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| Hesitation could cost more than embarrassment |
You Are Visitor Number
Did You Know? Greek Prostitutes
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| Greek Prostitutes advertised their services by leaving messages with their sandals |
The brothels of Solon provided a service which was accessible to all, regardless of income or gender. One obolus is one sixth of one drachma, the daily salary of a public servant at the end of the 5th century BC.
By the middle of the 4th century BC, this salary was up to a drachma and a half.) In the same light, Solon used taxes he levied on brothels to build a temple to Aphrodite Pandemos (literally "Aphrodite of all the people".
Even if the historical accuracy of these anecdotes can be doubted, it is clear that classical Athens considered prostitution to be part of its democracy.
In regards to price, there are numerous allusions to the price of one obolus for a cheap prostitute; no doubt for basic acts. It is difficult to assess whether this was the actual price or a proverbial amount designating a "good deal".
Independent prostitutes who worked the street were on the next higher level. Besides directly displaying their charms to potential clients they had recourse to publicity; sandals with marked soles have been found which left an imprint on the ground that stated ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΕΙ AKOLOUTHEI ("Follow me").
Source:
Did You Know? Thomas Jefferson, Inventor
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| Inventions by Thomas Jefferson |
Thomas Jefferson loved to invent gadgets. He helped advance the science of agriculture by inventing a plow that was easier to pull. He also created an updated sundial in the form of a sphere.
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| Biographical facts about Thomas Jefferson |
But his coolest work was to help out American spies during the Revolutionary War. He invented this “wheel cipher,” (see picture) which was an iron pin containing 26 spinning wooden disks that could be used to decipher coded messages. That way, the British couldn't read any messages they managed to intercept.
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| More inventions by Thomas Jefferson |
Among his other inventions were:
- Dumbwaiter for his wine bottles
- The hideaway bed
- The pedometer
- The polygraph (not a lie detector - it was a copying machine)
- A revolving book stand
- The spherical sundial
- An improved swivel chair
- The hideaway bed
- The pedometer
- The polygraph (not a lie detector - it was a copying machine)
- A revolving book stand
- The spherical sundial
- An improved swivel chair
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| Some more inventions by Thomas Jefferson |
Did You Know? Almost Buried Alive
In 1915, a woman was late to her sister's funeral and told the undertaker she wanted to see her sister one last time. When the coffin was opened, the dead woman sat up and smiled, and she lived another 47 years.
Personal note: I would have died and taken her place in the coffin.
It's a true story! The 'dead' woman's name was Essie Dunbar and she really did live another 47 years.
Personal note: I would have died and taken her place in the coffin.
It's a true story! The 'dead' woman's name was Essie Dunbar and she really did live another 47 years.
You can read the story here:
Did You Know? Strange Laws Around The World
- In Birmingham, England, it is illegal for a man and a woman to have sex on church steps after sundown.
- In London, England, it is illegal to use a camera tripod, throw a stick for your dog or use an offensive powder like pepper on your jacket potato in any park.
- In London, England, wife beating is legal just as long as it is not after 9pm and it doesn't disturb the neighbours.
- In London, England, it is illegal to impersonate a Chelsea pensioner which once carried the death sentence in the 19th century.
- In Lebanon men are allowed to have sex with any other animal just as long as it is a female. If a man is caught having sex with a male animal then the penalty is death.
- Non-Christians have been banned from being within 20 metres of churches in Rovato, Italy. The move, instigated by the local government, has angered police because a major highway passes within 15 metres of one of the churches. Officers claim that they cannot be expected to stop motorists and demand to see a Baptism Certificate.
- North Carolina has a law to ban people from swearing in front of cadavers. The law also sets out guidelines transporting the recently deceased after one funeral firm was caught piling stiffs onto the back of a pick-up truck. It outlaws 'profanity, indecent or obscene language in the presence of a dead human body' making it technically illegal to say the 'f' word in front of a hearse!
