Trivia for Squiggle #16

Welcome to Trivia for Squiggle #16! Today's issue is entirely composed of useless tidbits about drugs, legal or otherwise.

376. Aspirin went on sale as the first pharmaceutical drug in 1899, after Felix Hoffman, a German chemist at the drug company Bayer, successfully modified Salicylic Acid, a compound found in willow bark to produce Aspirin.

377. Bayer® Aspirin was the first drug ever to be marketed in tablet form. First marketed in 1899 as a powder, by 1900 aspirin was being compressed into a water-soluble tablet.

378. Cocaine was the first local anesthetic; being used as such from about 1884 onwards.

379. Cocaine works in a totally different way from narcotics such as morphine or heroin. Heroin works on receptor sites in the brain which are stimulated by the drug to produce pain-relieving and mood-enhancing chemicals. Cocaine on the other hand works by stimulating the central nervous system, and like alcohol, is processed through the liver.

380. 'Crack' is the street name given to cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Rather than requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine using ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water and heated to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form of cocaine that can be smoked. The term 'crack' refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked (heated), presumably from the sodium bicarbonate. 'Crack Cocaine' is still cocaine. It is simply a different chemical process applied to cocaine powder that allows cocaine to be smokeable. This means that the 'high' from Crack Cocaine is much stronger and more immediate (taking about 8 seconds to reach the brain); and also shorter lived then from the powder.

381. Despite the fact that federal spending on the drug war increased from $1.65 billion in 1982 to $17.7 billion in 1999, more than half of the students in the United States in 1999 tried an illegal drug before they graduated from high school. Additionally, 65% have tried cigarettes by 12th grade and 35% are current smokers, and 62% of twelfth graders and 25% of 8th graders in 1999 report having been drunk at least once.

382. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin include "smack," "H," "skag," and "junk." Other names may refer to types of heroin produced in a specific geographical area, such as "Mexican black tar."

383. In an article in 1998, The Journal of the American Medical Association claimed that adverse drug reactions may cause more than 100,000 deaths a year in the US alone.

384. In the US, Delaware, Virginia and Michigan rank as the top three states for Ritalin use, and most of the prescriptions are for elementary and middle school age children. Doctors in these states prescribe at least 33 grams for every 1,000 residents, 56 percent more than the national average, according to figures compiled by the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

385. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is a medication prescribed for individuals (usually children) who have an abnormally high level of activity or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3 to 5 percent of the general population has the disorder, which is characterized by agitated behavior and an inability to focus on tasks. Methylphenidate also is occasionally prescribed for treating narcolepsy. Methylphenidate is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It has effects similar to, but more potent than, caffeine and less potent than amphetamines. It has a notably calming effect on hyperactive children and a "focusing" effect on those with ADHD.

386. More than 100 years ago, the felt hat makers of England used mercury to stabilize wool. Most of them eventually became poisoned by the fumes, as demonstrated by the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Breathing mercury's fumes over a long period of time will cause erethism, a disorder characterized by nervousness, irritability, and strange personality changes.

387. Ricin is a protein produced by the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, which is highly toxic (the minimal lethal dose is around 1 µg / kg body weight, that means 1/15th of a milligram could kill a 150 lb. person). Ricin can be a dangerous contaminant, making the production of castor oil a precisely controlled process.

388. 'Soldiers disease' is a term for morphine addiction. The Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts.

389. The anti-malarial drug quinine is taken from the bark of the Andean cinchona tree.

390. The average cup of coffee contains more than 1000 different chemical components, none of which is tasted in isolation but only as part of the overall flavor.

391. The chemical n-acetyl-cysteine found in raw eggs is proven to help hangovers.

392. The first known heart medicine was discovered in an English garden. In 1799, physician John Ferriar noted the effect of dried leaves of the common foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea, on heart action. Still used in heart medications, digitalis slows the pulse and increases the force of heart contractions and the amount of blood pumped per heartbeat.

393. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.

394. The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne, and trembling.

395. The rosy periwinkle plant, found in Madagascar, is used to cure leukemia.

396. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 50 that cause, initiate or promote cancer such as tar, ammonia, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and benzopyrene.

397. Traces of cocaine were found on 99% of UK bank notes in a survey in London in 2000.

398. LSD is made from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a type of fungus.

399. Smokers are twice as likely to develop lower back pain than non-smokers.

400. The hormone replacement drug "Premarin" is made from the urine of pregnant horses.

"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?"

Morally Guided by Penguins

This is primarily for Tritia...just a little tidbit from IMDB.com regarding March of the Penguins.

