What is the origin of the word "magazine"?

Search: magazine etymology

Why: In The City of Falling Angels, someone tells author John Berendt:

I went to the magazzino, and there they were: big stacks of papers wrapped in sheets of clear plastic.

It's a storage place. And, you know, guns have magazines.

Answer: It's like a warehouse!

• Arabic makhazin or makhzankhazana, "to store up"
• Italian magazzino, "storehouse"
• French magasin, "warehouse, depot, store"
  
• 1580s - "place for storing goods, especially military ammunition"

Or storing information, mirite?

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: The first use of the word meaning "periodical journal" dates from The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in London in 1731. Look at this funny thing.

Article I. Authentic narrative of the cafe of a lady who was lately violently forced from her apartments by ruffians, with an intent to transport or murder her
VII. Imaginary tour thro' cometary orbits.
X. Origins of the custom of burning the dead.
XII. Dramatic story of the Orphan of China.
XVI. Prudence, its influence on the conduct of life.

What happened to the Orphan of China!

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Was Shannen Doherty ever on "Little House on the Prairie"?

Search: shannen doherty

Why: Well, it's on my TV. This episode features an orangutan named Blanche.

Answer: Yes! For all of Season 9 (the last season - also called "Little House on the Prairie: A New Beginning" and not starring Michael Landon). She played Jenny Wilder, daughter of Royal Wilder, brother of Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm not sure she was real.

I just read this in a blog comment:

Interesting revelation in Melissa Gilbert’s book that Shannen had a one night stand with Melissa’s then-husband, Bo Brinkman.

At the Emmy tribute to Michael Landon, Melissa walked past Shannen at the side of the stage. Shannen tried to give her a hug and Melissa confronted her with, “I know what you did with my husband.”

She says Shannen sneered back, “I told you I wanted to be just like you.”

Count it!

Source: IMDb, The Ingalls Are Better than You

The More You Know: Speaking of people who were famous in the early 90s, I think you should feast your eyes on this. How many teen celebz can you count? I see at least 5.

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Can cooking in cast iron add iron to your diet?

Search: cooking cast iron deficiency

Why: Spotted on Facebook:

I get pretty anemic, but that sounds totally dumb.

Answer: Yes! What! According to the Health Services Center at Columbia:

Researchers have found that cooking in an iron skillet greatly increases the iron content of many foods. Acidic foods that have a higher moisture content, such as applesauce and spaghetti sauce, absorb the most iron. One study published found that the iron content in 100 grams of spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6 mg to 5.7 mg after being cooked in a cast iron pot. Other factors that boost the iron content of foods include longer cooking time, frequent stirring, and using a newer iron skillet.

But not always:

Not all foods benefit from cooking in an iron skillet. For example, hamburger, corn tortillas, cornbread, and liver with onions didn't absorb as much iron. This was probably due to the shorter cooking times, and the fact that they were either turned once or not at all, resulting in less contact with the iron.

In fact, here's a chart:

Source: Go Ask Alice!, Pyro-Energen, Vegan Health

The More You Know: Did someone say "rancid"?

Iron pots and deep-frying don't mix. Iron can oxidize fats, causing the cooking oil to become rancid. If you want to deep-fry foods, stick with an aluminum or stainless steel pot, or better yet, try a healthier cooking method that still packs a lot of flavor like roasting, grilling, or using a marinade.

Who's hungry?

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What's the origin of the word "ridiculous"?

Search: ridiculous etymology

Why: I saw 2 different people write "rediculous" today (and I judged them for it).

Answer: It comes from the Latin word ridere, "to laugh." Well, that's simple.

Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know:

Come on.

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What's the song in that Saab 9-5 commercial?

Search: new saab commercial; "i've got stories for the road;" "i got stories for the road;" "a piano shooting arrows"

Why: Just saw it during "Tosh 2.0." This one:

Answer: It's "New Way" by Ana Diaz! It's available on iTunes here.

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: Lyrics go like:

I've got secrets, kept my own
A piano shooting arrows like a bow
And I've got stories for the road
I've got stories I can tell that you don't know
We'll light up the sky
With [strangers?] and hearts
And I wanna go a new way

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I want to hear the song "Flying Robert"

Search: shockheaded peter youtube flying robert

Why: On Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Dwight starts to read to the kids from Struwwelpeter. We saw the musical of Shockheaded Peter in London. The band was super weird, but I liked one song.

Answer: Oh, this is something. The band is The Tiger Lillies.

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: These are cautionary tales for kids.

