Why do birds sing?
Male birds actually do most of the singing, primarily to stake out their territory and to invite females of their species over to mate. Females tend to select as mates those male birds who sing the most. It is believed they do this not because they like the quality of the singing, but because they have learned the males who sing the most have the most food in their territory. Since the male doesn’t have to spend much time hunting for food, it has more time to sing.
Why is a mile exactly 5,280 feet?
In ancient Rome land distances were measured in paces, one pace being defined as two steps, or approximately 5 feet. The largest unit of land measure used by the Romans was the “milia passuum,”
which is Latin for ‘a thousand paces.’ As one pace equaled 5 feet, a ‘milia passuum’ was 5,000 feet.
Once a part of the Roman Empire, Great Britain adopted the milia passuum but abbreviated it to “mile.” The British also used another unit of land measure called the furlong, which was defined as 660 feet, which was the approximate length of a plowed furrow in an ordinary field. The furlong was used extensively in surveying, and when it became apparent the mile would also be used in surveying, it was decided the mile should be a whole number of furlongs. Since the mile was 5,000 feet and the furlong was 660 feet, it was decided to change the mile to exactly 8 furlongs, or 5,280 feet.
In 1575, Queen Elizabeth I passed a law making the mile exactly this number.
An excerpt from brilliant Kentucky state legislation: “No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club.”
The following important amendment however is to be considered here: “The provisions of this statute shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to male horses.”
In Kingsville, Texas there is a law against two pigs having sex on the city’s airport property.
Any couple making out inside a vehicle, and accidentally sounding the horn during their lustful act, may be taken to jail according to a Liberty Corner, New Jersey law.
In Los Angeles, California, a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can’t be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife’s consent to beat her with a wider strap. Consent
should be given prior to the event, as is carefully stipulated. [Not to be confused with the myth about “rule of thumb”‘s origin].
Where did the expression “it’s raining cats and dogs come from?”
In England during the seventeenth century, thousands of cats and dogs ran wild in the streets. These streets also had no storm drains. During heavy rains, a number of these wild animals would drown, and end up floating down the streets in the ensuing runoff. This gave the appearance that it had indeed “rained cats and dogs” and led to the current expression.
In Florida it is illegal for single, divorced, or widowed women to parachute on Sunday afternoons.
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania it is illegal to have sex with a truck driver inside a toll booth.
In Hastings, Nebraska, no couple, even if they are married, may sleep together in the nude. Nor may they have sex unless they are wearing a clean, white cotton nightshirt.
Another law in Helena, Montana, mandates a woman can’t dance on a table in a saloon or bar unless she has on at least three pounds, two ounces of clothing.
A state law in Illinois mandates all bachelors should be called master, not mister, when addressed by their female counterparts.
Clinton, Oklahoma has a law against masturbating while watching two people having sex in a car.
It’s safe to make love while parked in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Police officers aren’t allowed to walk up and knock on the window. Any suspicious officer who thinks that sex is taking place must drive up from behind, honk his horn three times and wait approximately two minutes before getting out of his car to investigate. [Hmmm… okay, there’s one place with a law that makes sense…]
In Connorsville, Wisconsin no man shall shoot off a gun while his female partner is having a sexual orgasm.
In Detroit, couples are not allowed to make love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple’s own property.
A law in Fairbanks, Alaska does not allow moose to have sex on city streets.
Here’s just a quick message for those of you living in the Northeast awaiting the arrival of the hurricane: be safe, and I hope you are prepared with bottled water, batteries, a couple of days’ worth of food you won’t need electricity to prepare, and as many of your electronic devices charged up as possible.
One thing I’ve learned living in Houston is when the power goes out for a while due to these storms, or even the threat of them, is cellular service can be overwhelmed and you can’t make or receive a call on your cell phone. Don’t forget text messaging uses different frequencies – when Hurricane Ike hit Houston a few years ago the power was out for days here (and weeks in other neighborhoods), for about a week cell service was spotty. However, we could nearly always communicate with others via text messaging due to the different frequency.
I hope the power isn’t out for long, but it might. If it does, turn your Kindle’s wireless off as it will conserve the battery and you can read for days – that’s what I did while waiting for the power and the repair team to fix the hole in my roof. Stay safe, you’re in our prayers, and we will still be here once all of this passes!