What's the song in the new Target commercial?

Search: i've got a mad little crush on you

Why: I just saw that ad. It's catchy.

Answer: "Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig! Buy it here on iTunes!

Source: Youtube

The More You Know: Lyrics go like:

I've got a little secret too
I've got a mad little crush on you
I wonder if you notice, wonder if you see
I wonder if you ever want to dance with me
We shall never talk about such things, such things

And oh, before you go, before you go
Let me just take one last glance love
Oh, before you go, before you go
Could you tell me what's my chance love

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Is there really a Miss Ultimate Sexy Baby pageant?

Search: ultimate sexy baby

Why: Tom Hanks did this last night on Jimmy Kimmel.

I happened to watch "Toddlers and Tiaras" for the first time just a few days ago, and I saw this, which kind of made me believe that anything's possible:

Answer: No! Idiot.

And also: There's not even a Sophie Hanks! She was played by 8 year old actress Nikki Hahn.

Tom Hanks has 4 kids: Colin and Elizabeth (with first wife Samantha Lewes) and Chester ("Chet") and Truman with Rita Wilson.

On Feb. 1, 2011, Colin and his wife had a baby, Olivia. And this is what Chet is up to:

Source: Google, Wikipedia, Metro

The More You Know: Ron Howard's 4 kids are daughters Bryce Dallas (b. March 1981), Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Carlyle (twins, b. 1985), and son Reed Cross (b. 1987). And his brother is that mutant Johnny Bark. They recently worked together on The Dilemma.

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Who does Dave Franco play in "Superbad"?

Search: dave franco; greg the soccer player

Why: Joel at 2Pz posted this picture of James Franco (yesterday, pre-Oscars) with his cats Sammy and Zelda,

and then I got to reading about how James and his brothers all love kitties, and then I read this sentence,

With his memorable roles in Superbad and a regular gig on TV's Scrubs, Dave been making a name for himself in Hollywood, with very little help from his superstar older brother.

which I thought was weird because I've seen that movie like 14 times in 2011 alone.

Answer: "Greg the Soccer Player"! Is that one of the guys at the party?

Owait, no:

Source: IMDb, Youtube

The More You Know: And he's also in this (and so is some lengthy discussion about their cat Toby [and so are some real kitties]).

Acting With James Franco Episode 1: "Sense Memory" from James Franco

Incidentally, did you see this last week on SNL? Because it was funny:

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What does this Post Secret say?

Search: credo di esser me di te innamorato di te quando mi hai ditto che eri andata in chiesa a chie dere aiuto a dio mia moglie now erede in dio so she ti amo e sono felice e fortunato di averti in contrarti a domani

Why: What?

Answer: MyItalian was all wrong, so Jason's friend Fernando has figured this out. I had copied the original text down wrong. First of all, it's:

Credo di esser mi di te innamorato di te quando mi hai detto che eri andata in chiesa a chiedere aiuto a Dio. Mia moglie non crede in Dio. So che ti amo e sono felice e fortunato di averti incontrarti. A domani.

and the translation is:

I think I fell in love with you when you told me you went to church yesterday to ask God for help. My wife doesn't believe in God. I know I love you and I am happy and fortunate to have found you. Until tomorrow.

Yeah, that guy's a dick. Grazie, Jason e Fernando!

Source: Google Translate, Babelfish, pals

The More You Know: Oh, there is already a translation at the bottom of the page.

I believe that I'm in love with you since you told me that you were going to church to ask help from God. My wife doesn't believe in God. I know that I love you and I am happy and lucky to have you and see you. Til tomorrow I love you.

Oh well. When will Post Secret start archiving?

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Can damp or cold weather really make your joints hurt?

Search: joints arthritis damp weather

Why: When I was hauling Chandler's laundry all over the town today in the rain, my L4 vertebra - which I injured nary a fortnight ago - started to hurt like holy hell. It was like when Chandler (Bing) said, "The cold weather hurts my hip."

Answer: Maybe! Different experts say different things, of course. On the "no way" side, here are some facts:

• Decades of medical research have failed to establish an objective relationship between arthritis severity and weather patterns.
• Detailed interviews with specific patients have yielded mostly anecdotes, and those who move to drier climates do not report major relief.
• The skin surrounding joints is rather impervious to water.
• Most people stay dry indoors during rain anyway.
  
