkhu in the USA and Ajahn Sumedho in the UK. For a brief look at the origins of this tradition, see Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Customs of the Noble Ones. For a more detailed treatment, read Forest Recollections. Pure Land was once widespread in China and is still practised among Chinese around the world. A refined form of Pure Land (Jodo and Shin Jodo) developed in Japan and has spread to the West. Pure Land involves purifying the mind by chanting the name of the Amitabha (Amida) Buddha to gain help in reaching a realm after death from where it is easy to reach enlightenment. On a deeper level, Pure Land equals pure mind and Amitabha represents our own qualities rather than an external saviour. Pure Land is sometimes combined with Zen practice. Nichiren is a homegrown Japanese tradition advocating chanting of a phrase hailing the Lotus Sutra. An offshoot of Nichiren is the lay organisation, Sokka Gakai International. There are a few Buddhist sects and organisations that are controversial in some way, usually because of their founder/leader or his particular beliefs. Before getting involved with Sokka Gakai (SGI), the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), Shugden or Diamond Way (Karma Kagyu), you might want to google for information about their background. How do I become a Buddhist? Although there is a ceremony of taking the Three Refuges (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), there isn't any "conversion" involved and you aren't required to renounce any other religion or beliefs. In fact, it seems to be more of a social statement to show others that you have become a Buddhist. In my opinion, once you accept the Buddha's teachings as a way of life and try to follow the Five Precepts for lay people, you're a Buddhist. For me, this involved a lot of reading Dharma and listening to Dharma talks on the Internet. Rather than read the scriptures (which are often difficult), I chose books by monks and nuns who already had a deep knowledge of Dharma through study and practice, and who had a talent for explaining it. I looked at how Buddhism developed over the millennia and decided to start off with Theravada, which is the original form of Buddhism based on the Pali Canon. Later, I investigated the various Mahayana traditions too. It was obvious to me that reducing the power of the ego to control our lives was a foundation of Buddhism. For my practice, I concentrated on Right Speech (a component of the Noble Eightfold Path) because I thought it would give the fastest results. I expected if I started being nice to people, eventually they'd be nicer to me. That happened, but much more than that. I found myself examining my intentions every time I felt like defending my views, arguing with someone, contradicting them, criticizing them, comparing myself with them or judging them in any way at all. Pretty soon it was obvious that much of what I said or did was designed to boost my sense of self-worth and that "true freedom" was to escape this tyranny of the ego. Later I started meditating, since this is the only way to experience the truth of the teaching rather than just understanding them intellectually. Even though the majority of people born into Buddhism may not meditate, it's essential for the serious Buddhist. Some Westerners have a problem with whether they are or aren't a Buddhist, usually because they still have some belief in god or because they haven't come to believe in rebirth. The following talk by Ajahn Jagaro, a Western monk of the Thai Forest Tradition, will be helpful for anyone asking himself, "Am I a Buddhist?" ________________________________________ Am I a Buddhist? by Ajahn Jagaro Teaching people who have only recently encountered Buddhism I am often asked the question "How do you become a Buddhist?" or "How do you know when you are a Buddhist?" This type of enquiry is indeed healthy and to be encouraged not only amongst those new to Buddhism but also for people born and raised as Buddhists. So go ahead and ask yourself: "Am I a Buddhist?" I expect that there will be many who will answer "Yes" and those who say "No", but I wonder how many will be thinking "Oh ... Ahm,.. I don't know." So let us contemplate this business of being a Buddhist a bit more. To begin our enquiry it may be worthwhile to know what the Buddha said on the matter. The following episode is taken from the Buddhist scriptures (Anguttara Nikaya, Vol IV): "Once, the Lord dwelt amongst the Sakyans in the Banyan Tree Monastery at Kapilavatthu, and while there, Mahanama the Sakyan came to him and asked; "How, Lord, does one become a lay disciple?" "When one has taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, then one is a lay disciple". "How, Lord, is a lay disciple virtuous?" "When a lay disciple abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and drinking intoxicants, then he is virtuous." Here the Buddha clearly states that by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha one becomes a disciple or, in modern terminology, a Buddhist. The classical formula of going for refuge, which has been passed down from the time of the Buddha is as follows; Buddham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Buddha) Dhammam Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Dhamma) Sangham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Sangha) However one does not become a Buddhist through the mere repetition of these words nor by the performance of any other ceremony ritual or initiation. On the other hand, though one has not performed any ceremony or ritual, one may still be a Buddhist. Put simply, this means that no one can make you a Buddhist nor can anyone stop you from being a Buddhist. It is a volitional choice that one makes when one has sufficient confidence in the Teacher and the Teaching. In the commentaries to the scriptures it explains this as, "It is an act of consciousness devoid of defilements, motivated by confidence in and reverence for the Triple Gem"... Here I would like to relate something of my own experience to help explain this point. When I first came in contact with Buddhism I did not consider myself a religious person. If anything, I thought of myself as an atheist and felt that religion had little relevance to real life. However, I did find the Buddha's Teachings and in particular the practice of meditation very appealing. I had a desire to find out more about it and this lead me into a monastery where I was eventually ordained as a monk. One day a young Thai student, wanting to practise his English, casually asked me "Are you a Buddhist?" But in my mind I wondered whether or not I was a Buddhist. I must confess that it was a strange position to be in - a Buddhist monk who doesn't know whether he is a Buddhist! Yet that situation persisted for over a year before the meaning of both the question and the answer became clear to me. During that year as I continued to study and practise the Dhamma I began to feel very comfortable with the teaching and increasingly confident that this was the way for me. With this came the conscious recognition that I had chosen the Buddha as my Teacher and considered him as the embodiment of the spiritual ideals of peace and liberation. I had also chosen to follow the path contained in his Teaching (the Dhamma) being confident that it would lead to liberation. And while on this path I would seek the guidance and try to emulate the example of all the noble disciples who constitute the Sangha. It was indeed wonderful to discover that I was a Buddhist and not just a Buddhist monk! Now becoming a Buddhist does not mean that one has to either agree with or believe in everything that is taught or practised by all the countless Buddhist sects and groups throughout the world. Nor do we have to believe that it is the only way and that all the other religions are no good. It simply means that having looked at and probed into this teaching of the Buddha, having tried it and having seen that it does work, one has confidence in it and chooses to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and Sangha. However if you are still unsure as to whether you are a Buddhist or you are not, don't worry about it, just keep on practising. With Metta, Jagaro Bhikkhu. ________________________________________ If you found this page useful or have any comments you can contact me at craigo@tale ofgenji.org. [ links | home | bibliography ]
How many of you can't read this? The Unthinkable Thought "Jesus said, 'It is to those who are worthy of my Mysteries that I tell my Mysteries.'" The Gospel of Thomas On the site where the Vatican now stands there once stood a Pagan temple. Here Pagan priests observed sacred ceremonies which early Christians found so disturbing that they tried to erase all evidence of them ever having been practised. What were these shocking Pagan rites? Gruesome sacrifices or obscene orgies perhaps. This is what we have been led to believe. But the truth is far stranger than this fiction. Where today the gathered faithful revere their Lord Jesus Christ, the ancients worshipped another godman who, like Jesus, had been miraculously born on 25 December before three shepherds. In this ancient sanctuary Pagan congregations once glorified a Pagan redeemer who, like lesus, was said to have ascended to heaven and to have promised to come again at the end of time to judge the quick and the dead. On the same spot where the Pope celebrates the Catholic mass, Pagan priests also celebrated a symbolic meal of bread and wine in memory of their saviour who, just like Tesus, had declared: "He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation." When we began to uncover such extraordinary similarities between the story of Jesus and Pagan myth we were stunned. We had been brought up in a culture which portrays Paganism and Christianity as entirely antagonistic religious perspectives. How could such astonishing resemblances be explained? We were intrigued and began to search further. The more we looked, the more resemblances we found. To account for the wealth of evidence we were unearthing we felt compelled to completely review our understanding of the relationship between Paganism and Christianity, to question beliefs that we previously regarded as unquestionable and to imagine possibilities which at first seemed impossible. Some readers will find our conclusions shocking and others heretical, but for us they are merely the simplest and most obvious way of accounting for the evidence we have amassed. We have become convinced that the story of Jesus is not the biography of an historical Messiah, but a myth based on perennial Pagan stories. Christianity was not a new and unique revelation but actually a Jewish adaptation of the ancient Pagan Mystery religion. This is what we have called 'the Jesus Mysteries Thesis.' It may sound farfetched at first, just as it did initially to us. There is, after all, a great deal of unsubstantiated nonsense written about the 'real' Jesus, so any revolutionary theory should be approached with a healthy dose of scepticism. But although this book makes extraordinary claims, it is not just entertaining fantasy or sensational speculation. It is firmly based upon the available historical sources and the latest scholarly research. Whilst we hope to have made it accessible to the general reader, we have also included copious notes giving sources, references and greater detail for those who wish to analyse our arguments more thoroughly. Although still radical and challenging today, many of the ideas we explore are actually far from new. As long ago as the Renaissance, mystics and scholars saw the origins of christianity in the ancient Egyptian religion. Visionary scholars at the turn of the nineteenth century also made com-paxable conjectures to our own. In recent decades, modern academics have repeatedly pointed towards the possibilities we consider. Yet few have dared to boldly state the obvious conclusions which we have drawn. Why? Because to do so is taboo. For 2,000 years the West has been dominated by the idea that Christianity is sacred and unique, whilst Paganism is primitive and the work of the Devil. To even consider that they could be parts of the same tradition has been simply unthinkable. Therefore, although the true origins of Christianity have been obvious all along, few have been able to see them, because to do so requires a radical break with the conditioning of our culture. Our contribution has been to dare to think the unthinkable and to present our conclusions in a popular book rather than some dry academic tome. This is certainly not the last word on this complex subject, but we hope it may be a significant call for a complete reappraisal of the origins of Christianity. THE PAGAN MYSTERIES In Greek tragedies the chorus reveals the fate of the protagonists before the play begins. Sometimes it is easier to understand the journey if one is already aware of the destination and the terrain to be covered. Before diving deeper into detail, therefore, we would like to retrace our process of discovery and so provide a brief overview of the book. We had shared an obsession with world mysticism all our lives which recently had led us to explore spirituality in the ancient world. Popular understanding inevtitably lags a long way behind the cutting edge of scholarly research and, like most people, we initially had an inaccurate and out-dated view of Paganism. We had been taught to imagine a primitive superstition which indulged in idol worship and bloody sacrifice, and dry philosophers wearing togas stumbling blindly towards what we today call 'science.' We were familiar with various Greek myths which showed the partisan and capricious nature of the Olympian gods and goddesses. All in all, Paganism seemed primitive and fundamentally alien. After many years of study, however, our understanding has been transformed. Pagan spirituality was actually the sophisticated product of a highly developed culture. The state religions, such as the Greek worship of the Olympian gods, were little more than outer pomp and ceremony. The real spirituality of the people expressed itself through the vibrant and mystical 'Mystery religions.' At first underground and heretical movements, these Mysteries spread and flourished throughout the ancient Mediterranean, inspiring the greatest minds of the Pagan world, who regarded them as the very source of civilization. Each Mystery tradition had exoteric Outer Mysteries, consisting of myths which were common knowledge and rituals which were open to anyone who wanted to participate. There were also esoteric Inner Mysteries, which were a sacred secret only known to those who had undergone a powerful process of initiation. Initiates of the Inner Mysteries had the mystical meaning of the rituals and myths of the Outer Mysteries revealed to them, a process which brought about personal transformation and spiritual enlightenment. The philosophers of the ancient world were the spiritual masters of the Inner Mysteries. They were mystics and miracle-workers, more comparable to Hindu gurus than dusty academics. The great Greek philosopher Pythagoras, for example, is remembered today for his mathematical theorem, but few people picture him as he actually was a flamboyant sage who was believed to be able to miraculously still the winds and raise the dead. At the heart of the Mysteries were myths concerning a dying and resurrecting godman, who was known by many different names. In Egyp he was Osiris, in Greece Dionysus, in Asia Minor Attis, in Syria Adonis, in Italy Bacchus, in Persia Mithras. Fundamentally all these godmen are the same mythical being. As was the practice from as early as the third century BCE, in this book we will use the combined name "Osiris-Dionysus" to denote his universal and composite nature, and his particular names when referring to a specific Mystery tradition. From the fifth century BCE philosophers such as Xenophanes and Empedocles had ridiculed taking the stories of the gods and goddesses literally. They viewed them as allegories of human spiritual experience. The myths of Osiris-Dionysus should not be understood as just intriguing tales, therefore, but as a symbolic language which encodes the mystical teachings of the Inner Mysteries. Because of this, although the details were developed and adapted over time by different cultures, the myth of Osiris-Dionysus has remained essentially the same. The various myths of the different godmen of the Mysteries share what the great mythologist Joseph Campbell called 'the same anatomy', just as every human is physically unique yet it is possible to talk of the general anatomy of the human body, so with these different myths it is possible to see both their uniqueness and fundamental sameness. A helpful comparison may be the relationship between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein's West Side Story. One is a sixteenth-century English tragedy about wealthy Italian families, whilst the other is a twentieth-century American musical about street gangs. On the face of it they look very different, yet they are essentially the same story. Similarly, the tales told about the godmen of the Pagan Mysteries are essentially the same, although they take different forms. The more we studied the various versions of the myth of Osiris-Dionysus, the more it became obvious that the story of Jesus had all the characteristics of this perennial tale. Event by event, we found we were able to construct Jesus' supposed biography from mythic motifs previousl3 relating to Osiris-Dionysus: - Osiris-Dionysus is God made flesh, the saviour and 'Son of God'. - His father is God and his mother is a mortal virgin. - He is born in a cave or humble cowshed on 25 December before three shepherds. - He offers his followers the chance to be born again through the rites ot baptism. - He miraculously turns water into wine at a marriage ceremony. - He rides triumphantly into town on a donkey while people wave palm leaves to honour him. - He dies at Eastertime as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. - After his death he descends to hell, then on the third day he rises from the dead and ascends to heaven in glory. - His followers await his return as the judge during the Last Days. - His death and resurrection are celebrated by a ritual meal of bread and wine which symbolize his body and blood. These are just some of the motifs shared between the tales of Osiris-Dionysus and the 'biography' of Jesus. Why are these remarkable similarities not common knowledge? Because, as we were to discover later, the early Roman Church did everything in its power to prevent us perceiving them. It systematically destroyed Pagan sacred literature in a brutal programme of eradicating the Mysteries -- a task it performed so completely that today Paganism is regarded as a 'dead' religion. Although surprising to us now, to writers of the first few centuries CE these similarities between the new Christian religion and the ancient Mysteries were extremely obvious. Pagan critics of Christianity, such as the satirist Celsus, complained that this recent religion was nothing more than a pale reflection of their own ancient teachings. Early 'Church fathers,' such as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Irenaeus, were understandably disturbed and resorted to the desperate claim that these similarities were the result of 'diabolical mimicry.' Using one of the most absurd arguments ever advanced, they accused the Devil of 'plagiarism by anticipation,' of deviously copying the true story of Jesus before it had actually happened in an attempt to mislead the gullible! These Church fathers struck us as no less devious than the Devil they hoped to incriminate. Other Christian commentators have claimed that the myths of the Mysteries were like pre-echoes of the literal coming of Jesus, somewhat like premonitions or prophecies. This is a more generous version of the'diabolical mimicry' theory, but seemed no less ridiculous to us. There was nothing other than cultural prejudice to make us see the Jesus story as the literal culmination of its many mythical precursors. Viewed impartially, it appeared to be just another version of the same basic story. The obvious explanation is that as early Christianity became the dominant power in the previously Pagan world, popular motifs from Pagan mythology became grafted onto the biography of Jesus. This is a possibility that is even put forward by many Christian theologians. The virgin birth, for example, is often regarded as an extraneous later addition that should not be understood literally. Such motifs were 'borrowed' from Paganism in the same way that Pagan festivals were adopted as Christian saints' days. This theory is common amongst those who go looking for the 'real' Jesus hidden under the weight of accumulated mythological debris. Attractive as it appears at first, to us this explanarion seemed inadequate.We had collated such a comprehensive body of similarities that there remained hardly any significant elements in the biography of Jesus that we did not find prefigured by the Mysteries. On top of this, we discovered that even Jesus' teachings were not original, but had been anticipated by the Pagan sages! If there was a 'real' Jesus somewhere underneath all this, we would have to acknowledge that we could know absolutely nothing about him, for all that remained for us was later Pagan accretions! Such a position seemed absurd. Surely there was a more elegant solution to this conundrum. THE GNOSTICS Whilst we were puzzling over these discoveries, we began to question the received picture of the early Church and have a look at the evidence for ourselves. We discovered that far from being the united congregation of saints and martyrs that traditiona! history would have us believe, the early Christian community was actually made up of a whole spectrum of different groups. These can be broadly categorized into two different schools. On the one hand there were those we will call 'Literalists', because what defines them is that they take the Jesus story as a literal account of historical events. It was this school of Christianity that was adopted by the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE, becoming Roman Catholicism and all its subsequent offshoots. On the other hand, however, there were also radically diffejent Christians known as 'Gnostics.' These forgotten Christians were later persecuted out of existence by the Literalist Roman Church with such thoroughness that until recently we knew little about them except through the writings of their detractors. Only a handful of original Gnostic texts survived, none of which were published before the nineteenth century. This situation changed dramatically, however, with a remarkable discovery in 1945 when an Arab peasant stumbled upon a whole library of Gnostic gospels hidden in a cave near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. This gave scholars access to many texts which were in wide circulation amongst early Christians, but which were deliberately excluded from the canon of the New Testament -- gospels attributed to Thomas and Philip, texts recording the acts of Peter and the 12 disciples, apocalypses attributed to Paul and James, and so on. It seemed to us extraordinary that a whole library of early Christian documents could be discovered, containing what purport to be the teachings of Christ and his disciples, and yet so few modem followers of Jesus should even know of their existence. Why hasn't every Christian rushed out to read these newly discovered words of the Master? What keeps them confined to the small number of gospels selected for inclusion in the New Testament? It seems that even though 2,000 years have passed since the Gnostics were purged, during which time the Roman Church has split into Protestantism and thousands of other alternative groups, the Gnostics are still not regarded as a legitimate voice of Christianity. Those who do explore the Gnostic gospels discover a form of Christianity quite alien to the religion with which they are familiar. We found ourselves studying strange esoteric tracts with titles such as Hypostasis of the Archons and The Thought of Norea. It felt as if we were in an episode of Star Trek -- and in a way we were. The Gnostics truly were 'psychonauts' who boldly explored the final frontiers of inner space, searching for the origins and meaning of life. These people were mystics and creative free-thinkers. It was obvious to us why they were so hated by the bishops of the Literalist Church hierarchy. To Literalists, the Gnostics were dangerous heretics. In volumes of anti-Gnostic works -- an unintentional testimony to the power and influence of Gnosticism within early Christianity -- they painted them as Christians who had 'gone native.' They claimed they had become contaminated by the Paganism that surrounded them and had abandoned the purity of the true faith. The Gnostics, on the other hand, saw themselves as the authentic Christian tradition and the orthodox bishops as an 'imitation church.' They claimed to know the secret Inner Mysteries of Christianity which the Literslists did not possess. As we explored the beliefs and practices of the Gnostics we became convinced that the Literalists had at least been right about one thing: the Gnostics were little different from Pagans. Like the philosophers of the Pagan Mysteries, they believed in reincarnation, honoured the goddess Sophia, and were immersed in the mystical Greek philosophy of Plato. 