The Tonle Sap River in Cambodia flows north for almost half the year and then south for the rest of the year.

The Tonle Sap River in Cambodia flows north for almost half the year and then south for the rest of the year.

Monsoon rains fill the neighboring Mekong River with so much water that the Tonle Sap river is forced to flow backwards into the Tonle Sap Lake. The lake swells to 5 times its normal size, providing Cambodians with giant Mekong catfish for food.

Overfishing, and damming of the Mekong river may disrupt this important seasonal occurrence. Fishermen have been catching fewer and smaller fish in recent years, and Mekong catfish is now endangered.

Wood Frogs can be frozen solid and still be alive and moving when reheated. See Video

Wood Frogs can be frozen solid and still be alive and moving when reheated.

In the winter time these frogs become as hard as rocks, their brains shut down and their hearts stop beating. When winter ends, they thaw out and spring back to life.



You can also freeze and unfreeze them in a laboratory.
You can see for yourself in this video.

67% of the frog's body freezes hard but not inside the cells. As the frog slowly freezes over several hours, he pumps large amounts of glucose anti-freeze into his cells. Gradually he stops breathing, his heart stops, his brain activity ceases but his cells don't freeze. In short, Wood Frogs are the Han Solos of the animal kingdom.

Hummingbirds are the only birds that are able to fly backwards.

Hummingbirds are the only birds that are able to fly backwards.

They can also fly side to side, up and down, and hover in place like a helicopter. Rather than simply flapping their wings up and down like regular birds, who can only fly forwards, hummingbirds rotate their wings in circles or in figure-eights. They also fly at an average speed of 25-30 mph. To fly like this, hummingbirds have to move their wings much faster than other birds. They flap their wings anywhere between 12 to 90 times per second and their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute. 30% of a hummingbird's weight is its muscles for flight.

Hummingbirds are constantly eating in order move this fast, and at any given time they are hours away from starving to death. They have the highest metabolism of all animals (except for insects), and in a given day they may visit 1,000 flowers for nectar.

Hummingbirds don't really sing, like most birds do. The sound you're most likely to hear is a buzzing sound which, like a bumblebee, is the sound of their wings flapping.

In a strange coincidence, three U.S. Presidents died on the Fourth of July. Two of them died mere hours apart!

In a strange coincidence, three U.S. Presidents died on the Fourth of July. Two of them died mere hours apart!

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson, who both signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 died on exactly the same day: July 4, 1826. Thomas Jefferson drafted the original Declaration of Independence which John Adams vigorously defended in the Continental Congress, so it was fitting that they both died on the fiftieth anniversary of when the Declaration was adopted.

Adams spent his last day celebrating the Fourth of July with a toast, "Independence Forever!" Not knowing that Jefferson had already died just hours before, Adams, on his death bed muttered "Thomas Jefferson lives" before he himself died.

President James Monroe died on July 4, 1831, exactly five years after Adams and Jefferson died.

There was once a 5-cent bill in circulation in America.

There was once a 5-cent bill in circulation in America.

North Carolina released a 5-cent bill in 1861 while a part of the Confederacy. In addition to being a small denomination, it was also only 3 inches wide.

True or false: It's impossible for an animal to be immune to cancer?

True or false: It's impossible for an animal to be immune to cancer?
False - Naked mole rats are! They have an additional gene to prevent cell growth.

In addition, naked mole rats cannot feel pain because they lack a neurotransmitter that other mammals have called Substance P that sends pain signals to the brain. They also are one of the only mammals known to be eusocial; they live underground in colonies with a queen like ants and bees. They mostly eat tubers (like potatoes) and their own feces, and they live very long lives for rodents (up to 28 years!)

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th".

Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th".

The converse is also true: any month that has a Friday the 13th will begin on a Sunday. Furthermore, if February (in a non-leap year) starts with a Sunday, then February and March will both have a "Friday the 13th". The last time this happened was in 2009, an unlucky year for many people.

A punishment in Ancient Greece for adulterous men was the insertion of a large radish into his rectum.

A punishment in Ancient Greece for adulterous men was the insertion of a large radish into his rectum. They even had a word for it: Rhaphanidosis.

There's some doubt whether this punishment was ever actually used outside of fiction. The rules for Rhaphanidosis are that one must catch the adulterer with your wife in your own house. Alternate punishments include simply killing the adulterer, or replacing the radish with a mulletfish.

The number of possible ways of playing just the first four moves on each side in a game of chess is 319,979,564,000

The number of possible ways of playing just the first four moves on each side in a game of chess is 319,979,564,000

The first can opener was patented 83 years after the first cans were invented.

The first can opener was patented 83 years after the first cans were invented.

Cans were first used to store food in 1772, and canned food was first patented in 1810. Can openers didn't appear until the 1850s.

Robert Yates filed the first patent for a can opener in 1855 in Great Britain, and Ezra Warner filed the first US patent for one in 1858. Before then, canned food used to come with the following instructions: "Cut round the top near the outer edge with a chisel and hammer."

James Buchanan has been the only bachelor to serve as the President of the United States

James Buchanan has been the only bachelor to serve as the President of the United States

More Info: His niece, Harriet Lane, served as his first lady, the first First Lady to not be married to the president. Buchanan's fiance broke off the engagement and then died of an opium overdose. His first Vice President, William King, was sometimes jokingly referred to as "Buchanan's wife". He and Buchanan had been roommates for 15 years. .

Grover Cleveland was also a bachelor when he was first elected president. In the first year of his presidency he married a 21-year-old college student, Frances Folsom, who was a daughter of one of his friends.

There are 6 times as many domesticated chickens as people in the world.

There are 6 times as many domesticated chickens as people in the world.

In less than ten years, the world population of domestic chickens increased by 160%, from 13.5 billion in 1998 to 35 billion in 2006

Only 55% of all Americans know that the sun is a star.

Only 55% of all Americans know that the sun is a star.

Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always the same sex.

Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always the same sex.

A Pelican can hold more food in its beak than in its belly.

A Pelican can hold more food in its beak than in its belly.

Interestingly, because it can take a few seconds for a pelican to drain all the water out of its pouch, a seagull -- often standing on the pelican's head and pecking it as a distraction -- can dart into its open bill and steal the fish!

Pelicans have even been observed eating smaller birds, sometimes scooping up water in order to drown them before swallowing. Some pelicans have bills up to 1.5 feet (half a meter) long, and they can turn them inside out.

The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

Technically any sign, such as the Spanish tilde (same origin) or the French accents or German Umlauts, part of a letter can be considered a tittle. The dot is therefore a tittle, although a tittle is not necessarily that dot.

"Go." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

"Go." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

A mosquito is more likely to bite a blonde than a brunette.

A mosquito is more likely to bite a blonde than a brunette.

Mosquitos see heat given off in the form of C02, so the more C02 you emit, the more delicious you look. This means they prefer large people (not kids), pregnant women, people wearing cologne/perfume, and sweaty people / people breathing hard. So chill out. And make sure there's no stagnant water/pools/ponds near your house - that's where they breed.

The flea can jump 350 times its body length.

The flea can jump 350 times its body length.

That's the equivalent of a human jumping the length of a football field.

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans

- so much that they could be confused at a crime scene.

One tablespoon of semen has approximately 20 calories. Semen also contains zinc and calcium which helps prevent tooth decay.

One tablespoon of semen has approximately 20 calories. Semen also contains zinc and calcium which helps prevent tooth decay.

One typical ejaculation contains 150 mg of protein, 11 mg of carbohydrates, 6 mg fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 7% US RDA potassium and 3% US RDA copper and zinc. The protein content is roughly equivalent to that found in one egg white. Also, women physically exposed to semen are less likely to suffer from depression. The ingesting of it is called 'spermophagia'. Studies suggest that seminal plasma both prevents and fights cancer, particularly breast cancer.

Yawning is contagious - even thinking about yawning is enough.

Yawning is contagious - even thinking about yawning is enough.


After reading this fact, there is a 50% chance you will yawn.

Research shows that 11-week-old fetuses yawn. Yawns become contagious to people between the first and second years of life. When one person in a group yawns, over half of the people in the group will yawn within 5 minutes, and the rest will at least be tempted to yawn. Even animals yawn when they see another animal yawn. The average duration of a yawn is about 6 seconds, and guys yawn for longer than girls.

All planets rotate counterclockwise, except for one - Venus. Scientists think Venus was struck by an asteroid.

All planets rotate counterclockwise, except for one - Venus. Scientists think Venus was struck by an asteroid.

Newborn kangaroos are so small they can fit on a teaspoon.

Newborn kangaroos are so small they can fit on a teaspoon.