1. Shockheaded Peter - A boy does not groom himself properly and is consequently unpopular.
   
2. The Story of Cruel Frederick – A violent boy terrorizes animals and people. Eventually he is bitten by a dog, who goes on to eat the boy's sausages while he is bedridden.
3. The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches – A girl plays with matches and burns to death.
4. The Story of the Inky Boys – Saint Nicholas catches 3 boys teasing a dark-skinned boy. To teach them a lesson, he dips the 3 boys in black ink, to make them even darker-skinned than the boy they'd teased.
5. The Story of the Wild Huntsman - A hare steals a hunter's rifle and eyeglasses and begins to hunt the hunter. In the ensuing chaos the hare's child is burned by hot coffee.
6. The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb – A mother warns her son not to suck his thumbs. When she goes out of the house, he resumes his thumbsucking until a roving tailor appears and cuts off his thumbs with giant scissors.
7. The Story of Kaspar Who Did Not Have Any Soup – Kaspar, a healthy, strong boy, proclaims that he will no longer eat his soup. Over the next 5 days he wastes away and dies.
8. The Story of Fidgety Philip - A boy who won't sit still at dinner accidentally knocks all of the food onto the floor, to his parents' great displeasure.
9. The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air - A boy habitually fails to watch where he's walking. One day he walks into a river; he is soon rescued, but his portfolio drifts away.
10. The Story of Flying Robert - A boy goes outside during a storm. The wind catches his umbrella and sends him to places unknown and presumably to his doom.

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What are the W and D in WD-40?

Search: wd 40

Why: Editing an article about removing melted plastic from a stove top. The mind drifts.

Answer: Water Displacement!

In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out.

40, y'all. They recently released these old-skool-style cans to celebrate being old.

There is a Snopes about this, but I already told you what it says, so don't worry about it.

Source: WD40.com

The More You Know: Some facts:

• Police officers used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent.
• A bus driver in Asia used WD-40 to remove a python that had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus.
• Crayola recommends using WD-40 to remove crayon marks from a variety of surfaces.
• "You only need two tools in life: duct tape and WD-40. If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, duct tape it. If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it."

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I want to see pictures of Al Capone's car

Search: al capone car

Why: According to "16 Things You Didn't Know About Automobiles" (by the guy from The Oatmeal [or The Oatmeal himself; I'm not sure if that's the name of his site or himself]):

When Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion, his armor-plated limo was seized by the Treasury Department. The day after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt rode that same limo to Congress to read his declaration of war.

Answer: The 1928 341A Cadillac Town Sedan was green with black fenders - just like the ones driven by Chicago police and officials, wink. Lookin fancy!

It had 3,000 pounds of bullet-proof armor beneath the standard body. Its windshield and windows were made of recently developed inch thick bullet proof glass. The car also had flashing red lights behind the grille and a real police siren. It is also believed to have been the first private car with a police band receiver.

What a scamp.

Roosevelt used Capone’s car until 1942, when Ford armored a 1939 Lincoln convertible limousine the president nicknamed the “Sunshine Special.”

FDR had a snappy response when someone told him where his new car came from: “I hope Mr. Capone won’t mind.”

Source: Associated Content, American Gangster, Federal Times blog

The More You Know: Something else about automobiles:

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What is "Virginia Is for Lovers" supposed to mean?

Search: virginia is for lovers origin

Why: There was a "Freaks and Geeks" marathon on IFC yesterday, and Neal had a "Virginia Is for Lovers" towel.

Answer: Virginia is for lovers of things in Virginia!

A $100-a-week copywriter came up with an advertising concept that read, "Virginia is for history lovers." For a beach-oriented ad, the headline would have read, "Virginia is for beach lovers"; for a mountains ad, "Virginia is for mountain lovers," and so on. Martin thought the approach might be too limiting, and the agency dropped the modifier and made it simply "Virginia is for Lovers." The first ad mentioning the new slogan ran in the March 1969 issue of "Modern Bride."

Source: Virginia.org

The More You Know: One thing it is not supposed to mean:

Contrary to what some may think, the slogan is not a coy reference to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court civil rights case Loving v. Virginia decided on June 12, 1967. That case overturned Virginia's anti-miscegenation law, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 and thus legalized inter-racial marriages in Virginia. Richard and Mildred Loving were previously sentenced under Virginia Code for marriage between a white and non-white person.

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How did Woody Harrelson's dad get caught?

