Did You Know? Another Fact Feast.

December 10, 2013December 10, 2013 fasab Factoids, Unusual Alexander H Stephens, Bernard Webb, Bill, blood funneling down the drain, Bosco chocolate syrup, brown eggs, chickens, diabetes, diabetic's bloodstream, Donkey Kong, education, Entertainment, extra sugar, fact, fact feast, facts, Farrokh Bulsara, Franklin Chang-Diaz, Freddie Mercury, hit, hit songs, Hitchcock, horse racing, indiana, indirect costs, infinite value, information, Jerry Lynn Ross, Jumpman, lead singer, Lennon-McCartney, leptin, letters, Mario, Misc, Miscellaneous, morse code, most spaceflights by an astronaut, numbers, patients, Paul McCartney, Peter and Gordon, pi is equal to 3.2, pieces of trivia, Playboy bunny costume, Preakness Stakes, President of the Confederate States of America, protein, pseudonym, Psycho, Purdue University professor, Queen, Random, random information, red ear lobes, Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, service uniform, shower scene, singing, song, songwriter, the fat lady does sing, total cost of WWI, trees, trivia, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, urine, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, water, white ear lobes, white eggs, woman, Zanzibar

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Another fact feast today.

Fifteen more random pieces of trivia to store away in your mind just ready to impress when you get the chance. (If you get the chance!)

As always, enjoy.

The Playboy bunny costume was the first service uniform

to be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Chickens with white ear lobes lay white eggs,

whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs.

Alexander H. Stephens was the only Vice President

of the Confederate States of America

In 1897, Indiana tried to pass a bill stating that pi is equal to 3.2,

as opposed to its truly infinite value,

but it never became law due to intervention

by a Purdue University professor

The urine of patients with diabetes tastes sweet

because the extra sugar in a diabetic’s bloodstream

overwhelms the kidney’s ability to reabsorb it.

The total cost of WWI for all involved is an estimated $185 billion.

When indirect costs are factored in, it was even greater.

During the shower scene in Psycho,

what looks like blood funneling down the drain

is actually Bosco chocolate syrup.

Hitchcock thought it looked more real in

black-and-white than the fake red stuff.

Morse Code was made for letters, not numbers.

In fact, signaling the number “one” requires a dot and four dashes.

In horse racing the Preakness Stakes doubles as

the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.

Freddie Mercury,

the lead singer of British music group Queen,

was born in Zanzibar as Farrokh Bulsara.

Jerry Lynn Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz hold

the record for most spaceflights by an astronaut.

Habitual singing causes the lungs to release leptin,

a protein manufactured by the body’s fat cells

that is involved in the regulation of appetite.

This may partially explain why in operas

the fat lady does sing.

When Mario made his debut in the original Donkey Kong in 1981,

he was known as Jumpman.

Trees do not grow higher than 130m as it is

physically impossible for the water to rise higher.

Despite his amazing success as a songwriter in the early 60s,

Paul McCartney wanted to test the theory whether it was

the Lennon-McCartney name that made hit songs.

He wrote “Woman” for Peter & Gordon using the pseudonym “Bernard Webb.”

The song became a hit.

I wouldn’t have bought it, but here it is anyway.

=======================================================

This week’s Quiz. Are You Ready?

