Are retirees moving to the new DTV visa - anybody done it?

[Ron19]

Interesting Story

A man named Fleming was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

[Ron19]

True Story

The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen: "Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."

One student replied: "You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building." This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately.

The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought. The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:

"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H=0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer.

Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper.

But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 x pi x square root(L/g).

Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up.

If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building.

But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper'."

The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane to win the Nobel prize for Physics.

[Ron19]

Weird Sex Laws

A law in Fairbanks, Alaska, does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.

In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.

In Florida it is illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.

If a police officer in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, suspects a couple is having sex inside a vehicle they must honk their horn three times, and wait two minutes before being allowed to approach the scene.

Women must address bachelors as master instead of mister, according to an Illinois state law.

A law in Oblong, Illinois makes it a crime to make love while fishing or hunting on your wedding day.

In Aimes, Iowa a husband may not take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with his wife.

A law in Alexandria, Minnesota makes it illegal for a husband to make love to his wife if his breath smells like garlic, onions, or sardines.

In Bozeman, Montana, you can't perform any sexual acts in the front yard of any home, after sundown, and if you are nude.

A Helena, Montana law states that a woman cannot dance on a saloon table unless her clothing weighs more than three pounds, two ounces.

Hotel owners in Hastings, Nebraska are required by law to provide a clean, white cotton nightshirt to each guest. According to the law, no couple may have sex unless they are wearing the nightshirts.

Any couple making out inside a vehicle, and accidentally sounding the horn during their lustful act, may be taken to jail according to a Liberty Corner, New Jersey law.

During lunch breaks in Carlsbad, New Mexico, no couple should engage in a sexual act while parked in their vehicle, unless their car has curtains.

In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal.

In Cleveland, Ohio women are not allowed to wear patent-leather shoes.

Clinton, Oklahoma, has a law against masturbating while watching two people having sex in a car.

In Willowdale, Oregon, no man may curse while having sex with his wife.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.

Hotels in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, are required by law to furnish their rooms with twin beds only. There should be a minimum of two feet between the beds, and it is illegal for a couple to make love on the floor between the beds.

In Kingsville, Texas, there is a law against two pigs having sex on the city's airport property.

A Tremonton, Utah law states that no woman is allowed to have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance. In addition to normal charges, the woman's name will be published in the local newspaper. The man does not receive any punishment.

No woman may go in public without wearing a corset in Norfolk, Virginia.

In the state of Washington there is a law against having sex with a virgin under any circumstances (including the wedding night).

The only acceptable sexual position in Washington D.C. is the missionary-style position. Any other sexual position is considered illegal.

In Connorsville, Wisconsin no man shall shoot of a gun while his female partner is having a sexual orgasm

[metisdead]

Not Thailand related, moved to the Pub.

[Ron19]

Not Thailand related, moved to the Pub.

That's fine.Sorry I just didn't know where to put it.

[BookMan]

Good thread Ron, I had been thinking the same thing myself

[Ron19]

Good thread Ron, I had been thinking the same thing myself

The reason t started it was quite often you come across interesting articles and where do you post them on TV.I hope other members will take it on board and post anything that they think will interest someone. Edited September 23, 2012 by Ron19

[kevjohn]

(Quote from #Post 3)......In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal

Question: What is the population of Nevada?

[Ron19]

How Full is Your Glass?

Happiness works in many different ways and has many different affects on people. There are some you could say, that have a good solid grasp on it and seem to last the entire ride. While there are others that wouldn't know happiness if it knocked them in the head. If they did know it most of the time they will tell you the bad they see in it.

This brings in the glass, half empty or half full. Happy people tend to be more giving and always looking at the positive. One example, your team lost the game but for the first time in three games the offense has showed hustle and moved the ball well. Whereas the half empty person would add who cares we lost. These people miss so much when they take a negative position on life and thinking that good things never happen. On the other side of the glass, the half full side that is. These people are thankful for what they have and everything in their lives. They seem to be closer with their families and friends and also with god.

No one can change you and the way you feel but you. Try to find that negative that is hidden within you. Many say if you find it and throw it out and accept the good. You then will have more good things and things to be thankful for than a person knows what to do with. This will affect your life your surroundings and also help put you at peace with yourself. I'm sure we can all agree that sometime or another we have all thought that we had the worst day ever. But really if you think about your life, wouldn't you agree that you are truly blessed compared to others around you and the troubles they are caring with them. No matter how bad it is, there is always someone worse off than you. Be happy you are able to see that and that you have the will and ability to change that. With that done you can then turn and lend a helping hand to someone on their cloudy day.

