DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO
Founded: December 2000 Created By: Esther Aquino & Joseph Garcia
Thursday April 21st, 2005
In Today's Edition
Scientists say that 1 out of every 4 people are mentally disturbed. Take a close look at three of your friends. If they seem ok, then you've got problems.
Born On April 21st
Click here for your horoscope for today
Andie Macdowell (1958)
Tony Danza (1951)
Charles Grodin (1935)
Elaine May (1932)
Elizabeth II, Queen of England (1926)
Anthony Quinn (1915)
John Muir (1838)
Charlotte Bronte (1816)
Gassy Blondes
Two blondes were filling up at a gas station and the first blonde says to the second, "I bet these awful gas prices are going to go even higher."
The second blonde replies, "It won't affect me, I always put in just $20 worth."
Today's useless fact - What colors should I use in my bedroom to help me relax and sleep?
Color theory links offer plenty of ideas about what colors are relaxing in a bedroom. However, most sources admit that your personal preference should come first in any color decision. The colors you find restful and relaxing may not be the same as what someone else would choose. That said, here's what we learned about the effect colors have on moods, plus some popular ideas about tranquil bedroom colors.
Early research suggested that red raised people's heart rates and blood pressures while blue lowered them, but more recent research showed that those reactions were based on the colors in isolation, not in real-world environments. Several current studies found that the saturation or strength of a color had more effect than the hue itself. So, a bright red and a bright blue can be equally exciting, and a dull, soft red or blue can be similarly calming. In addition, current research has found that people feel an environment increases in complexity when deeply saturated colors and multiple colors are present.
Home & Garden Television's Living With Color page explains how colors can be passive, active, or neutral. Bright colors -- especially bright reds, oranges, and yellows -- are active and can energize people. Colors related to water and sky -- cool blues, greens, and lavenders -- are passive and can feel calming. Tans and grays tend to be neutral and have less effect. This page also says that green is the easiest color for the human eye to see, while yellow is the most difficult.
Color professor J.L. Morton agrees that green is restful to the eye and says that this color also promotes healing. In Medieval times, green symbolized fertility, which could help the romance factor in your bedroom. Green, violet, and blue all get a thumbs up for relaxation and calm from DIY.net, as well.
To apply these theories to your bedroom, you may want to concentrate on a few colors in soft, lighter shades and choose passive or neutral colors. Muted greens, blues, and purples, and neutrals like tan and gray, all seem conducive to a sleeping environment. But if those colors don't appeal to you, try muted versions of your favorite colors and stick to just a few colors in the room.
The Buzzword For April 2
1stapprehension \ap-rih-HEN-shun\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : arrest
2 : an understanding of something
3 : fear of or uncertainty about what may be coming
How do you use it?
"He knew her to be clever, to have a quick apprehension as
well as good sense, and a fondness for reading, which,
properly directed, must be an education in itself." (Jane
Austen, _Mansfield Park_)
Are you a word wiz?
Which word do you think is related to "apprehension"?
A. leisure
B. prison
C. complex
D. author
Answer:
We hope that B really grabbed your attention. Both
"apprehension" and "prison" trace to the Latin root
"prehendere," which means "to grasp" or "to seize."
"Prehendere" is the ancestor of a number of other English
words, too. It teamed up with the prefix "ap-" (meaning "to,"
"toward," or "near") to form "apprehendere," the Latin
predecessor of our words "apprehension," "apprehend" and
"apprehensive." When "prehendere" was joined with the prefix
"com-" (meaning "with," "together," "jointly"), Latin got
"comprehendere," ancestor of the English words "comprehend,"
"comprehension," and "comprehensive." "Prehendere" also gave
us the words "comprise," "prehensile" ("adapted for seizing
or grasping"), and "reprehend" ("to criticize severely"),
among others.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
Click Here
Flight Over Tulips
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend.
The following is what appeared in Wednesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
Born On April 20th
Joey Lawrence (1976)
Carmen Electra (1972)
Don Mattingly (1961)
Clint Howard (1959)
Jessica Lange (1949)
Ryan O'Neal (1941)
Nina Foch (1924)
Harold Lloyd (1893)
Joan Miró (1893)
Adolf Hitler (1889)
Jittery Taxi Driver
A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate glass window.
For a few moments everything was silent in the cab, and then the still shaking driver said, "I'm sorry but you scared the daylights out of me."