• Arthritis patients do not experience dramatic changes in their symptoms when immersed in water (such as during baths or swimming).
  
• Wet weather may also be associated with other climatic conditions, such as decreases in barometric pressures - but this connection also seems implausible, given that much greater pressure swings are tolerated easily during plane travel or mountain driving in a car.
• While atmospheric humidity might enter the body through the respiratory tract, this seems an unlikely contributor since hospitalized patients are often given humidified air to breathe, and this has little apparent effect on arthritis conditions.
• A long shower does not usually induce arthritis pain.

Compelling? Yes, but this article on eHow by a freelance writer who has no medical degree offers this evidence to the contrary:

• Our joints contain baro-receptors, sensory nerves that respond to changes in pressure in the atmosphere. When the barometric pressure (during low, rainy, damp weather) the receptors react to this, causing joint swelling, pain and aching.
• Barometric pressure is the weight of the air that surrounds us. Sometimes a decrease in temperature or an increase in barometric pressure can prompt joint pain.
  
• Barometric pressure generally falls right before the arrival of wet, damp weather. When this happens, your bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons have to adjust by expanding. When expansion occurs, sensitized nerves send out pain signals.
• Damp weather can detonate inflamed joints.

Source: Scientific American, eHow

The More You Know: What a lovely old couple.

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What Candlebox songs were hits?

Search: candlebox

Why: I heard Gin Blossoms in Vons tonight. Instead of singing along to "Found Out About You,"

Chandler asked, "Whatever happened to Candlebox?"

Answer: There were 2! "Far Behind" was released in 1994:

and "You" also came out that year (in the same album), but I only barely remember it.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: I got nothing. So in case you didn't see this Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness already, here it is. Click to enlarge.

Also, this exists.

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What is Oreo's Law?

Search: oreos law

Why: Rachel doesn't like Sarah McLachlan because ASPCA doesn't support Oreo's Law, or something.

Answer: It's a 2009 bill introduced by New York State legislators to prevent animals from being killed by shelters when rescue groups offer a lifesaving alternative!

Look at this bummer:

In New York City, a one-year old dog named Oreo was intentionally thrown off a sixth floor Brooklyn roof top by her abuser. Oreo sustained two broken legs and a fractured rib. Oreo also appears to have been beaten in the past—several of the neighbors in the building where Oreo lived reported hearing the sounds of the dog being hit. The ASPCA nursed her back to health and arrested the perpetrator. They also dubbed her the “miracle dog.”



The miracle was short-lived. According to the ASPCA, when Oreo recovered from her injuries, she started to show aggression. After a series of temperament tests, the ASPCA made the decision to kill her. The New York Times reported the story the day before Oreo’s scheduled execution. A sanctuary in New York offered to take Oreo, explaining that they had experience rehabilitating dogs deemed aggressive and offering her lifetime care, including plenty of socialization and walks if the rehabilitation was not successful.

They were ignored, hung up on and lied to. And the ASPCA chose to kill the dog instead. That afternoon, Oreo laid dead, the victim not of her former abuser, but of an overdose of poison from a bottle marked “Fatal-Plus,” at the hands of a shelter bureaucrat.

I mean, I hate picking up dog poop as much as the next girl who never got a dog because she didn't want to pick up dog poop but then accidentally ended up with a dog anyway, but jeez, I would still never throw her off the roof. She would never forgive me. But this apparently happened again just a few weeks later with a dog named Max.

But there are opponents to the law for various reasons, including that Oreo's Law wouldn't have saved Oreo anyway. I don't know.

Source: Yes on Oreo's Law

The More You Know: Some sad New York Statewide survey results:

• 72% of rescue groups reported being denied animals
• 71% of rescue groups reported that shelters turned around and killed those animals
• 43% of rescue groups that have expressed concerns about inhumane conditions they witnessed in NY shelters have been the subject of retaliation
• 52% of rescue groups who witnessed cruelty and neglect at the shelter did not express or report concerns because they were afraid they would no longer be allowed to rescue

So quit buying your expensive, ugly, and annoying purebred pets from breeders, assholes.