[Ron19]

(Quote from #Post 3)......In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal

Question: What is the population of Nevada?

In 2010 it was 2,700,551.

[kevjohn]

International Weird Laws The material found in this section is courtesy of dumblaws.com where you can find hundreds of additional "dumb laws". None of the laws mentioned in this section have been verified by LawGuru.com. Many of these laws are probably no longer in effect. Please note that this section is purely provided for entertainment.

Australia

• Children may not purchase cigarettes, but can smoke them.
  
• You may never leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle.
  
• It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
  
• It is illegal to read someone's tarot, or give them a psychic reading as these are forms of witchcraft.
  
• Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) regulations, your modem can't pick up on the first ring. If it does the ACA permit for your modem is invalid and there's a $12000 fine. - Telecommunications Act 1991.
  

England

• Those wishing to use a television must apply for a license.
  
• It is illegal to leave baggage unattended.
  
• Picking up abandoned baggage is as act of terrorism.
  

France

• Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
  

Thailand

• It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
  
• You must wear a shirt while driving a car.
  
• You must pay a fine of $600 in Thailand if you're caught throwing away chewed bubblegum on the sidewalk. If you do not pay the fine, you are jailed.
  
• No one may step on any of the nation's currency.
  

[kevjohn]

(Quote from #Post 3)......In Nevada sex without a condom is considered illegal

Question: What is the population of Nevada?

In 2010 it was 2,700,551.

I wonder how many broke the law.

[ripstanley]

International Weird Laws The material found in this section is courtesy of dumblaws.com where you can find hundreds of additional "dumb laws". None of the laws mentioned in this section have been verified by LawGuru.com. Many of these laws are probably no longer in effect. Please note that this section is purely provided for entertainment.

Australia

• Children may not purchase cigarettes, but can smoke them.
  
• You may never leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle.
  
• It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
  
• It is illegal to read someone's tarot, or give them a psychic reading as these are forms of witchcraft.
  
• Under Australian Communications Authority (ACA) regulations, your modem can't pick up on the first ring. If it does the ACA permit for your modem is invalid and there's a $12000 fine. - Telecommunications Act 1991.
  

England

• Those wishing to use a television must apply for a license.
  
• It is illegal to leave baggage unattended.
  
• Picking up abandoned baggage is as act of terrorism.
  

France

• Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
  

Thailand

• It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
  
• You must wear a shirt while driving a car.
  
• You must pay a fine of $600 in Thailand if you're caught throwing away chewed bubblegum on the sidewalk. If you do not pay the fine, you are jailed.
  
• No one may step on any of the nation's currency.
  

The reason you cannot step on currenciy is that the Kings photo or image is on all their coins and notes.

[kevjohn]

Q is the only letter in the alphabet not used in naming any of the States in the United States.

6 is the smallest perfect number. A perfect number is one were the sum of it's divisors (numbers it can be divided by)

equals the number itself (add all of divisors it equals said number) 1+2+3=6 (6x1=6, 3x2=6).

You can mail a coconut with only a stamp and an address.

There are two Equinoxes each year one is the Autumnal Equinox (near Sep 23) and one is the Vernal Equinox (near March 21).

The Equinox is where Earth itself has rotated so that the sun looks like it's crossing the Earths Equator (or Celestial Equator),

either going north (Vernal Equinox) or south (Autumnal Equinox).

The day of the equinox is also a time were day and night seem to be equal (time wise that is).

[kevjohn]

Good thread Ron, I had been thinking the same thing myself

Must agree. Certainly something different to think about....

[partington]

The story about Winston Churchill is a well known urban legend or myth and never happened.

Netlore Archive: Did the son of a Scottish farmer who allegedly saved the life of the young Winston Churchill grow up to become the inventor of penicillin, which later supposedly saved the life of the adult Winston Churchill?

Description: Urban legend

Circulating since: 1999 (this version)

Status: False

Analysis: If you're thinking this story rings too good to be true, you are absolutely right. "Charming as it is," observes a Churchill Centre page devoted to alleged convergences between the lives of Winston churchill and Alexander Fleming, "it is certainly fiction.

