Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Stop the fake Windows Security Center
New spyware system mimics Windows Security Center (Fri Oct 17, 2008 5:22PM EDT )
from Yahoo!
What's wrong with the screenshot to the right? Ignoring those red boxes added for emphasis, it looks identical to the Windows Security Center... only it's not. In fact it's a spyware hoax designed to mimic the Security Center almost identically, not to mention trick you into purchasing WinDefender 2008 software, a phony security app which will clear up only the phony security alerts its malware component creates.
WinDefender is just the latest in a series of malware attacks designed to look like legitimate Windows components. But people have finally started to wise up to those smallish "alert" pop-ups, so malware creators are upping the ante with full-blown knockoffs of real security apps. Computer Associates has the details.
In addition to the fake Security Center, WinDefender nags you further by blocking web pages from opening (blaming the blockage on "adware/spyware on your PC"). It adds a yellow drop-down box to Internet Explorer like you get when you try to download something from the web, again with text urging you to install WinDefender 2008 in order to unblock the sites. Just $40 of extortion money makes it all go away...
Most anti-malware software ought to be able to scrub WinDefender 2008 off your machine, but the more important lesson is that you pay close attention to the interface of anything security-related on your PC to ensure that you aren't being scammed while you're actually trying to address any security problems. Anything you see in Windows that recommends a specific program to solve any sort of problem should immediately be considered suspect.
from Yahoo!
What's wrong with the screenshot to the right? Ignoring those red boxes added for emphasis, it looks identical to the Windows Security Center... only it's not. In fact it's a spyware hoax designed to mimic the Security Center almost identically, not to mention trick you into purchasing WinDefender 2008 software, a phony security app which will clear up only the phony security alerts its malware component creates.
WinDefender is just the latest in a series of malware attacks designed to look like legitimate Windows components. But people have finally started to wise up to those smallish "alert" pop-ups, so malware creators are upping the ante with full-blown knockoffs of real security apps. Computer Associates has the details.
In addition to the fake Security Center, WinDefender nags you further by blocking web pages from opening (blaming the blockage on "adware/spyware on your PC"). It adds a yellow drop-down box to Internet Explorer like you get when you try to download something from the web, again with text urging you to install WinDefender 2008 in order to unblock the sites. Just $40 of extortion money makes it all go away...
Most anti-malware software ought to be able to scrub WinDefender 2008 off your machine, but the more important lesson is that you pay close attention to the interface of anything security-related on your PC to ensure that you aren't being scammed while you're actually trying to address any security problems. Anything you see in Windows that recommends a specific program to solve any sort of problem should immediately be considered suspect.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Click here to download.
To be able to read it, click save page as (as soon as the gibberish appears on your screen), then open it in ms reader. orayt?Ü
To be able to read it, click save page as (as soon as the gibberish appears on your screen), then open it in ms reader. orayt?Ü
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
(From the Empire magazine's poll with 10,000 of their readers, 200 critics)
500. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
499. Saw (2004)
498. Back to the Future Part 2 (1989)
497. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
496. Superman Returns (2006)
495. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
494. Sideways (2004)
493. In The Company Of Men (1997)
492. Amores Perros (2000)
491. Ben-Hur (1959)
490. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
489. Brick (2005)
488. Princess Mononoke (1997)
487. Superbad (2007)
486. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)
485. The Wicker Man (1973)
484. The Fountain (2001)
483. The Big Red One (1980)
482. Scream (1996)
481. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
480. The Son's Room (2001)
479. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1947)
478. Flesh (1968)
477. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
476. Santa Sangre (1989)
475. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
474. Enter The Dragon (1973)
473. Into The Wild (2007)
472. Le Doulos (1962)
471. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004)
470. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
469. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
468. The Crow (1994)
467. The Deer Hunter (1978)
466. Snatch (2000)
465. 12 Monkeys (1995)
464. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)
463. Juno (2007)
462. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
461. Halloween (1978)
460. Crash (2004)
459. Ikiru (1952)
458. Batman (1989)
457. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
456. 28 Days Later (2002)
455. Top Gun (1986)
454. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
453. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)
452. Unbreakable (2000)
451. Speed (1994)
450. King Kong (2005)
449. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
448. A History Of Violence (2005)
447. Ten (2002)
446. High Fidelity (2000)
445. Dumb And Dumber (1994)
444. Hairspray (1988)
443. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
442. Atonement (2007)
441. Being John Malkovich (1973)
440. Akira (1988)
439. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
438. The Lost Boys (1987)
437. Spider-Man (2002)
436. Beauty And The Beast (1991)
435. American Psycho (2000)
434. The Cat Concerto (1947)
433. Good Will Hunting (1997)
432. X-Men 2 (2003)
431. Electra Glide In Blue (1973)
430. Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
429. Danger: Diabolik (1968)
428. The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
427. Spring In A Small Town (1948)
426. Enduring Love (2004)
425. Wonder Boys (2000)
424. To Have And Have Not (1944)
423. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
422. A Man Escaped (1956)
421. Lethal Weapon (1987)
420. Jerry Maguire (1996)
419. Days Of Heaven (1978)
418. V For Vendetta (2005)
417. Lords Of Dogtown (2005)
416. Bad Taste (1987)
415. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
414. The Double Life Of Véronique (1991)
413. Finding Nemo (2003)
412. Heathers (1989)
411. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
410. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
409. Men In Black (1997)
408. Zelig (1983)
407. The Jungle Book (1967)
406. Iron Man (2008)
405. Dirty Dancing (1987)
404. RoboCop (1987)
403. Do The Right Thing (1989)
402. Little Miss Sunshine (1947)
401. Batman Returns (1992)
400. The Incredibles (2004)
399. Greed (1924)
398. Killer Of Sheep (1977)
397. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
396. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
395. Casino (1995)
394. Cloverfield (2008)
393. Garden State (2004)
392. Paris, Texas (1984)
391. Mulholland Drive (2001)
390. 2 Days In Paris (2007)
389. Election (1999)
388. The English Patient (1996)
387. Rain Man (1988)
386. The Great Silence (1968)
385. Ace In The Hole (1951)
384. The Shop Around The Corner (1940)
383. Serenity (2005)
382. Caché (2005)
381. Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
380. Children Of Men (2006)
379. Ratatouille (2007)
378. The Goonies (1985)
377. Mean Streets (1973)
376. Zodiac (2007)
375. Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)
374. Hot Fuzz (2007)
373. Wall-E (2008)
372. Army Of Darkness (1992)
371. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
370. Rocky (1976)
369. The Breakfast Club (1985)
368. Airplane! (1980)
367. Cabaret (1972)
366. Predator (1987)
365. The Bourne Identity (2002)
364. Natural Born Killers (1994)
363. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
362. The Elephant Man (1980)
361. Clerks (1994)
360. The Return (2003)
359. The Lady Eve (1941)
358. Russian Ark (2002)
357. The Long Goodbye (1973)
356. Napoléon (1927)
355. Sunshine (2007)
354. Un Chien Andalou (1929)
353. Bugsy Malone (1976)
352. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
351. Zulu (1964)
350. Planet Of The Apes (1968)
349. Arthur (1981)
348. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
347. All About Eve (1950)
346. Leave Her To Heaven (1945)
345. Fatal Attraction (1987)
344. The Last Waltz (1978)
343. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
342. The Gold Rush (1925)
341. The Passenger (1975)
340. High And Low (1963)
339. Spirited Away (2001)
338. Jules Et Jim (1962)
337. 300 (2006)
336. Titanic (1997)
335. The Seventh Seal (1957)
334. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
333. Grease (1978)
332. The Sixth Sense (1999)
331. The Green Mile (1999)
330. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
329. The Lives Of Others (2006)
328. The Truman Show (1998)
327. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
326. Out Of Sight (1998)
325. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
324. Lone Star (1996)
323. The Last Seduction (1994)
322. Aladdin (1992)
321. Funny Face (1957)
320. Braveheart (1995)
319. The Lion King (1994)
318. Rebecca (1940)
317. Midnight Run (1988)
316. Trainspotting (1996)
315. Sense And Sensibility (1995)
314. Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
313. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
312. Suspiria (1977)
311. American History X (1998)
310. Gremlins (1984)
309. Transformers (2007)
308. The Terminator (1984)
307. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
306. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (2007)
305. The Prestige (2006)
304. Radio Days (1987)
303. Together (2000)
302. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
301. Love And Death (1975)
300. Sawdust And Tinsel (1953)
299. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
298. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
297. It Happened One Night (1934)
296. All The President’s Men (1976)
295. The Untouchables (1987)
294. The Red Balloon (1956)
293. La Maman Et La Putain (1973)
292. La Belle Et La Bête (1946)
291. Rocco And His Brothers (1960)
290. Rashomon (1950)
289. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
288. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
287. Secrets And Lies (1996)
286. L’Avventura (1960)
285. Solaris (1972)
284. Scarface (1983)
283. Ran (1985)
282. The Godfather Part III (1990)
281. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
280. Mad Max 2 (1982)
279. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
278. Carlito’s Way (1993)
277. On The Town (1949)
276. Layer Cake (2004)
275. My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
274. Sin City (2005)
273. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
272. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)
271. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
270. The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
269. A Place In The Sun (1951)
268. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
267. Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
266. Ghost World (2001)
265. A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
264. American Graffiti (1973)
263. Das Boot (1981)
262. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
261. Roman Holiday (1953)
260. Field Of Dreams (1989)
259. Groundhog Day (1993)
258. The Blues Brothers (1980)
257. The Black Cat (1997)
256. Le Quai Des Brumes (1938)
255. Ninotchka (1939)
254. The Verdict (1982)
253. First Blood (1982)
252. The Leopard (1963)
251. Darling (1965)
250. Sunrise (1927)
249. My Darling Clementine (1946)
248. Pandora’s Box (1929)
247. All That Jazz (1979)
246. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
245. Downfall (2004)
244. Dazed And Confused (1993)
243. Heimat (1984)
242. King Kong (1933)
241. Brighton Rock (1947)
240. Forrest Gump (1994)
239. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
238. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
237. Delicatessen (1991)
236. Black Narcissus (1947)
235. Battle Royale (2000)
234. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
233. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
232. Jurassic Park (1993)
231. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
230. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
229. Festen (1998)
228. No Country For Old Men (2007)
227. Léon (1994)
226. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
225. Get Carter (1971)
224. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
223. Safe (1995)
222. Mother And Son (1997)
221. McCabe & Mrs Miller (1971)
220. Far From Heaven (2002)
219. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
218. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
217. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
216. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
215. Jackie Brown (1997)
214. Army Of Shadows (1969)
213. Songs From The Second Floor (2000)
212. M (1931)
211. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
210. Platoon (1986)
209. Local Hero (1983)
208. The Departed (2006)
207. The Misfits (1961)
206. The Exorcist (1973)
205. The Addiction (1995)
204. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
203. Life Of Brian (1979)
202. The Killer (1989)
201. JFK (1991)
200. Before Sunrise (1995)
199. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
198. Fargo (1996)
197. Point Break (1991)
196. Amélie (1999)
195. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
194. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
193. Ed Wood (1994)
192. Eraserhead (1977)
191. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
190. Big (1988)
189. Ghostbusters (1984)
188. School Of Rock (2003)
187. The Big Country (1958)
186. United 93 (2006)
185. Paths Of Glory (1957)
184. Dirty Harry (1971)
183. Le Samourai (1967)
182. Performance (1970)
181. Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)
180. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
179. Toy Story 2 (1999)
178. Hellzapoppin' (1941)
177. City Of God (2002)
176. A Canterbury Tale (1944)
175. Rushmore (1998)
174. Superman The Movie (1978)
173. Memento (2000)
172. The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
171. Brief Encounter (1945)
170. La Haine (1995)
169. Viridiana (1961)
168. Tootsie (1982)
167. Don't Look Now (1973)
166. Goldfinger (1964)
165. Partie De Campagne (1936)
164. The Searchers (1956)
163. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
162. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
161. The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)
160. Being There (1979)
159. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
158. Unforgiven (1992)
157. True Romance (1993)
156. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
155. Badlands (1973)
154. Betty Blue (1986)
153. The Innocents (1961)
152. Boogie Nights (1997)
151. Gladiator (2000)
150. The French Connection (1971)
149. The Red Shoes (1948)
148. Z (1969)
147. Notorious (1946)
146. Shampoo (1975)
145. Sophie's Choice (1982)
