It was 20th-century American poet, physician, educator, researcher and essayist Lewis Thomas who made the following sage observation: “We haven’t yet learned how to stay human when assembled in masses.”
• Those who study such things say that when Jell-O is hooked up to an EEG machine, the movements registered are almost identical to those produced by the human brain.
• Historians claim that notorious pirate Blackbeard made himself fearsome to enemies by tying lighted fuses into his beard.
• In a survey conducted in five major U.S. cities, men were asked to choose which activity they’d rather do: spend a romantic evening in a hotel with a sexy woman, or go to the Super Bowl.
Three-quarters of respondents chose the football game.
• There were no domestic cats in North America until they arrived with voyagers from Europe.
• You’ve probably noticed that St. Pauli Girl beer has on its label the image of a buxom blond beauty. You probably aren’t aware, however, that the beer was named after the St. Pauli neighborhood of Hamburg, Germany — a notorious red-light district. So while you may think the lovely image is that of a simple serving girl, it’s not out of the question that the lady’s occupation may have been somewhat less savory.
• If you’re planning to wrap a mummy in the proper Egyptian manner, you’ll need about 500 feet of linen to finish the job.
• Parts of Australia have been undergoing an intense drought for more than a decade. The water shortage has been so severe that in 2002, the nation’s environmental minister issued a plea for those in affected areas to shower with a partner in order to conserve the scarce resource.
Thought for the Day: “The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”
— Friedrich Wilhelm
Nietzsche
