A thirst for knowledge
November 2007

Get your FACTS straight!

This month I thought I would provide you with some interesting facts you can pull out at anytime to impress. I also thought I would debunk a couple of those "interesting facts" we receive over and over again in emails. You know the ones, "an average person eats 12 spiders in their lifetime". It's always good to say "oh that's not true" and hit them with the real facts.

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Let's start on that spider one. Spiders are heat sensitive and actually don't want to be on you. As for going into your mouth they won't do that because your hot breath actually scares them away, and lastly, how and who actually counted how many spiders a person ate whilst sleeping over their entire lifetime ??? It is impossible for anyone to measure this.

Safe Surfing Tip 1. Never, ever click to open a Pop Up. When they appear, close them using the cross in the top right hand corner. No matter what they say, you have not just won a prize! The only prize you will get is some spyware or malaware (malicious software) on your computer.

Did you know that engraved on the Nobel Peace Prize Medal are three naked men holding each other in a circle to form a fraternal bond? Strange, but true. Take a look at www.trumanlibrary.org/marshall/teach.htm.

Ralph Lauren's original name is Ralph Lifshitz. He and his brother Jerry both changed their name to Lauren when they were teenagers. Ralph was engrossed in style and fashion from the age of 12 and obviously had wonderful foresight when it came to his name change. I somehow don't think a Ralph Lifshtiz Original sounds quite as stylish as a Ralph Lauren Original. Take a peek at the website www.ralphlauren.com.au and watch a video of his Spring 2008 Fashion Show! Amazing frocks!

Do you know the origin of Blue for Boys and Pink for Girls? Well, apparently to prevent evil spirits from entering the bodies of their male children, parents dressed them in blue. Blue was chosen because it's the colour of the sky and was therefore associated with heavenly spirits. Girls weren't dressed in blue, because people didn't think that evil spirits would bother with them, they were only girls!! Eventually, however, girls did get their own colour - pink. Pink was chosen because of an old English legend which said that girls were born inside of pink roses. How sweet is that? If you are interested in knowing all there is to know about colour visit www.colormatters.com .

Another one of those "facts" we see circulated is that every year more people are killed by donkeys than in commercial aircraft crashes? This is not a fact. Data regarding aircraft crashes is readily available, however obtaining statistics about people killed by donkeys is not and therefore proving this "fact" is impossible. The whole thing started due to the number of car accidents caused by donkeys in Mexico and the Middle East ... it should be noted these people were not "killed" by the donkey itself, but rather in a car accident.

If you were to ask someone to tell you what polar bears eat, you will find they say fish and penguins. They would be incorrect because polar bears live in the wild only at the North Pole much to the relief of the penguins who do not live at the North Pole. It's funny how they always put penguins and polar bears together in cartoons and on Christmas cards etc. If you have a few minutes to kill try this fun penguin and polar bear game at www.armorgames.com/games/polarbearparking.html.

Some Interesting Facts

• When Mark Twain was born on Nov 30, 1835, Halley's Comet was visible over Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain predicted in 1909 that he would die when it returned. He was right. When he died on April 21, 1910, Halley's Comet was once again visible in the sky.
  
  
• This one will amaze you. If you had to spell out every number, eg one, two, three etc, what number would you get up to before you came across the letter "A"? Can you believe it is one thousand? I bet you are counting now just to see if I'm right!!
  
  
• Gabrielle Fallopius invented the first condom in the 1500's to help combat Syphilis, and they were made of linen. This one is true believe it or not - what a name - he would have to have something to do with reproduction with a name like that!!

Interesting Website of the Month

Now I'm sure you have received those emails about a missing child, or a child with cancer or some other life threatening disease and you are asked to forward it on to as many people as possible. Well, as you may have guessed, 90 percent of these are fake. There is a great site called www.snopes.com which debunks nearly all of these fake emails. They also disprove a lot of other "false" facts and urban myths. It's a great site to refer to when you receive one of those emails that start to pull on your heart strings!

Fun Website of the Month

Okay, www.jibjab.com is really, really funny, but you do need at least half an hour to enjoy it. For a lot of fun, go to the "Starring You" section and upload a couple of photos and then create your own movies starring you and your friends. My favourite is the Hula one! Believe me, it is so worth it, particularly if you need a good laugh. This is seriously wetting yourself funny and great to send to the friends you have cast in your movies. Enjoy!

"It is curious how much more interest can be evoked by a mixture of gossip, romance and mystery than by facts". Eleanor Roosevelt

Until next month ...

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Annie Reuss Beakon Services - providing HR & Systems Assistance to Small Business m 0412 505 193 e areuss@bigpond.net.au