144. There Will Be Blood (2007)
143. Cyrano De Bergerac (1991)
142. Almost Famous (2000)
141. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
140. As Good As It Gets (1997)
139. Blow Out (1981)
138. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
137. Dances With Wolves (1990)
136. Amadeus (1984)
135. Duck Soup (1933)
134. Seven (1995)
133. Double Indemnity (1944)
132. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
131. The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
130. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
129. Harvey (1950)
128. Lost In Translation (2003)
127. The Sting (1973)
126. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973)
125. A Bout De Souffle (1960)
124. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
123. A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
122. The Princess Bride (1987)
121. Los Olvidados (1950)
120. The Battle Of Algiers (1966)
119. The Wages Of Fear (1953)
118. Withnail And I (1987)
117. Miller's Crossing (1990)
116. Rio Bravo (1959)
115. Blazing Saddles (1974)
114. The Conversation (1974)
113. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)
112. I Am Cuba (1964)
111. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
110. Before Sunset (2004)
109. Touch Of Evil (1958)
108. The Tree Of Wooden Clogs (1978)
107. An American Werewolf In London (1981)
106. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
105. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
104. The Rules Of The Game (1939)
103. Rear Window (1954)
102. The Hustler (1961)
101. Raising Arizona (1987)
TOP 1OO
100. Network (1976)
99. Toy Story (1995)
98. North By Northwest (1959)
97. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
96. American Beauty (1999)
95. Yojimbo (1961)
94. The Wild Bunch (1969)
93. Spirit Of The Beehive (1973)
92. Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
91. Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi (1983)
90. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
89. Magnolia (1999)
88. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
87. The King Of Comedy (1983)
86. Carrie (1976)
85. Blue Velvet (1986)
84. L. A. Confidential (1997)
83. Brazil (1985)
82. The Great Escape (1963)
81. Batman Begins (2005)
80. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)
79. The Thin Red Line (1998)
78. Rosemary’s Baby (1996)
77. Spartacus (1960)
76. Manhattan (1979)
75. A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)
74. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)
73. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
72. 12 Angry Men (1957)
71. The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
70. Stand By Me (1986)
69. Three Colours Red (1994)
68. Annie Hall (1977)
67. Tokyo Story (1953)
66. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
65. Harold And Maude (1971)
64. Oldboy (2003)
63. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
62. The Graduate (1967)
61. The Usual Suspects (1995)
60. Come And See (1985)
59. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
58. His Girl Friday (1940)
57. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
56. Casino Royale (2006)
55. La Dolce Vita (1960)
54. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
53. Donnie Darko (2001)
52. The Shining (1980)
51. 8 1/2 (1963)
50. Seven Samurai (1954)
49. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
47. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
46. On The Waterfront (1954)
45. Psycho (1960)
44. Schindler's List (1993)
43. The Big Lebowski (1998)
42. Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949)
41. The 400 Blows (1959)
40. Vertigo (1958)
39. The Matrix (1999)
38. Heat (1995)
37. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
36. Andrei Rublev (1969)
35. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
34. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
33. Alien (1979)
32. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
31. Gone With The Wind (1939)
30. Aliens (1986)
29. Die Hard (1988)
28. Citizen Kane (1941)
27. Some Like It Hot (1959)
26. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
25. The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1967)
24. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
23. Back To The Future (1985)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
21. The Third Man (1949)
20. Blade Runner (1982)
19. The Godfather Part II (1974)
18. Casablanca (1942)
17. Taxi Driver (1976)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
15. The Dark Knight (2007)
14. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
13. Chinatown (1974)
12. The Apartment (1960)
11. Raging Bull (1980)
10. Fight Club (1999)
9. Pulp Fiction (1994)
8. Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
7. Apocalypse Now (1979)
6. GoodFellas (1990)
5. Jaws (1975)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
1. The Godfather (1972)
Go check the whole list, and the individual films' reviews here.
500. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
499. Saw (2004)
498. Back to the Future Part 2 (1989)
497. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
496. Superman Returns (2006)
495. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
494. Sideways (2004)
493. In The Company Of Men (1997)
492. Amores Perros (2000)
491. Ben-Hur (1959)
490. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
489. Brick (2005)
488. Princess Mononoke (1997)
487. Superbad (2007)
486. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)
485. The Wicker Man (1973)
484. The Fountain (2001)
483. The Big Red One (1980)
482. Scream (1996)
481. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
480. The Son's Room (2001)
479. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1947)
478. Flesh (1968)
477. Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
476. Santa Sangre (1989)
475. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
474. Enter The Dragon (1973)
473. Into The Wild (2007)
472. Le Doulos (1962)
471. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004)
470. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
469. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
468. The Crow (1994)
467. The Deer Hunter (1978)
466. Snatch (2000)
465. 12 Monkeys (1995)
464. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)
463. Juno (2007)
462. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
461. Halloween (1978)
460. Crash (2004)
459. Ikiru (1952)
458. Batman (1989)
457. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
456. 28 Days Later (2002)
455. Top Gun (1986)
454. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
453. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)
452. Unbreakable (2000)
451. Speed (1994)
450. King Kong (2005)
449. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
448. A History Of Violence (2005)
447. Ten (2002)
446. High Fidelity (2000)
445. Dumb And Dumber (1994)
444. Hairspray (1988)
443. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
442. Atonement (2007)
441. Being John Malkovich (1973)
440. Akira (1988)
439. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
438. The Lost Boys (1987)
437. Spider-Man (2002)
436. Beauty And The Beast (1991)
435. American Psycho (2000)
434. The Cat Concerto (1947)
433. Good Will Hunting (1997)
432. X-Men 2 (2003)
431. Electra Glide In Blue (1973)
430. Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
429. Danger: Diabolik (1968)
428. The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
427. Spring In A Small Town (1948)
426. Enduring Love (2004)
425. Wonder Boys (2000)
424. To Have And Have Not (1944)
423. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
422. A Man Escaped (1956)
421. Lethal Weapon (1987)
420. Jerry Maguire (1996)
419. Days Of Heaven (1978)
418. V For Vendetta (2005)
417. Lords Of Dogtown (2005)
416. Bad Taste (1987)
415. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
414. The Double Life Of Véronique (1991)
413. Finding Nemo (2003)
412. Heathers (1989)
411. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
410. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
409. Men In Black (1997)
408. Zelig (1983)
407. The Jungle Book (1967)
406. Iron Man (2008)
405. Dirty Dancing (1987)
404. RoboCop (1987)
403. Do The Right Thing (1989)
402. Little Miss Sunshine (1947)
401. Batman Returns (1992)
400. The Incredibles (2004)
399. Greed (1924)
398. Killer Of Sheep (1977)
397. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
396. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
395. Casino (1995)
394. Cloverfield (2008)
393. Garden State (2004)
392. Paris, Texas (1984)
391. Mulholland Drive (2001)
390. 2 Days In Paris (2007)
389. Election (1999)
388. The English Patient (1996)
387. Rain Man (1988)
386. The Great Silence (1968)
385. Ace In The Hole (1951)
384. The Shop Around The Corner (1940)
383. Serenity (2005)
382. Caché (2005)
381. Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
380. Children Of Men (2006)
379. Ratatouille (2007)
378. The Goonies (1985)
377. Mean Streets (1973)
376. Zodiac (2007)
375. Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)
374. Hot Fuzz (2007)
373. Wall-E (2008)
372. Army Of Darkness (1992)
371. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
370. Rocky (1976)
369. The Breakfast Club (1985)
368. Airplane! (1980)
367. Cabaret (1972)
366. Predator (1987)
365. The Bourne Identity (2002)
364. Natural Born Killers (1994)
363. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
362. The Elephant Man (1980)
361. Clerks (1994)
360. The Return (2003)
359. The Lady Eve (1941)
358. Russian Ark (2002)
357. The Long Goodbye (1973)
356. Napoléon (1927)
355. Sunshine (2007)
354. Un Chien Andalou (1929)
353. Bugsy Malone (1976)
352. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
351. Zulu (1964)
350. Planet Of The Apes (1968)
349. Arthur (1981)
348. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
347. All About Eve (1950)
346. Leave Her To Heaven (1945)
345. Fatal Attraction (1987)
344. The Last Waltz (1978)
343. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
342. The Gold Rush (1925)
341. The Passenger (1975)
340. High And Low (1963)
339. Spirited Away (2001)
338. Jules Et Jim (1962)
337. 300 (2006)
336. Titanic (1997)
335. The Seventh Seal (1957)
334. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
333. Grease (1978)
332. The Sixth Sense (1999)
331. The Green Mile (1999)
330. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
329. The Lives Of Others (2006)
328. The Truman Show (1998)
327. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
326. Out Of Sight (1998)
325. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
324. Lone Star (1996)
323. The Last Seduction (1994)
322. Aladdin (1992)
321. Funny Face (1957)
320. Braveheart (1995)
319. The Lion King (1994)
318. Rebecca (1940)
317. Midnight Run (1988)
316. Trainspotting (1996)
315. Sense And Sensibility (1995)
314. Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
313. Battleship Potemkin (1925)
312. Suspiria (1977)
311. American History X (1998)
310. Gremlins (1984)
309. Transformers (2007)
308. The Terminator (1984)
307. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
306. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (2007)
305. The Prestige (2006)
304. Radio Days (1987)
303. Together (2000)
302. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
301. Love And Death (1975)
300. Sawdust And Tinsel (1953)
299. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
298. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
297. It Happened One Night (1934)
296. All The President’s Men (1976)
295. The Untouchables (1987)
294. The Red Balloon (1956)
293. La Maman Et La Putain (1973)
292. La Belle Et La Bête (1946)
291. Rocco And His Brothers (1960)
290. Rashomon (1950)
289. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
288. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
287. Secrets And Lies (1996)
286. L’Avventura (1960)
285. Solaris (1972)
284. Scarface (1983)
283. Ran (1985)
282. The Godfather Part III (1990)
281. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
280. Mad Max 2 (1982)
279. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
278. Carlito’s Way (1993)
277. On The Town (1949)
276. Layer Cake (2004)
275. My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
274. Sin City (2005)
273. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
272. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)
271. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
270. The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
269. A Place In The Sun (1951)
268. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
267. Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
266. Ghost World (2001)
265. A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
264. American Graffiti (1973)
263. Das Boot (1981)
262. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
261. Roman Holiday (1953)
260. Field Of Dreams (1989)
259. Groundhog Day (1993)
258. The Blues Brothers (1980)
257. The Black Cat (1997)
256. Le Quai Des Brumes (1938)
255. Ninotchka (1939)
254. The Verdict (1982)
253. First Blood (1982)
252. The Leopard (1963)
251. Darling (1965)
250. Sunrise (1927)
249. My Darling Clementine (1946)
248. Pandora’s Box (1929)
247. All That Jazz (1979)
246. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
245. Downfall (2004)
244. Dazed And Confused (1993)
243. Heimat (1984)
242. King Kong (1933)
241. Brighton Rock (1947)
240. Forrest Gump (1994)
239. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
238. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
237. Delicatessen (1991)
236. Black Narcissus (1947)
235. Battle Royale (2000)
234. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
233. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
232. Jurassic Park (1993)
231. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
230. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
229. Festen (1998)
228. No Country For Old Men (2007)
227. Léon (1994)
226. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
225. Get Carter (1971)
224. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
223. Safe (1995)
222. Mother And Son (1997)
221. McCabe & Mrs Miller (1971)
220. Far From Heaven (2002)
219. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
218. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
217. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
216. Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
215. Jackie Brown (1997)
214. Army Of Shadows (1969)
213. Songs From The Second Floor (2000)
212. M (1931)
211. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
210. Platoon (1986)
209. Local Hero (1983)
208. The Departed (2006)
207. The Misfits (1961)
206. The Exorcist (1973)
205. The Addiction (1995)
204. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
203. Life Of Brian (1979)
202. The Killer (1989)
201. JFK (1991)
200. Before Sunrise (1995)
199. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
198. Fargo (1996)
197. Point Break (1991)
196. Amélie (1999)
195. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
194. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
193. Ed Wood (1994)
192. Eraserhead (1977)
191. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
190. Big (1988)
189. Ghostbusters (1984)
188. School Of Rock (2003)
187. The Big Country (1958)
186. United 93 (2006)
185. Paths Of Glory (1957)
184. Dirty Harry (1971)
183. Le Samourai (1967)
182. Performance (1970)
181. Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)
180. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
179. Toy Story 2 (1999)
178. Hellzapoppin' (1941)
177. City Of God (2002)
176. A Canterbury Tale (1944)
175. Rushmore (1998)
174. Superman The Movie (1978)
173. Memento (2000)
172. The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
171. Brief Encounter (1945)
170. La Haine (1995)
169. Viridiana (1961)
168. Tootsie (1982)
167. Don't Look Now (1973)
166. Goldfinger (1964)
165. Partie De Campagne (1936)
164. The Searchers (1956)
163. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
162. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
161. The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)
160. Being There (1979)
159. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
158. Unforgiven (1992)
157. True Romance (1993)
156. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
155. Badlands (1973)
154. Betty Blue (1986)
153. The Innocents (1961)
152. Boogie Nights (1997)
151. Gladiator (2000)
150. The French Connection (1971)
149. The Red Shoes (1948)
148. Z (1969)
147. Notorious (1946)
146. Shampoo (1975)
145. Sophie's Choice (1982)
144. There Will Be Blood (2007)
143. Cyrano De Bergerac (1991)
142. Almost Famous (2000)
141. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
140. As Good As It Gets (1997)
139. Blow Out (1981)
138. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
137. Dances With Wolves (1990)
136. Amadeus (1984)
135. Duck Soup (1933)
134. Seven (1995)
133. Double Indemnity (1944)
132. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
131. The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
130. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
129. Harvey (1950)
128. Lost In Translation (2003)
127. The Sting (1973)
126. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973)
125. A Bout De Souffle (1960)
124. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
123. A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
122. The Princess Bride (1987)
121. Los Olvidados (1950)
120. The Battle Of Algiers (1966)
119. The Wages Of Fear (1953)
118. Withnail And I (1987)
117. Miller's Crossing (1990)
116. Rio Bravo (1959)
115. Blazing Saddles (1974)
114. The Conversation (1974)
113. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004)
112. I Am Cuba (1964)
111. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
110. Before Sunset (2004)
109. Touch Of Evil (1958)
108. The Tree Of Wooden Clogs (1978)
107. An American Werewolf In London (1981)
106. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
105. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
104. The Rules Of The Game (1939)
103. Rear Window (1954)
102. The Hustler (1961)
101. Raising Arizona (1987)
TOP 1OO
100. Network (1976)
99. Toy Story (1995)
98. North By Northwest (1959)
97. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
96. American Beauty (1999)
95. Yojimbo (1961)
94. The Wild Bunch (1969)
93. Spirit Of The Beehive (1973)
92. Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
91. Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi (1983)
90. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
89. Magnolia (1999)
88. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
87. The King Of Comedy (1983)
86. Carrie (1976)
85. Blue Velvet (1986)
84. L. A. Confidential (1997)
83. Brazil (1985)
82. The Great Escape (1963)
81. Batman Begins (2005)
80. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)
79. The Thin Red Line (1998)
78. Rosemary’s Baby (1996)
77. Spartacus (1960)
76. Manhattan (1979)
75. A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)
74. The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)
73. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
72. 12 Angry Men (1957)
71. The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
70. Stand By Me (1986)
69. Three Colours Red (1994)
68. Annie Hall (1977)
67. Tokyo Story (1953)
66. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
65. Harold And Maude (1971)
64. Oldboy (2003)
63. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
62. The Graduate (1967)
61. The Usual Suspects (1995)
60. Come And See (1985)
59. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
58. His Girl Friday (1940)
57. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
56. Casino Royale (2006)
55. La Dolce Vita (1960)
54. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
53. Donnie Darko (2001)
52. The Shining (1980)
51. 8 1/2 (1963)
50. Seven Samurai (1954)
49. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
47. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
46. On The Waterfront (1954)
45. Psycho (1960)
44. Schindler's List (1993)
43. The Big Lebowski (1998)
42. Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949)
41. The 400 Blows (1959)
40. Vertigo (1958)
39. The Matrix (1999)
38. Heat (1995)
37. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
36. Andrei Rublev (1969)
35. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
34. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
33. Alien (1979)
32. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
31. Gone With The Wind (1939)
30. Aliens (1986)
29. Die Hard (1988)
28. Citizen Kane (1941)
27. Some Like It Hot (1959)
26. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
25. The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1967)
24. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
23. Back To The Future (1985)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
21. The Third Man (1949)
20. Blade Runner (1982)
19. The Godfather Part II (1974)
18. Casablanca (1942)
17. Taxi Driver (1976)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
15. The Dark Knight (2007)
14. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
13. Chinatown (1974)
12. The Apartment (1960)
11. Raging Bull (1980)
10. Fight Club (1999)
9. Pulp Fiction (1994)
8. Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
7. Apocalypse Now (1979)
6. GoodFellas (1990)
5. Jaws (1975)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
1. The Godfather (1972)
Go check the whole list, and the individual films' reviews here.
Whatchawanna microwave?
I think everybody (who owns a microwave and a crazy mind) wanted to try different things with the microwave but were just too afraid to do so. But fear no more! Some geeks did what we all wanted to do with the mic and even captured it on video!
On this site you can see what will happen if you put deodorants, christmas lights, marshmallows, gummy worms, breath mints, gums, glue, foam, soap, fresh eggs and other things on your microwave.
Wanna see now?
Click here.
On this site you can see what will happen if you put deodorants, christmas lights, marshmallows, gummy worms, breath mints, gums, glue, foam, soap, fresh eggs and other things on your microwave.
Wanna see now?
Click here.
Friday, October 17, 2008
I love ebooks
I could hardly find good copies of books here in Baguio so I resort to getting ebooks muna before I get a hard copy for my collection. So far, I've found tons of ebooks sites na, and here's my list:
1. http://www.truly-free.org/
2. http://www.planetebook.com/
3. http://www.free-ebooks.net
4. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
5. http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html
happy reading!
1. http://www.truly-free.org/
2. http://www.planetebook.com/
3. http://www.free-ebooks.net
4. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
5. http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html
happy reading!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Hang-over
I never really drink until I'm wasted, but last Sunday, due to Chico's binyag, I had to drink a little too much. haha
Thus, the feeling of malaise yesterday. I wanted to kill myself. I had to take a bath with ice-cold water just to shake the feeling off, then slept again.
Thank Bathala for the long weekends. haha
Thus, the feeling of malaise yesterday. I wanted to kill myself. I had to take a bath with ice-cold water just to shake the feeling off, then slept again.
Thank Bathala for the long weekends. haha
Cupid and Psyche
This is my most favorite Greek mythology piece. I just can't help falling in love with the two. hay
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A certain king had three daughters. (This seems to be one of the
latest fables of the Greek mythology. It has not been found
earlier than the close of the second century of the Christian
era. It bears marks of the higher religious notions of that
time.) The two elder were charming girls, but the beauty of the
youngest was so wonderful that language is too poor to express
its due praise. The fame of her beauty was so great that
strangers from neighboring countries came in crowds to enjoy the
sight, and looked on her with amazement, paying her that homage
which is due only to Venus herself. In fact, Venus found her
altars deserted, while men turned their devotion to this young
virgin. As she passed along, the people sang her praises, and
strewed her way with chaplets and flowers.
This perversion to a mortal of the homage due only to the
immortal powers gave great offence to the real Venus. Shaking
her ambrosial locks with indignation, she exclaimed, "Am I then
to be eclipsed in my honors by a mortal girl? In vain then did
that royal shepherd, whose judgment was approved by Jove himself,
give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas and
June. But she shall not so quietly usurp my honors. I will give
her cause to repent of so unlawful a beauty."
Thereupon she calls her winged son Cupid, mischievous enough in
his own nature, and rouses and provokes him yet more by her
complaints. She points out Psyche to him, and says, "My dear
son, punish that contumacious beauty; give thy mother a revenge
as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of that
haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so
that she may reap a mortification as great as her present
exultation and triumph."
Cupid prepared to obey the commands of his mother. There are two
fountains in Venus's garden, one of sweet waters, the other of
bitter. Cupid filled two amber vases, one from each fountain,
and suspending them from the top of his quiver, hastened to the
chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep. He shed a few drops
from the bitter fountain over her lips, though the sight of her
almost moved him to pity; then touched her side with the point of
his arrow. At the touch she awoke, and opened eyes upon Cupid
(himself invisible) which so startled him that in his confusion
he wounded himself with his own arrow. Heedless of his wound his
whole thought now was to repair the mischief he had done, and he
poured the balmy drops of joy over all her silken ringlets.
Psyche, henceforth frowned upon by Venus, derived no benefit from
all her charms. True, all eyes were cast eagerly upon her, and
every mouth spoke her praises; but neither king, royal youth, nor
plebeian presented himself to demand her in marriage. Her two
elder sisters of moderate charms had now long been married to two
royal princes; but Psyche, in her lonely apartment, deplored her
solitude, sick of that beauty, which, while it procured abundance
of flattery, had failed to awaken love.
Her parents, afraid that they had unwittingly incurred the anger
of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo, and received this
answer: "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal lover.
Her future husband awaits her on the top of the mountain. He is
a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist."
This dreadful decree of the oracle filled all the people with
dismay, and her parents abandoned themselves to grief. But
Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, do you now lament me? You
should rather have grieved when the people showered upon me
undeserved honors, and with one voice called me a Venus. I now
perceive that I am a victim to that name. I submit. Lead me to
that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me." Accordingly,
all things being prepared, the royal maid took her place in the
procession, which more resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp,
and with her parents, amid the lamentations of the people,
ascended the mountain, on the summit of which they left her
alone, and with sorrowful hearts returned home.
While Psyche stood on the ridge of the mountain, panting with
fear and with eyes full of tears, the gentle Zephyr raised her
from the earth and bore her with an easy motion into a flowery
dale. By degrees her mind became composed, and she laid herself
down on the grassy bank to sleep. When she awoke, refreshed with
sleep, she looked round and beheld nearby a pleasant grove of
tall and stately trees. She entered it, and in the midst
discovered a fountain, sending forth clear and crystal waters,
and hard by, a magnificent palace whose August front impressed
the spectator that it was not the work of mortal hands, but the
happy retreat of some god. Drawn by admiration and wonder, she
approached the building and ventured to enter. Every object she
met filled her with pleasure and amazement. Golden pillars
supported the vaulted roof, and the walls were enriched with
carvings and paintings representing beasts of the chase and rural
scenes, adapted to delight the eye of the beholder. Proceeding
onward she perceived that besides the apartments of state there
were others, filled with all manner of treasures, and beautiful
and precious productions of nature and art.
While her eyes were thus occupied, a voice addressed her, though
she saw no one, uttering these words: "Sovereign lady, all that
you see is yours. We whose voices you hear are your servants,
and shall obey all your commands with our utmost care and
diligence. Retire therefore to your chamber and repose on your
bed of down, and when you see fit repair to the bath. Supper
will await you in the adjoining alcove when it pleases you to
take your seat there."
Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants, and
after repose and the refreshment of the bath, seated herself in
the alcove, where a table immediately presented itself, without
any visible aid from waiters or servants, and covered with the
greatest delicacies of food and the most nectareous wines. Her
ears too were feasted with music from invisible performers; of
whom one sang, another played on the lute, and all closed in the
wonderful harmony of a full chorus.
She had not yet seen her destined husband. He came only in the
hours of darkness, and fled before the dawn of morning, but his
accents were full of love, and inspired a like passion in her.
She often begged him to stay and let her behold him, but he would
not consent. On the contrary, he charged her to make no attempt
to see him, for it was his pleasure, for the best of reasons, to
keep concealed. "Why should you wish to behold me?" he said.
"Have you any doubt of my love? Have you any wish ungratified?
If you saw me, perhaps you would fear me, perhaps adore me, but
all I ask of you is to love me. I would rather you would love me
as an equal than adore me as a god."
This reasoning somewhat quieted Psyche for a time, and while the
novelty lasted she felt quite happy. But at length the thought
of her parents, left in ignorance of her fate, and of her
sisters, precluded from sharing with her the delights of her
situation, preyed on her mind and made her begin to feel her
palace as but a splendid prison. When her husband came one
night, she told him her distress, and at last drew from him an
unwilling consent that her sisters should be brought to see her.
