Polar bear fur is not white. It’s see-through but the light shines through the hairs to makes them look white against the bear’s black skin.
Of the 147 million Americans on the Internet, 12 million have blogs.
China Grill in South Beach, Miami, is hosting “Dogs Gone Wild” parties at weekends, where diners and their dogs get dinner and drinks.
I was going to post this last night but my internet connection fucked up again.
I’m feeling much much better now. Maybe I’ll feel rotten again later but never mind. I will celebrate it by posting another “Totally Useless Information.” For today’s topic, I will consult the expert once again, Mr. Arkady Leokum, lover of facts, author of the “Tell Me Why” series and a hoarder of freebies like me. I will buy his book “Please Send Me Absolutely Free!” once somebody donates to me. Without further ado, let us know…
What Makes Blood Clot?”
We can’t afford to lose any blood. Even though a healthy person can lose as much as one third of all his blood and still live, a steady loss of blood, or loss of blood while we are sick, would be very dangerous.
Nature has protected us against this danger by giving blood the capacity to clot. If this clotting took place inside our circulatory system, it would be equally dangerous. So blood does not coagulate, or clot, when it is in contact with the smooth walls of the blood vessel. In fact, if blood is poured into a very smooth or lubricated glass vessel, it won’t clot! If you dip a glass rod into blood, it won’t clot either. Yet if you used a wooden rod, clotting would begin!
So it seems that it takes a rough surface, or an injury to the blood vessels, to start the clotting process. The first thing that happens is that very fine threads of a material called fibrin appear in the blood. These threads run every which way and form a kind of network. They entangle all the blood cells like flies in a spider’s web. The blood stream stops moving at this point and is transformed into a kind of swamp of blood cells.
The fibrin threads are firm and very elastic and they hold the blood cells together in a clot. A clot of blood is like a piece of absorbent cotton which nature creates to protect us from loss of blood.
Everybody’s blood clots at a slightly different rate. There are some people whose blood clots very slowly or not at all, and this condition is called hemophilia. It’s a very curious disease because of the way it is transmitted. Hemophilia appears only in men, but it is never transmitted from father to son. It is transmitted from the father to the daughter, who remains healthy, but passes it on to her son. So it’s the grandchild of the sick father who gets the disease!
Probably the most famous example in the history of this disease deals with Queen Victoria of England. Both she and her husband transmitted hemophilia from their ancestors. As a result, six of their great-grandchildren had the disease, and two of these were the Spanish Crown Prince and the son of the last Russian Czar!
I am a bit surprised that Mr. Leokum actually answered the question. Our blood clots because of the fibrin threads! How amazing is that! Mr. Leokum surely loves exclamation points!!! My blood clots at a fast rate. I bet it clots faster than yours, readers! Hah!
Mr. Arkady is kind of a braggart, isn’t he? He goes from blood clotting to hemophilia to royalties! Wow! I bet he was saying to himself, “I am so smart! !!! I will display my vast knowledge by furtheron explaining hemophilia to my ignoramous readers and display my awareness of royal lineage. !!! ” But seriously, I learned a lot from this article. For one, I now know that ‘hemophilia’ is not a sexual perversion but actually a blood disease. I also learned that I would do from steady blood loss. Very dangerous for suicidal persons to know! If I slash my wrists, I will not put wooden rods on the wounds because that will make the blood clot. I should use something made of glass for continuous blood flow. Oh Mr. Arkady Leokum, you are such a teaser!
It’s time once again to pimp le blog. Without further ado…
Who Invented Mathematics?
Mathematics is the science that deals with numbers, quantity, and form. Without a knowledge of mathematics, our whole modern way of life would be impossible!For example, we would have no good houses, because men who build houses know how to measure and count and figure. Our clothing would be very crude, because figuring is necessary to cut cloth correctly. There would be no railroads, steamships, or airplanes, nor any great industries, nor any commerce as we know it.
And, of course, there would be no radio, television, movies, telephones, or thousands of other things that are part of our civilization. The use of mathematics to measure how many, how much, or how long, is a vital part of creation of the world we live in.
Life was much more simple for our primitive ancestors, but even they had to use the idea of numbers. Earliest man wanted to keep a record of the things he possessed. - How many tools did he have, how many weapons, how many animals? As soon as he wanted to express such ideas as one, two, many, and so on, he began to use mathematics.
In fact, counting was the beginning of mathematics. And the art of counting took a long, long time to develop. At first, it was done by scratching tally marks on a wall or painting them on papyrus, a form of paper. Early man could tell how many by looking at the tally marks, even if he didn’t have the words for it.
Gradually, the ancient Egyptians and then the Greeks and Romans developed better number systems.
But counting, of course, is only one part of mathematics. The idea of form and how to measure it is very important to man too. Primitive man used the idea of form in his everyday life, even though he didn’t know how to measure form exactly. For intance, in making his primitive dwellings, he used rectangles and circles.
This was a simple, practical application of mathematics. But mathematics also is used in drawing logical conclusions from given facts, even if you’re not dealing with material objects. For example, in geometry, we put everything down on paper and figure out the answers to problems. Then we put our conclusions to use in everyday life.