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What are the black olives you buy in cans?

Search: black olives

Why: When we were making pizza the other night, Chandler said black olives are just ripe green olives. Fair enough, but are the sliced ones you buy in cans (and put on pizza) a specific type?

Answer: They are usually California or Mission olives! But you can't eat olives off the tree, fyi, unless you want your bitter taste buds to be very upset indeed. Here are the facts:

• Olives are usually cured in things like salt, water, oil, or lye. In some parts of the Mediterranean, they may be dry cured, which gives the fruits (fruits!) a unique flavor and texture and allows them to be stored for a long time.
• Green olives are picked before they are ripe. Black olives are fully ripened before they are cured.
  
• California or "Mission olives" (from Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma in Sonoma Valley) are traditionally cured in lye. They are big and meaty, and commonly used in Latin American cuisine and on pizzas.
• Mission olives can also be made from green olives, but they naturally turn black during the lye curing process.
  

Omg, look at those figs.

There are other types of "black olives," of course, including:

• Kalamata - traditionally brined, from Greece
• Gaeta - traditionally brined, from Italy
• Nicoise and nyon - cured with herbs, from France
  

Source: WiseGeek, Wikipedia

The More You Know: Do you want to cure your own olives? I kind of do. You can do it with lye, which is a dangerous poison, or you can do it with oil and hang them in a burlap sack. Or try something else.

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How many actual days pass in "Groundhog Day"?

Search: groundhog day

Why: I am watching it. I remember reading that Harold Ramis said the whole movie is supposed to take place over the course of 10 years or 20 years or 1,ooo or 5 or 2 or something like that, but I want to know how many separate days you can count in the film.

Answer: 42! But, like, could Phil rob the armored truck and have dinner with Rita the same day? I think maybe he could.

But in case you're wondering, here is the rest of the truth:

The original script began in the middle of the narrative, without explaining how or why Phil was repeating Groundhog Day. The filmmakers became concerned that the audience would feel cheated without seeing Phil's growing realization of the nature of the time loop.

Rubin had also originally envisioned Andie MacDowell's character Rita reliving the day with Phil, and portrayed the pair as being stuck in the time loop for far longer than in the final film, possibly for thousands of years (Phil tracked time by reading a page of a book each day and had managed to read through the entire public library).

There have been widely conflicting reports of how long Phil is trapped in the time continuum. Ramis states in the DVD commentary that he believes 10 years pass. There are 42 accountable days in the film. The website Wolf Gnards projected the time spent as 8 years, 8 months, and 16 days: based on him spending 3 years learning to play the piano, 3 years learning to ice sculpt, 2 years learning French, and 6 months learning to throw cards into a hat. However in an e-mail response to Wolf Gnards, Ramis said "I think the 10-year estimate is too short. It takes at least 10 years to get good at anything, and allotting for the down time and misguided years he spent, it had to be more like 30 or 40 years".

Stephen Tobolowsky said that Ramis told him that he felt that the entire progress of Groundhog Day covered 10,000 years. "I always thought that there were nine days represented [in the film], and Danny Rubin, the writer, said that he felt something like 23 days were represented in the movie, [but they lasted] over 10,000 years."

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Stephen Tobolowsky's name in Groundhog Day is Ned Ryerson (Needlenose Ned? Ned the Head?). In "Glee," it's Sandy Ryerson. (No, you're not in a time loop - I have blogged this before.)

Did you know this existed in the town where the movie was filmed?

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What's the origin of the name Ben-Gay?

Search: ben gay

Why: Chandler hurt his shoulder and has smelled like Icy Hot patches ever since. I don't know if Ben and Gay are ingredients or people or what.

Answer: It's a name! Kind of! The original developer was Dr. Jules Bengué, who invented that stuff in France in 1898. The official name was Ben-Gay until 1995, but now it's just Bengay.

Source: Arthritis.about.com

The More You Know: Here are some other famous Bengues: Senegalese football player Cheikh M'Bengue and French model Jessi M'Bengue. There's also a really tiny town in Côte d'Ivoire called M'bengué.