So calling Zephyr, she acquainted him with her husband's
commands, and he, promptly obedient, soon brought them across the
mountain down to their sister's valley. They embraced her and
she returned their caresses. "Come," said Psyche, "enter with me
my house and refresh yourselves with whatever your sister has to
offer." Then taking their hands she led them into her golden
palace, and committed them to the care of her numerous train of
attendant voices, to refresh them in her baths and at her table,
and to show them all her treasures. The view of these celestial
delights caused envy to enter their bosoms, at seeing their young
sister possessed of such state and splendor, so much exceeding
their own.
They asked her numberless questions, among others what sort of a
person her husband was. Psyche replied that he was a beautiful
youth, who generally spent the daytime in hunting upon the
mountains. The sisters, not satisfied with this reply, soon made
her confess that she had never seen him. Then they proceeded to
fill her bosom with dark suspicions. "Call to mind," they said,
"the Pythian oracle that declared you destined to marry a direful
and tremendous monster. The inhabitants of this valley say that
your husband is a terrible and monstrous serpent, who nourishes
you for a while with dainties that he may by and by devour you.
Take our advice. Provide yourself with a lamp and a sharp knife;
put them in concealment that your husband may not discover them,
and when he is sound asleep, slip out of bed bring forth your
lamp and see for yourself whether what they say is true or not.
If it is, hesitate not to cut off the monster's head, and thereby
recover your liberty."
Psyche resisted these persuasions as well as she could, but they
did not fail to have their effect on her mind, and when her
sisters were gone, their words and her own curiosity were too
strong for her to resist. So she prepared her lamp and a sharp
knife, and hid them out of sight of her husband. When he had
fallen into his first sleep, she silently rose and uncovering her
lamp beheld not a hideous monster, but the most beautiful and
charming of the gods, with his golden ringlets wandering over his
snowy neck and crimson cheek, with two dewy wings on his
shoulders, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the
tender blossoms of spring. As she leaned the lamp over to have a
nearer view of his face a drop of burning oil fell on the
shoulder of the god, startled with which he opened his eyes and
fixed them full upon her; then, without saying one word, he
spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Psyche, in
vain endeavoring to follow him, fell from the window to the
ground. Cupid, beholding her as she lay in the dust, stopped his
flight for an instant and said, "O foolish Psyche, is it thus you
repay my love? After having disobeyed my mother's commands and
made you my wife, will you think me a monster and cut off my
head? But go; return to your sisters, whose advice you seem to
think preferable to mine. I inflict no other punishment on you
than to leave you forever. Love cannot dwell with suspicion."
So saying he fled away, leaving poor Psyche prostrate on the
ground, filling the place with mournful lamentations.
When she had recovered some degree of composure she looked around
her, but the palace and gardens had vanished, and she found
herself in the open field not far from the city where her sisters
dwelt. She repaired thither and told them the whole story of her
misfortunes, at which, pretending to grieve, those spiteful
creatures inwardly rejoiced; "for now," said they, "he will
perhaps choose one of us." With this idea, without saying a word
of her intentions, each of them rose early the next morning and
ascended the mountain, and having reached the top, called upon
Zephyr to receive her and bear her to his lord; then leaping up,
and not being sustained by Zephyr, fell down the precipice and
was dashed to pieces.
Psyche meanwhile wandered day and night, without food or repose,
in search of her husband. Casting her eyes on a lofty mountain
having on its brow a magnificent temple, she sighed and said to
herself, "Perhaps my love, my lord, inhabits there," and directed
her steps thither.
She had no sooner entered than she saw heaps of corn, some in
loose ears and some in sheaves, with mingled ears of barley.
Scattered about lay sickles and rakes, and all the instruments of
harvest, without order, as if thrown carelessly out of the weary
reapers' hands in the sultry hours of the day.
This unseemly confusion the pious Psyche put an end to, by
separating and sorting every thing to its proper place and kind,
believing that she ought to neglect none of the gods, but
endeavor by her piety to engage them all in her behalf. The holy
Ceres, whose temple it was, finding her so religiously employed,
thus spoke to her: "O Psyche, truly worthy of our pity, though I
cannot shield you from the frowns of Venus, yet I can teach you
how best to allay her displeasure. Go then, voluntarily
surrender yourself to your lady and sovereign, and try by modesty
and submission to win her forgiveness; perhaps her favor will
restore you the husband you have lost."
Psyche obeyed the commands of Ceres and took her way to the
temple of Venus, endeavoring to fortify her mind and thinking of
what she should say and how she should best propitiate the angry
goddess, feeling that the issue was doubtful and perhaps fatal.
Venus received her with angry countenance. "Most undutiful and
faithless of servants," said she, "do you at last remember that
you really have a mistress? Or have you rather come to see your
sick husband, yet suffering from the wound given him by his
loving wife? You are so ill-favored and disagreeable that the
only way you can merit your lover must be by dint of industry and
diligence. I will make trial of your housewifery." Then she
ordered Psyche to be led to the storehouse of her temple, where
was laid up a great quantity of wheat, barley, millet, vetches,
beans, and lentils prepared for food for her doves, and said,
"Take and separate all these grains, putting all of the same kind
in a parcel by themselves, and see that you get it done before
evening." Then Venus departed and left her to her task.
But Psyche, in perfect consternation at the enormous work, sat
stupid and silent, without moving a finger to the inextricable
heap.
While she sat despairing, Cupid stirred up the little ant, a
native of the fields, to take compassion on her. The leader of
the ant-hill, followed by whole hosts of his six-legged subjects,
approached the heap, and with the utmost diligence taking grain
by grain, they separated the pile, sorting each kind to its
parcel; and when it was all done, they vanished out of sight in a
moment.
Venus at the approach of twilight returned from the banquet of
the gods, breathing odors and crowned with roses. Seeing the
task done she exclaimed, "This is no work of yours wicked one,
but his, whom to your own and his misfortune you have enticed."
So saying, she threw her a piece of black bread for her supper
and went away.
Next morning Venus ordered Psyche to be called, and said to her,
"Behold yonder grove which stretches along the margin of the
water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd,
with golden-shining fleeces on their backs. Go, fetch me a
sample of that precious wool gathered from every one of their
fleeces.
Psyche obediently went to the river-side, prepared to do her best
to execute the command. But the river-god inspired the reeds
with harmonious murmurs, which seemed to say, "O maiden, severely
tried, tempt not the dangerous flood, nor venture among the
formidable rams on the other side, for as long as they are under
the influence of the rising sun, they burn with a cruel rage to
destroy mortals with their sharp horns or rude teeth. But when
the noontide sun has driven the flock to the shade, and the
serene spirit of the flood has lulled them to rest, you may then
cross in safety, and you will find the woolly gold sticking to
the bushes and the trunks of the trees."
Thus the compassionate river-god gave Psyche instructions how to
accomplish her task, and by observing his directions she soon
returned to Venus with her arms full of the golden fleece; but
she received not the approbation of her implacable mistress, who
said, "I know very well it is by none of your own doings that you
have succeeded in this task, and I am not satisfied yet that you
have any capacity to make yourself useful. But I have another
task for you. Here, take this box, and go your way to the
infernal shades, and give this box to Proserpine, and say, 'My
mistress Venus desires you to send her a little of your beauty,
for in tending her sick son she has lost come of her own.' Be
not too long on your errand, for I must paint myself with it to
appear at the circle of the gods and goddesses this evening."
Psyche was now satisfied that her destruction was at hand, being
obliged to go with her own feet directly down to Erebus.
Wherefore, to make no delay of what was not to be avoided, she
goes to the top of a high tower to precipitate herself headlong,
thus to descend the shortest way to the shades below. But a
voice from the tower said to her, "Why, poor unlucky girl, dost
thou design to put an end to thy days in so dreadful a manner?
And what cowardice makes thee sink under this last danger, who
hast been so miraculously supported in all thy former?" Then the
voice told her how by a certain cave she might reach the realms
of Pluto, and how to avoid all the dangers of the road, to pass
by Cerberus, the three-headed dog, and prevail on Charon, the
ferryman, to take her across the black river and bring her back
again. But the voice added, "When Proserpine has given you the
box, filled with her beauty, of all things this is chiefly to be
observed by you, that you never once open or look into the box
nor allow your curiosity to pry into the treasure of the beauty
of the goddesses.
Psyche encouraged by this advice obeyed it in all things, and
taking heed to her ways travelled safely to the kingdom of Pluto.
She was admitted to the palace of Proserpine, and without
accepting the delicate seat or delicious banquet that was offered
her, but contented with coarse bread for her food, she delivered
her message from Venus. Presently the box was returned to her,
shut and filled with the precious commodity. Then she returned
the way she came, and glad was she to come out once more into the
light of day.
But having got so far successfully through her dangerous task a
longing desire seized her to examine the contents of the box.
"What," said she, "shall I, the carrier of this divine beauty,
not take the least bit to put on my cheeks to appear to more
advantage in the eyes of my beloved husband!:" So she carefully
opened the box, but found nothing there of any beauty at all, but
an infernal and truly Stygian sleep, which being thus set free
from its prison, took possession of her, and she fell down in the
midst of the road, a sleepy corpse without sense or motion.
But Cupid being now recovered from his wound, and not able longer
to bear the absence of his beloved Psyche, slipping through the
smallest crack of the window of his chamber which happened to be
left open, flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathering up
the sleep from her body closed it again in the box, and waked
Psyche with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," said
he, "hast thou almost perished by the same curiosity. But now
perform exactly the task imposed on you by my mother, and I will
take care of the rest."
Then Cupid, as swift as lightning penetrating the heights of
heaven, presented himself before Jupiter with his supplication.
Jupiter lent a favoring ear, and pleaded the cause of the lovers
so earnestly with Venus that he won her consent. On this he sent
Mercury to bring Psyche up to the heavenly assembly, and when she
arrived, handing her a cup of ambrosia, he said, "Drink this,
Psyche, and be immortal; nor shall Cupid ever break away from the
knot in which he is tied, but these nuptials shall be perpetual."
Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time they
had a daughter born to them whose name was Pleasure.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A certain king had three daughters. (This seems to be one of the
latest fables of the Greek mythology. It has not been found
earlier than the close of the second century of the Christian
era. It bears marks of the higher religious notions of that
time.) The two elder were charming girls, but the beauty of the
youngest was so wonderful that language is too poor to express
its due praise. The fame of her beauty was so great that
strangers from neighboring countries came in crowds to enjoy the
sight, and looked on her with amazement, paying her that homage
which is due only to Venus herself. In fact, Venus found her
altars deserted, while men turned their devotion to this young
virgin. As she passed along, the people sang her praises, and
strewed her way with chaplets and flowers.
This perversion to a mortal of the homage due only to the
immortal powers gave great offence to the real Venus. Shaking
her ambrosial locks with indignation, she exclaimed, "Am I then
to be eclipsed in my honors by a mortal girl? In vain then did
that royal shepherd, whose judgment was approved by Jove himself,
give me the palm of beauty over my illustrious rivals, Pallas and
June. But she shall not so quietly usurp my honors. I will give
her cause to repent of so unlawful a beauty."
Thereupon she calls her winged son Cupid, mischievous enough in
his own nature, and rouses and provokes him yet more by her
complaints. She points out Psyche to him, and says, "My dear
son, punish that contumacious beauty; give thy mother a revenge
as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of that
haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so
that she may reap a mortification as great as her present
exultation and triumph."
Cupid prepared to obey the commands of his mother. There are two
fountains in Venus's garden, one of sweet waters, the other of
bitter. Cupid filled two amber vases, one from each fountain,
and suspending them from the top of his quiver, hastened to the
chamber of Psyche, whom he found asleep. He shed a few drops
from the bitter fountain over her lips, though the sight of her
almost moved him to pity; then touched her side with the point of
his arrow. At the touch she awoke, and opened eyes upon Cupid
(himself invisible) which so startled him that in his confusion
he wounded himself with his own arrow. Heedless of his wound his
whole thought now was to repair the mischief he had done, and he
poured the balmy drops of joy over all her silken ringlets.
