|
Post by bixaorellana on May 10, 2014 1:38:33 GMT
I actually know a little bit about that ~~ the tumbleweed seeds hitchhiked in on shipments of wheat from Russia.
That reminds me of another bit of knowledge. I'm reminded of it because it was told to me by a girl from Odessa, Texas (Russia > Odessa > memory trigger). I was told this in the very early 70s, so don't know if it's still true: the reason Europe eats more veal than the US is because of terrain. There is more land for grazing & feedlots in the US, so more cost-effective to let the animals grow up before slaughtering them. But in Italy, for instance, the mountainous terrain (+ it's a much smaller country) means it makes more sense to turn cow babies into meat rather than feeding them to adulthood.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 10, 2014 2:06:37 GMT
I've heard that too, Bixa.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on May 10, 2014 3:28:02 GMT
It does sound logical, doesn't it? Too bad they can't get cows to eat tumbleweeds.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on May 16, 2014 4:33:04 GMT
Today I broke my favorite cup, which was filled with iced tea, while I was on one of the local college campuses. Seriously needing some caffeine, and a way to keep my coughing to a minimum, I went to a vending area to purchase a soda. I suppose I don't get out much, and while I had heard of machines where you only need wave your credit card in front to make a purchase, I had never had the opportunity to use one. Even though I had the cash, when it saw the chance to try something new I pulled out my card with the wifi signal on the front and gave it a wave. Really cool! This was the most exciting thing that happened to me today. The rest of the day was fairly cruddy.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2014 5:18:25 GMT
I haven't tried it yet. In France you can purchase things up to a value of 20€ with a contactless card.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on May 16, 2014 5:52:27 GMT
wifi signal on the card? contactless card?
Illuminate the girl in the less technologically advanced country, please.
(& the pop machine purchase does sound cool!)
|
|
|
Post by patricklondon on May 16, 2014 6:39:22 GMT
They use a little embedded chip in the card, just like the ones already in the electronic cards for public transport tickets. Which means that in London you now hear regular announcements to keep the two separate when you're near the ticket-checking terminal, otherwise it'll charge the full fare to your credit card - one more reason why I don't want one. My blog | My photos | My video clips"too literate to be spam"
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2014 11:41:47 GMT
wifi signal on the card? contactless card? Yes, there is a little wifi symbol on the new bank cards to let you know that you are equipped for the future. Which means that in London you now hear regular announcements to keep the two separate when you're near the ticket-checking terminal, otherwise it'll charge the full fare to your credit card - one more reason why I don't want one. I completely agree, not to mention the fact that I can't imagine people having become so lazy that it is an ordeal for them to enter a 4-digit PIN. Once my rental car was upgraded to one with an electronic key card which of course also unlocked the doors. I could always hear the doors unlocking whenever I got near the car even if I didn't want to unlock it, but I never heard them lock again when I walked away! So I never knew if the car was locked or unlocked.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on May 16, 2014 11:49:00 GMT
I've had this type of a card for at least two years, but hadn't realized the technology until either reading it here (Kerouac?) or someplace else on the Internet. As everyone knows, the U.S. Is behind Europe when it comes to chip and pin, so I'm surprised my card even came with this particular capability.
|
|
|
Post by questa on May 19, 2014 9:23:44 GMT
I have been waving my card for groceries, petrol and anything under $100 for a couple of years now. Very useful when your hands are full of the usual last minute purchases.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 11:21:22 GMT
The United States represent 5% of the population of the world but more than 40% of private handgun ownership.
|
|
|
Post by questa on May 25, 2014 12:44:01 GMT
Re private handgun ownership stats.
They are using the latter to reduce the former.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2014 17:18:50 GMT
Apparently France has the highest percentage in the world of interethnic/interracial/interreligious marriages -- about 20%. Then again, fewer and fewer people are bothering to get married and one can assume that some of them don't "dare" to get married because of their families.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 2, 2014 18:54:41 GMT
Our local art museum is offering a seven day "art lovers" tour of Paris, which sounds quite lovely. Curators from the museum act as guides and the group is capped at 16 people. All breakfasts, and several lunches and dinners at notable restaurants are included, as well as lodging at Le Meurice. Basically everything is covered in the price, including entrance into several museums, and visits to art collections in private homes, a trip to Auvers and all ground transportation in a private bus. The only things not covered are extra alcoholic beverages, personal incidentals, and airfare. The cost for a single, including a single supplement? $10,000 USD.
