Today's Trivia

Why do clocks run Clockwise?
Mechanical clocks were invented in the northern hemisphere by inventors who were trying to make models of the sun's movement in the sky.

To watch the sun from the northern hemisphere, you have to face south. Then the sun will rise on your left and pass over your head to set on your right. Since the hour hand on the clock was made to follow the sun's motion through the sky, it moves from left to right over the top of the clock - clockwise. The hands are actually modeled after the shadow on a sundial.

PORTRAIT OF A TONGUE

My name is TONGUE, and unlike many who loiter and idle and meddle in other people’s business, I do what I'm supposed to: taste.
And not only am I smart; I personify one of the senses.

Now, although the GOOD BOOK warns about me, I am taken for granted. And nobody likes to be taken for granted. Do you?
So, I basically serve a greater purpose—which I do almost non-stop and without discrimination. You could say I am passionate about it. I LOVE TO TALK--bad talk.

I am CREATIVE and SKILLFUL too. I can twist a story and sell it before you could blink, and I could praise you with one side and with the other side, call down the worst evil upon you.

I am clever too; you may see the bad seeds that I spread, but you can’t always find my root.

And I am very RESPONSIBLE. I am responsible for driving people to insanity and despair, and once in a while to the grave.

I am extremely HARDWORKING. Hardly a second goes by when I’m not flapping, because I just never seem to run out of resources.

I am not partial; I strike anyone—from womb to tomb, sperm to worm, from lust to dust, from conception to corruption (pick your choice).
I am loyal to no one. I am ruthless. I cannot be tamed.

I stop at nothing; the sky poses no limit, because I could spread a lie and swear by heaven that I didn’t.

I betray confidence and divulge confidential matters, even when I know I could defame a reputation, endanger a life.

My best friends are name-calling, fault-finder, rumor, gossip, backbite, and slander, and my cousins are a host of LIES—little big lies, big lies, white lies.

And my favorite long-time friend is the telephone. We are like peas in a pod, bench and buttock, tongue and tooth. We can go for hours at an end. We might even spend a night together, taking tales from one victim to the other, and, if circumstances allow, we continue into the next day.

My favorite scenes are unrest, misery, disunity, and disorder; I have a vehement dislike for peace, happiness and order.

I cause agitation, oppression, depression.
I can strike at anytime, without warning, thoughtfulness, or reason.

I break up marriages, families, communities, and if you let me I could bring a nation down.

With one word, I can break a heart, a mind, a spirit and put it in much tribulation.

And the best part is that no one can do anything much to me, because I have billions of brothers and sisters, and I’ll tell on you. They’re worse than I am and will probably beat you down, down to hopelessness and despair.

But since you’ve read this, I’ll let you in on a secret: Just like Samson, the strongest man was taken down by sharing his secret with his wife; I’ll let you in on mine: The only thing that can really stop me is a DEAF ear.
--Glasceta Honeyghan

TODAY'S TRIVIA

WHY DO WE CRY TEARS
Tears flow from our eyes when we cry because they contain chemicals and hormones produced by our bodies.

When we become upset, our brains and bodies overreact and work overtime by producing chemicals and hormones.

Crying helps eliminate these extra chemicals that we don't need.
The chemicals and hormones disappear from our body through the form of tears. As our tears flow, they sooth our sadness or distress by withdrawing these chemical agents.

That is why many people feel calmer or more refreshed after crying--because the tears get rid of these hormones that are produced when we are sad, happy, or distressed.

TODAY'S TRIVIA

What makes people sneeze?

Sneezing usually occurs when the nerve endings of the mucous membrane of the nose are irritated, due to a swelling of the membrane, for example when we have a cold, or when some foreign body, such as a gnat, invades our nose, or when allergy and pollen season strike.


Surprisingly enough, sneezing can be brought on (or out!) when the optic nerves in our eyes are exposed to bright light!

For whatever reason, the membrane is irritated, sneezing is a reflex act, completely beyond our control, by which the nose trumpets out air in an attempt to eject (and project!) the irritating bodies. Sometimes, however, this is accomplished only through multiple sneezes.

Medical science dispelled ancient beliefs concerning the out-of-control sneeze, and snuffed out superstitions in the process. Primitive people held the belief that a sneeze signified approaching death, and immediately assisted the distressed person by crying out "God help you!" Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, saw the sneeze as an omen of approaching danger, or, on a more positive note, as a way of foretelling the future. Lucky ones sneezed to the right, while unlucky ones sneezed to the left. The moral of the story is to know your right from your left, and to sneeze in that direction, regardless of who is next to you!

Biblically speaking, sneezing meant a certain death, until Jacob nosed in and made a deal with God, whereby a prayer per sneeze cheated the grim reaper. Pope Gregory the Great, in response to the sixth century plague in Italy, carved out his place in history as being the one responsible for insisting that prayers, such as "God bless you!," be said in response to the deadly sneeze. He did not, however, order that tissues be kept close at hand to snare the airborne germs spewed forth by the sneeze.

TODAY'S TRIVIA

Why do we laugh?

The reasons we laugh, including "contagious" laughter, may be products of evolution.
Natural laughter is a two-part, spontaneous, response to humor, that has physiological, psychological, and physical benefits.
Most agree that we laugh when we find something to be humorous, yet different reasons exist for what we find to be humorous. Additionally, different things are humorous to us at different stages of life.

Laughter, a physiological response to humor, can be broken down into two parts.
The first is a set of gestures, and the second is the production of sound. The brain forces to conduct both responses simultaneously. From a physiological standpoint, a "sensor" in the brain responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generate more laughter.

Oddly enough, laughter is an orderly response, and almost occurs "spontaneously" during pauses at the end of phrases, earning it the name the punctuation effect. Human beings are the only species capable of laughter, and the average adult does so approximately 17 times per day.

Good health is one of the many benefits of laughter. Laughter reduces our stress levels by reducing the level of stress hormones, and also helps us cope with serious illnesses.
Physiologically, laughter promotes healing, by lowering the blood pressure, and by increasing the vascular blood flow and the oxygenation of the blood.

Physical fitness stemming from laughter is a benefit known to few. Scientists estimate that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 10-minute workout on a rowing machine, or to 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike. The mere act of laughing exercises the diaphragm, as well as the abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.

Another benefit of laughter is that it improves our over-all mental health. Pent up negative emotions, such as anger, fear, and sadness, can cause biochemical changes in our bodies that can produce a harmful effect.
Laughter provides a harmless outlet for these negative emotions, and provides a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult or stressful situations

DIGGING A HOLE

Two brothers once decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of other boys stopped by to watch.

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors. "We're going to dig a hole all the way through the earth!", one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The other boys began to laugh, telling the brothers that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders and worms and insects and interesting stones. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors. Then he said confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"

Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for - to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavor will be completed. Not every dream will be realized. But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!"

It is in the digging that life is lived. And it is the joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters!

--Author Unknown

TODAY'S QUOTE

" Our eyes were put in the front of our heads,
so we look to where we are going not to where we have been. "

Author Unknown