I love the look of the Ford Falcons; they have that old school look with some serious power beneath the hood. They offered this in a couple of different version, including the convertible and also a station wagon.
1964 Ford Falcon
Saturday, March 30, 2013
#12 No margarine
In the state of Wisconsin, it’s illegal to serve butter substitutes in state prisons. It’s actually healthier to have butter anyway, so our guess is the state legislators are watching out for their inmates?
#11 DUI down
If you desperately must have personalized license plates, then don’t get slapped with a DUI in New Jersey… or just don’t drink and drive OR live in the state of New Jersey. The law there states that once you have been convicted of drunk driving, you may never again have personalized plates!
#10 Take down the trimmings
Unfortunately, Maine as a state does not tolerate Christmas lights and wreaths past January 14th. It is illegal in Maine to have your Christmas decorations up past that date!
#9 Bingo time
In North Carolina, grandma isn’t allowed to play bingo for more than five hours. No marathon in this state!
#8 Watch out!
We’re not sure what kind of murderer would have the foresight to wear a bulletproof vest while committing his or her crime, but in the state of New Jersey, it’s actually illegal to wear one when committing murder!
#7 Party of…
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Maybe that’s because you’re not allowed to buy drinks for more than three people at a time. Yes, it’s true — that’s an actual Nevada law!
#6 Three little bears
In Alaska, hunting is a regular thing. Shooting bears is a regular thing. And it’s totally ok for you to wake a bear up by shooting it (if you sorta miss). However, it’s illegal in Alaska to wake a sleeping bear merely to take a picture of or with it!
#5 No German fare
Beer and pretzels… that sure sounds like our kind of sports bar game night appetizer! Too bad we’ll never visit North Dakota for this reason. It’s illegal there for a restaurant to serve both pretzels and beer at the same time!
#4 Arcade age
Do you think there’s too much violence in video games for kids under the age of 18? Are you concerned that arcades are a bad influence? Well, there’s a place for you — South Carolina deems it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to play a pinball machine.
#3 No bear hug
In the state of Missouri, it is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear. We’re assuming that this means it’s ok to transport bears from zoo to zoo as long as they’re in cages, but there’s no random cab hopping for your friendly backyard guest!
#2 Heavy hearts
In the state of Idaho, it’s illegal for a man to give his love a box of candy weighing more than 50 pounds. So we guess there’s no chance our lover in Idaho’s gonna be sending us that fantasy jumbo Toblerone gift basket.
#1 Drunk fish
In the state of Ohio, it’s illegal to get a fish drunk. We’re not sure why you would want to in the first place, but there it is!
12 of the weirdest and most useless laws in America!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Ever since the first caveman figured out that wood floats, the sea has been a part of human history. From hollowed out logs to Roman Triremes, and from ships driven by the wind to the nuclear powered super carriers of today, man has had an impenetrable bond with ships. In fact, until the age of steam, they were mankind’s only practical means of moving goods around the world, making them an indispensable part of the civilization process. They have also been an important part of war as well, with improvements in warship design driving almost every innovation in maritime history, from steam power to construction techniques. As such, ships continue to fascinate us, both for their power and mystique, and they probably always will.