Knowing this makes me appreciate my travels even more.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Aug 2, 2014 20:14:07 GMT
The only things not covered are extra alcoholic beverages, personal incidentals, and airfare. The cost for a single, including a single supplement? $10,000 USD. Knowing this makes me appreciate my travels even more. Holy cow. $10,000 and no plane tickets, no alcohol and no "personal incidentals" (hate to imagine how broadly that would be interpreted) included? That's quite insane.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 2, 2014 20:21:04 GMT
Not to mention the wardrobe and designer luggage you'd need to travel with the group. It's geared for wealthy lovers of art who would enjoy all the benefits of luxury travel with someone else making the arrangements, obviously. The museum had a trip planned for spring of 2014 (Amsterdam/Belgium) but they didn't quite get enough people to commit Incidentals not covered were phone calls and toiletries that might be charged to the hotel room, plus trip insurance.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 22:00:01 GMT
I'm sure the tips are not included either. On top of that, I wanted to take pictures of the mosaics on the sidewalk of the Meurice the other day, but there were so many doormen standing there that I was intimidated.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 2, 2014 22:10:10 GMT
Actually, tips are included.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 22:23:42 GMT
But those people will tip on top of the "tips", since of course the only reason they say that tips are included is because service is included in France and tipping does not officially exist.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 2, 2014 22:33:02 GMT
True!!!! I actually have a good friend who is considering this trip. I don't wish to be disloyal to her, but I know she would really enjoy this type of thing and, I assume, it is something she can afford.
But something like this is not for me, I also know that to be true. I would not like any of it, from the hotel choice, down to the "spending time together constantly as a group." I am aware of the group leaders by reputation, and they are highly qualified experts in the art world. So, for a certain person, perhaps even someone who is getting up in age, but who can afford to travel this way, it would be an excellent trip. Just not my cup of tea. Plus, I am extremely picky about who I spend time with, and am not the easiest person with whom to travel.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 22:54:17 GMT
I certainly understand that. The trip could be perfectly organised with totally fantastic guides (at that price, I could certainly hope so), but I very much doubt that I could ever get along with the sort of people who would book such a trip.
For certain destinations, I wouldn't care about the "group" if it was a super difficult place to go like Timbuktu, Kabul or even Tibet. In a case like that, the other members of the group would be an anthropological test group for me, just as interesting to observe as the destination.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 18:56:46 GMT
Chimpanzees prefer Indian classical music and the tunes of West Africa. They hate modern drumbeats in Western music.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 19:11:54 GMT
In today's paper, I read that hundreds of people in the United States call 911 when Facebook is down for more than 10 minutes.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 21:14:17 GMT
In today's paper, I read that hundreds of people in the United States call 911 when Facebook is down for more than 10 minutes. All the more reason why my husband retired from EMS when he did. I can't imagine what it would be like now but your post is a good indication. That was always his biggest gripe, non emergent, inane calls that they had to respond to and the all the paper work that ensued. I heard from more than one of his former colleagues, imitations of him on a scene and how he would say: "WHY DID YOU CALL AN AMBULANCE???" It became a kind of in house joke , now legend, but, was (is) responsible for the high burn out rate of emergency responders.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 21:15:39 GMT
Female hyenas have a penis.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 4, 2014 21:37:35 GMT
Dare we ask where you picked up that little tidbit of knowledge?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 22:19:33 GMT
I heard it on a radio show called "Front and Center" on NPR while dodging thunderstorms all day. I'm usually not at home at this time but was today.
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Aug 5, 2014 14:41:49 GMT
I trust for the males sake that it is just a titbit. Dare one call it a clitoris?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 15:10:08 GMT
, you crack me up Mossie. Actually, they do refer to it as a penis and the female hyenas are Alpha because of this anomaly.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Aug 5, 2014 15:12:20 GMT
This conversation can only go down hill.
|
|