Useless Facts

[Pauldohert]

Rak - Kyunkasko sbazko byusba?

 

[Ron_dK]

Kweetniet Paul, maar :

Togurfga trakij sdonchskia

Abientot
Krkoystrokoskiaskya
Ron

 

[Pauldohert]

Wakuz Dro Brugka Spazibo fuma Molvanian.



(sorry I am hardly fluent - I have been studying for 7 years - since I went to Lutenblag on a stag do)

Krokystrokiskiaskya pne Gratynilz

 

[FoFa]

Actress Alicia Silverstone had a Holloywood moment when she tried to explain the significance of her movie "Clueless".
"I think that "clueless" was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."

 

[statsman]

Alicia Silverstone is a prime example of the Peter Principle. In place of ability insert the word "blonde".

 

[Ron_dK]

In 1771, the inventor of a steam driven vehicle called Brezin , drove one of his vehicles into a stone wall, making him the first person to get into a motor vehicle accident.

 

[Ron_dK]

Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

 

[Ron_dK]

On 12/06/2006, the level of Spam was approximate 40% of that of sended e-mails worldwide. According weighted data, most spam is issued from countries like Israel, Poland, Argentina and Cili. South Korea is in 16th place, whereas the Netherlands and the USA are outside the top 20.

 

[Keith Nichols]

Actress Alicia Silverstone had a Holloywood moment when she tried to explain the significance of her movie "Clueless".
"I think that "clueless" was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."

Clueless is adapted from Jane Austen's novel Emma, first published in 1816.

I haven't read the book or seen the film, but I recall reading something somewhere commenting on Austin's 'lightness of touch' and the well drawn characters. From this point of ignorance (pretty extreme) it may be possible that Miss Silverstone had a fair point, albeit clumsily expressed. She may even have been directly 'updating' quotes from criticisms of Emma.

That isn't to say she doesn't come accros as an airhead when talking like that.

Cheers

 

[FoFa]

Denis Thatcher, married to then prime minister Margaret Thatcher was asked by a reported who wears the pants in the family. His reply "I do. I also wash and iron them."

 

[FoFa]

The Algonquin Round Table wit was questioned about the value of getting a dog as a pet for a child. Response was "A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."

 

[FoFa]

Elected officials brag about their support for education. They're all in favor of it. Yet if so many politicians really supported education, why aren't our teachers paid better and our students better educated?
Politicians know that if more people were educated, they wouldn't keep falling for the same phony promises from the same double-talking politicians.
Practically no one in America is literate in the old English sense. In 18th century England, an illiterate was someone with insufficient knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin.

 

[Adeptus]

In 18th century England, an illiterate was someone with insufficient knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin.

Oh well, since I'm illiterate, does that mean I have to stop reading all these websites (and novels and textbooks and...)?

 

[Keith Nichols]

Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

These staircases also typically have irregular rise and step distances. Negotiatng the staircase backwards whilst fighting, one finds your next step with your heel (try being on the 'light end' of something heavy that you are moving from the downstairs to the upstairs and you wil see what I mean) and can put your weight on the back foot confifently. The atacker meanwhile is trying to step up the stairs and will have difficulty due to the irregularity.

 

[TessB]

Yes, Ouma!
We had a Useless facts thread.
Love bringing back threads from the glorious past.

 

[oumahexi]

OK, I haven't read right through so I hope I'm not repeating someone:

Most major Christian festivals bear more than a little similarity to pre-existing Pagan ones:

Yule, the winter solstice (which fell on 25th December in the Roman calendar). 25th December was designated by Pope Julius I as the birthday of Christ.

Imbolc (1st February), the start of the spring quarter of the year, associated with the Celtic virgin goddess Brid. Later adopted (on 2nd February) as Candlemas, the feast of the purification of the virgin. Brid was renamed as Saint Bridget, this remained her feast day.

Lupercalia (14th February), a celebration of fertility. Later adopted as the feast day of St Valentine.

Eostre's day (The first full moon after the Spring equinox). The symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre include the egg and the rabbit. Easter is the first sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Beltane (1st May) The start of the summer quarter, celebrated by lighting fires and by maypole dancing. Roodmas associates this day with the Cross (the Rood), rather than a maypole).

Litha, the summer solstice (approx 21st June)

Lughnassadh (1st August) the "grain festival" at which bread from the first harvested corn was eaten. The Christian Lammas ("loaf-mass" service has a tradition of blessing the first loaf of bread).

Mabon, the Autumn equinox (approx 21st September).

Samhain (1st November), the start of the winter quarter, the Celtic feast of the dead. All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (1st and 2nd November) remember the souls of dead saints and non-canonized dead respectively.

Pagan festivals are usually celebrated from dusk 'till dawn, therefore Samhain celebrations begin on the 31st October, the exception being Lutha which is a celebration of the dawn.

 

[oumahexi]

Gravity is about 0.5% stronger at the North and South poles than at the equator - so, if you weigh 80kg (about 176 pounds) at the pole, you would lose 0.4kg (about 14 oz) by moving to the equator.

 

[Vassago]

OK, I haven't read right through so I hope I'm not repeating someone:

Most major Christian festivals bear more than a little similarity to pre-existing Pagan ones:

Yule, the winter solstice (which fell on 25th December in the Roman calendar). 25th December was designated by Pope Julius I as the birthday of Christ.

Imbolc (1st February), the start of the spring quarter of the year, associated with the Celtic virgin goddess Brid. Later adopted (on 2nd February) as Candlemas, the feast of the purification of the virgin. Brid was renamed as Saint Bridget, this remained her feast day.

Lupercalia (14th February), a celebration of fertility. Later adopted as the feast day of St Valentine.

Eostre's day (The first full moon after the Spring equinox). The symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre include the egg and the rabbit. Easter is the first sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Beltane (1st May) The start of the summer quarter, celebrated by lighting fires and by maypole dancing. Roodmas associates this day with the Cross (the Rood), rather than a maypole).

Litha, the summer solstice (approx 21st June)

Lughnassadh (1st August) the "grain festival" at which bread from the first harvested corn was eaten. The Christian Lammas ("loaf-mass" service has a tradition of blessing the first loaf of bread).

Mabon, the Autumn equinox (approx 21st September).

Samhain (1st November), the start of the winter quarter, the Celtic feast of the dead. All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (1st and 2nd November) remember the souls of dead saints and non-canonized dead respectively.

Pagan festivals are usually celebrated from dusk 'till dawn, therefore Samhain celebrations begin on the 31st October, the exception being Lutha which is a celebration of the dawn.

I always thought these facts were quite interesting and not useless at all.

 

[TessB]

I always thought these facts were quite interesting and not useless at all.

Same here. I want to update my calendar now.

 

[oumahexi]

Oh, so perhaps I won't bore you if I offer this one?

The word Grammar is derived from Gramacia. In ancient Hebrew scripts (the Torah, and the Kaballah) letters of the alphabet were believed to correspond with numbers. In order to have a prayer (or spell) work properly it was necessary to ensure the number of your sentence corresponded with the outcome of your request (grammatically correct). For this reason the “spelling” was crucial. So the witches “spell” was born.

And another

The word Occult originally meant "hidden".