'Gnostics' means 'Knowers', a name they acquired because, like the initiates of the Pagan Mysteries, they believed that their secret teachings had the power to impart 'Gnosis' -- direct experiential 'Knowledge of God.' Just as the goal of a Pagan initiate was to become a god, so for the Gnostics the goal of the Christian initiate was to become a Christ. What particularly struck us was that the Gnostics were not concerned with the historical Jesus. They viewed the Jesus story in the same way that the Pagan philosophers viewed the myths of Osiris-Dionysus -- as an allegory which encoded secret mystical teachings. This insight crystallized for us a remarkable possibility. Perhaps the explanation for the similarities between Pagan myths and the biography of Jesus had been staring us in the face the whole time, but we had been so caught up with traditional ways of thinking that we had been unable to see it. THE JESUS MYSTERIES THESIS The traditional version of history bequeathed to us by the authorities of the Roman Church is that Christianity developed from the teachings of a Jewish Messiah and that Gnosticism was a later deviation. What would happen, we wondered if the picture were reversed and Gnosticism viewed as the authentic Christianity, just as the Gnostics themselves claimed? Could it be that orthodox Christianity was a later deviation from Gnosticism and that Gnosticism was a synthesis of Judaism and the Pagan Mystery religion? This was the beginning of the Jesus Mysteries Thesis. Boldly stated, the picture that emerged for us was as follows. We knew that most ancient Mediterranean cultures had adopted the ancient Mysteries, adapting them to their own national tastes and creating their own version of the myth of the dying and resurrecting godman. Perhaps some of the Jews had likewise adopted the Pagan Mysteries and created their own version of the Mysteries which we now know as Gnosticism. Perhaps initiates of the Jewish Mysteries had adapted the potent symbolism of the Osiris-Dionysus myths into a myth of their own, the hero of which was the Jewish dying and ~surreeting godman Jesus. If this was so, then the Jesus story was not a biography at all but a consciously crafted vehicle for encoded spiritual teachings created by Jewish Gnostics. As in the Pagan Mysteries, initiation into the Inner Mysteries would reveal the myth's allegorical meaning. Perhaps those uninitiated into the Inner Mysteries had mistakenly come to regard the Jesus myth as historical fact and in this way Literalist Christianity had been created. Perhaps the Inner Mysteries of Christianity, which the Gnostics taught but which the Literalists denied existed, revealed that the Jesus story was not a factual account of God's one and only visit to planet Earth, but a mystical teaching story designed to help each one of us become a Christ. The Jesus story does have all the hallmarks of a myth, so could it be that that is exactly what it is? After all, no one has read the newly discovered Gnostic gospels and taken their fantastic stories as literally true; they are readily seen as myths. It is only familiarity and cultural prejudice which prevent us from seeing tlae New Testament gospels in the same light. If those gospels had also been lost to us and only recently discovered, who would read these tales for the first time and believe they were historical accounts of a man born of a virgin, who had walked on water and returned from the dead? Why should we consider the stories of Osiris, Dionysus, Adonis, Attis, Mithras and the other Pagan Mystery saviours as fables, yet come across essentially the same story told in a Jewish context and believe it to be the biography of a carpenter from Bethlehem? We had both been raised as Christians and were surprised to find that, despite years of open-minded spiritual exploration, it still felt somehow dangerous to even dare think such thoughts. Early indoctrination reaches very deep. We were in effect saying that Jesus was a Pagan god and that Christianity was a heretical product of Paganism! It seemed outrageous. Yet this theory explained the similarities between the stories of Osiris-Dionysus and Jesus Christ in a simple and elegant way. They are parts of one developing mythos. The Jesus Mysteries Thesis answered many puzzling questions, yet it also opened up new dilemmas. Isn't there indisputable historical evidence for the existence of Jesus the man? And how could Gnosticism be the original Christianity when St Paul, the earliest Christian we know about, is so vociferously anti-Gnostic? And is it really credible that such an insular and anti-Pagan people as the Jews could have adopted the Pagan Mysteries? And how could it have happened that a consciously created myth came to be believed as history? And if Gnosticism represents genuine Christianity, why was it Literalist Christianity that came to dominate the world as the most influential religion of all time? All of these difficult questions would have to be satisfactorily answered before we could wholeheartedly accept such a radical theory as the Jesus Mysteries Thesis. THE GREAT COVER UP Our new account of the origins of Christianity only seemed improbable because it contradicted the received view. As we pushed further with our research, the traditional picture began to completely unravel all around us. We found ourselves embroiled in a world of schism and power straggles, of forged documents and false identities, of letters that had been edited and added to, and of the wholesale destruction of historical evidence. We focused forensically on the few facts we could be confident of, as if we were detectives on the verge of cracking a sensational 'whodunnit', or perhaps more accurately as if we were uncovering an ancient and unacknowledged miscarriage of justice. For, time and again, when we critically examined what genuine evidence remained, we found that the history of Christianity bqueathed to us by the Roman Church was a gross distortion of the truth. Actually the evidence completely endorsed the Jesus Mysteries Thesis! It was becoming increasingly obvious that we had been deliberately deceived, that the Gnostics were indeed the original Christians, and that their anarchic mysticism had been hijacked by an authoritarian institution which had created from it a dogmatic religion - and then brutally enforced the greatest cover-up in history. One of the major players in this cover-up operation was a character called Eusebius, who, at the beginning of the fourth century, compiled from legends, fabrications and his own imagination the only early history of Christianity that still exists today. All subsequent histories have been forced to base themselves on Eusebins' dubious claims, because there has been little other information to draw on. All those with a different perspective on Christianity were branded as heretics and eradicated. In this way falsehoods compiled in the fourth century have come down to us as established facts. Eusebius was employed by the Roman Emperor Constantine, who made Christianity the state religion of the Empire and gave Literalist Christianity the power it needed to begin the final eradication of Paganism and Gnosticism. Constantine wanted 'one God, one religion' to consolidate his claim of 'one Empire, one Emperor.' He oversaw the creation of the Nicene creed -- the article of faith repeated in churches to this day -- and christians who refused to assent to this creed were banished from the Empire or otherwise silenced. This 'Christian' Emperor then returned home from Nicaea and had his wife suffocated and his son murdered. He deliberately remained unbaptized until his deathbed so that he could continue his atrocities and still receive forgiveness of sins and a guaranteed place in heaven by being baptized at the last moment. Although he had his 'spin doctor' Eusebius compose a suitably obsequious biography for him, he was actually a monster -- just like many Roman Emperors before him. Is it really at all surprising that a 'history' of the origins of Christianity created by an employee in the service of a Roman tyrant should turn out to be a pack of lies? Elaine PageIs, one of the foremost academic authorities on early Christianity, writes: "It is the winners who write history -- their way. No wonder, then, that the traditional accounts of the origins of Christianity first defined the terms (naming themselves "orthodox" and their opponents "heretics"); then they proceeded to demonstrate -- at least to their own satisfaction -- that their triumph was historically inevitable, or, in religious terms, "guided by the Holy Spirit." But the discoveries [of the Gnostic gospels] at Nag Hammadi reopen fundamental questions." History is indeed written by the victors. The creation of an appropriate history has always been part of the arsenal of political manipulation. The Roman Church created a history of the triumph of Literalist Christianity in much the same partisan way that, two millennia later, Hollywood created tales of 'cowboys and Indians' to relate 'how the West was won' not 'how the West was lost.' History is not simply related, it is created. Ideally, the motivation is to explain historical evidence and come to an accurate understanding of how the present has been created by the past. All too often, however, it is simply to glorify and justify the status quo. Such histories conceal as much as they reveal. To dare to question a received history is not easy. It is difficult to believe that something which you have been told is true from childhood could actually be a product of falsification and fantasy. It must have been hard for those Russians brought up on tales of kindly 'Uncle Joe' Stalin to accept that he was actually responsible for the deaths of millions. It must have strained credibility when those opposing his regime claimed that he had in fact murdered many of the heroes of the Russian revolution. It must have seemed ridiculous when they asserted that he had even had the images of his rivals removed from photographs and completely fabricated historical events. Yet all these things are true. It is easy to believe that something must be true because everyone else believes it. But the truth often only comes to light by daring to question the unquestionable, by doubting notions which are so commonly believed that they are taken for granted. The Jesus Mysteries Thesis is the product of such an openness of mind. When it first occurred to us, it seemed absurd and impossible. Now it seems obvious and ordinary. The Vatican was constructed upon the site of an ancient Pagan sanctuary because the new is always built upon the old. In the same way Christianity itself has as its foundations the Pagan spirituality that preceded it. What is more plausible than to posit the gradual evolution of spiritual ideas, with Christianity emerging from the ancient Pagan Mysteries in a seamless historical continuum? It is only because the conventional history has been so widely believed for so long that this idea could be seen as heretical and shocking. RECOVERING MYSTICAL CHRISTIANITY As the final pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, we came across a small picture tucked away in the appendices of an old academic book. It was a drawing of a third-century CE amulet. We have used it as the cover of this book. It shows a crucified figure which most people would immediately recognize as Jesus. Yet the Greek words name the figure 'Orpheus Bacchus,' one of the pseudonyms of Osiris-Dionysus. To the author of the book in which we found the picture, this amulet was an anomaly. Who could it have possibly belonged to? Was it a crucified Pagan deity or some sort of Gnostic synthesis of Paganism and Christianity? Either way it was deeply puzzling. For us, however, this amulet was perfectly understandable. It was an unexpected confirmation of the Jesus Mysteries Thesis. The image could be that of either Jesus or Osiris-Dionysus. To the initiated, these were both names for essentially the same figure. The 'chance' discovery of this amulet made us feel as though the universe itself was encouraging us to make our findings public. In different ways the Jesus Mysteries Thesis has been proposed by mystics and scholars for centuries, but has always ended up being ignored. It now felt like an idea whose moment had come. We did, however, have misgivings about writing this book. We knew that it would inevitably upset certain Christians, something which we had no desire to do. Certainly it has been hard to be constantly surrounded by lies and injustices without experiencing a certain amount of outrage at the negative misrepresentation of the Gnostics, and to have become aware of the great riches of Pagan culture without feeling grief that they were so wantonly destroyed. Yet we do not have some sort of anti-Christian agenda. Far from it. Those who have read our other works will know that our interest is not in further division, but in acknowledging the unity that lies at the heart of all spiritual traditions -- and this present book is no exception. Early Literalist Christians mistakenly believed that the Jesus story was different from other stories of Osiris-Dionysus because Jesus alone had been an historical rather than a mythical figure. This has left Christians feeling that their faith is in opposition to all others -- which it is not. We hope that by understanding its true origins in the ongoing evolution of a universal human spirituality, Christianity may be able to free itself from this self-imposed isolation. Whilst the Jesus Mysteries Thesis clearly rewrites history, we do not see it as undermining the Christian faith, but as suggesting that Christianity is in fact richer than we previously imagined. The Jesus story is a perennial myth with the power to impart the saving Gnosis which can transform each one of us into a Christ, not merely a history of events that happened to someone else 2,000 years ago. Belief in the Jesus story was originally the first step in Christian spirituality -- the Outer Mysteries. Its significance was to be explained by an enlightened teacher when the seeker was spiritually ripe. These Inner Mysteries imparted a mystical Knowledge of God beyond mere belief in dogmas. Although many inspired Christian mystics throughout history have intuitively seen through to this deeper symbolic level of understanding, as a culture we have inherited only the Outer Mysteries of Christianity. We have kept the form, but lost the inner meaning. Our hope is that this book can play some small part in reclaiming the true mystical Christian inheritance. The Pagan Mysteries "Blest is the happy man Who knows the Mysteries the gods ordain, And sanctifies his life, Joins soul with soul in mystic unity, And, by due ritual made pure Enters the ecstasy of mountain solitudes; Who observes the mystic rites Made lawful by the Great Mother; Who crowns his head with ivy, And shakes his wand in worship ot Dionysus." Euripides Paganism is a 'dead' religion -- or more accurately an 'exterminated' religion· It did not simply fade away into oblivion. It was actively suppressed and annihilated, its temples and shrines desecrated and demolished, and its great sacred books thrown onto bonfires. No living lineage has been left to explain its ancient beliefs. So, the Pagan worldview has to be reconstructed from the archaeological evidence and texts that have survived, like some giant metaphysical jigsaw puzzle. 'Pagan' was originally a derogatory term meaning 'country-dweller,' used by Christians to infer that the spirituality of the ancients was some primitive rural superstition. But this is not true. Paganism was the spirituality which inspired the unequalled magnificence of the Giza pyramids, the exquisite architecture of the Parthenon, the legendary sculptures of Phideas, the powerful plays of Euripides and Sophocles, and the sublime philosophy of Socrates and Plato. Pagan civilization built vast libraries to house hundreds of thousands of works of literary and scientific genius. Its natural philosophers speculated that human beings had evolved from animals. Its astronomers knew the Earth was a sphere which, along with the planets, revolves around the sun. They had even estimated its circumference to within one degree of accuracy? The ancient Pagan world sustained a population not matched again in Europe until the eighteenth century. In Greece, Pagan culture gave birth to the concepts of democracy, rational philosophy, public libraries, theatre and the Olympic Games, creating a blueprint for our modern world. What was the spirituality that inspired these momentous cultural achievements? Most people associate Paganism with either rustic witchcraft or the myths of the gods of Olympus as recorded by Hesiod and Homer. Pagan spirituality did indeed embrace both. The country people practised their traditional shamanic nature worship to maintain the fertility of the land and the city authorities propped up formal state religions, such as the worship of the Olympian gods, to maintain the power of the status quo. It was, however, a third, more mystical, expression of the Pagan spirit which inspired the great minds of the ancient world. The thinkers, artists and innovators of antiquity were initiates of various religions known as 'Mysteries.' These remarkable men and women held the Mysteries to be the heart and soul of their culture. The Greek historian Zosimos writes that without the Mysteries "life for the Greeks would be unlivable" for "the sacred Mysteries hold the whole human race together." The eminent Roman statesman Cicero enthuses: "These Mysteries have brought us from rustic savagery to a cultivated and refined civilisation. The rites of the Mysteries are called "initiations" and in truth we have learned trom them the first principles of life. We have gained the understanding not only to live happily but also to die with better hope." Unlike the traditional rituals of the official state religions, which were designed to aid social cohesion, the mysteries were an individualistic form of.spirituality which offered mystical visions and personal enlightenment. Initiates underwent a secret process of initiation which profoundly trans-r formed their state of consciousness. The poet Pindar reveals that an initiate into the Mysteries "knows the end of life and its God-given beginning." Lucius Apuleius, a poet-philosopher, writes of his experience of initiation as a spiritual rebirth which he celebrated as his birthday, an experience for which he felt a "debt of gratitude" that he "could never hope to repay." Plato, the most influential philosopher of all time, relates: "We beheld the beatific visions and were initiated into the Mystery which may be truly called blessed, celebrated by us in a state of innocence. We beheld calm, happy, simple, eternal visions, resplendent in pure light." The great Pagan philosophers were the enlightened masters of the Mysteries. Although they are often portrayed today as dry 'academic' intellectuals, they were actually enigmatic 'gurus.' Empedocles, like his master Pythagoras, was a charismatic miracle-worker. Socrates was an eccentric mystic prone to being suddenly overcome by states of rapture during which his friends would discover him staring off into space for hours. Heraclitus was asked by the citizens of Ephesus to become a lawmaker, but turned the offer down so that he could continue playing with the children in the temple. Anaxagoras shocked ordinary citizens by completely abandoning his farm to fully devote his life to "the higher philosophy." Diogenes owned nothing and lived in a jar at the entrance of a temple. The inspired playwright Euripides wrote his greatest tragedies during solitary retreats in an isolated cave. All of these idiosyncratic sages were steeped in the mysticism of the Mysteries, which they expressed in their philosophy. Olympiodorus, a follower of Plato, tells us that his master paraphrased the Mysteries everywhere. The works of Heraclitus were renowned even in ancient times for being obscure and impenetrable, yet Diogenes explains that they are crystal clear to an initiate of the Mysteries. Of studying Heraclitus he writes: "It is a hard road to follow, filled with darkness and gloom; but if an initiate leads you on the way, it becomes brighter than the radiance of the sun." At the heart of Pagan philosophy is an understanding that all things are One. The Mysteries aimed at awakening within the initiate a sublime experience of this Oneness. Sallustius declares: "Every initiation aims at uniting us with the World and with the Deity." Plotinus describes the initiate transcending his limited sense of himself as a separate ego and experiencing mystical union with God: "As if borne away, or possessed by a god, he attains to solitude in untroubled stillness, nowhere deflected in his being and unbusied with self, utterly at rest and become very rest. He does not converse with a statue or image but with Godhead itself. And this is no object of vision, but another mode of seeing, a detachment from self, a simplification and surrender of self, a yearning for contact, and a stillness and meditation directed towards transformation. Whoever sees himself in this way has attained likeness to God; let him abandon himself and find the end of his journeying ." No wonder the initiate Sopatros poertcally mused, "I came out of the Mystery Hall feeling like a stranger to myself." THE SACRED SPECTACLE AT ELEUSIS What were these ancient Mysteries that could inspire such reverent awe and heartfelt appreciation? The Mystery religion was practised for thousands of years, during which time it spread throughout the ancient worid, taking on many different forms. Some were frenzied and others meditative. Some involved bloody animal sacrifice, while others were presided over by strict vegetarians, At certain moments in history the Mysteries were openly practised by whole populations and were endorsed, or at least tolerated, by the state. At other times they were a small-scale and secretive affair, for fear of persecution by unsympathetic authorities. Central toall of these forms qf the Mysteries, however, was the myth of a dying and resurrecting godman. The Greek Mysteries celebrated at Eleusis in honour of the Great Mother goddess and the godman Dionysus were the most famous of all the Mystery cults. The sanctuary of Eleusis was finally destroyed by bands of fanatical Christian monks in 396 CE, but up until this tragic act of vandalism the Mysteries had been celebrated there for over 11 centuries. At the height of their popularity people were coming from all over the then known world to be initiated: men and women, rich and poor, slaves and emperors -- even a Brahmin priest from India. Each year some 30,000 Athenian citizens embarked on a 30-kilometre barefoot pilgrimage to the sacred site of Eleusis on the coast to celebrate the autumn Mysteries of Dionysus. For days they would have been preparing for this important religious event by fasting, offering sacrifices and undergoing ritual purification. As those about to be initiated danced along the 'Sacred Way' to Eleusis, accompanied by the frenzied beat of cymbals and tambourines, they were accosted by masked men who abused and insulted them, while others beat them with sticks. At the head of the procession was carried the statue of Dionysus himself, leading them ever onward. After ritual naked bathing in the sea and other purification ceremonies the crowd reached the great doors of the Telesterion, a huge purpose-built initiation hall. Only the chosen few who were already initiated or about to be initiated into the secret Mysteries could enter here. What awesome ceremony was held behind these closed doors that touched the great philosophers, artists, statesmen and scientists of the ancient world so deeply? All initiates were sworn to secrecy and held the Mysteries so sacred that they kept this oath. From large numbers of hints and clues, however, we know that they witnessed a sublime theatrical spectacle. They were awed by sounds and dazzled by lights. They were bathed in the blaze of a huge fire and trembled to the nerve-shattering reverberations of a mighty gong. The Hierophant, the high priest of the Mysteries, was quite literally a 'showman' who orchestrated a terrifyingly transformative dramatic reenactment of sacred myth. He himself was dressed as the central character - the godman Dionysus. A modern scholar writes: "A Mystery Religion was thus a divine drama which portrayed before the wondering eyes of the privileged observers the story of the struggles, sufferings, and victory of a patron deity, the travail of nature in which life ultimately triumphs over death, and joy is born of pain. The whole ritual of the Mysteries aimed especially at quickening the emotional life. No means of exciting the emotions was neglected in the passion-play, either by way of inducing careful predispositions or of supplying external stimulus. Tense mental anticipations heightened by a period of abstinence, hushed silences, imposing processions and elaborate pageantry, music loud and violent or soft and enthralling, delirious dances, the drinking of spirituous liquors, physical macerations, alternations of dense darkness and dazzling light, the sight of gorgeous ceremonial vestments, the handling of holy emblems, auto-suggestion and the promptings of the Hierophant -- these and many secrets of emotional exaltation were in vogue." This dramatization of the myth of Dionysus is the origin of tragedy and theatre. But the initiates were not a passive audience. They were participants who shared in the passion of the godman whose death and rebirth symbolically represented the death and spiritual rebirth of each one of them. As a modern authority explains: "Dionysus was the god of the most blessed ecstasy and the most enraptured love. But he was also the persecuted god, the suffering and dying god, and all whom he loved, all who attended him, had to share his tragic fate." By witnessing the awesome tragedy of Dionysus, the initiates at Eleusis shared in his suffering, death and resurrection, and so experienced a spiritual purification known as 'catharsis.' The Mysteries did not offer religious dogmas to simply be believed, but a myth to be entered into. Initiation was