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What are the quotes on Logan Echolls's voicemail?

Search: logan echolls voicemail

Why: We finished Season 2 of "Veronica Mars" last night. I miss it already.

Answer: My b, they are "Inspirational Messages of the Day." They are!:

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt
(ep. 1.15, "

"Adversity is the diamond dust with which heaven polishes its jewels." -Thomas Carlyle
(ep. 1.22. "

"To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose: the next best." -William Thackeray
(ep. 2.3, "

"Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late." -Ben Franklin
(ep. 2.7, "

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: I just got the "LoVe" thing. It's their names, see. In case you're also going through withdrawal:

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I want to watch Joey's cockpit scene from "Airplane!"

Search: do you like movies about gladiators

Why: Caroline just said, "I remember flying as a kid and I got go into the cockpit and talk to the pilot. I wonder if they'll ever allow stuff like that again." Airplane! was one of those movies that I watched twice a month as a child; Labyrinth was not.

Answer: Well, the good news is that I found it, but the bad news is that my whole world just got flipped turned upside down. Have you seen these clips from Zero Hour! (1957)? I mean, I knew it was a parody, but... just get ready to feel weird.

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: That guy is not Kirk Douglas (real name Issur Danielovitch), but "Crazylegs" Hirsch (real name Elroy).

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What's that Radiohead B-side that has lines from "Myxamatosis"?

Search: green plastic tongue-tied

Why: Didn't you hear? The King of Limbs is now available for listening! Steve said "Myxamatosis" was one of the worst songs on Hail to the Thief, and that was already a pretty not good album.

I know this B-side from freshman year of college when Dan made me download all of them on KaZaA. It's a pretty good song.

Answer: "Cuttooth"! It was on the single for "Knives Out."

The lyrics go like:

As the tanks roll into town
As the tanks roll into town
A little bit of knowledge will destroy you
A little bit of knowledge will destroy you

I dont know why I feel so tongue-tied
I dont know why I feel so skinned alive

Do you recognize that last bit? It's the same lines in "Myxamatosis" - which, by the way, is a disease that affects rabbits.

Source: Green Plastic

The More You Know: I haven't listened to that new album yet, but you better believe it will be on my iPod before I skip town today. What do you guys think?

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I want to watch "Fajita Roundup"

Search: fajita roundup

Why: Lucy Lawless is credited in this episode of "Veronica Mars." Chandler was all, "Yes! I love Lucy Lawless!" (and then we talked about "Battlestar Galactica"). When she appeared on screen, this happened:

ME: Whenever she's in anything, I'm sort of always aware that she's a famous person.
CHAN: Who? Who is that?
ME: Lucy Lawless.
CHAN: WHAT! She's blonde! Why does she look like that!
ME: Anyway, she always plays bitchy aggressive characters. She can't just blend.
CHAN: Have you ever seen "Fajita Roundup"?
ME: No, I don't know what that is.
CHAN: WHAT! Google it right now!

But - full disclosure - after 2 more lines of dialogue, I remembered that I had, in fact, seen it. It's an SNL skit about Stevie Nicks.

Answer: Lul.

lucy lawless
Uploaded by dummy-account. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Source: DailyMotion

The More You Know: Ian recently gave her* a mix tape. I wonder if she listened to it.

EDIT!!! Stevie Nicks, not Lucy Lawless.

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Where is there a character named Sigourney in "The Great Gatsby"?

Search: sigourney gatsby

Why: There's an NES Great Gatsby game. I remember reading on Sigourney Weaver (real name: Susan Alexandra Weaver)'s wiki wiki:

She began using the name "Sigourney Weaver" in 1963 after a minor character (Sigourney Howard) in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.

And I'm also pretty sure I've read the entire book since then, and also probably flipped through it even further looking for this character. I don't think I ever found one.

Answer: In Chapter 3! She's only mentioned once, and it's Jordan's aunt:

Jordan’s party were calling impatiently to her from the porch, but she lingered for a moment to shake hands.

“I’ve just heard the most amazing thing,” she whispered. “How long were we in there?”