Search: Charles Harrison

Why: Last night during a "Cheers"-a-thon, I was wondering how Woody (whose real name is Woodrow, btw) got so lucky as to play a character named Woody.

Then I read this:

In 1979, in San Antonio, Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. was shot and killed by rifle fire. Harrelson's father, who was a freelance contract killer, was arrested for the killing. He was convicted and eventually died during his life sentence in maximum security prison.

I kind of remember that, but still, wtf.

Answer: An anonymous tip!

Harrelson was convicted of killing Wood in the parking lot outside of Wood's San Antonio townhouse after being hired by drug dealer Jamiel Chagra. Wood — nicknamed "Maximum John" because of his reputation for handing down long sentences for drug offenses — was originally scheduled to have Chagra appear before him on the day of his murder, but the trial had been delayed.

Harrelson was apprehended with the aid of an anonymous tip and a tape recording of a conversation that occurred during a visit from Joe Chagra to his brother Jamiel Chagra in prison. Harrelson claimed at trial that he did not kill Judge Wood, but merely took credit for it so he could claim a large payment from Chagra.

Harrelson was eventually convicted based largely on Chagra's conversation with his brother from prison. Both Harrelson and Joe Chagra were implicated in the assassination. Harrelson was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Chagra received a 10-year sentence.

That murder happened May 29, 1979. Before that, Harrelson had been in prison before that for another 1968 murder, sentenced to 15 years in 1973, and released on parole in September 1978. So he made it 9 hot months before he was in prison again. What a professional! He died of natural causes (still in prison) in 2007.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know:

These pictures are from a site about the organized crime involved with the assassination of JFK, because:

Harrelson mentioned in an early confession to the Wood murder that he shot President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963. He then later denied his role in the shooting of the President, for which no connection was ever found.

Conspiracy theorists have labeled him as one of the "Three Tramps" hiding in a box car on the railroad tracks behind Dealey Plaza just after the shooting. Harrelson at various times before his death both denied and boasted about his role as one of the tramps.

In 1982, Harrelson told a Dallas TV station, "Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald killed President Kennedy, alone, without any aid from a rogue agency of the US government or at least a portion of that agency? I believe you are very naïve if you do."

What a jerk.

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What is drawn butter?

Search: drawn butter

Why: In the Lemondrop article "Let Them Eat (Wedding Cake) - Why Prop 8 Made Me Believe in Love" by [Redacted] Guy:

My friend loves a wonderful man who loves him back. But they can't get married in Maine. Many opponents of same-sex marriage point to the Bible as the backbone of their argument. You know what else the Book of Leviticus says, Maine? It says eating shellfish is an abomination. Time to take off those lobster bibs and put down your pails of drawn butter.

I have probably eaten a lot of drawn butter in the many years since I told my parents I wanted lobster for dinner on my 3rd birthday, but I don't even know what it is.

Answer: It's a sauce! Duh. But Practically Edible wants to make it clear that drawn butter and Drawn Butter Sauce are two different things:

Drawn Butter Sauce is not the same as drawn butter (aka "clarified butter.") In fact, it doesn't even use drawn butter.

Some restaurants might appear to be confused now. Where you would have at one time been served Drawn Butter Sauce with your lobster, now you might be served just melted butter (not even "Drawn aka clarified Butter"), which they'll say is "Drawn Butter." It sounds pricier than melted butter, which, after all, could be just butter left out in a hot restaurant kitchen too long.

Anyway, it's made of this:

• Butter
• White flour
• Water
• Lemon
• Salt
  
• Pepper
• Maybe scallions or something
  

Or maybe Maine serves their lobster with clarified butter. Who can be sure? I only went there once to go outlet shopping, and since it was the off-season, we ended up at a shack that only served fried stuff.

Source: Practically Edible, Thirty Simple Sauces, Cookin' with Carolyn

The More You Know: The word butter comes from Latin butyrum, from the Greek boutyron meaning "cow-cheese" (bous "ox, cow" + tyros "cheese"). Mmm!

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Should I squeeze opened soda bottles to preserve the carbonation?

Search: squeeze bottles carbonation

Why: Mike's dad Mike was all, "MIKE! Are you the one who's been doing this to all the bottles?"

Daniel said Daddy Seymour did that to all his bottles one time, too.

Answer: No! It will actually make whatever is in it (probably club soda) go flat even faster.

The bottle will "want" to snap back to its original shape and create a mini-vacuum that "sucks" CO₂ out of the pop. Looked at another way, the CO₂ is going to come out of solution until the pressure equalizes, and since the pressure is starting out lower (i.e., the volume of trapped gas is smaller, which is the same thing in this case because the bottle will expand easily to its original volume), there is more "room" for the CO₂ to come out of solution.

