What's in a name?

• In New Zealand, a judge declared a girl a ward of the court in order to let her change her name. Her given name was "Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii." The judge listed examples of other odd names that had been blocked by the court, including: "Yeah Detroit; Stallion; Twisty Poi; Keenan Got Lucy; Sex Fruit; Fat Boy; Cinderella Beauty Blossom; Fish and Chips." Source.
• A 30-year-old member of the Ohio U.S. National Guard, changed his name to Optimus Prime. Source.
• Forty-three-year-old Andrew Wilson of Branson, Missouri legally changed his name to "They." He now has no surname. He explained: "They do this,' or 'They're to blame for that.' Who is this 'they' everyone talks about? 'They' accomplish such great things. Somebody had to take responsibility." Source.
• Christopher Garnett of PETA changed his name to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com in an attempt to draw attention to his protest against KFC's treatment of chickens. When PETA's campaign was over in 2006, he changed his name back. Source.
• Given his name by a political father, States Rights Gist became a Confederate general. Source.
• Robert Craft changed his name to Jack Ass. Bob's brother, Andy, died in an automobile accident, and Bob created a cartoon character named Andi Ass in his memory. Robert also helped found Hearts Across America to place hearts on the roadside where loved ones have died. Robert changed his name in 1997 to Jack Ass in "an effort to raise the awareness of others." He attempted to sue Viacom (MTV's parent company) for up to 10 million dollars for having their show Jackass give "injury to a reputation I have built and defamation of character I have created." The suit was dismissed. He later used a hunting rifle to commit suicide. Source. Source.
• David Fearn from Walsall, England changed his name to "James Dr No From Russia with Love Goldfinger Thunderball You Only Live Twice On Her Majesty's Secret Service Diamonds Are Forever Live and Let Die The Man with the Golden Gun The Spy Who Loved Me Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Octopussy A View to a Kill The Living Daylights Licence to Kill Golden Eye Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough Die Another Day Casino Royale Bond." Source.
• Terri Iligan auctioned the right for the buyer to rename her. Casino Golden Palace payed $15,199 to change her name to GoldenPalace.com. She said she got the idea when her kids asked to attend a costly summer golf camp. Source.
• Bill Holland, a painting contractor of San Francisco, changed his name for his business. Instead of handing out business cards, he changed his name to Zacary Zzzra and told his customers to look for him in the very back of the phone book. To stay the last name in the phone book, he has since had to change his name to Zachary Zzzzzzzzzra. While it has been good for business, he receives prank pone calls from places as far away as Australia and regularly has $400 plus phone bills from pranksters charging phone booth phone calls to him. He doesn't pay for any of the prank calls, however. Source.
• "Autumn, Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, Hart, Burns, Johnson, Willard, Dempsey, Tunney, Schmeling, Sharkey, Carnera, Baer, Braddock, Louis, Charles, Walcott, Marciano, Patterson, Johansson, Liston, Clay, Frazier, Foreman, Brown" was named after 25 boxing champions. Her mother, Maria, named her baby this to keep up her boxing-obsessed grandparents' family tradition of long names. Maria has a long name herself, but is proud of it. She wryly comments: "“When I was young I couldn’t ever remember my name. It took me to the age of 10 to memorise it all." Source.

These museums are far from average.

The Museum of Bad Art: "[O]ur mission: to bring the worst of art to the widest of audiences."

• The caption for the picture above is: "The flesh tones bring to mind the top shelf liqueurs of a border bistro. With an astonishing emphasis on facial bone structure, the artist flirts with caricature and captures features of Mamma's face which remind us of a Presidential candidate. The upright marionettish pose of the babe hints that the early bond between mother and child is as formal as it is familiar. Good old fashioned parental respect is at the center of this celebration of color and contour."

The Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum in Texas: "A museum of cockroaches that everyone can love."

• The museum has life Madagascar hissing cockroaches and "cockroaches that have been dressed in costumes to portray various themes." Below is Liberoachi.

You may not want to read on if you are squeamish.


The Mutter Museum by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia: "Disturbingly Informative"

• Grover Cleavland's secret tumor
• John Wilkes Booth's thorax
• The "Soap Lady" who died of Yellow fever in the 19th century and whose body has turned into soap.
• The nine-foot colon of a man who only had a bowel movement once a month. A picture can be seen here.
  