The frightened passenger, apologized to the driver, and said he didn't realize a mere tap on the shoulder could frighten him so much.
The driver replied, "No, no, I'm sorry, it's my entire fault, today is my first day driving a cab.... I've been driving a hearse for the last 35 years."
If Ducks Could Hunt
Today's useless fact - What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?
A classic question! Fortunately, a quick investigation of our very own Crocodiles and Alligators Category reveals several differences between alligators and crocodiles:
You can't see an alligator's teeth when it's mouth is closed; its lower teeth fit snugly into pits in the upper jaw. In contrast, a crocodile's lower teeth are always visible.
* Alligators have a broad snout, while crocodiles have a thinner snout.
* Alligators tend to be grayish black in color, whereas crocodiles have a light tan appearance.
* Alligators can only be found in the southeastern United States and in some parts of China. Crocodiles can be found all over the world.
* In the wild, alligators tend to run away. While not exactly wallflowers, they certainly prefer their own company. Some species of crocodiles, on the other hand, have legendary tempers. The Salt Water Crocodile and the Nile Crocodile have been known to eat people.
Obviously, these two creatures have more in common than not. Alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gharials are all referred to as crocodilians, and the last 25 years have been very kind to them. Thanks to conservation efforts and threatened animal legislation, 16 of the 23 species have been returned to sustainable population levels.
The Buzzword For April 20th
reluctant \rih-LUK-tunt\ adjective
What does it mean?
: showing doubt or unwillingness
How do you use it?
Since he felt it would make him look foolish, Derek was
reluctant to admit that he was late because he had overslept.
Are you a word wiz?
Which one of these words do you think is a synonym of
"reluctant"?
A. baffled
B. diligent
C. hesitant
D. effective
Answer:
If you didn't hesitate to go with C, good job! "Reluctant" and
"hesitant" both mean "lacking the will or desire to do
something indicated." "Reluctant" implies holding back
through unwillingness (as "a reluctant witness"), while
"hesitant" suggests doing so through fear or uncertainty (as
in "hesitant about asking for a favor"). Another synonym,
"disinclined," indicates a lack of wanting to do something
(as in "disinclined to move"). "Loath" points to
unwillingness caused by a conflict with someone's opinions or
tendencies (as in "loath to trust anyone"), while "averse"
implies avoiding something because of strong dislike or
disgust (as in "averse to hard work").
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
Click Here
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
"Fiction writing is great. You can make up almost anything."
~ Ivana Trump, upon finishing her first novel
Born On April 19th
Hayden Christensen (1981)
Kate Hudson (1979)
Luis Miguel Basteri (1970)
Ashley Judd (1968)
Al Unser, Jr. (1962)
Paloma Picasso (1949)
Tim Curry (1946)
Dudley Moore (1935)
Jayne Mansfield (1933)
Hugh O'Brian (1925)
Flock Food
A nervous young minister, new to the church, told the flock, "For my text today, I will take the words, 'And they fed five men with five thousand loaves of bread and two thousand fishes.'"
A member of the flock raised his hand and said, "That's not much of a trick. I could do that."
The minister didn't respond. However, the next Sunday he decided to repeat the text. This time he did it properly, "And they fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes." Smiling, the minister said to the noisy man, "Could you do that, Mr. Perkins?"
The member of the flock said, "I sure could."
"How would you do it?"
"With all the food I had left over from last Sunday!"
Today's useless fact - Are human beings the only animals that cry?
We visited the links in the Lukol Biology category to answer your question. Tears are an important protection and lubricant for the eye. They can flush out irritants and keep the eye wet to enhance vision. The eye's lacrimal system evolved to keep the eye surface moist. In aquatic animals, the eye is constantly bathed in water, but land animals are surrounded by air, so their eyes needed a built-in watering system. While most vertebrates are physically capable of producing tears, many scientists say that humans are the only animals that cry emotional tears.
Different sources suggest that chimpanzees, elephants, dogs, and bears can shed tears. But we couldn't find any scientific studies of animal's emotional tears. As Tom Lutz author of Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears notes, it would be impossible to discern if animal tears were purely emotional or caused by eye irritation.
However, if you don't consider tears essential to crying, then many animals cry. Studies have found that very young mammals and birds vocalize when they are separated from their mothers. Baby animals can be quite expressive in their distress at being apart from their primary caretakers. Wildlife experts and hunters both note that the cry of a bear cub separated from its mother sounds very much like a human baby's cry. While these cries don't include tears, they seem to have an emotional element.