“Why, about an hour.” “It was — simply amazing,” she repeated abstractedly. “But I swore I wouldn’t tell it and here I am tantalizing you.” She yawned gracefully in my face: “Please come and see me. . . . Phone book . . . Under the name of Mrs. Sigourney Howard . . . My aunt . . .” She was hurrying off as she talked — her brown hand waved a jaunty salute as she melted into her party at the door.

And another Sigourney shows up in This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald's debut novel (1920). In an article from the National Catholic Register called "Gatsby's Epitaph":

Fitzgerald's first novel—that scandalous, marvelous, twenty-three-year-old's astonishing bound into fame and fortune—opens with scenes among wealthy Catholic families. This Side of Paradise is dedicated, in fact, to Sigourney Fay, the worldly priest who stood for a time as spiritual (and surrogate) father to the author, and Fay appears, very lightly disguised as Monsignor Thayer Darcy, throughout the book's semi-autobiographical tale of a handsome, pampered, and yet still idealistic young Princeton student named Amory Blaine.

It's a man, man!

Source: ebooks.Adelaide.edu, ReadLiterature.com, Catholic Education

The More You Know: Sigourney's real name is Susan Alexandra Weaver. Maybe you will recognize her as Alvy's theater date tonight when you're home stuffing your face with ice cream and watching Annie Hall. I know I will.

(JK, we're stuffing our faces and watching "The Bachelor" [and arguing about Michelle. Controversial!].)

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Why are cigars called "stogies"?

Search: why are cigars called stogies

Why: Last night, Veronica Mars followed the plastic surgeon who saw Logan on the bridge into a cigar shop. What's he doing in there!

Answer: First, it's not all of them - just the long thin cheap ones. "Stogie" is an abbreviation of the name of Conestoga, a town near Lancaster, PA, where cheap cigars are made and popular!

Because the drivers Conestoga wagons (based in tobacco country) always had a roll-your-own cigar stuck in their mouths, observers called them "stogies."

This kind of cigar is also called a cheroot, which comes from the French cheroute and Tamil curuttu/churuttu, "roll of tobacco":

A cylindrical cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture. Since cheroots do not taper, they are inexpensive to roll mechanically, and their low cost makes them particularly popular.

Source: ChaCha, Blog of Answers, Wikipedia

The More You Know: The word "cigar" comes from the Spanish cigarro, which they took from cigarrales, a Cuban word meaning a "place of leisure."

or

The word "cigar" originated from sikar, the Mayan-Indian word for "smoking," which became cigarro in Spanish, probably from Maya sicar, "to smoke rolled tobacco leaves," from sic, "tobacco."

or

It's from or influenced by the Spanish word cigarra, "grasshopper".

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Has anyone invented a one-handed keyboard yet?

Search: one handed keyboard

Why: It's hard to drink a Bloody and type at the same time. It seems like this should have happened a long time ago, mirite?

Answer: Uch, yes, there are a few, but they all look just awful. Here are several variations:

Aiaiai. Is this the future? Is it?

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: The company that made the bottom two, FrogPad, said (in 2006):

It takes 10 to 12 hours of training and practice to achieve a 30 to 40 word-per-minute typing speed.

Lul, 40 wpm. What's your typing speed? You can buy that weird second one for $952 right here. It's on sale!

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What's the Roman numeral "N"?

Search: roman numerals

Why: We're housesitting. They've got a Study Bible, edition NIV. I don't recognize that from any Super Bowl logos.

Answer: There's not one! Haha and I just looked, and I'm an idiot: that book is the "New International Version." My B! But I'm going through with this anyway because I think we could all use a refresher course on our Roman numerals.

I - 1
V - 5
X - 10
L - 50
C - 100
D - 500
M - 1,000

and then, of course, if there's a line over it, you multiply it by 1,000. So a V with a line over it means 5,000. I don't think anyone ever actually uses it.

Source: Nova Roma

The More You Know: In case you're ever in the Cash Cab and the question is: "What's the difference between the Roman system and our (Arabic) system?" there are 2 main things:

• They don't have a 0
• Numeral placement within a number can sometimes indicate subtraction rather than addition (like IV means 4, not 6)
  

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Is Drake really Jewish?