Physics!

Source: Ask MetaFilter, Ask a Scientist

The More You Know: Apparently this is what you should do:

Most effective? Keep the bottle as cold as possible, pour your soda into a GLASS container when you drink it (plastic has all sorts of "nucleation sites", or imperfections off which bubbles seem to launch themselves, depleting your soda of precious CO2 rather rapidly).

You can also buy little pressurizer things (like Fizz Keepers) that may or may not actually do anything.

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How did Colonel Sanders get in the chicken business?

Search: young colonel sanders

Why: I'm really not sure. I have scribbled in my notebook "Young Colonel Sanders" right next to another note that says "hot as Hades." Who can be sure? But anyway, how did he go from being a colonel to being king of the chickens?

Answer: Well, for one thing, he wasn't a real colonel! ...I know! Pick your jaw up off the floor!

Turns out Harland Sanders (b. 1890) was a man of many trades, including a streetcar conductor, a steamboat operator, an insurance salesman, and a lawyer. But his father died when he was very young, and it was his job to cook for his younger siblings.

In 1930, Sanders was operating a service station in Corbin, KY, when the Great Depression hit, and he was forced to exchange fuel for chickens as local farmers literally had no money to pay for it. It was there that he began cooking for hungry travelers who stopped in for gas. He didn't have a restaurant yet, so patrons ate from his own dining table in the station's humble living quarters. It was then that he invented what's called "home meal replacement" - selling complete meals to busy, time-strapped families. He called it "Sunday Dinner, Seven Days a Week."

As Sanders' fame grew, Governor Ruby Laffoon made him a Kentucky Colonel in 1935 in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine. Within 4 years, his establishment was listed in Duncan Hines's "Adventures in Good Eating."

As more people started coming for the food, he moved across the street to increase his capacity. Over the next decade, he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique that is still used today.

Source: KFC.com, The Colonel's Kitchen

The More You Know: That Colonel's Kitchen link above has a story about Sanders's first wife, but also about how his stepfather used to beat him, which made him angry, bitter, and often violent. Look at this charmer! (second from the right there):

Colonel Sanders died in 1980 of leukemia.

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I want to see a floorplan of The Office

Search: the office layout

Why: I just noticed that Oscar isn't sitting with his back directly to Phyllis and Stanley like I thought. I know Angela sometimes looks over the little reception wall at Pam, but I assumed she was just at the copy machine or something.

Answer: Well, my life has just turned upside down.

Source: FanPop

The More You Know: I also thought the Break Room was just off of that door by Oscar (which I thought was right next to the door to the Kitchen). Also, wtf is that ??? room? Is that where Jim sat when he was co-Regional Manner? Am I the only person who still watches this show? Or who doesn't care that it's no longer cutting-edge? I don't even know what to think anymore.

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What even are patron saints?

Search: patron saints history

Why: According to this Bacon Bits fact sheet Chandler sent:

Saint Anthony the Abbot (aka Saint Anthony the Great) is the patron saint of pigs, swine herders, and butchers. As such, he has been dubbed "The Patron Saint of Bacon." He is also the patron saint of epilepsy, amputees, shingles, gravediggers, hermits, lost items, and Canas, Brazil.

Answer: They are intercessors! According to Catholics:

Seeking the intercession of a patron saint does not mean that one cannot approach God directly in prayer; rather, it's like asking a friend to pray for you to God, while you also pray—except, in this case, the friend is already in Heaven.

I don't really want to summarize all this stuff, so here is how it all started:

• The practice of adopting patron saints goes back to the building of the first public churches in the Roman Empire, most of which were built over the graves of martyrs. The churches were then given the name of the martyr, and the martyr was expected to act as an intercessor for those who worshiped there. They soon began to dedicate churches to other holy men and women—saints—who were not martyrs. Today, they still place some relic of a saint inside the altar of each church and then dedicate that church to a patron. That's why a church is St. Mary's or St. Peter's or St. Paul's.
• Patron saints of churches (or regions or countries) were generally chosen because of some connection of that saint to that place—he had preached there, died there, or something. As Christianity spread to areas with few martyrs or canonized saints, it became common to dedicate a church to a saint who was especially venerated by the founders of the church. Thus, US immigrants chose for their churches the saints who had been venerated in their native lands.
• By the Middle Ages, the practice of adopting patron saints had spread beyond churches to "the ordinary interests of life, his health, and family, trade, maladies, and perils, his death, his city and country." Thus, St. Joseph became the patron saint of carpenters, St. Cecilia of musicians, etc. Saints were usually chosen as patrons of occupations that they had actually held or that they had patronized during their lives.
• Patron saints for diseases often suffered from the malady assigned to them or cared for those who did. Sometimes, though, martyrs were chosen as the patron saints of diseases which were reminiscent of their martyrdom. For example, St. Agatha was chosen as the patron of those with diseases of the breast, since her breasts were cut off when she refused marriage to a non-Christian.

