I recently came across a really interesting list of popularly held misconceptions, and blew through an entire day reading through them. I thought it might be cool to post a couple of them a week, and talk about them. I'd love to hear if you're as surprised by some of them as I was.


First one:


"Shaving does not cause terminal hair to grow back thicker or coarser or darker. This belief is based on the fact that hair which has never been cut has a tapered end, whereas after cutting there is no taper. Thus, the cut hair appears to be thicker, and feels coarser due to the sharper, unworn edges. The fact that shorter hairs are "harder" (less flexible) than longer hairs also contributes to this effect."

Interesting.... When I get a haircut, I have it short on top, but can still comb it some , on the back & sides , I get a short 2 then it is tapered with a 1 so it doesn't look fuzzy... They say the sides grow faster then the top...when mine don't look trimmed anymore, I get it cut!

Lol, I'm pretty glad to hear that one isn't true! I love guacamole.

Hmm, I wonder if it really does grow faster on the sides?

Seems to on me, anyway!

Then I'll believe it!

When your stomach grows it does not mean you are hungy it means you are on your way to empty because you are digesting food. It doesn't sound believable to me but it must be, a customer who was a college science teacher told me that when I apologized for having a hungry tummy.

Ho Ho ho I got another one, Santa Clause doesn't exist lol sorry

if your stomach is on its way to empty then wouldnt you be hungry?? lol seems that way to me at least btw Hot pic hun!!

YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

Ahh, but what about Santa Claus?

That's an interesting point, Cassidy!

Oh, that's okay, I think she meant someone else.

Whew. I had a bit of a panic attack. I mean sure, he hasn't stopped by my house yet in over 40 years but I don't want to quit hoping. The problem is I don't want to quit being naughty either! We should just be naughty together and not care if he visits or not, perhaps.

WHAT????? NO SANTA CLAUS?????

I agree that if your stomach is growling, you need to feed it!

Principal John

That sounds like an excellent plan to me! Let's commence with the naughtiness...

I have proof that Santa exists, in my bedroom. You should come and check it out.

Here's another one that I was surprised to learn:

"Although it is commonly believed that most body heat is lost through a person's head, heat loss through the head is not more significant than other parts of the body when naked.This may be a generalization of situations in which it is true, such as when the head is the only uncovered part of the body, or in infants, where the head is a significant fraction of body mass. Multiple studies have shown that for uncovered infants, lined hats significantly reduce heat loss and thermal stress."



I've always been told to make sure to wear a hat in winter for the very reason that we lose more body heat through our heads. Very interesting to read that's not the case.

I don't think this one is a misconception. I my experience, I am not often outside during winter naked. Adequately clothed but not hat still equals cold but toss a hat on and I stay warm. I will have to conduct extensive testing, provided a willing test subject can be located. We can test completely naked, winter clothes but no hat, hat but no clothes, hat with no clothes and shall we say vigorous exercise. Any takers? I will bring the hat.

In the name of science, I find it my duty to volunteer for this! And I think completely naked with copious amounts of physical activity will really garner the most accurate results.

{Packing hat, looking for car keys}

Here's one:
The United States Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776. The final language was approved on that day, it had to be printed and distributed but the actual OFFICIAL signing occurred on August 2, 1776.

And Santa IS REAL!!!!!!


Al

Lol...YES!!!

So technically the name of the Oliver Stone movie should be "Born on the 2nd of August"?

That's really interesting. I'd hear that it wasn't actually signed on the 4th, but I didn't know it was almost a whole month later. Thanks for sharing, Al!

Just found this one!

A popular misconception is that having sex in the days leading up to a sporting event or contest is detrimental to performance. Numerous studies have shown that there is no physiological basis to this myth. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that sex during the 24 hours prior to sports activity can elevate the levels of testosterone in males, which potentially could enhance their performance!


Al

HA! That's crazy that it's the exact opposite of what most athletes have been told. I'm sure they would all love to know the truth on this one.

Hehehe, actually that one doesn't surprise me. At one point I used to be a pretty dedicated follower of boxing and mma. Chuck Liddel talks about having a threesome only a few hours before his successful UFC title fight, George St. Pierre got PISSED at the suggestion he abstain from sex before a big match, and Mohammad Ali used to request two hotel rooms for his female friends to stay in prior to a big match.

Teddy Atlas a famous boxing trainer and boxing commentator put it best. "Its not having sex with women prior to a fight that is the problem. It is the CHASING women prior to a fight that causes problems. I don't care how much action my fighter is getting before the bell rings, so long as he is in his room by curfew time !!".

