From my favorite magazine, Mental Floss, comes several interesting facts:
Separated into categories for my convenience:
Teeth
*The cotton candy machine was invented by a dentist.
*35% of people are born without wisdom teeth, and as we continue to evolve, scientists believe fewer and fewer humans will be born with wisdom teeth, or appendixes, or little toes.
Caffeine
*The APA's DSM-V handbook classifies caffeine withdrawal as a mental disorder.
*Colgate-Palmolive has a patent on a toothbrush that can administer caffeine.
Music
*Recent neuroscience research shows that your musical preferences are established by the time you turn 14.
*After analyzing Billboard archives, researchers found that songs about love stay on the charts for an average of 9.4 weeks and songs that don't involve love last 11.4 weeks.
Left-handedness
*Left-handed people see better underwater than righties.
*Although left-handed people make up only 10% of the population, 20% of all schizophrenics are left-handed.
Interesting foreign country facts
*In 1879, a Belgian village attempted to train a fleet of 37 official mail cats to deliver letters.
*The most common toilet paper color in France is pink.
*Japan and Russia still haven't signed a treaty to officially end World War 2.
*In 2011, the Bombay High Court ruled that astrology was a "trusted science," putting it on the same level as physics and chemistry.
*Bhutan has never been conquered or governed by an outside power. Their government uses Gross National Happiness as a way to measure quality of life.
*The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.
Famous People
*Nobel prize winner Niels Bohr was given a perpetual supply of beer piped into his house.
*According to Stephen Hawking, if the world population increases at its current rate, by 2600 we will be standing shoulder to shoulder and we would consume so much energy that the Earth would glow red-hot.
*"Hello" wasn't a common greeting until the invention of the telephone. Thomas Edison convinced the printers of the first phone books to make it the sanctioned greeting. Alexander Graham Bell disagreed, and pushed for "Ahoy!"
*Teddy Roosevelt was famously given his own floor at a Washington hospital- not because he was the president, but because he was snoring so loudly.
*Jackie Chan claims he was in his mother's womb for 12 months.
Marriage
*The best man's original purpose was to serve as an accomplice in case the bride needed to be kidnapped from disapproving parents.
*The bridesmaid tradition started because people believed that dressing everyone in the same clothes would confuse evil spirits.
*In 2006, a Sudanese man made international news when he was forced to marry a goat- her name was Rose.
Random
*The most shoplifted food item in the US is candy, in Europe- cheese, and in Latin America- meat.
*The 1967 Outer Space Treaty forbids any nation from trying to own the moon.
*The Monopoly tokens that have been replaced are: the iron, the lantern, the rocking horse, the elephant, and the purse.
*Women with higher-pitched voices tend to be more fertile.
*Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don't drift apart.
*Male caimans dance to impress potential mates.
*Tug-of-war, live pigeon shooting, and painting used to be Olympic events.
*Ancient Romans used an herb called silphium as birth control; it was so popular that the herb went extinct.
*Yawning is so contagious that it can spread to dogs and monkeys.
*In 1726, an Englishwoman named Mary Toft convinced a number of prominent British doctors that she was giving birth to rabbits.
*In the 1960s, the CIA launched Project Acoustic Kitty, a furtive attempt to equip cats with recording devices to spy on Soviet embassies. After $20 million was spent on the project, the prototype feline was hit by a taxicab.
Feel free to renew my subscription, anyone!!!! Best magazine ever!!!!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Arabic, anyone?
If you had to pick one foreign language that all students were required to learn in school, what would it be?
Well, I live in America where the unofficial language is English. Below America is Mexico, where they speak Spanish. Above America is Canada, where they have two official languages- French and English. I chose to learn French in school, but despite 6 years of French classes, I cannot remember much. I do like the language, though- it sounds nice and flowy.
