Fact - Today is New Year's Eve!
Similar to my last post, and since today is the new year's eve, I'm gonna let you know some facts about it!
#1 The Date: If you had lived in Mesopotamia and Babylon 4000 years ago, you probably would have celebrated the new year in mid.March, at the time of the Spring Equinox, and apparently their party lasted for eleven days!...Undoubtedly putting modern day New Year's Eve parties to shame...Although, if you were an Egyptian, your new year began with the Autumnal Equinox and the flooding of the Nile. And, if you were Greek, the Winter Solstice began your new year celebrations!
Julius Caeser was the first to set January 1st as the New Year, since it celebrated the beginning of the civil year and the festival of the god of gates and, eventually, the god of all beginnings, Janus, after whom January was named.
#2 Resolution: As it seems, "losing weight" is the most common New Year's resolution!
#3 Superstitions: Many cultures prepare New Year's foods that are believed to influence good fortune, or avoid dishes that might cause misfortune; much like the choice of the outfit worn in this day, particular the color of underwear!
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| Some cliche picture for New Year's Eve! |
That's it for today! I apologize but I'm not gonna prolong my stay here, and you shouldn't either! Go prepare yourself for the party!
Wonder about that! And party on!
Fact - Today is Christmas day!
Today is Christmas day. All around the world people will be sitting down to special meals, giving gifts, singing, drinking and stuff like that. In honor of this great holiday, i have a gift for you, some Christmas facts!
#1 The Date: In the early Church, Christmas was not celebrated as a major feast. The first evidence of the Church attempting to put a date on the day of Christ's birth comes from 200 AD, when theologians in Alexandria decided it was the 20th of May. By the 380's, the Church in Rome was attempting to unite the various regions in using December 25th as the universal feast day, and eventually that was the day that stuck. The influence of the pagan feasts of Rome is clear, because December 25th was the festival for the birth of the sun.
#2 Gifts and such: Many of the Christmas traditions (gifts, drinks, cards, etc.) are not modern gifts of capitalism! They actually come to us via the Ancient Romans who exchanged all of those things on New Year's Day. This was initially shunned by the Church, but old habits die hard and it eventually transferred to Christmas.#3 Xmas: That one small word causes anger amongst many people. Many Christians consider it to be disrespectful to replace Christ's name with an 'X'. However, Xmas is almost as old as the feast it refers to, the 'X' is actually the Greek letter chi which is the first letter of Christ's name in Greek.
#4 Christmas Tree: The first association of tree with Christmas comes from Saint Boniface in the 7th century AD, when he chopped down a tree sacred to Thor to prove to the local villagers that the Norse gods were not legitimate. By the 15th century people were cutting down trees and putting them in their homes to decorate with sugared fruit, candy and candles.#5 Santa Claus: Santa Claus is actually based on the early Church Bishop Saint Nicholas. He was born during the 3rd century, in the village in Turkey, and was known for secretly giving gifts of money to the poor. The modern image of him as a jolly man in red most likely comes from the 1823 poem "A visit from St Nicholas" also known as "The Night before Christmas".
#6 Candy Canes: In the late 1800s, a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the letter 'J', symbolizing the first letter in Jesus name. He incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain whit peppermint stick, the color symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before his death on the cross - there are three of them to represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. And finally, when looked at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man.Wonder about that! And have jolly Christmas
Fact - Elephants are evolving to lose their tusks (and avoid poachers)
This one is an awesome example of Darwin's Evolutionary Theory.
You see, when the international ban on the trade of ivory took effect in 1989, there were about a million elephants in Africa and about 7.5% of those were getting poached to death every year. Today, less than half of them are left, and we're still losing about 8% of elephants to ivory poachers. Pretty much everything we've done to protect our wild pachyderm friends has failed.
This is so incredible because it's not like tusks are the elephant version of wisdom teeth. They're weapons and tools, and they are needed to dig for water and roots and to battle for the love of a lady! Which means nature decided poachers are a greater threat to the elephant's existence than its diminished ability to forage or to score!
Wonder about that!
Wonder #9
There's a deep black spot in my heart
So deep that my faith it's torn apart
It has a name… Or maybe two
But anyway I'll know it's you
It was you who made it deep
You, whose words made me weep
It was you who made it so dark
You, who broke my heart
The self-esteem glitch
The self-esteem thing has been hammered into our brains for decades, based on the belief that high self-esteem types achieve more in school, make and keep more friends and, in general, function better as a member of society.