As someone who did medieval recreations....

There is no evidence that Vikings wore horns on their helmets. In fact, the image of vikings wearing horned helmets stems from the scenography of an 1876 production of the Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle by Richard Wagner.


Al

Its so interesting to see the misconceptions about things that are believed to be true. They are kind of like old wives tales.

that is cool. i wouldnt have guessed.

For the vast majority of antibiotics, there is no pharmacological reason that you should refrain from alcohol.

One of the first things antibiotics were proven effective against was syphilis but it would take at least a week before the disease was no longer infectious, therefore doctors advised patients not to take antiobiotics with alcohol while they were on their course of treatment to lessen the likelihood they'd have a bit of a drunken romp. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not cause antibiotics to cease working but there are a few where it can cause violent vomiting when the two are mixed.

---
A regular misconception, even in my country, is that England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom all refer to the same place. England, unsurprisingly, refers to the country of England. Great Britain refers to the island which is the location of the countries of England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom refers to the island of Great Britain and the country of Northern Ireland. The official name of the sovereign state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which you will see on a British passport.

---
People found guilty of witchcraft in England were generally hung, not burned alive at the stake. Only three "witches" were ever burned alive in England.

---
Napoleon wasn't a short person. He was slightly above average height for his time at 5' 7" (the French listed him as 5' 2" which is slightly different to the "modern" imperial measurement system) with the average height being 5' 5" in Western and Central Europe at the time.

HA! I think that hits it right where the problem actually lies. I'm sure it is the chasing of the women, not the sex, that leads to problems. Cool reply, Mike. Thank you!

I think someone needs to tell Flava Flav!

And I'd love to hear more about your medieval recreations, Al!

Exactly!

Me either!

Thanks for sharing, Beans! I found the last two that you mentioned especially surprising. I remember being told in school that Napoleon was short.

How about this one?


"Eight glasses of water a day are not needed to maintain health. The amount of water needed varies by person (weight), activity level, clothing, and environment (heat and humidity). Moreover, consuming things that contain water, such as juice, tea, milk, fruits, and vegetables, also keeps a person hydrated, and can supply more than half of the needed water."


I've had so many arguments about this with people who tell me to drink more water. Lol, I'm glad to read something that supports my side!

Yeah, it's all a myth about Napoleon. There's two main reasons for it - the first being the French using an odd measurement system that put his height at 5' 2" when the standard used by the British which would be adopted by the Americans would have him at 5' 7". The second reason is that his personal bodyguards were all very tall for their day, giving Napoleon the appearance of being short. The British, for propaganda purposes, pounced upon this, referring to him by various derogatory names based on the idea he was short. It helped the British case in the fact that Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon's primary nemesis was a tall man himself, somewhere in the region of an imposing for the era 5' 9" and much like professional wrestling today the British would exaggerate his actual height to the 6' region.

And because Wellesley would lead the Coalition to final victory at Waterloo and the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it was the British who wrote the history, which included the mocking references to Napoleon being a short-arse and the idea of the "Napoleon complex".

I would agree that that is a misconception mixie. This is one of my eccentricities from having had to treat people for heat injuries. Anyone whom I even half way care about has likely had a lecture from me on the importance of hydration at some point okay likely several times lol.

I'll throw this one out for you. It is actually possible to OVERDOSE ON WATER !! I actually knew someone who died from drinking too much water. It was a very very extreme thing though. He hadn't eaten anything in four days, just drank lots water.He was from Alaska and we were in Georgia during the summer months. In other words, he was not at all used to the heat. Eventually, this caused him to loose all the electrolytes in his system and go into cardiac arrest.

Again, a very extreme and very rare occurrence. Do not let that fact keep you from drinking water and staying hydrated.

Interesting fact. Among professional athletes, pickle juice is becoming very popular instead of sports drink. Science supports the premise that it is more effective too.

And just to be dorky, the condition is called water intoxication which leads to hyponatremia. Users of ecstasy are susceptible to it as one of the effects of the drug is an unquenchable thirst and they drink too much water in too short space of time for the body to process.

There was a radio station in Sacramento, CA, that held a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which they encouraged several people to drink excessive amounts of water with the last one to go to the toilet declared the winner. A medical profession actually called into the show to tell the DJs what they were doing was dangerous but the DJs mocked the caller. After the contest, a woman called Jennifer Strange, exhibited the symptoms of intoxication and nausea and eventually collapsed at home and died.

Apologies for jumping on this but it's one of the more weird subjects I have interest in.

