Total Trivia

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The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear; it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates the loincloth was often the only clothing worn (effectively making it an outer garment rather than an undergarment), as was doubtless its origin, but in colder regions the loincloth often formed the basis of a person's clothing and was covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available.

 

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Men are said to have worn loincloths in ancient Greece and Rome, though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. There is some speculation that only slaves wore loincloths and that citizens did not wear undergarments beneath their chitons. Mosaics of the Roman period indicate that women (primarily in an athletic context, whilst wearing nothing else) sometimes wore strophiae (breastcloths) or brassieres made of soft leather, along with subligaculae which were either in the form of shorts or loincloths. Subligaculae were also worn by men.

 

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Critics of rock and roll songs (and of Led Zeppelin in particular) have alleged that a backmasked message is recorded into "Stairway to Heaven." The message, which allegedly occurs during the middle section of the song ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now..."), is purported to contain Satanic references:

Oh here's to my sweet Satan.
The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan.
He will give those with him six six six.
There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.
– Most popular version of the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven played backwards

The controversy originated from a prominent Baptist, who, in 1982, preached on the radio that "Stairway to Heaven" contained subliminal backward messages. This theory was later primarily advanced by Michael Mills, Jacob Aranza, and Jeff Godwin, who offered detailed analyses asserting the existence of hidden meanings within both the "backwards" and actual lyrics. In 1982, the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing on backmasking in popular music, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backwards. William Yarroll, a self-identified neuroscientist, also claimed that "Stairway to Heaven" contained a message when played backwards. Various versions of the alleged message exist.

The band itself has for the most part ignored such claims; for years the only comment came from Swan Song Records which issued the statement: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards". Led Zeppelin audio engineer Eddie Kramer confirmed this, calling the allegations "totally and utterly ridiculous. Why would they want to spend so much studio time doing something so dumb?" Robert Plant expressed frustration with the accusations in an interview: "To me it's very sad, because 'Stairway to Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music."
An informal experiment by scientist Simon Singh suggested that listeners only hear the message after prompting.


My question is, how did the critics figure out there's a backmasked message?

 

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Artists who have been accused of backmasking include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Styx, AC/DC, Judas Priest, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Starship, Black Oak Arkansas, Rush, Britney Spears, t.A.T.u. and Eminem.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The term lingerie derives from the French word 'lin' which means linen.

But who was Gerie?

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Contagious yawning - the irresistible urge to yawn when you see someone else do it - isn't confined to humans. Studies of chimpanzees and stumptail macaques suggests that they do it too - in fact, they can be prompted to yawn just by seeing a video of another animal yawning.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

In 1869, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Ward Hunt turned up in parliament to deliver the budget, only discover that he'd left his speech at home - thus starting the tradition of Chancellors holding up their red box for everyone to see before leaving.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The slow loris might be an incredibly cute animal, but it's also poisonous - in an incredibly convoluted way. It secretes a toxin from glands in its elbows, which it must then lick off, coating its teeth in the toxin before biting its target.

 

[RUlookingup]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QIFyBAtpGE&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym016NijZXs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j08L0oDaZs&feature=related

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980.[1] He was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland, and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia with his family in 1952 at the age of six.

AC/DC's popularity grew throughout the 1970s, initially in Australia, and then internationally. Their 1979 album Highway to Hell reached the top twenty in the United States, and the band seemed on the verge of a commercial breakthrough. However, on 19 February 1980, Scott died after a night of partying in London. AC/DC briefly considered disbanding, but the group quickly recruited vocalist Brian Johnson of the British glam rock band Geordie. AC/DC's subsequent album, Back in Black, was released only five months later, and was a tribute to Scott. It went on to become the second best-selling album in histor

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The largest jellyfish ever discovered (a lion's mane jellyfish washed up in Massachusetts Bay in 1965) had a body 7 1/2 ft in diameter, and tentacles a staggering 120ft in length. That's longer than the largest blue whale ever found.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Before the invention of modern toothpaste, from Roman times up to as recently as the 18th century, there is evidence that people used to whiten their teeth using urine. Sometimes their own, but mostly other people's.

 

[RUlookingup]

Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is a Scottish-born Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003. Known for wild, energetic performances and schoolboy-uniform stage outfits, Young is ranked 95th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

As a teenager Angus Young played in a band called 'Kantuckee'. He was 18 when he and his 20 year old brother Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973 with Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals. "Can I Sit Next To You Girl", their first single, was later re-recorded with Bon Scott as their vocalist. They got the name AC/DC after seeing the letters "AC/DC" on the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret.

Angus tried a number of stage costumes, such as Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a parody of Superman, named Super-Ang.[2] before settling on his signature schoolboy trademark. To match this image the press and public were told that Young was born in 1959, not 1955. The original uniform was from his secondary school, Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney. By 1973, Angus had long left school. His sister Margaret suggested he wear the uniform after Malcolm asked each band member to come up with their own gimmick, which was ironic as Angus very much disliked being at school. This was the era of glam rock, when costumes were common for pop and rock acts


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1iR2Wi3u5o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98I85ceICRM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfsvS4v8ZL8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNIsKOwzv08&feature=related

Angus and Bon are quite the showmen

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The Schmidt Sting Pain Index is a scientific scale measuring how badly insect stings hurt entomologist Justin Schmidt. It ranges from sweat bees at 1.0 ('Light, ephemeral, almost fruity') to over 4.0 for the bullet ant ('Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel.')

