250 Other things you should know

Source:
Why Flamingos are pink... and 250 other things you should know
by Valeri R. Helterbran

Where does cork come from?

Cork is actually the bark of a certain tree, the cork oak (Quercus suber). The cork oak grows in the Mediterranean Sea region, primarily in Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Italy and France. Portugal alone produces over 50% of the cork we use in the United States. For optimal growth, the cork oak requires plenty of sun and a combination of low amounts of rainfall and high humidity. The formation of cork bark is nature's way of providing the tree protection from temperature extremes, insects, fire and other threats.

Strict laws govern the harvesting of cork in order to protect the trees themselves and to assure a stable crop of high-quality cork. During the summer months, highly skilled labourers use a special axe to strip the cork bark from the trees making sure that no more than one-third of the bark is stripped away at any one time. They also take care to avoid damaging the cambium, the delicate layer of the tree that forms the cork bark itself. Stripping the bark does not harm the tree. Cork oak trees are typically first harvested at the age of 25 and can be harvested no sooner than every nine years thereafter for the tree's expected 250-250 lifespan. Processing the bark results in virtually no waste. There is a use for every little scrap of cork.

What does the dog days of summer mean?
We call the hot and humid days of late summer the dog days. Sirius (called the Dog Star) rose in tandem with the sun when summer was at its hottest. The ancients believed (erroneously) that because Sirius was such a bright star, it added to the heat normally generated by the sun, making these days even hotter. Therefore, this period of time began to be called the "dog days".

Interestingly, because people may tend to move more slowly and be less productive during these days, any time of stagnation may also be referred to as dog days.

>> Bflygal's comments: Now I know why Sirius Black is called Sirius Black. Oops abit too WOLS. Afterall I have been in my dog days since born hahaha.. especially nowadays.. totally lethargic...

What does the phrase the cat's meow mean?
It means that something or someone is outstanding in some way or simply too cool for words.

Coined in the early part of the 20th century by Thomas A. Dorgan, an American cartoonist, journalist, and boxing expert. He is also credited with creating other slang words and expressions such as dumbbel (an unintelligent person), cheaters (reading glasses), hard-boiled (a tough or mean person), as busy as a one-armed paperhanger (an overworked person), drugstore cowboy (a lazy person or a ladies' man), and many more.

What do the five Olympic rings represent?

The five rings are blue, black, red, yellow, and green. They are the brainchild of Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), the chief architect of the revival and reestablishments of the modern Olympics in 1896.
The interlocking colored rings represent the major areas of the world (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania); the white background represent peace.

Pieere de Coubertin is quoted as saying, "the six colours, including the white background, represent the colours of all the world's flags.. This is a true international emblem."

The Olympic flag was first displayed at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Chisenbop
An ancient korean method of finger counting. It dates back to the time when the abacus was used.

chi (ji) finger + sanpŏp (sanbeop) calculation 지산법
Source: Wiki

I like the way it does the 9 times multiplication:

Hold out your hands in front of you so that your thumbs point toward one another.

Visualize that your left pinky finger represents 1, the next finger 2, and so on left to right, until your right pinky finger represents 10. Those fingers represent the number you wish to multiply by 9. To do so, simply put the finger down you wish to multiply by 9. All fingers to the left of the down finger represent the tens digit of the answer while all fingers to the right represent the ones digit.

Example: 6 x 9. Put the finger representing 6 down (the right hand thumb). To the left of the down finger, you have 5 fingers up. That's your tens digit. 5. To the right, you have 4 fingers up. There's your ones digit. 4. Put those together and you have your answer: 54.

Multiplying by 6-10

Hold out your hands in front of you so that your thumbs point toward one another.

Visualize that both thumbs represent 6, both index fingers 7, and so on until both pinky fingers represent 10. In other words, imagine that each thumb has a 6 written on it, each index a finger a 7, etc., so that you have 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on the left hand and 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 on the right hand. This set up will allow us to multiply any combination of those numbers, for example 7 x 8.

Here's how it works. Let's do 7 x 8. Take your index finger representing 7 on your left hand and touch the middle finger representing 8 on your right hand. As you do this, keep your thumbs pointing down.

Add all the fingers BELOW, and including, the two fingers touching. In this case, your total is 5 - your index finger and thumb on your left hand plus your middle finger, index finger and thumb on your right hand. Multiply that number by 10. We get 50.

Now count all the fingers on each hand ABOVE, but NOT including, the two fingers touching. In this case you have 3 on the left hand and 2 on the right. Multiply these two numbers. We get 6.

Add the two numbers toegther for your answer: 50 + 6 = 56. That's the answer!

Source: Curiousmath


What is the origin of Buffalo wings?

They were first created in1964 in Buffalo, New York, at the Anchor Bar, a restaurant owned by Frank and Teressa Belissino.

And did you know that chicken wings were considered to be undesirable for the most part, and were used primarily for soup stock or simply discarded. Mrs. Belissimo created a finger food using these wings with a hot sauce that she whipped up. Something that used to be discarded now became a child's favourite food. Amazing!

Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Botanically speaking, a fruit as it is the fleshy, edible part of the plant that contains the seeds. By this definition, squash, cucumber, watermelon, and green pepper are also examples of fruits.

However, horticulturally speaking, the tomato is a vegetable as it applies to certain plants that are grown for an edible part, typically intended to be consumed during the principal part of a meal.

Oh and the French dubbed the tomato "the apple of love". The Germans called it "the apple of paradise".

Bflygal's comments: Curiosity kills the cat but I'm no cat so off I am to read more of such types of books. Besides I never remember what I read so every snippets is a new discovery to me which clearly amuses me!