I'll add one of my own...

Julius Caesar was not born by Caesarean section. It is a common myth that he was and that this birth is the origin of the name Caesarean section. However, while it was possible to perform a Caesarean section even back then there is one tiny little thing which makes it an impossibility for Julius Caesar to have been born this way - his mother lived. All mothers who gave birth via Caesarean section at this time died because there simply wasn't the tools, the cleanliness or the surgical knowledge to perform the operation without killing the mother. Caesar's mother is referenced many times throughout his life as quite clearly being alive.

Caesar salad also has nothing to do with Julius Caesar, but Caesar Cardini.

And here's one I wrote on another thread recently...

It is actually a myth that people in the Middle Ages thought that the world was flat. The myth of the flat earth theory has been widely documented by modern historians and is blamed largely on a small group of historians from the 18th and early 19th Centuries who, in a bid to promote the idea that people who followed religion over science were stupid, wrote at length about how people in the Middle Ages thought that the world was flat. However, this simply isn't true; or certainly isn't true to the degree that people would have you believe. Washington Irving is one of those most blamed for creating this myth with his elaborate account of the voyages of Christopher Columbus. While Irving postulated that Columbus had set off to prove that the earth was round, he was in fact attempting to prove the size of the earth.

Virtually every scholar of the era, including religious scholars, concluded that the world was spherical. Even as far back as the Ancient Greeks the world was considered to be spherical in shape, and while there may have been the uneducated amongst general populations who believed the earth was flat, there is not one bit of evidence that this was a widely held belief nor that it was ever considered to be true by the educated people of the age. In fact, Christian scholars, as early as the 14th Century were even aware of the approximate circumference of the earth.

The only real evidence supporting the theory of people believing in flat earths comes from the work of artists but there is also plenty of artistic world from the time depicting a spherical earth, so this evidence is specious.

DAM !! You got me on that one Beans. I knew ODing on H2O was possible but I had no idea it was that common. It is my understanding that it is very easy to prevent. EAT SOMETHING.

I know that the reaction to the death of my acquaintance resulted in a new policy I had to follow while working for that particular organization. They insisted we consume a sports drink twice a day to replenish electrolytes.

In the case of your acquaintance, eating would certainly have helped. A well-known diet company in the UK was subjected to a lawsuit last year after one of their advisors recommended that a client take on a water-only diet to lose weight, resulting in the client's death. While water-only diets do exist and can work, only medical professionals should be recommending them because people need to be monitored as not eating slows down the rate at which the body functions and so water is not processed as quickly.

The general cause is drinking heavy amounts of water in too small a space of time, which again would make sense if your acquaintance was not used to heat. This causes cells to become full, expand and cause the electrolyte imbalance which can cause heart problems. In some severe cases, water is taken in by the cells in the brain because there's nowhere left for it to go. This causes the cells to expand and crush the brain against the skull and is one of the reasons why those suffering with severe water intoxication often behave in a manner more commonly associated with alcohol intoxication.

Interesting stuff Beans !!

Now it is time to go the other way. Did you know that when dehydrated, your blood volume drops and becomes thicker ?

I didn't know this and no one explained it in the first aid class I had to take to learn to administer IV's. I found out about it the first time I had to treat a heat casualty in the field and had to try six times before finding a vein. I had to run it through his hand and was about to try his leg.

ALSO, heat injuries can happen in cold weather. The reason being that "heat injuries" are not actually due to heat. They are due to dehydration. You get all those winter clothes on, then work outside and you sweat and become dehydrated.

Which is why I always hated the term "heat injuries" and prefer to refer to them as "stages of dehydration". Dehydration injuries are as common in the winter as they are in the summer.

Also with that, it is a really good thing for people with heart problems to discuss with their doctor. Because the thickened blood is harder for the heart to circulate and puts strain on it. My father survived a heart attack several years ago and to this day I always worry about that especially during the winter and summer.

Side note, poor Mixie. I doubt she ever figured the conversation would go this direction when she started the thread lol !!

I know about dehydration equalling thicker blood. From what I remember it is due to water being required to make a serum that travels in the blood to ease the passage of the blood cells. When you're dehydrated, there isn't enough of this serum being produced because there isn't enough water to produce it but the same volume of blood cells are still travelling through which causes the blood to become thicker and because you don't have as much serum mixed in with your blood as you rightly say, the volume of blood in your body actually becomes lower.

