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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 23, 2019 19:47:11 GMT
The Great Barrier Reef is the size of Germany.
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Post by whatagain on Nov 24, 2019 9:43:05 GMT
Jeez.
I learned some days ago but was too lazy to search the thread that 300 000 Belgians are on the list of prohibited people for casinos. It is 3 pc of the population ! Most of these people asked themselves to be put on such lists. I only know of one guy who was addicted. It cost his wife a house and it cost the guy his marriage and family.
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 25, 2019 22:05:15 GMT
96,000 Chinese fought in WWI.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 26, 2019 7:03:31 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 26, 2019 15:12:13 GMT
That was very interesting. Thanks for the link. I found that out from an excellent programme yesterday evening, Railways of the Somme.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 26, 2019 16:54:31 GMT
That is a very interesting video from DW, huckle. How ironic that it is German media that tell us about this.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 27, 2019 12:18:59 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 27, 2019 12:54:59 GMT
Dogs don't have a prayer then.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 30, 2019 15:05:58 GMT
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Post by questa on Dec 1, 2019 23:33:19 GMT
I still get a quiet amusement in hardware shops watching the well dressed and coiffed ladies asking for male and female connections. Most times they need the help of a salesman who delights in explaining "The female end goes here, then the male end just plugs in here" Such porny names!
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Post by whatagain on Dec 2, 2019 7:04:29 GMT
Yes questa. Even more so when you know that it is the pin that goes in and you know what ´ pine means in french slang.
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 6, 2019 11:21:42 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 10, 2019 8:53:23 GMT
Today I came across a new way to solve quadratic equations. New, but actually quite old and seems to have been forgotten and/or just not followed through to form a method. It may mean little to most but after raising three kids who at one time or another needed help with their maths homework and when doing these, I came to the thought there must be a better way and that I was doing it wrong. It turns out I wasn't doing it wrong as the way I was doing it was the modern way. The point was to get to the answer you had to "guess" what it was and then check to see if it worked. Multiple guesses and multiple wrong answers became wearisome until you eventually hit on the right one - plus, when you have little feeling or visualisation for numbers, as my kids do, getting close to the right guess quickly was too difficult and we had to resort to a long drawn out process of going through all the permutations. "Guessing" in maths is a rare beast, especially at this level, so I was often perplexed as to why this was the method. In essence, with simple quadratic equations, you have two numbers in the equation. To solve it, two other numbers have to be multiplied to equal one of the numbers and the same numbers you are multiplying have to be added to equal the other one. e.g. In an equation you have the numbers 12 and 8. Guessing the answer is 4 and 3, they multiply to make 12 but added don't equal 8. 12 and 1 don't either. You can add 5 and 3 to make 8, but multiplied don't equal 12. See the problem? Eventually, even in this simple example, you can go through a few permutations before you hit on 6 and 2 as the answer. It's ok when you have a feel for numbers and can guess the answer quite quickly, but when you haven't, as most people don't..... Imagine what it is like when the numbers become more complex. Too late for me now, but I'm pleased a proper mathematical solution and method has been re-discovered that deals in certainties and not guesses. www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a30152083/solve-quadratic-equations/
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Post by questa on Dec 11, 2019 11:42:07 GMT
"WHA! Mummy, he's talking numbers at me again!" "Stop that at once, Freddy! You know I won't have that in this house." " 7, 14, 28..." "Freddy, Go to your room."
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 11, 2019 15:17:58 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 11, 2019 16:16:26 GMT
Besides, isn't that what we have the internet for? Cat videos and online calculators?
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 11, 2019 16:19:09 GMT
I already knew this but was reminded today. The #3 condiment in the world after salt and pepper is mustard.
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Post by questa on Dec 12, 2019 8:22:25 GMT
I read, years ago, that one of the mustard 'giants' (Keen, Coleman et al ) was hosting a dinner. One of the guests joked,"come on, we all have to have some mustard with our meat, it is how our host made his fortune." The great man said,"Actually I didn't make my fortune by what people ate, I made it by all the spoonfuls of mustard they didn't eat but left on the side of their dinner plates."
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 14, 2019 22:22:57 GMT
Greta Thunberg's mother represented Sweden at the Eurovision song contest in 2009.
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Post by patricklondon on Dec 25, 2019 11:06:55 GMT
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Post by bjd on Dec 25, 2019 20:21:33 GMT
Mogg looks like a joke out of a PG Wodehouse novel. He probably looked like that when he was 8 years old and will look the same at 68.
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Post by whatagain on Dec 26, 2019 23:41:55 GMT
I learnt what a Bixa orellana is. I saw some today. Actually they were marked on the map of a garden we were visiting but unknowing to what they were I am not sure I really paid that much attention. However struck by the name I Wikipedia'd it tonight.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 27, 2019 2:13:33 GMT
Does it suit me, or what?!
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Post by whatagain on Dec 27, 2019 14:19:07 GMT
Having had the pleasure of meeting both I much prefer you in the flesh 😀
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 27, 2019 16:49:42 GMT
Are you somewhere in the tropics, Whatagain?
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Post by whatagain on Dec 27, 2019 21:35:00 GMT
Martinique. Having a great time with most of the family. Feet hurt though. We walked 3 hours yesterday and about 5 today. Never on flat land. Just great. Now swimmers by pool time.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 27, 2019 21:49:33 GMT
I bought some colombo curry powder (French and francophone islands). I don't feel like looking for the tag, but am pretty much certain that it contains mustard.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 28, 2019 3:06:28 GMT
Sounds like a dream vacation, Whatagain, even if your tootsies hurt.
Why do you think the curry powder has mustard, LaGatta?
Here is my thing that I learned today: The Canary Islands are not named for the bird, but the bird is named for the islands. The name comes from the Latin & is in reference to the supposition that Gran Canaria was overrun by huge dogs in antiquity.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 28, 2019 4:38:38 GMT
The Ducros spice company (now owned by McCormick) says that its colombo powder contains "turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cloves, cumin, pepper, mustard seeds."
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Post by Kimby on Dec 28, 2019 14:52:59 GMT
Here is my thing that I learned today: The Canary Islands are not named for the bird, but the bird is named for the islands. The name comes from the Latin & is in reference to the supposition that Gran Canaria was overrun by huge dogs in antiquity. Good one, bixa.
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