So I just did a google search and came up with a list of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world
1. Mandarin, with more than 1 billion speakers, but very difficult to learn.
2. English, about 508 million speakers, but it's the official language of more countries than any other language.
3. Hindustani, 497 million, language of India. Namaste.
4. Spanish, 392 million speakers. Has influenced English. Hola.
5. Russian, 277 million, and to say “hello” in Russian, say “Zdravstvuite” (ZDRAST-vet-yah).
6. Arabic, 246 million, one of the oldest languages and mostly spoken in the Middle East.
7. Bengali, 211 million, language of Bangladesh.
8. Portuguese, 191 million, spoken in many countries, national language of Brazil.
9. Malay-Indonesian, 159 million.
10. French, 129 million. Spoken in lots of countries and has influenced English. Bonjour.
It would make sense to me to have American children study the most-spoken language in the world- but it just happens to be Mandarin, and it is way too difficult to be worth the effort. Learning any second language fluently opens the mind to learn more languages easier, so I would start American students on Spanish and/or French. My reasoning: a) we are already doing this in most schools, b) these two languages are the closest to our country's borders, and c) they both share many words with English and are easier for kids to pick up.
I also believe we need to put more stress on learning a second language. Schools should make it mandatory to pick one language and study it every semester until graduation. No more messing around, no more firing foreign-language teachers, and no more putting this issue on the back burner. Learning a foreign language helps the brain in the same way learning to read music does. When the education system has a firm policy on this, perhaps other languages could be offered to those students who are interested and/or extra talented. I'd like to see Arabic taught in our schools, and maybe some very enterprising students could attempt Mandarin.
I really think America is being very slow and stupid and behind the times. Our student's test scores are consistently below other countries'. I look back at some of my junior high and high school classes and think it's a wonder I learned anything at all. And yet I was a mostly-A student. Something is broken in the system.
Well, I live in America where the unofficial language is English. Below America is Mexico, where they speak Spanish. Above America is Canada, where they have two official languages- French and English. I chose to learn French in school, but despite 6 years of French classes, I cannot remember much. I do like the language, though- it sounds nice and flowy.
So I just did a google search and came up with a list of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world
1. Mandarin, with more than 1 billion speakers, but very difficult to learn.
2. English, about 508 million speakers, but it's the official language of more countries than any other language.
3. Hindustani, 497 million, language of India. Namaste.
4. Spanish, 392 million speakers. Has influenced English. Hola.
5. Russian, 277 million, and to say “hello” in Russian, say “Zdravstvuite” (ZDRAST-vet-yah).
6. Arabic, 246 million, one of the oldest languages and mostly spoken in the Middle East.
7. Bengali, 211 million, language of Bangladesh.
8. Portuguese, 191 million, spoken in many countries, national language of Brazil.
9. Malay-Indonesian, 159 million.
10. French, 129 million. Spoken in lots of countries and has influenced English. Bonjour.
It would make sense to me to have American children study the most-spoken language in the world- but it just happens to be Mandarin, and it is way too difficult to be worth the effort. Learning any second language fluently opens the mind to learn more languages easier, so I would start American students on Spanish and/or French. My reasoning: a) we are already doing this in most schools, b) these two languages are the closest to our country's borders, and c) they both share many words with English and are easier for kids to pick up.
I also believe we need to put more stress on learning a second language. Schools should make it mandatory to pick one language and study it every semester until graduation. No more messing around, no more firing foreign-language teachers, and no more putting this issue on the back burner. Learning a foreign language helps the brain in the same way learning to read music does. When the education system has a firm policy on this, perhaps other languages could be offered to those students who are interested and/or extra talented. I'd like to see Arabic taught in our schools, and maybe some very enterprising students could attempt Mandarin.
I really think America is being very slow and stupid and behind the times. Our student's test scores are consistently below other countries'. I look back at some of my junior high and high school classes and think it's a wonder I learned anything at all. And yet I was a mostly-A student. Something is broken in the system.
Monday, November 4, 2013
ideal sex ed
If you could decide exactly how, when, and where your children would learn sex education, what would you consider to be ideal?
In today's world, they will learn something about it by the time they reach first grade. I did, and that was back in the 1980s. But I think I didn't really understand until I asked my mom what a virgin was when I was 10, after watching an episode of 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' She was put on the spot, and had to explain the basics to me. That was not an ideal situation. Also, where I went to school, we had absolutely NO sex ed classes. Ever. We had a little demonstration and video about menstruation in 5th grade (only the girls), and a kind of large mandatory forum of many schools put into one auditorium to talk about abstinence and STDs- in 11th grade, for one day, and NOT coed. It was clearly a scare tactic, and much too late. I knew several girls who were already having regular sex with their boyfriends, and even one pregnant classmate. There was no explaining about sex beyond the basic mechanics, no passing out of condoms or practical advice on how to avoid unwanted sexual encounters. I know that my friends and I viewed that day as a field trip, or a free get-out-of-school day. Personally, everything I knew about sex at that time was learned from my grandma's dirty Harlequins.