Source: More Tell Me Why by Arkady Leokum
That was boring! I used to want to shoot the person who invented math but after painstakenly typing this, I want to shoot that Arkady Leokum. But seriously, I have little brain for math. I have a hard time adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing and these are the base application of math. Imagine me and a friend in a restaurant. It is time for us to pay for what we ate so we look glumly at the bill. When I see those numbers, I get shellshocked. Not because of the price but my brain goes into overload trying to figure out how much I have to pay for my share. If my friend (Hi Louie!) is like me who only took Math 1 in college, she will whip out her cellphone and use the built-in calculator application. But say if I was with my cousin Fortune, I wouldn’t even bother to look at the bill because I just assume he’ll pay for it. If I was dining with Phoebe, I won’t assume she’ll foot the bill because I’m sure she won’t. I will look at the bill, pretend I’m computing, give a figure which is miles away from the bull’s eye more often than not. Thankfully she’s good at math so I’ll look at her quizically after saying a figure and then she corrects me. Friends are good for the soul and for math.
Again, Arkady Leokum didn’t answer the question he posed. He just gave a very vague history as to when humans started using it but I have a feeling he didn’t research on that well. Still, I love his stupid book which my mom bought from Book Sale I think and this was lightyears ago. Starting today, I will do as them cavemen do and keep a tally on my cave dwelling (my dirty room) everytime Arkady Leokum fails to answer his own questions.
Please do some math now. Figure out how much extra money you have, deduct some $$$ then add them to
G’day, boys and girls. It is time for another “Totally Useless Information” and this time, I will talk about the furry animall from down under.
Kangaroos are one of the strangest and oldest species of animals on earth today. We know that there was a kind of kangaroo in existence hundreds of thousands of years ago which was nearly as large as a horse!
Today kangaroos are found in Australia, which is sometimes called the “Land of Kangaroos,” and even has this animal on its national coat of arms.
The kangaroo is the best-known of the marsupials, which means “animals with pouches.” The mother kangaroo has a fur-lined pouch between her hind legs in which she carries the young and nurses it. A young kangaroo lives in this pouch until it’s a pretty good size.
When a baby kangaroo is born, it’s a tiny, pink, naked mass, not much over an inch long! The mother places it in the pouch right after birth and the baby is quite helpless for some time. But by the time it’s six months old, it’s as large as a puppy. It rides around inside the pouch with its head sticking out. When mama stops to feed on the tree branches, the young baby pulls off leaves at the same time and feeds itself.
Even after a young kangaroo has been taught to walk and run by its mother, it likes to stay in the warm, safe pouch. And when danger threatens, the mother hops over to it, picks it up in her mouth without stopping, and drops it safely into her pouch.
A full-grown kangaroo stands about 2 metres tall. It has short front legs with small paws, and a very long hind legs. These powerful hind legs enable a kangaroo to take jumps of 3 to 4.5 metres at a time! The kangaroo uses its big, long tail to rest and to balance itself when jumping.
In Australia, kangaroos are hunted because they kill the crops. But they also make good eating, and their skin produces good, strong leather. The kangaroo’s protection is its speed and its ability to hear an enemy at a great distance. When a kangaroo is cornered by hunting dogs, it can seize a dog with its forefeet and kill it with one swing of its hindfoot!
Source: More Tell Me Why by Arkady Leokum
Wow. That’s a bit morbid. But now we know more about the kangaroos. Typing this article reminded me of the time when a relative give my sister (I think she was around 7 that time) a stuffe ‘roo. It was quite hideous and I don’t remember if she ever played with it. If i remember correctly, I was the one who played around with the toy. I was already 16 then. I don’t know what happened to the toy but I have a feeling that mom donated it to charity. But since we’re speaking about an animal from Australia, let me tell you about my ex-bf who’s an Australian. His name is Benjamin Willard and he was younger than me by 2 years. It was a long distance romance but I needed more…intimacy and proximity I guess. So I dumped him. And he said I ruined his life but I really don’t think so because he had lots of girlfriends after me while I am still single up to now. I wonder what ever happened to that guy. I just hope he is alright.
And now for some Roo photos…
And then to my tin can with class ;)
Another installment to my favorite ‘Totally Useless Information’.
Cracked and bleeding nipples brought on by those first few days of breast-feeding can leave you vulnerable to infection of the breast, which is referred to as mastitis. While it is rarely serious, mastitis can be quite painful and cannot be cured without the use of antibiotics.
According to Raven Fox, R.N., I.B.C.L.C., signs that you may have mastitis include a reddened area on the fleshy part of the breast that is painful to the touch and ranges from the size of a quarter to the whole side fo the breast, a fever of up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, general achines, and chills. You may have one or two of these symptoms, or you may have all of them at once. They tend to come on very rapidly. “You may be feeling a little off at 7:30 in the morning and an hour later feel as if a truck ran over you,” says Fox.
While you will need to see a doctor if you suspect a breast infection, there are a few things you should do on your own during the course of an infection.Continue nursing, starting with the infected breast each time. This may sound like sheer lunacy when you are in so much pain, but it helps clear the infection and will not hurt the baby. “The milk is absolutely not infected,” stresses Fox. She recommends nursing at least every two to three hours, and more frequently if the baby is willing.