not about learning something, but about experiencing an altered state of awareness. Plutarch, a Pagan high priest, confesses that those who had been initiated could produce no proof of the beliefs that they acquired. Aristotle maintains, "It is not necessary for the initiated to learn anything, but to receive impressions and to be put in a certain frame of mind." The philosopher Produs talks of the Mysteries as evoking a "sympathy of the soul with the ritual in a way that is unintelligible to us and divine, so that some of the initiates axe stricken with panic, being filled with divine awe; others assimilate themselves to the holy symbols, leave their own identity, become at home with the gods, affd experience divine possession." Why did the myth enacted by the Mysteries have such a profound effect? ENCODED SECRET TEACHINGS In antiquity the word mythos did not mean something 'untrue't as it does ( for us today. Superficially a myth was an entertaining story, but to the initiated it was a sacred code that contained profound spiritual teachings. Plato comments, "It looks as if those also who established rites of initiation for us were no fools, but that there is a hidden meaning in their teachings." He explains that it is "those who have given their lives to true philosophy" who will grasp the "hidden meaning" encoded in the Mystery myths, and so become completely identified with the godman in an experience of mystical enlightenment. The ancient philosophers were not so foolish as to believe that the Mystery myths were literally true, but wise enough to recognize that they were an easy introduction to the profound mystical philosophy at the heart of the Mysteries. Sallustius writes: "To wish to teach all men the truth of the gods causes the foolish to despise, because they cannot learn, and the good to be slothful, whereas to conceal the truth by myths prevents the former from despising philosophy and compels the latter to study it." It was the role of the priests and philosophers of the Mysteries to decode the hidden depths of spiritual meaning contained within the Mystery myths. Heliodorus, a priest of the Mysteries, explains: "Philosophers and theologians do not disclose the meanings embedded in these stories to laymen but simply give them preliminary instruction in the form of a myth. But those who have reached the higher grades of the Mysteries they initiate into clear knowledge in the privacy of the holy shrine, in the light cast by the blazing torch of truth." The Mysteries were divided into various levels of initiation, which led an initiate step by step through ever deepening levels of understanding. The number of levels of initiation varied in different Mystery traditions, but essentially the initiate was led from the Outer Mysteries, in which the myths were understood superficially as religious stories, to the Inner Mysteries, in which the myths were revealed as spiritual allegories. First the initiate was ritually purified. Then they were taught the secret teachings on a one-to-one basis. The highest stage was when the initiate understood the true meaning of the teachings and finally experienced what Theon of Smyrna calls "friendship and interior communion with God." THE INTERNATIONAL MYSTERIES The Mysteries dominated the Pagan world. No other deity is represented on the monuments of ancient Greece and Italy as much as Dionysus, godman of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He is a deity with many names: Iacchos, Bassareus, Bromios, Euios, Sabazius, Zagreus, Yhyoneus, Lenaios, Eleuthereus, and so the list goes on. But these are just some of his Greek names! The godman is an omnipresent mythic figure throughout the ancient Mediterranean, known in different ways by many cultures. Five centuries before the birth of Christ, the Greek historian Herodotus, known as 'the father of history', discovered this when he travelled to Egypt. On the shores of a sacred lake in the Nile delta he witnessed an enormous festival, held every year, in which the Egyptians performed a dramatic spectacle before "tens of thousands of men and women," representing the death and resurrection of Osiris. Herodotus was an initiate into the Greek Mysteries and recognized that what he calls "the Passion of Osiris" was the very same drama that initiates saw enacted before them at Eleusis as the Passion of Dionysus. The Egyptian myth of Osiris is the primal myth of the Mystery godman and reaches back to prehistory. His story is so ancient that it can be found in pyramid texts written over 4,500 years ago! In travelling to Egypt Herodotus was following in the footsteps of another great Greek. Before 670 BCE Egypt had been a closed country, in the manner of Tibet, or Japan more recently, but in this year she opened her borders and one of the first Greeks who travelled there in search of ancient wisdom was Pythagoras. History remembers Pythagoras as the first 'scientist' of the Western world, but although it is true that he brought back many mathmatical theories to Greece from Egypt, to his contemporaries he would have seemed anything but 'scientific' in the modern sense. A wandering charismatic sage dressed in white robes and crowned with a gold coronet, Pythagoras was part scientist, part priest and part magician. He spent 22 years in the temples of Egypt, becoming an initiate of the ancient Egyptian Mysteries. On returning to Greece he began to preach the wisdom he had learned, performing miracles, raising the dead and giving oracles. Inspired by Pythagoras, his disciples created a Greek Mystery religion modelled on the Egyptian Mysteries. They took the indigenous wine god Dionysus, who was a minor deity all but ignored by Hesiod and Homer, and transformed him into a Greek version of the mighty Egyptian Osiris, godman of the Mysteries. This initiated a religious and cultural revolution that was to transform Athens into the centre of the civilized world. The followers of Pythagoras were models of virtue and learning, regarded as puritans by their neighbours. Strict vegetarians, they preached non-violence towards all living things and shunned the temple cults that practised the sacrifice of animals. This made it impossible for them to participate in the traditional Olympian religion of Athens. Forced to live on the fringes of acceptability, they often organized themselves into communities that shared all possessions in common, leaving them free to devote themselves to their mystical studies of mathematics, music, astronomy and philosophy. Nevertheless, the Mystery religion spread quickly amongst the ordinary people and within a few generations the Egyptian Mysteries of Osiris, now the Mysteries of Dionysus, inspired the glory of Classical Athens. In the same way that Osiris was synthesized by the Greeks with their indigenous god Dionysus to create the Greek Mysteries, other Mediterranean cultures which adopted the Mystery religion also transformed one of their indigenous deities into the dying and resurrecting Mystery godman. So, the deity who was known as Osiris in Egypt and became Dionysus in Greece was called Attis in Asia Minor, Adonis in Syria, Bacchus in Italy, Mithras in Persia, and so on. His forms were many, but essentially he was the same perennial figure, whose collective identity was referred to as Osiris-Dionysus. Because the ancients recognized that all the various Mystery godmen were essentially the same mythic being, elements from different myths and rites were continually combined and recombined to create new forms of the Mysteries. In Alexandria, for example, a charismatic sage called Timotheus consciously fused Osiris and Dionysus to produce a new deity for the city callled Serapis. He also gave an elaborate account of the myth of the Mystery godman Attis. Lucius Apuleius received his initiation into theMysteries from a high priest named after the Persian godman Mithras. Coins were minted with Dionysus represented on one side and Mithras on the other? One modern authority tells us that "possessed by the knowledge of his own secret rites," the initiate of the Mysteries "found no difficulty in conforming to any religion in vogue." Like the Christian religion which superseded it, the Mysteries reached across national boundaries, offering a spirituality which was relevant to all human beings, regardless of their racial origins or social status. Even as early as the fifth century CE philosophers such as Diogenes and Socrates called themselves "cosmopolitans' -- "citizens of the cosmos" -- rather than of any particular country or culture, which is testimony to the international nature of the Mysteries. One modern scholar, commenting on the merging and combining of different mystery traditions, writes: "This went a long way towards weaning the minds of men from the idea of separate gods from the different nations, and towards teaching them that all national and local deities were but different forms of one great Power. But for the rise of Christianity and other religions, there can be little doubt but that the whole of the Graeco-Roman deities would continually have merged into Dionysus." OSIRIS-DIONYSUS AND JESUS CHRIST Osiris-Dionysus had such universal appeal because he was seen as an 'Everyman' figure who symbolically represented each initiate. Through understanding the allegorical myth of the Mystery godman, initiates could become aware that, like Osiris-Dionysus, they were also 'God made flesh.' They too were immortal Spirit trapped within a physical body. Through sharing in the death of Osiris-Dionysus initiates symbolically 'died' to their lower earthly nature. Through sharing in his resurrection they were spiritually reborn and experienced their eternal and divine essence. This was the profound mystical teaching that the myth of Osiris-Dionysus encoded for those initiated into the Inner Mysteries, the truth of which initiates directly experienced for themselves. Writing of the Egyptian Mystery godman Osiris, Sir Wallis Budge, who was keeper of antiquities in the British Museum, explains: "The Egyptians of every period in which they are known to us believed that Osiris was of divine origin, that he suffered death and mutilation at the hands of the power of evil, that after great struggle with these powers he rose again, that he became henceforth the king of the underworld and judge of the dead, and that because he had conquered death the righteous might also conquer death. "He represented to men the idea of a man who was both God and man, and he typified to the Egyptians in all ages the being who by reason of his sufferings and death as a man could sympathise with them in their own sickness and death. The idea of his human personality also satisfied their cravings and yearnings for communion with a being who, though he was partly divine, yet had much in common with themselves. Originally they looked upon Osiris as a man who lived on the earth as they lived, who ate and drank, who suffered a cruel death, who by help of certain gods triumphed over death, and attained unto everlasting life. But what Osiris did they could also do." These are the key motifs that characterize the myths of all the Mystery godmen. What Budge writes of Osiris could equally be said of Dionysus, Attis, Adonis, Mithras and the rest. It also describes the Jewish dying and resurrecting godman Jesus Christ. Like Osiris-Dionysus, he is also God Incarnate and God of the Resurrection. He also promises his followers spiritual rebirth through sharing in his divine Passion. CONCLUSION The Mysteries were clearly an extremely powerful force in the ancient world. Let's review what we've discovered about them: - The Pagan Mysteries inspired the greatest minds of the ancient world. - They were practised in different forms by nearly every culture in the Mediterranean. - They comprised Outer Mysteries which were open to all and secret Inner Mysteries known only to those who had undergone a powerful process of mystical initiation. - At the heart of the Mysteries was the myth of a dying and resurrecting godman - Osiris-Dionysus. - The Inner Mysteries revealed the myths of Osiris-Dionysus to be spiritual allegories encoding spiritual teachings. The question which intrigued us was whether the Mysteries could have somehow influenced and shaped what we have inherited as the "biography" of Jesus? Unlike the various Pagan Mystery godmen, Jesus is traditionally viewed as an historical rather than a mythical figure, literally a man who was an incarnation of God, who suffered, died and resurrected to bring salvation to all humankind. But could these elements of the Jesus story actually be mythical stories inherited from the Pagan Mysteries? We began investigating the myths of Osiris-Dionysus more closely, searching for resemblances with the Jesus story. We were not prepared for the overwhelming number of similarities that we uncovered. Diabolical Mimicry "Having heard it proclaimed through the prophets that the Christ was to come and that the ungodly among men were to be punished by fire, the wicked spirits put forward many to be called Sons of God, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things that were said with regard to Christ were merely marvellous tales, like the things that were said by the poets." Justin Martyr Although the remarkable similarities between the myths of Osiris-Dionysus agd the supposed "biography" of Jesus Christ are generally unknown today, in the first few centuries CE they were obvious to Pagans and Christians alike. The Pagan philosopher and satirist Celsus criticized Christians for tryingto pass off the Jesus story as a new revelation when it was actually an inferior imitation of Pagan myths. He asks: "Are these distinctive happenings unique to the Christians -- and if so, how are they unique? Or are ours to be accounted myths and theirs believed? What reasons do the Christians give for the distinctiveness of their beliefs? In truth there is nothing at all unusual about what the Christians believe, except that they believe it to the exclusion of more comprehensive truths about God." The early Christians were painfully aware of such criticisms. How could Pagan myths which predated Christianity by hundreds of years have so much in common with the biography of the one and only saviour Jesus? Desperate to come up with an explanation, the Church fathers resorted to one of the most absurd theories ever advanced. From the time of Justin Martyr in the second century onwards, they declared that the Devil had plagiarized Christianity by anticipation in order to lead people astray? Knowing that the true Son of God was to literally come and walk the Earth, the Devil had copied the story of his life in advance of it happening and created the myths of Osiris-Dionysus. The Church father Tertullian writes of the Devil's "diabolical mimicry" in creating the Mysteries of Mithras: "The devil, whose business is to pervert the truth, mimics the exact circumstances of the Divine Sacraments. He baptises his believers and promises forgiveness of sins from the Sacred Fount, and thereby initiates them into the religion of Mithras. Thus he celebrates the oblation of bread, and brings in the symbol of the resurrection. Let us therefore acknowledge the craftiness of the devil, who copies certain things of those that be Divine." Studying the myths of the Mysteries it becomes obvious why these early Christians resorted to such a desperate explanation. Although no single Pagan myth completely parallels the story of Jesus, the mythic motifs which make up the story of the Jewish godman had already existed for centuries in the various stories told of Osiris-Dionysus and his greatest prophets. Let's make a journey through the 'biography' of Jesus and explore some of these extraordinary similarities. SON OF GOD Despite Christianity's claim that Jesus is the "only begotten Son of God." Osiris-Dionysus, in all his many forms, is also hailed as the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God, yet equal with the Father. Dionysus is the "Son of Zeus, in his full nature God, most terrible, although most gentle to mankind." Jesus is "Very God of Very God." Dionysus is "Lord God of God born." Jesus is God in human form. St John writes of Jesus as "the Word made flesh." St. Paul explains that "God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh? Dionysus was also known as Bacchus, hence the title of Euripides' play The Bacchae, in which Dionysus is the central character. In this play, Dionysus explains that he has veiled his "Godhead in a mortal shape" in order to make it "manifest to mortal men.. He tells his disciples, "That is why I have changed my immortal form and taken the likeness of man." Like Jesus, in many of his myths the Pagan godman is born of a mortal virgin mother. In Asia Minor, Attis' mother is the virgin Cybele. In Syria, Adonis' virgin mother is called Myrrh. In Alexandria, Aion is born of the virgin Kore. In Greece, Dionysus is born of a mortal virgin Semele who wishes to see Zeus in all his glory and is mysteriously impregnated by one of his bolts of lightning. It was a popular tradition, recorded in the most quoted non-canonical text of early Christianity, that Jesus spent only seven months in Mary's womb. The Pagan historian Diodorus relates that Dionysus' mother Semele likewise was said to have also had only a seven-month pregnancy. Justin Martyr acknowledges the similarities between Jesus' virgin birth and Pagan mythology, writing: "In saying that the Word was born for us without sexual union as Jesus Christ our teacher, we introduce nothing beyond what is said of those called the Sons of Zeus." Nowhere was the myth of the 'Son of God' more developed than in Egypt, the ancient home of the Mysteries. Even the Christian Lactantius acknowledged that the legendary Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus had "arrived in some way at the truth, for on God the Father he had said everything, and on the Son." In Egypt, the Pharaoh had for thousands of years been regarded as an embodiment of the godman Osiris and praised in hymns as the Son of God. As an eminent Egyptologist writes, "Every Pharaoh had to be the Son of God and a human mother in order that he should be the Incarnate God, the Giver of Fertility to his country and people." In many legends the great prophets of Osiris-Dionysus are also portrayed as saviours and sons of God. Pythagoras was said to be the son of Apollo and a mortal woman called Parthenis, whose name derives from the word parthenos, meaning "virgin." Plato was also posthumously believed to be the son of Apollo. Philostratus relates in his biography of Apollonius that the great Pagan sage was regarded as the "Son of Zeus." Empedocles was thought to be a godman and saviour who had come down to this world to help confused souls, becoming "like a madman, calling out to people at the top of his voice and urging them to reject this realm and what is in it and go back to their own original, sublime, and noble word." Mythic motifs from the Mysteries even became associated with Roman Emperors who, for political reasons, cultivated legends about their divine nature which would link them to Osiris-Dionysus. Julius Caesar, who did not himself even believe in personal immortality, was hailed as "God made manifest, the common saviour of human life." His successor, Augustus, was likewise the "saviour of the universal human race." and even the tyrannical Nero is addressed on an altar piece as "God the deliverer for ever." In 40 BCE, drawing on Mystery myths, the Roman poet and initiate Virgil wrote a mystical 'prophesy' that a virgin would give birth to a divine child. In the fourth century CE Literalist Christians would claim that it foretold the coming of ]esus, but at the time this myth was interpreted as referring to Augustus, said to be the "Son of Apollo," preordained to rule the Earth and bring peace and prosperity. In his biography of Augustus, Suetonius offers a cluster of 'signs' that indicated the Emperor's divine nature. One modern authority writes: &am
wht do u think bout this ppl? From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we in the West take for granted. Here are 20 of their most influential innovations: (1) The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry. He boiled the berries to make the first coffee. Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where Sufis drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions. By the late 15th century it had arrived in Makkah and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645. It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London. The Arabic “qahwa” became the Turkish “kahve” then the Italian “caffé” and then English “coffee”. (2) The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word “qamara” for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one. (3) A form of chess was played in ancient India but the game was developed into the form we know it today in Persia. From there it spread westward to Europe — where it was introduced by the Moors in Spain in the 10th century — and eastward as far as Japan. The word “rook” comes from the Persian “rukh”, which means chariot. (4) A thousand years before the Wright brothers, a Muslim poet, astronomer, musician and engineer named Abbas ibn Firnas made several attempts to construct a flying machine. In 852 he jumped from the minaret of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba using a loose cloak stiffened with wooden struts. He hoped to glide like a bird. He didn’t. But the cloak slowed his fall, creating what is thought to be the first parachute, and leaving him with only minor injuries. In 875, aged 70, having perfected a machine of silk and eagles’ feathers he tried again, jumping from a mountain. He flew to a significant height and stayed aloft for ten minutes but crashed on landing — concluding, correctly, that it was because he had not given his device a tail so it would stall on landing. Baghdad international airport and a crater on the Moon are named after him. (5) Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today. The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as a pomade. But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil. One of the Crusaders’ most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash. Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened Mahomed’s Indian Vapour Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV. (6) Distillation, the means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points, was invented around the year 800 by Islam’s foremost scientist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who transformed alchemy into chemistry, inventing many of the basic processes and apparatus still in use today — liquefaction, crystallisation, distillation, purification, oxidisation, evaporation and filtration. As well as discovering sulphuric and nitric acid, he invented the alembic still, giving the world intense rosewater and other perfumes and alcoholic spirits (although drinking them forbidden, in Islam). Ibn Hayyan emphasised systematic experimentation and was the founder of modern chemistry. (7) The crank-shaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine. One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called al-Jazari to raise water for irrigation. His Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (1206) shows he also invented or refined the use of valves and pistons, devised some of the first mechanical clocks driven by water and weights, and was the father of robotics. Among his 50 other inventions was the combination lock. (8) Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating material in between. It is not clear whether it was invented in the Muslim world or whether it was imported there from India or China. However, it certainly came to the West via the Crusaders. They saw it used by Saracen warriors, who wore straw-filled quilted canvas shirts instead of armour. As well as a form of protection, it proved an effective guard against the chafing of the Crusaders’ metal armour and was an effective form of insulation — so much so that it became a cottage industry back home in colder climates such as Britain and Holland. (9) The pointed arch so characteristic of Europe’s Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture. It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings. Other borrowings from Muslim genius included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and dome-building techniques. Europe’s castles were also adapted to copy the Islamic world’s — with arrow slits, battlements, a barbican and parapets. Square towers and keeps gave way to more easily defended round ones. The architect of Henry V’s castle was a Muslim. (10) Many modern surgical instruments are of exactly the same design as those devised in the 10th century by a Muslim surgeon called al-Zahrawi. His scalpels, bone saws, forceps, fine scissors for eye surgery and many of the 200 instruments he devised are recognisable to a modern surgeon. It was he who discovered that catgut used for internal stitches dissolves away naturally (a discovery he made when his monkey ate his lute strings) and that it can be also used to make medicine capsules. In the 13th century, another Muslim medic named Ibn Nafis described the circulation of the blood, 300 years before William Harvey discovered it. Muslim doctors also invented anaesthetics of opium and alcohol mixes and developed hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes in a technique still used today. (11) The windmill was invented in 634 for a Persian caliph and was used to grind corn and draw up water for irrigation. In the vast deserts of Arabia, when the seasonal streams ran dry, the only source of power was the wind which blew steadily from one direction for months. Mills had six or 12 sails covered in fabric or palm leaves. It was 500 years before the first windmill was seen in Europe. (12) The technique of inoculation was not invented by Jenner and Pasteur but was devised in the Muslim world and brought to Europe from Turkey by the wife of the English ambassador to Istanbul in 1724. Children in Turkey were vaccinated with cowpox to fight the deadly smallpox at least 50 years before the West discovered it. (13) The fountain pen was invented for the Sultan of Egypt in 953 after he demanded a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes. It held ink in a reservoir and, as with modern pens, fed ink to the nib by a combination of gravity and capillary action. (14) The system of numbering in use all round the world is probably Indian in origin but the style of the numerals is Arabic and first appears in print in the work of the Muslim mathematicians al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi around 825. Algebra was named after al-Khwarizmi’ s book, Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah, much of whose contents are still in use. The work of Muslim maths scholars was imported into Europe 300 years later by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. Algorithms and much of the theory of trigonometry came from the Muslim world. And Al-Kindi’s discovery of frequency analysis rendered all the codes of the ancient world soluble and created the basis of modern cryptology. (15) Ali ibn Nafi, known by his nickname of Ziryab (Blackbird) came from Iraq to Cordoba in the 9th century and brought with him the concept of the three-course meal — soup, followed by fish or meat, then fruit and nuts. He also introduced crystal glasses (which had been invented after experiments with rock crystal by Abbas ibn Firnas). (16) Carpets were regarded as part of paradise by mediaeval Muslims, thanks to their advanced weaving techniques, new tinctures from Islamic chemistry and highly developed sense of pattern and arabesque which were the basis of Islam’s non-representationa l art. In contrast, Europe’s floors were distinctly earthly, not to say earthy, until Arabian and Persian carpets were introduced. In England, as Erasmus recorded, floors were “covered in rushes, occasionally renewed, but so imperfectly that the bottom layer is left undisturbed, sometimes for 20 years, harbouring expectoration, vomiting, the leakage of dogs and men, ale droppings, scraps of fish, and other abominations not fit to be mentioned”. Carpets, unsurprisingly, caught on quickly. (17) The modern cheque comes from the Arabic “saqq”, a written vow to pay for goods when they were delivered, to avoid money having to be transported across dangerous terrain. In the 9th century, a Muslim businessman could cash a cheque in China drawn on his bank in Baghdad. (18) By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere. The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm, “is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth”. It was 500 years before that realisation dawned on Galileo. The calculations of Muslim astronomers were so accurate that in the 9th century they reckoned the Earth’s circumference to be 40, 253.4km — less than 200km out. Al-Idrisi took a globe depicting the world to the court of King Roger of Sicily in 1139. (19) Though the Chinese invented saltpetre gunpowder, and used it in their fireworks, it was the Arabs who worked out that it could be purified using potassium nitrate for military use. Muslim incendiary devices terrified the Crusaders. By the 15th century they had invented both a rocket, which they called a “self-moving and combusting egg”, and a torpedo — a self-propelled pear-shaped bomb with a spear at the front which impaled itself in enemy ships and then blew up. (20) Mediaeval Europe had kitchen and herb gardens, but it was the Arabs who developed the idea of the garden as a place of beauty and meditation. The first royal pleasure gardens in Europe were opened in 11th-century Muslim Spain. Flowers which originated in Muslim gardens include the carnation and the tulip
best laptop and best laptop brand for student + serious internet user? my previous laptop was the acer aspire 5630. it was alright -as with all laptops performed exceptionally well at first and slowly the performance level decreased. the laptop lasted 2 years and now im looking for a better replacement. my needs are: the ability to multitask (iv been advised to use the intel core 2 duo processor -is this wise?) to perform exceptionally with immense speed on the internet while having several browsers open and being compatible with all the add-ons -java, flash, acrobat -without crashing or making me wait for ages. I need a lot of data to be able to load quickly. MEMORY -500gb is probs very good but if not i guess 250/320 plus an external hard drive would suffice. i do do some amateur video and photo editing -i have a lot of movies on my laptop, a lot of documents, loads of pics and music files too. Battery Life -i didnt pay attention to this last time but seriously -8h would be the dream for me but i suppose would be ok. i usually have an outlet close by but sometimes i dont. durablity -this would be nice, but isnt abs necessary due to the next point... looks and ultra thin (only if possible for the latter) yes, im a sucker for looks and i do want something that's ultra sexy -what comes to mind is an ultra thin lappy, but it IS NOT a must have. im cool with a not so thin laptop (but it'd be super nice to have a thin one that's not too heavy) over heating -is a definite NO NO. the acer one overheated SO easily it drove me crazy and then pufft. it crashes. quick restore -if it does crash, which it shouldn't really i want to quickly run again without giving me too much crap. a good multimedia base- yeah, i do some video editing and photo editing and i LOVE movies so i like to have a tonne (see? i need the extra memory) and music - i want good speakers with a headphone port and it should have GOOD GRAPHICS . im not too much of a gamer but i do play the occasional games such as say sims 2 and something light really. intergrated webcam -not a bad quality but it doesnt have to be WOW either.. just something good for taking pics and social networking and a mic is a must too. windows 7 -seeing as its new; might as well get it and 2 gb upwards RAM .. 4bgs good too :) good backlight - if the backlight is poor it affects me watching movies etc. modern features -eg.touchpad with double finger scrolling and pinching etc. good screen size -i dont need anything HUGE but not too small either . i hate tiny laptops in which you have to squint.they;re ok for when you're on holiday but not for the laptop which basically i can't survive without. i have looked at a few laptops already: compaq (for the cheap price -cant really find anything -anyone know any good compaqs?) dell studio -yes these are perfect- and just fit into my budget expect for the fact they're cheaper in the UK and im in india right now and really i need the laptop before i go back to the UK because there's some work i need to get done urgently. hp pavillion dv2 -cant find the price in india, but looks pretty good. hp envy -WOWy. double my budget in UK but if its (by some miracle) loads cheaper in india id LOVE LOVE LOVE it. acer timeline -its really thin -looks good i reckon but is that all? sony VIAO -they look niiiiceee. any got any that'll suit me though ? must say the VGN-CS215J/W was reeccomended but cant find it anywheres. acer extensa EX4630-4922 -again can't find it was recemmended hp pavillion dv2 -ditto . i havent looked at toshiba (though my dad uses satelitte [its brand new] as one of his two work laptops. or packard bell -anyone got any recommendations? lastly, PRICE. below 500 pounds; Rs. 40 000-36 000 (approx.) below or around about $1000 and no macs please. i had a mac but it was damaged badly once so no macs please. thank you so much for reading this long list and if you bother to answer i love you ! i truly do :L you have no idea how important this is and how useless i am at choosing a good one. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ps. one last tiny request -it'd be great (if the laptops not ultra thin) if they had a design (like dell laptops) or a different colour or something if they're a little on the bulky side. ABS not important but it'd be the creme de la creme :)
did you know? For every human being on earth, there are about 200 million insects. The harmonica is the world's most popular instrument. By the time they are 65 years old, most Americans have watched more than nine years worth of television. The puck in ice hockey can travel at up to 118 mph (190 km/h). If you stretched all the nerves in the body from end to end, they would be about 47 miles long. Humans have more than 600 muscles in their bodies. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. There are 293 ways to make changea for a dollar. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. There are more chickens than people in the world. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched." All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt." All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. Almonds are a member of the peach family. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. The largest cabbage weighed 144 lbs. There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula" - and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: "L.A." A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. Tigers have striped skin, not just stripped fur. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life." A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this at home!) The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. Many hamsters blink one eye at a time. The inventor of the flushing toilet was Thomas Crapper. The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites. Plastic lawn flamingos outnumber real flamingos in the U.S.A. Whitby, Ontario has more donut stores per capita than any other place in the world. Starfish have no brain. Dolphins sleep with one eye open. Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none of which containing the letter "E". Bulls are color blind. A can of SPAM is opened every 4 seconds. "Babe" was played by over 48 pigs. Mosquitoes have 47 teeth. Lip stick contains fish scales. The Poison Arrow frog has enough poison to kill 2200 people. The largest known kidney stone weighed 1.36 kilograms. Kidney stones come in any color from yellow to brown. Women blink twice as many times as men do. The McDonalds at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario is the only one in the world that sells hot dogs. A bowling pin only has to tilt 7.5 degrees in order to fall down. The first episode of Leave It To Beaver aired on October 4, 1957. Beaver Cleaver's locker number is 9. The first flushing toilet seen on TV was on Leave It To Beaver. Jerry Seinfeld's apartment number (on the show) is 5A. In the old episodes it was 3A. The life span of a taste bud is ten days. Pi has been calculated to 2,260,321,363 digits. The billionth digit in Pi is 9. The first 100 numbers of Pi are: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884... 58209749445923078164062862089986280348... Click HERE for 99,999 digits of pi! A stretched out Slinky is 87 feet long. An iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes. Emus can't walk backwards. A group of unicorns is called a blessing. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. A group of whales is called a pod. A group of geese is called a gaggle. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. A group of bears is called a sleuth. 12 or more cows is called a flink. A baby oyster is called a spat. Chickens can't swallow while they are upside down. In the October 22, 1945 edition of Life magazine there was a picture of a chicken with its head cut off. It was alive too! The average garden variety caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head. Pinocchio was made of pine. The largest pumpkin weighed 377 lbs. A mule won't sink in quicksand but a donkey will. More people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes. Alfred Hitchcock had no belly button for it was eliminated during surgery. There are 22 stars in the Paramount logo. The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime. A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. Cranberry Jell-0 is the only kind that contains real fruit. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. The pound sign # is called anoctothorpe. Maine is the toothpick capital of the world. New Jersey has a spoon museum with over 5,400 spoons from almost all the states. There was once a town in West Virginia called "6". Singapore only has one train station. The parking meter was invented in North Dakota. Napolean made his battle plans in a sandbox. Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a senator. The green stuff on the occasional freak potatoe chip is chlorophyll. If you ate too many carrots you would turn orange. Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune's making Pluto the eighth planet from the sun. It has been that way since 1979 and will remain that way until 1999. The earth is approx. 6,588,000,000,000,000,000 tons. The force of 1 billion people jumping at the same time is equal to 500 tons of TNT. Popeye was 5'6". Howdy Doody had 48 freckles. The first word spoken on the moon was "Okay". Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first. The average speed of Heinz ketchup leaving the bottle is 25 miles per year. Hilary Clinton once said We are the President. The percent of women who wash their hands after leaving a restroom is 80%. The percent of men who wash their hands after using a restroom is 55%. There are 333 toilet paper squares on a toilet paper roll. The Eifel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it. "Jaws" is the most common name for a goldfish. On an average work day, a typist's fingers travel 12.6 miles. The average American eats 2 donuts a day. The longest word in the Old Testament is Malhershalahashbaz. The longest time a person has been in a coma is 37 years. Every minute in the U.S 6 people turn 17. It takes the Where's Waldo artist one month to complete a drawing. 2500 lefties die each year using products designed for righties. A baby is born every 7 seconds. 10 tons of space dust fall on the Earth everyday. On average, a 4 year old child asks 437 questions a day. Blue and white are the most common school colors. Swimming pools in Phoenix, Arizona, pick up 20 pounds of dust a year. The first message tapped by Samuel Morse over his invention the telegraph was: What hath God wrought?. The first words spoken by over Alexander Bell over the telephone were: Watson, please come here. I want you. The first words spoken by Thomas Edison over the phonograph were: Mary had a little lamb The three words in the English language with the letters uu are: vacuum, residuum and continuum. A baby in Florida was named: Truewilllaughinglifebuckyboomermanifestd... His middle name is George James. It is illegal to ride a street car on Sunday if have been eating garlic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In a normal life time an American will eat 200 pounds of peanuts and 10,000 pounds of meat. A new book is published every 13 minutes in America. America's best selling ice-cream flavour is vanilla. American's eat 18 billion hot dogs a year. American's eat 134 pounds of sugar a year. Every year the sun loses 360 million tons. Because of Animal Crackers, many kids until they reach the age of ten, believe a bear is as tall as a giraffe. You can tell if a skunk is about if you smell only .000 000 000 000 071 ounce of its spray. Animal breeders in Russia once claimed to have bred sheep with blue wool. Penguins are the only bird that can leap into the air like porpoises. India has 50 million monkeys. By some unknown means, an iguana can end its own life. Americans spend around $3 billion for cat and dog food a year. Pigs can cover a mile in 7.5 minutes when running at top speed. You breathe about 10 million times a year. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you'll have a bad dream. The first non-human to win an Oscar was Mickey Mouse. Lee Harvey Oswald was booked with mugshot number 54018. The Gulf Stream could carry a message in a bottle at an average of 4 miles per hour. The bullseye on a dartboard must be 5 feet 8 inches off the ground. The foot is the most common body part bitten by insects. The most common time for a wake up call is 7am. The doorbell was invented in 1831. The are 255 squares on a Scrabble board. The electric shaver was patented on November 6, 1928. There are 500 sheets of paper in a ream. The monkey wrench was invented by Charles Moncke. Japan is the largest exporter of frog's legs. There are seven points on the Statue of Liberty's crown. There are approx. 550 hairs in the eyebrow. The most common non-contagious disease in the world is tooth decay. The shell constitutes 12 percent of an egg's weight. A squid has 10 tentacles. A snail's reproductive organs are in its head. A cow's only sweat glands are in its nose. The word "AND" appears 46,277 times in the Bible. The first word played in the Scrabble rules demonstration game is "horn". The telephone's U.S. patent number is 174,465. The typical person goes to the bathroom 6 times a day. There are 17 steps leading up to Sherlock Holme's apartment. When a horned toad is angry, it squirts blood from it's eyes. Napoleon was terrified of cats. The first Lifesaver flavor was peppermint. The typical American eats 263 eggs a year. The ballpoint pen was invented in 1938 by Laszlo and Georg Biro. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. The parking meter was invented by C.C. Magee in 1935. In 1961, an IBM 7090 computer calculated Pi to 100 265 digits. The human body weighs forty times more than the brain. After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp. A person swallows approximately 295 times while eating dinner. The oldest known vegetable is the pea. Jack is the most common name in nursery rhymes. The avocado has the most calories of any fruit. The first zoo in the USA was in Philadelphia. The letter N ends all Japanese words not ending in a vowel. France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese. The hardest bone in the human body is the jawbone. 4000 people are injured by teapots each year. The typical American consumes 27 pounds of cheese each year. The shortest English word that contains the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F is feedback. The ostrich has a 46 foot long small intestine. The state of California raises the most turkeys out of all of the states. The most sensitive finger on the human hand is the index finger. George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. The typical hen lays 19 dozen eggs a year. Stainless stell was invented by Harry Brearley in 1913. A scallop has 35 blue eyes. The left leg of a chicken in more tender than the right one. The only dog that doesn't have a pink tongue is the chow. Iceland was the first country to legalize abortion in 1935. The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal. The dumbest domesticated animal is the turkey. Russia has the most movie theaters in the world. Albert Blake Dick invented the mimeograph machine. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. The most fatal car accidents occur on Saturday. An Oscar weighs seven pounds. It takes the typical person seven minutes to fall asleep. Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer. The Eiffel Tower has 1792 steps. The mongoose was barred live entry into the U.S. in 1902. Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning. Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark. About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30. A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year. Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet. Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue. A jellyfish is 95 percent water. The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump. The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly. America once issued a 5-cent bill. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung. A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. You blink about 84,000,000 times a year. In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word. A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans. Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States. The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth. A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death. The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used. Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right of left handed... or is that pawed? The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven. Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lighting than women. Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions. Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow. Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings. Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight. After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! When someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them in the head. Coca-Cola was originally green. Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royce's per capita. Alaska is the state with highest percent of people who walk to work. 28 percent of Africa is wilderness. 38 percent of America is wilderness. A duck's quack does not echo and no one knows why. It costs $6400 to raise a medium size dog to age of 11. Average number of people airborne over the U.S. during any given hour: 61,000. 70 percent of Americans who visited Disneyland/World. Intelligent people have more copper and zinc in their hair. The youngest pope was 11 years old. Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other country. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." uses every letter in the alphabet and was developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. The San Francisco Cable cars are the only "mobile" National Monuments. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter "uncopyrightable." Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ? The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and learned how to walk up standard staircases. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because, when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of unwanted people (without killing them) used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired." Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. David Prowse was the guy in the Darth Vader suit in Star Wars. He spoke all of Vader's lines, and didn't know his voice was going to be dubbed over by James Earl Jones until he saw the screening of the movie. The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel that it burns. The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl. The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-star Game. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles, California. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. In ancient Egypt, Priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. Butterflies taste with their feet. A cat's urine glows under a blacklight. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Coca Cola was originally green. The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words. There are more collect calls made on Father's Day than on any other day. Every day more money is printed for monopoly than the US Treasury. Men can read smaller print than women, women can hear better than men. Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33. The world's youngest parents were 8 & 9 and lived in China in 1910. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. The youngest Pope was 11 years old. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is a rhyme about the bubonic plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores (Ring around the Rosey...). These sores would smell very bad so people would hide flowers on their bodies in an attempt to mask the smell ("pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned to reduce the spread of the disease ("ashes, ashes, we all fall down"). The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma. American car horns beep in the tone of F. No piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times. 1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum. The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." The 57 on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words Did you know you share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes The continents names all end with the same letter with which they start A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles
a view not often spoke of in the news. white men. who thinks this is wrong? There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain. Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians. There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard. His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard. The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding. He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives. The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him. The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter. His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American. He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch. Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.” He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner. He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English. Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement. He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves. There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush. He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.
