Did you know:

1. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, squash and avocado, are all fruits we use as vegetables.

2. Rhubarb is the only vegetable we use as a fruit.

3. White asparagus is just green asparagus that’s been gown underground.

4. There is no such thing as a naturally blue food. Blueberries are actually purple.

5. Mace and nutmeg come from the same berry.

6. Vanilla is a fermented bean.

7. Saffron is so expensive because it is the stamen of a flower and each one has to be picked by hand.

8. Cinnamon is the bark of a tree.

9. The two most expensive spices after saffron, are vanilla and cardamom.

10. The fur of a polar bear is clear, not white.

11. There are two mammals on the planet that lay eggs: The platypus and the echidna.

12. Cranes and other birds often mate for life.

13. Chimpanzees ‘fish’ for insects with long twigs.

14. Flamingoes are pink because of their diet.

15. Male seahorses are the ones that give birth.

16. Black belt has ten levels. First level is just competence in the basics.

I’m interested in food and animals, apparently. ^_^

Did you know... reindeer float? Their coats are composed of two layers, one of which is hollow hairs which serve two purposes: insulation and buoyancy. The insulation comes in handy because reindeer habitat is in the far north where it's cold much or all of the year. When they migrate, some stretches of their migration path require swimming distances of several thousand miles.

While this is technically not one of my history posts, and is quite short, I think you’ll like it. So, shortly after Christopher Columbus (“didn't discover America first, bad man, died of syphilis. R.I.P. PSYCH!” Credit for this quote goes to my history teacher from a few years ago) returned from the New World in the late 1400s, a wave of amateur explorers sought to appeal for funding to explore the New World and other nations already known to Europe but difficult to reach. One such explorer was Sir. Walter Raleigh.

He sought funding from Queen Elizabeth I, of England, sometime in the 1500s to visit the New World. However, the queen must have wanted Walter to prove his wit to her, because they agreed that if he could measure the weight of smoke, he would be allowed the funding he needed to complete his voyage.

Walter was to perform the experiment in front of others, potentially Elizabeth herself, so that it was clear that he was not fabricating his results. Believe it or not, after a few hours, Walter had secured the funding he needed to go to the Americas. So how did he do it?

He had a simple weighing balance brought to him, and he placed one cigar on each side (some sources say that these were actually pipes). He observed that the balance was equal, the weight being the same on both sides. Then, he lit one of the cigars, careful not to allow any of the ashes to fall off of the balance plate. When the cigar had burned all the way, and only a pile of ashes were left, the cigar that had not been ignited was now far heavier. The difference in the weight, Walter reasoned, was the weight of smoke.

This may have worked out well at the time, but needless to say, that was a very inaccurate measurement of the weight of smoke. Today, scientists can utilize highly-sensitive scales and balances to measure the pressure and weight of air and gasses. Additionally, smoke is a product of little particles of ash being forced into the air (by heat, which rises) along with carbon dioxide gas. To weigh smoke would not weigh the floating ash and the carbon dioxide, but only the carbon dioxide (as, each plume of smoke will presumably carry with it any random number of specks of ash).

(I read about this a few years ago in a book written by the "Society of Useless Information." As far as I know, they are just about as important to society as the things they write about, but, I like them anyway).

#nonfiction

Did you know that drinking whole milk while eating cookies provides helpful fat that prevents your glucose from spiking as you consume your sugary treat? That's why you should have them together. Or a non-lactose fat equivalent.

Also, people who get a good eight hours of sleep in after trying to eat healthy / workout at least three times a week tend to lose 50% more weight than folks doing the same but skating by on a five to six hour sleep schedule.

So maybe nap after those cookies. Self care shouldn't end after kindergarten.

