Real Fact #23: The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile national monument.
The first word that comes to my mind when I see this is...RANDOM! I also had no idea that national monuments could be mobile. Shows you how much I know...if it's true.
I haven't visited Wikipedia in a while, and this is a more difficult research project. turns out Wikipedia has a list of every national monument. Want the whole list?
Here goes...
Admiralty Island
African Burial...
You know what?
Just go here. There are way too many to list in this blog.
Guess what? The San Fran cars are not listed.
They are not on the disbanded list either.
Of course, other sites, such as various random trivia sites, claim various "truths":
1) The cable cars are not a monument at all
2) The San Fran cars are the only mobile national monument
3) The St. Charles car in New Orleans is also a mobile national monument.
Okay, then, who is right?
I went on the San Francisco cable car website for answers. First off, just so you know, it's not a great site. It could use an upgrade, so be patient if you ever visit it. Second, I found nothing about the cable cars being a mobile national monument. Personally, I am inclined to go with the source: the actual cable car site.
If you take a look at the random trivia sites that claim that the cable cars are a national monument, they do not list sources you ca track. SO where did they get the information. A note about future research: ALWAYS look at sources. I don't frequently trust Wikipedia, as it goes everything I was taught in school, but at least there are sources. And the cable car website agrees with them.
Maybe this fact is a misinterpretation. On the cable car history page, there is a brief blurb about October 1, 1964. It says that there was a ceremony that designated the San Francisco cable car system as a special mobile National Historic Landmark.
I have never been to San Francisco, so I have never ridden the cable cars there (trust me, I would love to go there for a quick visit). I grew up in the land...or should I say, water...of the Puget Sound Ferry System. I have ridden a cable car before, though. It was 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(I just tired to post a picture from the trip, but for some reason it will not rotate properly)
We won't go into any details about the trip. It brings up bad memories from a past relationship. However I am still glad I went. I got to eat beignets, walked down Bourbon Street, and visited the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island. Oh, yeah...and ride a cable car (Don't call them trolleys: you might get punched). I would also go back...once the bad memories don't sting anymore.
And yes, beignets are delicious.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Fact #678
Real Fact #678: Unlike your housecat, the Siberian tiger loves to swim!
Anyone who has owned a cat or cared for a cat knows that they hate to swim. Try to teach a cat this skill and you will get something like this,
Or this,
Or this:
And you may notice in the last video that water wasn't even always present. Thank you YouTube.com for the videos!
There are the occasional cats that do like to swim. I believe, if memory serves me correctly, that the Maine Coon cat actually likes water. The Scottish Fold may as well. Then there are the rare cats of dubious heritage that actually like water.
Housecats clean themselves regularly, so getting wet hampers the process. Speculations of why include that water removes protective oils from a cat's coat to drying out the skin to allowing infections to set in. I will not go into the debate here (as I have heard so many stories), but maybe in some other post.
Siberian tigers live very different lives than your Fluffy or Mittens, who may be trying to covet your keyboard or laptop right now. The largest cats in the world, Siberian tigers are pretty rare, with only 400-500 left int he wild today (National Geographic). Their famous stripes are unique to every tiger, just like no two humans have the same fingerprints.
Tigers, like cats, are normally solitary. While females may overlap territories with males and other females, the male will never overlap his space with that of another male. Because food can run fast and cover several miles, the territories are necessary. Prey is also rare, so a tiger's territory may be quite huge ant he tiger could travel many miles in search of deer, elk, or wild boar. Tigers catch and kill prey by sneaking up within pouncing range. Their over 600 pound body and sharp claws are perfect for executing the perfect pounce. The average tiger eats over 60 pound of meat a day, although they typically eat less (National Geographic).
Tigers do take to the water, unlike other big cats. "They enjoy bathing and often play in the water when young. As adults, they often swim several kilometers to hunt or to cross rivers, and at least one has been recorded to have swum almost 30km in a day' (Wan). Finding prey may be one reason why tigers would swim, in order to reach prey quietly and quickly. Tigers could potentially hunt animals in rivers as well.