When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food and Sometimes they'll even try to eat each other.

When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food and Sometimes they'll even try to eat each other.

Two-headed snakes do not have a long life expectancy, particularly in the wild. Each head has a brain and, usually, some control over the shared body, and the two cannot communicate with each other. Movement is therefore difficult, as each head may try to travel in a different direction.

Some two-headed snakes share a stomach, while others have a stomach for each head. In a two-headed snake with separate stomachs, one of the heads may die if it routinely loses fights over food. Even if there is only one stomach, two-headed snakes may not be able to capture prey if the heads are competing for food. Despite this, two-headed snakes have lived up to 20 years in captivity. Researchers think that the inbreeding of snakes for zoos and pets may lead to an increased incidence of two-headed snakes. In 2000, a two-headed snake named We earned a bid of $150,000 on eBay.

When McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Kuwait in 1994, 15,000 customers formed a line at the drive-through that was 7 miles long.

When McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Kuwait in 1994, 15,000 customers formed a line at the drive-through that was 7 miles long.

An octopus can squeeze through a hole the size of a ten cent coin.

An octopus can squeeze through a hole the size of a ten cent coin.

An Octopus has three hearts and one species can inject enough venom in one bite to kill several adult humans. They can adopt a two-tentacles "walk" that frees up their six remaining limbs and makes them look like an armed vehicle.

Many hotels and hospitals in China don't label the fourth floor. Why?

Many hotels and hospitals in China don't label the fourth floor. Why?


The pronunciation of “four” is close to that of “death” in Chinese.

If you use the number four on happy occasions such as wedding, especially in the southern part of China or in the countryside, you are likely to be criticized behind your back for failing to understand basic manners

Actress Kate Bosworth suffers from Heterochromia iridium, a condition that causes a person's eye color to be different from the other one

Actress Kate Bosworth suffers from Heterochromia iridium, a condition that causes a person's eye color to be different from the other one (Hazel and blue).

She was spared having to wear uncomfortable contact lenses throughout the making of the Superman movie because the director decided her odd eyes were perfect for her role as Lois Lane. Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, and Alexander the Great also suffer(ed) from the same condition.

Grammy Awards given out at the ceremony are actually "stunt Grammies." They are only for show.

Grammy Awards given out at the ceremony are actually "stunt Grammies." They are only for show.

The winners won't actually receive their personalized statues for a few more months.

The actual trophies are all hand made and assembled. Years ago, the old smaller gramophone had to be revamped because the metals were too soft and there were many problems with the trophy breaking. The trophy was made bigger and grander. The Grammy is assembled in pieces and finally finished off in gold plating. As of 2007, 7,578 Grammy trophies have been awarded. Georg Solti, Quincy Jones, Alison Krauss, and U2 hold the records for the most Grammys received.

Koalas sleep 22 hours a day. They will stay in the same tree for days.

Koalas sleep 22 hours a day. They will stay in the same tree for days.

here's a good one, you gotta believe this

Anatidaephobia is the fear that somewhere in the world, there is a duck watching you.

The world's tallest man ever was Robert Wadlow, who was 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72m) tall.

The world's tallest man ever was Robert Wadlow, who was 8 feet 11.1 inches (2.72m) tall.

Wadlow was 6 feet tall by the time he was 8 years old. Called the 'Giant of Illinois', he was still growing when he died at age 22. He died from a blister on his foot that got infected. His continued growth in adulthood was due to an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He was buried in a half-ton coffin that required twelve pallbearers to carry.

The tallest man alive is Sultan Kösen, from Turkey, who stands at 8 feet 1.2 inches tall. Only 14 people have ever been confirmed to be 8 feet tall.

Want to see how your breath smells? Try this:

Want to see how your breath smells? Try this:


Use a spoon and scrape the back of your tongue. Let it dry, then smell it. That's how your breath smells.

Have bad breath? Brush your tongue. That's where 90% of bad breath bacteria reside. Your tongue microscopically is like a shaggy carpet. There are millions of filaments on your tongue that trap tiny food particles and bacteria.

Dry mouth is another cause of bad breath. You stop producing as much saliva overnight, and that's what causes morning breath. So chew gum and drink water to produce saliva.

Want to grow a beard faster? Think about sex.

Want to grow a beard faster? Think about sex.

Facial hair is largely governed by production of testosterone, which is known to be secreted by the testicles in greater quantities during and in anticipation of intercourse. Scientists have also found that increased beard growth was associated with tension, mental fatigue, alcohol and increased shaving. On the other hand, it is apparently curtailed by heavy exercise and high temperatures.

Shakespeare was the first to use insults about people's mothers.

Shakespeare was the first to use insults about people's mothers.


(yo momma, mother******, your mom is ___, etc.)

Shakespeare wrote about one-tenth of the most quotable quotations ever written or spoken in English.

Shakespeare wrote about one-tenth of the most quotable quotations ever written or spoken in English.

A lot of his works, such as Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, Midsummer's Night Dream and Julius Caesar are studied by the entire world. He is also considered one of the best British authors of all time, along with Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens and J.K. Rowling.

A baby blue whale gains about 200 pounds a day.

A baby blue whale gains about 200 pounds a day.


The blue whale is the largest animal on earth, ever. A big blue whale can be 100 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. That's as large as a Boeing jet. Its heart is as large as a small car. Fifty people could stand on its tongue. Its spout shoots up at least 30 feet when it surfaces for air.

The actor who portrayed the "Marlboro Man" died of lung cancer.

The actor who portrayed the "Marlboro Man" died of lung cancer.

Wayne McLaren died at the young age of 51. After hearing he had cancer, he embarked on a massive anti-smoking campaign. Some TV spots showed him in a hospital bed, covered in tubes, saying, "Lying there with all those tubes, how independent can you really be?" The Philip Morris company initially denied McLaren had ever appeared in the company's ads, but retracted the claim.

Another Marlboro actor, David McLean, also died of cancer, and his widow filed a wrongful death suit against the company. She claimed he was required to smoke 5 packs a day to achieve the 'right look' in the ads.

There are weird similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

There are weird similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

* Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. * Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

* Both were shot in the back of the head in the presence of their wives. * Lincoln was shot in the Ford Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford * Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

*Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. * Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. * Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. * Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. * Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.' Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln' made by 'Ford.'

* Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater. * Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

Porcupines can float.

Porcupines can float.

Quills also help a porcupine to swim. The quills have a spongelike filling that helps the porcupine float on water, so it can enjoy a meal of water plants.

It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Kentucky.

It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Kentucky.

This is a very old law. People used do this to steal horses. The ice cream could be used to lure a horse away, and if the person was caught they would use the excuse, "I didn't steal it - he followed me home!"

The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

The letter "J" is the only letter in the alphabet not on the Periodic Table of Elements.

The letter "J" is the only letter in the alphabet not on the Periodic Table of Elements.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

Infact its indeed used in emergency situations especially agents/marines when nothing else is available in field.

The word 'News' is actually an acronym standing for the 4 cardinal compass points - North, East, West, and South.

The word 'News' is actually an acronym standing for the 4 cardinal compass points - North, East, West, and South.

Ithyphallophobia is a morbid fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis.

Ithyphallophobia is a morbid fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis.

When plants are under stress, they cry for help.

When plants are under stress, they cry for help.

They release chemicals in patterns, and physicists have developed a device that can actually 'listen' these stress responses! Why do plants do this? One theory is the chemicals serve as a kind of natural insect repellent. Another is that they attract even bigger insects, which then feed on the invading pests. Or the chemicals are a way for plants to warn their neighbors of impending attack.

The conclusion: plants can communicate with the environment. It's just a matter of us learning the language.

Turkeys can reproduce without having sex

Turkeys can reproduce without having sex !!

It's called parthenogenesis, meaning "virgin birth".

Turkeys aren't the only animals who can give birth as virgins - this form of asexual reproduction has been observed in ants, aphids, amphibians, lizards, and some snakes and fish. To date, it hasn't worked successfully in humans, but it is still being investigated.

In many advertisements, people's clocks are set to 10:10.

In many advertisements, people's clocks are set to 10:10.

Look at a few ads - see for yourself! Why do they do this? Display clocks are set at 10:10 because the clock hands make a "happy" face which is pleasing to the eye. Advertisers are hoping people will associate that goodwill with the product they're trying to sell. It's the same reason attractive, smiling people are placed in many ads.

Odds are, any memory you believe you have before the age of 4 isn't real.

Odds are, any memory you believe you have before the age of 4 isn't real.

They are false memories and have usually either been told to you by someone else, or you made them up without knowing it.

