Curious Mind Blowing Facts - 36
"Hey Now"
The American and Canadian electoral processes differ in structure and method. The United States uses an Electoral College system to elect its president, where voters indirectly choose electors who then vote for the president based on state-level popular votes.
In contrast, Canada elects its prime minister through a parliamentary system. Canadians vote directly for members of Parliament (MPs) in their respective electoral districts (ridings), and the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament typically becomes the prime minister.
While the U.S. has fixed presidential elections every four years, Canada’s parliamentary elections can occur anytime within a five-year period, often triggered by a vote of no confidence or called by the prime minister.
This reflects the U.S.'s presidential system versus Canada’s parliamentary democracy.
How U.S. Voting Works:
The Electoral College is a system in which U.S. voters indirectly select the president by voting for electors pledged to a candidate, rather than the candidate directly. Each state’s electors equal its number of senators (2) plus its House representatives, with 538 total electors nationwide. Most states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins their popular vote, but Maine and Nebraska split their votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win; if no one reaches that, Congress decides the election.
Advantages:
- Protects smaller states’ interests by giving them more influence than a direct popular vote.
- The Founding Fathers intended it as a safeguard by involving informed electors in the process.
Disadvantages:
- A candidate can win the presidency without winning the popular vote, as in the 2016 election.
- Many Americans prefer a direct popular vote.
- It may not reflect the majority’s will, leading some to see it as undemocratic.
- Historically, it benefited Southern states due to the three-fifths compromise.
While electors generally vote as pledged, rare “faithless electors” have not yet affected election outcomes.
The supercar vending machine: A car dealer in Singapore creates a tower filled with Ferraris and Lamborghinis that are dispensed like chocolate bars.
150-foot showroom can hold up to 60 second-hand high-end cars at any time
It holds exclusive models only from Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bentley
Customers can select which car to view on a touchscreen on the ground floor
A retrieval system cherry-picks the model and brings it to buyers in 2 minutes
The showroom is 15 stories high and has four separate columns - allowing up to 60 cars to be stored simultaneously.
The TikTok app is used by around 170 million people in the U.S.
You can be “addicted” in under 35 minutes, or 260 videos.
TikTok quantified the precise amount of viewing it takes for someone to form a habit: 260 videos.
Kentucky authorities note that while it might seem a lot, TikTok videos can be just a few seconds long.
“Thus, in under 35 minutes, an average user is likely to become addicted to the platform,” the state investigators concluded.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/12/g-s1-28040/teens-tiktok-addiction-lawsuit-investigation-documents
The top electronic stock exchange in the United States — will allow trading from 1:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The NYSE’s core trading session is currently 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.
“The NYSE’s initiative to extend U.S. equity trading to 22 hours a day, 5 days a week underscores the strength of our U.S. capital markets and growing demand for our listed securities around the world,” said Kevin Tyrrell, head of markets at the NYSE. “As the steward of the U.S. capital markets, the NYSE is pleased to lead the way in enabling exchange-based trading for our U.S.-listed companies and funds to investors in time zones across the globe.”
These changes are still subject to regulatory approval. So will CNBC extend their stock coverage to be on top of the markets for 22 hours a day?
None of the writers behind 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' had actually visited West Virginia; instead, they used an encyclopedia to gather information about the state. The song drew much of its inspiration from one writer's childhood in Springfield, MA, though he felt that 'Massachusetts' didn’t have the same musical ring. The song was written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver (who also sang it).
The “Mary had a little lamb…” poem was based on a true story. It was first published in 1830 and Mary is Mary Elizabeth Sawyer.
The birthplace of Mary Sawyer and the little lamb is Sterling, Mass. Image via Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library.
These logos are not copyrightable. K2 logo, Sketchers “S”, and the "Matchstick man" with a round head:
David Bowie and Dennis Hopper once smuggled cocaine into a psych ward for Iggy Pop while wearing spacesuits. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/iggy-pop-david-bowie-dennis-hopper-cocaine/
Placeholder text. You’ve seen dummy type. It is usually old Latin. A part of the original text was scrambled by a 15th-century typesetter who needed placeholder text to mockup various fonts for a type specimen book. It usually reads “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer ultricies mi nec elit pretium porta. Ut pellentesque mollis magna et molestie. In elementum nulla vel augue tempor non ultrices mauris semper. Vestibulum nulla augue, volutpat at bibendum id, interdum ut ante.”
And roughly translates to:
“Hello world! Is here to cancel meals. Fresh troops the avenging can take the price of the gate elit. That beating you soften large and less trouble. In the fireball there is no element of time will not be avenging Moors, always. Product Sample no, the volutpat But to drink in that, at times as before.”
My favorite definition of Marketing:
If you need some “dummy type” to fill up a template with some words, you can use this website: https://www.loremipzum.com/en/text-generator
Don’t get caught by Phishing attempts. Funny video by Mike Rowe:
We often see Black bears come into towns in British Columbia. In fact, West Kelowna has been named one of B.C.’s deadliest cities for black bears.
What should you do if you see a bear? Humans cannot outrun bears. Black and brown bears can run up to 30 to 35 mph. That's faster than a galloping horse! The fastest human on the planet, sprinter Usain Bolt, can briefly run 27.5 mph. And bears climb trees. If you run, the bear will see you as prey and it will chase you. Bear spray is effective against bear attacks. But if you don’t have bear spray, then determine if the bear is black or brown. “If the bear is black, fight back. If the bear is brown, lie down.”
