Friday, August 14, 2009

Did You Know...




*Moths are not attracted to light or flame--
merely disoriented. In order to adapt to the light,
the moth circles numerous times to orient itself
and accept the light or flame as a stationary object.

*The mosquito is the most lethally dangerous
animal due to the array of fatal diseases they carry:
Encephalitis,dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever,
to name a few. Every twelve seconds, a person
dies due to contracting disease from a mosquito bite.

*Camels store fat in their humps for energy--
not water. Energizer Bunny, move over...

*Waiting to swim 20 minutes after eating allows
the blood to return to the legs after helping the
stomach digest food--thereby avoiding paralyzing
leg cramps.

*Shrimp are the noisiest creatures under the sea,
overriding the blue whale. The shrimp layer
creates noise which whites out a submarine's sonar,
deafening anyone wearing a headset.

*Panama hats come from Ecuador.
A quality hat can take up to 5 months to make,
since the toquilla used to construct the hat
takes five days every month to harvest--during
the moon's final phase. The palm leaf doesn't soak
up as much water during that time, allowing
for easier weaving.

*The color of water is blue. Selective absorption and
scattering of the light spectrum causes this to occur.
If you peek into a deep hole in the snow or
see a frozen waterfall, there's a visible shade of blue.

*The bravest of all animals is the carrier pigeon
since they were heavily used during WWII because
of blackouts. One of the most famous was Winkie
who was on a plane when it crashed.
The bird escaped and valiantly flew back to her
owner in Scotland-- looking bedraggled and tired.
The owner could determine how long Winkie
had been flying. She had flown 120 miles from
the crashed bomber to deliver an SOS;
from that knowledge the owner determined the
plane's coordinates, thereby saving the crew.

She was awarded the The Dickin Medal for Animal Bravery,
the first to be so awarded.

*Work is responsible for more deaths than alcohol,
drugs, or war. It's been noted that approximately
two million people die annually from work-related
accidents and diseases. Agriculture and construction
deaths head the list, with household deaths due to falls
and other accidents, at the bottom of the list.

2 comments:

Daisy Soap Girl said...

Very interesting facts. And the part about work...I KNEW IT! I always said that hard work could kill someone!

Gutsy Living said...

I'm impressed with all the information you found. Also that shrimp are the noisiest. I have a question about FL. Hope you don't mind, but I just realized you lived in CA and moved to Naples.

Are you familiar with Matlacha and Pine Island as my husband and I are visiting at the end of August, to look at some foreclosures as a possible move in 3-4 years time. Now we live in California, after a fabulous year in Belize, where we were used to hurricanes and humidity. I'd love to hear from you about whether you're happy living where you live, and as a writer, I read that 50% of those living in Matlacha, are writers. Is the water turquoise like the Caribbean? What are the pros and cons, apart from hurricanes, etc. I'm originally from Europe, is it cosmopolitan? Anything you have time to write or steer me to your blog about, I'd appreciate. Thanks. Sonia. P.S. I just heard about Marco Island, is that very expensive? Apparently the sand is like white sugar.