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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 53 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 716831 |
| Visitors Out: 2796 |
| Total Visitors Out: 4732 |
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| Thursday Thirteen - Interesting Facts about New Year Celebrations around the World |
| 2008-07-02 15:59:00 |
As part of Scottish folklore, if the first person to enter your house during the New Year is a man with dark hair bearing a gift, you will be blessed with good luck.The ancient Egyptians celebrated the New Year at the time the Nile River flooded - near the end of September - which enabled the people to grow crops.The Celts called their New Year festival Samhain, meaning summer's end.To keep out evil spirits, some Japanese hang a rope of straw across the front of their house on New Year's Day.The people in northern India wear flowers on New Year's Day; a yellow flower, to them, is the color of spring.In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated with singing, dancing, and feasting for an entire month.A traditional polar bear swim event is held New Year's Eve in British Columbia, Canada; people ...
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| TT - 13 Facts about French Food |
| 2008-06-25 17:34:00 |
The famous Petit Suisse ("little swiss cheese") of Gervais are not from Switzerland, but from Normandy, in France.Crêpes, one of the most popular food in Europe, originate from Brittany, in the west of France.Wine has been made in France since Roman times.There are 450 different wine appellations in France. There are tens of thousands of small wine-producing domain, but only 15% of all French wines enjoy the marketing benefits of AOC designations.Bordeaux alone has over 9,000 different châteaux.72% of the adult French population finds it difficult to understand French wine labels.In 2004, France produced 56.6 millions hectoliters of wine.Wines from the North of France (e.g. Alsace) are usually made from a single variety of grape (e.g. Pinot Noir), whereas ...
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| The Gartner Symposium |
| 2008-05-20 19:11:00 |
The Gartner Symposium / ITXPO - where technology meets businessIt is the industry's largest and most strategic conference for senior IT and business professionals together with ITxpo - the interactive exhibit floor loaded with the latest technology solutions. There is no other event in the world like it.The aim is to meaningfully interact with the leading solution providers in a no-hype environment.In the past, the Gartner Symposiums have received immence positive feedback from the attendees - and have been lauded for the proffesionalism and elegance of the conferences. Let us hope that the remaining four this year are no exception.There were 7 conferences scheduled for 2007:San Fransisco, California : 22-26 April (already happened)Barcelona, Spain : 20-23 May (already happened)Orlando, Fl...
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| The World’s Biggest Chocolate Fountain - 3 |
| 2008-03-18 02:44:00 |
The record holding chocolate fountain is located in Las Vegas, inside Bellagio. With the hight of 27 feet, it’s the biggest chocolate fountain in the world. The fountain is filled with 2100 pounds of dark, milk and white chocolate....
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| WW - The Hanging Coffins of Sagada - 1 |
| 2008-02-27 02:21:00 |
Sagada couldn’t get more mystifying without the elements of the mummies. When you go to Sagada caves in Philippines there are hanging coffins to be found on the cliffs made of limestone.About six hours by bus (twice this amount of time in the wet season) from the Luzon island town of Banaue, north of Manila, the people of Sagada have devised a unique burial ritual involving the placement of dead relatives into caves after carefully preparing a hollowed out log. These coffins are carved by the elderly before they die; if they are too ill or weak their son or other close relative will do it for them. This ritual involves pushing the bodies into the tight spaces of the coffins, and often bones are cracked and broken as the process is completed. After ...
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| Coolest BBQ Grills - 2 |
| 2008-02-13 02:10:00 |
Vintage Jaguar Austin-Healey BBQ Grill Monster Pitt RUB Restaurant’s Mobile Barbecue Pit Traeger’s Novelty BBQ Grills Traeger’s Novelty BBQ Grills...
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| Gartner Business Process Management Summit |
| 2008-02-09 14:46:00 |
Date: 4-7 February 2008City: Las Vegas, NVVenue: Caesars PalaceThe Gartner Business Process Management Summit 2008 offers the latest insight on creating and sustaining an agile process-powered organization. Align business strategy and IT to maximize operational agility, providing new opportunities to expand revenues and productivity.You can visit their site at: Gartner Business Process Management Summit ...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Mercury Quick Facts |
| 2008-01-24 01:57:00 |
Diameter :4879.4 kmDensity :5.43 g/cm3Mass :3.303 x 1023 kgVolume:6.084 x 1010 km3Temperature Range :-173° C to 427° CAtmosphere :Some Hydrogen, Helium, OxygenWinds :NoneMoons :NoneAverage Distance from Sun :57,910,000 kmOrbital Period :0 Years, 87 Days, 23.3 HoursRotation :58 Days, 15.5 HoursTilt :0.00°Composition :Iron Core, Silicate Surface ...
