Did you know?

[Calliope]

that today is national poincettia day in America. It is the anniversary of the death of J.R.Poincett the first American ambassador to Mexico, He brought the plant back to the US in 1828.

Poincettia is the floral emblem of Brisbane. It provides a brilliant splash of colour in Brisbane gardens during the winter months.

 

[Doris]

that today is national poincettia day in America. It is the anniversary of the death of J.R.Poincett the first American ambassador to Mexico, He brought the plant back to the US in 1828.

Poincettia is the floral emblem of Brisbane. It provides a brilliant splash of colour in Brisbane gardens during the winter months.

You have just reminded me of thousands of these potted plants being everywhere in stores and homes in the US and Canada at this time of the year! They stunt them using hormones for home decorating, although they eventually grow to normal height.

I was always aghast as I thought they were native to Queensland!

After all, Orange County is full of our gum trees and Bougainvillea!

But you have edified me!

By an Act of Congress, December 12 was set aside as National Poinsettia Day.

 

[wayneL]

After all, Orange County is full of our gum trees and Bougainvillea!

!

Ummmmm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea is not Australian.

 

[Doris]

Ummmmm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea is not Australian.

Ooops! Edified again!

And I thought they were adopted by us from PNG!

 

[wayneL]

Ooops! Edified again!

And I thought they were adopted by us from PNG!

That's alright, I thought Bottlebrush were native to California when I lived there. They're also everywhere there.

 

[noirua]

The Moon's distance from the Earth can vary by 30,000km. Friday's full moon was close, only 350,000km away, and will have appeared bigger and brighter.

The more brothers a man has, the more likely he is to have sons. The same applies to men with sisters, but there is no link between sibling sex and offspring sex in women, researchers in Newcastle said.

 

[noirua]

The UK's Vauxhall Motors has offered staff the opportunity to take a 9 months sabbatical at 30% of their normal salary. If few take up the opportunity then staff redundancies may hit 30%.

 

[noirua]

...that the largest potatoes grown come from the Lebanon. They can weigh 11kgs.

...that reindeers are genetically programmed so they can stop growing in cold weather when food is scarce, to cut their calorific needs by 70%.

...that aggressive kissing can damage hearing, a Chinese woman has found.

 

[AS414]

...that aggressive kissing can damage hearing, a Chinese woman has found.

Maybe it was just who she was kissing... how big was her sample?

 

[AS414]

...Finalnd is the most successful nation overall at the Summer Olympics on a per capita basis (and the Scando countries pick up 4 of the top 5 spots)...

...North Korea, Zimbabwe and Mongolia were the most successful nations at the 2008 Games on a per GDP basis

...Jamaica, Australia and Norway were the he most successful nations at the 2008 Games in terms fo female performances...

More of these sort of facts can be sourced from the links here: http://internationalbs.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/an-ib-perspective-on-the-olympics/

 

[noirua]

...that Bernard Madoff who has just been placed in house arrest on US$10 million bail, based his whole business on that of Charles Dickens 1855 -57 book "Little Dorrit", and swindling banker Mr Merdle: http://www.classicreader.com/book/552/21/

The basics of it were the same, get increasingly rich people to invest money in the magnificent Mr Merdle. He built an empire and magnificent offices and paid out money to older investors from money paid in by new investors.

[size=+2]They forgot to read the book.[/size]

 

[noirua]

...that a person who keeps moving money to get the highest rate, is known as a "rate tart".

 

[noirua]

Mauritania's deposed President, Sidi Mohammed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, has been released from house arrest by security forces who overthrew him in August.

He was taken from his home town of Lemden, where he has been under house arrest, to his house in the capital, Nouakchott, where he was freed.

There has been intense International pressure on the coup leaders to return the country to democracy.

France and the US had cancelled their aid, pending Mr Abdallahi's release.

 

[GumbyLearner]

Canberra's tallest building is named after the Lovett Family.

Canberra's tallest building today will be officially renamed in honour of an Aboriginal family that has made a considerable contribution to the defence of the nation. In all, 19 members of the immediate family have seen service across both World Wars as well as in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and East Timor.

http://www.eniar.org/news/lovett.html

 

[noirua]

NINA will become the most well known and used word in 2009/10. It will come from the States, "No Income No Assets": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-A

 

[noirua]

Do you still have, or a relative alive or deceased, a bank account or Building Society account in the UK. If it is dormant, more than 15 years since last used, then the UK Government has basically grabbed the lot.
It is still possible to reclaim this money or find out more by contacting the "British Bankers' Association" at Dormant Accounts, Pinners Hall, 105 - 108 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1EX, United Kingdom.
The website is http://www.bba.org.uk
A form can also be downloaded.

 

[battiwallah]

Noirau,

The same thing happens in Australia, although it's only after 7 years. See:

http://www.unclaimedfinances.co.uk/unclaimed-funds-in-australia-and-new-zealand.html

 

[noirua]

Four more companies have been placed into administration in the last week in the UK. The latest is Adams, chain, 517 outlets. The others are Zavvi, 125 outlets (hit by collapse of Woolworth), Whittard of Chelsea, 126 stores (hit by Icelandic bank collapse) and Officers Club, 190 stores.

 

[GumbyLearner]

During his tenure as President of the USA

George H. banned broccoli from the White House

http://eatbroccoli.org/politics.aspx

 

[Calliope]

Obama really does have a halo.