Psyche, henceforth frowned upon by Venus, derived no benefit from
all her charms. True, all eyes were cast eagerly upon her, and
every mouth spoke her praises; but neither king, royal youth, nor
plebeian presented himself to demand her in marriage. Her two
elder sisters of moderate charms had now long been married to two
royal princes; but Psyche, in her lonely apartment, deplored her
solitude, sick of that beauty, which, while it procured abundance
of flattery, had failed to awaken love.
Her parents, afraid that they had unwittingly incurred the anger
of the gods, consulted the oracle of Apollo, and received this
answer: "The virgin is destined for the bride of no mortal lover.
Her future husband awaits her on the top of the mountain. He is
a monster whom neither gods nor men can resist."
This dreadful decree of the oracle filled all the people with
dismay, and her parents abandoned themselves to grief. But
Psyche said, "Why, my dear parents, do you now lament me? You
should rather have grieved when the people showered upon me
undeserved honors, and with one voice called me a Venus. I now
perceive that I am a victim to that name. I submit. Lead me to
that rock to which my unhappy fate has destined me." Accordingly,
all things being prepared, the royal maid took her place in the
procession, which more resembled a funeral than a nuptial pomp,
and with her parents, amid the lamentations of the people,
ascended the mountain, on the summit of which they left her
alone, and with sorrowful hearts returned home.
While Psyche stood on the ridge of the mountain, panting with
fear and with eyes full of tears, the gentle Zephyr raised her
from the earth and bore her with an easy motion into a flowery
dale. By degrees her mind became composed, and she laid herself
down on the grassy bank to sleep. When she awoke, refreshed with
sleep, she looked round and beheld nearby a pleasant grove of
tall and stately trees. She entered it, and in the midst
discovered a fountain, sending forth clear and crystal waters,
and hard by, a magnificent palace whose August front impressed
the spectator that it was not the work of mortal hands, but the
happy retreat of some god. Drawn by admiration and wonder, she
approached the building and ventured to enter. Every object she
met filled her with pleasure and amazement. Golden pillars
supported the vaulted roof, and the walls were enriched with
carvings and paintings representing beasts of the chase and rural
scenes, adapted to delight the eye of the beholder. Proceeding
onward she perceived that besides the apartments of state there
were others, filled with all manner of treasures, and beautiful
and precious productions of nature and art.
While her eyes were thus occupied, a voice addressed her, though
she saw no one, uttering these words: "Sovereign lady, all that
you see is yours. We whose voices you hear are your servants,
and shall obey all your commands with our utmost care and
diligence. Retire therefore to your chamber and repose on your
bed of down, and when you see fit repair to the bath. Supper
will await you in the adjoining alcove when it pleases you to
take your seat there."
Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants, and
after repose and the refreshment of the bath, seated herself in
the alcove, where a table immediately presented itself, without
any visible aid from waiters or servants, and covered with the
greatest delicacies of food and the most nectareous wines. Her
ears too were feasted with music from invisible performers; of
whom one sang, another played on the lute, and all closed in the
wonderful harmony of a full chorus.
She had not yet seen her destined husband. He came only in the
hours of darkness, and fled before the dawn of morning, but his
accents were full of love, and inspired a like passion in her.
She often begged him to stay and let her behold him, but he would
not consent. On the contrary, he charged her to make no attempt
to see him, for it was his pleasure, for the best of reasons, to
keep concealed. "Why should you wish to behold me?" he said.
"Have you any doubt of my love? Have you any wish ungratified?
If you saw me, perhaps you would fear me, perhaps adore me, but
all I ask of you is to love me. I would rather you would love me
as an equal than adore me as a god."
This reasoning somewhat quieted Psyche for a time, and while the
novelty lasted she felt quite happy. But at length the thought
of her parents, left in ignorance of her fate, and of her
sisters, precluded from sharing with her the delights of her
situation, preyed on her mind and made her begin to feel her
palace as but a splendid prison. When her husband came one
night, she told him her distress, and at last drew from him an
unwilling consent that her sisters should be brought to see her.
So calling Zephyr, she acquainted him with her husband's
commands, and he, promptly obedient, soon brought them across the
mountain down to their sister's valley. They embraced her and
she returned their caresses. "Come," said Psyche, "enter with me
my house and refresh yourselves with whatever your sister has to
offer." Then taking their hands she led them into her golden
palace, and committed them to the care of her numerous train of
attendant voices, to refresh them in her baths and at her table,
and to show them all her treasures. The view of these celestial
delights caused envy to enter their bosoms, at seeing their young
sister possessed of such state and splendor, so much exceeding
their own.
They asked her numberless questions, among others what sort of a
person her husband was. Psyche replied that he was a beautiful
youth, who generally spent the daytime in hunting upon the
mountains. The sisters, not satisfied with this reply, soon made
her confess that she had never seen him. Then they proceeded to
fill her bosom with dark suspicions. "Call to mind," they said,
"the Pythian oracle that declared you destined to marry a direful
and tremendous monster. The inhabitants of this valley say that
your husband is a terrible and monstrous serpent, who nourishes
you for a while with dainties that he may by and by devour you.
Take our advice. Provide yourself with a lamp and a sharp knife;
put them in concealment that your husband may not discover them,
and when he is sound asleep, slip out of bed bring forth your
lamp and see for yourself whether what they say is true or not.
If it is, hesitate not to cut off the monster's head, and thereby
recover your liberty."
Psyche resisted these persuasions as well as she could, but they
did not fail to have their effect on her mind, and when her
sisters were gone, their words and her own curiosity were too
strong for her to resist. So she prepared her lamp and a sharp
knife, and hid them out of sight of her husband. When he had
fallen into his first sleep, she silently rose and uncovering her
lamp beheld not a hideous monster, but the most beautiful and
charming of the gods, with his golden ringlets wandering over his
snowy neck and crimson cheek, with two dewy wings on his
shoulders, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the
tender blossoms of spring. As she leaned the lamp over to have a
nearer view of his face a drop of burning oil fell on the
shoulder of the god, startled with which he opened his eyes and
fixed them full upon her; then, without saying one word, he
spread his white wings and flew out of the window. Psyche, in
vain endeavoring to follow him, fell from the window to the
ground. Cupid, beholding her as she lay in the dust, stopped his
flight for an instant and said, "O foolish Psyche, is it thus you
repay my love? After having disobeyed my mother's commands and
made you my wife, will you think me a monster and cut off my
head? But go; return to your sisters, whose advice you seem to
think preferable to mine. I inflict no other punishment on you
than to leave you forever. Love cannot dwell with suspicion."
So saying he fled away, leaving poor Psyche prostrate on the
ground, filling the place with mournful lamentations.
When she had recovered some degree of composure she looked around
her, but the palace and gardens had vanished, and she found
herself in the open field not far from the city where her sisters
dwelt. She repaired thither and told them the whole story of her
misfortunes, at which, pretending to grieve, those spiteful
creatures inwardly rejoiced; "for now," said they, "he will
perhaps choose one of us." With this idea, without saying a word
of her intentions, each of them rose early the next morning and
ascended the mountain, and having reached the top, called upon
Zephyr to receive her and bear her to his lord; then leaping up,
and not being sustained by Zephyr, fell down the precipice and
was dashed to pieces.
Psyche meanwhile wandered day and night, without food or repose,
in search of her husband. Casting her eyes on a lofty mountain
having on its brow a magnificent temple, she sighed and said to
herself, "Perhaps my love, my lord, inhabits there," and directed
her steps thither.
She had no sooner entered than she saw heaps of corn, some in
loose ears and some in sheaves, with mingled ears of barley.
Scattered about lay sickles and rakes, and all the instruments of
harvest, without order, as if thrown carelessly out of the weary
reapers' hands in the sultry hours of the day.
This unseemly confusion the pious Psyche put an end to, by
separating and sorting every thing to its proper place and kind,
believing that she ought to neglect none of the gods, but
endeavor by her piety to engage them all in her behalf. The holy
Ceres, whose temple it was, finding her so religiously employed,
thus spoke to her: "O Psyche, truly worthy of our pity, though I
cannot shield you from the frowns of Venus, yet I can teach you
how best to allay her displeasure. Go then, voluntarily
surrender yourself to your lady and sovereign, and try by modesty
and submission to win her forgiveness; perhaps her favor will
restore you the husband you have lost."
Psyche obeyed the commands of Ceres and took her way to the
temple of Venus, endeavoring to fortify her mind and thinking of
what she should say and how she should best propitiate the angry
goddess, feeling that the issue was doubtful and perhaps fatal.
Venus received her with angry countenance. "Most undutiful and
faithless of servants," said she, "do you at last remember that
you really have a mistress? Or have you rather come to see your
sick husband, yet suffering from the wound given him by his
loving wife? You are so ill-favored and disagreeable that the
only way you can merit your lover must be by dint of industry and
diligence. I will make trial of your housewifery." Then she
ordered Psyche to be led to the storehouse of her temple, where
was laid up a great quantity of wheat, barley, millet, vetches,
beans, and lentils prepared for food for her doves, and said,
"Take and separate all these grains, putting all of the same kind
in a parcel by themselves, and see that you get it done before
evening." Then Venus departed and left her to her task.
But Psyche, in perfect consternation at the enormous work, sat
stupid and silent, without moving a finger to the inextricable
heap.
While she sat despairing, Cupid stirred up the little ant, a
native of the fields, to take compassion on her. The leader of
the ant-hill, followed by whole hosts of his six-legged subjects,
approached the heap, and with the utmost diligence taking grain
by grain, they separated the pile, sorting each kind to its
parcel; and when it was all done, they vanished out of sight in a
moment.
Venus at the approach of twilight returned from the banquet of
the gods, breathing odors and crowned with roses. Seeing the
task done she exclaimed, "This is no work of yours wicked one,
but his, whom to your own and his misfortune you have enticed."
So saying, she threw her a piece of black bread for her supper
and went away.
Next morning Venus ordered Psyche to be called, and said to her,
"Behold yonder grove which stretches along the margin of the
water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd,
with golden-shining fleeces on their backs. Go, fetch me a
sample of that precious wool gathered from every one of their
fleeces.
Psyche obediently went to the river-side, prepared to do her best
to execute the command. But the river-god inspired the reeds
with harmonious murmurs, which seemed to say, "O maiden, severely
tried, tempt not the dangerous flood, nor venture among the
formidable rams on the other side, for as long as they are under
the influence of the rising sun, they burn with a cruel rage to
destroy mortals with their sharp horns or rude teeth. But when
the noontide sun has driven the flock to the shade, and the
serene spirit of the flood has lulled them to rest, you may then
cross in safety, and you will find the woolly gold sticking to
the bushes and the trunks of the trees."
Thus the compassionate river-god gave Psyche instructions how to
accomplish her task, and by observing his directions she soon
returned to Venus with her arms full of the golden fleece; but
she received not the approbation of her implacable mistress, who
said, "I know very well it is by none of your own doings that you
have succeeded in this task, and I am not satisfied yet that you
have any capacity to make yourself useful. But I have another
task for you. Here, take this box, and go your way to the
infernal shades, and give this box to Proserpine, and say, 'My
mistress Venus desires you to send her a little of your beauty,
for in tending her sick son she has lost come of her own.' Be
not too long on your errand, for I must paint myself with it to
appear at the circle of the gods and goddesses this evening."
Psyche was now satisfied that her destruction was at hand, being
obliged to go with her own feet directly down to Erebus.
Wherefore, to make no delay of what was not to be avoided, she
goes to the top of a high tower to precipitate herself headlong,
thus to descend the shortest way to the shades below. But a
voice from the tower said to her, "Why, poor unlucky girl, dost
thou design to put an end to thy days in so dreadful a manner?
And what cowardice makes thee sink under this last danger, who
hast been so miraculously supported in all thy former?" Then the
voice told her how by a certain cave she might reach the realms
of Pluto, and how to avoid all the dangers of the road, to pass
by Cerberus, the three-headed dog, and prevail on Charon, the
ferryman, to take her across the black river and bring her back
again. But the voice added, "When Proserpine has given you the
box, filled with her beauty, of all things this is chiefly to be
observed by you, that you never once open or look into the box
nor allow your curiosity to pry into the treasure of the beauty
of the goddesses.
Psyche encouraged by this advice obeyed it in all things, and
taking heed to her ways travelled safely to the kingdom of Pluto.