We don't use the term "heat injuries" here, at least not commonly, but I assume you're talking about the likes of heat exhaustion, heat stroke and heat syncope? I'd agree that they can happen just as easily in cold weather for the reasons you state.

And yeah, sorry Mixie! Alas, the curse of spending my free time studying and watching documentaries leads to this!

So, I'll add another misconception...

Mice have no great love for cheese. In fact, quite a number of mice have an allergy to milk and will die if they eat it. Others will eat it, not die but it is not something that they will be particularly drawn to. The fact is that processed cows milk that has gone off (which is effectively what cheese is) is not something that occurs naturally in the environment that mice are used to. They are far more likely to eat nuts and grains and will certainly prefer these over cheese.

One of the most famous quotes in French history was supposedly said by Marie Antoinette when she was told that her people had no bread to eat. “Let them eat cake” is commonly cited as showing the ignorance of the ruling class towards the struggle of the people.
But interestingly enough, there’s no evidence of Marie Antoinette ever saying this. In fact, the quote can’t properly be attributed to anyone in history, French or otherwise. The quote first appears in the very inaccurate autobiography Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Not wanting to go to the bakery, Rousseau recalled:

“Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: “Let them eat brioche.”

He never specifically cites who said the famous line. What’s more, the story comes from volume six, which was written when Antoinette was only nine.


Al

That is exactly what I'm talking about. Its been at least 9 years since my last 1st aid course but I believe then they classified the stages of dehydration as dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. The person whom I had to treat was in the early stages of heat stroke, and I had to do something quickly otherwise I would have preferred to have him sit in the shade & slowly drink water as opposed to turning him into a pin cushion.

The cheese thing I also find interesting and something I had long wondered about. I know on the farm, we always used peanut butter on traps instead of cheese. Dad always has claimed it is far more effective. Now I know why.

Drinking sugary drinks, such as Coca-Cola, does not cause tooth decay. Although it is true that putting teeth in jars containing sugary drinks will cause the tooth to rot quickly over several days, the fact is that such drinks pass through the mouth so quickly that there is no chance for the sugar to do any damage. In fact, crisps (potato chips to my American friends) and other such foods are far more likely to damage the teeth because little bits get stuck between teeth and in the grooves of the teeth at the back of the mouth. Healthy fruit juice drinks that contain pulp are also more damaging to teeth than Coca-Cola and its ilk because bits of the pulp can also get stuck between the teeth.

Wow, thank you for the extra information! It's really interesting how history gets twisted by propaganda. Makes you wonder how many "facts" we're taught that are entirely inaccurate.

Wow, pickle juice? I would think the sodium content would lead to some type of imbalance. Shows what I know, lol!

I've heard about the water overdosing. There was a news story I read once about a woman dying from it, because of a radio contest. I think it had something to do with seeing how much water a person could drink before going to the bathroom, and a contestant died from drinking too much. Crazy!

Oops, I just posted about that contest before I saw you mentioned it! I forgot that it was called "Wee for Wii."

Lol, no need to apologize, guys! I love all of the new things I'm learning here. You guys are awesome.

I'm really happy to hear that. I love soft drinks. Side note: I recently heard that it's been proven that Coke products have something in them that stimulate the appetite, and cause you to overeat. Not a big fan of that!

Very interesting! Doesn't Sofia Coppola include that line in "Marie Antoinette?"

Here's another one:

"Hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after a person dies. Rather, the skin dries and shrinks away from the bases of hairs and nails, giving the appearance of growth."

I'd always wondered about that one. It didn't seem to make sense for it to continue to grow.

interesting, morbid, but interesting.

Ok haha

I know, right? I'd heard a million times that it does grow, but I always had the same thought you did.

Wow, that's crazy! Polar bears are so cute.

They really do have black skin. I believe their hair is also actually clear if you take just a few out and look at them but in a thick bunch, it appears white. No one really knows for sure on that one cuz when you yank a couple polar bear hairs, the yanker tends to get eaten before the findings can be reported.

What about this one. Flamingoes are actually white. It is a pigment in the shrimps they eat that cause their feathers to turn pink. Zoos have to feed them a special diet to keep them from turning white.

Well as some spam-monkey has decided to post their inane, soon to be removed ramblings on this thread here's one about Spam...

Spam did not, as is commonly believed, originate on USENET (a form of message board system). On the old US Defence computer network, and precursor to the modern Internet, ARPANET, DEC sent an advertising mailing to every user of the ARPANET service in 1978 and were promptly admonished for breaching network protocol. Of course, this was not called spam as the term had not been coined yet.