Re: St. Anthony's relationship to pigs:

Skin diseases were sometimes treated with applications of pork fat, which reduced inflammation and itching. As Anthony’s intervention aided in the same conditions, he was shown in art accompanied by a pig.



People who saw the art work, but did not have it explained, thought there was a direct connection between Anthony and pigs - and people who worked with swine took him as their patron.

Other fun patron saints:

• Accountants - St. Matthew
• Actors - St. Genesius
• Comedians - St. Vitus
• Compulsive Gambling - St. Bernardine of Siena
  
• Earaches - St. Polycarp
  
• Editors - St. John Bosco
• Florists - St. Dorothy
• Hairdressers - St. Martin de Porres
  
• Housewives - St. Martha
• Internet - St. Isidore of Seville
• Pawnbrokers - St. Nicholas
• Taxi Drivers - St. Fiacre
• Venereal Disease - St. Fiacre

Source: About.com: Catholocism, Saints.SQPN.com, American Catholic

The More You Know: Are you still thinking about bacon? Me too. There is a good reason why wet chewy Canadian bacon is rill different from delicious crunchy USA bacon:

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Why are blonde children called "towheaded"?

Search: towhead

Why: Katrina asked. I don't know why, but I think it was from a convo with Ariana.

Answer: Because their hair looks like flax!

In colonial times, families grew their own flax to make into fabric for clothing. Transforming the flax into thread was a complicated process with many time-consuming steps. After the flax was harvested, it was soaked in water for several days to soften it so the inner fibers could be removed from the stalk. To separate the fibers, the flax was pulled through a bed of nails or combed in a process called "towing."

The shorter fibers that were extricated were of a lesser quality and were called "tow." This led to the term "towheads" to describe people, particularly children, whose hair resembled these strands.

Source: Ask Yahoo!

The More You Know: We watched some Blue Lagoon the other day. That kid sure was towheaded.

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What is the origin of the word "ranch"?

Search: ranch definition

Why: Emily styled after some huevos rancheros. They call Corbett's place "The Ranch." Daniel loves ranch dressing. Something else happened yesterday that I can't remember - I was running on like 80 minutes of airplane sleep.

Answer: It went like this!:

• Germanic renc or reng, "row" or "line"
• Old French se ranger, "to be arranged"
• Old Spanish rancharse, "to be billeted"
• Spanish rancho, "hut" or "group of people who eat together"
• American Spanish rancho, "small farm"

Yippee tai-ai what?

Source: Answers.com

The More You Know: A "dude ranch" is a ranch specifically oriented for visitors and tourism. Hidden Valley was originally a dude ranch near Santa Barbara that opened in 1954. Owners Steve and Gayle Henson served a dressing that Steve made, and they eventually sold "ranch dressing" in bottles and in seasoning packets to be mixed with mayonnaise and buttermilk.

In 1972, they sold the brand to Clorox for $8 million. It has been the most popular salad dressing in the US since 1992.

Classy.

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What makes white gold different from regular gold?

Search: white gold vs gold

Why: Mom says, "It's just the color." Dad says, "It must be something in the makeup." I say it's some sort of alloy.

Answer: An alloy! What a surprise. Info:

The gold content of yellow gold is measured in the same way it is measured in, for example, white gold. So an 18kt white gold ring contains 75% pure gold, just as 18kt yellow gold contains 75% pure gold.

The difference in color between yellow, white and rose is determined by the metals used in the alloy mix.

Yellow gold is made by mixing pure gold with alloy metals such as copper and zinc.

Rose gold is made using a mix of pure gold with alloys including copper. The copper provides the rose-reddish color.

White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as silver and palladium.

Traditionally, nickel was used in white gold; however, nickel is no longer used in most white gold made today as nickel can cause reactions with some people.