• A collection of 2,000 objects that were swallowed and removed without surgery by Dr, Jackson.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum

• "[P]robably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country."

The Vrolik Museum in Amsterdam: "over two thousand specimens of humans, mammals, and other vertebrates"

• "Since 1994, 150 specimens of congenital malformations have also been on display."
• congenital malformation: "physical defect present in a baby at birth[.]"
• From what I understand, the babies are in formaldehyde jars.

China

For some context:

• In July 2007, China's population was 1,321,851,888. With a world population of approximately 6.6 billion, one out of every five people on earth lives in China. In 1950, China's population was 563 million, but had grown to one billion in the early 1980s. For a stable population, the national fertility rate must be 2.1; China's is 1.7. China's population is expected to peak in 2030. India has a much faster rate of growth and is expected to surpass China's population in 2040. Source.
• For a live counter of Chinese population, go here.
  

All of these statistics come from the May 2008 edition of the National Geographic magazine. Because it is hard to paraphrase statistics, they are all selected quotes.

• 119 baby boys are born for every 100 girls.
  
• The number of unmarried young Men-called bare branches-is predicted to be 30 million by 2020.
• China's one-child policy created a generation of only children numbering 90 million.
• Beijing enforces a one-dog policy that prohibits pets more than 14 inches high.
• China is expected to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest economy in ten years.
• Urban Chinese earn more than three times as much as those in rural areas[.]
• Authorities have added 171 new pop culture references to China's national language registry.
• Percent of the world's umbrellas made in China: 70
• Percent of the world's buttons made in China: 60
• Percent of U.S. shoes made in China: 72
• Percent of U.S. kitchen appliances made in China: 50
• Percent of U.S. artificial Christmas lights made in China: 85
  
• Percent of US toys made in China: 50
• Percent of Chinese goods sent to the U.S. that end up on Wal-Mart's shelves: 9
• Percent of the U.S. toys recalled in the U.S. in 2007[:] 100
• Number of months a Chinese factory worker would need to work to earn the money to earn the cost of a Thomas the Tank Engine train set: 6

More facts gleaned from the articles and paraphrased.

• "Wang" is the family name of 93 million Chinese.
  

• Sheng Qi, a Chinese artist, cut off his own finger in protest of the 1989 events of Tiananmen Square. (Picture above.) Visit his website.
  

Oops. I also forgot to add Minimal Ramblings of an Incoherent Mind :"A little home on the Internet where the quiet voices inside of my head can escape to be shared with the world. The loud voices, on the other hand, are silenced and stuffed into the basement to be punished for all eternity."

"Should I start trying to match my titles to my posts?" or "It is hard to be creative all the time." or "I pressed enter and posted this too early."

In Detroit, plans are made by architect Steven Flum to convert shipping containers into a $1.8 million, 17 unit condominiums. The units will be between 90 to 180 square meters (approximately 262 to 590 square feet) and will range from $100,000 to $190,000. The containers will be stacked four high and will have balconies, patios, windows, doors, plumbing, heating and stairways. Source.

However, using shipping containers for housing is nothing new. This is an Atelier Workshop’s Port-a-Bach. This house can be rolled into place and folded out to accommodate two adults and two children. Source.

Here is Leger Wanaselja Architecture's two bedroom house overlooking San Francisco. The house uses three containers and a glass atrium. Source.

Adam Kalkin, maker of the quick house, designed this nifty shipping container cafe. Source.

"Global Peace Containers" is a non-profit organization interested in using shipping containers to build housing and facilities in poorer countries or for emergency relief. Here is a school they built in Jamaica and a house they built in Atlanta, Georgia. Source. Source.


And be sure to check out the new blogs I linked to. I realized I was neglecting that part of my blog.
Less Than Half a Nickel - Sergent P's 2 cents. A blog that deserves more readers.
Smiling Through it all - "My random blog about life & death, love & heartache, and the struggle to get my life together."
The Thoughts and Sayings Of Baba Doodlius - Learn why sheep are planting hobbit bones in the jungle.

I never knew that!