Even earlier than that, in 1971, a system admin at MIT sent everybody on the network an anti-war message, would could also be considered a form of spam.

As for where the term "Spam" originated, although commonly attributed to USENET, it appears to have originated earlier, with evidence of the word being used during the 1980s on various BBS and Internet Relay Chat systems, although not specifically for unsolicited mass-mailings but for any form of junk intended to annoy or damage/crash a system - for example, chat users documented people uploading files of the "Spam" song from Monty Pythons Flying Circus in the 1980s just to annoy people.

It does, however, appear to have only gained widespread usage due to USENET and the first known instance of the word "Spam" being attributed to what we now call "Spam" has been found on USENET when an admin ran some software intended to help moderate USENET but which instead posted around 200 messages to a single USENET board. Following these events, "Spam" became the normal term people used for any sort of mass-mailing advertisement on USENET, of which there was a lot and it would eventually bring about USENET's downfall.

Also, on a semi-related note, the Internet as we know it today is not a wholly American-designed system. While the Internet followed on from ARPANET, the US defence computer network, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which is used to allow communication between clients and servers in the form of webpages was actually designed and implemented by a Briton, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, whilst working at CERN in Switzerland. The first website ever built and made available online came from CERN in 1991.

Anyone who has ever wondered what the :// means after HTTP will be pleased to know it doesn't mean a damn thing. Tim Berners-Lee commented on it himself, expressing regret that he had designed HTTP to include the :// when there was no reason for it to do so. Presumably, he just thought it looked cool.

Schizophrenia is not the same thing as dissociative identity disorder, namely split or multiple personalities. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by poor emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking.


Al

It's a shame how misunderstood most mental illnesses are. Thanks for posting this!

This actually makes me want to see a white Flamingo!

I knew of the "Spam" song from Monty Python, but had no idea it inspired the term for junk email!

I agree with both thoughts on this. I'm actually involved in some organizations which champion the cause of the mentally ill. I feel fortunate that my situation only involved problems with anxiety and ADD. Because to hear the stories from the families with loved ones afflicted with schizophrenia will tear your heart out.

It is a constant and seemingly unbreakable cycle of them going off their meds, loosing touch with reality, becoming homeless, eventually ending-up in jail. In jail the prison system gets them back on their meds, eventually they get released from prison, quit taking their meds and so begins the cycle again.

We did the right thing in getting rid of the insane asylums in the late 60's/early 70's. However, we did nothing to fill the void they left. Some of these people need to be in some form of assisted living facility and their care providers need to be able to legally force medicate them in certain circumstances to look out for the best interests of the patient. The USA has really dropped the ball on this one badly.

Mental illnesses are diseases just like cancer or diabetes. Science has proven that.

Other misconceptions about the mentally ill, that is is not common. WRONG !! 1 in 5 Americans suffers from some form of mental illness, it is far more common than you'd think.

Last misconception about the mentally ill, that they are violent. WRONG !! In fact less than 1% of all mentally ill are actually violent.

The vast majority are NOT VIOLENT.

Excellent points, Mike! I wish more people were aware of these facts.

me too thats actually really interesting

I guess they look like this...

They are way cuter dressed in pink.

So am I.

Gotta have a pic foor proof of that, sweetie Mixie!

To Mixie and OSU Mike, you are correct! I worked with chronically mentally ill adults for 10 years and it is amazing how misinformed the public is! I was a residential coordinator for an organization that staffed homes that assisted those in need with daily living skills and other support when needed! And everytime we tried to get a new house going, neighbors all acted like criminals were moving in... such a shame!

Al

Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. In 12 different controlled scientific studies using both natural and artificial sugars, no behavioural changes occured between children who ingested sugar and those who did not. Even in cases where the child was already diagnosed with ADHD there was no discernible change in behaviour. However, it was noted that a parents perception of the child's behaviour did change.

LOL! Well, I will work on that.

It is a misconception that under the British honours system, someone who has had a Knighthood bestowed upon them by the Queen is told to "Arise, Sir...."

Fungi, such as mushrooms, are not plants. Biologically speaking, the cell structure of fungi has more in common with animals than plants.

Alcohol does not warm you up. Alcohol causes the blood to rise closer to the surface of the skin, creating the illusion of warmth but actually lowering the body temperature.

Guinea pigs rarely eat their offspring. They are vegetarian and therefore have very little interest in cannibalism, unless they are extremely malnourished, in which case, they probably haven't given birth to live offspring anyway.

