Strange But True

* The unknown soul who made the following sage observation must have been a keen observer of events: “A politician can appear to have his nose to the grindstone while straddling a fence and keeping both ears to the ground.”

* In the 17th century, a Frenchman opened a coffee shop in London and sold chocolate, newly imported from the Americas, for 10 to 15 shillings a pound. That may not sound like much until you learn that at the time, the going price of a pound gold was 20 to 30 shillings.

* Are you interested in pogonotrophy? If you’re a woman, the answer is probably no. The word, derived from the Greek word “pogon,” or “beard,” and the suffix “trophy,” or nourishment, refers to the growing of a beard.

* Most people realize that many places in the United States were once known by different names. Here’s a sampling: the Potomac River was originally called Conococheague Creek, Camp David was named Shangri-La, and the USA itself was once known as the United States of Congress Assembled. 

* Good news for the not-so-neat among us: Making your bed could be bad for you. A study done in the United Kingdom at Kingston University showed that the linens of an unmade bed retain less moisture, therefore making them less attractive to dust mites.

* Evidently it’s not just humans who associate a deeper voice with maturity (and desirability) in males. It seems that male owls try to appear more macho and attract females by lowering the tone of their hoots.

Thought for the Day

“The cult of individual personalities is always, in my view, unjustified. To be sure, nature distributes her gifts variously among her children. But there are plenty of the well-endowed ones too, thank God, and I am firmly convinced that most of them live quiet, unregarded lives.” -- Albert Einstein