Family trees can hold surprising connections, for instance Queen Elizabeth II was related to Vlad III (Vlad the Impaler) through her grandmother, Mary of Teck. Mary of Teck was a descendent of the Romanian ruler who was known for executing many of his subjects and was also thought to be the inspiration for Dracula. King Charles III acknowledges the connection and even owns a home in Transylvania and is involved in conservation efforts to save the region's forests.
Today's post explores a few of the more obscure traffic laws around the country. It's illegal to run out of gas in parts of Youngstown, Ohio. Cursing within earshot of someone isn't tolerated in Rockville, Maryland. Between the hours of 9p.m. and 4a.m. it is unlawful to drive by the same point within a 3 hour period in Westminster, Colorado. In Georgia's Quitman hamlet it is illegal to allow domestic fowl to run at large in the city...so the chicken can't legally cross the road!
Aprils Fools Day is often used as a test day for new products so if they don't get a great reaction the companies can claim it was a joke, with any luck that's what this item is all about unless of course you think hot dog flavored sparkling water sounds like something you would enjoy. 7-Eleven announced their Big Bite brand is teaming up with Miracle Selzer to release the new flavor. Keep in mind that Miracle Selzer has previously made a pickle flavored sparkling water. Just wondering if the hot dog flavor includes condiments with the hot dog...and what about the bun?
A little over a month ago I posted about the competition for this years Cadbury Bunny and today it's time to announce the winner, drumroll please...a raccoon name Louie! Louie hails from Miami, Fl and is a 2 year old rescue after he was deemed unfit to live in the wild. In his spare time Louie enjoys painting and lounging in his favorite tree. His caretaker donates the money from his art sales as well as his $7000 bunny winnings to wildlife sanctuaries for rehabilitation and release of injured animals. Long live Louie!
Researchers at the University of Tokyo were surprised when they discovered the Japanese tit fluttering their wings to indicate an "after you" gesture when mated pairs return to their nests. The reason this is surprising is that it implies complex cognitive skills previously thought to be prominent in only humans and apes. The flutterer was most often the female wanting her mate to enter the nest before her and it was obvious that the gesture was not about the nest itself but about entering since several birds and even some fish use deictic gestures to indicate objects of interest and that was clearly not the case with these birds.
Scientists witnessed what could be described as a $hit fit by a pod of sperm whales to prevent around 30 orcas from attacking. The name for this action is "defense defecation" and involves the animals pooping at the same time then stirring the results by with their tails so their predators become confused or otherwise put off by the fecal matter, there is also a name for the formation formed by the poop fanning whales with their heads in a circle, it's called a rosette. Oh and one more interesting thing about sperm whale poop...it is often mistaken for blood since it a reddish color from the squid that makes up the balance of their diet.
Since Easter is in March this year it seemed like an opportune time to look into Easter lore. Originally the Easter bunny was a hare which likely became an Easter symbol due to their ability to reproduce rapidly so it fit with the rebirth theme of Easter, same deal with how eggs became standard Easter fare, though eggs are also not to be consumed during Lent another reason for all the eggs in baskets. Now for how the eggs and bunny/hare connect...in pagan tradition the goddess Eostre (associated with spring and fertility) once saved a bird whose wings had been frozen by transforming it into a hare. To give thanks the hare returned once a year at springtime to honor Eostre by laying colored eggs. Now you know the rest of the story!
Have you ever thought that dying wouldn't be too bad if you could be reunited with loved ones including pets? According to a hospice nurse one thing that almost everyone sees before they die are dead relatives and pets. She says it starts about a month before death and it is always the comforting family members and friends, sometimes in dreams and sometimes physically with a message saying, "I will be coming for you soon, you have nothing to worry about". Most people who experience this are lucid, they're alert and oriented not hallucinating.
I'm a little pressed for time today so I found a couple of pictures with hidden animals. The first one has a hidden bobcat, the second is a tiny frog. The results will be at the bottom of the page. Don't be afraid to enlarge as needed.
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Have you ever wondered why people in old pictures looked either crabby or constipated? Though it could have been either of those reasons there were also other considerations. When photography was still new pictures of people were impractical as it took up to 8 hours of exposure time but by 1839 daguerreotype was introduced lessening the exposure time to around 20 minutes. Considering how long people had to sit still with the same expression it was easier to relax with the resting bitch face, even when the exposure time became 20 seconds a smile often became a grimace when held too long. In the Victorian era people were asked to say "prunes" to tighten their expression as smiling in photos at that time was thought to indicate someone was poor, drunk, lewd or otherwise corrupt. If only they could see us now!
You know how your mouth tingles when you eat pineapple? Did you figure it was from the acidity? if so you figured wrong, it's actually thousands of raphides stabbing your tongue. Raphides are crystals of calcium oxalate that poke holes in cell membranes causing irritation. The tiny needles that are released when the plant is damaged are a defense mechanism to prevent the plant from predators. Just curious how this makes the vegetarian crowd feel, after all pineapples don't have a face and aren't exactly cuddly.
Marion Island is a small remote island near Antarctica that is special nature reserve hosting 30 bird species and an undisturbed habitat for wandering albatrosses, that is until recently. Mice were accidently introduced to the island in the 1800s and were not a problem until the last two decades when their population soared due to climate warning making their survival and breeding season longer. Now they are a threat to the many birds, they both eat the eggs and will feed on the baby chicks. The plan is to drop hundreds of tons of rodent poison by helicopter with the intention of killing every mouse on the island because if even one pregnant mouse survives it won't be long before they take over again. Mass extermination?? What could possibly go wrong.
As with most things in nature ants serve a purpose which, other than disrupting picnics, is aerating the soil and some other soil related jobs. In many countries they are also a source of protein causing researchers to analyze what gives the different types of ants their flavor in hope of adding them to menus internationally. Black ants have an acidic vinegar/lemon taste from the formic acid found in their venom glands. If you want to get the aroma of grilling meat your go to ant would be the chicatana who could be used to make artificial meats more flavorful. Though if you're allergic to shellfish you'll want to avoid ant embellished foods as they contain the same protein that causes the reaction. Fortunately this is all a study for future reference as there are a lot of bugs to work out!
Nixon served as president of the US from 1969-1974 and is known for a few things but mostly for the Watergate scandal and some other shady deals but he was a choirboy compared to #45...or was he? While Nixon was serving in the Navy (at least he served) he became an avid poker player raking in $40-$50 ($700-$876 today) per night and once bluffing an officer with a pair of deuces to win $1500. When he returned stateside he continued playing poker sometimes winning up to $8000 in a sitting which he used 20% of his banked poker money to finance his first political campaign. The conclusion being Republicans have been about greed and dishonesty for quite some time.
If a person can get around the eww factor being a pet food taste tester is a good paying gig. Experienced testers can make over $100K but it involves more than just managing to choke down some kibble or canned food. Some testers claim to actually like the food and swallow it though most chew for a few seconds then spit it out either way is allowed as what is important is being able to communicate the nuances of aroma, texture, and flavoring like being able to tell the difference between gravy chicken chunks from plate A and plate B. Even though pets might not be able to deliver a detailed report it still seems like they would be better testers for their own food.