It's called 'Childhood amnesia' and it means, generally, that won't remember anything that happened until you're about 4 years old. Some people can remember things from age 2, but it is rare. There are many theories why, but generally it is assumed this is because your brain hasn't developed enough to be able to form, store, and retrieve memories. In general the earliest memories of females are earlier and more vivid than those of males.

Unbelievably Crazy Roman Empror

One Roman emperor was so crazy that he planned to appoint his pet HORSE to serve as consul. He also declared war on Neptune, and had his soldiers stab the sea with their swords.

Caligula kept his favourite racehorse, Incitatus, inside the palace in a stable box of carved ivory, dressed in purple blankets and collars of precious stones. Dinner guests were invited to the palace in the horse's name. And the horse, too, was invited to dine with the emperor.

He also had the heads of the Roman gods removed and replaced with his own likeness. Unsurprisingly, the Senate had him assassinated before the horse could be made consul.

The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means ''to exercise naked.''

The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means ''to exercise naked.''

Why? Gumnazein (a slightly different transliteration from the Greek) came to mean "train, practice" after gumnos "naked", because it was common in ancient Greece for athletes to train with no clothes on.

Sex is a pain reliever, 10 times more effective than Valium.

Sex is a pain reliever, 10 times more effective than Valium.

So next time your partner pulls the "I have a headache" card, you'll know what Fact to reference!
n Thank us everytime its useful to you.

Sex is also a good remedy against stuffy nose, being a natural antihistaminic that helps combating asthma and high fever. It also helps you lower cholesterol, lose weight, gain muscle, become more attractive to the opposite sex (as you release pheromones), improve your mental health, and reduce the chances of getting certain types of cancer!

Malaria kills 1 million children per year.

Malaria kills 1 million children per year.

That's the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of kids crashing every 4 hours.

In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building is death.

In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building is death.


So you'll end up dead either way. You just got your wish the moment u decided to sucide. Thanks to "The Law"

But in a pending bill, people who leap off structures more than 50 ft without a permit would face up to year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Elephants are the only land mammals that cannot jump.

Elephants are the only land mammals that cannot jump.

Unlike all other mammals on earth, Elephants do not have kneecaps. Therefore, they are unable to bend their legs and acquire the needed propulsion to leave the ground. They are not, however; the only mammals that can't jump. After all, whales are mammals too.

Cockroaches can live for 30 days after their head has been cut off.

Cockroaches can live for 30 days after their head has been cut off.

While it is more average for a cockroach to only live headless for 9 days or so, they can live for extremely long amounts of time. Cockroaches breathe through spiracles, which deliver air to each cell of the body through a set of tubes called tracheae. The brain does not control the breathing through the spiracles. So they don't need a head to breathe!

Also, the cockroach does not have blood pressure the way a mammal does, so cutting off the head does not lead to uncontrolled bleeding. What about food? They need much less food - single meal is enough to last them a whole month! This ability isn't all its cracked up to be, however - without a head, the cockroach would just sit around without doing much.

A whale's penis is called a 'Dork'.

A whale's penis is called a 'Dork'.

This is one among many meanings of the word dork. Dork is also an alternate name for the Australasian snapper fish.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Blinking is a reflex that is started by a sudden noise. Studies show that women react more quickly then men to these sudden noises, and blink both twice as hard and often as men.Another interesting piece of data; lesbians will blink less severely than heterosexual women, and gay men will blink more severely than heterosexual men. Because blinking is a reflex and isn't learned, some argue that the rate of your blinking can determine whether you will grow up to be homo or heterosexual.

The sting from a killer bee contains less venom than a regular bee sting.

The sting from a killer bee contains less venom than a regular bee sting.
However, they are aggressive, attack in large swarms, and will follow you for up to a mile.

In the 1950’s in South America, an entomologist introduced the African honey bee to Brazil cross-breeding it with the European honey bee. The thought was that it would be a more efficient honey producer. The first escape from hives was in 1957 in San Paulo Brazil, they have moved northward traveling 200 to 300 miles per year.

In 1993, they have been documented in Texas, Arizona, Southern California, and as far east as North Carolina and probably Arkansas. With the reality of global warming, killer bees will slowly progress northward. As of 2002 there have been approximately 382 fatal attacks worldwide by killer bees.

Approximately 80% of all paper money in the US contains traces of cocaine.

Approximately 80% of all paper money in the US contains traces of cocaine.

Why? It's not because 80% of US bills have been used to snort cocaine - it's because cocaine is a very fine powder, and one bill can contaminate an entire cash drawer. The concentrations of cocaine on each bill are very small, so don't worry about accidentally getting high. And unless you're a bank teller, don't worry about detectable amounts appearing on you.

A clock at the palace of King Louis XIV stopped at 7:45am, the time of his death.

A clock at the palace of King Louis XIV stopped at 7:45am, the time of his death.

The clock has not been fixed since that day, and to this day still reads a quarter to eight. When he was a child, When Louis XVI of France was a child, an astrologer warned him to be always on his guard on the twenty-first day of every month. His date of death is January 21st, 1793. Now that's scary.

The war between England and Zanzibar in 1896, the shortest war in history, lasted only 38 minutes.

The war between England and Zanzibar in 1896, the shortest war in history, lasted only 38 minutes.

After a coup ticked off the British, they invaded Zanzibar at 9am on August 27th, 1896 and fired just 500 shells, 4,100 machine gun rounds and 1,000 rifle rounds during the engagement. The Sultan's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured. The Sultan's supporters were punished by being forced to pay reparations to cover the cost of shells fired against them.

Rhythm is the longest word in the English language without vowel.

Rhythm is the longest word in the English language without vowel.

While some consider the letter Y a vowel, by technical definition of a vowel it is not.

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

Go on, count the letters. It's typically used by font designers to demonstrate their creations.

The first person to summit Mount Everest could not read.

The first person to summit Mount Everest could not read.

The mans name was Tazing Norgay, and until later in his life; he was almost completely illiterate. He had run away from home several times in his teens, and as a result, never finished his schooling. At the age of 39 when he reached the top of Everest alongside Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, he still couldn't read passed what we would consider to be a 3rd grade reading level.

Why did Hillary choose Norgay as his partner on his historic climb? Hillary had a narrow escape when the ice gave way as he was moving loads up to this camp, plunging him into a crevasse. Fortunately Tenzing, who was following, thrust his ice-axe in the snow, and whipped the rope round it in good belay. It tightened just in time to prevent Hillary being smashed to pieces at the bottom of the crevasse. Hillary took the famous photo of Tenzing posing with his ice-axe, but since Tenzing had never used a camera, Hillary's ascent went unrecorded.

It is impossible to commit suicide by holding your breath.

It is impossible to commit suicide by holding your breath.

Eventually you have a reflex or a deep exhalation to get stagnant gasses out of your lungs such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen. Even if you can force yourself to overcome this reflex you would eventually pass out from lack of oxygen to your brain. After passing out, your mouth would open and your lungs would involuntarily begin to function again.

Having blue eyes is actually a mutation.

Having blue eyes is actually a mutation.

Before the mutation occurred, all humans had brown eyes.

Biology nerds know that these mutations often occur in the womb. In this case, the OCA2 gene, which is also involved in the production of melanin, is disrupted to make the eyes blue rather than brown.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100 of a second.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100 of a second.

Historically, a jiffy has referred to various units of time. In physics it has been used to mean the amount of time it takes for light to travel a centimeter or the time it takes light to travel one fermi (the size of a nucleon). The word is thought to originally be thieves' secret code for lightning.

The world record for time without sleep is 264 hours.

The world record for time without sleep is 264 hours.

Randy Gardner was only seventeen years old when he broke the world record for sleepless hours. The record attempt was part of a sleep deprivation study conducted by Dr. William C. Dement. The 264 hour record hasn't been broken since it was set in 1964.

What is the longest word you can type with your left hand?

What is the longest word you can type with your left hand? : Stewardesses!

This is true, assuming you are typing using the Touch Typing method. While a majority of English speakers use this method, there are some that use what is called the Search and Peck method, which consists of visually looking for a key on the keyboard and pressing it, and then continuing to do this for every letter. In most cases, left handed people would use their left index finger to type, meaning they wouldn’t use their right hand at all. In theory, this would make any word longer than stewardesses the longest word to be typed with only the left hand. How many of you tried to type stewardesses right now?

Hitler dated 3 women in his lifetime - all 3 attempted suicide

Hitler dated 3 women in his lifetime - all 3 attempted suicide, and 2 succeeded, including his NIECE. Hitler was also a vegetarian, not because of he felt sorry for the animals, but because he believed it helped his digestion.

