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August 2nd, 2012 | #1 |
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I DID Not Know That
This thread is for things you did not know.
Was filing away paper scutwork, and came across some guide to China and the Yangtze River. It says: In the West, offering a cup of tea impiles an invitation to linger and socialize. In China, tea drinking traditionally signifies the end of a social or business encounter. When a guest arrives, the host serves tea. The business is conducted and only then does the host drink his tea, indicating the closure of the meeting. And also this: In Confucian thought, the cold steel of a knife and fork represents weapons and violence. Chopsticks are considered benevolent and non-threatening. Since a meal is meant to be almost a ceremony of peace and hostility, the Chinese choose chopsticks. |
August 2nd, 2012 | #2 |
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Then they are drinking room temperature tea, which isn't very good.
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August 2nd, 2012 | #3 |
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Not sure if it's Pets-mart or Pet-smart. Still looking for answers.
Edit: Oh it's Pet-Smart. Apparently their website says. Well, that was embarrassing. |
August 2nd, 2012 | #4 |
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I was working around frogs today and trying to help one to safety it squeaked loudly. I didn't know they did that.
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August 2nd, 2012 | #5 |
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Frogs Squeaking
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August 2nd, 2012 | #6 |
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I found out that Russia has a population of 143 million. I thought it was much higher, like close to 300 million
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August 2nd, 2012 | #7 |
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October 9th, 2012 | #8 |
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An average of 155,000 people die worldwide each day.
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October 10th, 2012 | #9 |
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October 29th, 2012 | #11 |
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New word, don't recall ever seeing this mentioned in all the lit i've read or medical stuff i've come across.
Proprioception — from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own," and perception — is one of the human senses. There are between nine and 21 in all, depending on which sense researcher you ask. Rather than sensing external reality, proprioception is the sense of the orientation of one's limbs in space. This is distinct from the sense of balance, which derives from the fluids in the inner ear, and is called equilibrioception. Proprioception is what police officers test when they pull someone over and suspect drunkenness. Without proprioception, we'd need to consciously watch our feet to make sure that we stay upright while walking. Proprioception doesn't come from any specific organ, but from the nervous system as a whole. Its input comes from sensory receptors distinct from tactile receptors — nerves from inside the body rather than on the surface. Proprioceptive ability can be trained, as can any motor activity. Without proprioception, drivers would be unable to keep their eyes on the road while driving, as they would need to pay attention to the position of their arms and legs while working the pedals and steering wheel. And I would not be able to type this article without staring at the keys. If you happen to be snacking while reading this article, you would be unable to put food into your mouth without taking breaks to judge the position and orientation of your hands. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-proprioception.htm Last edited by Alex Linder; September 22nd, 2013 at 09:55 AM. |
November 29th, 2012 | #13 |
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Do all major cities in the US have one of those colourful, alternative names? I am familiar with some of them but I have no idea if large cities commonly get slapped with an alt.
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March 9th, 2013 | #14 |
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Life has traditionally been seen as driven by energy from the sun, but deep-sea organisms have no access to sunlight, so they must depend on nutrients found in the dusty chemical deposits and hydrothermal fluids in which they live. Previously, benthic oceanographers assumed that vent organisms were dependent on marine snow, as deep-sea organisms are. This would leave them dependent on plant life and thus the sun. Some hydrothermal vent organisms do consume this "rain", but with only such a system, life forms would be very sparse. Compared to the surrounding sea floor, however, hydrothermal vent zones have a density of organisms 10,000 to 100,000 times greater.
Hydrothermal vent communities are able to sustain such vast amounts of life because vent organisms depend on chemosynthetic bacteria for food. The water from the hydrothermal vent is rich in dissolved minerals and supports a large population of chemoautotrophic bacteria. These bacteria use sulfur compounds, particularly hydrogen sulfide, a chemical highly toxic to most known organisms, to produce organic material through the process of chemosynthesis. The ecosystem so formed is reliant upon the continued existence of the hydrothermal vent field as the primary source of energy, which differs from most surface life on Earth, which is based on solar energy. However, although it is often said that these communities exist independently of the sun, some of the organisms are actually dependent upon oxygen produced by photosynthetic organisms. Others are anaerobic, as was the earliest life. A species of phototrophic bacterium has been found living near a black smoker off the coast of Mexico at a depth of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). No sunlight penetrates that far into the waters. Instead, the bacteria, part of the Chlorobiaceae family, use the faint glow from the black smoker for photosynthesis. This is the first organism discovered in nature to exclusively use a light other than sunlight for photosynthesis. |
May 21st, 2013 | #15 |
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All circulating "Ike" dollars were made of copper-nickel and not silver, despite many myths and urban legends to the contrary. These coins have either no mint mark or a D above the date, and show a copper-colored edge.
40% silver versions were made during the years 1971-76. They all carry an S mint mark and were only sold in special packaging for purchase by collectors, not for circulation. None of the Eisenhower dollar coins regardless of date or mintmark struck for general circulation have more than face value or have any silver in them. Only proof and uncirculated collectors coins sold from the Mint contain silver and that's only 40%. |
May 21st, 2013 | #16 | |
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Joseph Weydemeyer- friend of Karl Marx ,Union Military Commandant
Quote:
Marx to Joseph Weydemeyer In New York http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx...s/52_03_05.htm |
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June 9th, 2013 | #17 |
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I have not had a problem with restricted unknown harassing phone call's, but if you have that problem, this might solve it.
http://www.trapcall.com/signup/now
__________________
Isn't it strange that we talk least about the things we think about most? We cannot allow the natural passions and prejudices of other peoples to lead our country to destruction. -Charles A. Lindbergh http://www.fff.org/freedom/0495c.asp |
June 9th, 2013 | #18 |
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I regard monotheism as the greatest disaster ever to befall the human race. I see no good in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. Any religion based on a single...frenzied and virulent god, is not as useful to the human race as, say, Confucianism, which is not a religion but an ethical and educational system that has worked pretty well for twenty-five hundred years.
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June 11th, 2013 | #19 |
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A derecho (/dəˈreɪtʃoʊ/, də-ray-choh, from Spanish: derecho [deˈɾetʃo], "straight") is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. Generally, derechos are convection-induced and take on a bow echo form of squall line, forming in an area of wind divergence in the upper levels of the troposphere, within a region of low-level warm air advection and rich low-level moisture. They travel quickly in the direction of movement of their associated storms, similar to an outflow boundary (gust front), except that the wind is sustained and increases in strength behind the front, generally exceeding hurricane-force. A warm-weather phenomenon, derechos occur mostly in summer, especially during June and July in the Northern Hemisphere, within areas of moderately strong instability and moderately strong vertical wind shear. They may occur at any time of the year and occur as frequently at night as during the daylight hours.
Unlike other thunderstorms, which typically can be heard in the distance when approaching, a derecho seems to strike suddenly. Within minutes, extremely high winds can arise, strong enough to knock over highway signs and topple large trees. These winds are accompanied by spraying rain and frequent lightning from all directions. It is dangerous to drive under these conditions, especially at night, because of blowing debris and obstructed roadways. A derecho moves through quickly, but can do much damage in a short time. |
June 11th, 2013 | #20 |
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Two words that can easily be confused are derecho and derecha. Both words are distant cousins of the English words "right" and "direct," and that is the source of the confusion: Depending on the context and usage, these words can carry meanings such as "right" (the opposite of left), "right" (entitlement), "straight," "upright" and "directly."
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