#5. HMS Victory
No single ship serves as a better symbol for the power that was the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century than does Lord Nelson’s venerable and, indeed, almost legendary, flagship. One of the largest wooden warships ever built, the ship not only saw considerable action in the last decades of the eighteenth century fighting both the French and Spanish fleets, but she became the stuff of legends at the pivotal battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where Nelson was to be mortally wounded but not before besting the combined French and Spanish fleet and effectively saving England from a sea-borne invasion. Originally slated to be broken up shortly after the Napoleonic Wars ended, she was saved, the story goes, by the wife of the First Sea Lord, who, upon learning that the vessel that had served so long and gallantly was to be delegated to the wrecker’s yard, broke into tears and demanded that he rescind the order. Being no fool—and perhaps in a well-advised effort at maintaining marital bliss—the man did exactly that and the ship served for the next century as a pier-side training school. Heavily restored in 1922 by the British government, she now serves as a museum in Portsmouth, England, making her one of the oldest ships still afloat in the world. Via: toptenz.net
#4. Battleship U.S.S. Maine
Some ships become famous not for what they did, but for what they represented. In this case, the battleship Maine (a tiny thing compared to the later behemoths that were to carry the title of battleship) became a rallying point for a nation intent on war. Anchored in the shallow waters of Havana harbor late on the evening of February 15, 1898, the ship was torn in two by a mysterious explosion and sank in a matter of minutes, killing all but 89 of her 355-man crew. Though the cause of the explosion was never determined (some historians and naval engineers believe it may have been an accidental detonation of her magazines by a coal bin fire), it was immediately suspected to have been an intentional act of sabotage—probably by a pre-placed mine—sending the country into a war frenzy that would, in the next few months, propel the United States into a short and spectacularly successful war with Spain. While Spanish complicity in the incident has never been proven (and would have been counter-productive to the Spanish in any case), the battle cry “Remember the Maine” would remain a popular and long-remembered one for many decades afterwards. As for the ship itself, in 1911 what was left of her was raised from the mud of Havana Harbor where she had become a hazard to navigation, towed out to the open sea, and scuttled with full military honors—a fitting end to a ship that did so little but caused so much trouble. Via: toptenz.net
#3. German Battleship Bismarck
Perhaps no ship struck as much fear into the heart of the British Navy in the spring of 1941 than the massive German dreadnought Bismarck which, at 823 feet and with a top speed of 30 knots, was the largest and fastest warship then afloat. Breaking out of her Baltic haven in late May, 1941 intend on decimating the ragged and besieged British merchant fleet keeping the British Isles afloat, the ship became the subject of the largest naval hunt in Royal Navy history and one that was to cost the British dearly. Engaged by the British battle cruiser HMS Hood and new battleship HMS Prince of Wales off Iceland in the early morning hours of May 24, after a brief but vicious battle the Hood exploded and sank, taking down all but three of her 1,418-man crew, and left the Prince of Wales damaged and limping for home. Damaged herself a day later by British aerial torpedoes, the wounded battleship made a run for the French coast for repairs, only to be chased down by a pair of British battleships, the Rodney and King George V, whose combined firepower finally managed to send Hitler’s proud but battered warship to the bottom—along with all but 200 of her 2,200-man crew—after a two-hour barrage. There the infamous warship remained undisturbed until it was located by Robert Ballard (the same man who had found the Titanic three years earlier) in 1989 and carefully examined. Even then the venerable ship had a story to tell, for it appeared that despite the heavy damage it endured during its final battle, it was still largely intact, suggesting that she had been scuttled rather than sunk by the British after all, giving her, even in death, the last laugh. Via: toptenz.net
#2. Battleship U.S.S. Arizona
Few ships illicit the sort of emotion among American veterans as does the name Arizona. A World War One era battle wagon with an undistinguished career, her active life in World War Two lasted a mere fifteen minutes before she was sunk by a well-aimed Japanese bomb that ignited her forward magazine and tore her in two during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. The “unlucky shot”—a one-in-million hole in one—killed 1,177 men out of her crew of 1,400—including her captain and an admiral—and left her a blazing wreck that was to burn for days.* Too badly damaged to be salvageable (she was one of only three ships sunk during the attack that was never repaired) the ship remains there to this day as a war memorial, where she is visited by literally millions of people every year. Considering how famous the ship is today, it is interesting that few Americans knew about the Arizona’s fiery fate until years later due to wartime censorship, and that she lay largely forgotten in the shallow waters of Battleship Row for decades after the attack. It wasn’t until the 1960s that she became a symbol of American resolve and sacrifice and acquired the mystique—along with a simple but powerful memorial that straddles her remains—that she enjoys today. Via: toptenz.net
#1. British Luxury Liner RMS Titanic
Easily the most famous ship in history, this luxury liner was designed to showcase mankind’s technological brilliance but instead only illustrated his hubris. The largest and fastest passenger ship of its time, the British White Star liner left England on April 10, 1912 on its maiden voyage to New York, only to strike an iceberg five days later and sink. While most would imagine two hours would be plenty of time to evacuate the nearly 2,300 souls onboard, the ship had only half the lifeboats needed, dooming some 1,500 passengers and crew to a watery grave in the middle of the icy North Atlantic. The sinking sent shockwaves through the maritime community, resulting in wholesale changes in regulations mandating the number of life boats every vessel was required to carry and making other much needed safety improvements. Eventually the ship’s name became synonymous with avarice, indifference, and class privilege (most of the lost having been passengers from steerage) and holds a mystique that, if anything, has only grown over time. The ship was rediscovered three miles below the surface of the North Atlantic in 1985, and has since then become the inspiration for a multitude of documentaries as well as the backdrop to the most successful movie of 1999. It could truly be said that with the Titanic, humanity learned a hard lesson that continues to pay dividends to this day.