Search: drake

Why: Joel from 2Pz posted this thing from NYMag:

Drake Is a Really Awesome Jew, Says Drake

TMZ has a video up in which Drake gamely banters with one of their cameramen, who asks, "Who do you think's a better Jew, you or Harvey Levin?" Drake's response: "I don't know. I'm one of the best Jews ever to do it." Any protests there, 3,000 years of beautiful tradition?

I have no idea who this person is, but he looks like this:

which doesn't really mean anything, but his answer kind of sounds like, well, what the hell is he talking about.

Answer: Yes! And from Memphis, kind of!

Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario. He is the son of Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, and Sandi Graham, an educator. Graham's father is an African American from Memphis, Tennessee, and Graham's mother is a white Jewish Canadian. He attended a Jewish day school and had a Bar Mitzvah. His parents divorced when he was five years old, and he was raised by his mother in Toronto's wealthy Forest Hill neighbourhood. He spent most summers with his father in Memphis. Graham stated that his parents' divorce greatly affected him as a person, saying, “I had to become a man very quickly and be the backbone for a woman who I love with all my heart, my mother.

How about it! Also, read about Jerry Lee Lewis's 6 crazy marriages when you get a chance.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: In case you don't know who this half-Jewish half-Memphian is either, here is his song "Best I Ever Had," which got to #2 on the regular US charts in 2009 and was nominated for 2 Grammys. I'm not familiar:

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

Search: karabiner

Why: The 40 oz. wide Klean Kanteen comes with a loop cap that clips right onto a Kanteen® S-Biner.

Answer: It's from German!

Shortened from the German word Karabinerhaken, "carbine hook" - that is, one used to attach a carbine rifle to a belt

Source: Glossary of Caving Terms

The More You Know: Why does German capitalize seemingly arbitrary words? Well, for one, they're all nouns. ALL nouns are capitalized, and, of course, proper names and titles (Frietag, Deutsche Bank, Frau Jones). They do not, however, capitalize adjectives of nationality: "American car" is amerikanisches Auto; "German wine" is deutscher Wein. They don't capitalize "I" (ich), but they do capitalize all formal forms of "you" - Sie, Ihnen, Ihr. It's all very complicated. There's a whole Bund für vereinfachte rechtschreibung ("Federation for Simplified Spelling") that regulates things like this; new rules went into effect as recently as 2005.

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I want to see the video of that girl getting dry humped off a stage

Search: dance dry hump off stage

Why: Valerie posted this thing. (I don't know how to embed gifs. Click to animate.) I would like to know more.

Answer: Oh, gold:

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: What are you doing for your Spring Break woohoo?

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I want to see some koans

Search: koan

Why: As I'm watching "The West Wing," I keep wondering: Is it possible for Moira Kelly to be more unappealing than she is on this show?

It's unknowable, but does it count as a koan? The only one I remember (or have ever been taught, probably) is, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Answer: First, a definition: "a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution"; "a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating."

The word literally means "public document."

It refers to a statement made by a Master to a student of Zen or a discussion or dialogue between Master and student. The purpose of a Koan is to open the mind and perception to the truth. Koans are questions or riddles designed as instruments by the Zen Master to aid the student in finding the truth behind the everyday images of reality.

Some are short and some are long, some questions and some stories. Some examples:

• The Monk Mayo asked this question of the Sixth patriarch: "What is Zen?" The Patriarch replied, "When your mind is not dwelling on the dualism of good and evil, what is your original face before you were born?"

• Ummon asked: "The world is such a wide world, why do you answer a bell and don ceremonial robes?"

• Unmon said: "I do not ask you about fifteen days ago. But what about fifteen days hence? Come, say a word about this!" Since none of the monks answered, he answered for them: "Every day is a good day."

• A monk asked Fuketsu: "Without speaking, without silence, how can you express the truth?" Fuketsu observed: "I always remember spring-time in southern China. The birds sing among innumerable kinds of fragrant flowers."

• Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a Zen master. Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting upon a private meeting. Eshun did not reply. The following day, the master gave a lecture to the group. When it was over, Eshun arose, addressing the one who had written to her. She said, "If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now."
  