For my kids, I would like there to be a section in their biology class that focuses on reproduction and takes about a week to get through. I would like this to happen in middle school. I would also expect condoms and birth control to be explained and encouraged. And to drive the point home, I would like them to have to watch several graphic videos of women giving birth, presentations about the realities of STDs as told by real people, and maybe one HIV-positive person. I do not want the subject of sex to be glossed over or skipped completely. I would like all the options discussed, including the reality that sexual situations will soon be presenting themselves, if they aren't already. I want them to know what to do in a situation that they do not want to have sex, and in a situation that they do want to. I do not want them to feel ashamed of their bodies or unprepared.
In addition, I'd like there to be a mandatory sex ed class in their first year of high school, just to reinforce the information. And when they start dating, I will provide them condoms- JUST IN CASE. I will stress that they should not feel pressured to do anything they don't want to do, because I know that girls can be as forceful and horny as boys but also that sometimes the attraction is not mutual. I don't want them to sexually active so early, but I know that it will happen- so I'll be prepared. If they have a girl over to "study," the bedroom door will be fully open. They will have curfews when they go on dates.
In today's world, they will learn something about it by the time they reach first grade. I did, and that was back in the 1980s. But I think I didn't really understand until I asked my mom what a virgin was when I was 10, after watching an episode of 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' She was put on the spot, and had to explain the basics to me. That was not an ideal situation. Also, where I went to school, we had absolutely NO sex ed classes. Ever. We had a little demonstration and video about menstruation in 5th grade (only the girls), and a kind of large mandatory forum of many schools put into one auditorium to talk about abstinence and STDs- in 11th grade, for one day, and NOT coed. It was clearly a scare tactic, and much too late. I knew several girls who were already having regular sex with their boyfriends, and even one pregnant classmate. There was no explaining about sex beyond the basic mechanics, no passing out of condoms or practical advice on how to avoid unwanted sexual encounters. I know that my friends and I viewed that day as a field trip, or a free get-out-of-school day. Personally, everything I knew about sex at that time was learned from my grandma's dirty Harlequins.
For my kids, I would like there to be a section in their biology class that focuses on reproduction and takes about a week to get through. I would like this to happen in middle school. I would also expect condoms and birth control to be explained and encouraged. And to drive the point home, I would like them to have to watch several graphic videos of women giving birth, presentations about the realities of STDs as told by real people, and maybe one HIV-positive person. I do not want the subject of sex to be glossed over or skipped completely. I would like all the options discussed, including the reality that sexual situations will soon be presenting themselves, if they aren't already. I want them to know what to do in a situation that they do not want to have sex, and in a situation that they do want to. I do not want them to feel ashamed of their bodies or unprepared.
In addition, I'd like there to be a mandatory sex ed class in their first year of high school, just to reinforce the information. And when they start dating, I will provide them condoms- JUST IN CASE. I will stress that they should not feel pressured to do anything they don't want to do, because I know that girls can be as forceful and horny as boys but also that sometimes the attraction is not mutual. I don't want them to sexually active so early, but I know that it will happen- so I'll be prepared. If they have a girl over to "study," the bedroom door will be fully open. They will have curfews when they go on dates.
customer service stories
So, I may have mentioned this before, but I have worked retail since I was 16- with the exception of a 3 month temp job at Fabricut warehouse (where I located, cut, folded, serged, and shipped out fabric samples) and a doomed one month as an order puller at a Hobby Lobby warehouse (where I worked on a line filling boxes with items such as fake flowers and Valentine candy in December). Under the umbrella of "retail," I include any job that entails interaction with the public: fast food positions, supermarkets, department stores, door-to-door sales, etc.