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| The World’s Biggest Chocolate Fountain - 1 |
| 2008-01-23 01:43:00 |
The record holding chocolate fountain is located in Las Vegas, inside Bellagio. With the hight of 27 feet, it’s the biggest chocolate fountain in the world. The fountain is filled with 2100 pounds of dark, milk and white chocolate....
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| TT - Even More Alcohol Trivia |
| 2008-01-10 17:03:00 |
The Chagga people of Tanganyika believe that a liar will be poisoned if he or she consumes beer mixed with the blood of a recently sacrificed goat. Beer is mixed with saliva and blood for a drink that is shared when two Chagga men become blood brothers. The national anthem of the US, the "Star-Spangled Banner," was written to the tune of a drinking song. The shallow champagne glass originated with Marie Antoinette. It was first formed from wax molds made of her breasts. Beer was not sold in bottles until 1850; it was not sold in cans until 1935. In the 1600's thermometers were filled with brandy instead of mercury. A raisin dropped into a glass of champagne will repeatedly bounce up and down between the top and the bottom of the glass. As late as the mid-17th century, the French wine maker...
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| Coolest BBQ Grills - 1 |
| 2008-01-09 01:52:00 |
The Bar-B-Q Shack Chevy V8 Grill Classic Holden Monaro GTS GrillThe King of Barbecues GrillDavid Klose’s Baby Carriage BBQ Pit ...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Mars Quick Facts |
| 2008-01-03 01:55:00 |
Diameter 6794.4 km Density 3.94 g/cm3 Mass 6.421 x 1023 kg Volume 1.643 x 1011 km3 Temperature Range -140° C to 20° C Atmosphere Mostly Carbon Dioxide Winds Up to 100 km/hr Moons 2 Average Distance from Sun 227,940,000 km Orbital Period 1 Years, 320 Days, 18.2 Hours Rotation 1 Days, 0.67 Hours Tilt 25.19° Composition Iron Oxides and Silicates...
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| Thirteen Closest Star Systems to the Earth |
| 2007-12-27 01:41:00 |
Distance (LY), Star System0.00, Sun4.24, Proxima Centauri4.36, Alpha Centauri5.96, Barnard's Star7.78, Proxima Leonis8.29, Proxima Ursae Majoris8.58, Sirius8.73, Proxima Ceti9.68, Proxima Sagittarii10.32, Proxima Andromedae10.52, Epsilon Eridani10.74, Proxima Piscis Austrini10.92, Proxima Virginishttp://naturefactfile.blogspot.com/...
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| Whaddaya see??? #2 - Wordless Wednesday |
| 2007-12-25 18:06:00 |
What do you see??---------/ ;;;; ____----- .;;.--------|;(;;;-""-------`'-.,';;;;;---------;'-------------------';;);/--------/------------------------;'-------/------.;.-------.;.--------------|------;;o;;----;;o;;------|------ ;----- '"-'`----`'-"'----- /------/-----------._. ---------/-----;;;;;;_-----,_Y_,---- _.'----/;;;;;;;-`---.___.--- ';.---/|;;;;;;;;;.__.;;;.---------; - ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;------;__--.;.--|-----';;;;;;;;;;=;;;;'-------|-__;;;;/--|-------`""`- .------._-----/;/;;;;/-/ ;------------/;;;;;;;-;/;;;;;;;/--|;/-_,----------|;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;|-|...
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| TT - Sigh...Even More Alcohol Trivia |
| 2007-12-19 17:04:00 |
Alcohol consumption decreases during the time of the full moon. Drinking lowers rather than raises the body temperature. There is an illusion of increased heat because alcohol causes the capillaries to dilate and fill with more warm blood. Rhode Island never ratified the 18 Amendment establishing Prohibition. "Whiskey" is the international aviation word used to represent the letter "w." Most vegetable, and virtually all fruit juices, contain alcohol. There are 83 dry towns and villages in Alaska. In West Virginia, bars can advertise alcohol beverage prices, but not brand names. There is a cloud of alcohol in outer space with enough alcohol to make four trillion-trillion drinks. It's free for the taking. . . but it's 10,000 light years away from Eart...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Yet More China Facts |
| 2007-12-11 16:48:00 |
In 550 AD, two Chinese monks smuggled silkworms out of China and started the western world's silk boom. Shi Huang-Ti was the first emperor of China and founder of the Qin dynasty. Had he been a European ruler, he would likely be considered great today. The Chinese, on the other hand, have given him a black reputation for his ruthlessness, his massive conscription of labour, his wars, his harsh laws, and his burning of books in 213 B.C. [ China | Royalty ] Chinese Emperor Shi Huang-Ti built a network of 270 palaces, linked by tunnels, and was ao afraid of assassination that he slept in a different palace each night. In 213 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shi Huang-ti ordered the burning of all of China's books, except for a select few on subjects such as agricultu...