Some authors argued that Hitler's vegetarianism stemmed from a fear of cancer, which killed his mother. He did eat meat on occasion, so it would be likely that Hitler chose not to eat meat for health reasons as opposed to ethical ones. There are three women that Hitler "dated" in his lifetime that we know of - most notably, his fiance Mimi Reiter and his mistress Eva Braun. It's believed he also had a sexual relationship with Geli Raubal, HIS NIECE. Reiter attempted suicide before eventually dumping Hitler. Geli Raubal committed suicide in 1931, and Eva Braun committed suicide with Hitler.

Did Barbie have a full name?

Did Barbie have a full name? In fact, Barbie's full name was Barbara Millicent Roberts.

The popular doll was given the name after Ruth Handler (wife of Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company) saw her daughter playing with paper dolls. She took the idea to her husband who then pitched it to the Mattel toy company, and ever since then the doll franchise was an instant success. Barbie's boyfriend Ken also received his name from one of the Handler's children.

Eating celery is technically exercise. When you eat celery, you burn more calories than you consume.

Eating celery is technically exercise. When you eat celery, you burn more calories than you consume.

A celery stalk contains 6 calories.
Chewing your celery stalk burns: 5 calories/hour
Because of the high insoluble fibre content of celery, you burn even more calories digesting that celery stalk. However, eat just celery and you'll not only be malnourished, but your metabolic rate will slow down to protect your body from your low caloric intake. So, when you inevitably get sick of celery and start eating real food, you'll pack on the pounds faster.

The microwave was invented after a researcher was working near a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket

The microwave was invented after a researcher was working near a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket

.

It was during a radar-related research project around 1946 that Dr. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer, noticed something very unusual. He was testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron when he discovered that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. This intrigued him, so he tried another experiment. This time he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube and, perhaps standing a little farther away, he watched with an inventive sparkle in his eye as the popcorn sputtered, cracked and popped all over his lab.

Next, he put the magnetron tube near an egg. Spencer was joined by a curious colleague, and they both watched as the egg began to tremor and quake. The rapid temperature rise within the egg was causing tremendous internal pressure. The curious colleague moved in for a closer look just as the egg exploded and splattered hot yoke all over his amazed face.

The first known form of birth control was crocodile feces, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

The first known form of birth control was crocodile feces, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

Other early birth control methods: tampons made of honey, drinking liquid mercury, jumping backwards, sneezing (to expel semen), inserting lemons as a diaphragm (the citric acid acts as spermicide), using animal intestines as condoms, inserting a concave piece of wood as a diaphragm (ouch), and drinking a concoction of soaking dried beaver testicles in a strong solution of alcohol.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache on a standard playing card.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache on a standard playing card.

For a period, starting in the 15th century, French playing-card manufacturers assigned to each of the court cards names taken from history or mythology. The most common names for the kings were:

* King of Spades: David (a biblical king)
* King of Hearts: Charles (presumably after Charlemagne)
* King of Diamonds: Caesar (Julius Caesar)
* King of Clubs: (Alexander the Great)

A toothpick is the object most-often choked on by Americans.

A toothpick is the object most-often choked on by Americans.

Since 1900, 17,000 people have died from toothpicks. Among them was American novelist Sherwood Anderson.

Having sex can reduce a fever because of the sweat produced.

Having sex can reduce a fever because of the sweat produced.


Sex is also a pain reliever, ten times more effective than Valium: immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin rise by five times, determining a huge release of endorphins. These chemicals calm pain, from a minor headache to arthritis or migraines, and with no secondary effects. Migraines also disappear because the pressure in the brain's blood vessels is lowered while we have sex. So now we see that actually, a woman's headache is rather a good reason for having sex, not against it.

Men have nipples because, as an embryo, everyone is a female until the Y chromosome kicks in.

Men have nipples because, as an embryo, everyone is a female until the Y chromosome kicks in.


After conception, the human embryo develops as a female. Only after 6-8 weeks does the Y chromosome kick in and the fetus begins developing male characteristics. By this point breast tissue, milk ducts and nipples have already formed. This happens in all mammals, the only exception being stallions, who do not posses nipples.

Generally evolution will only weed out a characteristic if it proves harmful to the creature, and of course, although having nipples provides no benefit to a man it has no ill effect either. Darwin (and others) wondered if at some point in the very distant past the males of a species from which we are descended suckled their young.

Entire city filled with GARBAGE !! see video

Entire city filled with GARBAGE !! see video

Air Force One is not called Air Force One unless the President is on it.

Air Force One is not called Air Force One unless the President is on it.

No matter where in the world the President travels, if he flies in an Air Force jet, the plane is called Air Force One.

A tiger's tongue is so rough it can lick the paint off of a building.

A tiger's tongue is so rough it can lick the paint off of a building.


The tiger's tongue is covered with numerous small, sharp, rear-facing projections called papillae. These papillae gives the tongue is rough, rasping texture and is designed to help strip feathers, fur and meat from prey. Also, all tigers have a unique set of stripes, like fingerprints.

If a rainbow is seen from a plane, it is possible to see the rainbow as an entire circle and not just an arc.

If a rainbow is seen from a plane, it is possible to see the rainbow as an entire circle and not just an arc.

21 Amazing Facts About the Human Body

1. Approximately 50,000 cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells during the time it takes you to read this sentence. We make a new skeleton every three months and a new layer of skin every month.

2. There's something unique about all of us, and it's not just your fingerprint. Every human has a unique tongue print, too.

3. Every square inch of your skin contains 20 feet of blood vessels, 4 yards of nerve fibers, 1,300 nerve cells, 100 sweat glands, and 3 million cells.

4. In one hour, your heart produces enough energy to raise a ton of steel 3 feet off the ground.

5. You use an average of 43 muscles in your face when you frown. It only takes 17 muscles to smile.

6. Red blood cells are frequent fliers. After being created inside the bones, the cells make approximately 250,000 round trips -- at 60,000 miles each trip-- through the body before returning to the bone marrow to die 120 days later.

7. The adult human body comprises 206 bones, and more than half are accounted for in the hands and feet.

8. The heart will beat an average of 3 billion times during an average person's lifetime.

9. The aorta is the large artery that runs down the center of your body. It's almost the diameter of a garden hose. By contrast, capillaries, the body's smallest blood vessels, are so small that it takes 10 of them side by side to equal the thickness of one strand of human hair.

10. The average person will lose 100 strands of hair per day and over 10 billion skin flakes. Get out the vacuum!

11. The human eye can distinguish up to a million different colors and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.

12. When we touch something, the signal travels through the nerves to our brain at a speed of 124 mph.

13. The skin is the body's largest organ, but it's also a pretty big medicine cabinet. The skin secretes antibacterial substances and serves as the first layer of defense for invading microorganisms. Most bacteria that land on the skin die quickly.

14. An adult stomach can hold up to 1.5 liters of material, but this doesn't mean you have to test that limit at every meal.

15. Fingernails and hair are made out of the same substance -- keratin.

16. During the first month of life, an infant is learning so many new things that the number of connections, called synapses, between brain cells increases from 50 trillion to 1 quadrillion. By comparison, if the rest of the infant's body responded with equally rapid growth, she'd weigh 170 pounds by the time she was a month old.

17. If the shoe fits...well, just make sure it does. The big toe is one of the most important structural parts of the body. That one appendage is responsible for helping us maintain our balance and propel us forward when walking .

18. The human liver is responsible for more than 500 distinct processes in the body. It is so important that if a person has two-thirds of their liver removed as a result of trauma or surgery, it will grow back to its original size in as little as four weeks.

19. Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.

20. The average person takes 23,000 breaths a day. Make this one count.

21. When we are born our eyes are almost full size, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The following sentence is grammatically correct: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

The following sentence is grammatically correct: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

The word ''buffalo'' in the sentence has three meanings: the animal, the city in New York and the act of ''buffaloing'' which is another word for teasing or bullying. Here is another way of looking at the sentence: THE buffalo FROM Buffalo WHO ARE buffaloed BY buffalo FROM Buffalo ALSO buffalo THE buffalo FROM Buffalo.''

Another grammatical puzzle is ''James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.''

It costs 3 cents to make a $1 bill.

It costs 3 cents to make a $1 bill.

BUT "they need to be replaced after about 18 months. Coins, which cost about 12 cents to make, last 30 years." That's why the US Govt. keeps trying to wane its citizens off dollars and get them to use coin dollars, like the Sacagawea or Susan B. Anthony Dollar.

The largest dog ever reported in the Guiness Book of World Records

The largest dog ever reported in the Guiness Book of World Records was a 8 feet 3 inch, 343-pound English Mastiff named Zorba.