- In Minnesota, USA, it is still against the law to hang male and female underwear together on the same washing line.
- In Indiana, USA, in the 1950's anything to do with Robin Hood was banned on the grounds that robbing from from the rich to give to the poor was a communist act!
- In England, in 1837, a law was passed that entitled a woman to bite off a man's nose if he kissed her against her will!
- The Egyptian government banned male belly-dancing in 1837 because of the enthusiastic riots that it caused.
- In Arizona, USA, it is illegal to hunt camels.
- In California, USA, in 1986, Judge Samuel King became so annoyed that jurors were absent from his court because of heavy rain that he issued a decree which stated "I hereby order that it cease raining by Tuesday." Amazingly it stopped raining on Tuesday and California suffered a 5 year drought. In 1991 the judge then decreed "Rain shall fall in California beginning February 27th." Later that day California had the heaviest rainfall in ten years.
- In Alexandria, Minneapolis, USA, it is against the law for a man to make love to a woman with the smell of sardines on his breath.
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Probiotics vs. Prebiotics
There is a difference between Probiotics and Prebiotics.
Prebiotics comes before Probiotics.
A Prebiotic is a nondigestible carbohydrate that acts like a food and stimulates the growth of microbes to get the gut ready for Probiotics.
Prebiotics have health benefits of acting as a remedy for gastrointestinal complaints such as constipation, IBS, decreasing allergic inflammation, treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and fighting autoimmune diseases. The word ‘prebiotic’ is seldom used on product labels. Instead, look in the ingredients list for Inulin, Chicory fiber, or Fructo-oligosaccharides just to name a few.
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| The Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics |
Probiotics are live organisms in the form of bacteria that is similar to those naturally found in the intestines. Probiotics maintain the balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria in the human gut.
The discovery of Probiotics came about in the early 20th century when a researcher, Elie Metchnikoff, observed the diets of rural dwellers in Bulgaria who lived to very old ages despite their harsh living conditions.
He found that by manipulating intestinal microbes with host-friendly bacteria as found in sour milk, that senility could be delayed and the body would enjoy better health.
Our bodies normally have good bacteria and bad bacteria. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, disease sets in.
The discovery of Probiotics came about in the early 20th century when a researcher, Elie Metchnikoff, observed the diets of rural dwellers in Bulgaria who lived to very old ages despite their harsh living conditions.
Our bodies normally have good bacteria and bad bacteria. When bad bacteria outnumber the good, disease sets in.
Prebiotics comes before Probiotics.
A Prebiotic is a nondigestible carbohydrate that acts like a food and stimulates the growth of microbes to get the gut ready for Probiotics.
Prebiotics have health benefits of acting as a remedy for gastrointestinal complaints such as constipation, IBS, decreasing allergic inflammation, treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and fighting autoimmune diseases. The word ‘prebiotic’ is seldom used on product labels. Instead, look in the ingredients list for Inulin, Chicory fiber, or Fructo-oligosaccharides just to name a few.
Our lifestyles of poor diet choices, use of illegal drugs, overdoing it in general, abuse of antibiotics and supplements, and environmental stressors can change the balance of bacteria in our gut so that we are no longer as protected from disease.
Probiotics balance the good and bad bacteria keeping digestive tract healthy. Most Probiotic products require efrigeration which is best, but some formulas don't require refrigeration, so always read labels.
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| When a healthy diet isn't possible, take a supplement. |
Probiotics balance the good and bad bacteria keeping digestive tract healthy. Most Probiotic products require efrigeration which is best, but some formulas don't require refrigeration, so always read labels.
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DID YOU KNOW? ORIGINS OF GOLF
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| St Andrew's Golf Club in 1930 |
Scotland was always under threat of invasion in medieval times. To build their army for protection, they started training males at age 12 with archery being the skill they needed for battle. It is a skill that needs to be practiced every day or it will be lost.
