The Mullet says “Yo”
April 1, 2009
Ben Franklin established the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. The library still exists. Mr. Franklin’s first rule of leadership was “It’s easier to accomplish things if you don’t worry about who gets the credit.”
Windsor Castle in England is the largest occupied castle in the entire world. My daughter lives near, but not in, Windsor Castle. In what is likely a totally unrelated matter: the gestation period for a giraffe is approximately 457 days. That makes the investment in each offspring exceptional to the species because the average lifespan of a giraffe in the wild is only ten years.
In 1945 35 percent of the American work force were members of labor unions. In 2003 only 12.9 percent belonged to such organizations.
I need to become more aware of international situations. I was amazed to learn that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Bangladesh is larger than those of Switzerland or Ukraine. I would suppose that many takas (Bangladesh currency) are generated.
Speaking of currency, I wish to remind you that a likeness of President McKinley is on the American $500 bill. Not many of those are available to the public. When any of the bills are processed by a federal bank, they are removed from circulation. A similar situation exists for the rare $10,000 bill (Chase likeness on the front). However, even though none of the bills have been issued since 1969, records indicate that 346 of the $10,000 denomination are somewhere “in circulation.” I’ll check, but I am almost certain that I would have noticed one in my billfold.
The United States spends more of its GDP (13.9%) on health care than any other nation in the world. Germany ranks second with 10.8%.
Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) is the most prescribed drug in America. Speaking of health issues, stomach pain is listed as the most common reason folks visit Emergency Rooms in the United States. My cooking could be a factor here.
The world’s loudest insect is thought to be the African Cicada which can reach 106 decibel levels with little effort. A really loud car horn will register 110 decibels, jet engines 115-120, angry spouse 132-140. I made up that last stat.
The title of world’s largest bay seems to be somewhat controversial. If one uses total miles of coastline, Hudson Bay is the champ. However, it is the Bay of Bengal that has the largest water surface area.
Well, if you stay at Windsor, tell all the royalty therein that the Mullet says “Yo” and – have a marvelous week.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
Blonde humor
FIRST DEGREE – A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning. The very blonde wife picked up the phone, listened a moment and said “How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!” and hung up. The husband said, “Who was that?” The wife answered, “I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear.”
SECOND DEGREE – Two blondes are walking down the street. One notices a compact on the sidewalk and leans down to pick it up. She opens it, looks in the mirror and says, “Hmm, this person looks familiar.”
The second blonde says, “Here, let me see!”
So, the first blonde hands her the compact.
The second blonde looks in the mirror and says, “You dummy, it's me!”
THIRD DEGREE – A blonde suspects her boyfriend of cheating on her, so she goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and when she opens the door she finds him in the arms of a redhead. Well, the blonde is really angry. She opens her purse to take out the gun, and as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.
The boyfriend yells, “No, honey, don't do it!!!”
The blonde replies, “Shut up, you're next!”
FOURTH DEGREE – A blonde was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals. She proudly says, “Go ahead, ask me, ... I know 'em all.”
A friend says, “OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin?”
The blonde replies, “Oh, that's easy. It's W....”
FIFTH DEGREE:
Q: What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
A: “Is it mine?”
SIXTH DEGREE – Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA Freshman, sat in her U.S. Government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was about.
Bambi pondered the question; then, finally, said, “That was the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware ”
SEVENTH DEGREE – Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit, patrolling nearby, was the first to respond.
As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the steps. Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, “I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman!”