Is an undertakers job easier today?

Undertakers report that human bodies do not deteriorate as quickly as they used to. The reason, they believe, is that the modern diet contains so many preservatives
that these chemicals tend to prevent the body from decomposition too rapidly after death.

How familiar was Edgar with Africa?

A prolific and imaginative writer, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote 26 Tarzan books without ever visiting Africa.

How would you refer to a lot of graffiti?

Graffito is the little-used singular of the much used plural word graffiti.

Are cars more dangerous than guns?

On the average, more animals are killed by motorists than by hunters with guns.

Which dog is fastest?

The fastest dog, the greyhound, can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. The breed was known to exist in ancient Egypt more than 5,000 years ago.

U.S. Boasting Rights

By Andy Seamans

This week’s quiz is based on boasting rights in the USA:

1. Name the top U.S. airport in passenger traffic.
2. Outside the United States, name the top airport in passenger traffic.
3. Which airline currently holds the title for top U.S. passenger airline?
4. Which state can be described as the Empire State of the South?
5. Name the first U.S. president born outside of the original 13 colonies.
6. Name the top-selling U.S. light truck.
7. Which U.S. state received its name based on being the “land of the Indians”?
8. Name the only Catholic to serve a term as president.
9. What religious affiliation has had the most members elected as president?
10. What religious affiliation has had the second highest number of presidents?

Andy Seamans Answers

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has retained this title since 1999.
2. London’s Heathrow Airport comes in third place in passenger traffic — following Hartsfield and Chicago’s O’Hare.
3. Delta is the world’s largest airline in terms of passenger traffic and fleet size.
4. Georgia. This nickname represented a determination in the Georgia citizenry to be leaders in industrial and economic development in the southern tier
   of states.
5. It was our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky in 1809.
6. The Ford F-Series trucks first earned this title in 1976; it has been a force to beat ever since.
7. Indiana received this name from the U.S. Congress in 1800.
8. John F Kennedy, the 35th president, was the first and only Catholic to serve as U.S. president.
9. The Episcopalians have had 11 presidents.
10. The Presbyterians come in a close second, with 10 presidents.

Source: “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2010″ and www.netstate.com/states

How little change would make it colder?

Continental snow cover would advance to the equator, and the oceans would eventually freeze, if there was a permanent drop in just 1.6 to 2.0 percent in
energy reaching the Earth.

How did geishas keep their hair neat?

To preserve their elaborate coiffures, geishas in ancient Japan slept with their heads on bags filled with buckwheat chaff.

When is a mile not a mile?

A mile on the ocean and a mile on land are not the same distance. On the ocean, a nautical mile measures 6,080 feet. A land or statute mile is 5,280 feet.

Are figs high in fiber?

Figs have the highest dietary fiber content of any common fruit, nut, or vegetable.

How long has the groom’s cake been popular?

The groom’s cake dates back to the mid-19th century. At that time, the traditional wedding cake had evolved from a popular single-layer fruitcake into a
stacked pound-cake shaped like a church steeple. But guests still wanted fruitcake. To appease the masses, newlyweds would serve two cakes — the wedding
cake and the fruitcake. The wedding cake was eaten at the reception; the fruitcake, or the groom’s cake (as it soon became known), was sliced and boxed
for guests to take home. Legend has it that an unmarried woman who placed her slice under her pillow would dream of her husband-to-be. Two cakes — especially
in the southern U.S.–continued to be offered to wedding guests until after World War II.

When did Oreos first appear?

Since its first appearance in 1912, Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies have reigned supreme as being the number one selling cookie in America. The basic design
of the cookie has not changed for more than 50 years. Today’s version is a neat 1 3/4 inches across – that’s one, two or three bites, depending on how
big your bite is!

When was helium first speculated?

During an eclipse of the sun in 1868, spectral lines were located that were attributed to an unknown element that was called “helium,” from the Greek word
for “sun.” Thirty years later, helium was discovered on Earth.

Will the icecaps melting make a big difference?

If today’s ice caps melted completely, sea level would rise across the world by between 200 and 230 feet. This means the Statue of Liberty would be immersed
up to her armpits, and the clock face on the Houses of Parliament in London would be under water.

Who had a bigger brain — modern man or Neanderthals?

The brain of Neanderthal man was larger than that of modern man. Neanderthal man, the first human being in the true sense, had a brain capacity 100 cc larger
than modern man’s.

When did women start wearing diamonds?

During the middle ages, only men wore diamonds, as a symbol of their courage and virility. However, since 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave
a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, diamonds have been the gem of choice for men who wanted to melt a woman’s heart.

Which country has the lowest crime rate?

The country of Togo has the lowest crime rate in the world, with an average of just 11 reported crimes annually for every 100,000 of the population.

How does the honey ant survive famine?

The honey ant of the desert has an unusual method of providing food in times of scarcity. Certain members of the colony are stuffed with liquid food or
water until the rear of their bodies are enlarged to the size of a pea. When a famine occurs, these ants disgorge their supplies to feed the others.

What color lettuce should you eat?

Darker green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than lighter green leaves.

Which was the first unit of measurement?

The cubit is the oldest known measurement, appearing in the Bible when God gives Noah instructions for the ark. Described as a Royal Cubit, it was measured
from the elbow to the thumb knuckle. It was a means of insuring that the nobility got a larger share at the market place.

Who was the first recipient of Social Security?

Ida May Fuller of Brattlebor, Vermont was the first U.S. citizen to receive a Social Security check. She lived to be over 100 and collected her first check
in 1940. She collected over $20,000 in total benefits.