But instead of practicing their archery skills, Scotland's citizens preferred spending their free time playing golf and football, their archery skills were put aside.
In 1457, King James II, fearing his army would be unskilled, banned both games and they stayed banned until King James IV lifted it in 1503.
Future kings were avid golfers so the game came back into vogue in the 1600s and in 1860 the game was spread around the world beginning with the British Open. You can read more about the history of golf here.
https://digital.nls.uk/golf-in-scotland/banned/index.html
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But instead of practicing their archery skills, Scotland's citizens preferred spending their free time playing golf and football, their archery skills were put aside.
In 1457, King James II, fearing his army would be unskilled, banned both games and they stayed banned until King James IV lifted it in 1503.
Future kings were avid golfers so the game came back into vogue in the 1600s and in 1860 the game was spread around the world beginning with the British Open. You can read more about the history of golf here.
https://digital.nls.uk/golf-in-scotland/banned/index.html
Please tell your friends about our blog. Thank you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY - A TRUE FACT
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| A true fact |
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The Dietary Supplement Mystery
The older generation knows this already, but the younger generation might not.
In the United States, none of the herbal and dietary supplements that are for sale for humans or pets are FDA Approved. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also doesn't perform any product testing or evaluations before products are offered for sale.
That doesn't mean these products were never tested. It just means a government or federal health agency never tested them.
In the United States, none of the herbal and dietary supplements that are for sale for humans or pets are FDA Approved. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also doesn't perform any product testing or evaluations before products are offered for sale.
That doesn't mean these products were never tested. It just means a government or federal health agency never tested them.
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| There is no FDA oversight about health claims BEFORE a supplement is offered for sale |
The dietary supplement industry is a conundrum in the United States and to some people, it really defies logic. Consider this:
It is a fact that the FDA has given this industry free rein to market their products with very little oversight before their products hit the shelves.
Supplement manufacturers are on the honor system that they won't make bogus or unsupported medical claims about their product to say it can cure, prevent, or treat a certain ailment or disease.
But it is worth the time, money and risk investment for supplement manufacturers to take a chance by listing medical claims in their advertising and on labels, to risk getting caught by the short hairs for doing it because, by the time they get caught, they will have most likely made some money on their product. If their product just happens to be true to its medical claims, this will only go to support their cause when the FDA calls them to task for violations.
But, that won't happen by chance.
The FDA does perform some spot checks on the internet and the advertisements in popular print publications looking for bogus or unsubstantiated claims, but they really don't have the staff to keep up. They rely on consumers to submit a complaint or report.
What consumer is going to report a product if it worked for them? None.
The majority of products that get reported are the ones that don't live up to the expected advertised claims OR if a product poses a safety or public health threat.
There is one other way that a product gets the FDA's attention and that is when it poses a threat to the pharmaceutical industry where it may cut into their expected profits.
It is a well-known fact that cancer drugs are the pharmaceutical industry's golden calf, their primary money maker. Any dietary or herbal supplement that says it can do any part of what a cancer drug does for the patient is going to get attention. From everybody.
We don't like the system that is in place and if you have read up to this point, we don't think you will like it either.
The FDA can bring action by sending a warning, advisory or cease and desist letters to manufacturers but not until after that line has been crossed. By then, a fair percentage of the public probably already purchased the product. Even then, the FDA doesn't do its own testing. It relies on what the manufacturer has submitted to them from their own testing and research.
They could put 'anything' in that file - and I'll bet some do - but the FDA will take them at their word after reading the paperwork.
Essentially the public is a guinea pig.
We need more watchdogs in this industry because there are so many products for sale that make amazing claims and are still on the store shelves.
Just one look at the health infographics on Pinterest will show you that the wording is out of hand. Nearly every infographic or health picture uses wording that makes a claim that the product will "prevent, treat or help to cure."