'Penguins' Cools Off
For the first time in 10 weeks, the Warner Bros. Classics documentary March of the Penguins fell out of the top ten, slipping to 11th place with $1,747,832. Its total gross, which now stands at $72,846,145, makes it the second-highest earner among documentaries of all time, behind only Fahrenheit 9/11. Recent reports indicated that conservative "family values" groups have been instrumental in keeping the film alive at the box office, booking large blocks of seats and asserting that the film provides proof of "intelligent design." On the other hand London Times film writer Caitlin Moran observed last week, "To be honest, this is good news. If American Christians want to go public on the fact that they're now morally guided by penguins, at least we know where we all stand."

"You're just jealous because I'm a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask."

Tritia's Questions

It's been a while since we've done a round of questions from Tritia. I think this will be the fifth set to appear here on this blog. As always, her questions are in bold and my answers are in plain text.

1. What's up?
My ever-growing lust for revenge.

2. What are your top five favorite television shows ever?
Off the top of my head: I Love Lucy, Kids in the Hall, Jack of All Trades, Xena, Hercules

3. What are your top five favorite movies ever?
Damn you, Tritia! You know this is an über-difficult question for me. After some contemplation I have come up with this list (in alphabetical order):
Clue
Evil Dead 2
The Great Race
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Shaun of the Dead

4. What are your top five favorite CDs ever?
Yet another hard question from Tritia. I don’t think I’d be able to narrow down my collection to a Top 5, so instead I’ll list what’s been playing the most in my CD player as of late:
Cradle of Filth - "Damnation and a Day"
Cradle of Filth - "Nymphetamine"
Dimmu Borgir "Death Cult Armageddon"
Strong Bad – "Strong Bad Sings (& Other Type Hits)"
Soundtrack – "The Devil’s Rejects"

5. Tell me a joke.
I know I’ve told this joke a couple times within our little blogging community, but it’s like the only one I have committed to memory and it still cracks me up:
What’s the difference between a Jewish mother and a Rottweiler?
Eventually, the Rottweiler lets go.

6. You're making a time capsule that is going to be opened in 1000 years. What will you put inside?
Some pictures of Smallsac. You just can't go wrong with a picture of Smallsac:


7. What are going to get Tritia for Christmas?
A present.

8. What is the weirdest dream you've ever had?
This thing we call life...or perhaps all those dreams I had about going to the grocery store. Any dream that doesn’t involve zombies or crazy chicks throwing knives at me is a pretty damn weird dream.

9. Would you rather have your left big toenail ripped off or eat a dog poop?
Toenail. Even if you were to get me high on every drug imaginable and/or offered me copious amounts of cash, I don’t think I could bring myself to nosh on the scheisse...besides, once the abstraction of my nail heals up, I could always put some crazy little tattoo there...

10. What quality do you most admire in others?
Intelligence.

11. What quality do you most loathe in others?
Everything.

12. Wanna cookie?
Aaaaaaaaaacccccccccckkkkkkkkkk!!!

13. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Can’t say I’m very well-versed in the mannerisms of the woodchuck, but if it likes to chow down on the wood so much, it could always get a job in the porn industry. Why must I be so immature?

14. Finish this sentence: "I wish . . ."
"...I could decide on what my next tattoo will be. It’s been four years since the last one. I need to get off my lazy ass and make a decision!"

15. Who is your favorite celebrity?
Smallsac.

"Howdy folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of nature? Well then, come on down to Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Mad-Men. See the Alligator Boy, ride my famous Murder Ride. Most of all, don't forget to take home some of my tasty fried chicken! Ha ha! It just tastes so damn good!"

Trivia for Squiggle #15

Today's issue of Trivia for Squiggle is all about animals...today's quote (which is super easy) even makes reference to a famous movie scene involving birds.

351. When the Black Death swept across England one theory was that cats caused the plague. Thousands were slaughtered. Ironically, those that kept their cats were less affected, because they kept their houses clear of the real culprits, rats.

352. When a female horse and male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny.

353. Unlike most fish, electric eels cannot get enough oxygen from water. Approximately every five minutes, they must surface to breathe, or they will drown. Also unlike most fish, they can swim both backwards and forwards.

354. There are more than 100 million dogs and cats in the United States. Americans spend more than 5.4 billion dollars on their pets each year.

355. There is no single cat called the panther. The name is commonly applied to the leopard, but it is also used to refer to the puma and the jaguar. A black panther is really a black leopard.

356. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

357. The world's largest mammal, the blue whale, weighs 50 tons at birth. Fully grown, it weighs as much as 150 tons.

358. The world's largest rodent is the Capybara. An Amazon water hog that looks like a guinea pig, it can weigh more than 100 pounds.