• A monk saw a turtle in the garden of Daizui's monastery and asked the teacher, "All beings cover their bones with flesh and skin. Why does this being cover its flesh and skin with bones?" Master Daizui took off one of his sandals and covered the turtle with it.

• A monk asked Ummon: "What is Buddha?" Ummon answered him: "Dried dung."

Just go to sleep.

Source: China Page, The Gateless Gate, Ashida Kim

The More You Know: Toooooepiiiiiick

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How many doors and windows are in the Oval Office?

Search: oval office

Why: I am watching Season 1 of "The West Wing." I realize it is my birthday, but I also happened to have messed up my back really badly last week, so I've been on the couch pretty much ever since (except for like 24 drunken hours this weekend). Anyway, after a trespasser shows up on the White House property:

AGENT - Excuse me, Mr. President. I'm sorry: the building's not secure. Would everyone stay in the room, please?
JOSH - This is happening way too often.
LEO - It's pledge week at the fraternities. The kids hop the fence.
AGENT - Would you mind stepping away from the doors and windows, please?
JOSH - The whole room is doors and windows.

Answer: There are 3 windows and 4 doors! On each side:

• North - fireplace
• Northeast - door opens to office of the president's secretary
  
• East - door opens to Rose Garden
• South - 3 large windows (behind the president's desk)
• West - door to dining room and small private study
• Northwest - door opens to main corridor of the West Wing
  

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Family members in the Oval Office: JFK Jr. and Buddy & Socks:

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I want to see the Jules Verne Google animation

Search: jules verne

Why: I saw a little version of it on a result because it's Jules Verne's 183rd birthday. He loves creatures of the sea almost as much as I do. When I go to Classic Google, it redirects to this (because it's my birthday, too).

Answer: How fun!

Source: YouTube, Huffington Post

The More You Know: You wanna fight this squid?

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What's the song in the new Nike commercial?

Search: nobody the office

Why: In the season premiere of "The Office," they lip synched (sanched?) and danced to that song. I thought it was old, but now it's in a Nike commercial. What gives?!

Answer: It's "Nobody But Me" by The Human Beinz! The song was originally released in 1968 as a reworking of a song that had been originally recorded by The Isley Brothers in 1963. This version has also been in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and The Depahted.

Here's the Isley Brothers version:

Source: Idolator

The More You Know: Were you just wondering if the Isley Brothers were really brothers, they were:

• O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley (1937-1986)
• Rudolph "Rudy" Isley (b. 1939)
• Ronald "Ronnie" Isley (b. 1941)
• Vernon Isley (1942-1955; at 13, he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle)
• Ernie Isley (b. 1952)
• Marvin Isley (1953-2010)
  

and their cousin

• Chris Jasper (b. 1951)
  

The Righteous Brothers were not really brothers, but one of their real last name was Medley.

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What are the words to the "Community" theme song?

Search: community theme song; 88s at least it was here lyrics

Why: I can't understand a damn thing they're saying.

Answer: First, the theme is from a song called "At Least It Was Here" by The 88s. Lyrics go like:

Give me some rope
Tie me to dream
Give me the hope
To run out of steam
Somebody said it could be here
We could be roped up, tied up
Dead in a year
I can't count the reasons I should stay
One by one, they all just fade away

Listen to the full song here or buy it from iTunes here.

Source: Blurtit, Lyrics.wikia.com

The More You Know: Better:

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Who was St. Valentine?

Search: saint valentine

Why: It's coming. Pressure pressure pressure! (aka pizza, cuddling, and a "Veronica Mars" marathon)

Answer: Nobody even knows! How about that. There were a bunch of people named Valentine, but nobody knows what they did or why they were even made saints:

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed: archaeologists unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius, marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

According to The Nuremburg Chronicles (1493) - an illustrated Biblical and world history book - one Roman priest named Valentinus was caught marrying Christian couples who were being persecuted by Emperor Claudius.

He was arrested and imprisoned; while in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." Though Claudius took a liking to him, Valentinus then tried to convert the emperor, who subsequently sentenced him to death. He was beaten and stoned, and then beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate around 269 AD.

Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers, and young people. I love bees.