We are concerned that consumers believe what they have read about products. We shouldn't live in a world where the consumer is the guinea pig, where the consumer has to get hurt first before the FDA or other health agencies step in to rectify or protect them.
We shouldn't allow manufacturers to police themselves because then we are allowing the fox to watch the henhouse.
They are in business to make a profit. If they are allowed to market first and deal with consequences later, then it won't be long before other businesses follow the same model. Then we can kiss goodbye to life as we know it because the consumer is not respected enough to be given consideration before the fact, only after.
We will be opening our two dedicated medical blogs where we cover dietary supplements on one and the other blog covers all manners of diseases and treatments. By far, we expect the dietary supplement website to be busier because of the public's interest. We expect to be open by Labor Day 2019. We hope you will check us out and stop by every day to see what is new.
Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome.
- The FDA regulates drugs, but not dietary supplements.
- Since dietary supplements primarily do not cure, treat or prevent disease, they are considered food, not drugs.
- As food, the manufacturers are still required to follow the same standards that all food manufacturers and distributors must follow regarding manufacturing, labeling and sanitary conditions.
- Manufacturers do not have to submit the results of any of their testing or research to the FDA before their product hits the store shelves. But they must have it on hand if it is requested.
- No matter what amazing medical miracles that a manufacturer's research turned up when they self-tested their product, they are still not permitted to make those medical claims about their products because then their products would be considered drugs.
- When a dietary supplement makes medical claims, it is only then that the FDA takes notice, followed by their own testing and research. If the claims are proven to be true, the supplement is now a drug and must conform to much more strict drug regulations.
It is a fact that the FDA has given this industry free rein to market their products with very little oversight before their products hit the shelves.
Supplement manufacturers are on the honor system that they won't make bogus or unsupported medical claims about their product to say it can cure, prevent, or treat a certain ailment or disease.
 |
| Manufacturers will try to market cures until they get caught |
But it is worth the time, money and risk investment for supplement manufacturers to take a chance by listing medical claims in their advertising and on labels, to risk getting caught by the short hairs for doing it because, by the time they get caught, they will have most likely made some money on their product. If their product just happens to be true to its medical claims, this will only go to support their cause when the FDA calls them to task for violations.
But, that won't happen by chance.
The FDA does perform some spot checks on the internet and the advertisements in popular print publications looking for bogus or unsubstantiated claims, but they really don't have the staff to keep up. They rely on consumers to submit a complaint or report.
What consumer is going to report a product if it worked for them? None.
The majority of products that get reported are the ones that don't live up to the expected advertised claims OR if a product poses a safety or public health threat.
There is one other way that a product gets the FDA's attention and that is when it poses a threat to the pharmaceutical industry where it may cut into their expected profits.
It is a well-known fact that cancer drugs are the pharmaceutical industry's golden calf, their primary money maker. Any dietary or herbal supplement that says it can do any part of what a cancer drug does for the patient is going to get attention. From everybody.
We don't like the system that is in place and if you have read up to this point, we don't think you will like it either.
The FDA can bring action by sending a warning, advisory or cease and desist letters to manufacturers but not until after that line has been crossed. By then, a fair percentage of the public probably already purchased the product. Even then, the FDA doesn't do its own testing. It relies on what the manufacturer has submitted to them from their own testing and research.
They could put 'anything' in that file - and I'll bet some do - but the FDA will take them at their word after reading the paperwork.
Essentially the public is a guinea pig.
We need more watchdogs in this industry because there are so many products for sale that make amazing claims and are still on the store shelves.
Just one look at the health infographics on Pinterest will show you that the wording is out of hand. Nearly every infographic or health picture uses wording that makes a claim that the product will "prevent, treat or help to cure."
We are concerned that consumers believe what they have read about products. We shouldn't live in a world where the consumer is the guinea pig, where the consumer has to get hurt first before the FDA or other health agencies step in to rectify or protect them.
We shouldn't allow manufacturers to police themselves because then we are allowing the fox to watch the henhouse.
