Weekend Open Thread

… a museum in Idaho has the world’s largest collection of vacuum cleaners? The Don Aslett Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, has what is believed to be the world’s largest collection of vacuum cleaners, with several hundred in hand. The oldest is a Daniel Hess Carpet Sweeper from 1860. (A pretty clean place to visit, I would say.)

… you may have committed cryptomnesia? If you’re concerned, don’t be, because I’ve done it myself. Cryptomnesia is the condition of thinking you have come up with something original, such as a joke or an idea, when in reality it was something you’d seen or heard before and forgotten. (You might say I was suffering from it when I started this trivia column. You might say it but I hope you don’t.)

… the oldest parking sign comes from about 700 BC? In Ninevah, the capital of ancient Assyria, signs were posted near the main road into the city reading, “Royal Road – Let No Man Decrease It.” The signs were put up by Sennacherib (704 BC-681 BC), king of the Assyrians. Violation of the sign was serious business, too – those who were guilty would be killed, then impaled in front of their own homes. (When they said, “No parking,” they meant no parking!)

… red pandas and giant pandas are not biologically related to each other? Both share the same habitat and diet, but the red panda is actually part of the raccoon family, while the giant panda has no living relatives. Some scientists say the giant panda should belong to its own family group.

… a naval confrontation between American and German sailors claimed more than a hundred lives, despite no shots being fired? In 1889, American naval forces in the Samoan Islands of the Pacific Ocean were lined up against German naval forces in a tense game of brinksmanship called the Samoan Crisis. While neither side fired a shot at the other, both sides were clobbered by a typhoon that hit the area on March 16, 1889. More than 100 German sailors died and about 60 American sailors joined them, because neither side would move its fleet to safety and allow the other to occupy the area. (That stubborn military pride, don’tcha know.)

… Wile E. Coyote actually caught the Road Runner in one cartoon? In 1980, Warner Brothers animators released a cartoon called Soup or Sonic, in which the Coyote actually catches his long-pursued prey without the Road Runner being able to get away. In the course of a chase, the Coyote pursues the bird through a series of progressively smaller pipes, causing both to shrink in size. (Look, it’s a cartoon, okay?) They run back through in the opposite direction, but while the Road Runner returns to full size, the Coyote stays tiny. At that point, the “giant” Road Runner stops and lets the tiny Coyote catch him … and, in true Merrie Melodies fashion, the Coyote turns toward the viewer and breaks the fourth wall, holding up two signs: “Okay, wise guys, you always wanted me to catch him” and “Now what do I do?” (Classic stuff.)

… the world’s oldest operating library is in Morocco? Founded in 859 AD, the Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, Morocco, was off limits to anyone but researchers who had to request access. In 2016, however, the library opened its doors to anyone wishing to see its ancient texts. Among those texts are a 9th Century edition of the Qu’ran. (Can you imagine the overdraft fees from when it opened to now?)

“A month after his divorce, around April 2017, Green “sent messages to at least 93 women, via text message and mobile applications, soliciting marriage in exchange for payment.”

“At the time, Green was a staff sergeant stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom as a member of the 48th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.”

“Green’s Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, was calculated on him being stationed overseas, with the rate taking into account his spouse’s location as well. However, he would lose out on certain benefits following his divorce.”

“Green sent out messages in which he “explained to these women that he wanted to marry them in order to increase the amount of money the DoD would pay him in allowances and that he would share a portion of these payments with his new spouse.”

“Federal officials included one alleged exchange between Green and an unnamed person “on or about” April 24, 2017, in the documents.”

“Hello I have an offer if your [sic] interested where I’d be paying you every month, similar to me being your sugar daddy however no sex involved,” the documents detailed Green as writing.”

“He went on to lay out specifically what the arrangement would be, the documents state.”

“Btw I find you to be extremely gorgeous,” court documents accuse Green of writing. “So basically I would get paid extra from my job by having a spouse/dependent which in return I’d be paying you 500 every month for the next 4 years or however long we agree if your [sic] interested. And no I’m not expecting you to live with me or do any favors, just a title as a wife.”

Not going to argue against the scriptures, but I think that power is at least a close 2nd.

Stolen. And forwarded to others whose humor may be questionable.

And with all that in mind, here’s my thought of the day:

“The difference between humans and animals is that the animals would never allow the dumbest of the herd to lead them.” / s