Source: Gilletts

The More You Know: But what's a karat (or carat, if you're not in North America)? First, it comes from the Greek kerátion, “fruit of the carob,” from Arabic qīrāṭ and Italian carato. Carob seeds were once used as weights on precision scales because of their reputation for having a uniform weight (sorta - there's more here if you have nothing better to do).

Then:

The carat is a measure of the purity of gold alloys.

As a measure of purity, one carat is purity by mass:

where

X is the carat rating of the material,

M_g is the mass of pure gold or platinum in the material, and

M_m is the total mass of the material.

Therefore 24-carat gold is fine (99.9% Au w/w), 18-carat gold is 75% gold, 12-carat gold is 50% gold, and so forth.

Lol, do what nah?

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What was the longest ever flight at Flugtag?

Search: flugtag

Why: Red Bull Flugtag is in Long Beach Saturday August 21st.

Competitors attempt to fly homemade human-powered flying machines.

See you there!

Answer: 207 feet, aka 63 meters! The record was set just a few weeks ago, on July 24th in St. Paul by a team called Major Trouble and The Dirty Dixies! Watch this shit:

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Here are some other previous record holders:

• 30 m - Prague, 2006
• 26.9 m - Istanbul, 2008
  
• 26 m - Dubai, 2005
  
• 26 m - Vancouver, 2006
• 22 m - Auckland, 2002

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I want to see pictures of Megan Fox as a young lady

Search: megan fox unibrow

Why: Eli seems to think there is no reason for a girl to ever tweeze or shape her eyebrows - natural is always best. David says, "Just keep it natural. But for some girls that looks just awful. You know, if they've got some chewbacca-brows."

Answer: Holy!

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: I wouldn't shape mine into those drunk caterpillar surprised eyebrows, either. I'm just saying.

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What is Jarvis Cocker's middle name?

Search: jarvis cocker

Why: In the Pulp song "Dishes," he says, "I am not Jesus though I have the same initials." I am not sure if that means his middle name starts with H or T (as in Tapdancing).

Answer: Branson! That name makes me think of old people on vacation, though I guess English people have it, too.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Jarvis Cocker started Pulp (then named Arabacus Pulp) in 1978 when he was 15! What!

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What are the most popular names for dogs?

Search: most popular dog names

Why: At the dog park, it sounded like every other dog was named either Bella (like Chandler's dog) or Maddie (like my cat).

Answer: There are several different lists, but according to 1 study, Bella is #2 for female dogs, and Maddie is #49! The Top 20 for dudes and ladies are:

1. Max / Molly
2. Buddy / Bella
3. Jake / Lucy
4. Bailey / Maggie
5. Rocky / Daisy
6. Charlie / Sadie
7. Jack / Chloe
8. Toby / Sophie
9. Cody / Bailey
10. Buster / Zoe
11. Duke / Lola
12. Cooper / Abby
13. Harley / Ginger
14. Riley / Roxy
15. Bear / Gracie
16. Murphy / Coco
17. Lucky / Sasha
18. Tucker / Angel
19. Sam / Lily
20. Oliver / Princess
    

Source: BabyNames.com, Dogtime, Favorite Puppy Names

The More You Know: Bella was #12 on the list in 2005. It was the 208th most popular name for human girls in 2005, but now it is #18. Coincidence???

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What's that Walkmen song that goes "I could take you out"?

Search: walkmen "take you out"

Why: The new Arcade Fire song "Suburban War" has a part that sounds just like it (at 3:32):

Answer: It's called "My Old Man"! It's from their best album, Bows & Arrows.

Shoot, I can't find the album version (maybe here, idk), but here is a live one. He is kind of screwing around right at that part, but it's at like 1:58:

Source: SongMeanings.net, YouTube

The More You Know: Ha, the lyrics are even similar. Arcade Fire:

All my old friends, they don't know me now

Walkmen:

You're an old friend, we both know
I could take you out

I'm right.

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I want to hear songs on the "Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack

Search: little miss sunshine

Why: This song "Half Light I" on the new Arcade Fire album The Suburbs (which is 11 biscuits, btw) reminds me of something from it (at like 2:23 and other parts):

Answer: I sampled them on Amazon! Maybe you can too! And turns out it was not Sufjan Stevens, like I thought it was!

It was track #1, "The Winner Is" by composer Mychael Danna (not DeVotchKa, like it says, though they did a bunch of other tracks) - at like 1:16:

Y/Y?

Source: IMDb, Amazon

The More You Know: When Lisa and I first loved A Clockwork Orange in 9th grade or whatever, we made our AOL screennames CPyahnitsa and LDevotchka. Wildcats!