And despite the old saying, crocodiles don't shed tears.
The Buzzword For April 19th
esculent \ESS-kyuh-lunt\ adjective
What does it mean?
: fit to eat
How do you use it?
"The remainder of the garden presented a well-selected
assortment of esculent vegetables, in a praiseworthy state of
advancement." (Nathaniel Hawthorne, _The House of Seven
Gables_)
Are you a word wiz?
Go on, take a nibble at this question: which of the following
is NOT esculent?
A. a green tomato
B. the skin of an apple
C. a ripe plum
D. the pit of a cherry
Answer:
If D gave your stomach a turn, you chose wisely. Green
tomatoes aren't as popular as red ones, but they are suitable
to eat, as are all the items except the cherry pit. English
has other words to describe something that's fit to eat. One
is "comestible" and another is the much more common "edible."
Besides their meaning, these words have something else in
common: all three trace back to the Latin word "edere,"
meaning "to eat." "Comestible" is the oldest; it's been
around since the 1400s. "Edible" came next, arriving in the
late 1500s. "Esculent" is the newest. It first appeared in
the early 1600s.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
Click Here
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Monday's edition.
In Today's Edition
There's one consolation about life and taxes - when you finish the former, you're through with the latter.
Born On April 18th
Melissa Joan Hart (1976)
Conan O'Brien (1963)
Eric Roberts (1956)
James Woods (1947)
Hayley Mills (1946)
Leopold Stokowski (1882)
Clarence Darrow (1857)
Union Meeting
A union shop steward is addressing a union meeting...
"Comrades. We have agreed on a new deal with the management. We will no longer work four days a week.
" "Hooray!", goes the crowd.
"We will finish work at 4 PM, not 5 PM."
"Hooray!", goes the crowd, again.
"We will start work at 10 AM, not 9 AM."
"Hooray!"
"We have a 150% pay rise."
"Hooray!"
"We will only work on Wednesdays."
Silence...then a voice from the back asks, "Every Wednesday?"
Today's useless fact - Why are you supposed to throw salt over your shoulder after you spill it?
Superstitions about salt date back to biblical times when salt was a highly prized commodity. It was expensive, crucial in preserving food, and was often used in lieu of currency. So spilling salt was considered an almost sacrilegious offence, and left one perilously exposed to the devil's machinations.
Throwing salt over your shoulder is akin to blessing someone after they've sneezed -- it's a way of keeping the devil at bay while you're in an especially vulnerable moment. Depending on your interpretation, the salt is either intended to blind the devil so he can't witness your error, or keep him from sneaking up on you while you're cleaning up your mess.
It's important to note that the superstition calls for the offender to throw salt over the left shoulder. As one web site notes, many ancient traditions place the devil to the left of the straight and narrow path. The classic image of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other often shows the sinister imp sitting on the left side.
And if you want to really follow the letter of the law, you're encouraged to throw the salt with your "good," or right hand. Throughout history, the association of right with good and left with bad caused a number of perfectly respectable left-handed people to be burned at the stake.
The Buzzword For April 18th
famous \FAY-muss\ adjective
What does it mean?
1 : much talked about : very well-known
2 : deserving to be remembered : excellent
How do you use it?
Listen my children and you shall hear / Of the midnight ride
of Paul Revere, / On the eighteenth of April, in
Seventy-five; / Hardly a man is now alive / Who remembers
that famous day and year. / (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
"Paul Revere's Ride")
Are you a word wiz?
One of the words below has a meaning that's close to "famous."
Figuring out which one might not make you famous, but it could
be fun. Which word do you think is a synonym of "famous"?
A. renowned
B. unknown
C. considerate
D. funny
Answer:
"Famous" and "renowned" are two of several words that describe
somebody or something that's known far and wide. "Famous"
suggests being popularly known and sometimes only for a short
time (as in, "a famous actor"). "Renowned," on the other hand,
stresses glory and honor that might go beyond the limits of
time (for example, "heroes renowned in story and song").
Another synonym, "celebrated," stresses frequent public
notice and mention especially in print (such as, "a
celebrated legal case"), while " notorious" gives the
impression that someone is famous for wrongdoing (as in, "a
notorious traitor").
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
Click Here
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