Source: Catholic.org

The More You Know: Fun facts about V-Day:

• In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.
• It may have been invented in an attempt to supersede the pastoral pagan holiday of Lupercalia, observed on February 13 through 15 to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. The feast honored Juno, the queen of Roman gods and goddesses, and the goddess of women and marriage.
• Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S.
• Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period.
• Approximately 1 billion Valentines are sent out worldwide each year, according to the U.S. Greeting Card Association. That's second only to Christmas.
• In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark, and Italy.
• Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona - where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived - receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.
• In the US, 64% of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine's Day with their sweethearts.

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What words can you play in Scrabble with a Q but not U?

Search: scrabble dictionary q but not u

Why: Chandler is asking. I swear I'm not cheating, everyone I'm currently playing. I don't even have any Qs (except in one of the games [but which one!!!]).

Answer: There are several! Here's a list (though Scrabble dictionaries may vary, so check before you play):

ANTIQ (an accepted abbreviation for the words “antiquary” and “antiquarian")
BURQA (garment worn by Islamic women)
BURQAS (plural of BURQAS)
FAQIR (Muslim or Hindu monk)
FAQIRS (plural of FAQIR)
MBAQANGA (a style of South African music)
MBAQANGAS (plural of MBAQANGA)
QABALA (occult or secret doctrine, variation of CABALA)
QABALAH (variation of CABALA, QABALA)
QABALAS (plural of QABALA)
QABALAHS (plural of QABALAH)
QADI (Islamic judge)
QADIS (plural of QADI)
QAID (a Muslim tribal chief or senior official)
QAIDS (plural of QAID)
QANAT (gently sloping underground tunnel for irrigation)
QANATS (plural of QANAT)
QAT (leaf of the shrub Catha edulis)
QATS (plural of QAT)
QI (a circulating life energy in Chinese philosophy)
QIS (plural of QI)
QINDAR (Albanian currency, variation of QINTAR)
QINDARKA (plural of QINDAR)
QINDARS (plural of QINDAR)
QINTAR (Albanian currency)
QINTARS (plural of QINTAR)
QIVIUT (musk-ox wool)
QIVIUTS (plural of QIVIUT)
QOPH (19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
QOPHS (plural of QOPH)
QWERTY (the traditional configuration of computer keyboard keys)
QWERTYS (plural of QWERTY)
SHEQALIM (plural of SHEQEL)
SHEQEL (any of several ancient units of weight)
SUQ (variant of souk; a marketplace in Arab cities)
SUQS (plural of SUQ)
TALAQ (a method of divorce in Islamic law)
TRANQ (sedative)
TRANQS (plural of TRANQ)
TSADDIQ (Hebrew term for a spiritual leader)
TZADDIQ (Hebrew term for a spiritual leader)
UMIAQ (a boat made of stretched animal skins by Inuits)

Source: Boardgames.about.com, YourDictionary, Scrabble Lookup, ScrabbleFinder

The More You Know: Do you know the band Q and Not U? I saw them once playing at Hamilton College (in Clinton, NY), which is right by (and almost identical to) Colgate (which is in Hamilton, NY). Here is their best song, "Soft Pyramids." Spell it out!

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Who does the vocals for Daft Punk?

Search: daft punk; one more time

Why: They wear robot helmets when they perform live, which is rarely. I can imagine them recording robot-y voices for, like, "Harder Faster Better Stronger," but I can't picture a robot singing the dulcet tones in "One More Time."

Answer: Sometimes they do, and sometimes other people do! The vocals on "One More Time" are done by Romanthony, an American DJ. According the liner notes for "Harder Faster Better Stronger," it's a "robot vocal performance" by Daft Punk and a sample of "Cola Bottle Baby" by Edwin Birdsong.

Of the other songs that aren't all instrumental, I would guess they are probably the same - some them, some others. On "Around the World":

The key hook is a steady bassline and a vocoder-processed voice singing "around the world" in continuous chains. The phrase occurs 144 times in the album version and 80 times in the radio edit.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: The 2 robots in Daft Punk (oh PS, did you see them in new TRON?) are 36 year-old Frenchmen Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who has the same birthday as me. Here is what they look like under those things:

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