Post something you've learnt today

[kath]

chi chi spent years before she decided to rent out that house she has north of the lake, after she retired. the house was built in the 1920s, out of cypress, just loaded with all manner of architectural flourishes and detail from a time when houses were made that way.

i cannot imagine how any of us would've reacted if anybody ripped any of that stuff up. i'm thinkin the phrase justifiable homicide might apply?

edit: i'm gonna add here that chi chi has always added a layer of luxury that normal folk would never have and that i never had in my life apart from her. i know zero about american or UK rental laws. she didn't need the rental money or anything. but that house was gonna sit there and rot from lack of attention. we just don't get up there anymore. so she decided to make the call that someone living in the house and taking basic care of it would be worth the risk of someone fucquin with sumthin for stupid reasons.

[Brickyard Jack]

The Sherman brothers (Mary Poppins, the Jungle Book) also wrote Ringo's huge hit "You're Sixteen".

[Charlie O.]

The Sherman brothers (Mary Poppins, the Jungle Book) also wrote Ringo's huge hit "You're Sixteen".

And I recently learnt (I've already forgotten how or why) that their father Al co-wrote this:

[Samoan]

The MP for Bolton North East is Northern Irish.

The MP for Beaconsfield is American-born and is dual national.

[Jimbo]

I learned that man is the only animal with crooked teeth. Early man all had straight teeth - but a big ugly old jaw! Thanks to soft food, apparently, our mouths have evolved to be smaller than the number of teeth we produce.

[Flower]

That there is something called Naive Realism.

https://www.civilpolitics.org/content/i ... e-realism/

[Charlie O.]

That the word anthology literally means a collection or gathering of flowers.

[Diamond Dog]

That New York City has a wire above it that is permanently in place - and is 18 miles long:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ther ... ket-newtab

To selectively quote :

It's hard to imagine that anything literally hanging from utility poles across Manhattan could be considered "hidden," but throughout the borough, about 18 miles of translucent wire stretches around the skyline, and most people have likely never noticed. It's called an eruv (plural eruvin), and its existence is thanks to the Jewish Sabbath.

[Six String]

That New York City has a wire above it that is permanently in place - and is 18 miles long:

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ther ... ket-newtab

To selectively quote :

It's hard to imagine that anything literally hanging from utility poles across Manhattan could be considered "hidden," but throughout the borough, about 18 miles of translucent wire stretches around the skyline, and most people have likely never noticed. It's called an eruv (plural eruvin), and its existence is thanks to the Jewish Sabbath.

Fascinating, technology eh?

[Minnie the Minx]

Koala bears have fingerprints that are very similar to that of humans and often, their prints cause confusion at crime scenes!

[Minnie the Minx]

Well, I think ‘often’ may be pushing it, but you know.

[The Prof]

There's a suspiciously high number of Koalas in Armley jail so this could explain it.

[Minnie the Minx]

[Diamond Dog]

You can tell your own countrymen by some very obvious body language :

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2020 ... obal-en-GB

If you’ve seen the film Inglourious Basterds, you will know that German and British people indicate the number three with their fingers in different ways. (Germans raise their thumb and first two fingers; Britons pin the little finger with their thumb and raise the rest.) Most never realise that this difference exists until they see the alternative, which, to them, looks strange.

I love stuff like this!

[Diamond Dog]

That "NEWSPAPER" means North, East, West, South, Past, And, Present, Event, Report.

[Charlie O.]

That "NEWSPAPER" means North, East, West, South, Past, And, Present, Event, Report.

That sounds suspiciously like something invented after the fact.

[Diamond Dog]

That "NEWSPAPER" means North, East, West, South, Past, And, Present, Event, Report.

That sounds suspiciously like something invented after the fact.

It does (I agree). I think it's a Mnemonic.

What's an acrostic (I always confuse those two!)?

[BARON CORNY DOG]

You can tell your own countrymen by some very obvious body language :

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2020 ... obal-en-GB

If you’ve seen the film Inglourious Basterds, you will know that German and British people indicate the number three with their fingers in different ways. (Germans raise their thumb and first two fingers; Britons pin the little finger with their thumb and raise the rest.) Most never realise that this difference exists until they see the alternative, which, to them, looks strange.

I love stuff like this!

It’s not exactly the same thing but we always enjoy playing “Spot the Brit” in international airports. But that’s generally based on clothes, hair, demeanor, skin, etc

[Minnie the Minx]

You can tell your own countrymen by some very obvious body language :

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2020 ... obal-en-GB

If you’ve seen the film Inglourious Basterds, you will know that German and British people indicate the number three with their fingers in different ways. (Germans raise their thumb and first two fingers; Britons pin the little finger with their thumb and raise the rest.) Most never realise that this difference exists until they see the alternative, which, to them, looks strange.

I love stuff like this!

It’s not exactly the same thing but we always enjoy playing “Spot the Brit” in international airports. But that’s generally based on clothes, hair, demeanor, skin, etc

Skin??

[BARON CORNY DOG]

True, it's the least telling factor.