359. The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.

360. There are around 2,600 different species of frogs. They live on every continent except Antarctica.

361. The underside of a horse's hoof is called a frog. The frog peels off several times a year with new growth.

362. The viscera of Japanese abalone can harbor a poisonous substance which causes a burning, stinging, prickling and itching over the entire body. It does not manifest itself until exposure to sunlight - if eaten outdoors in sunlight, symptoms occur quickly and suddenly.

363. The world record frog jump is 33 feet 5.5 inches over the course of 3 consecutive leaps, achieved in May 1977 by a South African sharp-nosed frog called Santjie.

364. The turbot fish lays approximately 14 million eggs during its lifetime.

365. The turkey was named for what was wrongly thought to be its country of origin.

366. The term "dog days" has nothing to do with dogs. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures. The Romans called the period dies caniculares, or "days of the dog."

367. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History houses the world's largest shell collection, some 15 million specimens. A smaller museum in Sanibel, Florida owns a mere 2 million shells and claims to be the worlds only museum devoted solely to mollusks.

368. The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death.

369. The pigmy shrew - a relative of the mole - is the smallest mammal in North America. It weighs 1/14 ounce - less than a dime.

370. The poison-arrow frog has enough poison to kill about 2,200 people.

371. The name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box is Bingo.

372. The fastest -moving land snail, the common garden snail, has a speed of 0.0313 mph.

373. The largest pig on record was a Poland-China hog named Big Bill, who weighed 2,552 lbs.

374. The last member of the famous Bonaparte family, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, died in 1945, of injuries sustained from tripping over his dog's leash.

375. The largest Great White Shark ever caught measured 37 feet and weighed 24,000 pounds. It was found in a herring weir in New Brunswick in 1930.

"I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne. Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky..."

Movie Quote Answers

Here are the quote answers for the month. Sorry I'm such a lazy-ass in getting these posted...

9/6
"Why do all the good girls have to be hypothetical?"
This quote comes from a bonus email off one of the Strong Bad Email.exe DVDs.

"The venom of a black mamba can kill a human in four hours, if, say, bitten on the ankle or the thumb. However, a bite to the face or torso can bring death from paralysis within 20 minutes. Now, you should listen to this, 'cause this concerns you. The amount of venom that can be delivered from a single bite can be gargantuan. You know, I've always liked that word..."gargantuan"... so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence. If not treated quickly with antivenom, 10 to 15 milligrams can be fatal to human beings. However, the black mamba can deliver as much as 100 to 400 milligrams of venom from a single bite."
From one of the keenest characters of the Kill Bill flicks, the above quote was spoken by Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver in Kill Bill Vol. 2.

9/7
"Movin' very slowly! Very slowly!
Movin' very slowly! Very slowly!

Darkness, the fate of the world
Master, give up your soul"
This one's actually a lyric from Taranchula's "Moving Very Slowly"...Taranchula was first mentioned in Strong Bad Email #16 and the track is available on the Strong Bad Sings CD.

9/8
"Oh my God, I am WAY too stoned for this!"
Jonathan Tucker as Morgan in 2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake...and just as a side note, the original Massacre was titled as such: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. For some reason the producers of the remake decided to put the words chain and saw together, which is not inaccurate as it appears both ways in the dictionary. So I guess it was either to make their movie stand alone from the original...or because it just kinda looks cooler...iduno...

"It's a trick. Get an axe."
Bruce Campbell. Ash. Army of Darkness. "Yo, she-bitch! Let's go." (this is not today's quote)

9/12
"Oh, dear God, it's growing bigger!"
Bruce Campbell. Ash. Army of Darkness. I just chose this quote because it sounded naughty...=)

9/13
"Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who."
Michael Palin as the King of Swamp Castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

9/14
"He won't stop coming!"
Jonathan Jackson as Eric in the recently released flop Venom. Again, I picked this one because it sounded dirty...I'm so immature.

9/15
"I'M NOT SHOUTING! ALL RIGHT, I AM. I'M SHOUTING, I'M SHOUTING, I'M SHOUT..."
Tim Curry as Mr. Boddy portraying Wadsworth the Butler in Clue.

9/19
"Leslie escaped with a chicken?!?"
An absolutely classic line spoken by Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate in Blake Edwards’s The Great Race.

9/22
"Shitty? Mom, shitty's not a bad word. Cocksucker's a bad word!"
A partially deleted line from Daltry Calhoun spoken by Sophie Traub as June. They took out the "Cocksucker's a bad word" part for the theatrical release...maybe it'll appear on the DVD?

"I heard if you've got syphilis it's like pissing boiling water."
Russell Crowe as Arthur Baskin in an Australian film from 1993 titled Love in Limbo. It'll be released on DVD through Miramax Films at some point within the next year.