December 9, 2013December 9, 2013 fasab Questions, Tests 2012 Summer Olympic games, access to television, actress, African campaign, Alfred Southwick, animals, Australia, Bahrain, ban on smoking in all workplaces, banking, Bela Lugosi, Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Bhutan, Boris Karloff, British 7th Armoured Division, Brunei, car, card game, character, Charybdis, China, Chinese astrological calendar, Columbia, competitors, cotton, country, Crab, crustacean, dentures, desert rats, dessertspoon, Ed Wood, education, electric chair, Elk, Entertainment, Europe, female, film, gate, general knowledge, Geography, God, Good Will Hunting, Greek Mythology, Henry Kissinger, history, horror movie star, India, invention, James Bond, Julia Roberts, jungle tigers, Kingdom, lobster, Lon Chaney Jr, Martin Landau, Matt Damon, Misc, Miscellaneous, mountain foxes, movie, movies, multiple choice, music, Name, nickname, occupation, Ox, Oyster, painted, politics, questions, quiz, quizzes, Sea Islands, short sleep, singer/songwriter, singles, Soak Up The Sun, special ability, spectacles, spoons, sport, sports, State Henry Kissinger, SWIFT, tablespoon, teaspoon, test, tests, The Spy Who Loved Me, the ultimate aphrodisiac, Tommaso da Modena, Topping Out ceremony, United States, US Secretary of State, Whirlpool, wire transfers, wooden leg, WWII, Yak

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, time for this week’s quiz.

I hope you are ready, although I have included a lot of multiple choice questions this time so it may be a little easier – but only if you choose the right answer!

As always the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below if you get stuck – but NO cheating please.

Enjoy, and good luck.

Q. 1: Which of these spoons is the largest?

a) dessertspoon b) tablespoon c) teaspoon

Q. 2: In what movie does Julia Roberts play a character pretending to be the actress Julia Roberts?

Q. 3: In 2004, which country became the first in Europe to impose a total ban on smoking in all workplaces?

Q. 4: What was the occupation of Alfred Southwick, whose 1881 idea led to the invention of the electric chair?

Q. 5: In 1999, which country became the last in the world to grant its citizens access to television?

a) Bhutan b) Brunei c) Bahrain d) China

Q. 6: What card game has a name that also means ‘a short sleep’?

Q. 7: A ‘Topping Out’ ceremony marks the completion of what?

Q. 8: Which of these animals is NOT a crustacean?

a) Crab b) Oyster c) Lobster

Q. 9: In the film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, James Bond travels underwater in what make of car?

Q. 10: In Greek mythology what was Charybdis?

a) A ‘Gate’ b) A ‘Kingdom’ c) A ‘God’ d) A ‘Whirlpool’

Q. 11: In banking the term ‘SWIFT’ is used in wire transfers, but what do the letters ‘S W I F T’ stand for?

Q. 12: Famous for cotton, in what country are the Sea Islands?

a) Australia b) India c) United States d) Columbia

Q. 13: Which of these animals feature in the Chinese astrological calendar?

a) Elk b) Ox c) Yak

Q. 14: What is former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger supposed to have called “the ultimate aphrodisiac”?

Q. 15: In 1352, Tommaso da Modena painted what is believed to be the first portrait of someone wearing what?

a) dentures b) spectacles c) wooden leg

Q. 16: In the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ Matt Damon plays a character with a special ability for what subject?

Q. 17: The British 7th Armoured Division got which nickname during their African campaign in WWII?

a) jungle tigers b) desert rats c) mountain foxes

Q. 18: In the 2012 Summer Olympic games competitors took part in how many sports?

Q. 19: Martin Landau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing which horror movie star in the movie ‘Ed Wood’?

a) Bela Lugosi b) Lon Chaney, Jr. C) Boris Karloff

Q. 20: Which female singer/songwriter wants to, according to the title of one of her singles, ‘Soak Up The Sun’?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: Which of these spoons is the largest?

a) dessertspoon b) tablespoon c) teaspoon

A. 1: b) tablespoon.

Q. 2: In what movie does Julia Roberts play a character pretending to be the actress Julia Roberts?

A. 2: Ocean’s Twelve.

Q. 3: In 2004, which country became the first in Europe to impose a total ban on smoking in all workplaces?

A. 3: Ireland.

Q. 4: What was the occupation of Alfred Southwick, whose 1881 idea led to the invention of the electric chair?

A. 4: Dentist.

Q. 5: In 1999, which country became the last in the world to grant its citizens access to television?

a) Bhutan b) Brunei c) Bahrain d) China

A. 5: a) Bhutan.

Q. 6: What card game has a name that also means ‘a short sleep’?

A. 6: Nap.

Q. 7: A ‘Topping Out’ ceremony marks the completion of what?

A. 7: A building.

Q. 8: Which of these animals is NOT a crustacean?

a) Crab b) Oyster c) Lobster

A. 8: b) Oyster

Q. 9: In the film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, James Bond travels underwater in what make of car?