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Do vampires take showers?

Search: do vampires shower

Why:

ME: Would you be mad if I turned you into a vampire?
CHANDLER: No.
ME: Good to know.
CHANDLER: Wait, would I stink?
ME: Why would you stink?
CHANDLER: I'd be undead.
ME: A vampire, not a zombie.

?????? I don't know that showers even existed during the days of Dracula and Nosferatu, but did they bathe? Vampires are always so shiny.

Answer: It's hard to say! The Internet is full of a lot of resounding "Of courses" and "Absolutelys," but Jake makes several good points:

I don't see why they would have to take showers unless something was spilled on them. They have no bodily fluids so that means no sweat, no oil, no saliva, no nothing. They have nothing to make them dirty.

Humans take showers... why? Because our hair and skin get oily, we get sweaty, we... well, we get dirty in 'other' places due to 'other' things. Things that vampires do not have. All vampires have is venom and venom stays inside a vampire's body until he bites somebody.

Pluuuuus. When Bella needs to shower she tells Edward "I need another human moment". And he nods and waits for her to finish. Why would she call it a 'human moment' if vampires did it too? And, you don't hear anything about a bathroom during the tour of the Cullen's mansion = ]

It make sense. I mean, look how greasy his hair is:

Also, according to @§§:

No, vampires get their smell from the blood they consume. The foreign blood gets distributed throughout the vampire's skin creating its tone and also the unique smell. Ironically, this smell made from human blood is also used to attract them. Vampires do not need to shower or want to. That's a human thing.

So no, they do not.

Source: Yahoo Answers

The More You Know: But wait! Vampire expert Stephanie Meyer addressed this in a Q&A on her website!

Q: This is going to sound insanely curious but… do the vampires bathe? Given that you said the hunting is messy (no clean puncture wounds), I’m assuming that they get dirty… or at least bloody. So do they take showers? Do they comb their hair? Brush their teeth?

A: Vampires do shower, but they don’t get dirty the same way we do. Outside dirt, yes–blood and mud and whatnot (though most vampires don’t get a spot on themselves when they eat–its all a matter of practice), but not sweat or body oils. They would never have B.O., ha ha. One girl asked me why Alice had a bathroom and if vampires have to pee. No, they don’t (they use all the blood, creating no waste), but they do shower. (And of course they have to have bathrooms–houses are just built that way, and when they want to move, it would look a little weird on the real estate listing: eight bedrooms, no baths.)

They do wash the dust and rain out of their hair, too. And Rosalie particularly spends a lot of time doing hers. (Hair is dead cells–the vampire transformation doesn’t affect it. If you’ve got split ends, sorry! Not getting better. Ha ha).

So that settles it: yes, they do.

But wait, vampires don't have reflections, right? How can they see to make their hair so perfect?

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What are saveloys?

Search: savaloyst; savaloys; saveloys

Why: It's Tuesday, which means I'm listening to the soundtracks of musicals I memorized as a child. In "Food, Glorious Food" from Oliver! the orphan boys go:

Food, glorious food
Hot sausage and mustard
While we're in the mood
Cold jelly and custard
Pease pudding and saveloys
What's next? is the question
Rich gentlemen have it, boys
In-di-gestion

Answer: A kind of sausage! Theyre popular in England and Australia.

The saveloy is low in fat and is mainly made of pork, although some beef would not be an uncommon addition to the meat mix.

Saveloys are cooked by plunging into boiling water. They can be served hot or cooled and sliced into small bite-sized pieces.

They're also bright red.

Source: Everything2

The More You Know: Saveloys are also often served in sandwiches accompanied by pease pudding, which is pudding made of, well, peas. It has the consistency of hummus.

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, 9 days old

What's wrong, Mr. Fingers? Do you not like my mouthwords?

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What kind of master's degree does Shaq have?

Search: shaquille o'neal

Why: Last night on Jimmy Fallon (?), he was talking about his show "Shaq Vs" because Season 2 starts tonight. He said something like, "I have a bachelor's degree and I have a master's," and I was like, "Whaaah?"

Answer: Business! from the University of Phoenix. He studied business at LSU from 1989-92, but left early to play for the NBA.

However, he promised his mother he would eventually return to his studies and complete his bachelor's degree. He fulfilled that promise in 2000, earning his bachelor of arts in general studies. Coach Phil Jackson let O'Neal miss a home game so he could attend graduation. At the ceremony, he told the crowd "now I can go and get a real job."