"Well, you smell like a bum's nut sack."

Scott, Destroyer of Dreams

So I'm trying the online dating thing (insert your judgements here). I would definitely prefer to go about this the traditional way and actually meet someone, but I don't get out much because I work a lot...and never really meet people when I do go out anyways. So a couple weeks ago I get a response back from this girl (and so I don't have to keep saying 'this/that girl' we'll call her...Pineapple...and just in case, we'll refer to the dating system as Kerrek) whom I initially contacted because, let's face it, Pineapple's profile sounded awesome, fun, she fit my preferences, and even wrote in her 'About Me & Whom I'd Like to Date' section that she wanted to date a mini rock star (and by this she did not mean a little person, but basically a guy who looked like a rock star but didn't necessarily have to be in a band)...even stated that a 'rock star' was her 'dream guy'... I've been told by quite a few people that I look like a rock star or people ask me if I'm in a band (side note: currently working that)...once, a guy at a gas station near my house even asked me if I was in Godhead! But anyways, to make a long story a little shorter, Pineapple sent me her personal email address, a request for more pictures, and her cell phone number. So I email the pictures (some of me clean shaven with my hair in a pony tail and some of me a bit more scruffy with my hair down...trying to satisfy the rock star desire) and I call her. We talked for about 90 minutes and everything seemed like it was going GREAT. She even suggested that we should actually meet at some point during the following week...even called me 'honey' once...which is nice, but (little known fact about Scott:) is a term of endearment I hate. So I call Pineapple the next day in the evening to try to set up a day/time during the week to meet. She doesn't pick up so I leave a message. She doesn't call back so I email her a few days later. No reply. I sent another email a few days ago. No reply. Ok, I get the picture...she lost interest...either something I said or the pictures scared her off... On a human decency level, it would have been nice if she just told me she was no longer interested instead of just ignoring/not replying. So I sent her an email via the Kerrek email system basically stating "Hey, sorry if I said anything to offend/upset you. Not sure what I did, but based on the emails and the phone conversation, you seem like a great girl and I wish you the best of luck." ... As I was sending the email, I noticed there was something different about her profile. The 'About Me...' section was considerably shorter. Gone now is the 'I want to date a rock star' statement and the subsequent description of said 'dream guy'. Any references whatsoever to rock = extinct from Pineapple's profile. Now it says something like 'LAUGHTER IS A MUST! I like sensitive and passionate guys...like a guy who would shed a tear during a movie'... So even though I was initially mildly 'upset' over the situation, I found consolation in the fact that I essentially maimed and laid waste to the concept of her dream guy...leaving him a soulless shell of a body amidst a godforsaken, piss-burnt wasteland of slag... At least I made an impact on her...which is better than nothing.

"I heard if you've got syphilis it's like pissing boiling water."

Trivia for Squiggle #14

If you look at my last few previous posts, it's all trivia! This beast is consuming the blog!!! Perhaps I should actually think of stuff to say? hehehe... Today's issue of Trivia for Squiggle comes from a brand new source that I'm trying out and features a bunch of random facts and a good chunk of animal facts.

326. In one day, a human sheds 10 billion skin flakes. This amounts to approximately two kilograms in a year.

327. A blink lasts approximately 0.3 seconds.

328. A fetus that is four months old, will becomes startled and turn away if a light is flashed on the mother's stomach.

329. A headache and inflammatory pain can be reduced by eating 20 tart cherries.

330. A human embryo is smaller than a grain of rice at four weeks old.

331. A person will burn 7 percent more calories if they walk on hard dirt compared to pavement.

332. A Russian man who wore a beard during the time of Peter the Great had to pay a special tax.

333. A study concludes that kids who snore do poorly in school.

334. A yawn usually lasts for approximately six seconds.

335. After twenty-seven years, Betty Rubble made her debut as a Flintstones Vitamin in 1996.

336. Approximately 1-2 calorie are burned a minute while watching T.V.

337. A barnacle has the largest penis of any other animal in relation to its size.

338. A female ferret can die if she goes into heat and cannot find a mate.

339. A baby octopus is about the size of a flea when it is born.

340. A crocodile can open and close its jaw but cannot move it side to side.

341. A crocodile can run up to a speed of 11 miles per hour.

342. A hedgehog's heart beats 190 times a minute on average and drops to only 20 beats per minute during hibernation.

343. A leech has 32 brains.

344. A mole can dig a tunnel three hundred feet long in a single night.

345. A rhinoceros' horn is made of compacted hair and keratin.

346. A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

347. A slug has four noses.

348. A species of earthworm, "Megascolides australis," in Australia can grow up to fifteen feet in length.

349. A turtle can breathe through its butt..

350. An alligator has about 80 teeth in its mouth at one time. An alligator can go through 3,000 teeth in a lifetime.

"Shitty? Mom, shitty's not a bad word. Cocksucker's a bad word!"