They are in business to make a profit. If they are allowed to market first and deal with consequences later, then it won't be long before other businesses follow the same model. Then we can kiss goodbye to life as we know it because the consumer is not respected enough to be given consideration before the fact, only after.
We will be opening our two dedicated medical blogs where we cover dietary supplements on one and the other blog covers all manners of diseases and treatments. By far, we expect the dietary supplement website to be busier because of the public's interest. We expect to be open by Labor Day 2019. We hope you will check us out and stop by every day to see what is new.
Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome.
Telephones and Telephone Operators
Long before the computer-generated voice that you now hear when you dial the operator or directory assistance, there actually were real human beings called telephone operators who answered those calls.
From the 1880s to around 1905, the calls came into telephone rooms like the one you see below. Each operator sat at their own switchboard wall and routed the calls.
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| Telephone rooms like this one had walls of switchboards with operators who connected calls because there were no phone numbers in the 1880s. |
In the infancy of the telephone invention, there were huge switchboards that connected customer calls but early on, they were connecting primarily business-to-business calls until private residences had telephones installed in the late 1890s.
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| There were special long-distance phones in "silence cabinets" and the customer paid for the call afterward. If he didn't pay, he was locked in the cabinet until police arrived! |
The first residential phones were the windup (no dial) box-type phones. Department stores and mail-order catalogues like Sears and Montgomery Ward advertised the telephones for sale to homeowners starting around 1896. Although it was an expense to buy the phones, the money that was paid to the phone company was "rental money" - the customer didn't "own" the phone. Except for housing, most people viewed rental money as wasted money when they could own something outright.
The first phones were pretty simple to use. I couldn't find an advertisement for a windup phone dated from the 1890s. The closest windup phone I found was the Sears ad below from 1908 that sold two phones for $9.50 (which was $264 in 2019 dollars), but they only had a distance of up to 5 miles. Notice the weight!
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| Sears Roebuck's 1908 catalogue advertised this Battery-Operated phone with a range of 50 feet up to 5 miles. So if you wanted to talk to someone who was 20 miles away, this phone wouldn't do the job. |
The residential telephone didn't have a dial in the 1880s and 1890s because there were no phone numbers. It was a two-person setup which meant that your phone had to be directly connected to the person you wanted to talk to. Both of your phones stayed connected until one terminated the arrangement.
To use, you simply wound the handle to the right of your phonebox which made the other phone ring. When they answered, then you were able to talk to each other uninterrupted. Because only the two parties were connected, there were no intrusions from other people as you would a few years later on a party line.
The downside was that you couldn't talk to anyone else on that phone. If you wanted to talk to other people, you had to get more phones.
Around 1904 when the telephone lines were done being constructed within cities and from city to city, home phones came with dials. They were able to call multiple phones using phone numbers which were assigned around the end of 1904. But calls that were long-distance, defined as ten miles or more, were operator-assisted. They answered your call with "Number please?" then connected your call.
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| Beginning in 1904, operators answered with "Number please?" and was used by all Bell Companies by 1912 |
Given that there was a depression going on, telephones were a luxury and rather costly by 1877 standards. If you shared a phone number with a party line, you not only had people listen in on all your calls, but your bill was much cheaper.
As seen in the picture below, the annual rental bill in 1877 for two telephones was $20 per year (which is $488.71 in 2019 dollars). For a party line and two phones, the bill averaged $8.00 per year (which is $223 in 2019 dollars) to $14 per year (which is $391.50 in 2019 dollars).
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| Two phones were leased at $20 in 1877 came to $488.71 in 2019 dollars) |
You may remember reading in your history lessons in elementary school that Alexander Graham Bell applied for and was granted a patent for his telephone invention in 1876.
What you may have forgotten is that there were others who contributed to the invention. As with most of our modern technological conveniences, inventors of other devices had marked their place in history when they filed patents to document their contribution on various steps of the process, so Alexander Graham Bell was actually expanding on the progress made by other inventors before he invented his final product.