Other Famous Ships in History: Battleship Potemkin (Russian warship famous for firing the first shots of the Russian Revolution in 1905); HMS Bounty (British frigate famous for its mutiny); HMS Endeavor (Captain Cook’s ship used to explore the Pacific Ocean); Mayflower (the ship that delivered the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620); U.S.S. Enterprise (the most decorated warship of World War Two); RMS Lusitania (her sinking in 1916 was the catalyst for America’s entry into World War One); Japanese Battleship Yamato (largest battleship ever built); and the English Galleon Golden Hind (the ship used by Sir Francis Drake to make the first complete circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580.)
*It may be of interest to the reader to note that the author’s wife’s uncle, Hansel Grant Nicholson, was among those who died onboard the Arizona on December 7th, 1941.
Jeff Danelek is a Denver, Colorado author who writes on many subjects having to do with history, politics, the paranormal, spirituality and religion. To see more of his stuff, visit his website at www.ourcuriousworld.com.
Via: toptenz.net
5 Most Famous Ships in History
#15 Kat Von D: Tattoo and Lifestyle Artist
Kat Von D is one of the most sought after tattoo artists in the world ..tattoos are her life and she helped to put the popularity of ink on the international map!
#14 Katzen the Tiger Lady and The Enigma
These two were a married couple and performance artists fronting the music band, “The Human Marvels”. Although she is of a feline design and The Enigma -is puzzle pieces, don’t they make a well coordinated duo?! Via:
#13 The Lizard Man
Can you imagine having a date with Lizard Man?! Prepare for a ‘Freak Show’, as Lizard Man claims, “I am a professional freak. I perform sideshows acts, stand up comedy, & front a band.” Via:
#12 Lucky Diamond Rich
The Australian performance artist, street performer, and international arts festival performer holds the Guinness World Record as of 2006 for being 100% tattooed! Can you imagine ..a 100%?! Via:
#11 Julia Gnuse aka ‘Illustrated Lady’
When a skin disease threatened to make her a mass of scars, this pretty woman decided to change herself first! Gnuse holds the Guiness World Record as the most tattooed woman with 95% of her body covered in ink! Via:
#10 Former Tattoo Record Holder
Tom Leppard of England held the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most tattooed man before 2006. As his name implies his body is covered with leopard-like coloured patterns ..Wow! Via:
#9 Polynesian Tribal Tattoos
This Māori native wears traditional tribal tattoos of Aotearoa (New Zealand). In Polynesia, tattoos tell a story representing family and personal heritage. Via:
#8 Full-body Tribal Tattoo
Historically tribal cultures suppressed tattoo practices, due to colonization and Christianity. In the last decades though, we’ve seen a resurgence of old school and new tribal tat designs. This one is worn by a woman! Via:
#7 The Koi and the Wearer
Asian legend has it that the Koi symbolizes courage, success, perseverance and good fortune, amongst other things! We can all use a bit of luck and this Koi tat is especially gorgeous! Via:
#6 Isobel Varley: A Record Holder
She was recognized as the most tattooed senior in 2000 by the Guinness Book of World Records! Since then she’s gone on to tattoo her entire scalp.. but not that beautiful face.. yet! Via:
#5 A Russian Subculture
Russian Criminal Tattoos are politically and religiously charged and tell of a hidden countercultural of Russian life.. think of film, ‘Eastern Promises’! ..remember actor, Viggo Mortensen’s role?! Via:
#4 Japanese Bodysuit Tattoo
Bodysuit tattoos spread over the whole body. Irezumi is a traditional Japanese tattoo art that practices “bodysuits”, especially worn by the Yakuza gang and mafia members. Via:
#3 The Bodysuit adapted
Full-body tattoos caught on in the west after several centuries seen in tribal cultures. This was due to the painful and primitive tattooing techniques. Today modern machinery has brought the art of tattooing to the masses! Via:
#2 Maria Hose Cristerna: Vampire Woman
She’s a pseudo hybrid human who was once a lawyer! She’s tattooed almost 100% of her body, had titanium “horns” implanted into her skull and dental implants that give her “fangs”.. Incredible! Via:
#1 Rick Genest: Zombie Boy
The Canadian artist not only works various sideshows, he’s also a fashion model that’s been a muse for designers like Thierry Mugler. He’s got talent for making fashion runway shows and editorial adverts exciting! Via:
A Tattoo Canvas
Jacques Fournier, who has designed some of the unique timepieces featured in ‘Only Watch’ Auction in Monaco, and more recently an achievement of excellence with the pentagonal shaped five timezone collection for Jacob & Co, has now manufactured his own exclusive avant-garde luxury sports watches with ‘Wryst Airborne.’ The collection features a real redefinition of sport timepieces with an unusual looking bold design and vibrant colors perfect for the Spring and year-round. The luxury sports watches are durable and sophisticated for every day wear.
