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INTERESTING FACTS WHICH BLOW YOU AWAY

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Why Do Alarms Snooze For Nine Minutes?

There are many mysteries in this world, like 'What the heck happened to Britney Spears?' for example. Or, 'Why does it seem like every alarm clock I've ever owned snoozes for nine minutes?' Thankfully Mental Floss, the brain teaser and trivia magazine, has an explanation for the latter (we may never get an answer about Britney).

When the first alarm clocks were built, the snooze gear needed to fit around the cogs already in the time piece. Because of the space constraints, there were basically two options: slightly over nine minutes or slightly over 10. It was believed that 10 minutes was too long and would allow a person to slip into a deeper sleep, so nine minutes became the standard. While most digital alarms today can be programmed to have a snooze of any length, nine minutes is still the standard and default on most of them.
 

On the day Judy Garland died, there was a tornado in Kansas City.

According to Vincent Price, when he and Peter Lorre went to view Bela Lugosi's body at Lugosi's funeral, Lorre, upon seeing Lugosi dressed in his famous Dracula cape, quipped, "Do you think we should drive a stake through his heart just in case?"

ISNT IT ALWAYS THE WAY

1) I saw a fat woman wearing a sweatshirt with 'Guess' on it. I said  'Thyroid problem?'
2) When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised that The Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.
3) I've often wanted to drown my troubles, but I can't get my wife to go swimming.
4) I was doing some decorating, so I got out my step-ladder. I don't get on with my real ladder.
5) I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time'. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.
6) A cement mixer collided with a prison van on the Kingston Bypass. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals.
7) Well I was bullied at school, called all kinds of different names. But one day I turned to my bullies and said 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me', and it worked! From
there on it was sticks and stones all the way. 

8) My Dad used to say 'always fight fire with fire', which is  probably why he got thrown out of the fire brigade.
9) S*x is like playing bridge: If you don't have a good partner, you better have a good hand.
10) I saw six men kicking and punching the mother-in-law. My neighbour said 'Are you going to help?' I said 'No, six should be enough.'
11) If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat?
12) I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers.
13) You know that look women get when they want s*x?..... No, me neither
14) Politicians are wonderful people as long as they stay away from things they don't understand, such as working for a living. 
15) I was the kid next door's imaginary friend.
16) Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I  think I've forgotten this before
 
 

Today is Pancake Day

Tradition

In the UK, there is a much-loved tradition of making and eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, which falls between February 2 and March 9 each year, depending on the date for Easter. In 2009, Shrove Tuesday falls on 24 February. Shrove Tuesday ('shrove' stems from old English word 'shrive', meaning 'confess all sins') is the day before Lent.

According to Christian beliefs, Lent commemorates Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, and observant Christians mark this period by fasting. So Shrove Tuesday was cleverly invented to use up the ingredients that were given up for Lent - milk, butter and, particularly, eggs - which may not be eaten again until Easter.

Customs and celebrations

In other parts of the world, Shrove Tuesday is marked by quite different celebrations. In New Orleans, for example, it's celebrated with the Mardi Gras, and in Rio de Janeiro with the equally raucous carnival.

Other old customs include the annual pancake grease at London's Westminster school (schoolboys fighting for pancakes in return for a monetary reward); Mischief Night (breaking into people's houses in disguise and demanding pancakes); Lent Crocking or Lensharding (throwing old crockery at people's doors and asking for pancakes to be tossed back), and shroving - a visiting custom in which children sang or recited poetry in exchange for food or money.

Pancakes in the UK

The UK once had a thriving regional cuisine, with the various counties boasting their unique culinary specialities - and pancakes were no exception.

Gloucester pancakes were made with suet, which gave them a rich, grainy texture.

In England, Gloucester pancakes were made with suet, which gave them a rich, grainy texture. They were the size of a large scone, fried in lard, and served with golden syrup. Elsewhere, there were 'harvest pancakes for the poor' and 'pancakes for the rich'. The former was quick-cooking, portable food that was eaten by farm labourers. The batter was made with mild ale, powdered ginger and, sometimes, chopped apple, and small ladlefuls were cooked in lard. The 'rich' pancakes, on the other hand, were large and thin. They were made with cream, nutmeg, dark sherry, rosewater or orange flower water, and cooked in but







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