And why is this pure bullsh*t? Well, this seems to be one of those deals where they've confused correlation and causation.
So, rather than thinking "Maybe kids with high self-esteem feel good about themselves because they get good grades in school and have lots of friends", they decided to flip that thing around! For some reason, they think that they succeed because they have self-esteem. So they tried to teach people to feel good about themselves for no other reason than pure entitlement, figuring that the actual reasons for feeling good about themselves would follow at some point later.
This results in some kids having too much self-esteem, a breed of human that scientists classify as douchebags and bitches. Yes, for the purpose of this post, those are technical terms.
And stop laughing. Well, stop chuckling or sniggering then! I'm not kidding!
Research shows that kids who have an inflated sense of self-worth become aggressive when their sense of superiority is called into question, leading to a more damaging fall when they realize what a loser they are.
I'm certainly not an expert, but it would seem like the solution would be to teach the stuff that leads to success, you know, like social and communication skills, better strategies at dealing with stress, etc.; and just let that lead naturally to success and thus self-esteem, rather than just bypassing all that and going right for the self-esteem part.
Wonder about that!
Fact - Camels do not store water in their humps
What the hell? Not water?
Nop! Not water! It's fat.
It's the fatty tissue in the humps of camels that it's used as an energy reserve, as it minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their bodies. When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy.
The water is stored in their bodies, predominantly in their bloodstream, which makes them very good at avoiding dehydration. Camels can go seven days without drinking, but when they do drink, they really go for it! Up to 225 liters (50gallons) a time! Enough to easily keep a family of four satisfied on the driest of summer afternoons.
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| Bitch, I'm fabulous! |
Wonder #8
How do you know I'm hurting if you can't see my pain?
To wear it on my body tells words I cannot explain
Begone my screams of silence, harbingers of pain
Cloaked in isolation, you mock in harsh disdain
So wandering lost and lonely, afraid I'll always remain
I thought you'd always be by my side, but instead you've made my eyes rain
So turn away from my pain
Act like you don't see
Like an umbrella in the rain
Shield yourself from me
You don’t want to know the truth; you just want to be right
Think about the last time you had a spout with a coworker, family member, or friend.
You have? Well let's continue then.
So when they were shown proof that their conspiracy theory or imagination of a plot against him/her, or any other irrational reason to be arguing, was wrong; did they back down? Did they get this look of realization on their face and said "Wow…If this is untrue, then maybe the other ‘facts’ upon which I've based my fringe beliefs also aren't true. Thank you for helping me rethink my statements!"? …Well?
Yeah, that's right. That has literally never happen in the history of human conversation. Whether it's a politician whose point has been refuted, or a conspiracy theorist that has been definitively proven insane, or that friend you're thinking of while reading this; they will immediately shift to the next talking point, or conspiracy theory, or foolish argument that backs up their side, not even skipping a beat. They'll keep fighting to defend their position even after is factually shown to be untrue.
But, apparently, that's the entire reason human invented arguing.
This is called the argumentative theory of reasoning, and it says that humans didn't learn to ask questions and offer answers in order to find universal truths. We did it as a way to gain authority over others.
Yep, they think that reason itself evolved to help us bully people into getting what we want. As it seems, these cognitive flaws are adaptations to a system that's working perfectly fine. Our evolutionary compulsion is to triumph, even if it means being totally and illogically proudly wrong.
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| Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience |
Therefore, during your next argument, remember that you do this. If you're a human being, what you (some more than others) do best is ignore facts in favor of advancing your side. Selective attention/memory, some call it.
So, next time you find yourself being reasoned by more than one person, stop. See if you can put the brakes on and actually say "Wait a second. If the things I'm saying in order to bolster my argument are consistently wrong, then maybe my argument is also wrong."
Yes, it's going to be hard. Admitting you are wrong to the person you are debating with it's the hardest thing to do for some people. Notwithstanding, one of these days, being able to admit you're wrong will be the greatest skill you can develop if you want to stay in a relationship with whomever.
Wonder about that!
Fact - Henry VIII did not have six wives
Henry VIII did not have six wives, or even eight, as some of you may also think.
“What? Yes he did! I might not have been that good in History, but I remember this one! He even created a new religion or whatever just to keep marrying around!” – You may say.
…Yeeeah, but no.
First of all, let’s reduce that number eight down to six! Elizabeth Blount and Mary Boleyn were just mistress!
Onto the wives now!