He is presently not in the Guinness Book because he is deceased, but no one to this date has topped his size.

50 Interesting Facts Part 2

50 Interesting Facts Part 2

1. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
2. Bonobos and dolphins are the only animals other than humans to have sex for pleasure
3. Men are 4 times more likely to get struck by lightning than woman.
4. The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.
5. The Bible is the number one most shoplifted book of all time.
6. A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.
7. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died from battle wounds; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
8. Over 2500 left-handed people a year are killed from using equipment made for right-handed people.
9. Charlie Chaplin once lost a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest.
   He didn't even make the finals! Snopes has the whole story.
10. Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
11. THIS IS CRUEL: 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words.
12. The longest English word, at 45 letters, is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis'.
13. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
14. Women speak about 7000 words a day. The average man averages just over 2000.
15. It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7% of the world's population is drunk.
16. Polar bear fur is not white, it's clear.
17. Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80%.
    Percentage of American women who say they'd marry the same man: 50%.
18. Earth is the only planet not named after a God.
    : Saturn was actually named after a Titan, the father of Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune. He is famous for having attempted to eat all of his children. However, astronomers have identified thousands of planets outside of our own solar system, to the point where we likely have run out of good god names for them - that's why we have planets named "2M1207 b".
19. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
20. Dolphins don't breathe automatically/involuntry - they breathe when they tell themselves to breathe. The same reason why they can't be anaesthised.
    
21. The tongue of a blue whale weighs about as much as a full-grown elephant or a 2005 Hummer H2 SUV.
22. 'Typewriter' is the longest English word that can be made by using only one row of a keyboard.
23. There are 376 hidden Mickeys at Disney Land.
24. Semen travels at 28 mph
25. A man produces 14 gallons of semen in his lifetime.
26. Every three minutes someone in the world reports a UFO.
27. 'Jedi' is an official religion in Australia with over 70,000 followers.
    
28. The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.
29. Farmville players outnumber real farmers in the US by a ratio of 60 to 1
30. The cost of the halftime commercials during the Superbowl could feed the world's entire refugee population (62 million) twice.
31. Car airbags kill 1 person for every 22 lives that they save
32. It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to make one tablespoon of honey.
33. When flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.
34. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
35. A ribbon worm will eat themselves if they cannot find food. They can still survive after eating up to 95% of their body weight.
36. 'Subbookkeeper' is the only word that has double letters four times in a row.
37. Apples are actually part of the rose family Rosaceae. it also includes pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blackberries as well as almonds and of course, roses.
38. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
39. In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, 'They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.'
    On July 20, 1969, just minutes after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first home run
40. In ancient Egypt, people shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when their cats died.
41. 'Dysania' is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
42. In 1945, a rooster by the name of Mike lived 18 months without a head. (see complete topic on this in this blog)
43. Author Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835. The comet returns to Earth every 76 years. He vowed that he would not die until he saw the famous comet. He died the day after its next appearance in 1910.
44. Penguins cannot walk backwards.
45. The exposed human brain isn't damaged when poked.
46. 'Uncopyrightable' is the longest word in the English language that doesn't repeat a letter once.
    Arguably, the longest word could be 'subdermatoglyphic' - it's not in any dictionaries but it's in dermatology journals.
47. When a person is tickled, the response is actually a form of panic, as the brain interprets the tickling sensation as produced by spiders or other creepy crawlies on your skin - the uncontrollable laughter is a response to panic.
48. The largest toy distributor in the world is not Toys 'R' Us or Wal-Mart - it's McDonald's.
    More info: 20% of McDonald's sales involve Happy Meals, which feature some kind of toy.
49. A study confirmed that pigs can become alcoholics
50. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

The exposed human brain isn't damaged when poked.

The exposed human brain isn't damaged when poked.

In fact, patients suffering from brain tumors or epileptic seizures may undergo surgery while awake! Rather than relying only on brain-imaging technology, a neurosurgeon can speak to an awake patient to mark critical areas of the brain that control vision, language, and body movement. The patient is anesthetized during the portion of surgery when doctors make their way through the cranium to the exposed brain.

Penguins cannot walk backwards.

Penguins cannot walk backwards.

More info: They are too top heavy and their feet are too small to support their weight while walking backwards. To walk backwards, feet need to lift off the ground, and penguins do not take long steps. Also, they are unable to turn so they wouldn't be able to see where they are going, and would trip and fall.

In 1945, a rooster by the name of Mike lived 18 months without a head.

In 1945, a rooster by the name of Mike lived 18 months without a head.

More info: A farmer tried to use him as chicken dinner, but after the beheading, the rooster was still alive. In the 18 months that Mike lived as 'The Headless Wonder Chicken' he grew from a mere 2 1/2 lbs. to nearly 8 lbs. He consequently became famous but eventually died via choking. They fed Mike by inserting an eyedropper of grain and water into his open esophagus.

In ancient Egypt, people shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when their cats died

In ancient Egypt, people shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when their cats died

.

More info: They also mummified their dead cats the way they mummified people The Egyptians revered cats so much that if a human killed a feline, either intentionally or unintentionally, that human was sentenced to death.

Laws were set that also forbid the exportation of cats, though they were frequently smuggled out. Armies sometimes were set out to recapture these cats from the foreign lands.

Apples are actually part of the rose family.

Apples are actually part of the rose family.

The rose family, Rosaceae, contains many varieties of fruit including apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blackberries as well as almonds and of course, roses

Honey is the only food that does not spoil

Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.

The honey cannot be stored at extremely hot temperatures without causing fermentation. * In ancient Egypt, they paid their taxes in honey. * After his death, Alexander the Great's remains were preserved in a huge crock of honey. * Honey is often used as an ingredient in the center of golf balls and in antifreeze mixtures

When flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.

When flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.


More info: A normal subsonic flight takes around 7-8 hours to fly from London to New York, but Concorde's average flight time is around 3 hours 30 minutes, but can be slightly longer if the aircraft needs to hold before landing at the local airports. The fastest ever time for the crossing was 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds.

Farmville players outnumber real farmers in the US by a ratio of 60 to 1

Farmville players outnumber real farmers in the US by a ratio of 60 to 1.

More info: Farmville is the most popular application in the history of Facebook, with 62 million registered users and 22 million logging on at least once a day. Farmville is bigger than Twitter.

The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.

The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.

More info: According to the Guiness Book of World Records, from 1725-1765, a Russian peasant woman gave birth 27 times to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets.

'Jedi' is an official religion in Australia with over 70,000 followers.

'Jedi' is an official religion in Australia with over 70,000 followers.

More info: Most of the 70,509 people who wrote Jedi on their census forms were suspected to have done so in response to an e-mail encouraging all Star Wars fans to get it recognized as an official religion.

A source said, 'When you look at it you probably have got about 5,000 people in that 70,000 that were true hard-core people that would believe the Jedi religion carte blanche,'

Every three minutes someone in the world reports a UFO.

Every three minutes someone in the world reports a UFO.

More info: A Roper poll in 1991 said that 4 million Americans believe they have been abducted.

A Gallup poll in 1996 said that 71 percent of Americans believe the government knows more than it is telling us about UFOs. UFO sightings have been claimed by former President Jimmy Carter, Clyde Tombaough (the astronomer who discovered Pluto) and William Shatner (who claims to have been rescued by aliens who pointed him in the right direction when he was lost in the Mojave Desert).

Semen travels at 28 mph and a man produce 14 gallons in lifetime

Semen travels at 28 mph

.

BUT Once sperm enter the vagina, they slow down like four lanes merging into one: It takes 5 minutes for them to travel the 6 inches to the cervix and can take up to 72 hours to reach an egg.

Also, the average erect penis is 5.21 inches, and a man will produce 14 gallons of semen in his lifetime - enough to fill up the tank of a car.

Justin Bieber can solve a Rubik's Cube in less than 2 minutes. see video

Justin Bieber can solve a Rubik's Cube in less than 2 minutes.

There are 376 hidden Mickeys at Disney Land.

There are 376 hidden Mickeys at Disney Land.

More info: Hidden Mickeys started out as inside jokes among the Walt Disney Imagineers. A Hidden Mickey is an image of Mickey Mouse concealed in the design of a Disney attraction (ride, resort, etc). Imagineers subtly "hid" Mickey Mouse silhouettes in plain sight. Soon, it became a tradition, and as the word spread, Disney fans everywhere went on the search for them in Disney movies and theme parks.

In 1998, Sony accidently sold 700,000 camcorders that had the technology to see through people's clothes. see video

In 1998, Sony accidently sold 700,000 camcorders that had the technology to see through people's clothes.

