february 22nd

today I learned: the founder of fedex once saved the company by taking its last $5,000 and turning it into $32,000 by gambling in vegas. next, the netherlands is closing prisons due to.. lack of prisoners (amazing), and finally, there is a male birth control developed in india that lasts 10 years and appears to be 100% safe and effective (so.. guys? get on this!!!) BONUS fact: the man who voiced mickey mouse was married to the woman who voice minnie mouse :)!

february 21st

today I learned: norway stopped investing money into walmart after determining that the company is guilty of "serious violations of fundamental ethical norms". also, sony hiked whitney houston album prices less than 12 hrs after her death.. and finally, when taught to use money, monkeys will pay for sex. niiiiice.

February 20th

today I learned: the KKK distanced themselves from the westboro babtist church, denouncing them as "hatemongers" (truly a shocker. truly.) also, oscar voters have recently been found to be overwhelmingly white, male, and a median age of 62 (uhhh, lack of diversity much?). FINALLY, john f kennedy didn't accept his presidential salara of $100,000/year + $50,000 expense account, but instead donated it to charity. we need more of you, kennedy.

February 16th

today I learned: dr. donald unger cracked the knuckles on his left hand (and not his right) every day for more than 60 years to prove that it does not give you arthritis. neither hand got arthritis :). also, in 1929 a "bat tower" was built in florida to control mosquitoes. it was filled with bats, which promptly flew away, never to return. finallyyyy, alec baldwin offered to do the voice over of himself in team america, despite the fact that it was making fun of him..and was turned down. hahaha.

February 9th, 2012

today I learned: stephen hawking attended girls school until he was 10! also,  elephants mourn and bury their dead (wow), and finally, while studying at cornell, bill nye had carl sagan as a professor. soooo cooooool.

February 7th, 2012

today I learned: the adoption of no-fault divorce laws led to a 20% female suicide drop and an even bigger domestic violence reduction after 20 years. secondly,  an 'herb' is specifically from the leaf of a plant, and a 'spice' is from the seed, berry, stem, or bark (hmph!!). laaastly, ian mckellen (lord of the rings actor), when asked by a proponent of an anti-gay rights bill to give an autograph to his children, obliged, but instead wrote "fuck off, I'm gay" :) so great.

February 4th, 2012

today I learned: it costs the state of california $50,000 per year to keep just 1 inmate in jail. also, king tut is related to over 50% of european men.. but only 1% of egyptians (whaa?). aaaand lastly, sloths only leave their trees once a week to take a poo. hahaha.

February 3rd, 2012

today I learned: french mathematician joseph fourier believed wrapping his body in a blanket was beneficial to his health. he died after tripping on it and falling down the strairs (haha). neexxxttt, in 2002, bruce willis purchased 12,000 boxes of girl scout cookies for american troups stationed in the middle east. finally, alex the parrot's (the subject of a 37 year experiment) last words to his caretaker were "you be good. I love you". :).

January 31st, 2012

today I learned: US countries with more country music on the radio have higher suicide rates -I’m sure it’s a causal relation ;). also, jack black’s parents are both rocket scientists, and richard nixon tried to get jet li to be his bodyguard. aaaand finally, heroin was invented by bayer (company that makes asprin) in 1898 as a cough remedy. oooops

January 27th, 2012

today I learned: the create of 'spongebob', stephen hillenburg, is ACTUALLY a marine biologist. nexxxxt, I learned that the united states navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins that are highly trained and currently being used to guard a facility that houses nuclear warheads. aaand finally, in 1979 a woman jumped from the 86th floor of the empire state building, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor. her only injury was a broken hip. so awesome.

January 26th, 2012

(so excited) today I learned: in 1896, the first person was convicted of speeding; he was traveling 12 kms/hr. also, dr. suess's name is actually supposed to be pronounced dr. 'soice' (rhyming with 'voice'). finally, when washoe (the first chimp to use sign language) was told that her caretaker's baby had died, she signed "CRY"

January 24th, 2012

today I learned: cake's newest album was recorded in a solar powered studio that the band built themselves. also, "operation acoustic kitty" was a CIA program that trained cats to be spies. for the first mission, the released cat was hit and killed by a taxi almost immediately. finally, stephen king bought the van that hit him so that he could beat the shit out of it when he felt better. hahah.

January 18th, 2012

this week I've learned: 1) genghis kahn killed 11% of the world's population 2) the police didn't invent the bulletproof vest, a pizza guy from detroit did, after he was shot twice on a delivery 3) there are over 100 pyramids in china and at least one is twice the size of egypt's largest 4) bottled water is just as polluted as tap water (and tap water is tested for contaminants hundreds of times per month, while bottled water is only tested once a week..) AND 5) natural brain functions shift at the sight of bare flesh, and is the reason for sexual objectification. brain orgasm.