Rabbits shouldn't eat many carrots. Carrots contain too much sugar for a rabbit to digest properly on a regular basis. Bugs Bunny would have died many years ago.

Putting a bell on a cat's collar will not prevent it from hunting and killing mice and birds. In fact, you're just going to make it an even more deadly hunter as it will learn to prowl and hunt without jingling the bell.

Lizzie Borden was found innocent! Although the idea that she axed her family to death persists in folklore, even in children's rhymes with the "Lizzie Borden took an axe..." the fact is she was acquitted and likely her family fell victim to a serial killer given that another axe murder occured shortly before her trial and in the same locale.

Nero did not play the fiddle while watching Rome burn during the Great Fire of Rome. The instrument in question wasn't even invented until a millennia after the fire. There is also evidence he wasn't even in Rome at the time.

Paul Revere never shouted "The British are coming!" during the American War of Independence. Why would he? At that point, the colonists were still British and still considered themselves as such. British soldiers were referred to as "the regulars" and he did say that "The regulars are out!".

Wow did not know that ... thanks for sharing

Searing meat does not "seal in" moisture, and in fact may actually cause meat to lose moisture. Generally, the value in searing meat is that it creates a brown crust with a rich flavor.


Al

i would have to agree with you, but i still cant wait for the picture.

And adding salt it is said actually dries it out as well.

LoL, that is hilarious!

Oh no...poor Bugs Bunny!

Aww...well I'm still working on finding one, but perhaps I'll just take a new one.

Aww thanks.

Here's another...

Ninja's didn't wear black all the time. There was no universal uniform for them although it was common for them to wear a dark blue at night, simply because that would blend in better with the dark than black does due to black outlining you in the night and actually making you easier to see. Day to day, ninjas were supposed to blend in so they would wear whatever clothing would make them the least conspicuous. The idea of the black-clad ninja comes from Japanese Kabuki theatre, where stagehands that were meant to be "invisible" would dress entirely in black. This allowed the audience to know that their presence was unimportant but when writers needed to add in the "silent, invisible assassin" they decided to dress these characters up in the same garb. This would indicate to the audience that the character performing a killing was never seen. And as more Westerners saw such productions, they perpetuated the myth that ninjas were predominantly clad in black as well as several other myths about the ninja, such as ninjas using throwing stars - these weapons were designed for hand to hand combat, not to be thrown at the enemy although that doesn't mean they weren't in desperation.

It is a Common Misconception that Bulls HATE the color RED! Bull fighting is a common sport in Spain and few other European countries, and surely is enjoyed by many millions around. Game is simple, either matador or bull makes its way out of arena in the end. It is a common misconception that the bull gets furious by the red capes held by matador that “forces” bull to run towards it. Interestingly bulls are green and red color blind! So it is not about the color but it is actually the movement of red fabric that makes the bull go wild!

That makes sense. I know it wouldn't matter what color Mixie was wearing, as long as she was moving it would make me go wild!

well im sure not opposed to that idea either.

Is that so, huh? Well now, I'm just going to have to totally exploit that.

I think I heard that once. So, it's just tradition that has them using a red cape?

I know I've heard before that Poinsettias are deadly if ingested. Apparently, that's not true:

"Poinsettias are not highly toxic. While it is true that they are mildly irritating to the skin or stomach and may sometimes cause diarrhea and vomiting if eaten, an American Journal of Emergency Medicine study of 22,793 cases reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers showed no fatalities, and furthermore that a strong majority of poinsettia exposures are accidental, involve children, and usually do not result in any type of medical treatment.Additionally, Poinsettias are not highly toxic to cats. According to the ASPCA, poinsettias may cause light to mid-range gastrointestinal discomfort in felines, with diarrhea and vomiting as the most severe consequences of ingestion."

This is one that I have heard and I'm glad is a misconception! I like poinsettias around Christmas and now that I know they aren't deadly to my kitties I may need to get one next year!

On a side note, aren't those dehydrated sticks when you have to "fish" a PITA? Nothing like a well hydrated person with a great AC vein showing, or if all else fails, and EJ.

I am having that teacher fantasy about Jill again!!!!

The character Sherlock Holmes never used the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. The first use of the phrase was in the 1929 film "The Return of Sherlock Holmes."

Al

That's so interesting! On a similar pop-culture note, I heard that the term "Eewok" is never used in any of the Star Wars films.

I'm sure that a lot of people with cats have avoided getting them at Christmas. What a shame, they're such a pretty plant.

Rodney King never said... "Can't we all just get along?"....
His actual quotation, in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, was "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?"


Al