A. 9: Lotus Esprit.

Q. 10: In Greek mythology what was Charybdis?

a) A ‘Gate’ b) A ‘Kingdom’ c) A ‘God’ d) A ‘Whirlpool’

A. 10: d) A Whirlpool

Q. 11: In banking the term ‘SWIFT’ is used in wire transfers, but what do the letters ‘S W I F T’ stand for?

A. 11: Society of Worldwide Interbank Financial Communication.

Q. 12: Famous for cotton, in what country are the Sea Islands?

a) Australia b) India c) United States d) Columbia

A. 12: c) United States.

Q. 13: Which of these animals feature in the Chinese astrological calendar?

a) Elk b) Ox c) Yak

A. 13: b) Ox

Q. 14: What is former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger supposed to have called “the ultimate aphrodisiac”?

A. 14: Power.

Q. 15: In 1352, Tommaso da Modena painted what is believed to be the first portrait of someone wearing what?

a) dentures b) spectacles c) wooden leg

A. 15: b) spectacles.

Q. 16: In the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ Matt Damon plays a character with a special ability for what subject?

A. 16: Mathematics.

Q. 17: The British 7th Armoured Division got which nickname during their African campaign in WWII?

a) jungle tigers b) desert rats c) mountain foxes

A. 17: b) desert rats.

Q. 18: In the 2012 Summer Olympic games, competitors took part in how many sports?

A. 18: 26.

Q. 19: Martin Landau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing which horror movie star in the movie ‘Ed Wood’?

a) Bela Lugosi b) Lon Chaney, Jr. C) Boris Karloff

A. 19: a) Bela Lugosi.

Q. 20: Which female singer/songwriter wants to, according to the title of one of her singles, ‘Soak Up The Sun’?

A. 20: Sheryl Crowe.

====================================

Golf: Putting The Putting Into Putting!

December 5, 2013December 2, 2013 fasab comedy, Humour, Language, Puns accident, actress, amusing, anagram, audition, bad jokes, bath, big club, billboard, bloke, casting, changing room, clouds, club, Comedy, cramped, Daniel, dark, dead lion, denial, dictionary, drive them bananas, Entertainment, fattest man in Britain, feed gorillas, fence, Future Events, gate, golf club, Humor, Humour, joke, jokes, jungle, knife, Life, math class, Misc, Miscellaneous, misleading, more living space, movie, Name, nut shell, overcast, play on words, Poole, pregnant, Psycho, pun, pun day, puns, pygmy, rats, Reese Witherspoon, relocated, safety in numbers, same, secretary, self defense lessons, silly jokes, stabbed, stealing, stupid, stupid jokes, terms, things to come, time, under rated, watch, wife, woke up, word play, word play jokes, word plays, work, zoo, Zulu

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

As if you didn’t know from the title – it’s pun day again!

More word play jokes to be enjoyed or endured depending on your taste.

Try them out.

And enjoy!

My wife and I were happy for 25 years.

Then we met.

I went for an audition the other day.

They were casting 13 people to be clouds.

14 showed up.

It was overcast.

Billy: “Did you that movie yesterday where

the actress that was stabbed by a psycho?

Reese…what’s her name?”

Tommy: “Witherspoon?”

Billy: “No with a knife.”

Have you ever had an accident at work?

Yes, my secretary is pregnant.

Rats are under rated.

Just check your dictionary.

I woke up this morning and there was a bloke stealing my gate.

I didn’t want to say anything in case he took a fence.

The fattest man in Britain has recently relocated

from Bath to Poole as he ‘needs more living space’.

Some terms are really misleading.

I went into the changing room several times.

It was still the same.