Trivia for Squiggle #13

We're at a baker's dozen with these trivia thingies! Today's issue of Trivia for Squiggle is a special superstition edition with thirteen bits about the number 13 or Friday the 13th and the remaining twelve being general superstitions (which aren't really trivia, but hey, I've got a theme going on here!)... It would be awesome if I actually posted this on a Friday the 13th, but I guess I didn't plan this all out that well...hehehe

301. There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.

302. There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.

303. A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.

304. In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.

305. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.

306. It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.

307. Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.

308. Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.

309. On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.

310. More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.

311. Airplanes have no 13th aisle.

312. In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.

313. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.

314. Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog.

315. If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

316. Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

317. If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

318. It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

319. If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family.

320. If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.

321. A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.

322. A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.

323. Pulling out a gray or white hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.

324. If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.

325. Lettuce is believed to have magical and healing properties, including the power to arouse love and counteract the effects of wine.

"Leslie escaped with a chicken?!?"

Trivia for Squiggle #12

We've been through a dozen of these now and I see no end in sight yet. Today's issue of Trivia for Squiggle contains bits about unique/exceptional persons, places, events, animals, etc...so basically, it's a bunch of totally random stuff.

276. Abraham Lincoln, who invented a hydraulic device for lifting ships over shoals, was the only US president ever granted a patent.

277. According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until the 1730's, India was the only source for diamonds in the world.

278. Antarctica is the only continent without reptiles or snakes.

279. Baskin Robbins once made ketchup ice cream. This was the only vegetable flavored ice cream produced.

280. Bats are the only mammal that can fly.

281. Bats have only one baby a year.

282. Elvis Presley made only one television commercial - an ad for "Southern Maid Doughnuts" that ran in 1954.

283. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only US president elected four times.

284. George Washington is the only man whose birthday is a legal holiday in every state of the United States.

285. Gerald Ford was the only US president not to have been elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency.

286. Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead.

287. Hawaii has the only royal palace in the United States - Iolani.

288. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.

289. Libra, the Scales, is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac.

290. Maine is the only state in the United States whose name is just one syllable.

291. Only one foreign country--Liberia in Africa--has a capital city named after an American president. The capital is Monrovia, named after James Monroe.

292. Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any state of the United States.

293. Teeth are the only parts of the human body that can't repair themselves.

294. The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in an American court.

295. The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache on a standard playing card.

296. The number 4 is the only number in the English language that has the same number of letters in its name as its meaning.

297. The only country in the world that has a Bill of Rights for Cows is India.

298. The only part of the human body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.

299. The penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly. It is also the only bird that walks upright.

300. Zsa Zsa Gabor was the first - and only - recipient of a Golden Globe Award for "Most Glamorous Actress." She won the peculiar award in 1958. The category was deleted thereafter.

"I'M NOT SHOUTING! ALL RIGHT, I AM. I'M SHOUTING, I'M SHOUTING, I'M SHOUT..."

whorepresents

What exactly do you read when you see the title above? Here's some backstory:

I was sitting at my buddy's computer at Miramax, looking up info on a show at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. Upon typing the 'wh' in Whisky, the auto-populate thing comes up in the browser and www.whorepresents.com is filled in. There was a moment of shock and I didn't know what to think upon reading the words 'Whore Presents' as I've known my buddy for a year and half now. He's happily married, has a kid, and is a decent fellow. He's not stuck up and has an open mind, so I can't say I was 100% surprised...but still!...I can't imagine my buddy buying 'whore presents.' I thought to myself: 'Do I want to know?...um...no, yes, no...aw, fuck it...yes'... So I click on the link, fully expecting to see some CRAZY shite...and what does it turn out to be? A Hollywood agent directory! The name of the site is 'Who Represents'...! hehehe...Is it a telling sign of my filthy mind that I interpreted this mix of letters as 'Whore Presents'?

"He won't stop coming!"

Pseudonym

If you had to create a pen name, like how Daniel Handler is more commonly known as Lemony Snicket, what would it be? I'm not looking to be called by a pseudonym...it's just a question I thought I'd ask.

Mine would be Cottony Swab.
(Your answer doesn't have to end in a "-y"...I just like the way Cottony Swab sounds...)

"Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who."

Trivia for Squiggle #11

Over the weekend I saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose (which was excellent) with a buddy of mine down in Orange County. I paid for my ticket with a double sawbuck and got two fins and a single back in change! After the flick we saw Dennis Rodman outside the theatre talking to some girl...not that we cared (no one else seemed to care either), but just thought I'd mention the celebrity as long as there was one. My previous celebrity sighting was Ron Jeremy across the street from the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Ok, enough of my babbling. Today's issue of Trivia for Squiggle contains human body/general people facts.