how does this make you feel ? "ANGRY WHITE MAN" ? In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man Gary Hubbell February 9, 2008 There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain. Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians. There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard. His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard. The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding. He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives. The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him. The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter. His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American. He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch. Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.” He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner. He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English. Most important, the Angry White Man is ****ed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement. He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves. There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush. He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum. oh, by the way. i am white, conservative, and unrepresented by any polatician. i should be angry. i represent 60 % of all voting people in america. we will, decide who is president. this article speaks to us, the unrepresented majority. darn good article. well written. my kids are hispanic, and my girlfriend is a black cuban imagrent. i am no racist, i am a true american. born from european imagrents.
how many facts do you know!!? For every human being on earth, there are about 200 million insects. The harmonica is the world's most popular instrument. By the time they are 65 years old, most Americans have watched more than nine years worth of television. The puck in ice hockey can travel at up to 118 mph (190 km/h). If you stretched all the nerves in the body from end to end, they would be about 47 miles long. Humans have more than 600 muscles in their bodies. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. There are more chickens than people in the world. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched." All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt." All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. Almonds are a member of the peach family. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. The largest cabbage weighed 144 lbs. There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula" - and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: "L.A." A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. Tigers have striped skin, not just stripped fur. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life." A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this at home!) The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. Many hamsters blink one eye at a time. The inventor of the flushing toilet was Thomas Crapper. The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites. Plastic lawn flamingos outnumber real flamingos in the U.S.A. Whitby, Ontario has more donut stores per capita than any other place in the world. Starfish have no brain. Dolphins sleep with one eye open. Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none of which containing the letter "E". Bulls are color blind. A can of SPAM is opened every 4 seconds. "Babe" was played by over 48 pigs. Mosquitoes have 47 teeth. Lip stick contains fish scales. The Poison Arrow frog has enough poison to kill 2200 people. The largest known kidney stone weighed 1.36 kilograms. Kidney stones come in any color from yellow to brown. Women blink twice as many times as men do. The McDonalds at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario is the only one in the world that sells hot dogs. A bowling pin only has to tilt 7.5 degrees in order to fall down. The first episode of Leave It To Beaver aired on October 4, 1957. Beaver Cleaver's locker number is 9. The first flushing toilet seen on TV was on Leave It To Beaver. Jerry Seinfeld's apartment number (on the show) is 5A. In the old episodes it was 3A. The life span of a taste bud is ten days. Pi has been calculated to 2,260,321,363 digits. The billionth digit in Pi is 9. The first 100 numbers of Pi are: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884... 58209749445923078164062862089986280348... Click HERE for 99,999 digits of pi! A stretched out Slinky is 87 feet long. An iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes. Emus can't walk backwards. A group of unicorns is called a blessing. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. A group of whales is called a pod. A group of geese is called a gaggle. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. A group of bears is called a sleuth. 12 or more cows is called a flink. A baby oyster is called a spat. Chickens can't swallow while they are upside down. In the October 22, 1945 edition of Life magazine there was a picture of a chicken with its head cut off. It was alive too! The average garden variety caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head. Pinocchio was made of pine. The largest pumpkin weighed 377 lbs. A mule won't sink in quicksand but a donkey will. More people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes. Alfred Hitchcock had no belly button for it was eliminated during surgery. There are 22 stars in the Paramount logo. The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime. A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. Cranberry Jell-0 is the only kind that contains real fruit. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. The pound sign # is called anoctothorpe. Maine is the toothpick capital of the world. New Jersey has a spoon museum with over 5,400 spoons from almost all the states. There was once a town in West Virginia called "6". Singapore only has one train station. The parking meter was invented in North Dakota. Napolean made his battle plans in a sandbox. Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a senator. The green stuff on the occasional freak potatoe chip is chlorophyll. If you ate too many carrots you would turn orange. Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune's making Pluto the eighth planet from the sun. It has been that way since 1979 and will remain that way until 1999. The earth is approx. 6,588,000,000,000,000,000 tons. The force of 1 billion people jumping at the same time is equal to 500 tons of TNT. Popeye was 5'6". Howdy Doody had 48 freckles. The first word spoken on the moon was "Okay". Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first. The average speed of Heinz ketchup leaving the bottle is 25 miles per year. Hilary Clinton once said We are the President. The percent of women who wash their hands after leaving a restroom is 80%. The percent of men who wash their hands after using a restroom is 55%. There are 333 toilet paper squares on a toilet paper roll. The Eifel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it. "Jaws" is the most common name for a goldfish. On an average work day, a typist's fingers travel 12.6 miles. The average American eats 2 donuts a day. The longest word in the Old Testament is Malhershalahashbaz. The longest time a person has been in a coma is 37 years. Every minute in the U.S 6 people turn 17. It takes the Where's Waldo artist one month to complete a drawing. 2500 lefties die each year using products designed for righties. A baby is born every 7 seconds. 10 tons of space dust fall on the Earth everyday. On average, a 4 year old child asks 437 questions a day. Blue and white are the most common school colors. Swimming pools in Phoenix, Arizona, pick up 20 pounds of dust a year. The first message tapped by Samuel Morse over his invention the telegraph was: What hath God wrought?. The first words spoken by over Alexander Bell over the telephone were: Watson, please come here. I want you. The first words spoken by Thomas Edison over the phonograph were: Mary had a little lamb The three words in the English language with the letters uu are: vacuum, residuum and continuum. A baby in Florida was named: Truewilllaughinglifebuckyboomermanifestd... His middle name is George James. It is illegal to ride a street car on Sunday if have been eating garlic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In a normal life time an American will eat 200 pounds of peanuts and 10,000 pounds of meat. A new book is published every 13 minutes in America. America's best selling ice-cream flavour is vanilla. American's eat 18 billion hot dogs a year. American's eat 134 pounds of sugar a year. Every year the sun loses 360 million tons. Because of Animal Crackers, many kids until they reach the age of ten, believe a bear is as tall as a giraffe. You can tell if a skunk is about if you smell only .000 000 000 000 071 ounce of its spray. Animal breeders in Russia once claimed to have bred sheep with blue wool. Penguins are the only bird that can leap into the air like porpoises. India has 50 million monkeys. By some unknown means, an iguana can end its own life. Americans spend around $3 billion for cat and dog food a year. Pigs can cover a mile in 7.5 minutes when running at top speed. You breathe about 10 million times a year. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you'll have a bad dream. The first non-human to win an Oscar was Mickey Mouse. Lee Harvey Oswald was booked with mugshot number 54018. The Gulf Stream could carry a message in a bottle at an average of 4 miles per hour. The bullseye on a dartboard must be 5 feet 8 inches off the ground. The foot is the most common body part bitten by insects. The most common time for a wake up call is 7am. The doorbell was invented in 1831. The are 255 squares on a Scrabble board. The electric shaver was patented on November 6, 1928. There are 500 sheets of paper in a ream. The monkey wrench was invented by Charles Moncke. Japan is the largest exporter of frog's legs. There are seven points on the Statue of Liberty's crown. There are approx. 550 hairs in the eyebrow. The most common non-contagious disease in the world is tooth decay. The shell constitutes 12 percent of an egg's weight. A squid has 10 tentacles. A snail's reproductive organs are in its head. A cow's only sweat glands are in its nose. The word "AND" appears 46,277 times in the Bible. The first word played in the Scrabble rules demonstration game is "horn". The telephone's U.S. patent number is 174,465. The typical person goes to the bathroom 6 times a day. There are 17 steps leading up to Sherlock Holme's apartment. When a horned toad is angry, it squirts blood from it's eyes. Napoleon was terrified of cats. The first Lifesaver flavor was peppermint. The typical American eats 263 eggs a year. The ballpoint pen was invented in 1938 by Laszlo and Georg Biro. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. The parking meter was invented by C.C. Magee in 1935. In 1961, an IBM 7090 computer calculated Pi to 100 265 digits. The human body weighs forty times more than the brain. After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp. A person swallows approximately 295 times while eating dinner. The oldest known vegetable is the pea. Jack is the most common name in nursery rhymes. The avocado has the most calories of any fruit. The first zoo in the USA was in Philadelphia. The letter N ends all Japanese words not ending in a vowel. France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese. The hardest bone in the human body is the jawbone. 4000 people are injured by teapots each year. The typical American consumes 27 pounds of cheese each year. The shortest English word that contains the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F is feedback. The ostrich has a 46 foot long small intestine. The state of California raises the most turkeys out of all of the states. The most sensitive finger on the human hand is the index finger. George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. The typical hen lays 19 dozen eggs a year. Stainless stell was invented by Harry Brearley in 1913. A scallop has 35 blue eyes. The left leg of a chicken in more tender than the right one. The only dog that doesn't have a pink tongue is the chow. Iceland was the first country to legalize abortion in 1935. The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal. The dumbest domesticated animal is the turkey. Russia has the most movie theaters in the world. Albert Blake Dick invented the mimeograph machine. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. The most fatal car accidents occur on Saturday. An Oscar weighs seven pounds. It takes the typical person seven minutes to fall asleep. Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer. The Eiffel Tower has 1792 steps. The mongoose was barred live entry into the U.S. in 1902. Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning. Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark. About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30. A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year. Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet. Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue. A jellyfish is 95 percent water. The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump. The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly. America once issued a 5-cent bill. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung. A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. You blink about 84,000,000 times a year. In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word. A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans. Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States. The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth. A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death. The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used. Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right of left handed... or is that pawed? The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven. Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lighting than women. Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions. Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow. Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings. Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight. After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! When someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them in the head. Coca-Cola was originally green. Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royce's per capita. Alaska is the state with highest percent of people who walk to work. 28 percent of Africa is wilderness. 38 percent of America is wilderness. A duck's quack does not echo and no one knows why. It costs $6400 to raise a medium size dog to age of 11. Average number of people airborne over the U.S. during any given hour: 61,000. 70 percent of Americans who visited Disneyland/World. Intelligent people have more copper and zinc in their hair. The youngest pope was 11 years old. Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other country. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." uses every letter in the alphabet and was developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. The San Francisco Cable cars are the only "mobile" National Monuments. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter "uncopyrightable." Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ? The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and learned how to walk up standard staircases. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because, when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of unwanted people (without killing them) used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired." Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. David Prowse was the guy in the Darth Vader suit in Star Wars. He spoke all of Vader's lines, and didn't know his voice was going to be dubbed over by James Earl Jones until he saw the screening of the movie. The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel that it burns. The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl. The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-star Game. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles, California. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. In ancient Egypt, Priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. Butterflies taste with their feet. A cat's urine glows under a blacklight. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Coca Cola was originally green. The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words. There are more collect calls made on Father's Day than on any other day. Every day more money is printed for monopoly than the US Treasury. Men can read smaller print than women, women can hear better than men. Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33. The world's youngest parents were 8 & 9 and lived in China in 1910. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. The youngest Pope was 11 years old. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is a rhyme about the bubonic plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores (Ring around the Rosey...). These sores would smell very bad so people would hide flowers on their bodies in an attempt to mask the smell ("pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned to reduce the spread of the disease ("ashes, ashes, we all fall down"). The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma. American car horns beep in the tone of F. No piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times. 1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum. The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." The 57 on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
336 useless fact STAR IF U LIKE? Useless Facts For every human being on earth, there are about 200 million insects. The harmonica is the world's most popular instrument. By the time they are 65 years old, most Americans have watched more than nine years worth of television. The puck in ice hockey can travel at up to 118 mph (190 km/h). If you stretched all the nerves in the body from end to end, they would be about 47 miles long. Humans have more than 600 muscles in their bodies. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. There are more chickens than people in the world. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched." All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt." All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. Almonds are a member of the peach family. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. The largest cabbage weighed 144 lbs. There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula" - and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: "L.A." A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. Tigers have striped skin, not just stripped fur. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life." A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this at home!) The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. Many hamsters blink one eye at a time. The inventor of the flushing toilet was Thomas Crapper. The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites. Plastic lawn flamingos outnumber real flamingos in the U.S.A. Whitby, Ontario has more donut stores per capita than any other place in the world. Starfish have no brain. Dolphins sleep with one eye open. Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none of which containing the letter "E". Bulls are color blind. A can of SPAM is opened every 4 seconds. "Babe" was played by over 48 pigs. Mosquitoes have 47 teeth. Lip stick contains fish scales. The Poison Arrow frog has enough poison to kill 2200 people. The largest known kidney stone weighed 1.36 kilograms. Kidney stones come in any color from yellow to brown. Women blink twice as many times as men do. The McDonalds at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario is the only one in the world that sells hot dogs. A bowling pin only has to tilt 7.5 degrees in order to fall down. The first episode of Leave It To Beaver aired on October 4, 1957. Beaver Cleaver's locker number is 9. The first flushing toilet seen on TV was on Leave It To Beaver. Jerry Seinfeld's apartment number (on the show) is 5A. In the old episodes it was 3A. The life span of a taste bud is ten days. Pi has been calculated to 2,260,321,363 digits. The billionth digit in Pi is 9. The first 100 numbers of Pi are: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884... 58209749445923078164062862089986280348... Click HERE for 99,999 digits of pi! A stretched out Slinky is 87 feet long. An iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes. Emus can't walk backwards. A group of unicorns is called a blessing. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. A group of whales is called a pod. A group of geese is called a gaggle. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. A group of bears is called a sleuth. 12 or more cows is called a flink. A baby oyster is called a spat. Chickens can't swallow while they are upside down. In the October 22, 1945 edition of Life magazine there was a picture of a chicken with its head cut off. It was alive too! The average garden variety caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head. Pinocchio was made of pine. The largest pumpkin weighed 377 lbs. A mule won't sink in quicksand but a donkey will. More people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes. Alfred Hitchcock had no belly button for it was eliminated during surgery. There are 22 stars in the Paramount logo. The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime. A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. Cranberry Jell-0 is the only kind that contains real fruit. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. The pound sign # is called anoctothorpe. Maine is the toothpick capital of the world. New Jersey has a spoon museum with over 5,400 spoons from almost all the states. There was once a town in West Virginia called "6". Singapore only has one train station. The parking meter was invented in North Dakota. Napolean made his battle plans in a sandbox. Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a senator. The green stuff on the occasional freak potatoe chip is chlorophyll. If you ate too many carrots you would turn orange. Pluto's orbit crosses Neptune's making Pluto the eighth planet from the sun. It has been that way since 1979 and will remain that way until 1999. The earth is approx. 6,588,000,000,000,000,000 tons. The force of 1 billion people jumping at the same time is equal to 500 tons of TNT. Popeye was 5'6". Howdy Doody had 48 freckles. The first word spoken on the moon was "Okay". Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first. The average speed of Heinz ketchup leaving the bottle is 25 miles per year. Hilary Clinton once said We are the President. The percent of women who wash their hands after leaving a restroom is 80%. The percent of men who wash their hands after using a restroom is 55%. There are 333 toilet paper squares on a toilet paper roll. The Eifel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it. "Jaws" is the most common name for a goldfish. On an average work day, a typist's fingers travel 12.6 miles. The average American eats 2 donuts a day. The longest word in the Old Testament is Malhershalahashbaz. The longest time a person has been in a coma is 37 years. Every minute in the U.S 6 people turn 17. It takes the Where's Waldo artist one month to complete a drawing. 2500 lefties die each year using products designed for righties. A baby is born every 7 seconds. 10 tons of space dust fall on the Earth everyday. On average, a 4 year old child asks 437 questions a day. Blue and white are the most common school colors. Swimming pools in Phoenix, Arizona, pick up 20 pounds of dust a year. The first message tapped by Samuel Morse over his invention the telegraph was: What hath God wrought?. The first words spoken by over Alexander Bell over the telephone were: Watson, please come here. I want you. The first words spoken by Thomas Edison over the phonograph were: Mary had a little lamb The three words in the English language with the letters uu are: vacuum, residuum and continuum. A baby in Florida was named: Truewilllaughinglifebuckyboomermanifestd... His middle name is George James. It is illegal to ride a street car on Sunday if have been eating garlic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In a normal life time an American will eat 200 pounds of peanuts and 10,000 pounds of meat. A new book is published every 13 minutes in America. America's best selling ice-cream flavour is vanilla. American's eat 18 billion hot dogs a year. American's eat 134 pounds of sugar a year. Every year the sun loses 360 million tons. Because of Animal Crackers, many kids until they reach the age of ten, believe a bear is as tall as a giraffe. You can tell if a skunk is about if you smell only .000 000 000 000 071 ounce of its spray. Animal breeders in Russia once claimed to have bred sheep with blue wool. Penguins are the only bird that can leap into the air like porpoises. India has 50 million monkeys. By some unknown means, an iguana can end its own life. Americans spend around $3 billion for cat and dog food a year. Pigs can cover a mile in 7.5 minutes when running at top speed. You breathe about 10 million times a year. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you'll have a bad dream. The first non-human to win an Oscar was Mickey Mouse. Lee Harvey Oswald was booked with mugshot number 54018. The Gulf Stream could carry a message in a bottle at an average of 4 miles per hour. The bullseye on a dartboard must be 5 feet 8 inches off the ground. The foot is the most common body part bitten by insects. The most common time for a wake up call is 7am. The doorbell was invented in 1831. The are 255 squares on a Scrabble board. The electric shaver was patented on November 6, 1928. There are 500 sheets of paper in a ream. The monkey wrench was invented by Charles Moncke. Japan is the largest exporter of frog's legs. There are seven points on the Statue of Liberty's crown. There are approx. 550 hairs in the eyebrow. The most common non-contagious disease in the world is tooth decay. The shell constitutes 12 percent of an egg's weight. A squid has 10 tentacles. A snail's reproductive organs are in its head. A cow's only sweat glands are in its nose. The word "AND" appears 46,277 times in the Bible. The first word played in the Scrabble rules demonstration game is "horn". The telephone's U.S. patent number is 174,465. The typical person goes to the bathroom 6 times a day. There are 17 steps leading up to Sherlock Holme's apartment. When a horned toad is angry, it squirts blood from it's eyes. Napoleon was terrified of cats. The first Lifesaver flavor was peppermint. The typical American eats 263 eggs a year. The ballpoint pen was invented in 1938 by Laszlo and Georg Biro. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. The parking meter was invented by C.C. Magee in 1935. In 1961, an IBM 7090 computer calculated Pi to 100 265 digits. The human body weighs forty times more than the brain. After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp. A person swallows approximately 295 times while eating dinner. The oldest known vegetable is the pea. Jack is the most common name in nursery rhymes. The avocado has the most calories of any fruit. The first zoo in the USA was in Philadelphia. The letter N ends all Japanese words not ending in a vowel. France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese. The hardest bone in the human body is the jawbone. 