These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tuesday Trivia, As Promised!!

All About Us Here in America....


The average American spends 120 hours a month watching television, the equivalent of five complete days in front of the TV.
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The average home size in the United States is now 2,200 square feet, up from 1,400 square feet in 1970, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
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Average household or individual debt (or both) is about $9,300 per household holding at least one credit card.
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The total consumer debt, including home mortgages, exceeds the cumulative U.S. national debt.
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Five billion credit card solicitations are mailed each year nationwide.
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Most Americans think that it takes about $40,000 annually to adequately house, clothe and feed a family of four.
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About half of American households own stock either directly or through a mutual fund. However, over 86 percent of the value of all stocks and mutual funds, including pensions, was held by the top 10 percent of households. In 1998, the top 1 percent of Americans owned 47.7 percent of all stock, while the bottom 80 percent owned 4.1 percent.


All About CRITTERS..........

The cane toads that are invading Queensland, Australia, were introduced by man to control beetles that were destroying sugarcane crops. One hundred Hawaiian toads were introduced to Brisbane in 1935. They grew to over 60,000 in just 6 months and have decimated Australian wildlife by eating snakes and mice. Ironically, these toads never took a liking to beetles.
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Spiders build webs from the edge toward the center, laying down a spiral of sticky threads produced by six glands beneath their abdomens. Spider silk is made of protein that hardens after it squirts out of the glands.
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It is very likely that dinosaurs cracked their tails like whips. Based on the computer modeling of Nathan Wyhrvold, the chief technology officer of microsoft, the Apatosaurus, which weighed 3200 lbs, may have been able to crack its 41 ft tail. The crack would have been about 200 decibels, with 2000 times the energy of a modern bullwhip.
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Hummingbirds live an average of 5 years. They are hatched from eggs that are so small that a penny would cover three of them. Hummingbirds are usually hatched in pairs in nests that average 1.5 inches in diameter.
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Sheep are mentioned 45 times and goats 88 times in the Bible. Dogs are mentioned 14 times and lions 89 times, but domestic cats are not mentioned.
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A snail has two pairs of tentacles on its head. One pair is longer than the other and houses the eyes. The shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling its way around.
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Opossums are immune to rattlesnake venom.
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Humans have 350 smell receptor genes. Mice have 1000.


All about Dolphins....

Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
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Dolphins eat an average of 66 pounds of fish a day.
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Dolphins are capable of diving as deep as 1,000 feet.
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The life expectancy of a Dolphin differs from region to region. For instance, in Sarasota Bay, the life expectancy of a Dolphin has been measured to be nearly 25 years. In the Indian/Banana River region, the life expectancy of a Dolphin has been calculated to be between 10 and 14 years.
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Dolphins have a relatively close relationship with their offspring with a long period of parental care through maturation. Dolphins are birthed like most mammals via the birth canal in the female abdomen. Generally there is only a single offspring.
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Bottlenose dolphins identify themselves with a signature whistle. The sounds vary in volume, wavelength, frequency, and pattern. A mother dolphin may whistle to her calf almost continuously for several days after giving birth. This acoustic imprinting helps the calf learn to identify its mother.



TA-DAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Now, don't you feel smarter????

:D

11 comments:

  1. Now that I've learned something for the day, can I go home and take a nap??
    *grin*

    Fun stuff.

    I wonder WHO thinks $40 is enough for a family of four? Sure isn't true for our part of the country!

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  2. Dakota, ABSOLUTELY!! Do you need me to send an excuse to your boss? :D

    Yeah, I thought about that, too. I suppose it is possible, but not probable that a family of 4 can live on $40,000. Even for me living in a rural area in a lower income area, I can't see it. Just me alone, I spent/lived on almost 3/4 of that last year. Keep in mind that I traveled, moved, had expenses on the new home (Not including down payment, etc.), had a house guest for almost 6 months, I eat out a couple times a month, etc. I don't live lavishly, but I don't go out of my way to be thrifty, either. I don't know how I could have had 2-3 other people here on that number!!

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  3. I always feel smarter when I come here...where do you find these things? And why I wonder do mice have more smell receptors than we do?? It certainly explains how they always find a teeny tiny crumb of food!!

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  4. I do! I do! I feel so much smarter. Thanks for the fun facts.

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  5. Sherry, why do mice have more? You answered it yourself ... so they can find those teeny tiny crumbs!!! I wonder sometimes how things actually smell to those creatures with greater sense of smell ... do they "smell louder"? :D And where do I get these facts? I "shop around" at several trivia sites and also subscribe to one. It's fun. I don't try to remember them, but I do enjoy reading them.

    Casey, I'm glad!!

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  6. I LOVE these facts!!! We Americans are really consumers, aren't we? We have tried consciously in our lives to not be so caught up in that stuff. It's not always easy, but we only use credit cards in emergencies and have maybe $500 on them at any given time.

    And I love dolphins. They eat a lot of fish!! :-)

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  7. Cheryl, I think we are the consummate consumers!! LOL!!

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  8. Yes I always feel smarter after reading your trivia!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!