I used to feed gorillas at the Zoo from a distance using a golf club.

I’d drive them bananas.

I was asked to describe my life in a nut shell.

“Very dark and cramped,” I replied.

I lost my watch earlier.

I would have looked for it but I didn’t have the time.

My friend Daniel wouldn’t believe me when

I told him that his name was an anagram.

He’s in denial.

I was going to start taking self defense lessons

but I decided on a math class instead.

I’m a firm believer there’s safety in numbers.

I saw a billboard on the way to work this

morning that read “Future Events.”

Well, that’s a sign of things to come.

A Zulu walking through the jungle comes across a pygmy standing over a dead lion.

“Did you kill that lion?” asks the Zulu.

“Yeah, I beat it to death with my club,” the pygmy replies.

“Wow, you must have a big club,” says the Zulu.

“Yes,” replies the pygmy. “There’s about thirty of us.”

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Cheers! It’s The End For Cliff Clavin!

December 4, 2013December 2, 2013 fasab Business, Current Events, Factoids, Shopping, Unusual air, Amazon, Amazon delivery, Amazon drones, Amazon products, bar, Bezos, big bucks, Cheers, Cliff Clavin, commercial use, Current Events, delivering, delivery, delivery systems, drone, drone technology, drones, FAA, facts, Federal Aviation Administration, front door, future, high explosives, Jeff Bezos, jobs, John Ratzenberger, kill, mail trucks, Mailman, mailmen, military applications, Misc, Miscellaneous, powers that be, Random, road, rules for unmanned aerial vehicles, science fiction, spy, technology, terrorist

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

I know Cliff Clavin, the Cheers character played by John Ratzenberger for many years, was only a pretend mailman but if Jeff Bezos gets his way – and he usually does – then mailmen will have a lot less to do.

Cliff used to drone on in Cheers and bore everyone in the bar, but in the future jobs like his are to be taken over by drones.

The military applications are well known, but instead of delivering a few pounds of high explosives to an unsuspecting terrorist, drone technology, which was legalized for commercial use last year (2012), is being developed by Bezos and his team to deliver Amazon products by air right to your front door in about 30 minutes.

We’re entering the realms of science fiction here. And if it were anyone else but Bezos you might be forgiven for dismissing the idea. But he thinks big, and thanks to the success of Amazon he has the big bucks to make it happen.

If it is real and it does happen, personally I think its great! An application for this technology other than the usual powers-that-be crap of using it to kill and spy on us.

Amazon says that, “From a technology point of view, we’ll be ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles. They’ll take their time as always, but eventually it will happen.

So in a few years time seeing Amazon drones in the air may well be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today.

Here’s a taste of the future for you.

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Did You Know? More Fascinating Facts.

December 3, 2013November 19, 2013 fasab Factoids, Unusual Abraham Lincoln, achievement, adults, aerial combat, alarm system, alter-ego, American blues musicians, Bibles in hotels, bone, broken laser pointer, Charles Lindbergh, cigarette company, Clark Kent, Columbia, Columbia City, commercials, Daily Planet, devout Christian, Did You Know, Distinguished Flying Cross, education, educational, Entertainment, fabulous facts, fact, factoid, facts, Fascinating Facts, Fire Department, first American space station, first item sold on eBay, first recipient, Flintstones, Floyd Council, God, heroism, Honeywell International, hospitals, human body, hyoid bone, In God We Trust, information, Interesting Facts, Iron Mountain, kids, Larry, Larry Bird, leaves, lowest violent-crime rate in the US, Maine, military bases, Misc, Miscellaneous, money, Montana, nasa, neutered pets, neuticles, Pink Anderson, Pink Floyd, poinsettia, Presidency, prisons, Random, red petals, reporter for the Daily Star, sacrilege, Salmon Chase, Skylab, smoke detector, smoke or fire, sponsored, state of Minnesota, Stephen King, Superior Hotel, Superman, Syd Barrett, synthetic testicles, The Gideons, Theodore Roosevelt, transatlantic flight, Treasury Secretary, trivia, Twitter's bird logo, University of Minnesota, US currency, US homes, useful facts, Washington DC, Washington state, Winstons

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Another ‘Did You Know’ day on the fasab blog.