Wryst Sports Watch
The brand has also introduced for the first time a DLC coating (Diamond-Like Carbon), as tough as diamond and used for aerospace & Formula 1 racecars engine parts, and a growing in popularity ‘K1′ crystal stronger than sapphire all together for an incredibly resistant timekeeper.
WRYST Timepieces
Equipped with a brand new gold plated 5 jewels Swiss quartz movement, you will wear the first chronograph with sub dials at 12h, 6h and 9h in the world.
Perfect for adrenaline addicts; Water-skiing, kite surfing, rock climbing, snowboarding or skydiving… this watch will never wear out and withstand the toughest situations and the most hostile natural environment thrown at you.
Wryst Watches
The FW3 green, FW4 yellow and FW5 orange are strictly available in limited edition of 75 pieces. But, if you prefer more casual color combinations, you can choose the Airborne FW6 with white dial and brushed stainless steel case (not in limited edition).
Sponsored by Wryst Timepieces
Wryst Timepieces offers Extreme and Motor Sports Luxury Watches
#15 Sexual pursuit area
The male brain has a sexual pursuit area that is 2.5 times larger than in the female brain. This only makes us wonder what that extra size comes at the expense of?
#14 Frontal lobe
Humans do not have the largest brain of any animal, but we do have the largest frontal lobe. Many scientists think this the frontal lobe (red in image below) is the best indicator of intelligence for this reason.[Via:]
#13 Anomia
There is a term for when a word is “on the tip of your tongue,” but you can’t quite remember it. It is called anomia. Which sounds like a disease, so you might be able to net unexpected pity points if you break this one out with your friends![Via:]
#12 Chemical reactions
There are more than 100,000 chemical reactions occurring within the brain every second. Wow, it’s no wonder scientists have such a hard time figuring out what exactly is going on in there![Via:]
#11 Light bulbs
While awake, a human brain can generate enough energy to power a light bulb (between 10-23 watts). Hence that old cartoon stereotype of a light bulb turning on whenever someone gets an idea.[Via:]
#10 Fattest organ
The human brain is the fattest organ in the body, consisting of at least 60% fat. That it’s fatter than the stomach- the thing that stores and processes fats in the body- really says something about how important it is![Via:]
#9 Brain pain
When you have headaches, it’s not your brain that’s hurting- you brain has no pain receptors itself. It simply emulates the pain being felt in other parts of the body with it’s mirror neurons.[Via:]
#8 Black and white dreams
About 12% of people dream in black and white. We have to wonder if all of their dreams are like old movies?[Via:]
#7 Overnight
Humans grow faster at night because the brain’s pituitary gland, releases a growth hormone at night while a person sleeps. This being the case, it the phrase “it happened overnight,” actually has some validity![Via:]
#6 268 mph
Information travels to and is processed by the brain at speeds up to 268 mph. Speeds may vary because of the different shapes of neurons within the body.[Via:]
#5 Smell
The sense of smell connects to the part of the brain that also controls emotions and memories. This is why smells often evoke strong memories.[Via:]
#4 Tickling
Ever wondered why it doesn’t have the same effect when you tickle yourself? Brain scientists have identified the cerebellum as the part of the brain that prevents us from tickling ourselves.[Via:]
#3 Stress
Long-term exposure to stress kills brain cells with hormones that are meant to be active only for a short period of time in emergencies. Always be sure to balance out your work with some break time![Via:]
#2 Ivan Turgenev
The heaviest known normal human brain belonged to the Russian Writer Ivan Turgenev, weighing in at 4.43 pounds. This is more than a pound heavier than the average male brain![Via:]
#1 Toddlers
Humans have more brain cells at the age of two than at any other time of their lives. What happens then, is the brain kills off the cells it deems unnecessary for the future. When people are telling you that the first couple years of a kid’s life are their most important, they aren’t really lying! [Via:]
Brainy Facts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