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| TT - MORE Alcohol Trivia |
| 2007-12-05 17:05:00 |
During World War II, a group of alpine soldiers who were stranded in mountain snows survived for an entire month on nothing but a cask of sherry. White lightning is a name for illegally-distilled spirits. All spirits are clear or "white" until aged in charred oak barrels. Moonshiners skip the aging process to reduce risk of arrest, hence the name of their product. Moonshining is profitable because the taxes on legally-produced spirits are so high. It is estimated that the federal government takes in 14 times more in taxes on distilled spirits than producers of the products earn making them. That does not include what states and localities additionally take in taxes on the same products. President Jimmy Carter's mother said "I'm a Christian, but that doesn't mean I'm a long-faced square. I ...
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| WW - Super Long Lasagna |
| 2007-12-05 06:54:00 |
A kitchen staff lays out part of a 560 metre (1,837 feet) long lasagna on tables that surround a hotel in Singapore October 21, 2007....
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| Thursday Thirteen - Interesting Facts about New Year Celebrations around the World |
| 2007-11-28 16:58:00 |
The oldest of all holidays, the new year was originally celebrated with the first New Moon, on the first day of spring. Fire crackers are set off to frighten off evil spirits on New Year's Day in China. Small oil lights are lit all along the roofs of buildings in western India as part of their New Year celebration. The ancient Greeks were the first to use a baby to signify the New Year; they paraded around in the streets with a baby in a basket. To burn up the old year and roll in the new one, people in some areas of Scotland barrels of tar are set afire and rolled down the streets. Traditional New Year foods held great significance years ago; anything with a round shape symbolized completing a year's cycle, and was thought to bring good luck. Greek children leave their shoes by the firepl...
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| Wordless Wednesday - World's Highest Escalator |
| 2007-11-27 18:25:00 |
The Umeda Sky Building is the seventh-tallest building in Osaka City, Japan, and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. It consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center. The escalater ride is an event in itself as it feels like you are floating up into the sky. This is a cheap way to see the city, less than 10 USD to go up to the observation area.The 173 m (568 ft) building was designed by Hiroshi Hara. It was constructed by Takenaka Corporation and was completed in 1993....
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| TT - Yet More Alcohol Trivia |
| 2007-11-21 17:02:00 |
Martha Washington enjoyed daily toddys. In the 1790s, "happy hour" began at 3:00 p.m. and cocktails continued until dinner.Tom Arnold, Sandra Bullock, Chevy Chase, Bill Cosby, Kris Kristofferson, and Bruce Willis are all former bartenders.Frederick the Great of Prussia tried to ban the consumption of coffee and demanded that the populace drink alcohol instead. President Lincoln, when informed that General Grant drank whiskey while leading his troops, reportedly replied "Find out the name of the brand so I can give it to my other generals."Being intoxicated had desirable spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians. They often gave their children names like "How Drunk is Cheops" or "How Intoxicated is Hathor."The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth,...
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| Thursday Thirteen - More China Facts |
| 2007-11-14 16:47:00 |
Chinese President Hu Jintao's first visit to the United States was part of a world tour. He also visited Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Nigeria. Chinese President Hu Jintao loves Starbucks coffee (and so does Bill Gates). Whenever George W. Bush mentions China, he likes to mention their appalling human rights record in an attempt to make his own government look better by comparison. Chinese believers in Falun Gong are routinely executed and have their organs sold on the black market. The Chinese government also uses Falun Gong prisoners to conduct medical experiments. Some countries now ban organ exports from China due to their illegal practices. The United States has a $202 billion annual trade deficit with China. That is basically $202,000,000,000 of A...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Distinguishing Traits of Atlantic Collection Notes |
| 2007-11-07 16:52:00 |
The following features can easily be located on any large sized notes of the Atlantic Collection. They can also be found on other notes from the United States and around the world.BackgroundAdding to eye appeal and difficulty to duplicate, the colored background of a note serves a dual purpose.DenominationWhether in dollars, pesos, or yen, the denomination of the note determines whether one can receive a steak dinner or a hamburger (or maybe not even a soda these days).Issue DateIn most countries, the date of issue usually includes the day and month. In the United States, however, it only features the year of the last major design change. For example, the Atlantic Collection note shown in the Note Gallery section was...