• In 1939 President Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving. By moving the holiday a week earlier, he hoped to lengthen the Christmas shopping season and boost sales. He announced this in August and created a controversy especially among calender makers and football coaches. Twenty three states celebrated Thanksgiving on the old date, twenty three celebrated on the new date, and Texas and Colorado celebrated both. In 1940, Roosevelt returned Thanksgiving to its original date and Congress passed a law banning any future president from changing the date of Thanksgiving. Source
• September 1914, German troops were close to taking Paris prompting French military officials to send 6,000 troops to the front. To transport the troops, they called on taxis. Six hundred cab drivers left their passengers and lined up for inspection, transporting the troops and saving Paris. Click here to see footage of the taxis in Windows Media Player. Source
• In May 1902 on the island of Martinique, a nearby volcano started to act up near the city of Saint-Pierre. Worried about his party losing power in the upcoming election, the governor of Martinique set up roadblocks to contain the citizens and instructed the newspapers to minimize the danger. Pelee erupted anyway, killing the governor and 30,000 people in less than two minutes. One of the only two survivors was scheduled for execution the next day, and was protected in his underground cell. He later toured with Barnum & Bailey Circus in a copy of the cell. Source: The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 tales from history to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy by Rick Beyer
• While everyone knows about the Great Chicago Fire, hardly anyone knows about the deadliest fire in US history: the Great Peshtigo Fire. Killing between 1,200 to 2,400 people in northern Wisconsin, it had the misfortune of occurring the same night as the Great Chicago Fire. Source.

Read more!

Here are the books that made it to the shortlist for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year:

• I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen
• How to Write a How to Write Book
• Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues
• Cheese Problems Solved
• If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs
• People who Mattered in Southend and Beyond: From King Canute to Dr Feelgood

Here are some of the runner ups:

• Drawing and Painting the Undead
• Stafford Pageant: The Exciting Innovative Years 1901–1952
• Tiles of the Unexpected: A Study of Six Miles of Geometric Tile Patterns on the London Underground
• Squid Recruitment Dynamics
• Glory Remembered: Wooden Headgear of Alaska Sea Hunters

For those of you who liked this post, check out one of my older posts with even more extreme book titles.

BBC bits

Thanks to BBC for all of these little tidbits:

• Since its release in 1969, it has been said that the children's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold one copy every minute. Source
• According to the biography Room Full of Mirrors, Jimi Hendrix pretended to be gay so that he would be discharged from the army. Source
• According to a 2005 British survey, 1 in 6 children think that broccoli is a "baby tree." Source
• At Eton, Georgic is a punishment involving copying hundreds of lines of Latin poetry. Source
• To preserve flavor, rhubarb is best harvested in dim light. Candlelight is good. Source
• In 2007, women in India protested over being asked their "detailed menstrual history" when applying to become a civil servant. Source
• Names considered for the Compact Disck (CD) included "Mini Rack, MiniDisc, and Compact Rack." Source

randomness is underrated

• According to Ken Parkin, author of Anthology of British Tongue Twisters, the most difficult tongue-twister in the English language is: "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick." Source
• In a recent study, 40 of 43 rats consistently chose saccharin-water over cocaine. In a similar test, cocaine-addicted rats preferred saccharin after 10 days. Sugar substituted for saccharin produced the same results. Yet more proof on the addictive power of sugar. Source
• 48-year-old Wim Hof, the "tantric master," stood in ice up to his neck for 72 minutes. In 2004, he immersed his entire body in ice for 68 minutes. Hof says he uses tantric meditation to control his body temperature. Source
• With only two weeks left to serve in prison, a 19-year-old German woman escaped from prison. When her friend, a 17-year-old inmate, was released, she hid in her suitcase. Mr. Weilmann comments: "The girl simply walked out of the building with her friend concealed in her luggage." They were not caught. Source
  

I've been tagged by Rusin Roundup for the big bang meme. For the rules, go here. I tag anyone who wants to participate.
1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Juliana's Site 3-Rusin Roundup 4-Grow Rich Along With Me 5-Comedy Plus 6-lynda's loft 7-Amel's Realm 8-MAX 9-Speedcat Hollydale 10-Mariuca 11-Complain Complain Complain 12-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 13-Life Is A Roller Coaster 14-Sugar Queen's Dream 15-First Time Dad 16-Life 17-My Life 18-The Painted Veil 19-My Thoughts 20-DatCurious.com 21-Little Aussie Cynic 22-A Nice Place in the Sun 23-DatMoney.com 24-Odd Facts

And thanks again to Rusin Roundup for this award.