In 1667, British physicist Robert Hooke invented the acoustic string phone, which was a tin-can telephone similar to the toy you may have played with as a child of the 1950s and referred to as the lover's phone.
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| Lover's Phone, two tin cans and a piece of wire |
In 1753, Scottish scientist Charles Morrison was credited as developing a theory that each letter of the alphabet could be transmitted by wire - the first idea for a telegraph. But he didn't hold a patent on the telegraph machine that was in use from 1837 onward. That was Samuel Morse, also the inventor of Morse Code.
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| Morse Code was developed in 1837 by Samuel Morse, but the forerunner was a theory developed by Charles Morrison in 1753 |
For over 100 years, the only form of communication was the telegraph. In 1875, Bell was experimenting with his harmonic telegraph which was used to help teach the deaf but it was his first inkling that sound could be transmitted over the wires. In March 1876, Bell said to Mr. Watson, his assistant "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you."
Thomas Edison had his hand in there as did Johann Philipp Reis, Elisha Gray and those seen here.
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| Each man contributed something to the final invention. |
It wasn't enough just to invent the telephone. The amount of work that went into bringing it into every home and business was astounding. Businesses got first dibs on telephone installation, but a lot of work had to be done first - miles and miles of wiring.
In 1877 the first telephone line was constructed from Boston, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts.
By 1880, there were almost 48,000 telephones across the United States. In 1881, telephone lines to Providence, Rhode Island were connected to Boston, Massachusetts. In 1892 lines between Chicago and New York were constructed and by 1894 New York and Boston were connected.
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| Bell Telephone Switchboard Exchange buildings were in every neighborhood |
At the same time, the switchboards and switchboard exchanges were installed in buildings, one in nearly every neighborhood to answer the calls within the five-mile radius which was the capability of most phones at that time. Local calls could be routed through the city by operators and they could also relay long-distance calls from one city to another.
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| Switchboard Exchange (1950s) |
If you are 60 years old or older, you might remember the Bell Telephone Building in your neighborhood. The only way you knew what the building was for was because of the telephone company vehicles in the parking lot.
Bell Telephone later became AT & T, and finally, Verizon. As the computer age approached, the telephone exchange buildings were phased out.
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| Sears 1916, there is still no dial on the phone yet the prices went up a lot. |
As more people got phones installed in their homes, the system had to be tweaked to keep up with demand. More operators were hired to man the switchboards. I know in my city, besides healthcare and the Electric Company, the next biggest employer was Bell Telephone Company.
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| Switchboard operators in Seattle Washington in 1952 |
Although Alexander Graham Bell holds the patent for the telephone and we can see that other people contributed to the process until Bell developed the final product, since then, many people helped to improve Bell's telephone invention even better - from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs.
And like many other inventions past, present and future, there will always be contributors who will be credited with inventing parts of the process along the way. When the final product is presented to the public, like Bell, Morse, and Edison, that is the guy whose name will go in the history books as the person who obtained a patent on the invention.
You can read the story of Alexander Graham Bell's years of experiments to his final invention here.
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The Proper Storage For Cereal
I Really Hope Nobody Keeps Cereal In The Fridge
I don’t know anybody who stores cereal in the fridge. I shouldn’t need to say this, but the fridge is not a place where cereal belongs. The moisture inside will cause the cereal to wilt and become much less crunchy.
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| There are some people who store cereal in the fridge, but it isn't proper storage. Food companies go to great lengths with additives to keep their cereal from becoming moist in the box. So why put it in the fridge? |
Cereal should always be stored in a cool dry place, such as a pantry or a cupboard.
Nobody likes soggy cereal.
Hmm. . . Unless you’re one of those people who like soggy cereal. . .
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Hmm. . . Unless you’re one of those people who like soggy cereal. . .
Please tell your friends about our blog. Thank You.
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