More info: The cameras had special lenses that use infrared light (IR) to see through some types of clothing. It primarily works on dark colored, thin clothing - like swimsuits. The main factor is how well the fabric absorbs IR light waves. It's not for regular digicams, but rather for camcorders with a IR night vision mode, and the resolution is low.


Here is a video.

Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby" without using letter 'E' in whole novel

Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words -- none of them with the letter E.

More info: Wright's primary difficulty was avoiding the "ed" suffix for past tense verbs. He also couldn't use any number from seven to twenty-nine. He avoided abbreviations like Mr. or Mrs. that, when expanded, would contain the letter E. Wright "blacked" the E key of the typewriter with string, so as to forbid E-words that might slip in ... and many did try to do so. Wright's book inspired other "lipogrammatic" works, including the famous novel A Void, which doesn't use the letter A

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

More info: The speaker in the House of Commons is the chairman. His/her role is to keep the debate flowing and to make sure that the rules are followed. The speaker is supposed to be impartial, even though he/she is a member of one of the political parties, and so they do not get to give their own opinions on the debate.

Dolphins don't breathe automatically/ involuntry.

Dolphins don't breathe automatically/ involuntry. - they breathe when they tell themselves to breathe.

More Info: When dolphins sleep, they lie on their side with their blowhole above the water surface. They sleep with only half of their brain at time, and they take turns sleeping with different sides of its brain. The other half stays awake so the dolphin remembers to breathe. This also means that dolphins cannot receive anesthetics because they will stop breathing.

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos. It increases the sense of freedom, a disconnect from reality and thus, increases the dollars spent gambling.

Some other tricks casinos use:
1) There are no windows, so people don't know if it's day or night outside.
2) They design casinos to be like mazes so you can't find your way out.
3) They give free alcohol to the gamblers so they continue to gamble.

Some interesting and shocking unbelieveble facts

1. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
2. Bonobos and dolphins are the only animals other than humans to have sex for pleasure
3. Men are 4 times more likely to get struck by lightning than woman.
4. The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.
5. The Bible is the number one most shoplifted book of all time.
6. A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.
7. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died from battle wounds; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
8. Over 2500 left-handed people a year are killed from using equipment made for right-handed people.
9. Charlie Chaplin once lost a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest.
   He didn't even make the finals! Snopes has the whole story.
10. Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
11. THIS IS CRUEL: 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words.
12. The longest English word, at 45 letters, is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis'.
13. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
14. Women speak about 7000 words a day. The average man averages just over 2000.
15. It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7% of the world's population is drunk.
16. Polar bear fur is not white, it's clear.
17. Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80%.
    Percentage of American women who say they'd marry the same man: 50%.
18. Earth is the only planet not named after a God.
    : Saturn was actually named after a Titan, the father of Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune. He is famous for having attempted to eat all of his children. However, astronomers have identified thousands of planets outside of our own solar system, to the point where we likely have run out of good god names for them - that's why we have planets named "2M1207 b".
19. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
20. Dolphins don't breathe automatically/involuntry - they breathe when they tell themselves to breathe. The same reason why they can't be anaesthised.
    
21. The tongue of a blue whale weighs about as much as a full-grown elephant or a 2005 Hummer H2 SUV.
22. 'Typewriter' is the longest English word that can be made by using only one row of a keyboard.
23. There are 376 hidden Mickeys at Disney Land.
24. Semen travels at 28 mph
25. A man produces 14 gallons of semen in his lifetime.
26. Every three minutes someone in the world reports a UFO.
27. 'Jedi' is an official religion in Australia with over 70,000 followers.
    
28. The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.
29. Farmville players outnumber real farmers in the US by a ratio of 60 to 1
30. The cost of the halftime commercials during the Superbowl could feed the world's entire refugee population (62 million) twice.
31. Car airbags kill 1 person for every 22 lives that they save
32. It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to make one tablespoon of honey.
33. When flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.
34. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
35. A ribbon worm will eat themselves if they cannot find food. They can still survive after eating up to 95% of their body weight.
36. 'Subbookkeeper' is the only word that has double letters four times in a row.
37. Apples are actually part of the rose family Rosaceae. it also includes pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, blackberries as well as almonds and of course, roses.
38. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
39. In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, 'They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.'
    On July 20, 1969, just minutes after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first home run
40. In ancient Egypt, people shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when their cats died.
41. 'Dysania' is the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
42. In 1945, a rooster by the name of Mike lived 18 months without a head. (see complete topic on this in this blog)
43. Author Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835. The comet returns to Earth every 76 years. He vowed that he would not die until he saw the famous comet. He died the day after its next appearance in 1910.
44. Penguins cannot walk backwards.
45. The exposed human brain isn't damaged when poked.
46. 'Uncopyrightable' is the longest word in the English language that doesn't repeat a letter once.
    Arguably, the longest word could be 'subdermatoglyphic' - it's not in any dictionaries but it's in dermatology journals.
47. When a person is tickled, the response is actually a form of panic, as the brain interprets the tickling sensation as produced by spiders or other creepy crawlies on your skin - the uncontrollable laughter is a response to panic.
48. The largest toy distributor in the world is not Toys 'R' Us or Wal-Mart - it's McDonald's.
    More info: 20% of McDonald's sales involve Happy Meals, which feature some kind of toy.
49. A study confirmed that pigs can become alcoholics
50. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

Cat pee glows under a black light.

Cat pee glows under a black light.

In fact, if you can smell cat urine in your house but can't find the stain, you should use a black light to locate the stain to treat it. You should make sure to do this. Even if you can't find the cat urine, your cat will. He's more likely to pee in the same spot again if it still smells like pee.

Golf balls used to be smooth.

Golf balls used to be smooth.

Golfers soon began to notice that balls with imperfections such as cuts and dents seemed to fly farther. This phenomenon was eventually studied, likely by an aerodynamicist, and it was discovered that these imperfections act as “turbulators” for the ball. These turbulators, as their name suggests, create turbulence in the layer of air just outside the ball.

This layer of turbulence can help to reduce drag and make the golf ball fly further. Golf ball manufacturers soon got wind of this information (excuse the pun), and this is why contemporary golf balls are speckled with dimples. The symmetrical dimples are a formalized way of creating turbulence all around the ball.

An earthquake can shorten the length of a day.

An earthquake can shorten the length of a day.

On February 27, 2010, an earthquake in Chile that registered an 8.8 on the Richter scale may very have shortened the length of a day on Earth. Researchers computed the change to be as much as making a day 1.26 microseconds shorter. In addition, the quake also shifted the Earth on its axis. The Earth’s axis moved 2.7 milliarcseconds (which is actually a unit of angular measurement, not time). That’s the equivalent of about 8 centimeters or three inches.

Facebook’s oldest user is 103 and she updates from an iPad.

Facebook’s oldest user is 103 and she updates from an iPad.

Great-grandmother Lillian Lowe has taken the title of oldest Facebooker from 104-year-old Ivy Bean, who died in her sleep this past July. Lillian checks her wall about twice a week and is friends with 34 different people, including 7 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren!

Born in 1907, Lillian has seen all kinds of changes during her lifetime - the sinking of the Titanic, two World Wars, the first computer, and now the advent of social networking and tablet computers!

Thanks to the publicity that comes with being dubbed the oldest person on Facebook, she has recently received over 900 Facebook friend requests. She says she has also heard of Twitter, but does not know what it is.

Newborn babies have “accents.”

Newborn babies have “accents.”


It has become fairly common knowledge that unborn fetuses typically become accustomed with the language they hear while in their mother’s womb. However, a recent study has shown that they mimic speaking habits even before they have learned their native language!

For example, French people typically raise the pitch of their voices at the ends of words and phrases, while Germans do the opposite. Researchers in the study observed that the inflections of French and German babies followed this pattern!

Technically, these intonations cannot be considered a true accent because accents have to do with the way words are pronounced, but scientists believe this may be a key discovery in understanding the history of language and how it is learned.

The current United States flag was designed by a high school student

The current United States flag was designed by a high school student






In 1958, the government was considering the annexation of Alaska and Hawaii to the 48 contiguous states. This caused high school junior Robert Heft to design a flag to accommodate the potential additions as part of a school project. His history teacher, Stanley Pratt, didn’t think much of the design and gave it a B-!! Heft decided to submit the design to Congress and convinced Mr. Pratt to raise his grade if the flag was accepted. On August 21th of the following year, President Eisenhower selected Heft’s design out of 1,500 submissions and called him personally to give him the good news!

Robert Heft’s original flag has now flown over EVERY state capitol building and 88 different U.S. embassies. It is the only flag in our history to have flown over the White House during the administrations of five different presidents!

