Extra Randomness...

[Dark One]

We started a randomness thread on the Ashlings board, so i thought i'd post my collection of random facts here. If you've got any to add then please do:

Many years ago, in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
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More men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hanthingy and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "Goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month ... which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow

[Maeve]

lol i'm one of them!
didn't work though... well obviously.

that's a great collection of randomness
;D

[Dark One]

i liked your bit on our board too. You should post it here so the others can read it

[Maeve]

ok here it is in full, i'll wait till i can find more info on the 13 sons tho.

The Christmas Hag

She is an ancient deity who swoops out of the sky at the time of the winter solstice, riding over farm and cott, examining the barns for cleanliness, judging the distaffs and spindles of the housewives, rewarding the houseproud and thrifty and leaving gifts for good children overnight.

Hearths were swept clean for her inspection, doors and windows decorated with evergreens, holly and mistletoe, sweet food and fine drink were left out for her and hollowed cakes were baked that could be filled with the small gifts she left behind.

Her name is Berchta, once the premier goddess of the German hearth and the guardian of the household.

In his Germanic Mythology, Jacob Grimm records the travelling goddess named Berchta or Holla. Now, Frau Holle is one of the names, given in several areas in Germany to the wife of Wodan or Odin, and her nordic name is Frigg or Freya. This is obviously the Goddess in her triple aspects of Holla, Berchta and Befana and each links the ancient past with present day Christmas rituals. Holla is the Mother of the Gods, the Mother of all Life, the Great Healer who dwells in the depths of mountains and caves. Hers is the power to regenerate the sun from winter’s cold darkness. Berchta is the Crone aspect and Befana is associated with the Epiphany. On Epiphany Eve, she left gifts in the stockings and shoes of well behaved children and coal for those who misbehaved.

Berchta's best known journey was during the twelve days following our Christmas when she traveled the countryside in her wagon bestowing gifts on those who had been hardworking and punishing those who had been lazy. Her entourage consisted of horned animals, elves, faeries and the ghosts of tiny children.

After the introduction of Christianity Berchta was degraded into a scary old woman to frighten children and, under her various names, was also commonly associated with witches. Berchta was sometimes depicted with a long iron nose and one large goose foot. She is now the White Lady who steals softly into nurseries and rocks infants to sleep, but is the terror of all naughty children. Christian missionaries declared that only those baptised could enter heaven, and in the world of humble folk the goddess survived, christianised in folklore as Bertha the Hag, the one who especially cherished the souls of unbaptised infants.

Throughout history we have celebrated the spirit and intention of the seasons in ritual and festival. We celebrated life’s renewal as the sun regenerated from winter’s cold darkness. We find a connection between the Winter Solstice and the goddess of the land in the Venerable Bede who calls Christmas Modranecht - mother’s night. This and the appearance of the three Berchten during the twelve holy nights hints at that our ancestors did not only worship the reborn Solstice Sun at the time of the Winter Solstice, but also his mother, the Earth Mother, and that she appeared in three aspects. In Bavaria, there still lingers the custom of three disguised women known as Berchten moving in procession through the village on the Feast of the Epiphany.

In Northern Europe the Yule log burned, keeping back the darkness and blessing the household with the promise that the sun would return again and with its light bring joy. This was the time when an altar of flat stone was made for Berchta on which burned a fire of evergreen boughs.

Berchta is the root word for the tree we call Birch and is related to words Birth, Begin and the Icelandic Birtu meaning Light. All of these words are related and all describe 'the 'bringing forth into the light'. And the light comes forth after the Winter Solstice.

Was Berchta the original Santa ? Converting an ancient goddess into a sanitised nursery rhyme is nothing new, and today we know Berchta only as Mother Goose.

[Lix]

i know ive said it before but how cool are those pads with all the random info on them?