Then, in 2005, O'Neal earned an MBA through the University of Phoenix online.

It's just something to have on my resume for when I go back into reality. Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.

Cute.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Speaking of planning for the future, did you know that Jerry O'Connell Romijn Stamos is in law school?

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I want to see the guy's "tart song" in "The Blind Assassin"?

Search: "you bit my ear" blind assassin

Why: I am listening to The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood on audiobook. It is hard to hear things, and impossible to re-read them. Also, I don't even know if "he" has a name (though I'm pretty sure he doesn't).

Answer: It goes like this:

A smoke-filled room, a devil's moon, and you -
I stole a kiss, you promised me you would be true -
I slid my hand beneath your dress.
You bit my ear, we made a mess,
Now it is dawn - and you are gone -
And I am blue.

Source: Google Books

The More You Know: That middle part kind of reminds me of "Hallelujah," no? Did you even know there was a video for the Jeff Buckley version?

Somebody find me a good book to read / have read to me.

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Who are the biggest actors working right now?

Search: highest paid actor

Why: On Fb:

Answer: It changes from year to year, obvi, but it's some arrangement of these people:

• Will Smith - Made over $80 million between 6/1/07 and 6/1/08, including $20m from The Pursuit of Happyness
  
• Johnny Depp - Made over $72 million between 6/07 and 6/08, including $40m from Pirates 3 and Sweeney Todd
  
• Tom Cruise - Makes something like $60 million per film , and $35m for War of the Worlds (2005)
  
• Eddie Murphy - Over $55 million between 6/07 and 6/08, the year of Shrek 2, Dreamgirls, and Norbit
• Mike Myers - $55 million between 6/07 and 6/08
• Cameron Diaz $50 million between 6/07 and 6/08
• Leonardo DiCaprio - $45 million between 6/07 and 6/08
• Bruce Willis - $41 million between 6/07 and 6/08
• Daniel Radcliffe - Highest earning male actor of 2009, with $41 million from 2 Harry Potter movies + royalties
• Ben Stiller - $40 million in 2009, including $20m from Little Fockers
• Tom Hanks - $36 million in 2009, including $19m from Angels and Demons and $15m for Toy Story 3
• Adam Sandler - $31.5 million in 2009, including $25m for Grown Ups
  
• Emma Watson - Highest earning female actor of 2009, with $30 million from 2 Harry Potter movies + royalties
• Julia Roberts - First woman to be paid $20 million for a film; made that much for Erin Brockovich, The Mexican, and Mona Lisa Smile
  

Here is the Vanity Fair list of 2009 earners from February, but some of these people do stuff other than just acting, and some don't act at all:

1. Michael Bay: $125 million
2. Steven Spielberg: $85 million
3. Roland Emmerich: $70 million
4. James Cameron: $50 million
5. Todd Phillips: $44 million
6. Daniel Radcliffe: $41 million
7. Ben Stiller: $40 million
8. Tom Hanks: $36 million
9. JJ Abrams: $36 million
10. Jerry Bruckheimer: $35.5 million
11. Tyler Perry: $32.5 million
12. Adam Sandler: $31.5 million
13. Denzel Washington: $31 million
14. Emma Watson: $30 million
15. Rupert Grint: $30 million
16. Owen Wilson: $29 million
17. Nicolas Cage: $28 million
18. Russell Crowe: $28 million
19. Cameron Diaz: $27 million
20. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard: $25.5 million
21. Johnny Depp: $25 million
22. Steve Carell: $25 million
23. Robert De Niro: $24.5 million
24. Sarah Jessica Parker: $24 million
25. Katherine Heigl: $24 million
26. Shawn Levy: $23 million
27. Oren Peli and Jason Blum: $22.5 million
28. Robert Downey Jr.: $22 million
29. George Clooney: $22 million
30. Matt Damon: $22 million
31. Reese Witherspoon: $21 million
32. Angelina Jolie: $21 million
33. Jennifer Aniston: $20 million
34. Sandra Bullock: $20 million
35. Robert Pattinson: $18 million
36. Clint Eastwood: $17 million
37. Kristen Stewart: $16 million
38. Mark Wahlberg: $16 million
39. Shia LaBeouf: $15 million
40. Brad Pitt: $13.5 million

Source: Showbiz99, Worst Previews, Dafactopedia, Forbes, WiseGeek

The More You Know: So what to we tell Katy? I say, "He would be if he were working, but his next project isn't even due out til 2012." Unless one of the 33 sequels he has "in development" comes first...

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