Weekend Open Thread

This one always makes me giggle

… you have ancient DNA inside of you? Worse than that, it isn’t even human DNA. Researchers tell us that about 8% of our DNA is made of ancient viruses that have allowed our bodies to have automatic protection or even immunity from some illnesses. Most of those viruses died out a long, long time ago, but the remnants – called endogenous retroviruses – still play a role in preventing or even causing some diseases. (Hey, whatever works!)

… a fad designed to help promote safe driving may have caused more problems than it solved? Back in the 1980s, drivers began placing “Baby on Board” signs on their vehicles, ostensibly to let people know that there was (of all things) a baby in the car. But one out of every 20 drivers said the signs obscured their vision and even caused accidents. (You know what they say about “good intentions,” don’t you?)

… the word “verb” is actually a noun? (English is so confusing.)

… the longest recorded year in human history was 46 BC? First, of course, a reality check – the length of a year is something fixed at a level far, far above humanity. But as we maintain records of such things, the year 46 BC ended up lasting 445 days. The reason? The calendar being used by the Romans changed. Prior to that year, the Roman calendar was based on cycles of the Moon. Roman dictator Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC) realized that the lunar and solar years had gotten way off track, and he extended the year 46 BC until they were again synchronized, which took a total of 445 days. The Julian calendar became the standard in Rome and elsewhere until the 16th Century, when the Gregorian calendar (which we now use) was implemented to correct an 11-day error that had developed since Caesar’s calendar was introduced. (I always wondered what photos Roman calendars had on them.)

… the first ruler to put his or her face on a coin was a Persian? Tissaphernes (445 BC-395 BC), a ruler of Lydia, part of Persia, was the first to have his own likeness stamped into a coin. Other rulers throughout Persia followed suit. Additional trivia note: The first Greek ruler to use his own face on coins was Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC). Prior to his rule, Greek coins bore the faces of gods or goddesses. (Bonus points if you can pronounce “Tissaphernes.”)

… the Hollywood Walk of Fame has stars devoted to 17 fictional characters? Among the many stars of movies, television, radio, and recordings who are honored on the Walk of Fame you will find, in chronological order of dedication: Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Snow White, Woody Woodpecker, Big Bird, The Simpsons, the Rugrats, Kermit the Frog, Godzilla, Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh, the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Tinker Bell, the Muppets, Snoopy, and Minnie Mouse. (And yet, I can’t get one.)

… red-haired people require more anesthesia to be knocked out? Compared to people with other colors of hair, gingers need twenty percent more anesthesia to reach unconsciousness. (Stubborn, aren’t they?)

… it is illegal in Urbana, Illinois, for a monster to enter the city’s corporate limits? (Why would they want to?)

Now … you know!

I grew up thinking that casserole was my grandma’s recipe. And then I saw it on the Durkee’s onion can. My childhood was based on lies.

Pretty sure that Green Bean Casserole was whipped up in the Campbell’s research laboratory in Cinnaminson New Jersey, just up Route 130 from Camden. Cinnaminson also claims local celebrity Larry Ferrarri, who was an organ player much like Liberace, if you know what hack means, and George “Spanky McFarland, who lived there briefly while working at the RCA Facility in Moorestown New Jersey.

I have recused myself from judgment of typos, unless it can be made punny.

I’ll cut you some slack, this time. That stuff will ease the pain, for awhile. Hope tomorrow is an easier day for you.