251. Three-hundred-million cells die in the human body every minute.

252. There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being.

253. There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.

254. The permanent teeth that erupt to replace their primary predecessors (baby teeth) are called succedaneous teeth.

255. The sound of a snore (up to 69 decibels) can be almost as loud as the noise of a pneumatic drill.

256. The tips of fingers and the soles of feet are covered by a thick, tough layer of skin called the stratum corneum.

257. The only bone in the human body not connected to another is the hyoid, a V-shaped bone located at the base of the tongue between the mandible and the voice box. Its function is to support the tongue and its muscles.

258. The longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius. This narrow muscle of the thigh passes obliquely across the front of the thigh and helps rotate the leg to the position assumed in sitting cross-legged. Its name is a derivation of the adjective "sartorial," a reference to what was the traditional cross-legged position of tailors (or "sartors") at work.

259. The largest human organ is the skin, with a surface area of about 25 square feet.*

260. The left lung is smaller than the right lung to make room for the heart.

261. The human body has over 600 muscles, 40% of the body's weight.

262. The body's largest internal organ is the small intestine at an average length of 20 feet.

263. The feet account for one quarter of all the human bodies bones.

264. The average human produces 25,000 quarts of spit in a lifetime, enough to fill two swimming pools.

265. The average duration of sexual intercourse for humans is 2 minutes.

266. The ashes of the average cremated person weigh nine pounds.

267. Most men have erections every hour to hour and a half during sleep.

268. On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2000.

269. It takes 17 muscles to smile --- 43 to frown.

270. Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to bring the back teeth together for chewing.

271. Lab tests can detect traces of alcohol in urine six to 12 hours after a person has stopped drinking.

272. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

273. If you go blind in one eye, you'll only lose about one-fifth of your vision (but all your depth perception.)

274. If you are locked in a completely sealed room, you will die of carbon dioxide poisoning first before you will die of oxygen deprivation.

275. In the late 19th century, millions of human mummies were used as fuel for locomotives in Egypt where wood and coal was scarce, but mummies were plentiful.

*: Yet another innaccuracy...sorry!...I just may have to start looking for other trivia sources as the Column of Squiggle has already been established as being the largest human organ.

"Oh, dear God, it's growing bigger!"

All Aboard!

I am joining MJ's crusade (see *'d statement at the bottom of her post...or read below!) to bring these monetary terms back into the mainstream:

Fin = $5 bill
Sawbuck = $10 bill
Double Sawbuck = $20 bill

Get the word out, folks! And while you're at it, think about spelling "theater" as "theatre"...I think it looks classier and kind of makes more sense given its origins in antiquity.

"It's a trick. Get an axe."

Trivia for Squiggle #10!!!

Welcome to the tenth issue of Trivia for Squiggle! Today's edition contains facts entirely about animals...

226. A bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.

227. A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.

228. A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.

229. A Cornish game hen is really a young chicken, usually 5 to 6 weeks of age, that weighs no more than 2 pounds.

230. A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold for 60 days or more to protect his eggs, which he keeps on his feet, covered with a feathered flap. During this entire time he doesn't eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest.

231. A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.

232. A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.

233. A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.

234. A leech is a worm that feeds on blood. It will pierce its victim's skin, fill itself with three to four times its own body weight in blood, and will not feed again for months. Leeches were once used by doctors to drain "bad blood" from sick patients.

235. A normal cow's stomach has four compartments: the rumen, the recticulum (storage area), the omasum (where water is absorbed), and the abomasum ( the only compartment with digestive juices).

236. A polecat is not a cat. It is a nocturnal European weasel.

237. A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.

238. All clams start out as males; some decide to become females at some point in their lives.

239. All pet hamsters are descended from a single female wild golden hamster found with a litter of 12 young in Syria in 1930.

240. An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away, and warns off intruders or reunites scattered members of the pride.

241. An albatross can sleep while it flies. It apparently dozes while cruising at 25 mph.

242. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

243. Animal gestation periods: the shortest is the American opossum, which bears its young 12 to 13 days after conception; the longest is the Asiatic elephant, taking 608 days, or just over 20 months.

244. At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", an ultrasonic whistle, audible only to dogs, was recorded by Paul McCartney for his Shetland sheepdog.

245. Brown eggs come from hens with red feathers and red ear lobes; white eggs come from hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Shell color is determined by the breed of hen and has no effect on its quality, nutrients or flavor.

246. By feeding hens certain dyes they can be made to lay eggs with varicolored yolks.

247. Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.

248. Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike.

249. Catnip can affect lions and tigers as well as house cats. It excites them because it contains a chemical that resembles an excretion of the dominant female's urine.

250. Certain frogs can be frozen solid then thawed and continue living.

"Oh my God, I am WAY too stoned for this!"

Why Do Men Have Nipples?

My boss bought this keen book called Why Do Men Have Nipples? It's a collection of all these crazy questions you would ask a doctor if you were drunk. Listed below is their explanation of why men have nipples (which, honestly, is something I have always wondered about):

“We are mammals and blessed with body hair, three middle ear bones, and the ability to nourish our young with milk that females produce in modified sweat glands called mammary glands. Although females have the mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo. During development, the embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in for a male embryo. The embryo then begins to develop all of its male characteristics. Men are thus left with nipples and also with some breast tissue. Men can even get breast cancer and there are some medical conditions that can cause male breasts to enlarge. Abnormal enlargement of the breasts in a male is known as gynecomastia [which] can be caused by using anabolic steroids.”

So basically, we all began as females and all men have already undergone a sex change they just don't know it...unless they read the book, this blog, or have studied that area of physiological science in depth...um, yeah... So to all you male misogynists out there, you're really only hating yourself...in a way...

"Movin' very slowly! Very slowly!
Movin' very slowly! Very slowly!

Darkness, the fate of the world
Master, give up your soul"

Trivia for Squiggle #9

We're almost in the double digits on this trivia thing! Today's edition of Trivia for Squiggle contains 25 useless historical facts.

201. The shortest war on record, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, lasted just 38 minutes.

202. Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote.

203. Yellowstone is the world's 1st national park. It was dedicated in 1872.

204. Until 1965, driving was done on the left-hand side on roads in Sweden. The conversion to right-hand was done on a weekday at 5 p.m. All traffic stopped as people switched sides. This time and day were chosen to prevent accidents where drivers would have gotten up in the morning and been too sleepy to realize 'this' was the day of the changeover.

205. There are more statues of Sacajewa, Lewis & Clark's female Indian guide, in the United States than any other person.

206. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

207. The White House, in Washington DC, was originally gray, the color of the sandstone it was built out of. After the War of 1812, during which it had been burned by Canadian troops, the outside walls were painted white to hide the smoke stains.

208. The Union ironclad, Monitor, was the first U.S. ship to have a flush toilet.

209. The USSR set off the largest nuclear explosion in history, detonating a 50 megaton bomb (2600 times the Hiroshima bomb) in an atmospheric test over the Novaya Zemla Islands, October 30 1961.

210. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal. It was adopted as the international signal for distress in 1912, and the Titanic struck the iceberg in April of that year.

211. The seven wonders of the ancient world:
1. Egyptian Pyramids at Giza
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
4. Colossus of Rhodes - or huge bronze statue near the Harbor of Rhodes that honored the sun god Helios
5. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
6. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
7. Lighthouse at Alexandria

212. The peace symbol was created in 1958 as a nuclear disarmament symbol by the Direct Action Committee, and was first shown that year at peace marches in England. The symbol is a composite of the semaphore signals N and D, representing nuclear disarmament.

213. The only repealed amendment to the US Constitution deals with the prohibition of alcohol.

214. The Miss America Contest was created in Atlantic City in 1921 with the purpose of extending the tourist season beyond Labor Day.

215. The name of the first airplane flown at Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers, on December 17, 1903, was Bird of Prey.

216. The first-known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 BC.

217. The ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone.

218. The Black Death reduced the population of Europe by one third in the period from 1347 to 1351.

219. The 1st US Minimum Wage Law was instituted in 1938. The minimum wage was 25 cents per hour.

220. The 1st US federal legislation prohibiting narcotics (opium) was enacted in 1909.

221. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

222. Members of the Nazi SS had their blood type tattooed on their armpits.

223. In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls - to 12.

224. Christmas became a national holiday in the US in 1890.

225. Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women.

"The venom of a black mamba can kill a human in four hours, if, say, bitten on the ankle or the thumb. However, a bite to the face or torso can bring death from paralysis within 20 minutes. Now, you should listen to this, 'cause this concerns you. The amount of venom that can be delivered from a single bite can be gargantuan. You know, I've always liked that word..."gargantuan"... so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence. If not treated quickly with antivenom, 10 to 15 milligrams can be fatal to human beings. However, the black mamba can deliver as much as 100 to 400 milligrams of venom from a single bite."

Movie Quote Answers

Wow, it's been almost three weeks since my lazy ass got around to posting the answers to all the movie quotes (which appear at the end of each blog post if you didn't know already). I went a bit 'easy' on these seeing as how all the quotes but one came from the same flick.

