Fact Of The Day

[BoyScoutKevin]

Fact: Minion. Definition of. 

Servant -- follower -- comrade -- companion -- favorite (sexual) -- type of cannon.

The last leads us to today's story. For when the water well at Jamestown, Virginia, went bad, it was bad news for them and good news for us, because it then became the Jamestown garbage dump. Which now gives us some insight into how the settlers at Jamestown lived, as we have found . . .

turtle shells -- oyster shells -- Native American pots -- trade beads -- mirror glass -- tobacco pipes -- medicinal jars -- military items, including parts from a mnion -- and a broken roof slate, which has writing on it.

Roof slates were often used for writing materials, instead of paper, because they could be erased and reused. And on this slate there was found North American floral and fauna; words, letters, and numbers; and drawings of people, including one man, who apparently lost his right hand.

They also found . . .

Chinese wine cups -- Venetian glassware -- German clay jugs -- Dutch wall tiles

which shows that international trade was not a recent phenomena.

As for my other remark about Marvel last time . . .

"Iron Man 3" will be out May 3, in the U.S., and it'll be playing in many theaters, as part of a movie marathon. "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "The Avengers," and then "Iron Man 3." With special ticket prices, and looking at previous movie marathons, the ticket prices will probably range between $20 and $40 per ticket. Still, that's not bad for 4 films, and some theaters are also throwing in a concession coupon at that price.

As for the start time . . .? I'm guessing 12:01 a.m. on May 3.

At least, with the world wide web, one can now purchase the tickets on-line, when they go on sale. No more camping out for days to be the first in line to get tickets. That's the good news.

The bad news . . . ? At one time, the U.S. would be one of the first countries to get a release of an American film. Now it is one of the last. The first country to get the film will be New Zealand, where it opens April 18. So, if one wants to be one of the first people in the world to see it, you'll need to fly to New Zealand.

Next time: "It took 77,000 Garamantes or one Texan . . ." and "Do we need another new music award? Probably not, but . . "

[Leah]

EA Games is the first company, in America, to win the Worst Company In America award two times in a row.

[Rev. Powell]

About 90% of all BBQ joints in America isn't real BBQ, it's cooked meat with sauce from the jar smothered.

You Carolinians are all the same...

I'm from New Orleans.

cooked meat with sauce from the jar smothered.

Sounds like BBQ to me.

REAL BBQ is actually slow roasted with sugar and spices caramelized into the meat.

No Misfit - you're thinking of "barbecue." "BBQ" is meat smothered in sauce from a jar. (Wish I could find Joe Bob Briggs' column about the difference between barbecue and BBQ online, but I can't. I believe BBQ has to be served on a sloppy Joe bun and only two choices of sides are allowed---potato salad or pinto beans. And I think it has to be served by a lady wearing a hairnet to be genuine BBQ).

Just to clarify, I was right?  It doesn't happen very often so I want to double check.

I've got no idea, I lost track. 

Bottom line: "real" barbecue is barbecue done in the style of whatever state you come from.

[Jack]

A lot of boxes have these little locking tabs on the ends, so that when you pull some foil out, the whole roll doesn't fall out of the box.

[ER]

An average of one-hundred tornadoes a year strike the state of Texas; more than anyplace else on earth.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Fact: The Garamantes, a people in the southwestern corner of modern Libya, ruled that part of Africa for almost 900 years. And they were able to do that, because of an extensive underground irrigation system, they were able to build.
But . . .

They were not only water engineers and farmers, they were also were known--well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans--weavers, metallurgists, and importers/exporters.

They imported . . .

metal ores -- olive oil -- olives -- slaves -- and wines.

And they exported . . .

barley -- figs -- grapes -- metal products -- pearl millet -- pulses -- slaves -- sorghum -- textiles -- and wheat.

Their rule came to an end in the 7th century A.D. for two main reasons. One external and one internal.  The external reason was the collapse of the Roman empire along the Libyan coast disrupted the trade routes upon which they were dependent. The internal reason was that they just ran out of water eventually.

As for the other . . .

The Aussie, the Limey, and the Texan. Cody Simpson, Ellie Golding, and Austin Malone are scheduled to perform and/or hand out awards at the 1st RDMA. (RDMA stands for Radio Disney Music Awards.) And they are to be joined by Selena Gomez, Bridget Mendler, and Coco Jones. And if you don't know who any of these are, just ask your children, if you do have children. While public voting is over for this year, the show is to be held live at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA on April 27. And to be broadcast on Radio Disney, and for all  I know, one or more of the networks owned by the Walt Disney Company.

Next time: "Take one cucumber" and an continuation.

[ulthar]

In the Carolinas, "real" barbecue is pulled pork fried in vinegar.
They have a pretty fierce attitude about it around here.

Hmmm...I've lived in one or the other Carolina for nearly 40 years, and I cannot say I've ever had pulled pork fried in vinegar.

We did used to slow cook whole hogs (split in two down the middle) over oak coals over 24 hours and sell it as "barbecue" twice a year as a fund raiser.  The pork was pulled and sold, not fried or any other 'treatment' after pulling.

Most eastern NC restaurants advertise slow cooking over hardwood, not frying.

I know that the vinegar based sauces are popular, but I've never heard of anyone frying the pork itself in vinegar.

[Rev. Powell]

According to the Public Policy Polling Foundation, 5% of Americans who believe Obama is the Antichrist nevertheless voted for him in the last election.

[ER]

The soreness associated with exercise is largely caused by the dissipation of lactic acid from the muscles.

[ER]

Ohio University sued the Ohio State University and won the rights to the word "Ohio". High-five to the underdog from Athens for taking down the biggest bully on the block.

[Bushma]

Because nightmare material should be shared...

reptile reflexes remain deadly after death. In fact, they can still bite and deliver a killing dose of venom up to an hour after being decapitated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SAQPZaFH3QY

[Leah]

There exists a plant named "horny goat weed". Consuming its leaves would work as an aphrodisiac for both men and women.

[Rev. Powell]

There exists a plant named "horny goat weed".

That is a fact.

Consuming its leaves would work as an aphrodisiac for both men and women.

That is an advertising claim.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Fact: Before mankind walked the earth, the following could be found.

(a) "Sea monsters" with teeth the size of cucumbers and a skull the size of a minicompact.

(b) Snakes longer than a city bus.

(c) Birds that used their wings like nunchucks and their heads like hatchets.

(d) And crocs that were vegetarians, since they ate nothing but plants.

Of course, they have since all died out.

As for the other . . .

We'll talk about the radio station, then about the listeners.

Like any good business, they saw a need and they fulfilled it. They saw a need for a radio network that catered to teens and pre-teens, and they have been remarkablely successful in filling that niche, since they began 17 years ago.
So, if one has a singer, a record, a band, or an album one wants to promote, one tries to place 'em on this network. Maybe because they broadcast not only in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Europe, Australia, and Asia. And they also have a Latin America division, which can be heard over much of the areaa south of Mexico.  Before they moved to California, they actually got their start here in the area  in which I live.

Next time: "The Great 8" and a conclusion.

[ER]

Steve Irwin said parrots made him nervous. Not pythons, not cobras, not sharks or scorpions or a twenty-foot croc called Aggro....parrots.