Among the reasons set forth in support of that conclusion are:

• There is no record of Winston Churchill nearly drowning in a Scottish bog when he was young.
  
• There is no record of Lord Randolph Churchill paying for Alexander Fleming's education.
  
• Though it is true that Winston Churchill contracted pneumonia more than once during World War II and was treated with an antibiotic called sulfadiazine ("M&B"), he was never, according to available medical records, treated with penicillin.
  

That said, Sir Alexander Fleming was indeed the discoverer of penicillin, and Churchill did apparently consult with the brilliant physician and professor of medicine once in 1946 when he had a staph infection that proved resistant to the drug.

The Churchill Centre attributes the apocryphal tale, which has circulated in email form since 1999, to a 1950 book called "Worship Programs for Juniors" by Alice A. Bays and Elizabeth Jones Oakbery.

SOURCE :http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_winston_churchill.htm

[partington]

True Story

The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen: "Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."

One student replied: "You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building." This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately.

The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought. The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:

"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H=0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer.

Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper.

But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 x pi x square root(L/g).

Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up.

If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building.

But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper'."

The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane to win the Nobel prize for Physics.

This story is also not true , and is a similar urban legend.

The barometer question is an example of an incorrectly designed examination question that causes a moral dilemma for the examinator. In its classic form, popularized by American test designer professor Alexander Calandra (1911–2006), the question asked the student to "show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer?"^[1] The examinator was confident that there was one, and only one, correct answer. Contrary to the examinator's expectations, the student responded with a series of completely different answers. These answers were also correct, yet none of them proved the student's competence in the specific academic field being tested.^[1]

The barometer question achieved the status of an urban legend; according to an internet meme, the question was asked at the University of Copenhagen and the student was Niels Bohr.^[2] The Kaplan, Inc. ACT preparation textbook describes it as an "MIT legend".^[3] However, Calandra presented the incident as a real-life, first-personexperience that occurred during the Sputnik crisis.^[4]

^{SOURCE http://en.wikipedia....ometer_question}

[kevjohn]

From : http://informationce...d.com/id20.html

Waste Statistics.

106,000 aluminium cans are used in the U.S every 30 seconds.

1.14 million Paper bags are used in U.S supermarkets every hour.

60,000 plastic bags are used in the U.S every 5 seconds.

Some Human Statistics.

One in 4 people over 60 has lost all their teeth.

Over 2,500 left handed people are killed per year, from using products made for right handed people.

A person uses about 57 sheets of toilet paper per day.

There are over 9,700 juveniles in prisons across the United States.

1.5 Million Americans are charged with drunk driving per year.

About 200,000 people die from cigarette smoking every 6 months.

It's estimated that at any given time 7% of the world’s population is drunk.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

[kevjohn]

From : http://informationce...d.com/id20.html

Some Animal Statistics.

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

Camels can survive in a desert without drinking for almost 3 months.

The Fin Whale can live to be 116 yrs old.

The Leatherback is the biggest sea turtle and can weigh up to 1,500 lbs.

A Marion's Tortoise Can live to 152 years old.

Almost 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows

.

The most yokes found in a single chicken egg were 9

Turkeys can see movement almost 100 yards away.

An Ostrich egg needs to be boiled for 2 hours before it becomes a hardboiled egg.

Parrots can live to be 120 years old.

Woodpeckers can peck at a rate of 20 times per second.

A catfish has over 27,000 taste buds more than any other animal.

There are about 9,900 species of Cnidarian or "stinging nettle" animals around the world falling into 3 classes.

Jelly fishes, Sea Anemones, and Hydra's and their allies

The adult Ladybug/Ladybeetle can eat up to 100 aphids a day.

A queen bee can lay up to 1,500 eggs in a day.

The ratio of people to ants is 1 to 1 million.

Some Statistics on Plant

The tallest grass is Bamboo which can grow to be 130ft or taller.

The most drought resistant tree is the Baobab tree. It stores 35,900 gallons of water in its trunk for later use.

In one season an Oak gives of 28,000 gallons of moisture.

There are over 25,000 naturally occurring species of Orchids in the world.

The world’s oldest living plant is the Tasmanian King's Holly. These plants have survived for about 43,600 yrs.