One of my favorite Titanic facts is that a Japanese man was among those that survived the sinking of the Titanic, and when he got back to his home, he was disowned because he did not die with the rest of the passengers. According to Wikipedia (so, do your own research), Masabumi Hosono had lost his job and been ostracized by newspaper publications for living (perhaps because of the women and children first thing?). However, he was rehired by his job at the Ministry since he was too valuable to lose, though his family still has the shame of the ordeal. His grandson, Haruomi Hasani, who is a lead singer of the Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra, said he was happy to finally tell the story (as it had been lost in the past) because it was starting to air the bad laundry of what happened before.

Did you know that two of the three ships in my profile picture sunk early into the career?

***

The three ships on my profile picture are the Olympic-class liners, commisioned by the White Star Line to join the four-funneled ships built that day (their fourth funnel was fake, though). They are, in chronological order: R.M.S. Olympic, R.M.S Titanic, and H.M.H.S. Britannic. Though they never met together, as the R.M.S. Titanic sank long before H.M.H.S. Britannic sailed, here are the three ships side-by-side.

***

The Titanic's fate is very popular, and it is depicted in many books and movies. However, to identify the second ship in the question earlier, here are the fates of the two other ships.

-The R.M.S. Olympic served as a troopship during WW1, earning the nickname "Old Reliable". 24 years after she set sail, during the Great Depression, she was scrapped. There is even a picture of her together with one of her former rivals, the R.M.S. Mauretania at the scrapyard.

-The H.M.H.S. Britannic sank barely a year after she set sail after a loud explosion in the Kea Channel. Compared to her sister's overwhelming casualties, 30 of the 1,065 passengers lost their lives at the sinking. She was the largest ship lost during WW1 and was compensated by Germany's S.S. Bismarck, becoming the R.M.S. Majestic.

***

And there you go. Now, we can only imagine them together, sailing as sisters. Sailing as they had always been from the start.

Did you ALSO know...

the best sleep aid remedy is a banana? and nonhabit forming. its so good for you, you can have more than one a day? yes, bananas are loaded with potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and so much more. this favorite fruit is good to eat several times a day. and the best time is bedtime. yes if you are having trouble sleeping, and insomnia has found you, you’re tossing and turning, can’t sleep, too many thoughts going through your head.

try eating a banana, then stop don’t throw that banana peel away. no, boil the banana peel in two cups of water for five minutes. then drink it. you may add ingredients, such as honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, any of your favorite spices. but it is not necessary. please give yourself at least 10 hours of sleep time. you will sleep!!! it is the best natural home remedy! it’s easy, simple, safe, nonaddicting, and super inexpensive! the doctors want you to buy their habit-forming EXPENSIVE drugs, so you keep going back for more!

if you give this old forgotten secret a try let me know how it works for you. so far, everyone, i have shared this “really?!? ” information with says it WORKS!

Athena

Did you know that the reason why we feel the need to squeeze cute things is because we don't know how to react to them?

Apparently this is called "cute aggression"- a response in the brain overwhelmed by the wonderful fluffy or adorable feelings we get when we see something we consider cute. Because our brain literally can't handle this overload, we try to sedate ourselves by squeezing or biting the thing in question.

Some even suggest this is because we want to rid our brain of the percieved stress. We just can't seem to "get a grip" of our emotions when it comes to small floofies.

Did you know that several of the foods we use every day are the product of selective breeding, and did not exist the way we know them as few as one hundred years ago? Take carrots, watermelons, and bananas for example.

When you think of a carrot, you may think of an animated bunny, or the rumors that they help with eyesight, but what do you truly know about them? Well, one hundred years ago the iconic orange carrot available in your local supermarket did not exist. Orange carrots are the result of selective breeding with the intent of producing a uniform product. Carrots were originally white or purple and often had more than one root.

Watermelons originated in Africa. They were named, and prized, for their high water content. They contain an enzyme which fortifies your body against heat stroke, and they used to taste horrible! The juicy and sweet watermelon flavor you have come to love is also the result of selective breeding.

Bananas are also a genetic variant of a recent ancestor plant. The strain that was commonly available sixty years ago went extinct, it was also the banana that was the basis for the artificial flavoring. Artificial banana flavoring still tastes like a banana, just not one you can buy today!

What food is next?