Apparently, Henry, as the head of the Church of England, declared himself that his first marriage, with Catherine of Aragon, was invalid on the grounds that a man cannot sleep with his brother’s (Arthur, Prince of Wales) widow.
Minus one!
Henry’s second marriage to Anne Boleyn was declared illegal by the pope; because the king was still married to his first wife…Yeah he only got that first marriage annulled after he married this one. Pff…Silly!
And then there were four!
Henry’s fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled, as the marriage was never consummated.
Also, slutty Anne happened to be betrothed to Francis, Duke of Lorraine. At the time, being engaged would bar the individual from marriage.
So this leaves us with three wives.
But! The marriage with the fifth wife, Catherine Howard, which, by the way, happened almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to slutty Anne was arranged (Yep, he learned from that first time!), was also annulled!
Bringing us down to two wives!
Wonder about that!
The right thing to do
You've always hear people talk about how cathartic it is to let your anger out, or how much better they feel after, and you've probably heard, at least once, things like "if you keep your anger bottled up, one day you'll just snap!"
You have, haven't you?
Well, things like squeezing stress dolls, screaming into a pillow or hitting a punching bag are examples that we've seen offered as healthy alternatives to walking up to the object of your anger, and beat the hell out of it.
The thing is that expressing your anger, even against inanimate objects, doesn't make you less angry at all. In fact, it actually makes you want to get pissed off. You see, we have these things called habits. When we do something, and it makes us feel good, we want to do it again. The rush of anger is addictive, and letting yourself lash out as a means to control your anger is just like drinking to control your urge to drink.
So yes, I agree that letting your anger out is not a solution. BUT, you just simply can't keep bottling things up, because you are not angry at first, you're just bothered by something. The thing is that if you don't talk about that, you start bottling all those little things that bother you, and that will indeed make you angry or very, very annoyed or upset.
And then you snap, and do something stupid like overreact over something insignificant.
So what’s the right thing to do at this point?
Well, some people choose to keep overreacting like they have any reason to do so. They choose to let things take exaggerated proportions because they don't have the balls to admit that they've made a mistake. But I'm afraid to tell you that this is not the right thing to do.
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| know the difference |
Oh no. Even if you think your twisted logic is right, you need to talk with the other person. You need to explain yourself. You need to show them that you, at least, valued your relationship more than you value your insufflated ego, and you need to deal with whatever consequences this may come with.
Wonder about that! ...and grow some balls, 'cause I'll bloody wait.
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| it's never the wrong time to do the right thing |
Wonder #7
This is the time where I won't find you later
I'll say what I want and hope you’ll remember
I'll say what I want and hope you’ll remember
I will announce it right now, I'll lay it on the line
It's now or never, I'm running out of time
You know it's killing me to hold it in
I'll spill these words ‘cause my patience is wearing thin
I'll tell you how I feel, all words are allowed
And you'll know I love you, I'll say it out loud
I'll say exactly how my heart is beating
Once it comes out there's no deleting
I just hope this time I won't blow it
I’m afraid ‘cause sometime soon I'll know it
No words from my lips will be untrue
I must know this story ends without you
Haters gonna hate
Have you ever got that feeling that life's a bitch? ...Only to realize that it's not the life that's a bitch, but the people in it?
Right.
Here's a newsflash, people aren't always very nice to each other. From insecurities, to anxieties over whatever, some can be total bitches.
The problem is that a lot of the bitchy behavior you see is misplaced emotion.
They're hyper-emotional, over-competitive, they take constructive criticism personally and hold personal grudges when they feel they've been challenged or criticized.
Some are afraid of confrontation and because of this they harbor resentment. They live with that resentment and they take it with them to everywhere. So they're bitches simply because it makes them feel better about themselves.
And why is that? Well, they're not happy. They're not confident. They do not have a strong sense of themselves. They need to put somebody down to feel better about who they are in life.
They should build some self-confidence and channel all that jealousy in more productive ways than being bitchy to those they feel threatened by.
"But why are you assuming that? Maybe those people have a plausible reason to act like that! Maybe it's you who are wrong and need to do something about that!" – You may say.
Oh yes, dear imaginary person in my head, yes, you're quite right! What I need to do is very simple. I need to accept that that person is irrefutable a bitch. I need to let that person win every argument discussed. I need to do everything that person wants me to do, and say what that person wants to hear, to, in the end, make that person happy, and therefore, eliminating any possible excuse to be bitchy about.
The problem with this is that this is not something that changes, stops at adulthood, or whatever. Oh no. Don't jest yourself believing that this it's just a phase or that this was the last time.