[Ron19]

The centuries-old quest for other worlds like our Earth has been rejuvenated by the intense excitement and popular interest surrounding the discovery of hundreds of planets orbiting other stars. There is now clear evidence for substantial numbers of three types of exoplanets; gas giants, hot-super-Earths in short period orbits, and ice giants. The following websites are tracking the day-by-day increase in new discoveries and are providing information on the characteristics of the planets as well as those of the stars they orbit: The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia, NASA Exoplanet Archive, New Worlds Atlas, and Current Planet Count Widget. The challenge now is to find terrestrial planets (i.e., those one half to twice the size of the Earth), especially those in the habitable zone of their stars where liquid water and possibly life might exist. The Kepler Mission, NASA Discovery mission #10, is specifically designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover dozens of Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets. Results from this mission will allow us to place our solar system within the continuum of planetary systems in the Galaxy.

[Ron19]

From our small world we have gazed upon the cosmic ocean for thousands of years. Ancient astronomers observed points of light that appeared to move among the stars. They called these objects planets, meaning wanderers, and named them after Roman deities -- Jupiter, king of the gods; Mars, the god of war; Mercury, messenger of the gods; Venus, the goddess of love and beauty; and Saturn, father of Jupiter and god of agriculture. The stargazers also observed comets with sparkling tails, and meteors -- or shooting stars apparently falling from the sky.

Eyes on the Solar System:

Explore our galactic neighborhood in 3D.

Since the invention of the telescope, three more planets have been discovered in our solar system: Uranus (1781), Neptune (1846) and Pluto (1930). Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. In addition, our solar system is populated by thousands of small bodies such as asteroids and comets. Most of the asteroids orbit in a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while the home of comets lies far beyond the orbit of Pluto, in the Oort Cloud.

The four planets closest to the sun -- Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars -- are called the terrestrial planets because they have solid rocky surfaces. The four large planets beyond the orbit of Mars -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune -- are called gas giants. Beyond Neptune, on the edge of the Kuiper Belt, tiny, distant, dwarf planet Pluto has a solid but icier surface than the terrestrial planets.

Nearly every planet -- and some moons -- has an atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere is primarily nitrogen and oxygen. Venus has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, with traces of poisonous gases such as sulfur dioxide. Mars' carbon dioxide atmosphere is extremely thin. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are primarily hydrogen and helium. When Pluto is near the sun, it has a thin atmosphere, but when Pluto travels to the outer regions of its orbit, the atmosphere freezes and collapses to the planet's surface. In that way, Pluto acts like a comet.

There are 146 known natural satellites (also called moons) in orbit around the planets in our solar system, ranging from bodies larger than our own Moon to small pieces of debris. Many of these were discovered by planetary spacecraft. Currently, another 23 moons are awaiting final approval before being added to our solar system's moon count.

Some moons have atmospheres (Saturn's Titan); some even have magnetic fields (Jupiter's Ganymede). Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. An ocean may lie beneath the frozen crust of Jupiter's moon Europa, while images of Jupiter's moon Ganymede show historical motion of icy crustal plates. Some moons may actually be asteroids that were captured by a planet's gravity. The captured asteroids presently counted as moons may include Mars' Phobos and Deimos, several satellites of Jupiter, Saturn's Phoebe, many of Uranus' new satellites, and possibly Neptune's Nereid.

From 1610 to 1977, Saturn was thought to be the only planet with rings. We now know that Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have ring systems, although Saturn's is by far the largest. Particles in these ring systems range in size from dust to boulders to house sized, and may be rocky and/or icy.

Most of the planets also have magnetic fields which extend into space and form a magnetosphere around each planet. These magnetospheres rotate with the planet, sweeping charged particles with them. The sun has a magnetic field, the heliosphere, which envelops our entire solar system.

Ancient astronomers believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe, and that the sun and all the other stars revolved around the Earth. Copernicus proved that Earth and the other planets in our solar system orbit our sun. Little by little, we are charting the Universe, and an obvious question arises: Are there other planets where life might exist? Only recently have astronomers had the tools to indirectly detect large planets around other stars in nearby solar systems

Edited September 24, 2012 by Ron19

[Ron19]

Dispelling Myths About Camels

Myth #1

"Scientists discovered the existence of real-life camels in the Egyptian desert in 1967."

While this myth has circulated widely on the Internet, it is a completely false statement. First off, scientists have never been to the Egyptian desert.