 

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But who was Gerie?

The girl twin of Gerry .

 

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In the Mediaeval Era, meat was an expensive delicacy. The poor ate meat only a handful time of the year whereas it was a sign of the affluent to eat meat almost daily and minimal vegetables.

The diet of the common people people mainly consisted of barley (barley bread, porridge and soup), supplemented by carrots, beans, onions, garlic and cabbage, with cheese, apples, pears and mushrooms. Herbs included rosemary and basil, and honey was used as a sweetener. Vegetables was usually cooked, as it was considered to be unhealthy to eat raw vegetables.

For those living in the manor house, there was a wide range of foods available. Fowl such as capons, geese, larks, and chickens were usually available to the lord and his family. They would also dine on other meats; beef, bacon, lamb, and those living close to water may have regularly dined on salmon, herring, eels ands other fresh water fish. Fish would either be sold fresh or smoked and salted. Wealthy society could afford large quantities of milled flour and other meals made from grain. Dairy products such as cheese and butter could be seen on the manor table, and vegetables was rarely seen.

 

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Mediaeval diets lacked vitamins A, C and D and were not high in calories, making the regular drinking of ale a necessity for most. The only positive part of these diets, were that they were somewhat "heart-smart;" low in fat and high in fiber. But the mediaeval world was usually a very hungry one.

 

[NymphGoddess]

Mediaeval diets lacked vitamins A, C and D and were not high in calories, making the regular drinking of ale a necessity for most. The only positive part of these diets, were that they were somewhat "heart-smart;" low in fat and high in fiber. But the medieval world was usually a very hungry one.

bread was taxed, and soup was a large portion of their meals to make the meat and vegetables etc last as long as possible. The drinking of ale and such was strictly a disentery-avoidance measure. the water was extremly unsafe. Since there were no known reliable medical measures that worked every time for any given ailment, preventative measures were not just recomended but required.

 

[RUlookingup]

On 16 May 1966, drummer Keith Moon, bass player John Paul Jones, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page recorded "Beck's Bolero" in London's IBC Studios. The experience gave Page an idea to form a new supergroup featuring Beck, along with The Who's John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums.[7] However, the lack of a quality vocalist and contractual problems prevented the project from getting off the ground. During this time, Entwistle suggested the name "Lead Zeppelin" for the first time, after Moon commented that the proceedings would take to the air like a lead balloon.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1130878/the_lemon_song_led_zeppelin/

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

On April 16, 1943, Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hoffman got a tiny amount of a substance he was working with on his skin. He was forced to go home, feeling dizzy and restless, before seeing 'extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.' He'd just accidentally discovered the psychedelic properties of LSD.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The Vatican has a cash machine that has instructions in Latin - thought to be the only one in the world to use the language. 'INSERTIO SCIDULAM QUAESO UT FACILUNDAM COGNOSCAS RATIONEM' is how it asks for your card

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The phrase 'steal my thunder' comes from dramatist John Dennis, who in 1704 was very proud to have invented a new method for producing thunder sound effects in plays. He was less happy when his play was shut down, and a new production of Macbeth nicked his sound effect technique.

 

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Latin may be considered by some a dead language, but a dictionary of modern Latin published by the Vatican has become a liber venditissimus -- a best-seller. It is a project to keep the language updated.

The Vatican's publishing house has just come out with a combined edition of the Latin-Italian dictionary after two earlier volumes, one covering the letters A-L and the second M-Z, sold out. Five hundred copies have been printed with a sale price of about $115.

"There's still life out there," said the Rev. Claudio Rossini, director of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

The two volumes contain some 15,000 modernized Latin words, many of them compounds of existing Latin words.

Behind the project is the Vatican's Latin Foundation, which was set up by Pope Paul VI in the 1970s to help keep Latin alive in the Roman Catholic Church as its use began seriously to wane after the Vatican decreed that Mass could be celebrated in local languages

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Latin survives as the official tongue of Vatican City and as the official language of communication of the Roman Catholic Church. Until the 1960s, it was also the language of the Roman Catholic liturgy and is still so used under certain conditions. During the Middle Ages it flourished as the language of the universities, scholars, and writers. It was the language of diplomacy in Europe as late as the 17th cent. and was still widely used in scholarly writing in the 19th cent. Today, although the language has a diminished role in the school curriculum, Latin roots continue to serve as a major source for the derivation of new terms in the sciences and technologies.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The rings of Saturn fascinated and puzzled skygazers for many centuries. In the late 17th century, theologian Leo Attalius published 'De Praeputio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Diatriba' - his theory that the rings were actually the circumcised foreskin of Jesus Christ, ascended to heaven.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The 17th century English free-market economist Nicholas Barbon may have pioneered both fire insurance and the modern fire brigade, but he's probably best known for the magnificently unwieldy full name that his father, Praise-God Barbon, gave him: Nicholas Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned Barbon. (He normally just went by Nicholas.)