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| Thursday Thirteen - More Piano Facts |
| 2007-10-31 17:56:00 |
Spinet pianos were made by Samuel Blythe as early as 1789 at Salem, Mass. The term Grand was first used in 1777.Abraham Lincoln used Chickering Grand #5070 while at the White House. During 1869 the US produced 25,000 pianos valued at $7,000,000, during 1910 production was 350,000 pianos valued at $100,000,000 ! The term "Tickle the Ivorys" refers to playing the ivory keys of the piano, however, ivory has not been used to make piano keys since about the 1950's (they are plastic, sometimes referred to as "Ivorine"). That there are currently over 50 Brand Names of pianos? During the past 100 years there have been approximately 5000 Brands of pianos placed on the market. Most are still on display in homes or elsewhere. Pianos are made of thousands of pieces of ...
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| WW - Expensive Quran! |
| 2007-10-31 07:51:00 |
A Quran written in 1203, believed to be the oldest known complete copy, has sold for more than $2.3 million at an auction.The holy book, which had been estimated to sell for up to $715,000, fetched $2,327,300 at Tuesday's auction in London, Christie's said.That was a record auction price for a Quran or any type of Islamic manuscript, the auctioneer Christie's said.A nearly complete, 10th-century Kufic Quran, thought to be from North Africa or the near East, sold $1,870,000.Both were offered for sale by the Hispanic Society of America, and were purchased by trade buyers in London, Christie's said.The record-setting Quran was signed by Yahya bin Muhammad ibn 'Umar, dated 17 Ramadan 599 (June 1203).It was acquired in Cairo in 1905 by Archer Milton Huntington, who founded the Hispanic Society ...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Interesting Facts about China |
| 2007-10-24 17:46:00 |
China is the world's largest economy. The exact population of China is unknown. Many of its people are "undocumented" by their own government. Its official population ranges from 1.3 billion to 2 billion people. 24% of the world speaks Chinese (there are over 200 different Chinese languages and regional dialects). The official state language is Pu-tong-hwa (Mandarin). According to economists, China will become the world's wealthiest nation by the year 2012. The Great Wall of China is NOT visible from outer space. Its too thin. Its just a myth that it can be seen. The only man-made structures visible from space are: The Pyramids of Giza and the Hoover Dam. Tea, popularized by the Chinese was first bagged and shipped around the world in 1903. China manufactur...
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| TT - More Alcohol Trivia |
| 2007-10-17 18:02:00 |
1. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the U.S. in 1932 on a pledge to end National Prohibition. 2. During World War II, reduction of consumption activists argued that soldiers should not be permitted to drink alcohol beverages. However, General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, insisted that such prohibition would be 'harmful to the men in the service."3. The consumption of alcohol was so widespread throughout history that it has been called "a universal language."4. Opposition to the enforcement of Prohibition increased as people became disillusioned with the Noble Experiment. Montana became the first state to repeal its enforcement of Prohibition, doing so in 1926 (Prohibition lasted from 1920 through 1933).5. Shochu, a be...
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| Thursday Thirteen - Interesting facts about pianos |
| 2007-10-10 17:55:00 |
Christie's Auction House recently sold a Vicorian Steinway grand piano for $1.2 MILLION DOLLARS! The piano was sold to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute of Williamstown, Massachusetts.What famous piano company was Engelhard Steinweg the founder of? Maybe this will help. In 1853 he Americanized his name to Henry E. Steinway! 1997 was the 150th Anniversary of his famous Steinway Pianos! Heinrich E came to the States in 1850 at which time he and three of his sons each acquired employment working for four different piano makers. In 1853 he founded Steinway & Sons which is when he Americanized his name (at the time Broadwood pianos was doing well, so he thought it an intelligent marketing decision to anglicize their last name.) He was born in 1797, making 1997 was the 200th Annivers...