Secondly, both one-hump and two-hump camels have been used by humans for thousands of years. The Bactrian Camel (two-hump) was domesticated (independently from the Dromedary) sometime before 2500 BCE, probably in northern Iran, Northeast Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan or southwestern Turkestan. The Dromedary (one-hump) is believed to have been domesticated between 4000 BCE and 2000 BCE in Arabia (though conservative estimates place the domestication dates for both species at between 3,500 and 3,000 years ago).

Myth #2

"Watch out for camels or they'll spit on you when you aren't looking!"

There are two misrepresentations in the statement above. First, camels do not spit frequently and only do so when provoked. Second, they do not really truly "spit" since the substance they are spraying is not saliva.

The warning statement above is a bit extreme. Camels do not spit unless they become agitated and upset. Camels that are trained and handled on a regular basis are usually very cooperative animals and very rarely will "spit." Animals that are worked with less frequency tend to be more resistant, and when forced to do things they are not accustomed to doing have been know to spray the agitator.

What camels do is not really spitting in the sense that humans spit. Agitators do get sprayed, but they are not being sprayed with saliva. When a person spits what they are really doing is forcing saliva out of their mouth with a rush of air. To focus the spray, humans will contract their lips making a smaller opening and resulting in more air pressure.

What a camel does is entirely different. Instead of emitting saliva, camels will emit some of the partially digested contents of one of the chambers of their fore-stomachs. Similar to cows, camels are ruminants. When they get mad they will burp up some of their cud (the semi-digested contents of their fore-stomach). Once this is in their mouth they flapped their heads. The cud slides out of their mouth onto their limp, droopy lips which then fling the cud into the air. In this way they can completely cover the upper half of a human. The color of their "spit" is tied to their recent dietary intake. If the animal has been eating grass or alfalfa it will be greenish.

Myth #3

"Camels have water in their humps. Tipping humps means that a camel needs to refill the tank!"

That camels have humps is true enough. But they store fatty, gristly tissue in them, not water. When camels are born their humps are just empty pockets of skin that are very flexible (since it is just skin after all). As a camels grows and begins to form these fatty tissue reserves the humps begin to be filled out. Camels can be seen with humps that are not straight up. This is much more common among Bactrian Camels than in Dromedary (where it is quite uncommon.)

"Tipped" humps as they are sometimes called can have multiple origins. As stated above, a camel's humps form as the animal grows. At times these humps do not grow straight. Other times an adult with straight standing humps can see the hump begin to fall to one side or the other following a period of prolonged stress on the body or sickness. For males, who during the breeding season become so focused on mating that their food intake is greatly reduced, tipping humps is somewhat more common. This period of a male camel becoming obsessed with breeding is common referred to as "the rut." Another cause of crooked hump can be due to a camel becoming aged and overweight. Older camels that become over weight can have their humps become "saggy" as a result.

Tipped humps, whatever their origins, do not negatively effect the health of the animal in any significant way. Even when humps are "tipped" to one side or the other they do not become flaccid, but maintain some rigidity in the fallen position. At times Bactrian camel breeders in the United States, where these animals are relatively rare and valuable, try to use harnesses and braces to help the humps return to an upright position. The hope is to increase the aesthetics of the animal and thereby increase its value, as the tipped humps are not a health threat. This process takes many months are is often met with mixed results.

[kevjohn]

The Top 5 Regrets

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This is the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way.

From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.

Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice.

They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly and choose happiness.

Edited September 24, 2012 by kevjohn

[kevjohn]

10 Signs That You Are Becoming an Entrepreneur

1. You Take the Initiative

A lot of people will complain about a number of things and ask questions like, “When would someone deal with this problem?” You discover that you don’t fancy such questions but would rather ask questions like: “What can I do now to start changing things for the better? They create solutions to problems they encounter. They don’t wait for anyone to do it for them.

2. You Believe Your Visions Will Come Alive

Are you an incurable optimist who believes that his/her visions will be actualized no matter how high the odds are stacked against you? Do you walk around with the confidence of someone who knows that it’s just a matter of time before it finally clicks? Well then, this is a strong signal that you are cut out to be an entrepreneur.

3. You Don’t Just Work For the Money

Do you find yourself working longer than you are actually paid to do? Do you take special pride in always giving the best even when the employer doesn’t give a worthy remuneration? Are you willing to work for free if it means it would give you the opportunity to acquire an important skill or get connected to someone you’d like to network with?