Difference between Boys and Girls while using ATM

Difference between Boys and Girls while using ATM

Boys:

1. Drive to the bank, park and go to the Cash Dispenser.
2. Insert card
3. Dial code and desired amount
4. Take the cash, the card and the slip

Girls:

1. Drive to the bank

2. Engine stalled

3. Check make-up in the mirror

4. Apply perfume
5. Manually check haircut

6. Park the car - failure

7. Park the car - failure

8. Park the car - Success

9. Search for the card in the handbag

10. Insert card, rejected by the machine
11. Throw phone card back in handbag,

12. Look for bank card.

13. Insert Card

14. Look for Secret Box (where secret code is written)in Handbag
15. Enter code

16. Study instructions for 2 minutes
17. #Cancel#
18. Re-enter code
19. #Cancel#

20. Call Boyfriend/husband to get correct the code

21. Enter desired amount
22. #Error#

23. Enter bigger amount
24. #Error#

25. Enter maximum amount

27. Take cash
28. Go back to the car

29. Check make up in rear mirror
30. Look for keys in handbag

31. Start car
32. Drive 50 meters
33. STOP

34. Drive back to bank machine
35. Go out of the car

36. Take card and ticket back from machine
37. Go back to the car

38. Throw card on passenger seat
39. Throw slip on the floor

40. Check make up in rear mirror
41. Manually check haircut

42. Go into roundabout - wrong way
43. BRAKE

44. Go into roundabout - right way
45. Drive 5 kilometers
46. Remove hand brake

47. Call boyfriend/husband to tell how miserable she was because of
HIM.

Carbon-14 Dating - Fact and Fiction

Carbon-14 Dating - Fact and Fiction


Today many people believe Carbon-14 dating is solid, irrefutable evidence for long ages. Is this true? In this actual Documentary by AlphaNOVA, you will find the actual process of Carbon-14 dating. It just may surprise you.

Today, there are over 130 radiocarbon dating laboratories around the world producing radiocarbon assays for the scientific community. The C14 technique has been and continues to be applied and used in many, many different fields including hydrology, atmospheric science, oceanography, geology, palaeoclimatology, archaeology and biomedicine.

The radiocarbon method was developed by a team of scientists led by the late Professor Willard F. Libby of the University of Chicago in immediate post-WW2 years. Libby later received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1960.


Dating The Sample - Using the actual samples from Route Ice 77
Step 1: Weigh & Clean - Isolating a 5o gram sample.
Step 2: Powder the coal - Use a hammer of course. Using Hydrochloric Acid to see if carbonate is coming off (see bubbles if there's any). Stirring it via magnetic Stir will continue to remove carbonates. Then heat it by 80 Degrees Centigrade 24Hours to remove the acid avoiding any reaction.
Step 3: Clean Again - Filtering the sample, washing it via Sodium Hydroxide to remove humic acids. Mixing it again 10min, and baked it again in the oven 24 hours. After cleaning it twice and baking it 24 hours. It's time to make this as charcoal via heating the powdered sample. Until it's almost ash. Then using the Oxidiser, it will convert it to Carbon Dioxide, isolating the Carbon Dioxide by a special chemical that reacts with it.

Step 4: Burn to Carbon Dioxide
Step 5: Analyze in Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC). An apparatus will hold the sample vials. When both of the tubes see a flash simultaneously that's the count.

Step 6: Calculate Age - The Radio Carbon date in the coal is 10,412 years with the Uniformitarian's assumption. But with Biblical assumptions with Dinosaur's time (lush of vegetation) the Radio Carbon Date to 4,682. With great atmospheric pressure in Adam's time - age will be 7,060 for the coal.

Study Tips for Passing the Board Exam

Study Tips for Passing the Board Exam


For many people, taking a test ranks as one of the most stressful experiences they can imagine--especially if that test is an important board exam. Increase your likelihood of success and pass the board exam by following these study tips.

1. Research strategies for the type of test you will be taking. From multiple choice to essay to true/false, every format tests you on specific knowledge and has its own strategy. Learn what strategy you are to use and you will know what to expect.
2. Break your material into sections. Cramming the night before never works because it accesses only your short-term memory. In turn, this leaves gaps in your knowledge that only grow wider the more nervous and stressed you become. Begin studying topic by topic a few weeks before the test to ingrain the knowledge into your long-term memory.
3. Study in a comfortable place with good lighting. No, this does not mean your bed; it's too tempting to lie down and take a nap. The library is usually the best atmosphere for serious studying.
4. Give your mind frequent breaks. Your memory retains information that you study at the beginning and end better than what you study in the middle.
5. Listen to classical music to lessen the boredom and keep you concentrated.
6. Create a study group, but only with others who are serious about the test.
7. Focus on true understanding rather than rote memorization. This will serve you especially well if the end of the year test is cumulative.
8. Test yourself or have someone else test you to find out weak areas or gaps in knowledge. Practice tests are a great way to get you into test-taking mode before the real thing.
9. Study when you are most alert. For morning people, early morning study sessions are the most productive, while others are more alert at night.
10. Relax. Find time to socialize with friends or watch a favorite movie. Don't let the test consume you and become your life.

11 Free Tips Improve Studying Results

11 Free Tips Improve Studying Results


1 Study in Short, Frequent Sessions.

It has been proven that short bursts of concentration repeated frequently are much more effective than one long session. So, even if you only have 10 minutes, DO IT. Take a break. Then study another 10 minutes. This “distributed learning” approach is highly efficient because it honors the way the brain likes to work. The brain needs recovery and recharging time for “protein synthesis.” The rest periods are when your brain assimilates your effort. They are a powerful tool which many teachers do not acknowledge. To sit and study for hours and hours is not only boring, it creates fatigue, stress, and distraction. You cannot learn if you are fatigued, stressed, and distracted!

2 Take Guilt-Free Days of Rest.

This follows the same principle as above, but on a longer, daily time cycle. The reason for resting is to refresh oneself. However, if you feel guilty (“I really should be studying”) then your precious rest period has been used to create more stress. The brain will not absorb new data if it is stressed. On days off from studying, really enjoy yourself and do not feel bad about not studying.

3 Honor Your Emotional State.

Do not study if you are tired, angry, distracted, or in a hurry. When the brain is relaxed, it is like a sponge and it naturally absorbs data without effort. If you are emotionally stressed, your brain literally repels data. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is on other things is a complete waste of time!

4 Review the Same Day.

When you learn something new, try to go over the points the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review the material, it will seem much less familiar. However, a quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next “official” study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.

5 Observe the Natural Learning Sequence.

Think of the activities you did when you were in nursery school. Using your whole arm, you probably performed the song that goes: “Put your right hand in, Put your right hand out.” Then, in kindergarten, using your hand, you might have been asked to draw lines or circles with crayons. Later, in first grade, now holding the pencil with your fingers, you drew smaller lines and circles to create letters. Believe it or not, this natural learning sequence, moving from large to small, coarse to fine, still remains effective even though we are now older. When you study, if you try first to grasp the big picture and then fill in the details, you often have a more likely chance of success.

6 Use Exaggeration.

Why does a baseball batter warm up by swinging two or three bats? Why do runners sometimes strap lead weights to their legs? In both cases, exaggeration during practice makes the final result seem easy. This concept can be applied to studying anything. For example, if you are studying spelling, exaggerate the sound of the letters to help to remember them. So for studying purposes, “naive” would be pronounced “NAY -IVY.” By getting used to this exaggerated pronunciation, the correct spelling seems obvious.

7 Prepare Your Study Environment.

If you require certain elements in your environment to help you study, try to always make these a priority. For example, do you need special lighting, silence, music, privacy, available snacks, etc.? Pay attention to what works for you and repeat it each time you study for best success.

8 Respect “Brain Fade.”

It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget things. This does not mean that you are stupid! Instead of getting mad about this fact, you should expect it and deal with it accordingly. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge. As you place more information on top, the lower levels become older and less available to your immediate recall. The trick here is simply to review. Since we can anticipate the eventual fading of our memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem. Once every two or three study sessions, simply review older material that you will be still needing to remember. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is required. “Brain fade” is completely normal. (Unless you are gifted with a photographic memory, which is extremely rare.)

9 Create a Study Routine.

Generally, if you schedule certain times of the day to study, you will get into a routine and accomplish more. If you just “fit it in” during your day, chances are that there will never be any time. An effective way to do this is to literally mark it down in your datebook calendar as if you have an appointment, like going to the doctor. For example: “Tuesday 3-4:30 P.M. — Study.”