It's never-ending! Once a bitch, always a bitch! They may deceive you, be nice for while, gain your trust. And then BAM, the bitch is back.
So unless you want to lose all sense of yourself, and become a robot that do as others please. You need to stop caring and stop mingling with those people. Those are not your friends. Those are bitches!
And that’s where I am right now, too exhausted to even try. I chose not to go along with those bitches’s crap.
Wonder about that! - Or don't, I don't care.
Fact - Chameleons do not change colors to blend in
Yep. Chameleons change colors, not to blend into their background, but depending on a number of emotional states. They change color when frightened, mating, fighting, etc.
"But I've seen photos/videos of a chameleon blending into the background!" - Yeah, but that's because they change so often, that eventually they'll match their backgrounds!
A chameleon would have little use for blending in, because their main prey, insects, tend to have an eyesight unfit to spot them when they are still; and being an apex predator, chameleons don't tend to have any natural predators.
Wonder about that!
The magic of the slow clap
So we all have seen in some movie the slow clap. It has the power to sway the opinion of an entire crowd.
Yep, somehow, that one dude who starts clapping is capable of convincing everyone else that what has been said is incredible awesome. So that single sound gradually swells into a massive applause.
Yeah I know, as a concept, the slow clap seems absurd. I mean, how could an entire crowd be convinced that they like something just by hearing one person clap? How?! – You may ask – HOW?!!
Well, apparently, even the most opinionated and judgmental people in the world are susceptible to the power of group mentality (as said in a previous post).
Gustave Le Bon suggested that when people come together in crowds, they start to identify with the group at large instead of as an individual. The opinions of the crowd become the opinions of each person like a mass hypnosis.
So, every change in the crowd has a ripple effect on the collective conscious and can determine the thoughts and opinions of the rest of the group.
You usually see this effect in riots. The slow clap is basically the same thing…You know, without the acts of violence and all that.
A single person clapping in a crowd can immediately trigger the same response from everyone else because they are subconsciously serving the interest of the group, until finally, everyone is in agreement that they love whatever just happened.
Wonder about that!
Wonder #6
Through all the fights that started as a complain
Through all the backstabs that cause nothing but pain
There is one thing that's worth it all
Worth all the struggles, the tumbles and falls
One thing that will never perish
It's something that I dearly cherish
This one thing that will always be true
This one thing is my love for you
Fact – Indoor nudity is prohibited in Mexico
So the house is empty and you're all alone…Perhaps you just took a bath and left your clothes in the room. Maybe you don't want to wrap yourself in a towel this one time…So why not stay like you came into this world for a few more minutes?
Seriously guys, who here didn't ever walk around naked in your home at least once?
Well, if you're from Villahermosa, Mexico, you are one bad boy/girl, because you are committing a crime!
Yeah…Apparently this city here reached to the conclusion that if you're going to creep onto someone's property and peep in their windows, you definitely don't want to find them nude in their own homes!
Talk about TOO conservative...
Talk about TOO conservative...
Wonder about that!
Wonder #5
Frozen tears of hollow ice
A writhing shell of pointless life
Within this tomb I’ll sit and wait
Amid mixed feelings of love and hate
For your love it costs too much
And money, I fear, I have no such
The highest bidder takes your heart
So, from you, I fall apart
Now I sit, trapped in hell.home
To remain, I short, torn and alone
Wonder #4
Through my eyes no one knows
What I see, what comes and goes
You cast your world before my eyes
Filled with hate and dirty lies
You’ve made a path that I must follow
Full of pain and so much sorrow
Why must I pay for your mistakes?
You’ve thrown me out and locked the gates
Fact - Moths are not attracted to light
This is because they use natural light sources to determine what direction they should be facing and how to fly in a straight line, and when we come along with the artificial ones, it confuse them!
So there they are minding their own business, when BAM, artificial light comes up. "Oh this must be the right way!" - they think. And they rectify their direction, but "Oh no!" - the light source being so close, the only way to do this is to fly around in circles!
Oh, and by the way, moths don't eat cloths, their caterpillars do.
Wonder about that!
Why women go to bathrooms in groups?
You may think there is a kind of secret or ritual, when it's really very simple!
When we watch TV, we all wait for commercial breaks to go to the bathroom, so we won't miss anything. But when you're out, or doing whatever, there aren't any designated "commercial breaks".
When it comes to double dates or so, they might see it as a good time to catch up with each other and how they think their dates are going. Maybe say what they think of each other's dates. Just like men enjoy the play-by-play in sports, ladies enjoy a play-by-play on dates, but it's very rude to do it right in front of the guy.
