It's the beginning of a new year and perhaps some travel plans are on your agenda. It's always a good idea to know something about the place you plan to visit and perhaps some of the local customs.
Suppose a visit to France is on the travel itinerary and while there for whatever reason, adopting a pig seems like a fun idea as is naming the pig, say...Napoleon. You would be breaking the law since it's illegal to name a pig Napolean. No mention if it's applicable to the naming of other pets,Napoleon like a cat or dog. I mean, how would authorities find out if one named one's pet Napolean, anyway? But I digress.
There are some strange laws around the world down in the books, for example:
In Ohio you're not allowed to get a fish drunk.Why anyone would waste good liquor on fish is another thing but I digress.
It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses. Don't we all? I mean, really...
It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. "Arrest that man for dying!"
It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down. Why? Will she get dizzy?
In Alabama, it's illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle.
Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.
In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.
In Lancashire, England, no person is permitted after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore to incite a dog to bark.
In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station.
In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day. Don't all English-men own longbows?
In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside. Some would could say it's favoritism.
Now this is an interesting feat to accomplish: In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.
In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed. No wonder the jails are so filled!
In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.
In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.
In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”.
In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth. And if they don't? Is there a jail term involved?
In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.
One of my favorites: The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset. So...like...who does the rest belong to? Anybody know?
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Sunday, September 09, 2007
PLANTS (MAY) LIKE CLASSICAL MUSIC
I knew it all along! Better be careful what you say in front of your house plant. Seems that scientists believe they have found "a set of sound-responsive genes in plants" in what other experts said would be an astonishing finding.
Astonishing maybe. Surprising not really according to an article focusing on this subject.
Plants are known to respond to light, temperature, touch and vibration, and the South Korean team, led by Dr Mi-Jeong Jeong, decided to investigate whether they could also respond to sound in some way.
They played classical music, such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Clair de Lune by Debussy and Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, to a rice crop. The plants appeared unmoved.
Perhaps - just speculation now - rice prefers rock music...or even elevator-music-type stuff.
However, when single notes were played, the scientists noticed an effect on two genes known to respond to light, New Scientist magazine reports today. These became more active when exposed to a high-pitched sound and less active when a low one was played.
"As far as we know, this is the first report of characterisation of plant sound-responsive genes."
This might cast a different light on the comment by the Prince of Wales, who reportedly told a television interviewer in the mid-1980s: "I just come and talk to the plants, really. It's very important to talk. They respond, don't they?"
So the future King of England talks to plants so there has to be something to it. No? Then again, some people believe that some royals have been known to be - how shall we say - imaginative.
Dr Jeong's team plans to look into the matter further.
"I would be astonished if plants could tell the difference [between types of music]. But you never know," he said. "This would be of large interest to the plant community in general if it were true, but it's a very big claim."
Dr Wigge said vibration caused by sound waves might have something to do with the Korean team's results, but added the effect on the genes was so small it could also be "natural variation".
"We know plants are responsive to wind and sense touch and vibration, so that could be having an effect," he said.
Dr Wigge said people had looked "very hard" for decades for signs of something more to plants.
"There was a claim that plants were sensitive and they had feelings; plants had a mood and it depended on electrical currents," he said. "All these studies, unfortunately, have never panned out."
Those non plant-likers are so negative but we plant lovers know different. Mine like Justin Timberlake and Phil Collins. Don't ask how I know. I just do.
Astonishing maybe. Surprising not really according to an article focusing on this subject.
Plants are known to respond to light, temperature, touch and vibration, and the South Korean team, led by Dr Mi-Jeong Jeong, decided to investigate whether they could also respond to sound in some way.
They played classical music, such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Clair de Lune by Debussy and Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, to a rice crop. The plants appeared unmoved.
Perhaps - just speculation now - rice prefers rock music...or even elevator-music-type stuff.
However, when single notes were played, the scientists noticed an effect on two genes known to respond to light, New Scientist magazine reports today. These became more active when exposed to a high-pitched sound and less active when a low one was played.
"As far as we know, this is the first report of characterisation of plant sound-responsive genes."
This might cast a different light on the comment by the Prince of Wales, who reportedly told a television interviewer in the mid-1980s: "I just come and talk to the plants, really. It's very important to talk. They respond, don't they?"
So the future King of England talks to plants so there has to be something to it. No? Then again, some people believe that some royals have been known to be - how shall we say - imaginative.
Dr Jeong's team plans to look into the matter further.
"I would be astonished if plants could tell the difference [between types of music]. But you never know," he said. "This would be of large interest to the plant community in general if it were true, but it's a very big claim."
Dr Wigge said vibration caused by sound waves might have something to do with the Korean team's results, but added the effect on the genes was so small it could also be "natural variation".
"We know plants are responsive to wind and sense touch and vibration, so that could be having an effect," he said.
Dr Wigge said people had looked "very hard" for decades for signs of something more to plants.
"There was a claim that plants were sensitive and they had feelings; plants had a mood and it depended on electrical currents," he said. "All these studies, unfortunately, have never panned out."
Those non plant-likers are so negative but we plant lovers know different. Mine like Justin Timberlake and Phil Collins. Don't ask how I know. I just do.
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