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| Expo Real 2007 |
| 2007-10-05 18:07:00 |
The EXPO REAL 2007 (the 10th International Commercial Property Exposition) is taking place on 8th to 10th October 2007 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre Since its premiere in 1998, EXPO REAL has developed into a central platform for investments, business and real-estate projects in Europe. All the key real-estate markets and locations and all the international key players in the real-estate sector are present at EXPO REAL. The extensive conference programme focuses on the latest trends and innovations in thereal-estate market. You can visit their website - Expo Real...
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| TT - Alcohol Trivia |
| 2007-10-03 18:01:00 |
1. President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite drink may have been scotch and soda. He would ride around his Texas ranch in an open convertible in hot weather. He drank his "scotch and soda out of a large white plastic foam cup. Periodically, Johnson would slow down and hold his left arm outside the car, shaking the cup and ice. A Secret Service agent would run up to the car, take the cup and go back to the station wagon (following the President's car). There another agent would refill it with ice, scotch, and soda as the first agent trotted behind the wagon. then the first agent would run the refilled cup up to LBJ's outstretched hand, as the President's car moved slowly forward."2. Don’t swallow in Utah! Wine used in wine tastings in Utah must not be swallowed!3. Adding a miniature onion to...
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| Wordles Wednesday - Fast Food Comparisons II |
| 2007-10-02 19:31:00 |
I got such a marvellous response to the previous lot that I decided to put up a few more - hope you all like these too!On the left is the Menu photograph of the food and on the right is the actual food served to the customer....
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| Expo World |
| 2007-09-28 18:10:00 |
My recent addiction is Expos - you might have noticed that from my last two posts ;-)Anyway - I found this new blog - Expo World - its quite young - only 5-6 posts, but it contains good solid information on some expos - so I liked it - anyway, go check it out.By the way, I've decided to try and write a short review of a blog at random once a month (hopefully), so enjoy!...
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| Spider Facts |
| 2007-09-26 17:06:00 |
Certain female species of spiders such as the Australian crab spider, sacrifice their bodies as a food source for their offspring.Some male spiders pluck their cobwebs like a guitar, to attract female spiders.Fried spiders taste like nuts.The largest spider ever was the Megarachne which had a diameter of 50 cm. The fossil was found in Argentina.The bite from a black widow spider is not automatically fatal. In fact, less than 1% of all people bitten by this spider run the risk of dying, and most of them are saved with the use of antivenin.The skeleton of a spider is located on the outside of the body.Spiders usually have eight eyes, but still they cannot see that well.There are about 34,000 species of spiders.Spiders have claws at the ends of their legs.Onl...
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| Wordless Wednesday - Fast Food Comparisons - I |
| 2007-09-25 19:29:00 |
Interesting comparison of food shown in the menu and the orignal food served to the customer. On the left is the Menu photograph of the food and on the right is the actual food served to the customer....
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| Thursday Thirteen - 13 Most Popular Books in the World |
| 2007-09-19 19:10:00 |
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsby J. K. Rowling2. Margin of Safety : Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investorby Seth A. Klarman 3. Best of Business Card Design 6by Blackcoffee Design Inc4. Margin of Safety : Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investorby Seth A. Klarman 5. Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini 6. Ayodhya without the Communal Stamp : In the Name of Indian Secularismby Nilofar Suhrawardy 7. The Secretby Rhonda Byrne 8. 2012 The Shaman's Prophecyby D. Rhoades Hoskins 9. McDonnell F-4 Phantom : Spirit in the Skiesby David Donald, Jon Lake10. Turn for Worseby W. R. Barna 11. Cost Accounting : A Managerial Emphasisby Charles T. Horngren, Srikant M. Datar, George Foster 12. Glycemic Index Cooking Made Easy : Lose Weight...
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| 13 Most Rare Stamps |
| 2007-09-12 19:17:00 |
Penny Black-United KingdomBasel Dove-Switzerland - Canton of BaselPost Office Mauritius-United KingdomPerot Provisional-BermudaCottonreels-British GuianaHawaiian Missionaries-HawaiiScinde Dawk-Scindh, IndiaInverted Head Four Annas-IndiaInverted Swan-Western AustraliaTreskilling Yellow-SwedenRed Mercury-AustriaBritish Guiana 1 cent Magenta-British GuianaWoodblock Stamps-Cape of Good Hope...
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| Egginess |
| 2007-09-11 19:16:00 |
This crazy stuff has been made using EGGS and EGSHELLS...
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