8/16
"I’m calling the shots! I’M Willy Wonka and this is MY chocolate factory!"
Yet another Bill Moseley (as Otis) quote from The Devil’s Rejects.

Ok, so the rest of the quotes listed below are all from Frank Miller’s Sin City. There’s a lot of good quotes in this flick. Expect more in the future.

8/22
"I know it's pretty damn weird to eat people."
Mickey Rourke as Marv.

8/23
"It's time to prove to your friends that you're worth a damn. Sometimes that means dying, sometimes it means killing a whole lot of people."
Clive Owen as Dwight.

8/25
"This time I can't bring myself to tell him to shut up. Sure he's an asshole... Sure he's dead... Sure I'm just imagining that he's talking. None of that stops the bastard from being absolutely right. I don't have a chance in hell of outrunning this cop. Not in this heap. The only question left is whether I'm gonna kill him or not. Tough call. For all I know, he's an honest cop, regular guy. Working stiff with a mortgage, a wife and a pile of kids. My hand moves all on its own, sliding one of my guns to my lap and thumbing back the hammer. I don't know what to do..."
Another Clive Owen as Dwight quote.

8/29
"I'm Shellie's new boyfriend and I'm out of my mind. If you so much as talk to her or even think her name, I'll cut you in ways that'll make you useless to a woman."
Yet ANOTHER Clive Owen quote...as Dwight.

"And everything seemed to be going so well."
I swear, Clive Owen has some of the best lines in this flick.

8/30
"When it comes to reassuring a traumatized 19-year-old, I'm about as expert as a palsy victim doing brain surgery with a pipe wrench."
Here's a little change of pace with a quote from Bruce Willis as John Hartigan.

9/1
"I love hitmen. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad."
And rounding out the pack is Mickey Rourke as Marv.

"Why do all the good girls have to be hypothetical?"

Trivia for Squiggle #8

Sorry to post this so late in the Thursday afternoon...I bet you all thought I forgot about today's installment of trivia...hehe... It's just been another crazy day in this already insane week. This 8th issue of Trivia for Squiggle contains useless facts about art, books, and the Bible!

176. Ancient Chinese artists would never paint pictures of women's feet.

177. At the age of 26, Michelangelo began sculpting his monumental statue of David. He finished it seventeen months later, in January, 1504.

178. If any of the heads on Mt. Rushmore had a body, it would be nearly 500 feet tall.

179. The estimated weight of the Great Pyramid of Egypt is 6,648,000 tons.

180. The great Gothic cathedral of Milan was started in 1386, and wasn't completed until 1805.

181. X-ray technology has shown there are 3 different versions of the Mona Lisa under the visible one.

182. Dr. Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" after his editor dared him to write a book using fewer than 50 different words.

183. Edgar Allan Poe introduced mystery fiction's first fictional detective, Auguste C. Dupin, in his 1841 story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

184. Frank Baum named "Oz" after a file cabinet in his office. One cabinet was labeled "A to N," and the second was labeled "O to Z."

185. Cinderella's slippers were originally made out of fur. The story was changed in the 1600s by a translator. It was the left shoe that Aschenputtel (Cinderella) lost at the stairway, when the prince tried to follow her.

186. Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published March 20, 1852. It was the first American novel to sell one million copies.

187. John Milton used 8,000 different words in his poem, "Paradise Lost."

188. Sherlock Holmes never said 'Elementary, my dear Watson.'

189. The original story from Tales of 1001 Arabian Nights begins, 'Aladdin was a little Chinese boy.'

190. Almonds and pistachios are the only nuts mentioned in the Bible.

191. Strict Puritan laws had their origins from practical reasons. Smoking was banned - farmers would raise badly needed food crops instead of tobacco. Cooking was banned on Sundays - to prevent house fires during the long hours the family was at church. Young men were banned from hunting - to prevent weapons from falling into Indian hands.

192. One of the holiest Christian holidays is named after a pagan goddess. The name "Easter" derives from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who governed the vernal equinox.

193. The shortest verse in the Bible consists of two words: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).

194. Seven suicides are recorded in the Bible.

195. The seven archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel.

196. The Seven Deadly Sins are lust, pride, anger, envy, sloth, avarice and gluttony.

197. The seven virtues are prudence, courage, temperance, justice, faith, hope and charity.

198. In Christian theology there are nine choirs of angels. From highest to lowest, they are: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels.

199. Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy way to say 'many things' and used a term which has come down to us as 40. This means that when the bible -- in many places -- refers to '40 days,' they meant many days.

200. The Bible devotes some 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but over 2000 verses on money and posessions.

"I love hitmen. No matter what you do to them, you don't feel bad."