Prior to nursing, pack the breast in heat. Again, use a warm towel with a plastic bag over it to maintain the heat. “Then massage and stroke the breast from the fleshy part down to the nipple, focusing especially on that sore spot,” says Phillis Frey, A.R.N.P.
Get in bed. You need to go on full bed rest. This is your time to take care of yourself and let everyone else nurture you while you get over the infection. Usually, it takes about 24 to 36 hours for the pain to pass. But Fox stresses the importance of continuing the antibiotics throught their full 10 to 14 day course, despite the fact that you’re feeling better.
Other problems that can cause discomfort include yeast infections in the nipple and clogged milk ducts. “Yeast infections can cause ongoing discomfort in the nipple and need to be diagnosed and treated by your doctor,” says Frey.
Clogged ducts, on the other hand, usually resolve themselves within 24 hours. They are characterised by a hard, uncomfortable lump in the fleshy part of the breast. It can be very tender to the touch but isn’t usually accompanied by fever. To relieve the pain of a clogged duct, pack the breast in heat before feedings, get the baby to nurse on the infected breast first, and massage the hard spot the whole time the baby is nursing in order to loosen up the milk and unclog the duct.
“If the milk is locked in the duct for more than 24 hours, it can start leaking into the breast tissue and leave a moist breeding ground for bacteria,” cautions Frey. “And once it becomes infected, it is a hot spot that hurts all the time.” Fox adds that the pattern tends to be sore nipples, engorgement, clogged ducts, and mastitis. Solving the first two problems will usually prevent the latter.Source: The Home Remedies Handbook
Good lord! Now I have another reason why I don’t want to have a child. But now is not the right time to discuss that so I’ll comment on the article. The book was published in 1993 and I certainly hope that doctors and nurses don’t recommend breat-feeding your child with that infected breast. That is just so disgusting. And what about the antibiotic for the infected breast? Wouldn’t the child ingest that too as he breastfeeds from mum? I my mom did that to me when I was a but a wee kid, I will turn into a rebellious teenager. Hmm maybe she did that because I’m a huge pain in her neck. Another thing that bothers me about this article are the words used. Words and phrases such as ‘moist’, ‘engorgement’, ‘in heat’, ‘massage and stroke the breast’, ‘hot spot’ and ‘leaking’. It sounds like the writer of that article read a lot of erotica. Okay, they’re all in the breast-feeding infection context but I bet certain kinds of pervents would find pleasure in the article.
If the article has typos, I apologize but I really do put an effort into doing this crap. See how desparate I am for some cash?!
My first attempt at this got screwed up but I won’t take it as a sign from up above or whatever. Desperation keeps my morality at bay. So to start off my selling out, I added a ‘paypal donate’ button to the sidebar so starting today, you can make a donation to a worthy cause namely ME! Since I don’t think my regular rants would elicit donations, I thought of a gimmick so readers can get something in return. I’ve come up with a totally useless, totally boring gimmich which I dub “Totally Useless Information” wherein I will post about useless facts, history of boring stuff, how things work, curios, and whatever I can come up with. How creative is that? (You know I’m being sarcastic here, right?)
For today’s post, we will talk about the history of eggs. Or rather “When did man begin eating eggs?”
When people are lost somewhere, as in the jungle or on a lonely island, they will try to eat almost anything when they get hungry. In some such way primitive man, in his search for food, must have tried to eat the eggs of the birds. Exactly when this happened, or where, we cannot know of course.
But we know that the chicken hen has been furnishing man with eggs for food since prehistoric times. In fact, the chicken, which probably originated in the jungles of India, spread throughout the world long before recorded history.
Chickens were known in China at least 3,500 years ago! When the Romans began pushing north they found chickens already established in England, Gaul (which used to be the name for France), and among the Germans. They probably didn’t reach the Western Hemisphere until the second voyage of Columbus in 1493.
Today, the single animal which is the most widely distributed food producer in the world, is the chicken. In some parts of the world, however, the duck and duck eggs are preferred. Did you know that the ducks can beat the chicken in producing eggs? There are instances where ducks produced 360 eggs a year.
If you counted all the hens in the world and the number of eggs they produced each year, it would come to about 2 eggs per week for each human being on earth!
An egg can be separated into three parts, the white, the yolk, and the shell. The white accounts for about 58% of the weight of the whole egg. It consists of about 87% water and 12% protein. The yolk accounts for about 32% of the weight of the egg. It is about 49% water, 32% fat, and 17% protein. The shell is about 10% of the weight of the egg.
Eggs are considered a good food because they supply amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.
Source:More Tell Me Why by Arkady Leokum
So there you have it. A totally useless information which didn’t even answer the question posed in the first place. Since we learned that ducks produce more eggs than chickens, I am beginning to think of starting a ‘penoy’ business. A penoy is an infertile incubated duck egg which is a delicacy in the Philippines especially among drunkards. But I don’t want to handle duck eggs and I don’t even want to see them being eaten.
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