4000 people are injured by teapots each year. The typical American consumes 27 pounds of cheese each year. The shortest English word that contains the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F is feedback. The ostrich has a 46 foot long small intestine. The state of California raises the most turkeys out of all of the states. The most sensitive finger on the human hand is the index finger. George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. The typical hen lays 19 dozen eggs a year. Stainless stell was invented by Harry Brearley in 1913. A scallop has 35 blue eyes. The left leg of a chicken in more tender than the right one. The only dog that doesn't have a pink tongue is the chow. Iceland was the first country to legalize abortion in 1935. The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal. The dumbest domesticated animal is the turkey. Russia has the most movie theaters in the world. Albert Blake Dick invented the mimeograph machine. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. The most fatal car accidents occur on Saturday. An Oscar weighs seven pounds. It takes the typical person seven minutes to fall asleep. Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer. The Eiffel Tower has 1792 steps. The mongoose was barred live entry into the U.S. in 1902. Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning. Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark. About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30. A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year. Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet. Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue. A jellyfish is 95 percent water. The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump. The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly. America once issued a 5-cent bill. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung. A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. You blink about 84,000,000 times a year. In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word. A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans. Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States. The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth. A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death. The most used letter in the English alphabet is 'E', and 'Q' is the least used. Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right of left handed... or is that pawed? The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven. Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lighting than women. Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions. Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow. Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings. Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight. After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! When someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them in the head. Coca-Cola was originally green. Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royce's per capita. Alaska is the state with highest percent of people who walk to work. 28 percent of Africa is wilderness. 38 percent of America is wilderness. A duck's quack does not echo and no one knows why. It costs $6400 to raise a medium size dog to age of 11. Average number of people airborne over the U.S. during any given hour: 61,000. 70 percent of Americans who visited Disneyland/World. Intelligent people have more copper and zinc in their hair. The youngest pope was 11 years old. Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other country. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." uses every letter in the alphabet and was developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. The San Francisco Cable cars are the only "mobile" National Monuments. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter "uncopyrightable." Did you know that there are coffee flavored PEZ? The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and learned how to walk up standard staircases. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because, when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of unwanted people (without killing them) used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired." Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. David Prowse was the guy in the Darth Vader suit in Star Wars. He spoke all of Vader's lines, and didn't know his voice was going to be dubbed over by James Earl Jones until he saw the screening of the movie. The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel that it burns. The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl. The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-star Game. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles, California. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. In ancient Egypt, Priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. Butterflies taste with their feet. A cat's urine glows under a blacklight. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Coca Cola was originally green. The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words. There are more collect calls made on Father's Day than on any other day. Every day more money is printed for monopoly than the US Treasury. Men can read smaller print than women, women can hear better than men. Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33. The world's youngest parents were 8 & 9 and lived in China in 1910. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. The youngest Pope was 11 years old. "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is a rhyme about the bubonic plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores (Ring around the Rosey...). These sores would smell very bad so people would hide flowers on their bodies in an attempt to mask the smell ("pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned to reduce the spread of the disease ("ashes, ashes, we all fall down"). The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma. American car horns beep in the tone of F. No piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times. 1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum. The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." The 57 on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
anybody intrested check this out? 1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley's Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen. 2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen. 3. The "57" on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had. 4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world's garbage annually. On average, that's 3 pounds a day per person. 5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself. 7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim. 8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945. 9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. 10. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. 11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son. 13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. 14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. 15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately). 16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles. 17. The ZIP in "ZIP code" means Zoning Improvement Plan. 18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903. 19. A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2. 20. It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. 21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar 22. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. 24. The "spot" on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino. 25. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled. 26. The "save" icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards. 27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively). 28. Camel's have three eyelids. 29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day. 30. John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son. 31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister. 32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system. 33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps. 34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape. 35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. 36. Most lipstick contains fish scales. 37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode. 38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name "soyce". 39. Slugs have four noses. 40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. 41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil). 42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows. 43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON'T TRY IT, DUMBASS) 44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing. 45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads. 46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States. 47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun's magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called "Solarmax". 49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. 50. Upper and lower case letters are named "upper" and "lower" because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters. 51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. 52. The numbers "172" can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That's more than sharks. 54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday. 55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it. 56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. 57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour. 59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original. 60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves. 62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar). 63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". 64. IBM's motto is "Think". Apple later made their motto "Think different". 65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget. 66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 67. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is. 69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service. 70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived. 71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes. 72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald's. 73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from. 74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide. 75. In Disney's Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward). 76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles". 77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 78. One in ten people live on an island. 79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%. 81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson", Humphrey Bogart NEVER said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca, and they NEVER said "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek. 84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model. 86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head. 87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia). 88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas. 90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 92. Back in the mid to late '80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator. 93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S. 94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public). 95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 96. Jim Henson first coined the word "Muppet". It is a combination of "marionette" and "puppet." 97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words "North" and "South). 98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company's first ads in 1896. 99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. 100. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. 101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive. 102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a "palindrome". 103. A snail can sleep for 3 years. 104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide. 105. China has more English speakers than the United States. 106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year's Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes. 107. One in every 9000 people is an albino. 108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. 110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury. 111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. 112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten. 113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing. 114. In every episode of "Seinfeld" there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere. 115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck. 116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants. 117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. 118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity. 119. About 55% of all movies are rated R. 120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually. 121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India. 122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. 123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. 124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. 125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable. 126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. 128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world. 130. The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick. 131. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. 132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse's legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building. 134. An American urologist bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000. 135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. 136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT". 137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy. 138. Almonds are members of the peach family. 139. Rats and horses can't vomit. 140. The penguin is the only bird that can't fly but can swim. 141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day. 142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance. 143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. 144. There are only four words in the English language that end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. 145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. 146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. 147. "101 Dalmatians" and "Peter Pan" are the only Disney animations in which both of a character's parents are present and don't die during the movie. 148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. 149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure. 150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies. 151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. 152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21. 153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. 154. All polar bears are left-handed. 155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal) 156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. 157. Butterflies taste with their feet. 158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump. 159. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 160. Starfish have no brains. 161. 11% of the world is left-handed. 162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later. 163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. 164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. 165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. 166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. 167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray. 168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. 169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months. 170. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula". It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A. 171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. 172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour. 173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. 174. A "jiffy" is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second. 175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade. 176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old. 177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer. 178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured. 179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. 180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs melted into it. 181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair. 182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes. 183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. "You've got Mail!"). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as "Q-Link." 184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white. 185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother. 186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes. 188. Shakespeare invented the words "assassination" and "bump." 189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth. 190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white. 191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 192. The name Jeep comes from "GP", the army abbreviation for General Purpose. 193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do. 194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States. 195. Cats' urine glows under a black light. 196. A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip. 197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970. 198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items. 199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated. 200. 25% of a human's bones are in its feet. 201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic's distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. 203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined. 204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the '30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition). 205. "Canada" is an Indian word meaning "Big Village". 206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older. 207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. 208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S. 209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet. 210. A jellyfish is 95% water. 211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001). 212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. 213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day. 214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. 215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle) 216. In golf, a 'Bo Derek' is a score of 10. 217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined. 218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. 219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple. 220. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. 221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross. 222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France. 223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska's third largest city. 224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". 225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours. 226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50. 227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers. 228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5. 229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal. 230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand. 231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119. 232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand "1" and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner. 233. Judy Scheindlin ("Judge Judy") has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary. 234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z. 235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years. 236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. 237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. 238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day. 239. John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles. 240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs. 241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 242. "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English. 243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330. 244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn't kill their enemies. 245. "Duff" is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor. 246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined. 247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history. 248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world). 249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters. 250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. 251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves. 252. Julius Caesar's autograph is worth about $2,000,000. 253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient's arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer. 254. People say "bless you" when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond. 255. US gold coins used to say "In Gold We Trust". 256. In "Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks. 257. A shrimp's heart is in its head. 258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion. 259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+) 260. Pearls melt in vinegar. 261. "Lassie" was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal. 262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself. 263. Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag. 264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible. 265. Tiger Woods' real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname "Tiger" in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War. 266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol. 267. Abraham Lincoln's ghost is said to haunt the White House. 268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther. 269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census. 270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world. 271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment. 272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash. 273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed. 274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice. 275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen. 276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital. 277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day. 278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people. 279. The "if" and "then" parts of conditional ("if P then Q") statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q). 280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech. 281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode. 282. Only female mosquitoes bite. 283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world's mail. 284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells. 285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age. 286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female. 287. The "countdown" (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called "Die Frau Im Monde" (The Girl in the Moon). 288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system. 289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul's armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas. 290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel. 291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died. 292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit. 293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." 294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player. 295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open. 296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person). 297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today. 298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the "Treaty of Paris": Seven Years' War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951). 299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father's assassination as well as during President Garfield's assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated. 300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands. 301. The past-tense of the English word "dare" is "durst". 302. Don Mac Lean's song "American Pie" was written about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who all died in the same plane crash. 303. The drummer for ZZ Top (the only one without a beard) is named Frank Beard. 304. Hummingbirds can't walk. 305. When movie directors do not want their names to be seen in the credits, they use the pseudonym "Allen Smithee" instead. It has been used over 50 times, starting with "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969). 306. Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing). 307. Pamela Lee-Anderson was the first to be born in Canada on the centennial anniversary of Canada's independence (7/1/1967). 308. There is about 200 times more gold in the oceans than has been mined throughout history. 309. William Shatner is credited for being the first person on TV to say "hell" as well as to have the first inter-racial kiss (with Nichelle Nichols), both in episodes of Star Trek. 310. While the US government's supply of gold is kept at Fort Knox, its supply of silver is kept at the Military Academy at West Point, NY. 311. Alexander Graham Bell's wife and mother were both deaf. 312. Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, the reverse of how a record works. 313. In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, if a man was not married by age 30, he would not be allowed to vote or watch athletic events involving nude young men. 314. Attila the Hun (invader of Europe; 406-453), Felix Faure (French President; 1841-1899), Pope Leo VII (936-939), Pope John VII (955-964), Pope Leo VIII (963-965), Pope John XIII (965-72), Pope Paul II (1467-1471), Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister, 1784-1865), Nelson Rockefeller (US Vice President, 1908-1979), and John Entwistle (The Who's bassist, 1944-2002) all died while having sex. 315. Humans and dolphins are the only animals known to have sex for pleasure. 316. Pac-Man, Namco's 1979 arcade game, was originally called "Puck Man". The name was changed when they realized that vandals could easily scratch out part of the letter "P". 317. Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23, 1616. 318. There are about 7.7 million millionaires in the world (more than 1/1000th of the population). 319. The youngest mother on record was a Peruvian girl named Lina Medina. She gave birth to a boy by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 (which happened to be Mother's Day), at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. 320. The "middle finger" gesture originates back to 423 BC in Aristophanes play "The Clouds".