Oden is a tiger at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom outside of San Francisco. He regularly shows guests how much tigers can like water, jumping into his pool and diving to the bottom for a piece of meat (below) or just playfully swimming around (Conger).
(Photo is from animalplanet.com)
While I have never spent quality time with a tiger or ever see one swimming (zoo tigers tend to sleep all the time), it would be a neat spectacle! I do recall hearing as a kid that tigers swim, but never for enjoyment. It's always nice to learn something new every day!
The most activity I ever saw from a tiger was in 2009, on a class field trip to Zoo Montana in Billings. One of the keepers brought along a paper mache ball with treats inside when she met with our group. As we approached the tiger area her voice and the smell of meat drew the attention of this guy...
(Photo from my personal collection)
And yes, this was a Siberian tiger! The tiger paced and paced (and drooled, which you may be able to see in the picture) as he waited for the ball to be thrown in. You can see a bit of the retrieval process in the photos below...
(Photos from my personal collection)
Om nom nom! Snack time!
So yes, tigers do swim and appear to enjoy it! Most housecats tend to differ on this I suppose. In closing, please do not try to teach your cat to swim. It's not worth the scratches and bites you may occur, and the cat won't like it. Instead, watch this video:
(Video in thanks to YouTube)
Resources:
Conger, Cristen. "Why do tigers swim?." Carnivores. Animal Planet, n.d. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://www.animalplanet.com/mammals/swimming-tigers.htm>.
"Siberian Tiger." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-tiger/>.
Wan, Kate. "50 Unusual Facts About Tigers." Animals. Listverse Ltd., 10 Sep 2012. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://listverse.com/2012/09/10/50-unusual-facts-about-tigers/>.
Anyone who has owned a cat or cared for a cat knows that they hate to swim. Try to teach a cat this skill and you will get something like this,
There are the occasional cats that do like to swim. I believe, if memory serves me correctly, that the Maine Coon cat actually likes water. The Scottish Fold may as well. Then there are the rare cats of dubious heritage that actually like water.
Housecats clean themselves regularly, so getting wet hampers the process. Speculations of why include that water removes protective oils from a cat's coat to drying out the skin to allowing infections to set in. I will not go into the debate here (as I have heard so many stories), but maybe in some other post.
Siberian tigers live very different lives than your Fluffy or Mittens, who may be trying to covet your keyboard or laptop right now. The largest cats in the world, Siberian tigers are pretty rare, with only 400-500 left int he wild today (National Geographic). Their famous stripes are unique to every tiger, just like no two humans have the same fingerprints.
Tigers, like cats, are normally solitary. While females may overlap territories with males and other females, the male will never overlap his space with that of another male. Because food can run fast and cover several miles, the territories are necessary. Prey is also rare, so a tiger's territory may be quite huge ant he tiger could travel many miles in search of deer, elk, or wild boar. Tigers catch and kill prey by sneaking up within pouncing range. Their over 600 pound body and sharp claws are perfect for executing the perfect pounce. The average tiger eats over 60 pound of meat a day, although they typically eat less (National Geographic).
Tigers do take to the water, unlike other big cats. "They enjoy bathing and often play in the water when young. As adults, they often swim several kilometers to hunt or to cross rivers, and at least one has been recorded to have swum almost 30km in a day' (Wan). Finding prey may be one reason why tigers would swim, in order to reach prey quietly and quickly. Tigers could potentially hunt animals in rivers as well.
Oden is a tiger at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom outside of San Francisco. He regularly shows guests how much tigers can like water, jumping into his pool and diving to the bottom for a piece of meat (below) or just playfully swimming around (Conger).
While I have never spent quality time with a tiger or ever see one swimming (zoo tigers tend to sleep all the time), it would be a neat spectacle! I do recall hearing as a kid that tigers swim, but never for enjoyment. It's always nice to learn something new every day!