January 13th, 2012

today I learned: the daddy longleg spider is not the most venomous spider in the world, and its fangs can, in fact, pierce human flesh. also, brazil once tried to sell an aircraft carrier on ebay aaaand jason segal wrote the "forgetting sarah marshall" dracula musical as a serious, unrelated project while desperately trying to launch his career. YEAH KNOWLEDGE!

January 9th, 2011

today I learned: it costs 2.41 cents to make a penny, and 11.18 cents to make a nickel. also, there's a lake in Indonesia that has the same ph value as battery acid (!!) aaand finally, matt damon's character in team america was actually supposed to be intelligent, but his puppet was so deformed it "looked retarded". hahaha.

January 6th, 2012

Well, it's been a while. I've learned some things over the break that I wanted to share. firstly, the simpsons producers' contract allows them to write the show without interference from fox. THAT'S why they can make fun of them (yay!) next, the big bang theory was invented by a catholic priest (the THEORY, not the show..), and finally, jim carrey used to send funny letters to tupac when he was in prison :)

December 27th, 2011

today I learned: in WWII, Japan killed 4 million more people than the nazis, practiced human experimentation, cannibalized and tortured prisoners of war, and forced women into sex slavery. on a lighter (or heavier..haaa) note, elephants will sometimes use their penis as a 5th leg.

December 19th, 2011

TODAY I LEARNED: when you repeat a word over and over again until it loses its meaning, it's called a "jamais vu" and is the oppostite of a deja vu. also, women started shaving their arms in 1915, and legs in the 1940s, thanks so a "sustained marketing assault". FINALLY, will smith's name isn't william, it's willard. SO COOL.

December 15th, 2011

today I was reminded that normal household dogs can be trained (in only a few weeks) to detect both lung and breast cancer with a 90-100% success rate (confirmed through biopsy). something I actually did learn today was that led zeppelin and pink floyed helped fund monty python and the holy grain. i.e they have a wicked sense of humour.

December 12th, 2011

TODAY I LEARNED TREE TINGS: 1) there is a case of conjoined twins that are connected at the thalamus who can hear each other's thoughts and see through each other's eyes (UH, FASCINATING) 2) Bayer, the company that makes aspirin, purchased prisoners at auschwitz to test new drugs 3) studies have shown that sarcasm enhances one's problem-solving ability, and an inability to understand it can be an early warning sign of brain disease. PHEW. COOL!!

December 12th, 2011

TODAY I LEARNED TREE TINGS: 1) there is a case of conjoined twins that are connected at the thalamus who can hear each other's thoughts and see through each other's eyes (UH, FASCINATING) 2) Bayer, the company that makes aspirin, purchased prisoners at auschwitz to test new drugs 3) studies have shown that sarcasm enhances one's problem-solving ability, and an inability to understand it can be an early warning sign of brain disease. PHEW. COOL!!

December 6th, 2011

wow, so today I learned that there was a proposed amendment in the US in 1916 that put every act of war to a national vote, and every person that voted yes had to register for volunteer service in the army. ...I like this idea

December 5th, 2011

I have learned two things today that I'd like to share. 1) in 1979 in sweden, a number of people called in sick with a case of "being homosexual" in protest of homosexuality being classified as an illness. 2) the italian version of "you can't have your cake and eat it too" is "you want your bottle full of wine and your wife drunk". ahhh, learning :)

November 25th, 2011

today I learned: when a pregnant woman suffers organ damage, the fetus sends stem cells to the damaged organ to help repair it. also, bob ross served 10 years in the military where he was required to be that "mean guy who yelled at you", when he later left the military he vowed to "never yell again" and started the joy of painting. :).

November 12th, 2011

today I learned: scientists have recently discovered that wrinkly toes and fingers (caused by being in water for a while) are actually an evolutionary mechanism to improve traction and grip in wet conditions. oh, and when a caterpillar enters the chrysalis, enzymes dissolve it completely into fluid... and then the entire body of the butterfly-- including organs and nervous system-- is rebuilt from the cells. does anyone else's mind blown?

Aug 20, 2011

today I learned: researchers have investigated the relationship between dog ownership and cardiovascular functioning. they followed the recovery rates of patients who had suffered a heart attack, and discovered that those who were dog owners (vs those who werent) were 9 times more likely to be alive a year later. as for cats? they're more likely than non-cat owners to die a year later. ahaha. also, ninjas never wore black. they typically disguised themselves as peasants or farmers. on the odd occasion they did undertake night infiltration missions, they wore crimson, so as to hide any wounds and blood loss they might end up suffering.