Would you like to check out these 320 useless facts? 1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley's Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen. 2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen. 3. The "57" on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had. 4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world's garbage annually. On average, that's 3 pounds a day per person. 5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself. 7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim. 8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945. 9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. 10. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. 11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son. 13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. 14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. 15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately). 16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles. 17. The ZIP in "ZIP code" means Zoning Improvement Plan. 18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903. 19. A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2. 20. It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. 21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar 22. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. 24. The "spot" on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino. 25. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled. 26. The "save" icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards. 27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively). 28. Camel's have three eyelids. 29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day. 30. John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son. 31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister. 32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system. 33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps. 34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape. 35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. 36. Most lipstick contains fish scales. 37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode. 38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name "soyce". 39. Slugs have four noses. 40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. 41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil). 42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows. 43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON'T TRY IT, DUMBASS) 44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing. 45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads. 46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States. 47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun's magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called "Solarmax". 49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. 50. Upper and lower case letters are named "upper" and "lower" because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters. 51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. 52. The numbers "172" can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That's more than sharks. 54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday. 55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it. 56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. 57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour. 59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original. 60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves. 62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar). 63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". 64. IBM's motto is "Think". Apple later made their motto "Think different". 65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget. 66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 67. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is. 69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service. 70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived. 71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes. 72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald's. 73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from. 74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide. 75. In Disney's Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward). 76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles". 77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 78. One in ten people live on an island. 79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%. 81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson", Humphrey Bogart NEVER said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca, and they NEVER said "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek. 84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model. 86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head. 87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia). 88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas. 90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 92. Back in the mid to late '80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator. 93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S. 94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public). 95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 96. Jim Henson first coined the word "Muppet". It is a combination of "marionette" and "puppet." 97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words "North" and "South). 98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company's first ads in 1896. 99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. 100. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. 101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive. 102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a "palindrome". 103. A snail can sleep for 3 years. 104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide. 105. China has more English speakers than the United States. 106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year's Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes. 107. One in every 9000 people is an albino. 108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. 110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury. 111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. 112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten. 113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing. 114. In every episode of "Seinfeld" there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere. 115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck. 116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants. 117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. 118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity. 119. About 55% of all movies are rated R. 120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually. 121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India. 122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. 123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. 124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. 125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable. 126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. 128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world. 130. The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick. 131. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. 132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse's legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building. 134. An American urologist bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000. 135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. 136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT". 137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy. 138. Almonds are members of the peach family. 139. Rats and horses can't vomit. 140. The penguin is the only bird that can't fly but can swim. 141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day. 142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance. 143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. 144. There are only four words in the English language that end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. 145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. 146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. 147. "101 Dalmatians" and "Peter Pan" are the only Disney animations in which both of a character's parents are present and don't die during the movie. 148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. 149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure. 150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies. 151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. 152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21. 153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. 154. All polar bears are left-handed. 155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal) 156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. 157. Butterflies taste with their feet. 158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump. 159. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 160. Starfish have no brains. 161. 11% of the world is left-handed. 162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later. 163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. 164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. 165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. 166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. 167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray. 168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. 169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months. 170. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula". It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A. 171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. 172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour. 173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. 174. A "jiffy" is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second. 175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade. 176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old. 177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer. 178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured. 179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. 180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs melted into it. 181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair. 182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes. 183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. "You've got Mail!"). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as "Q-Link." 184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white. 185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother. 186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes. 188. Shakespeare invented the words "assassination" and "bump." 189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth. 190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white. 191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 192. The name Jeep comes from "GP", the army abbreviation for General Purpose. 193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do. 194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States. 195. Cats' urine glows under a black light. 196. A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip. 197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970. 198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items. 199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated. 200. 25% of a human's bones are in its feet. 201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic's distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. 203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined. 204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the '30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition). 205. "Canada" is an Indian word meaning "Big Village". 206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older. 207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. 208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S. 209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet. 210. A jellyfish is 95% water. 211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001). 212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. 213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day. 214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. 215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle) 216. In golf, a 'Bo Derek' is a score of 10. 217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined. 218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. 219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple. 220. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. 221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross. 222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France. 223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska's third largest city. 224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". 225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours. 226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50. 227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers. 228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5. 229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal. 230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand. 231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119. 232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand "1" and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner. 233. Judy Scheindlin ("Judge Judy") has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary. 234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z. 235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years. 236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. 237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. 238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day. 239. John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles. 240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs. 241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 242. "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English. 243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330. 244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn't kill their enemies. 245. "Duff" is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor. 246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined. 247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history. 248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world). 249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters. 250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. 251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves. 252. Julius Caesar's autograph is worth about $2,000,000. 253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient's arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer. 254. People say "bless you" when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond. 255. US gold coins used to say "In Gold We Trust". 256. In "Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks. 257. A shrimp's heart is in its head. 258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion. 259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+) 260. Pearls melt in vinegar. 261. "Lassie" was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal. 262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself. 263. Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag. 264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible. 265. Tiger Woods' real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname "Tiger" in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War. 266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol. 267. Abraham Lincoln's ghost is said to haunt the White House. 268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther. 269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census. 270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world. 271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment. 272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash. 273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed. 274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice. 275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen. 276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital. 277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day. 278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people. 279. The "if" and "then" parts of conditional ("if P then Q") statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q). 280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech. 281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode. 282. Only female mosquitoes bite. 283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world's mail. 284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells. 285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age. 286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female. 287. The "countdown" (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called "Die Frau Im Monde" (The Girl in the Moon). 288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system. 289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul's armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas. 290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel. 291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died. 292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit. 293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." 294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player. 295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open. 296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person). 297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today. 298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the "Treaty of Paris": Seven Years' War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951). 299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father's assassination as well as during President Garfield's assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated. 300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands. 301. The past-tense of the English word "dare" is "durst". 302. Don Mac Lean's song "American Pie" was written about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who all died in the same plane crash. 303. The drummer for ZZ Top (the only one without a beard) is named Frank Beard. 304. Hummingbirds can't walk. 305. When movie directors do not want their names to be seen in the credits, they use the pseudonym "Allen Smithee" instead. It has been used over 50 times, starting with "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969). 306. Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing). 307. Pamela Lee-Anderson was the first to be born in Canada on the centennial anniversary of Canada's independence (7/1/1967). 308. There is about 200 times more gold in the oceans than has been mined throughout history. 309. William Shatner is credited for being the first person on TV to say "hell" as well as to have the first inter-racial kiss (with Nichelle Nichols), both in episodes of Star Trek. 310. While the US government's supply of gold is kept at Fort Knox, its supply of silver is kept at the Military Academy at West Point, NY. 311. Alexander Graham Bell's wife and mother were both deaf. 312. Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, the reverse of how a record works. 313. In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, if a man was not married by age 30, he would not be allowed to vote or watch athletic events involving nude young men. 314. Attila the Hun (invader of Europe; 406-453), Felix Faure (French President; 1841-1899), Pope Leo VII (936-939), Pope John VII (955-964), Pope Leo VIII (963-965), Pope John XIII (965-72), Pope Paul II (1467-1471), Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister, 1784-1865), Nelson Rockefeller (US Vice President, 1908-1979), and John Entwistle (The Who's bassist, 1944-2002) all died while having sex. 315. Humans and dolphins are the only animals known to have sex for pleasure. 316. Pac-Man, Namco's 1979 arcade game, was originally called "Puck Man". The name was changed when they realized that vandals could easily scratch out part of the letter "P". 317. Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23, 1616. 318. There are about 7.7 million millionaires in the world (more than 1/1000th of the population). 319. The youngest mother on record was a Peruvian girl named Lina Medina. She gave birth to a boy by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 (which happened to be Mother's Day), at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. 320. The "middle finger" gesture originates back to 423 BC in Aristophanes play "The Clouds". Have fun reading it. Some interesting stuff on there. I didn't type them up myself either. Just copied and pasted them. No offense taken. Just skim through it, it ain't rocket science. Yes there is a one thousand limit on characters but i don't care. And i am not bored for a change. Triple Ho took hostage of my avatar. It's better than the male face though. Triple Ho took hostage of my avatar. It's better than the male face though.
Check this out! Anyone know of these usuless facts? 1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley's Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen. 2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen. 3. The "57" on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had. 4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world's garbage annually. On average, that's 3 pounds a day per person. 5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself. 7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim. 8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945. 9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. 10. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. 11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son. 13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. 14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. 15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately). 16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles. 17. The ZIP in "ZIP code" means Zoning Improvement Plan. 18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903. 19. A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2. 20. It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. 21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar 22. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. 24. The "spot" on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino. 25. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled. 26. The "save" icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards. 27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively). 28. Camel's have three eyelids. 29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day. 30. John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son. 31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister. 32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system. 33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps. 34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape. 35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. 36. Most lipstick contains fish scales. 37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode. 38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name "soyce". 39. Slugs have four noses. 40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. 41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil). 42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows. 43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON'T TRY IT, DUMBASS) 44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing. 45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads. 46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States. 47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun's magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called "Solarmax". 49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. 50. Upper and lower case letters are named "upper" and "lower" because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters. 51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. 52. The numbers "172" can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That's more than sharks. 54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday. 55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it. 56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. 57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour. 59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original. 60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves. 62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar). 63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". 64. IBM's motto is "Think". Apple later made their motto "Think different". 65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget. 66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 67. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is. 69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service. 70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived. 71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes. 72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald's. 73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from. 74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide. 75. In Disney's Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward). 76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles". 77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 78. One in ten people live on an island. 79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%. 81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson", Humphrey Bogart NEVER said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca, and they NEVER said "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek. 84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model. 86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head. 87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia). 88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas. 90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 92. Back in the mid to late '80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator. 93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S. 94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public). 95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 96. Jim Henson first coined the word "Muppet". It is a combination of "marionette" and "puppet." 97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words "North" and "South). 98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company's first ads in 1896. 99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. 100. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. 101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive. 102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a "palindrome". 103. A snail can sleep for 3 years. 104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide. 105. China has more English speakers than the United States. 106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year's Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes. 107. One in every 9000 people is an albino. 108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. 110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury. 111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. 112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten. 113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing. 114. In every episode of "Seinfeld" there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere. 115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck. 116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants. 117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. 118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity. 119. About 55% of all movies are rated R. 120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually. 121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India. 122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. 123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. 124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. 125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable. 126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. 128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world. 130. The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick. 131. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. 132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse's legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building. 134. An American urologist bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000. 135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. 136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT". 137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy. 138. Almonds are members of the peach family. 139. Rats and horses can't vomit. 140. The penguin is the only bird that can't fly but can swim. 141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day. 142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance. 143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. 144. There are only four words in the English language that end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. 145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. 146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. 147. "101 Dalmatians" and "Peter Pan" are the only Disney animations in which both of a character's parents are present and don't die during the movie. 148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. 149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure. 150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies. 151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. 152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21. 153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. 154. All polar bears are left-handed. 155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal) 156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. 157. Butterflies taste with their feet. 158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump. 159. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 160. Starfish have no brains. 161. 11% of the world is left-handed. 162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later. 163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. 164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. 165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. 166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. 167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray. 168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. 169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months. 170. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula". It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A. 171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. 172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour. 173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. 174. A "jiffy" is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second. 175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade. 176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old. 177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer. 178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured. 179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. 180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs melted into it. 181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair. 182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes. 183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. "You've got Mail!"). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as "Q-Link." 184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white. 185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother. 186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes. 188. Shakespeare invented the words "assassination" and "bump." 189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth. 190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white. 191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 192. The name Jeep comes from "GP", the army abbreviation for General Purpose. 193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do. 194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States. 195. Cats' urine glows under a black light. 196. A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip. 197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970. 198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items. 199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated. 200. 25% of a human's bones are in its feet. 201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic's distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. 203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined. 204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the '30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition). 205. "Canada" is an Indian word meaning "Big Village". 206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older. 207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. 208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S. 209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet. 210. A jellyfish is 95% water. 211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001). 212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. 213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day. 214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. 215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle) 216. In golf, a 'Bo Derek' is a score of 10. 217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined. 218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. 219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple. 220. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. 221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross. 222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France. 223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska's third largest city. 224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". 225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours. 226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50. 227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers. 228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5. 229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal. 230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand. 231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119. 232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand "1" and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner. 233. Judy Scheindlin ("Judge Judy") has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary. 234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z. 235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years. 236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. 237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. 238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day. 239. John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles. 240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs. 241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 242. "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English. 243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330. 244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn't kill their enemies. 245. "Duff" is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor. 246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined. 247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history. 248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world). 249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters. 250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. 251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves. 252. Julius Caesar's autograph is worth about $2,000,000. 253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient's arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer. 254. People say "bless you" when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond. 255. US gold coins used to say "In Gold We Trust". 256. In "Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks. 257. A shrimp's heart is in its head. 258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion. 259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+) 260. Pearls melt in vinegar. 261. "Lassie" was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal. 262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself. 263. Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag. 264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible. 265. Tiger Woods' real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname "Tiger" in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War. 266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol. 267. Abraham Lincoln's ghost is said to haunt the White House. 268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther. 269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census. 270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world. 271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment. 272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash. 273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed. 274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice. 275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen. 276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital. 277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day. 278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people. 279. The "if" and "then" parts of conditional ("if P then Q") statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q). 280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech. 281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode. 282. Only female mosquitoes bite. 283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world's mail. 284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells. 285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age. 286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female. 287. The "countdown" (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called "Die Frau Im Monde" (The Girl in the Moon). 288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system. 289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul's armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas. 290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel. 291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died. 292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit. 293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." 294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player. 295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open. 296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person). 297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today. 298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the "Treaty of Paris": Seven Years' War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951). 299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father's assassination as well as during President Garfield's assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated. 300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands. 301. The past-tense of the English word "dare" is "durst". 302. Don Mac Lean's song "American Pie" was written about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who all died in the same plane crash. 303. The drummer for ZZ Top (the only one without a beard) is named Frank Beard. 304. Hummingbirds can't walk. 305. When movie directors do not want their names to be seen in the credits, they use the pseudonym "Allen Smithee" instead. It has been used over 50 times, starting with "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969). 306. Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing). 307. Pamela Lee-Anderson was the first to be born in Canada on the centennial anniversary of Canada's independence (7/1/1967). 308. There is about 200 times more gold in the oceans than has been mined throughout history. 309. William Shatner is credited for being the first person on TV to say "hell" as well as to have the first inter-racial kiss (with Nichelle Nichols), both in episodes of Star Trek. 310. While the US government's supply of gold is kept at Fort Knox, its supply of silver is kept at the Military Academy at West Point, NY. 311. Alexander Graham Bell's wife and mother were both deaf. 312. Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, the reverse of how a record works. 313. In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, if a man was not married by age 30, he would not be allowed to vote or watch athletic events involving nude young men. 314. Attila the Hun (invader of Europe; 406-453), Felix Faure (French President; 1841-1899), Pope Leo VII (936-939), Pope John VII (955-964), Pope Leo VIII (963-965), Pope John XIII (965-72), Pope Paul II (1467-1471), Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister, 1784-1865), Nelson Rockefeller (US Vice President, 1908-1979), and John Entwistle (The Who's bassist, 1944-2002) all died while having sex. 315. Humans and dolphins are the only animals known to have sex for pleasure. 316. Pac-Man, Namco's 1979 arcade game, was originally called "Puck Man". The name was changed when they realized that vandals could easily scratch out part of the letter "P". 317. Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23, 1616. 318. There are about 7.7 million millionaires in the world (more than 1/1000th of the population). 319. The youngest mother on record was a Peruvian girl named Lina Medina. She gave birth to a boy by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 (which happened to be Mother's Day), at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. 320. The "middle finger" gesture originates back to 423 BC in Aristophanes play "The Clouds". I really loved these facts, so I thought I'd share them with you guys. Please don't be mad! Have a nice day! :)
