Strange But True

STRANGE BUT TRUE

by Samantha Weaver

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* It was noted American journalist, satirist and cultural critic H.L. Mencken who made the following sage observation: “Whenever ‘A’ attempts by law to impose his moral standards upon ‘B’, ‘A’ is most likely a scoundrel.”

* You’re certainly aware that the Middle East has large deposits of petroleum. It makes a kind of sense, then, that one of the first uses early discovers put the substance to was to treat their camels’ mange.

* As the holiday season approaches, there are some interesting traditions you might want to keep in mind:

--You’ll have bad luck on Christmas Day if you refuse mince pie on Christmas Eve.

--If you eat an apple on Christmas Eve, you’ll have good health throughout the following year.

--If you eat a raw egg before eating anything else on Christmas morning, you’ll be able to lift heavy weights.

--If you don’t eat plum pudding on Christmas Day, you’ll lose a friend within a year.

* Those who study such things say that Julia Grant, the wife of Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president, initially refused when it was assumed that she would be interred beside her husband. She didn’t change her mind until she was assured that Grant’s Tomb would never be equipped with public restrooms.

* The first state to declare Christmas an official legal holiday was Alabama, back in 1836.

* You might be surprised to learn that the best-selling flowering potted plant in the United States is the poinsettia. You probably won’t be surprised to learn, however, that the best-selling Christmas song of all time is Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.”

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Thought for the Day: “The people of these United States are the rightful masters of both Congresses and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” -- Abraham Lincoln