She was admitted to the palace of Proserpine, and without
accepting the delicate seat or delicious banquet that was offered
her, but contented with coarse bread for her food, she delivered
her message from Venus. Presently the box was returned to her,
shut and filled with the precious commodity. Then she returned
the way she came, and glad was she to come out once more into the
light of day.
But having got so far successfully through her dangerous task a
longing desire seized her to examine the contents of the box.
"What," said she, "shall I, the carrier of this divine beauty,
not take the least bit to put on my cheeks to appear to more
advantage in the eyes of my beloved husband!:" So she carefully
opened the box, but found nothing there of any beauty at all, but
an infernal and truly Stygian sleep, which being thus set free
from its prison, took possession of her, and she fell down in the
midst of the road, a sleepy corpse without sense or motion.
But Cupid being now recovered from his wound, and not able longer
to bear the absence of his beloved Psyche, slipping through the
smallest crack of the window of his chamber which happened to be
left open, flew to the spot where Psyche lay, and gathering up
the sleep from her body closed it again in the box, and waked
Psyche with a light touch of one of his arrows. "Again," said
he, "hast thou almost perished by the same curiosity. But now
perform exactly the task imposed on you by my mother, and I will
take care of the rest."
Then Cupid, as swift as lightning penetrating the heights of
heaven, presented himself before Jupiter with his supplication.
Jupiter lent a favoring ear, and pleaded the cause of the lovers
so earnestly with Venus that he won her consent. On this he sent
Mercury to bring Psyche up to the heavenly assembly, and when she
arrived, handing her a cup of ambrosia, he said, "Drink this,
Psyche, and be immortal; nor shall Cupid ever break away from the
knot in which he is tied, but these nuptials shall be perpetual."
Thus Psyche became at last united to Cupid, and in due time they
had a daughter born to them whose name was Pleasure.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Brutal Legend, the Videogame starring Jack Black
Play Eddie Riggs, a heavy metal roadie in the "heavy metal action game starring Jack Black". Here, you'll be hurled back in time during the "mythical Age of Metal when the world was formed and ruled by the power of Rock". You'll be armed with a broadaxe, a face-melting and devastating guitar, and a big block V8, you will lead humanity into defeating evil overlords and "carve your name forever into the Brutal Legend".
"Devastate with your guitar! Play face-melting solos that actually melt the faces of your enemies."
"Command saveage armies and bang skulls in hand-to-hand combat."
"The Most Ultimate Heavy Metal Soundtrack Ever Assembled In A Game. Ever!"
Check out the official website here.
"Devastate with your guitar! Play face-melting solos that actually melt the faces of your enemies."
"Command saveage armies and bang skulls in hand-to-hand combat."
"The Most Ultimate Heavy Metal Soundtrack Ever Assembled In A Game. Ever!"
Check out the official website here.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Randomness
Ok, so before reading on, I must say that these bits, as I re post them, are not discriminative in any way, and that, I, the blogger, completely understand that all of the events or traditions that are narrated here have their own contexts, based on culture or circumstances, that need to be considered before judgment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth.
When Albert Einstein died, his final words died with him. The nurse at his side didn't understand German.
St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish.
The lance ceased to be an official battle weapon in the British Army in 1927.
St. John was the only one of the 12 Apostles to die a natural death.
Many sailors used to wear gold earrings so that they could afford a proper burial when they died.
Some very Orthodox Jew refuse to speak Hebrew, believing it to be a language reserved only for the Prophets.
A South African monkey was once awarded a medal and promoted to the rank of corporal during World War I.
Born 4 January 1838, General Tom Thumb's growth slowed at the age of 6 months, at 5 years he was signed to the circus by P.T. Barnum, and at adulthood reached a height of only 1 metre.
Because they had no proper rubbish disposal system, the streets of ancient Mesopotamia became literally knee-deep in rubbish.
The Toltecs, Seventh-century native Mexicans, went into battle with wooden swords so as not to kill their enemies.
China banned the pigtail in 1911 as it was seen as a symbol of feudalism.
The Amayra guides of Bolivia are said to be able to keep pace with a trotting horse for a distance of 100 kilometres.
Sliced bread was patented by a jeweller, Otto Rohwedder, in 1928. He had been working on it for 16 years, having started in 1912.
Before it was stopped by the British, it was the not uncommon for women in some areas of India to choose to be burnt alive on their husband's funeral pyre.
Ivan the terrible claimed to have 'deflowered thousands of virgins and butchered a similar number of resulting offspring'.
Before the Second World War, it was considered a sacrilege to even touch an Emperor of Japan.
An American aircraft in Vietnam shot itself down with one of its own missiles.
The Anglo-Saxons believed Friday to be such an unlucky day that they ritually slaughtered any child unfortunate enough to be born on that day.
During the eighteenth century, laws had to be brought in to curb the seemingly insatiable appetite for gin amongst the poor. Their annual intake was as much as five million gallons.
Ancient drinkers warded off the devil by clinking their cups
The Nobel Prize resulted form a late change in the will of Alfred Nobel, who did not want to be remembered after his death as a propagator of violence - he invented dynamite.
The cost of the first pay-toilets installed in England was tuppence.
Pogonophobia is the fear of beards.
In 1647 the English Parliament abolished Christmas.
Mao Rse-Tang, the first chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, was born 26 December 1893. Before his rise to power, he occupied the humble position of Assistant Librarian at the University of Peking.
Coffee is the second largest item of international commerce in the world. The largest is petrol.
King George III was declared violently insane in 1811, 9 years before he died.
In Ancient Peru, when a woman found an 'ugly' potato, it was the custom for her to push it into the face of the nearest man.
For Roman Catholics, 5 January is St Simeon Stylites' Day. He was a fifth-century hermit who showed his devotion to God by spending literally years sitting on top of a huge flagpole.
When George I became King of England in 1714, his wife did not become Queen. He placed her under house arrest for 32 years.
The richest 10 per cent of the French people are approximately fifty times better off than the poorest 10 per cent.
Henry VII was the only British King to be crowned on the field of battle
During World War One, the future Pope John XXIII was a sergeant in the Italian Army.
Richard II died aged 33 in 1400. A hole was left in the side of his tomb so people could touch his royal head, but 376 years later some took advantage of this and stole his jawbone.
The magic word "Abracadabra" was originally intended for the specific purpose of curing hay fever.
The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas Carols, judging them to be out of keeping with the true spirit of Christmas.
Albert Einstein was once offered the Presidency of Israel. He declined saying he had no head for problems.
Uri Geller, the professional psychic was born on December 20 1946. As to the origin of his alleged powers, Mr Geller maintains that they come from the distant planet of Hoova.
Ralph and Carolyn Cummins had 5 children between 1952 and 1966, all were born on the 20 February.
John D. Rockefeller gave away over US$ 500,000,000 during his lifetime.
Only 1 child in 20 are born on the day predicted by the doctor.
In the 1970's, the Rhode Island Legislature in the US entertained a proposal that there be a $2 tax on every act of sexual intercourse in the State.
Widows in equatorial Africa actually wear sackcloth and ashes when attending a funeral.
The 'Hundred Years War' lasted 116 years.
The British did not release the body of Napoleon Bonaparte to the French until twenty days after his death.
Admiral Lord Nelson was less than 1.6 metres tall.
John Glenn, the American who first orbited the Earth, was showered with 3,529 tonnes of ticker tape when he got back.
Native American Indians used to name their children after the first thing they saw as they left their tepees subsequent to the birth. Hence such strange names as Sitting Bull and Running Water.
Catherine the First of Russia, made a rule that no man was allowed to get drunk at one of her parties before nine o'clock.
Queen Elizabeth I passed a law which forced everyone except for the rich to wear a flat cap on Sundays.
In 1969 the shares of the Australian company 'Poseidon' were worth $1, one year later they were worth $280 each.
Julius Caesar wore a laurel wreath to cover the onset of baldness.
Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour during World War II, left school at the age of eleven.
At the age of 12, Martin Luther King became so depressed he tried committing suicide twice, by jumping out of his bedroom window.
It is illegal to be a prostitute in Siena, Italy, if your name is Mary.
The Turk's consider it considered unlucky to step on a piece of bread.
The authorities do not allow tourists to take pictures of Pygmies in Zambia.
The Dutch in general prefer their french fries with mayonnaise.
Upon the death of F.D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman became the President of America on 12 April 1945. The initial S in the middle of his name doesn't in fact mean anything. Both his grandfathers had names beginning with 'S', and so Truman's mother didn't want to disappoint either of them.
Sir Isaac Newton was obsessed with the occult and the supernatural.
One of Queen Victoria's wedding gifts was a 3 metre diameter, half tonne cheese.
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never phoned his wife or his mother, they were both deaf.
It was considered unfashionable for Venetian women, during the Renaissance to have anything but silvery-blonde hair.
Queen Victoria was one of the first women ever to use chloroform to combat pain during childbirth.
Peter the Great had the head of his wife's lover cut off and put into a jar of preserving alcohol, which he then ordered to be placed by her bed.
The car manufacturer Henry Ford was awarded Hitler's Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle. Henry Ford was the inventor of the assembly line, and Hitler used this knowledge of the assembly line to speed up production, and to create better and interchangeable products.
Atilla the Hun is thought to have been a dwarf.
The warriors tribes of Ethiopia used to hang the testicles of those they killed in battle on the ends of their spears.
On 15 April 1912 the SS Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage and over 1,500 people died. Fourteen years earlier a novel was published by Morgan Robertson which seemed to foretell the disaster. The book described a ship the same size as the Titanic which crashes into an iceberg on its maiden voyage on a misty April night. The name of Robertson's fictional ship was the Titan.
There are over 200 religious denominations in the United States.
Eau de Cologne was originally marketed as a way of protecting yourself against the plague.
Charles the Simple was the grandson of Charles the Bald, both were rulers of France.
Theodor Herzi, the Zionist leader who was born on May 2 1860, once had the astonishing idea of converting Jews to Christianity as a way of combating anti-Semitism.
The women of an African tribe make themselves more attractive by permanently scaring their faces.
Augustus II, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland seemed to have a prodigious sexual appetite, and fathered hundreds of illegitimate children during his lifetime.
Some moral purists in the Middle Ages believed that women's ears ought to be covered up because the Virgin May had conceived a child through them.
Hindus don't like dying in bed, they prefer to die beside a river.
While at Havard University, Edward Kennedy was suspended for cheating on a Spanish exam.
It is a criminal offence to drive around in a dirty car in Russia.
The Emperor Caligula once decided to go to war with the Roman God of the sea, Poseidon, and ordered his soldiers to throw their spears into the water at random.
The Ecuadorian poet, José Olmedo, has a statue in his honour in his home country. But, unable to commission a sculptor, due to limited funds, the government brought a second-hand statue .. Of the English poet Lord Byron.
In 1726, at only 7 years old, Charles Sauson inherited the post of official executioner.
Sir Winston Churchill rationed himself to 15 cigars a day.
On 7 January 1904 the distress call 'CQD' was introduced. 'CQ' stood for 'Seek You' and 'D' for 'Danger'. This lasted only until 1906 when it was replaced with 'SOS'.
Though it is forbidden by the Government, many Indians still adhere to the caste system which says that it is a defilement for even the shadow of a person from a lowly caste to fall on a Brahman ( a member of the highest priestly caste).
In parts of Malaya, the women keep harems of men.
The childrens' nursery rhyme 'Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses' actually refers to the Black Death which killed about 30 million people in the fourteenth-century.
The word 'denim' comes from 'de Nimes', Nimes being the town the fabric was originally produced.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, there was a tax put on men's beards.
Idi Amin, one of the most ruthless tyrants in the world, before coming to power, served in the British Army.
Some Eskimos have been known to use refrigerators to keep their food from freezing.
It is illegal to play tennis in the streets of Cambridge.
Custer was the youngest General in US history, he was promoted at the age of 23.
It costs more to send someone to reform school than it does to send them to Eton.
The American pilot Charles Lindbergh received the Service Cross of the German Eagle form Hermann Goering in 1938.
The active ingredient in Chinese Bird's nest soup is saliva.
Marie Currie, who twice won the Nobel Prize, and discovered radium, was not allowed to become a member of the prestigious French Academy because she was a woman.
It was quite common for the men of Ancient Greece to exercise in public .. naked.
John Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, had a payphone in his mansion.
Iceland is the world's oldest functioning democracy.
Adolf Eichmann (responsible for countless Jewish deaths during World war II), was originally a travelling salesman for the Vacuum Oil Co. of Austria.
The national flag of Italy was designed by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Matami Tribe of West Africa play a version of football, the only difference being that they use a human skull instead of a more normal ball.
John Winthrop introduced the fork to the American dinner table for the first time on 25 June 1630.
Elizabeth Blackwell, born in Bristol, England on 3 February 1821, was the first woman in America to gain an M.D. degree.
Abraham Lincoln was shot with a Derringer.
The great Russian leader, Lenin died 21 January 1924, suffering from a degenerative brain disorder. At the time of his death his brain was a quarter of its normal size.
When shipped to the US, the London bridge ( thought by the new owner to be the more famous Tower Bridge ) was classified by US customs to be a 'large antique'.
Sir Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' cloakroom after his mother went into labour during a dance at Blenheim Palace.
In 1849, David Atchison became President of the United States for just one day, and he spent most of the day sleeping.
Between the two World War's, France was controlled by forty different governments.
The 'Crystal Palace' at the Great Exhibition of 1851, contained 92 900 square metres of glass.
It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on their testicles when taking an oath. The modern term 'testimony' is derived from this tradition.
Sir Winston Churchill's mother was descended from a Red Indian.
The study of stupidity is called 'monology'.
Hindu men believe(d) it to be unluckily to marry a third time. They could avoid misfortune by marring a tree first. The tree ( his third wife ) was then burnt, freeing him to marry again.
More money is spent each year on alcohol and cigarettes than on Life insurance.
In 1911 3 men were hung for the murder of Sir Edmund Berry at Greenbury Hill, their last names were Green, Berry , and Hill.
A firm in Britain sold fall-out shelters for pets.
During the seventeen century , the Sultan of Turkey ordered his entire harem of women drowned, and replace with a new one.
Lady Astor once told Winston Churchill 'if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee'. His reply …' if you were my wife, I would drink it ! '.
There are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos.
The Great Pyramid of Giza consists of 2,300,000 blocks each weighing 2.5 tons.
On 9 February 1942, soap rationing began in Britain.
Paul Revere was a dentist.
The Budget speech on April 17 1956 saw the introduction of Premium Savings Bonds into Britain. The machine which picks the winning numbers is called "Ernie", an abbreviation, which stands for' electronic random number indicator equipment'.
Chop-suey is not a native Chinese dish, it was created in California by Chinese immigrants.
The Russian mystic, Rasputin, was the victim of a series of murder attempts on this day in 1916. The assassins poisoned, shot and stabbed him in quick succession, but they found they were unable to finish him off. Rasputin finally succumbed to the ice-cold waters of a river.
Bonnie Prince Charlie, the leader of the Jacobite rebellion to depose of George II of England, was born 31 December 1720. Considered a great Scottish hero, he spent his final years as a drunkard in Rome.
The Liberal Prime Minister, William Gladstone, was born of the 29th December 1809. Apparently, as a result of his strong Puritan impulses, Gladstone kept a selection of whips in his cellar with which he regularly chastised himself.
A parthenophobic has a fear of virgins.
South American gauchos were known to put raw steak under their saddles before starting a day's riding, in order to tenderise the meat.
There are 240 white dots in a Pacman arcade game.
In 1939 the US political party 'The American Nazi Party' had 200,000 members.
King Solomon of Israel had about 700 wives as well as hundreds of mistresses.
Urine was once used to wash clothes.
North American Indian, Sitting Bull, died on 15 December 1890. His bones were laid to rest in North Dakota, but a business group wanted him moved to a 'more natural' site in South Dakota. Their campaign was rejected so they stole the bones, and they now reside in Sitting Bull Park, South Dakota.
St Nicholas, the original Father Christmas, is the patron saint of thieves, virgins and communist Russia.
Dublin is home of the Fairy Investigation Society.
Fourteen million people were killed in World War I, twenty million died in a flu epidemic in the years that followed.
People in Siberia often buy milk frozen on a stick.
Princess Ann was the only competitor at the 1976 Montreal Olympics that did not have to undergo a sex test.
Ethelred the Unready, King of England in the Tenth-century, spent his wedding night in bed with his wife and his mother-in-law.
Coffins which are due for cremation are usually made with plastic handles.
Blackbird, who was the chief of Omaha Indians, was buried sitting on his favourite horse.
The two highest IQ's ever recorded (on a standard test) both belong to women.
The Tory Prime Minister, Benjamin Disreali, was born 21 December 1804. He was noted for his oratory and had a number of memorable exchanges in the House with his great rival William Gladstone. Asked what the difference between a calamity and a misfortune was Disreali replied: 'If Gladstone fell into the Thames it would be a misfortune, but if someone pulled him out again, it would be a calamity'.
The Imperial Throne of Japan has been occupied by the same family for the last thirteen hundred years.
In the seventeenth-century a Boston man was sentenced to two hours in the stocks for obscene behaviour, his crime, kissing his wife in a public place on a Sunday.
President Kaunda of Zambia once threatened to resign if his fellow countrymen didn't stop drinking so much alcohol.
Due to staggering inflation in the 1920's, 4,000,000,000,000,000,000 German marks were worth 1 US dollar.
Gorgias of Epirus was born during preparation of his mothers funeral.
The city of New York contains a district called 'Hell's Kitchen'.
The city of Hiroshima left the Industrial Promotion Centre standing as a monument the atomic bombing.
During the Medieval Crusades, transporting bodies off the battlefield for burial was a major problem, this was solved by carrying a huge cauldron into the Holy wars, boiling down the bodies, and taking only the bones with them.
A ten-gallon hat holds three-quarters of a gallon.
George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth.
When Albert Einstein died, his final words died with him. The nurse at his side didn't understand German.
St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish.
The lance ceased to be an official battle weapon in the British Army in 1927.
St. John was the only one of the 12 Apostles to die a natural death.
Many sailors used to wear gold earrings so that they could afford a proper burial when they died.
Some very Orthodox Jew refuse to speak Hebrew, believing it to be a language reserved only for the Prophets.
A South African monkey was once awarded a medal and promoted to the rank of corporal during World War I.
Born 4 January 1838, General Tom Thumb's growth slowed at the age of 6 months, at 5 years he was signed to the circus by P.T. Barnum, and at adulthood reached a height of only 1 metre.
Because they had no proper rubbish disposal system, the streets of ancient Mesopotamia became literally knee-deep in rubbish.
The Toltecs, Seventh-century native Mexicans, went into battle with wooden swords so as not to kill their enemies.
China banned the pigtail in 1911 as it was seen as a symbol of feudalism.
The Amayra guides of Bolivia are said to be able to keep pace with a trotting horse for a distance of 100 kilometres.
Sliced bread was patented by a jeweller, Otto Rohwedder, in 1928. He had been working on it for 16 years, having started in 1912.
Before it was stopped by the British, it was the not uncommon for women in some areas of India to choose to be burnt alive on their husband's funeral pyre.
Ivan the terrible claimed to have 'deflowered thousands of virgins and butchered a similar number of resulting offspring'.
Before the Second World War, it was considered a sacrilege to even touch an Emperor of Japan.
An American aircraft in Vietnam shot itself down with one of its own missiles.
The Anglo-Saxons believed Friday to be such an unlucky day that they ritually slaughtered any child unfortunate enough to be born on that day.
During the eighteenth century, laws had to be brought in to curb the seemingly insatiable appetite for gin amongst the poor. Their annual intake was as much as five million gallons.
Ancient drinkers warded off the devil by clinking their cups
The Nobel Prize resulted form a late change in the will of Alfred Nobel, who did not want to be remembered after his death as a propagator of violence - he invented dynamite.
The cost of the first pay-toilets installed in England was tuppence.
Pogonophobia is the fear of beards.
In 1647 the English Parliament abolished Christmas.
Mao Rse-Tang, the first chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, was born 26 December 1893. Before his rise to power, he occupied the humble position of Assistant Librarian at the University of Peking.
Coffee is the second largest item of international commerce in the world. The largest is petrol.
King George III was declared violently insane in 1811, 9 years before he died.
In Ancient Peru, when a woman found an 'ugly' potato, it was the custom for her to push it into the face of the nearest man.
For Roman Catholics, 5 January is St Simeon Stylites' Day. He was a fifth-century hermit who showed his devotion to God by spending literally years sitting on top of a huge flagpole.
When George I became King of England in 1714, his wife did not become Queen. He placed her under house arrest for 32 years.
The richest 10 per cent of the French people are approximately fifty times better off than the poorest 10 per cent.
Henry VII was the only British King to be crowned on the field of battle
During World War One, the future Pope John XXIII was a sergeant in the Italian Army.
Richard II died aged 33 in 1400. A hole was left in the side of his tomb so people could touch his royal head, but 376 years later some took advantage of this and stole his jawbone.
The magic word "Abracadabra" was originally intended for the specific purpose of curing hay fever.
The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas Carols, judging them to be out of keeping with the true spirit of Christmas.
Albert Einstein was once offered the Presidency of Israel. He declined saying he had no head for problems.
Uri Geller, the professional psychic was born on December 20 1946. As to the origin of his alleged powers, Mr Geller maintains that they come from the distant planet of Hoova.
Ralph and Carolyn Cummins had 5 children between 1952 and 1966, all were born on the 20 February.
John D. Rockefeller gave away over US$ 500,000,000 during his lifetime.
Only 1 child in 20 are born on the day predicted by the doctor.
In the 1970's, the Rhode Island Legislature in the US entertained a proposal that there be a $2 tax on every act of sexual intercourse in the State.
Widows in equatorial Africa actually wear sackcloth and ashes when attending a funeral.
The 'Hundred Years War' lasted 116 years.
The British did not release the body of Napoleon Bonaparte to the French until twenty days after his death.
Admiral Lord Nelson was less than 1.6 metres tall.
John Glenn, the American who first orbited the Earth, was showered with 3,529 tonnes of ticker tape when he got back.
Native American Indians used to name their children after the first thing they saw as they left their tepees subsequent to the birth. Hence such strange names as Sitting Bull and Running Water.
Catherine the First of Russia, made a rule that no man was allowed to get drunk at one of her parties before nine o'clock.
Queen Elizabeth I passed a law which forced everyone except for the rich to wear a flat cap on Sundays.
In 1969 the shares of the Australian company 'Poseidon' were worth $1, one year later they were worth $280 each.
Julius Caesar wore a laurel wreath to cover the onset of baldness.
Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour during World War II, left school at the age of eleven.
At the age of 12, Martin Luther King became so depressed he tried committing suicide twice, by jumping out of his bedroom window.
It is illegal to be a prostitute in Siena, Italy, if your name is Mary.
The Turk's consider it considered unlucky to step on a piece of bread.
The authorities do not allow tourists to take pictures of Pygmies in Zambia.
The Dutch in general prefer their french fries with mayonnaise.
Upon the death of F.D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman became the President of America on 12 April 1945. The initial S in the middle of his name doesn't in fact mean anything. Both his grandfathers had names beginning with 'S', and so Truman's mother didn't want to disappoint either of them.
Sir Isaac Newton was obsessed with the occult and the supernatural.
One of Queen Victoria's wedding gifts was a 3 metre diameter, half tonne cheese.
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never phoned his wife or his mother, they were both deaf.
It was considered unfashionable for Venetian women, during the Renaissance to have anything but silvery-blonde hair.
Queen Victoria was one of the first women ever to use chloroform to combat pain during childbirth.
Peter the Great had the head of his wife's lover cut off and put into a jar of preserving alcohol, which he then ordered to be placed by her bed.
The car manufacturer Henry Ford was awarded Hitler's Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle. Henry Ford was the inventor of the assembly line, and Hitler used this knowledge of the assembly line to speed up production, and to create better and interchangeable products.
Atilla the Hun is thought to have been a dwarf.
The warriors tribes of Ethiopia used to hang the testicles of those they killed in battle on the ends of their spears.
On 15 April 1912 the SS Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage and over 1,500 people died. Fourteen years earlier a novel was published by Morgan Robertson which seemed to foretell the disaster. The book described a ship the same size as the Titanic which crashes into an iceberg on its maiden voyage on a misty April night. The name of Robertson's fictional ship was the Titan.