More fascinating facts to ponder over.

Enjoy.

The first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer.

A collector of broken laser pointers bought it for $14.83.

The first recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross award

(for heroism or achievement in aerial combat)

was Charles Lindbergh.

He achieved this feat a year before his famous transatlantic flight.

The Gideons, who went on to place millions of Bibles

in hotels, prisons, hospitals and military bases,

first did so at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana, in 1908.

The poinsettia’s red petals are actually leaves.

Superman’s alter-ego, Clark Kent, originally worked

as a reporter for the Daily Star.

The Star changed its name to

the more familiar Daily Planet in 1940.

Washington State was supposed to be named “Columbia”

but the idea was scrapped because it was thought

it would be too easily confused with “Columbia City”

(today commonly referred to as Washington, D.C.).

Neuticles are synthetic testicles for neutered pets.

The tagline: “It’s like nothing ever changed.”

The Flintstones was sponsored by a cigarette company

during the show’s first two seasons.

The show was intended for adults, not kids,

so few complained about the commercials that depicted

the stone-age characters puffing away on Winstons.

The hyoid bone is the only bone in the human body

not connected to another bone.

In 1973, NASA launched Skylab, the first American space station.

Three successive crews lived and worked there for more than 171 days.

Knowing a call to the fire department would accomplish precious

little from outer space, NASA and Honeywell International, Inc., developed

an alarm system that would alert the station’s crew to smoke or fire.

The smoke detector used on the space station is the same kind

that is now found in 90 percent of U.S. homes.

Twitter’s bird logo is named Larry,

for Larry Bird.

The University of Minnesota

is older than the state of Minnesota.

While Stephen King sets many of his stories in Maine,

the state actually has the lowest violent-crime rate in the U.S.

Printing the phrase “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency was a mandate

handed down by Abraham Lincoln’s Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase.

During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt attempted to remove the slogan

because he, as a devout Christian, felt that putting God on money was a sacrilege.

Syd Barrett got the name Pink Floyd from two American blues musicians,

Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

===============================

First Quiz For December. Let’s See How You Do.

December 2, 2013December 1, 2013 fasab Tests 1607, actors, agricultural pest, Air Force One, Airport, American diva, American state, assassinated, Audrey Hepburn, Australia, ban Mozart's music, Batman, battle of Waterloo, best selling UK heavy metal release, Cambodia, Cartwright family, city, country, cross the English channel with an airplane, Dallas, Danny DeVito, day before he was killed, dubbed, education, english, Entertainment, Ezra Lieberman, famous television series, fences, first person, first public demonstration of television, general knowledge, Geography, history, I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man, invaded, Jewish Nazi hunter, Joker, Judd Hirsch, Julie Andrews, long running television show, Marilu Henner, Marni Nixon, married, Misc, Miscellaneous, movie, movies, music, musical movie, Name, nanny, November 22nd 1963, Oscar, outback, Pilot, President Kennedy, questions, quiz, quizzes, Rex Harrison, Robin, Roman Catholic Church, ruler, science, Scottish engineer, settle, singing, song, suicide missions, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Survivor, television, test, tests, Texas, town, troops, Turkey, whirlwind romance, world war ii, Yul Brynner, Yun Fat Chow

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

First of the Monday quizzes for December.

As usual the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below – but NO cheating please.

Enjoy, and good luck!

Q. 1: In which American state did the English first settle in 1607?

Q. 2: What name was given to a pilot who flew suicide missions in World War II?

Q. 3: Whish of these is the name of a town or city in Turkey?

a) Batman b) Robin c) Joker

Q. 4: Who was the first person to cross the English channel with an airplane?

Q. 5: Fifty years ago, on November 22^nd 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas but what was the name of the airport where Air Force One landed on that fateful journey?

