TRIVIA:
QUOTES:
CHUCKLES/BELLY
LAUGHS & GROANERS
TRIVIA:
The four presidential
heads of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt were sculpted
on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota by Gutzon Borglum who had completed a
colossal bas-relief of Confederate heroes on the face of Stone Mountain
in Georgia. Work began in the summer of 1927 and dragged on for 14
years, its cost escalating to $1 million. He died in 1941 shortly
before it was completed. His son oversaw the final work. (Thank
you, well noted.. Maris!) [Source: Reader's Digest - Strange Stories,
Amazing Facts of America's Past (1989)] maris stanard from clinton, mississippi,
usa (19 May 2000)
As cats sharpen
their claws, they leave a scent signals. Glands in the feet leave
secretions, letting other cats know who has been there. Also, in
certain places on the cat's body, there are special sabaceous glands that
produce the secretions used to leave Scent messages: These glands are clustered
around the cat's face, neck, shoulders, near it's tail, and on the under
sides of the paw. Ed's Note: So true Katie! [Source: CATS The
Complete Guide] Katie Barnes from Summerville SC, Dorchester County (10
April 2000)
Dr. Pepper
and the Ice cream cone was introduced during the 1904 St. Louis Exposition,
where the 1904 Summer Olympics took place. [Source: the radio] fred
from usa (23 March 2000)
The so-called 'Peace
Sign' or symbol may have had biblical origins, but in the sixties, it stood
for the combined semaphore letters 'N' and 'D' for Nuclear Disarmament.
That's straight from the Haight in the 'Summer of Love.' [Source: An unpopular
nuclear engineer.] Don Howard from San Jose, CA, USA (1 January 2000)
La Paz, the capital
city of Bolivia is the highest capital in the world. Ski resorts
there operate only on weekends during the South American summer (November
to March). At an elevation of over 17,000 feet, it is too cold to
operate during the South American winter. [Source: Internet] Dreamweave
from Australia - New South Wales - Central Coast (2 December 1999)
It is a very curious
fact that, although the pack of 52 cards (standard playing deck) was ostensibly
produced simply for gaming, it contains a numerical symbolism which is
related to the year and to nature. The four suits correspond to the
four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. They also remind
us of the four winds: North, East, South and West. The two colours,
red and black, represent day and night. The 52 cards represent the
52 weeks of the year. The four suits of 13 cards each, correspond
to the four quarters of the year, each having 13 weeks. The twelve
court cards are analogous to the twelve months of the year; and to the
twelve hours between noon and midnight. The face value, or pips,
of each suit, from Ace to ten, add up to 55. If we call the Jack
11, the Queen 12, and the King 13, then the total of pips for each suit
is 91. Multiply this by 4, and it gives a grand total for the whole
pack of 364 - plus 1, the Joker and we have 365, the number of days in
the year. Furthermore, the four suits of 13 cards each remind us
of the four phases of the moon: new moon, first quarter, full moon and
last quarter. These four phases make a lunar month and 13 lunar months
are reckoned to the year. [Source: 'Natural Magic' a book by Doreen
Valiente (cpywrt. 1975)] Earthfriend from Regina, Canada (8 November
1999)
Edward Eagan won
gold medals in both the Summer (boxing) and Winter (bobsleigh) Olympic
Games. [Source: The depths of my sad useless facts brain] Lynne from
Preston, England (24 August 1999)
Melbourne is the
first city to host the Summer Olympic Games in the southern hemisphere.
[Source: Olympic Fact Book] Peter K from Vienna (9 July 1999)
Star Wars I: People
may or may not have noticed this but there is a shot in the senate chamber
room after Amidala asked for a vote of no confidence where it shows uproars
in some of the senator's pods on the walls. One shot shows E.T.'s
in the lower left hand corner. Lucas probably put it in there as
a joke for Spielberg. [Source: The Phantom Menace] Summer Cummins
from Oklahoma (3 June 1999)
QUOTES:
Man has never made
any material more resilient as the human spirit.
--Bernard Williams
Blessed are those
who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.
--Unknown
Men can be stimulated
to show off their good qualities to the leader who seems to think they
have good qualities.
--John Richelsen
The really patriotic
citizen is the one who loves.
--Patrick J. Hayes
Laughter is the
brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.
--Mort Walker
Where nature is
concerned, familiarity breeds love and knowledge, not contempt.
--Stewart L. Udall