10 Set Reasonable Goals.

One of the main reasons people do not reach their goals is because they set them too high. If you set goals that are manageable, even if they seem too simple, you get in the habit of accomplishing them and gradually you can set higher goals. Also, recognize the difference between long-term and short-term goals. Set your vision on the long-term dream, but your day-to-day activity should be focused exclusively on the short-term, enabling steps.

11 Avoid the Frustration Enemy.

Ironically, the quicker the person’s nervous system, the faster they learn. Yet, this fast nervous system also works overtime in being self-critical. So they are the ones who always think they aren’t going fast enough! In contrast, the “Type B,” less intense person who learns slower yet is more self-accepting, ends up ultimately learning the material in a shorter period of time. This is because he/she doesn’t waste energy blocking, getting upset, and thinking that they’re not good enough — they simply keep moving forward at a slower (but un-blocked) pace.

10 Tips for Getting Good (or Better) Grades

10 Tips for Getting Good (or Better) Grades


1. Attend All Your Classes
Now, you might think this was an obvious one. But I speak from experience when I say that many students skip classes for one reason or another. But if you want good grades, there are several reasons why you should attend all your classes:

* Absorb classroom material. Even if the professor follows the textbook pretty closely, sitting in the classroom and listening to the lectures/discussions will help you absorb the materials.
* Make presence known/participate. One of the benefits of going to college should be that you form a mentoring relationship with some of your professors, and that's not going to happen if you don't attend the classes. And often faculty have participation points (or bonus points), so beyond just attending, make an effort to be involved in the class discussions.
* Earn attendance points. Many professors have attendance policies, so you can have a direct impact on your grade simply by attending.

Don't forget to sit close to the front -- historically, those who do are usually the best students.

2. Master Your Professors
Every professor has a different personality and system for running his/her classes, so it makes sense as early in the semester as possible to learn what the professor wants. Here are some ways to master your professors:

* Understand course expectations. Most professors give out a class syllabus during the first week of classes -- and it is your responsibility to know deadlines and all the requirements for the course.
* Understand professors on personal level. Rather than viewing the professor as some figurehead at the front of the class who decides your fate in some abstract way, get to know your professor as a person. Visit him or her during office hours, or stay after class.
* Communicate with professors when you are struggling. Especially at larger colleges and universities, the professor won't know when you are struggling, so if you are having problems with the course work or the tests, schedule an appointment to meet with the professor and get the help you need.

3. Get/Stay Organized
You may have been one of the lucky few who has never needed a planner before, but college is all about multitasking, and you can easily get overwhelmed with due dates, team meetings, and other demands on your time. Here are some tips for getting organized:

* Use a planner or other organization system. I've had my day-planner for years and cannot go anywhere without it. Others are that same way with their personal digital assistants.
* Stay current with due dates/course calendars. It's not enough to have a system -- you have to use it! So once you have some sort of system, get in the habit of using it (and it will soon become second nature).
* Keep homework, tests, and class papers in central location. Don't just throw old homework assignments or tests in the back of your car or the floor of your dorm room. You'll need these for studying for future tests, for meeting with your professor to discuss them, and for figuring your grade in the class… so, keep all your class materials in a central location.

4. Use Time Wisely
Even if you do not procrastinate and are the most organized person in the world, time can be one of your biggest enemies in college. Here are some tips for using time wisely:

* Tackle harder work first. Yes, tackle the harder stuff first so that you are sure to have enough time to complete it. You'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment completing the work in this order.
* Take breaks as reward for work. Reward yourself for completing a major task by taking a break and chatting with a friend or watching some television. Not only are the breaks good motivation to help you complete something, you'll also be more refreshed to tackle the next bit of work after a break.
* Break larger projects into smaller, easy-to-accomplish pieces. If you have a massive term paper due at the end of the semester, break up the work into smaller chunks and assign deadlines to each part.
* Do not overextend yourself; learn to say no. Besides all your academic work, you will also be asked to get involved in all sorts of clubs and organizations while in college -- and at some point, you will have to learn to say no to some requests of your time.
* Work hard to play hard. One of my favorite students used to say that she worked hard so that she would have the time to play hard -- and that's a good balance. Just make sure you do the work FIRST.

5. Become "Noteworthy"
Another reason for attending class is recording the class notes. These notes are vital clues to what the professor thinks is the most important material for you to learn, so besides taking notes, learn how to better use them to your advantage. Here are some specifics:

* Be an active listener in class. Don't read the newspaper, gossips with friends, or text your roommate during class. Instead, listen attentively and actively -- and ask for clarification when you need it.
* Take good notes in class. Whether taking notes from scratch or following a professor's outline, the key for you will be to get the most important details down so that you can refer back to them when you need them.
* Rewrite or organize notes on your computer outside of class. This suggestion may sound a little extreme, but the writing-to-learn literature shows that you can increase your understanding and retention of material by rewriting it.

6. Use the Textbook
Professors assign textbooks for a reason -- and it's not to make you broke; it's to supplement the lectures and discussions from class. Do buy all the textbooks -- and follow these tips for using it:

* Read all assigned material. Sounds obvious, right? When a professor assigns a chapter, read the whole thing (unless told otherwise), including the opening vignettes, the case studies, and tables and exhibits.
* Know what's critical. At the same time, know what parts of the text are most critical. For example, in one of my classes, the vocabulary is most critical, and the textbook emphasizes the point by having all the terms and their definitions printed in the margins of every chapter.
* Use outlining system to help comprehend material. Reading and highlighting the material in the text is just the minimum. To get the most of what you're reading, you should also take notes and outline the material.

7. Follow Good Rules of Writing
Many classes require one or more writing assignments, from short responses to term papers, and you'll do better on these assignments if you follow these rules of good writing:

* Organize your thoughts before writing. Stream of consciousness works in a diary or journal (and may have worked in high school), but it's best to map out an outline before you start the actual writing.
* Understand requirements for paper. Every professor has a specific way he or she wants a paper organized, and it's best to know them before you start to write. Be sure to understand the reference system and all the mechanics of the paper (font, margins, cover sheet, footnotes, etc.).
* Write a draft (and get feedback when possible). Especially for larger papers, you'll have a higher quality paper (and a better grade) if you can show the professor a draft early enough before the deadline to make changes.
* Rewrite, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite. Learn that editing and rewriting are your friends. No one is a good enough writer to whip out the final draft in one sitting. The best writers go through a process.
* Proofread, proofread, proofread. Spellcheckers catch spelling errors, but not other problems, so learn the art of proofreading. Or better, have a buddy system with a friend in which you proofread each other's papers.

8. Study, Study, Study
Another obvious one here? Perhaps, but the rule is you should be spending at least three hours outside of class for every hour in it. And for some classes, you'll find you need a lot more time than that to master the material. So, here are some suggestions:

* Study early and often. Breaking your studying into shorter periods of time will make less of a chore -- and give your mind time to absorb the material before moving on.
* Develop and practice good study habits. Make it a habit and studying will become second nature to you.
* Know how you best study, learn material. Some people need complete silence to concentrate while others like a little noise. Find what works for you and stick with it.
* Study with friends to gain support, but… don't turn it into a social event. A study buddy can be a great tool, as long as you actually get some studying accomplished.
* Make sure work is done before socializing. Studying is critical to learning, which is critical to better grades -- so do the work before heading out to have fun.

9. Be a Good Test-Taker
Just about all college classes have exams, and sometimes the exams are the major portion of your final grade, so it's important to become a good test-taker. Here are some hints:

* Know what to expect on exams. Every professor has a style of test development, so obtain old copies or ask the professor directly. Know the types of questions that will be asked -- as well as the content that will be covered.
* Read questions carefully and plan answers. Take your time at the beginning of the test to read through all the instructions and make a plan of attack.
* Pace yourself so you have plenty of time to complete all parts. And know the point v alues of questions, so you can be sure to complete the most important ones first in case time does run out.
* Ask questions. If you don't understand something, or need clarification of the question, ask the professor. Don't wait to get the exam back and find you answered a question the wrong way.

10. Polish Those Verbal Communications Skills
Many classes include a presentation component, so use these tips to improve your verbal communications skills and maximize your grade:

* Practice speeches, presentations. The best speeches and presentations are the well-rehearsed ones, so complete your script or outline early enough to have time to practice the presentation (and to make sure it falls within the specified time limit).
* If using technology, always have a back-up. Technology is great, but sometimes it fails. If you have a PowerPoint presentation, make copies of it as a handout in case you need it.
* Know the presentation situation -- and plan accordingly. Every professor has a set of guidelines when grading presentations, and many classroom set-ups are different, so know the situation before going into the presentation.