I would like to pass this award on to R.E.H for commenting on all my posts this month.

Guilt over blog-neglect is a great motivator

• Meet Louis, the 6-foot Octopus. He was given his Mr. Potato Head toy for Christmas, and loves it so much that he "turns aggressive when aquarium staff try to remove it from his tank." Source.
• The Spanish town of Pulpi made a really big salad in September 2007. Dimensions: 20 cooks, over 3 hours prep time, 59 by 15.7 ft container, 14,740 pounds of vegetables. The salad was served free-of-charge in Pulpi's restaurants. Source
• Jody Powell and Kenneth Donnell won tickets to a Hannah Montana concert by keeping one hand on a 12-foot, 400 pound statute of Hannah for 6 days. They received catered meals and were allowed one 12 minute break every 3 hours. There were 20 contestants who participated. Winner-Powell says: "It's like a dream come true." Source

WARNING!!!

From the book: World's Dumbest Signs, Ads and Newspaper Headlines:

Actual Warning Labels:

• life saving device: "WARNING! This is NOT a life saving device."
• child superman costume: "WARNING! Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
• a bar of soap: "WARNING! Directions: Use like regular soap."
• toilet cleaner: "WARNING! Safe to use around pets and children, although it is not recommended that either be permitted to drink from toilet."
• blanket: "WARNING! Not to be used as protection from a tornado."
• hotel shower-cap: "WARNING! Fits one head."
• Christmas lights: "WARNING! For indoor or outdoor use only."
• wheelbarrow: "WARNING! Do not use when temperature exceeds 140 degrees Fahrenheit."

Ack!

To be remembered for good witting is one thing. To be remembered for bad writing is another. The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest, is an an annual contest to see who can write the "best" opening line to the worst novel. Here are just a few of the many winners of 2007:

• Gerald began--but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them "permanently" meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash--to pee. --Jim Gleeson
• LaVerne was undeniably underdressed for this frigid weather; her black, rain-soaked tank top offered no protection and seemed to cling to her torso out of sheer rage, while her tie-dyed boa scarf hung lifeless around her neck like a giant, exhausted, pipe cleaner recently discarded after near-criminal overuse by an obviously sadistic (and rather flamboyant) plumber. --Andrew Cavallari
• As the hippo's jaws clamped on Henry's body he noted the four huge teeth badly in need of a clean, preferably with one of those electric sonic toothbrushes, and he reflected that his name would be immortalized by his unusual death, since hippo killings are not a daily occurrence, at least not in the high street of Chipping Sodbury. --Tim Lafferty
• What shocked Juliette as she entered the room was not that there was an escaped convict under her coverlet snuggling with her best teddy bear, but that there was a knife through his back, "And who," she wondered out loud, steadying herself against the faux-taffeta wallpaper, "would stab a teddy bear?" --Katie Alender
• The highway coiled up and around the mountain like a snake ready to strike because it was being harassed by one of those annoying guys on "Animal Planet." --Brent Sheppard
• The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, not even a sharp knife, but a dull one from that set of cheap knives you received as a wedding gift in a faux wooden block; the one you told yourself you'd replace, but in the end, forgot about because your husband ran off with another man, that kind of knife. --Lisa Lindquist

My appologies

Because of Christmas, I am taking a few days off from blogging. After Christmas, I will of course resume. So a very merry Christmas to all, and be sure to come back after it.
If you are insistent on reading my blog over my mini-vacation, I chose to highlight my favorite post from each week. The oldest posts are at the top.

• Allow me to introduce myself - my first ever post
• Dinner -about eating metal
• You'd Better Clap -the intersection of music and guns
• That will win the war -involves a "gay bomb"
• Still Loving the game -A Frisbee of death
  
• Wow! -beautiful typewriter art
• handy skirt -turn into a vending machine
• She did what? -licking Jeeps
• Liquid Ham -kosher too
• Mugger Angels -and rabbits
• oooooooooooooo! -ghosts and Spider-man
• Don't play with your food -vegetable orchestra
  
• shhhhhhhh! -a very quiet song
• adrenaline and shirts -extreme ironing