It might also be just sympathetic companionship, because some bathrooms are filthy and all broken, and another person there could be very convenient for purse holding or helping shutting the door and other stuff like that.
So, basically, there could be many reasons for that; it's not a ritual or a secret plan!
Wonder about that!
Fact - Words that don't mean what you think they mean
What you think it means? Regardless
What it really means? Not a damned thing
Peruse
What you think it means? To skim over or browse something
What it really means? To read with thoroughness or care
Ironic
What you think it means? Any kind of amusing coincidence
What it really means? An outcome that is the opposite of what you'd expect
Pristine
What you think it means? Spotless or as good as newWhat it really means? Ancient, primeval, in a state virtually unchanged from the original
Nonplussed
What you think it means? Unperturbed, not worried
What it really means? Utterly perplexed or confused
Bemused
What you think it means? Mildly amused
What you think it means? Mildly amused
What it really means? Bewildered or confused
Enormity
What you think it means? Enormous
What you think it means? Enormous
What it really means? Outrageous or heinous on a grand scale
Plethora
What you think it means? A lot of something
What you think it means? A lot of something
What it really means? Too much of something, an over-abundance
Wonder about that!
Wonder about that!
Wonder #3
I wear the mask that grins and lies
It hides my cheeks and shades my eyes
With torn and bleeding heart I smile
This debt I pay to human guile
Why should the world be over wise
In counting all my tears and sighs?
To thy from tortured souls arise
I sing but the clay is vile
Beneath my feet and a long mile
But let the world dream otherwise
Wonder #2
There's no phrase to explain
The stupid, icy, scarlet pain
There's not a door I haven't tried
Nor a tear I haven't cried
There's not a path I've yet to take
Nor a heart inside to break
"I'm just worn out" I try to say
But that won't take this hurt away
I need to get out but I don't know how
I need to step back and work myself out
I'm trying to run away but I'm always seen
And I'm living this lie over one broken dream
I won't find the key to fit this lock
And I won't find the answer to make it stop
So I'll just lay waiting for the fire to burn out
And I'll forget the love I'm living without
I'll forget how it feels to crack that smile
As I stop pretending to you all the while
I'll start to numb these emotions so raw
It's not even a fate that I fear anymore
Asch and the conformity experiment (1953)
Solomon Asch wanted to run a series of studies that would document the power of conformity, for the purpose of depressing everyone who would ever read the results.
So the experiment consisted in telling the subjects that they would be taking part in a vision test, along with a handful of people. The participants were then shown pictures, and individually asked to answer very simple and obvious questions.
The catch was that everybody else in the room other than the subject was in on it, and they were told to give obviously wrong answers.
So would the subject go against the crowd, even when the crowd was clearly and retardedly wrong?
All they had to do was say which line on the right matched the one on the left.
As you can see, Asch wasn't exactly asking these people to design the next space station. Really, the only way you could get the answer honestly wrong is if you took two doses of LSD that morning and rubbed them directly on your eyeballs.
Yet, sadly, 32% of subjects would answer incorrectly if they saw that three others in the classroom gave the same wrong answer. Even when the line was plainly off by a few inches, it didn't matter. One in three would follow the group right off the proverbial cliff.
So the experiment consisted in telling the subjects that they would be taking part in a vision test, along with a handful of people. The participants were then shown pictures, and individually asked to answer very simple and obvious questions.
The catch was that everybody else in the room other than the subject was in on it, and they were told to give obviously wrong answers.
So would the subject go against the crowd, even when the crowd was clearly and retardedly wrong?
All they had to do was say which line on the right matched the one on the left.As you can see, Asch wasn't exactly asking these people to design the next space station. Really, the only way you could get the answer honestly wrong is if you took two doses of LSD that morning and rubbed them directly on your eyeballs.
Yet, sadly, 32% of subjects would answer incorrectly if they saw that three others in the classroom gave the same wrong answer. Even when the line was plainly off by a few inches, it didn't matter. One in three would follow the group right off the proverbial cliff.
Now imagine how much that 32% figure inflates when the answers are less black and white. We all tend to laugh with the group even when we didn't get the joke, or doubt our opinion we realize ours is unpopular among our group.
So much for those lectures you got about peer pressure and 'being brave enough to be yourself.'
Wonder about that!
So much for those lectures you got about peer pressure and 'being brave enough to be yourself.'
Wonder about that!