I worked at a popular fast food restaurant on a military base for over a year. This was a very interesting job because a great portion of the customers wore their military uniforms and some carried weapons. I was supposed to call each customer by their rank as it appeared on their uniforms, but I could never remember how many stripes meant which ranks. I called everyone sir or ma'am to be safe. John Cena came on base on a day that I was working, and so did Chris Brown. The lines from the store where the stars were situated stretched all the way outside. People waited for hours . . . and Chris Brown left after appearing for only one hour, upsetting the people in the long line.
I am currently a greeting card merchandiser. Recently, I was on my knees reaching under a card cabinet, when an old man (older than 60) stopped next to me. I looked up at him, and he handed me a dime. I was surprised but polite, and said, "Thank you! I love dimes!" To which he replied, "I give a dime to every woman who gets on her knees in front of me." I was flummoxed, not knowing what to say to that. So after a pause, I started laughing.
On a related note, people like to hide items behind my greeting cards. Empty condom boxes, empty battery packs, used lipstick, empty pregnancy test boxes, etc. Evidence of stealing. You get the idea. The manager at one of my stores told me she regularly finds used condoms in the bathroom.
Of all the Walmarts I've worked at, the longest time spent was at the first one. This was a place where women were given raises for sleeping with the assistant managers and loaded unpaid-for baskets were allowed to walk out the front door without any form of intervention at night. There were many nights (from 10 pm to 7 am) when I was left alone to man the cash registers, self-checkouts, and customer service desk. A common scam teenagers pulled on me was to call the customer service phone so that I would be out of sight of the front door, and keep me on the phone long enough for her friends to walk out the door with a bunch of merchandise. I also witnessed many many many people cheating the self-checkouts, which I was usually in charge of when I worked the day shift. These particular self-checkouts had long belts and a long space between the scanner and the bagging area. That did not stop families from forming a chain of children to furtively pass expensive items down the line and into the bags, and teenagers from trying to buy beer- thinking we didn't check IDs at the self-checkouts. I had a few foreign people try to confuse me by saying it was legal to drink in their country, and they'd show me passports and IDs in other languages. I'd have to tell them that they were currently in America where we are uncool, and they'd suddenly pretend to not understand me. Sigh.
I worked at a popular fast food restaurant on a military base for over a year. This was a very interesting job because a great portion of the customers wore their military uniforms and some carried weapons. I was supposed to call each customer by their rank as it appeared on their uniforms, but I could never remember how many stripes meant which ranks. I called everyone sir or ma'am to be safe. John Cena came on base on a day that I was working, and so did Chris Brown. The lines from the store where the stars were situated stretched all the way outside. People waited for hours . . . and Chris Brown left after appearing for only one hour, upsetting the people in the long line.
I am currently a greeting card merchandiser. Recently, I was on my knees reaching under a card cabinet, when an old man (older than 60) stopped next to me. I looked up at him, and he handed me a dime. I was surprised but polite, and said, "Thank you! I love dimes!" To which he replied, "I give a dime to every woman who gets on her knees in front of me." I was flummoxed, not knowing what to say to that. So after a pause, I started laughing.
On a related note, people like to hide items behind my greeting cards. Empty condom boxes, empty battery packs, used lipstick, empty pregnancy test boxes, etc. Evidence of stealing. You get the idea. The manager at one of my stores told me she regularly finds used condoms in the bathroom.
Of all the Walmarts I've worked at, the longest time spent was at the first one. This was a place where women were given raises for sleeping with the assistant managers and loaded unpaid-for baskets were allowed to walk out the front door without any form of intervention at night. There were many nights (from 10 pm to 7 am) when I was left alone to man the cash registers, self-checkouts, and customer service desk. A common scam teenagers pulled on me was to call the customer service phone so that I would be out of sight of the front door, and keep me on the phone long enough for her friends to walk out the door with a bunch of merchandise. I also witnessed many many many people cheating the self-checkouts, which I was usually in charge of when I worked the day shift. These particular self-checkouts had long belts and a long space between the scanner and the bagging area. That did not stop families from forming a chain of children to furtively pass expensive items down the line and into the bags, and teenagers from trying to buy beer- thinking we didn't check IDs at the self-checkouts. I had a few foreign people try to confuse me by saying it was legal to drink in their country, and they'd show me passports and IDs in other languages. I'd have to tell them that they were currently in America where we are uncool, and they'd suddenly pretend to not understand me. Sigh.
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