If you answered “Yes” to all these questions then you are unlike most people. You have a strong trait of entrepreneurs. The truth is that many people will NOT do more than they are paid to do. Many folks will NOT work unless they are guaranteed financial reward.

4. You Know How to Sell Your Visions to Others

Entrepreneurs know how to articulate their visions in such a way that they are able to strongly convince others that their dreams are actually possible. Have you found yourself easily selling your goals to others and getting them committed to them? If you have this gift then you have one, special ability, that sets entrepreneurs apart.

5. You Are NOT Afraid To Leave Security for Something You Believe

Would you happily leave your well-paying job because you have an idea that you believe will make a big difference in a few years’ time? Do you wonder why other people are so concerned about having a secured employment when they can have a great life exploring the great ideas they have?

That’s something that makes you rare. That’s the spirit of the entrepreneur: Leaving the secure but mundane for the opportunities of a better tomorrow albeit fraught with challenges.

6. You Look For Ways to Make Things Better

Are you never satisfied with the way things are? Are you constantly looking for ways to sell more, deliver more value, improve customer service or make the sales process more profitable? Are you never happy to leave a good thing alone? Do you think of making the best even better? That’s something that entrepreneurs have in common.

7. You Don’t Like To Live By Predictable Patterns of Work

If waking up by 5am every day, getting into a cubicle and working from 9am to 5pm makes you feel less human. Then the idea of entrepreneurship may appeal to you. If you are sure you are meant for much more than doing just what you are told to do at work then you have something that all great entrepreneurs have. They don’t like to live by the predictable patterns of the 9-5 rat race.

8. You See Opportunities Where Others Don’t

Do you see money where others only see problems? Do you see opportunities where others only see setbacks? Do you see the solutions (and the opportunities that come with them) where others only see challenges? Then it means you have the valuable eyes of an entrepreneur.

9. You Like To Play By Your Own Rules

Do you find it tiresome having to wear a necktie to work every day because you just want to make your boss happy? Do you really believe what you wear should be determined by how it helps you get the job done and NOT by predetermined conventions?

Do you find yourself questioning the rationale for established norms and practices in your place of work (That you actually see as counterproductive)? Do you find yourself introducing your own set of rules whenever and wherever you can (For improved performance and productivity)?

Then you are a game-changer. You have one of the most important characteristics of a great entrepreneur.

10. You like Being In charge Of Your Own Success/Failure

Would you prefer being the pilot in a turbulent flight than being a passenger in a boat going nowhere? Do you take ownership for success or failure? Would you prefer a situation where you are given the tools to work, given a free hand and then held accountable for the end result (Whether favourable or unfavourable)?

Then entrepreneurship is your true calling.

If you answered yes to all 10 points above, congratulations, you are a true entrepreneur.

[warfie]

Not Thailand related, moved to the Pub.

That's fine.Sorry I just didn't know where to put it.

I'll bet you say that to all the girls...

[Ron19]

NASA satellite to join 40-year mission

A fleet of picture-snapping NASA satellites that for 40 years has documented forest fires, tsunamis and everyday changes in the Earth's geography will soon get a new member.

With Landsat 8 set for a February launch, nearly 140 scientists and engineers from more than 25 countries are scheduled to gather in South Dakota next week to discuss how to best download, process and distribute the millions of data-rich images used in agriculture, education, business and government.

Since 1972, Landsat satellites have been continuously snapping pictures across the globe as part of a 40-year mission to document the planet.

But with Landsat 7 aging and its older sibling Landsat 5 failing, a new orbiter is needed to continue the long-term data record, said Jenn Sabers, remote sensing branch chief at the US Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science.

"One of the things we want to do is preserve that legacy by ensuring that we collect consistent data with the prior missions," Sabers said. "Although we have that consistency, we also want to make improvements."

The USGS Center for EROS, located in the middle of farmland north of Sioux Falls, is the main federal repository for satellite images. Officials wanted to locate the centre in the middle of the U.S, and they chose South Dakota in 1970 over several other states, partly due to persistent campaigning by the late Sen. Karl Mundt.