If you encounter a black bear, try not to make eye contact. Talk calmly. Don’t lie down. Slowly walk away. If you can’t, you must fight back. Focus your blows on the bear’s face - the park service says.
Researchers originally from China now (March ’24) make up 38 percent of the top A.I. researchers working in the United States, with Americans making up 37 percent, according to N.Y.Times research.
Imposter Family Portraits:
For this picture series, the Dutch photographer would ring the doorbells of strangers’ houses after he saw the husbands leave for work. He would then convince their wives to pose in a family portrait with him in the place of the father.
Hans Eijkelboom, “With My Family” (1973).
The unofficial company motto for Nvidia is: "Our company is thirty days from going out of business”.
What’s in a ‘The Name’?
There are a few countries and cities that have the definite article “The” in their official names:
Cities and Regions
1. The Hague - The seat of government and the royal family in the Netherlands.
2. The Bronx - A borough of New York City in the United States.
3. The Valley - The capital of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean.
Countries and Territories
4. The Bahamas - An island country in the Caribbean.
5. The Gambia - A West African country, officially called "The Republic of The Gambia."
6. The United States of America - Commonly abbreviated as the USA.
7. The United Kingdom - The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
8. The Netherlands - A country in Western Europe, commonly referred to as "The Netherlands" due to its historical regions.
9. The Maldives - A tropical nation in the Indian Ocean.
10. The Czech Republic (though commonly referred to as Czechia)
Geographic Features
11. The Alps - A major mountain range in Europe.
12. The Rockies - A mountain range in North America, officially the Rocky Mountains but commonly "The Rockies."
13. The Black Forest - A mountainous region in southwestern Germany.
14. The Amazon - Refers to the Amazon rainforest or the Amazon River in South America.
15. The Himalayas - A major mountain range in Asia.
16. The Nile - One of the world’s longest rivers, flowing through northeastern Africa.
Political Entities and Other Locations
17. The Vatican - Often used to refer to Vatican City, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.
18. The West Bank - A Palestinian territory in the Middle East.
19. The Sudan - While now referred to simply as "Sudan," it was historically "The Sudan" during colonial times.
20. The Philippines - An archipelago in Southeast Asia, officially "The Republic of the Philippines."
The use of "The" in place names often originates from historical, linguistic, or geographical significance. For countries like The Netherlands and The Philippines, "The" emphasizes a collection of regions or islands united as a single entity, where the (definite) article signifies plurality or unity.
For places like The Hague and The Bronx, "The" derives from historical terms that described the area specifically (e.g., "Hedge" or "Hage" for the wooded area around The Hague, and the Bronck family estate in The Bronx).
In countries like The United States or The United Kingdom, the definite article highlights a union of multiple states or kingdoms.
Geographic features, such as The Alps or The Amazon use "The" to denote specific and distinctive natural entities. The (definite) article gives each place a sense of specificity or uniqueness, underscoring either its collective nature or its particular cultural or geographic identity.
Forwarded from Brad Kyle of Front Row & Backstage: https://substack.com/@bradkyle
1. After 10 minutes of looking at yourself in a mirror in a dimly lit room, your bored brain will distort your reflection, triggering the appearance of imaginary monsters such as "Bloody Mary."
2. In 1895, there were only 2 cars in the entire state of Ohio - and, they crashed into each other.
3. The Apollo 11 astronauts had to go through customs upon their return to Earth and declare moon rocks, moon dust, and other lunar samples, according to the form signed by all three and filed at the Honolulu Airport in Hawaii on July 24, 1969.
4. An estimated 10% of Europeans are immune to HIV infection because they have an ancestor who survived the bubonic plague.
5. Bella and Edward's relationship in the "Twilight" book and film series meets all 15 criteria set by the National Domestic Violence Hotline for being in an abusive relationship.
~ From Lucie Winborne of “Remind Magazine”.
Generally, the best time to post on social media in 2024 overall is 8:00 AM on Wednesdays. But every network has its sweet spot.
The best time to post on Facebook is 7 AM on Saturdays.
The best time to post on Instagram is 5 AM to 7 AM on Wednesdays.
The best time to post on X is 10 AM to 1 PM on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The best time to post on LinkedIn is 7 AM – 8 PM on workdays.
The best time to post on TikTok is 3 PM on Thursdays.
The best time to post on Threads is 8:00 AM on Tuesdays.
The best time to post on Pinterest is 12:00 PM on Fridays.
https://blog.hootsuite.com/best-time-to-post-on-social-media/
Chuck Norris can divide by zero.
If you enjoyed this, let us know which fact was your favorite!
Speaking of odd things - you'll love this, Paul - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83472/11-rare-old-words-heinous-and-villainous
Another great passel o' facts, Paul! Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who (with John Denver) wrote "Take Me Home, Country Roads," were also married through the '70s, and part of The Starland Vocal Band, who dared to bring us the #1 hit, "Afternoon Delight" (which Danoff himself, wrote), in 1976!
The more you know............and, TV used to tell us, "Knowing's half the battle!"😁👍