Matching And Mixing Words

Andy Seamans

1. This pet is subject to a name for an iconic being.
2. This animal’s title word is the reverse of a word for grass that points upward.
3. When reversed, a word for a victory becomes a word describing this time frame.
4. A frequent case of identity matches a famed talk show host with a famed family member in motion pictures. Name them, but realize you might have trouble
   having them talk to one another.
5. A fare at a local tavern can be reversed and placed in a sports arena.
6. This cigarette’s name brand is the reverse of a word meaning to deeply eye.
7. It goes even both ways, fore or aft. Name it.
8. If read backward, this kid’s game will name some armaments.
9. This word for a sailing vessel can be scrambled to read as a bodily attribute.
10. This locale description can be scrambled to describe this nocturnal rover.

Andy Seamans’s Answers:

1. The word “dog” is backward of “god.”
2. “Deer” spelled backward is “reed.”
3. “Now” might be the time frame of a victory. “Now” in reverse is “won.”
4. Oprah Winfrey’s first name is the reverse of Harpo Marx. And remember, in films of the Marx Brothers, Harpo did not speak.
5. Read backward, the “tab” in the tavern is a “bat” on the baseball diamond. You might want to make sure you don’t face up to a bat at a bar.
6. “Kool” is the reverse of “look.”
7. The word for even both ways is “level.”
8. The game for running and tagging the runner is “tag,” which can be read backward as “gat,” often used to name a gangster’s pistol.
9. The “ship” may be scrambled to make “hips.”
10. “Low” can be scrambled to spell out that nightly flyer known as the “owl.”

Where does a kiwi live?

The kiwi, national bird of New Zealand, can’t fly. It lives in a hole in the ground, is almost blind, and lays only one egg each year. Despite this, it
has survived for more than 70 million years.

What was the first British group to have a number one hit in America?

UK group The Tornadoes’ hit single “Telstar” was the first UK single to reach Number 1 in the USA on December 22, 1962. This was more than a year before
the Fab Four made it to Number 1 in the USA with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on February 1, 1964.

What makes Dover’s cliffs white?

The white cliffs of Dover is a natural landmark located at the southern coast of England. The distinctive color of the cliffs was actually created by the
accumulation of skeletal remains of tiny organisms deposited over thousands of centuries. Sea level was higher millions of years ago, and after the waters
receded, the whitish residual remains of the creatures were exposed.

How much was the White House’s architect paid?

Architect James Horan was awarded $500 and a parcel of land in Washington, D.C. for his 1792 winning design for the President’s House, now known as the
White House.

Is the nation’s capitol in Denver?

When visiting Colorado’s capitol in Denver, tourists are amazed at the resemblance the structure bears to the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. It was
designed and built with the nation’s capitol in mind. The majestic building is composed of white granite, with large pillars at each entrance that help
support the ceramic-style roof. Pillars along the west entrance support statues that were carved in stone, depicting early life in Denver. The building
was built in the 1890s. In 1908, 24-karat gold was used to plate the building’s bell-shaped dome, commemorating the discovery of the precious metal by
early pioneers.

When did pinball machines first become popular?

The pinball machine was one of the few successful industries that grew out of the Depression in the United States. The early models typically charged 5
cents for 10 balls, did not have side flippers, and the player had to add up his own score. Because it offered inexpensive and interactive entertainment
value, the pinball machine remained popular for decades, until the advent of electronic video games.

Which colony was the first to declare independence?

Of the thirteen original colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from Mother England — a full six months before the Declaration
of Independence was signed.

How many whiskers does a walrus have?

A walrus has about 400 to 700 vibrissae, or whiskers, in 13 to 15 rows on its snout. Vibrissae are attached to muscles and are supplied with blood and nerves.
A walrus moves its snout through bottom sediment to find food. Abrasion patterns created by their tusks show that they are dragged through the sediment,
but are not used to dig up prey.

Are any of our orgas redundant?

Even if the stomach, the spleen, 75 percent of the liver, 80 percent of the intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from the pelvic
and groin area are removed, the human body can still survive.

How long have people enjoyed ice cream?

Ice cream was invented in China around 2000 B.C. when the Chinese packed a soft milk-and-rice mixture in snow. About 62 A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero sent
slaves to the tops of the Apennines Mountains to bring fresh snow down to the royal kitchens, where the snow was then flavored with fruits and honey.

Which planet is the least dense?

The Earth is the most dense planet — five times denser than water, while Saturn is the least dense. It has a density 0.7 times that of water.

How cold is space?

If an object has no molecules, the concept of temperature is meaningless. That’s why it’s technically incorrect to speak of the “cold of outer space” — space has no temperature, and is known as a “temperature sink,” meaning it drains heat out of things.

Why should you keep gardenias and orange blossoms away from each other?

Gardenias and orange blossoms both smell terrific, but when placed together in the same bouquet, they will neutralize each other’s odor and there will be no smell at all.

Why are brides traditionally carried over the threshold?

Generations ago, it was considered lady-like for a new bride to be (or, to appear to be) hesitant to “give herself” to her new husband, whether or not she truly was. At their bridal chamber threshold, the husband would often have to carry the bride over to encourage her to go in. The tradition still is observed.

How much did Cary make working for Hitch?

Cary Grant made some serious money for his work in the 1959 classic North by Northwest. According to Donald Spoto’s “The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock,” Grant had starred in several successful Hitchcock films. Consequently, his contract for this new vehicle gave him an outright salary of $450,000, plus 10 percent of the gross profit on all earnings over $8 million (the same profit percentage as director Hitchcock’s), plus an extra $5,000 per day beginning 7 weeks after the contract was signed and continuing until the production was complete. The 7-week grace period came and went before any shooting on the picture began, escalating Grant’s salary beyond belief. Filming took an unexpected 4 months. Hitchcock had a reputation for underpaying his actors, and so it is assumed that Grant made more money for this film than any other lead actor or actress had while working for the closefisted Hitchcock.