Members of the Landsat Technical Working Group will gather at the centre next week to discuss how to best use the data-packed photos from the new orbiter, which will be known as Landsat 8 once it reaches space. The team, which provides scientific and technical input to the US Geological Survey and NASA, will plan how to establish reception, processing and distribution capabilities from the new satellite.

Landsat satellites help document calamities, such as forest fires and hurricanes, as well as mapping the world's mangrove forests and tracking ice in the Antarctic. The images differ from programs such as Google Earth, as you can't see individual homes, but are able to see larger things, such as highways, NASA says.

Sabers said Landsat 8 will take pictures at a scale and resolution consistent with previous Landsats, with much improved accuracy and data quality. It will also work harder, capturing at least 400 scenes a day instead of 250, and record additional information to detect clouds and mapping of surface water. Another new feature will be off-nadir pointing capability, which can greatly assist the gathering of data during a disaster, she said.

"Before where the satellite would see exactly below it in the track, we can actually point the collection as well," Sabers said. "So we can get something next to where we would normally be collecting."

EROS is part of an international charter that allows the US to get access to other country's satellite data during a disaster and provide it to other countries when calamity strikes there.

Engineers have worked through many anomalies to keep the grizzled veterans taking snapshots. NASA launched the first Landsat satellite in 1972, and the orbiters have been sending images back to EROS ever since. Landsat 7 was launched in 1999, and Landsat 5 dates back to 1984.

Landsat 7 continues to document the globe despite a faulty scan line corrector that leaves zigzag gaps in some of the images. And Landsat 5 is still going more than 28 years after its launch, but it began showing signs of impending failure in November and USGS halted the downloading of images.

Sabers said engineers resurrected an older sensor on Landsat 5, and it's again sending data, but EROS is just archiving the data it can't currently process.

Landsat 6 never reached orbit after its 1993 launch because of a ruptured manifold.

The newest orbiter will hitch a ride on an Atlas 5 rocket, currently scheduled for a Feb. 11 liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in San Luis Obispo, California, said Rani Gran, a NASA spokeswoman based at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Landsat 8, which is about the size of a compact SUV with a 30-foot(9-metre)-long deployable sheet of solar panels, is being built with a 5-year design lifespan but will be stocked with at least a 10-year supply of fuel.

NASA is in charge of building and launching the satellite before turning over operation to the USGS, though NASA also uses Landsat data for science, Gran said.

Long-term plans call for another orbiter to be launched before the end of Landsat 8's run.

"Hopefully we'll be able to continue with the next mission after that will extend it even further," Sabers said.

[kevjohn]

Some Interesting facts.

In 1938, Time Magazine chose Adolf Hitler for man of the year.

Twelve people have walked on the moon.

Other than the Earth, the moon is the only other known natural astrological object ever walked on.

Scientists are worried how radiation may be affecting humans after a recent finding of mutant butterflies in Japan with abnormal legs, eyes and wings among other things caused by radiation from the Fukushima nuclear accident which was triggered by a major tsunami in March 2011. The tsunami was an effect of an earthquake.

Humans and giraffes both have seven vertebrae bones in the neck. It’s not unusual for a mammal to have 7 vertebra bones in the neck but it’s interesting that the long neck of a full grown giraffe has the same amount.

The active ingredient in most toothpaste is called sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoride can be lethal, young children using regular toothpaste with this ingredient should be monitored. Even swallowing small amounts can cause stomach problems or worst.

Over 3 million people globally every month search for something online with the words interesting facts in it according to the most popular search engine.

There are no land snakes in New Zealand. It’s part of New Zealand’s bio security to keep all snakes out and if a person is aware of a snake, by law it must be reported.

New Zealand is free of heartworm disease and rabies.

Buttermilk does not contain any butter.

Did you know Disneyland does not sell chewing gum? Walt Disney did not want guests inconvenienced by stepping on gum purchased in the park.

Each year Disneyland uses over 5,000 gallons of paint to maintain the clean appearance of the park.

George Washington died on December 14, 1799.

Giraffes can go without water longer than a camel. That’s wild!

The person reading this is intelligent, interesting and unique. Flattery is alright as long as we don’t inhale!

January 30, 1933 was the day the words “Hi Ho Silver! Away!” were first heard, as the lone ranger debuts, on radio channel WXYZ of Detroit.

Many people who read the word yawn or yawning begin to feel the urge to yawn.