Q. 6: Why did the Roman Catholic church ban Mozart’s music?

Q. 7: Australia built fences across outback areas to contain what agricultural pest?

Q. 8: Which country’s troops invaded Cambodia in 1979?

Q. 9: Who played an aging Jewish Nazi hunter named ‘Ezra Lieberman’ and in what movie? (A point for each answer.)

Q. 10: In which country is the site of the famous battle of Waterloo?

Q. 11: Which American diva got married after a whirlwind romance, in 2008?

Q. 12: What were the first names the four members of the ‘Cartwright family’ and what long running television show they were in? (Character’s names, not their real names and you can have a point for each.)

Q. 13: What do the actors Rex Harrison, Yul Brynner and Yun Fat Chow all have in common?

Q. 14: Who noted the day before he was killed in 1968: “I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man”?

Q. 15: What famous television series starred Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch and Danny DeVito?

Q. 16: In which 1964 musical movie was Audrey Hepburn’s singing dubbed by Marni Nixon?

Q. 17: In which country, until 1922, was the Ruler referred to as ‘Sultan of the Ottoman Empire’?

Q. 18: Which nanny did Julie Andrews win an Oscar for playing?

Q. 19: Which Scottish engineer gave the first public demonstration of television in 1925?

Q. 20: Which song by Survivor is the best selling UK heavy metal release of all time?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: In which American state did the English first settle in 1607?

A. 1: Virginia.

Q. 2: What name was given to a pilot who flew suicide missions in World War II?

A. 2: Kamikaze.

Q. 3: Whish of these is the name of a town or city in Turkey?

a) Batman b) Robin c) Joker

A. 3: a) Batman (Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo….)

Q. 4: Who was the first person to cross the English channel with an airplane?

A. 4: Louis Blèriot.

Q. 5: Fifty years ago, on November 22^nd 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas but what was the name of the airport where Air Force One landed on that fateful journey?

A. 5: Love Field.

Q. 6: Why did the Roman Catholic church ban Mozart’s music?

A. 6: He joined the Freemasons.

Q. 7: Australia built fences across outback areas to contain what agricultural pest?

A. 7: Rabbits.

Q. 8: Which country’s troops invaded Cambodia in 1979?

A. 8: Vietnam.

Q. 9: Who played an aging Jewish Nazi hunter named ‘Ezra Lieberman’ and in what movie? (A point for each answer.)

A. 9: Laurence Olivier in ‘The Boys From Brazil’.

Q. 10: In which country is the site of the famous battle of Waterloo?

A. 10: Belgium.

Q. 11: Which American diva got married after a whirlwind romance, in 2008?

A. 11: Mariah Carey.

A. 12: Ben, Adam, Eric (Hoss), and Joesph (Little Joe) in Bonanza.

Q. 13: What do the actors Rex Harrison, Yul Brynner and Yun Fat Chow all have in common?

A. 13: They have all played the King (King Mongkut) in film. Harrison (‘Anna and the King of Siam’, 1946) Brynner (‘The King and I’, 1956), Chow (‘Anna and the King’, 1999).

Q. 14: Who noted the day before he was killed in 1968: “I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man”?

A. 14: Martin Luther King.

Q. 15: What famous television series starred Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch and Danny DeVito?

A. 15: Taxi.

Q. 16: In which 1964 musical movie was Audrey Hepburn’s singing dubbed by Marni Nixon?

A. 16: My Fair Lady.

Q. 17: In which country, until 1922, was the Ruler referred to as ‘Sultan of the Ottoman Empire’?

A. 17: Turkey.

Q. 18: Which nanny did Julie Andrews win an Oscar for playing?

A. 18: Mary Poppins.

Q. 19: Which Scottish engineer gave the first public demonstration of television in 1925?

A. 19: John Logie Baird.

Q. 20: Which song by Survivor is the best selling UK heavy metal release of all time?

A. 20: Eye of the Tiger.

==================================