There are over 200 religious denominations in the United States.
Eau de Cologne was originally marketed as a way of protecting yourself against the plague.
Charles the Simple was the grandson of Charles the Bald, both were rulers of France.
Theodor Herzi, the Zionist leader who was born on May 2 1860, once had the astonishing idea of converting Jews to Christianity as a way of combating anti-Semitism.
The women of an African tribe make themselves more attractive by permanently scaring their faces.
Augustus II, the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland seemed to have a prodigious sexual appetite, and fathered hundreds of illegitimate children during his lifetime.
Some moral purists in the Middle Ages believed that women's ears ought to be covered up because the Virgin May had conceived a child through them.
Hindus don't like dying in bed, they prefer to die beside a river.
While at Havard University, Edward Kennedy was suspended for cheating on a Spanish exam.
It is a criminal offence to drive around in a dirty car in Russia.
The Emperor Caligula once decided to go to war with the Roman God of the sea, Poseidon, and ordered his soldiers to throw their spears into the water at random.
The Ecuadorian poet, José Olmedo, has a statue in his honour in his home country. But, unable to commission a sculptor, due to limited funds, the government brought a second-hand statue .. Of the English poet Lord Byron.
In 1726, at only 7 years old, Charles Sauson inherited the post of official executioner.
Sir Winston Churchill rationed himself to 15 cigars a day.
On 7 January 1904 the distress call 'CQD' was introduced. 'CQ' stood for 'Seek You' and 'D' for 'Danger'. This lasted only until 1906 when it was replaced with 'SOS'.
Though it is forbidden by the Government, many Indians still adhere to the caste system which says that it is a defilement for even the shadow of a person from a lowly caste to fall on a Brahman ( a member of the highest priestly caste).
In parts of Malaya, the women keep harems of men.
The childrens' nursery rhyme 'Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses' actually refers to the Black Death which killed about 30 million people in the fourteenth-century.
The word 'denim' comes from 'de Nimes', Nimes being the town the fabric was originally produced.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, there was a tax put on men's beards.
Idi Amin, one of the most ruthless tyrants in the world, before coming to power, served in the British Army.
Some Eskimos have been known to use refrigerators to keep their food from freezing.
It is illegal to play tennis in the streets of Cambridge.
Custer was the youngest General in US history, he was promoted at the age of 23.
It costs more to send someone to reform school than it does to send them to Eton.
The American pilot Charles Lindbergh received the Service Cross of the German Eagle form Hermann Goering in 1938.
The active ingredient in Chinese Bird's nest soup is saliva.
Marie Currie, who twice won the Nobel Prize, and discovered radium, was not allowed to become a member of the prestigious French Academy because she was a woman.
It was quite common for the men of Ancient Greece to exercise in public .. naked.
John Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, had a payphone in his mansion.
Iceland is the world's oldest functioning democracy.
Adolf Eichmann (responsible for countless Jewish deaths during World war II), was originally a travelling salesman for the Vacuum Oil Co. of Austria.
The national flag of Italy was designed by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Matami Tribe of West Africa play a version of football, the only difference being that they use a human skull instead of a more normal ball.
John Winthrop introduced the fork to the American dinner table for the first time on 25 June 1630.
Elizabeth Blackwell, born in Bristol, England on 3 February 1821, was the first woman in America to gain an M.D. degree.
Abraham Lincoln was shot with a Derringer.
The great Russian leader, Lenin died 21 January 1924, suffering from a degenerative brain disorder. At the time of his death his brain was a quarter of its normal size.
When shipped to the US, the London bridge ( thought by the new owner to be the more famous Tower Bridge ) was classified by US customs to be a 'large antique'.
Sir Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' cloakroom after his mother went into labour during a dance at Blenheim Palace.
In 1849, David Atchison became President of the United States for just one day, and he spent most of the day sleeping.
Between the two World War's, France was controlled by forty different governments.
The 'Crystal Palace' at the Great Exhibition of 1851, contained 92 900 square metres of glass.
It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on their testicles when taking an oath. The modern term 'testimony' is derived from this tradition.
Sir Winston Churchill's mother was descended from a Red Indian.
The study of stupidity is called 'monology'.
Hindu men believe(d) it to be unluckily to marry a third time. They could avoid misfortune by marring a tree first. The tree ( his third wife ) was then burnt, freeing him to marry again.
More money is spent each year on alcohol and cigarettes than on Life insurance.
In 1911 3 men were hung for the murder of Sir Edmund Berry at Greenbury Hill, their last names were Green, Berry , and Hill.
A firm in Britain sold fall-out shelters for pets.
During the seventeen century , the Sultan of Turkey ordered his entire harem of women drowned, and replace with a new one.
Lady Astor once told Winston Churchill 'if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee'. His reply …' if you were my wife, I would drink it ! '.
There are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos.
The Great Pyramid of Giza consists of 2,300,000 blocks each weighing 2.5 tons.
On 9 February 1942, soap rationing began in Britain.
Paul Revere was a dentist.
The Budget speech on April 17 1956 saw the introduction of Premium Savings Bonds into Britain. The machine which picks the winning numbers is called "Ernie", an abbreviation, which stands for' electronic random number indicator equipment'.
Chop-suey is not a native Chinese dish, it was created in California by Chinese immigrants.
The Russian mystic, Rasputin, was the victim of a series of murder attempts on this day in 1916. The assassins poisoned, shot and stabbed him in quick succession, but they found they were unable to finish him off. Rasputin finally succumbed to the ice-cold waters of a river.
Bonnie Prince Charlie, the leader of the Jacobite rebellion to depose of George II of England, was born 31 December 1720. Considered a great Scottish hero, he spent his final years as a drunkard in Rome.
The Liberal Prime Minister, William Gladstone, was born of the 29th December 1809. Apparently, as a result of his strong Puritan impulses, Gladstone kept a selection of whips in his cellar with which he regularly chastised himself.
A parthenophobic has a fear of virgins.
South American gauchos were known to put raw steak under their saddles before starting a day's riding, in order to tenderise the meat.
There are 240 white dots in a Pacman arcade game.
In 1939 the US political party 'The American Nazi Party' had 200,000 members.
King Solomon of Israel had about 700 wives as well as hundreds of mistresses.
Urine was once used to wash clothes.
North American Indian, Sitting Bull, died on 15 December 1890. His bones were laid to rest in North Dakota, but a business group wanted him moved to a 'more natural' site in South Dakota. Their campaign was rejected so they stole the bones, and they now reside in Sitting Bull Park, South Dakota.
St Nicholas, the original Father Christmas, is the patron saint of thieves, virgins and communist Russia.
Dublin is home of the Fairy Investigation Society.
Fourteen million people were killed in World War I, twenty million died in a flu epidemic in the years that followed.
People in Siberia often buy milk frozen on a stick.
Princess Ann was the only competitor at the 1976 Montreal Olympics that did not have to undergo a sex test.
Ethelred the Unready, King of England in the Tenth-century, spent his wedding night in bed with his wife and his mother-in-law.
Coffins which are due for cremation are usually made with plastic handles.
Blackbird, who was the chief of Omaha Indians, was buried sitting on his favourite horse.
The two highest IQ's ever recorded (on a standard test) both belong to women.
The Tory Prime Minister, Benjamin Disreali, was born 21 December 1804. He was noted for his oratory and had a number of memorable exchanges in the House with his great rival William Gladstone. Asked what the difference between a calamity and a misfortune was Disreali replied: 'If Gladstone fell into the Thames it would be a misfortune, but if someone pulled him out again, it would be a calamity'.
The Imperial Throne of Japan has been occupied by the same family for the last thirteen hundred years.
In the seventeenth-century a Boston man was sentenced to two hours in the stocks for obscene behaviour, his crime, kissing his wife in a public place on a Sunday.
President Kaunda of Zambia once threatened to resign if his fellow countrymen didn't stop drinking so much alcohol.
Due to staggering inflation in the 1920's, 4,000,000,000,000,000,000 German marks were worth 1 US dollar.
Gorgias of Epirus was born during preparation of his mothers funeral.
The city of New York contains a district called 'Hell's Kitchen'.
The city of Hiroshima left the Industrial Promotion Centre standing as a monument the atomic bombing.
During the Medieval Crusades, transporting bodies off the battlefield for burial was a major problem, this was solved by carrying a huge cauldron into the Holy wars, boiling down the bodies, and taking only the bones with them.
A ten-gallon hat holds three-quarters of a gallon.
George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Weird Shoes
Working Ludens
Found these weird but cute shoes on the net. I wouldn't mind trying them on. Ü
Taunts and Insults
“I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.”
Stephen Bishop
“He is a self-made man & worships his creator.”
John Bright
“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”-
Winston Churchill
“A modest little person, with much to be modest about.”
Winston Churchill
“I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.”
Irvin S. Cobb
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”
Clarence Darrow
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?”
Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.”
Moses Hadas
“His ears made him look like a taxicab with both doors open.”
Howard Hughes(about Clark Gable)
“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.”
Samuel Johnson
“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
Paul Keating
“He had delusions of adequacy.”
Walter Kerr
“There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.”
Jack E. Leonard
“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.”
Abraham Lincoln
“I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.”
Groucho Marx
“He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.”
Robert Redford
“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.”
Thomas Brackett Reed
“He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them.”
James Reston (about Richard Nixon)
“In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.”
Charles, Count Talleyrand
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.”
Forrest Tucker
“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?”
Mark Twain
“I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
Mark Twain
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”
Mae West
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
Oscar Wilde
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
Oscar Wilde
“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts - for support rather than illumination.”
Andrew Lang(1844-1912)
“He has Van Gogh's ear for music.”
Billy Wilder
Stephen Bishop
“He is a self-made man & worships his creator.”
John Bright
“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”-
Winston Churchill
“A modest little person, with much to be modest about.”
Winston Churchill
“I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.”
Irvin S. Cobb
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”
Clarence Darrow
“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”
William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?”
Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.”
Moses Hadas
“His ears made him look like a taxicab with both doors open.”
Howard Hughes(about Clark Gable)
“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.”
Samuel Johnson
“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
Paul Keating
“He had delusions of adequacy.”
Walter Kerr
“There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure.”
Jack E. Leonard
“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.”
Abraham Lincoln
“I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.”
Groucho Marx
“He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.”
Robert Redford
“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.”
Thomas Brackett Reed
“He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them.”
James Reston (about Richard Nixon)
“In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.”
Charles, Count Talleyrand
“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.”
Forrest Tucker
“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?”
Mark Twain
“I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
Mark Twain
“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”
Mae West
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
Oscar Wilde
“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
Oscar Wilde
“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts - for support rather than illumination.”
Andrew Lang(1844-1912)
“He has Van Gogh's ear for music.”
Billy Wilder
Unnecessary knowledge
1
- the average person's left hand does 56% of the typing
2
- It would take 1.2 million mosquitoes biting you simultaneously to drain all your blood.
3
- There is One AK-47 for every Nine people on Earth
4
- Americans, on average, spend 18% of his or her income on transportation as compared to only 13% spent on food.
5
- Squirrels cannot contract rabies.
6
- 1 out of 350,000 Americans get electrocuted in their life.
7
- There is 293 different ways to give back change on a dollar.
8
- In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles.
9
- Close to 73% of girls in Bangladesh are married by age 18.
5793.75
10
- 50% of female polar bears also have a penis.
11
- Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
12
- There are more pigs than humans in Denmark.
13
- A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
14
- The brain continues sending electrical wave signals for 37 hours after death
15
- The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
- the average person's left hand does 56% of the typing
2
- It would take 1.2 million mosquitoes biting you simultaneously to drain all your blood.
3
- There is One AK-47 for every Nine people on Earth
4
- Americans, on average, spend 18% of his or her income on transportation as compared to only 13% spent on food.
5
- Squirrels cannot contract rabies.
6
- 1 out of 350,000 Americans get electrocuted in their life.
7
- There is 293 different ways to give back change on a dollar.
8
- In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles.
9
- Close to 73% of girls in Bangladesh are married by age 18.
5793.75
10
- 50% of female polar bears also have a penis.
11
- Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
12
- There are more pigs than humans in Denmark.
13
- A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
14
- The brain continues sending electrical wave signals for 37 hours after death
15
- The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
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