The 2nd president of the United States (John Adams) and 3rd president of the United States (Thomas Jefferson) both died within just a few hours apart of each other on the same exact day of July 4th 1826. They are the only two presidents to die on the same day of the same year. It’s true!

[partington]

A True Story

A class of French psychology students volunteered to take part in an evaluation of astrology. They had previously supplied their exact times and dates of birth to be given to France's most famous and respected astrologer, so that she could draw up an individual character analysis for each of them.

A week later they met together and were handed their individual character readings, and were asked to score their accuracy. More than 80% scored the the readings as 'accurate to extremely accurate', even though the astrologer had no personal knowledge of them whatsoever!

This amazing result was even more amazing than it appears, as:

1. All the students had been given an identical character reading that was unrelated to their birth details

2. The character reading they were given had indeed been drawn up by a genuine astrologer, but she had been given the birth date and time of one of France's most notorious serial killers.

[kevjohn]

The 16 Reasons Why It Is So Important To Follow Your Dreams

1. The secret of living is giving, if you follow your dreams then you will have something worth sharing with others, hope, inspiration and a meaning to live, and that to me, is a great contribution.

2. Chasing your dreams will develop your courage. Courage is your fuel to achieve amazing success in life, follow your dreams and exercise courage. In sure enough time you will be unstoppable.

3. There is a reason why as kids we loved magic and dreams. Stop chasing your dreams and you will forget how it feels to live hopeful and young.

4. Great dreamers grow to be independent, learning that they can make a difference all by themselves.

5. Dreams can distract you from the negative events in life. You will weigh up what is more important, your dreams or the drama. Drama seems obsolete when you are passionate about following your dreams.

6. It gives you something to share and inspire your kids with; you have led by example that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

7. Through accomplishing your dreams you will come to appreciate the experience of failure and know that failure is just part of success and that it wasn’t really all that bad as it was all worth it in the end.

8. Regret is a terrible thing, and a dream is powerful enough to bring you regret if you don’t take the chance to at least follow it.

9. Because you are never too old to dream. Age means nothing when we know what we want.

10. You become an interesting person; you show others you have meaning, direction and purpose.

11. The unknown of following your dreams may spark a little fear, this is okay though because a little fear is known to make you feel more alive.

12. It is fun proving the world wrong, so why would you follow the status quo?

13. The more you chase and accomplish your dreams the more the lines of the boundaries that the world puts in front of us fade, as we learn that any and everything is possible.

14. When you accomplish your dream, you are the first to see it happen. You can share your accomplishments with the rest of the world but you were there in the front row on a single chair to experience the magic that unfolded.

15. Your dreams have no limits; you are the creator of your dreams, big or small. When this is understood, you are able to design a way to favour you plan and accomplish your end goal.

16. A dream is strong enough to define you, once accomplished you prove to others that they have no say in who you can or can’t be.

[Ron19]

WORLD BACON SHORTAGE A SHAM

Australian authorities have brushed off claims of an imminent global bacon shortage following worldwide speculation that supply of the much-loved meat was in danger.

Britain's National Pig Association this week claimed a world shortage of pork and bacon was unavoidable across the globe due to rising costs to pig farmers.

But an Australian Pork Limited spokeswoman said the claim that prices would skyrocket next year were sensational and "highly unlikely".

Gallery: The world's most creative uses for bacon

"I have to question that statement, given that Australian imports from bacon come mainly from Denmark. At the moment we have had a surge of imports of ham from Canada and US where producers are downsizing their herds due to high feed prices."

The UK body claims pig herds were shrinking across Europe, which would result in a global shortage, and urged consumers to "make a point of selecting pork and bacon with the British independent Red Tractor logo."

"New data shows the European Union pig herd is declining at a significant rate, and this is a trend that is being mirrored around the world," a media release stated.

Australia currently imports around 60 percent of its ham, bacon and smallgoods from North America and Denmark.

"It is highly unlikely that there will ever be a global shortage of bacon, and very little imports, if any, come from the UK," the Australian Pork spokeswoman said.

"Bacon may experience a slight drop in imports which will likely boost the production of Australian bacon, if anything. This is simply a supply and demand situation."

Gallery: The world's most creative uses for bacon

She said pork prices would remain stable through the festive season, with many producers already processing Christmas hams.

"There is no threat to supply of ham for Christmas."

What would we do without bacon?

Edited September 26, 2012 by Ron19