Who are Responsible for Backwardness of Tribal ? Who are Responsible for Backwardness of Tribal ? India has been home to tribals since time immemorial, and they are naturally considered the original inhabitants of India. Their rich history and culture have provided tribes such as Santhal, Munda, Bhil, Meena, Ho Gond and others a distinct identity at the national and international level. The tribal areas of Rajasthan have been home to many tribes such as Bhil, Meena, Bhil-Meena, Damor and Garasia since ancient times. The tribes of Rajasthan have a history full of splendour and valor, and are thus famous for it. The tribal kings established their own kingdoms across the Rajputana. For instance, Dungaria Bhil had Dungarpur, Bansia (Vishna) Bhil had Banswara. Kotia Bhil had Kota, Jetasi Bhil had Abu as their kingdoms, which now constitute districts along these names in modern Rajasthan. Besides, Maharana Pratap, the great Rajputana warrior, had a Bhil warrior as his commander-in-chief, who is still revered by one and all. However, the tribal people have been victim of social, economic and religious discrimination and exploitation notwithstanding their rich history. They have been deprived of education, have been socially looked down upon and rejected, have been made to serve as bonded labour: a fact that has been time and again accepted, officially and unofficially, by politicians, social workers and scholars alike. Jansatta, a Hindi daily, in a news report headlined, “Kendra Anusuchit Jaati-Janjaati ke Liye Vishesh Tantra aur Kanoon Banane ke Paksh Mein” (Centre in Favour of Framing a Special System and Law for Scheduled Castes and Tribes), quoted Union Social Welfare and Empowerment Minister Meera Kumar as saying that more than 16 crore people in India still suffer from the scourge of untouchability. According to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the scheduled castes and tribes are discriminated against even after six decades of India’s independence and affirmative action is needed to change this. In a similar vein, Union Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj has maintained that the victims of excesses are paid only lip service. The law minister further said that the discrimination against scheduled castes and tribes should be stemmed at the grassroots level and unless we as a nation change our thinking, these excesses will continue. Usually, non-tribals are held responsible for the backwardness, excesses on and exploitation of tribals. There is some truth to this generalization. But then are the non-tribals only to be blamed for tribal backwardness? Actually, if anybody has to be blamed for tribal backwardness it has to be tribals only. The facts speak for themselves. Take for instance the tribal subplan area of Rajasthan. As the sarpanch, pradhan, district board chairman, all are in most of the cases tribals of this area, so are the MLA, MP and tribal minister who invariably belong to this area. This only shows that they are well represented in governing and legislative bodies, and with a population of about 35 lakh they are not few in numbers. Yet, the common tribal is still struggling to make both ends meet even after 59 years of Independence, and only the tribal politicians, leaders, officials and employees and the youth can be blamed for the backwardness of the tribal society as they together have failed to discharge their responsibility toward their own community. Here, we will explore all this one by one. 1Role of Tribal Politicians As we all know, tribals face social, economic and religious exploitation and excesses which brings the role of tribal politicians into question because they have failed to tackle these problems by mobilizing the community into a movement. The main reason of this failure on their part is the lack of leadership among the tribal community. In addition, after Independence the community panchayats have been usurped by party politics, which has become a bane of the tribal society. The party politics has divided the tribal society into various party ideologies. As a result, most of the tribal leaders, instead of making the tribal development and upliftment their objective, only fulfill their political ambitions. Most of the tribal leaders work to mobilize crowds for their party rallies. They seldom work toward solving the problems of the community. Consequently, even after a period of 59 years, there has been a lack of programmes and schemes to put a planned and special area like the “Adivasi Upyojana Kshetra” (Tribal Subplan Area) on the path of development for the overall development of the tribal community. Of the 150 most backward districts of the country covered under the Food For Work Programme, three districts of Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara fall in Rajasthan where the government has to undertake famine relief every year. This only shows that this area has remained still backward because of which many villages lack even basic amenities like drinking water and electricity, there is a lack of irrigation facilities, transport and communication facilities. The tribals of these areas may be found wandering in states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi to make ends meet. Most of the tribals are unable to benefit from government and non-government run employment schemes for the lack of information and rampant corruption. When some tribal politicians, rising above party politics, dare raise the issues concerning the development of tribals, they are accused of promoting casteism, and their party concerned retaliates by downsizing their political stature and putting checks on them. The threat of denial of tickets for the next elections is the most potent one that makes the tribal leaders helpless. Furthermore, there is no dearth of talented people among tribals, but they are being divided gradually along party lines and social groupings, and they are engaged in pulling down each other and fulfilling their political ambitions. This has only harmed the interests of the tribal society. It has been observed that the tribal leaders from southern Rajasthan have little grip over in the government administration. Lack of education, no influential positions in political parties, lack of awareness about constitutional provisions and rights, lack of information on development programmes and procedures of government departments are some of the reasons for this. The tribal leaders are worried only about their own future and work as yes man of their political masters, to the detriment of the larger interests of the tribal society. 2.Role of Tribal Officials and Employees Tribals living in Rajasthan’s Adivasi Upyojana Area have very low representation in government administration in comparison to non-tribals. They have little representation in Rajasthan administrative services. For instance, out of 600 recruitments so far done for tribals in state RAS and RTS, only 15—that is 2.5 percent were recruited from southern Rajasthan, and only 3 tribals have made it to Rajasthan administrative services. The tribals of this region have never made it to the Indian Administrative Services even after 59 years of Independence. In other words, there are only a handful of tribal officials and employees from this region. And most among these work under pressure and fear, and they never participate in various activities conducted for the prevention of excesses and exploitation perpetrated on tribal society. Keeping in mind that they have raise their children, they think they would work for their community after they retire from job. This is how the tribal officials and employees have failed in discharging their duty toward their society. But when they smell an opportunity to become MLA and MP, they are seen running around for tickets, in other words, they want to become politicians but not social workers. These officials and employees have little interaction with their community members. Most of them have become city dwellers, and they never encourage their children to participate in social and religious activities of their community. In other words, they fail to discharge their responsibility toward their community. The tribal officials and employees posted in this area have to face immense pressure from their political masters and have to work under fear as they are transferred by the politicians to serve their party interests and personal ambitions. This fear keeps them from participating in social development activities. They are thus unable to bring awareness among their fellow tribesmen and set an example before the youth. They only bid their time while waiting to complete their service period. But when they retire it is too late as they are unable to contribute anything substantial toward their community. 3.Role of Tribal Youth Owing to their poor economic condition, most of the tribals send their children to government schools and hostel. Needless to say the government educational institutions are ill-equipped to provide quality education to their wards. For instance, they don’t have qualified teachers in enough numbers, lack well-equipped science labs particularly in rural areas, have no playing grounds, libraries and reading rooms, lack furniture and classrooms. To top it all, students have to face caste discrimination in these institutions that reflects on the results of practical examinations of tribal students. Aware of all these pitfalls of government schools, when the poor tribal families try to get their children good education through missionary schools, some fanatic elements who have a sway upon the larger society dub this act as proselytization and create social and political pressure to deprive their children of education, although this is unconstitutional. How many tribal politicians, officials and social workers have turned their attention toward such occurrences? How many of them have ever bothered to visit the schools and hostels set up in rural tribal areas and tried to do something about the various problems that tribal students face their? How many students have they ever bothered to help and guide? But people venturing into this kind of endeavour are few, and such efforts still few and far between. Even those poor tribal students who try to overcome all difficulties in their studies focus only on getting a government job, and most of the time their efforts go in vain. 4.Role of the Common Tribal Generally, it can be observed that ordinary tribal’s socio-economic condition is so pathetic that all his concerns and efforts focus on making both ends meet, so much so that he is unable to think of his own development let alone making any effort toward resolving the problems the community is beset with. He simply gives up, and hopes that some leader, some official or holy man will descend and deliver us from our pathetic socio-economic condition. The ordinary tribal has left his fate in the hands of government and God. If somebody perpetrates excesses on them and exploits them, they simply bow down before them. If any tribal youth or leader dare raise his voice against such excesses and exploitation, the ordinary tribals fail to throw their weight behind him, as they are in awe of the socio-economic status of the perpetrator. . And if some youth goes to jail for fighting for the dignity of the tribal community or dies for the cause of the tribals, he becomes a part of statistics as his fellow tribesmen, taking such event as something too ordinary to be remembered, forget such sacrifices after a few days. This is one of the biggest faults that lie with the tribal community itself. The Adivasi Upyojana Kshetra is predominantly tribal, people’s representatives are tribals and there are about 1500 NGO which claim to be working for tribal cause, yet the tribals have to suffer excesses and exploitation even after 59 years of Independence. Suggestions The above analysis draws the attention toward important deficiencies of the tribal community which can be removed by the following suggestions: 1.Tribal politicians, officials and employees may have taken advantage of reservations to improve the socio-economic status of their families. But most of them seldom discharge their duty toward the less fortunate fellow tribesmen. Such individuals should be entrusted with special responsibility of contributing toward the socio-economic development of their fellowmen living in poor rural tribal areas. They should be involved especially in educational, health and awareness programmes. And if they don’t fulfill their duty toward the community, they should not be allowed to enjoy the benefits of reservation. 2.Owing to limited resources, the implementation of various schemes designed by the government for the uplift of tribals is an uphill task. As a result of this, the tribals dwelling in poor rural areas are deprived of quality education and health care, thus keeping the tribals backward compared to non-tribals. Various government and non-government studies show that various government schemes meant for the socio-economic development of tribals have failed to reach the intended beneficiaries for lack of adequate staff and resources. The government has now taken an initiative to implement such schemes by involving non-government agencies. But no positive results have emerged from such initiatives. We all know that the missionaries have played a crucial role in providing quality education and health care to the rural poor. It is evident from the socio-economic condition of the tribals of the Northeast, including Assam, Nagaland, Meghalya, Tripura, Manipur, etc., and Jharkhand, which is much better than that of other tribals. The tribals of these areas are contributing their might in a significant way in many countries. It would be advisable to handover tribal development programmes in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the missionaries, so that the tribal communities of these states also become aware of their human rights and become an equal partners in the socio-economic development along with non-tribals. The no tribal will ever oppose the theory of merit. I also feel that till there is reservation available to them, there abilities will be questioned by the larger society as those who have availed themselves off the benefit of reservation have contributed little significant to the society and the country. It is therefore necessary to make those who are enjoying the fruits of reservation (1) to serve at least for the first five years, after they get a government job, serve in tribal areas and contribute to the welfare and development of the community, (2) adopt a tribal child to raise and educate him and (3) contribute a certain percentage of his earning to development work in tribal areas, such as digging of wells, construction of schools and community centres so that it helps the ordinary tribals lead a life of dignity. And they can say with pride, when time comes, that they are discharging their duty toward their community in return for the benefits of reservation that the government has provided them. 3.Party politics has pushed the tribal panchayats to the brink of ruin. The traditional tribal panchayats have historically played a crucial role in tribal society. It is therefore necessary to revive and strengthen them, as in their absence it would be difficult for the tribal community to reclaim its pride and rightful place in the society. It is apparent from experience that party politics is not going to resolve the problems that the tribal community is besieged with because had the decisions inspired by party politics been beneficial, the tribals would have never been living in pathetic condition even after 59 years of Independence. If any tribal receives lathis in the movements and rallies, held for tribal dignity and resolution of tribal society’s socio-economic problems, is jailed and takes bullets, such person should be revered by the community. We should raise monuments in the honour of such martyrs of the tribal cause, so that they become a role model and source of inspiration, as is the practice in Jharkhand. The community panchayats can also promote community participation in rural development work, so that we don’t have to depend on government alone for our socio-economic development. Every villager should be encouraged to contribute to mobilize resources and remove various deficiencies besetting development work. Villagers should also be encouraged to set up self-help groups so that a positive change is harnessed in their economic condition. 4.The tribal community is depicted in a wrong light in many films, papers and magazines. So it is pertinent for us to expose such tribals and non-tribals, organizations and groups, who are hurting the tribal interests and defaming the community, and give them a befitting reply. Many fundamentalist organizations are working overtime to create a deep wedge in tribal community, making tribals their own enemies. If such dangerous tendency is not checked, the time is not too far when we will have strife on our hands in which tribals will kill taibals. We can on the basis of above say that it will be erroneous to hold non-tribals solely responsible for the backwardness of the tribals of southern Rajasthan. If the tribal community has to suffer excesses and exploitation, and has remained a laggard in development, then tribal politicians, official, employees are as much to be blamed for this sorry state of affairs. It is because these people have use their tribal identity to reap the benefits by becoming politician (MPs, MLAs, district board chairmen, pradhans), government officials and employees. But when it comes to discharging their duty toward their own community they have largely failed. Tribal society will have to suffer excesses and exploitation till every tribal fight for his rights and discharges his duty toward the community. Although the government time and again claims to have spent crores of rupees on the development of southern Rajasthan, the reality on the ground is opposite, as there has been too little development to support such claims. This has led to growing socio-economic and political dissent among tribals of this area. Keeping in view this discontent, some individuals have taken laudable initiative. The foremost among them is Satguru Shri Mohanji Sharma who has been working for the socio-economic uplift of the tribals of southern Rajasthan for the past 15 years. He is guiding the tribal students by spreading awareness among them to help them learn to live with dignity. He is, in fact, in his own way uniting the tribals of this area. There are some politicians who rising above their party lines and ideologies are contributing a lot to the development of tribals. Prominent among them are Tribal Minister Nand Lal Meena, MP Mahaveer Bhagora, Former MP Mahendrajeet Malavia and Tara Chand Bhagora, MLAs Jeetmal Khont and Raghuveer Meena. There efforts are worth a thousand plaudits. The dissention widespread among the tribals of this area is now leading to a demand for a separate tribal state, which is being raised by some tribal youth. Supporting this demand are thousands of educated tribal youth and victims of excesses and exploitation. Those tribal politicians who were used and then dumped by their political parties are also throwing their weight behind this movement. It also appears that the non-tribal people of the area who are trying to bring the tribals in the mainstream of development are also supporting this demand, directly or indirectly. All this portends well. Dr. Lalit Latta Joshua, Senior Research Officer, Institute Of Applied Manpower Research ( Planning Commission, Govt. of India ) Plot No. 25, Sector A-7, Institutional Area, Narela, Delhi-110040. The views expressed in this paper are of the author and not of the institute in which he is employed.
320 Useless Facts Most Intresting One? 1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley's Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen. 2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen. 3. The "57" on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had. 4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world's garbage annually. On average, that's 3 pounds a day per person. 5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself. 7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim. 8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945. 9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. 10. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. 11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son. 13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. 14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. 15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately). 16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles. 17. The ZIP in "ZIP code" means Zoning Improvement Plan. 18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903. 19. A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2. 20. It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. 21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar 22. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. 24. The "spot" on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino. 25. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled. 26. The "save" icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards. 27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively). 28. Camel's have three eyelids. 29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day. 30. John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son. 31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister. 32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system. 33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps. 34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape. 35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. 36. Most lipstick contains fish scales. 37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode. 38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name "soyce". 39. Slugs have four noses. 40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. 41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil). 42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows. 43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON'T TRY IT, DUMBASS) 44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing. 45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads. 46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States. 47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun's magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called "Solarmax". 49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. 50. Upper and lower case letters are named "upper" and "lower" because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters. 51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. 52. The numbers "172" can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That's more than sharks. 54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday. 55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it. 56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. 57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour. 59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original. 60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves. 62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar). 63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". 64. IBM's motto is "Think". Apple later made their motto "Think different". 65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget. 66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 67. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is. 69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service. 70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived. 71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes. 72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald's. 73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from. 74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide. 75. In Disney's Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward). 76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles". 77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 78. One in ten people live on an island. 79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%. 81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson", Humphrey Bogart NEVER said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca, and they NEVER said "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek. 84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model. 86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head. 87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia). 88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas. 90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 92. Back in the mid to late '80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator. 93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S. 94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public). 95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 96. Jim Henson first coined the word "Muppet". It is a combination of "marionette" and "puppet." 97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words "North" and "South). 98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company's first ads in 1896. 99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. 100. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. 101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive. 102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a "palindrome". 103. A snail can sleep for 3 years. 104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide. 105. China has more English speakers than the United States. 106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year's Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes. 107. One in every 9000 people is an albino. 108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. 110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury. 111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. 112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten. 113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing. 114. In every episode of "Seinfeld" there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere. 115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck. 116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants. 117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. 118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity. 119. About 55% of all movies are rated R. 120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually. 121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India. 122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. 123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. 124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. 125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable. 126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. 128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world. 130. The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick. 131. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. 132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse's legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building. 134. An American urologist bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000. 135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. 136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT". 137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy. 138. Almonds are members of the peach family. 139. Rats and horses can't vomit. 140. The penguin is the only bird that can't fly but can swim. 141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day. 142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance. 143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable. 144. There are only four words in the English language that end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. 145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. 146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie. 147. "101 Dalmatians" and "Peter Pan" are the only Disney animations in which both of a character's parents are present and don't die during the movie. 148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. 149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure. 150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies. 151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. 152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21. 153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. 154. All polar bears are left-handed. 155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal) 156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. 157. Butterflies taste with their feet. 158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump. 159. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. 160. Starfish have no brains. 161. 11% of the world is left-handed. 162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later. 163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. 164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite. 165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses. 166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. 167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray. 168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. 169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months. 170. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula". It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A. 171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. 172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour. 173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. 174. A "jiffy" is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second. 175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade. 176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old. 177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer. 178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured. 179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. 180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs melted into it. 181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair. 182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes. 183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. "You've got Mail!"). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as "Q-Link." 184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white. 185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother. 186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes. 188. Shakespeare invented the words "assassination" and "bump." 189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth. 190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white. 191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 192. The name Jeep comes from "GP", the army abbreviation for General Purpose. 193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do. 194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States. 195. Cats' urine glows under a black light. 196. A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip. 197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970. 198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items. 199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated. 200. 25% of a human's bones are in its feet. 201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic's distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. 203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined. 204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the '30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition). 205. "Canada" is an Indian word meaning "Big Village". 206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older. 207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. 208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S. 209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet. 210. A jellyfish is 95% water. 211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001). 212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. 213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day. 214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death. 215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle) 216. In golf, a 'Bo Derek' is a score of 10. 217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined. 218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. 219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple. 220. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. 221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross. 222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France. 223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska's third largest city. 224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". 225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours. 226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50. 227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers. 228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5. 229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal. 230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand. 231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119. 232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand "1" and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner. 233. Judy Scheindlin ("Judge Judy") has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary. 234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z. 235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years. 236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. 237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. 238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day. 239. John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles. 240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs. 241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 242. "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English. 243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330. 244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn't kill their enemies. 245. "Duff" is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor. 246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined. 247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history. 248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world). 249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters. 250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. 251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves. 252. Julius Caesar's autograph is worth about $2,000,000. 253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient's arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer. 254. People say "bless you" when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond. 255. US gold coins used to say "In Gold We Trust". 256. In "Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks. 257. A shrimp's heart is in its head. 258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion. 259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+) 260. Pearls melt in vinegar. 261. "Lassie" was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal. 262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself. 263. Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag. 264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible. 265. Tiger Woods' real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname "Tiger" in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War. 266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol. 267. Abraham Lincoln's ghost is said to haunt the White House. 268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther. 269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census. 270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world. 271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment. 272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash. 273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed. 274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice. 275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen. 276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital. 277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day. 278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people. 279. The "if" and "then" parts of conditional ("if P then Q") statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q). 280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech. 281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode. 282. Only female mosquitoes bite. 283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world's mail. 284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells. 285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age. 286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female. 287. The "countdown" (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called "Die Frau Im Monde" (The Girl in the Moon). 288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system. 289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul's armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas. 290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel. 291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died. 292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit. 293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." 294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player. 295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open. 296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person). 297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today. 298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the "Treaty of Paris": Seven Years' War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951). 299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father's assassination as well as during President Garfield's assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated. 300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands. 301. The past-tense of the English word "dare" is "durst". 302. Don Mac Lean's song "American Pie" was written about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who all died in the same plane crash. 303. The drummer for ZZ Top (the only one without a beard) is named Frank Beard. 304. Hummingbirds can't walk. 305. When movie directors do not want their names to be seen in the credits, they use the pseudonym "Allen Smithee" instead. It has been used over 50 times, starting with "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969). 306. Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing). 307. Pamela Lee-Anderson was the first to be born in Canada on the centennial anniversary of Canada's independence (7/1/1967). 308. There is about 200 times more gold in the oceans than has been mined throughout history. 309. William Shatner is credited for being the first person on TV to say "hell" as well as to have the first inter-racial kiss (with Nichelle Nichols), both in episodes of Star Trek. 310. While the US government's supply of gold is kept at Fort Knox, its supply of silver is kept at the Military Academy at West Point, NY. 311. Alexander Graham Bell's wife and mother were both deaf. 312. Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, the reverse of how a record works. 313. In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, if a man was not married by age 30, he would not be allowed to vote or watch athletic events involving nude young men. 314. Attila the Hun (invader of Europe; 406-453), Felix Faure (French President; 1841-1899), Pope Leo VII (936-939), Pope John VII (955-964), Pope Leo VIII (963-965), Pope John XIII (965-72), Pope Paul II (1467-1471), Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister, 1784-1865), Nelson Rockefeller (US Vice President, 1908-1979), and John Entwistle (The Who's bassist, 1944-2002) all died while having sex. 315. Humans and dolphins are the only animals known to have sex for pleasure. 316. Pac-Man, Namco's 1979 arcade game, was originally called "Puck Man". The name was changed when they realized that vandals could easily scratch out part of the letter "P". 317. Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23, 1616. 318. There are about 7.7 million millionaires in the world (more than 1/1000th of the population). 319. The youngest mother on record was a Peruvian girl named Lina Medina. She gave birth to a boy by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 (which happened to be Mother's Day), at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days. 320. The "middle finger" gesture originates back to 423 BC in Aristophanes play "The Clouds".
Your Thoughts On These 320 Useless Facts? Which is most interesting to You? 1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley's Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen. 2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen. 3. The "57" on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had. 4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world's garbage annually. On average, that's 3 pounds a day per person. 5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn't digest itself. 7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim. 8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945. 9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. 10. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. 11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son. 13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. 14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. 15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately). 16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles. 17. The ZIP in "ZIP code" means Zoning Improvement Plan. 18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903. 19. A "2 by 4" is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2. 20. It's estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world's population is drunk. 21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar 22. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. 24. The "spot" on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino. 25. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 dictionary were misspelled. 26. The "save" icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards. 27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively). 28. Camel's have three eyelids. 29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day. 30. John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son. 31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister. 32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system. 33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps. 34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape. 35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses. 36. Most lipstick contains fish scales. 37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode. 38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name "soyce". 39. Slugs have four noses. 40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. 41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil). 42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows. 43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON'T TRY IT, DUMBASS) 44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing. 45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads. 46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States. 47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun's magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called "Solarmax". 49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess. 50. Upper and lower case letters are named "upper" and "lower" because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters. 51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. 52. The numbers "172" can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. 53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That's more than sharks. 54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday. 55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it. 56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. 57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour. 59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original. 60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves. 62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar). 63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". 64. IBM's motto is "Think". Apple later made their motto "Think different". 65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget. 66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 67. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is. 69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service. 70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived. 71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes. 72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald's. 73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from. 74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide. 75. In Disney's Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward). 76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles". 77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 78. One in ten people live on an island. 79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%. 81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson", Humphrey Bogart NEVER said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca, and they NEVER said "Beam me up, Scotty" on Star Trek. 84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model. 86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head. 87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia). 88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas. 90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 92. Back in the mid to late '80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator. 93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S. 94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public). 95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 96. Jim Henson first coined the word "Muppet". It is a combination of "marionette" and "puppet." 97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words "North" and "South). 98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company's first ads in 1896. 99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. 100. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. 101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive. 102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a "palindrome". 103. A snail can sleep for 3 years. 104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide. 105. China has more English speakers than the United States. 106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year's Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes. 107. One in every 9000 people is an albino. 108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world. 110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury. 111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on. 112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten. 113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing. 114. In every episode of "Seinfeld" there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere. 115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck. 116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants. 117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. 118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity. 119. About 55% of all movies are rated R. 120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually. 121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India. 122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. 123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. 124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites. 125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable. 126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns. 127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call. 128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. 129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world. 130. The word "maverick" came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick. 131. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey. 132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse's legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building. 134. An American urologist bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000. 135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. 136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT". 137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy. 13