The most activity I ever saw from a tiger was in 2009, on a class field trip to Zoo Montana in Billings. One of the keepers brought along a paper mache ball with treats inside when she met with our group. As we approached the tiger area her voice and the smell of meat drew the attention of this guy...
And yes, this was a Siberian tiger! The tiger paced and paced (and drooled, which you may be able to see in the picture) as he waited for the ball to be thrown in. You can see a bit of the retrieval process in the photos below...
Om nom nom! Snack time!
So yes, tigers do swim and appear to enjoy it! Most housecats tend to differ on this I suppose. In closing, please do not try to teach your cat to swim. It's not worth the scratches and bites you may occur, and the cat won't like it. Instead, watch this video:
Resources:
Conger, Cristen. "Why do tigers swim?." Carnivores. Animal Planet, n.d. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://www.animalplanet.com/mammals/swimming-tigers.htm>.
"Siberian Tiger." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-tiger/>.
Wan, Kate. "50 Unusual Facts About Tigers." Animals. Listverse Ltd., 10 Sep 2012. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://listverse.com/2012/09/10/50-unusual-facts-about-tigers/>.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Fact #408
Real Fact #408: Panda bears eat up to 16 hours a day.
Talk about a food marathon!
Cute as the dickens and the universal symbol for endangered animals, pandas eat almost only bamboo (which is low in nutrients) so they need to eat a LOT of it get the amount of food they need.
(Photo taken from www.fanpop.com)
But exactly how long and how much must they eat? Other grazing-type animals such as horses will forage for as much as 20 hours a day to get the calories they need. But bears are not grazers. They are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. Grizzly bears, for example will eat anything from berries to salmon to whatever you left in your unlocked car...
(Photo taken from www.thehogring.com)
According to National Geographic, Pandas do not always eat 16 hours a day. They claim that "a typical animal eats half the day - a full 12 out of every 24 hours" and that "it takes 28 pounds...of bamboo to satisfy a giant panda's daily dietary needs" (National Geographic). They will also eat the occasional bird or rodent, but up to 99% of its diet is bamboo. And it's not very nutritious.
Keep in mind that most of what we know about pandas we know from observation in zoos: the wild pandas (of which there are only about 1,000 left) are quite elusive and difficult to find. You can learn more about pandas here and here.
(Photo taken from www.mlmguides.com)
Pandas are adorable. They look so fluffy and cute, and the internet is abound with videos of them playing on slides, logs, and crunching on that ubiquitous plant they love so much. I think it would be awesome to pet a panda some day, if such an opportunity presents itself.
But no, it does not appear they eat 16 hours a day. Where does Snapple get some of its facts? However, eating up to 16 hours a day on occasion makes sense. After all, 28 pounds of food would take a long time to eat, especially if you have to go looking for it. To put that amount of food into perspective, the average human probably eats 3-5 pounds of food a day, depending on dietary needs (Andrews).
So the next time you think you're full beyond belief, or super bored waiting for your dinner partner to finish off their crab legs, remember how much and how long a panda eats.
Resources:
Andrews, Ryan. "Energy and Calorie Density: What are your 4 pounds made of?." Precision Nutrition Blog. Precision Nurtrition, n. d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-are-your-4-lbs>.
"Giant Panda." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda/>.
Talk about a food marathon!
Cute as the dickens and the universal symbol for endangered animals, pandas eat almost only bamboo (which is low in nutrients) so they need to eat a LOT of it get the amount of food they need.
But exactly how long and how much must they eat? Other grazing-type animals such as horses will forage for as much as 20 hours a day to get the calories they need. But bears are not grazers. They are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. Grizzly bears, for example will eat anything from berries to salmon to whatever you left in your unlocked car...
According to National Geographic, Pandas do not always eat 16 hours a day. They claim that "a typical animal eats half the day - a full 12 out of every 24 hours" and that "it takes 28 pounds...of bamboo to satisfy a giant panda's daily dietary needs" (National Geographic). They will also eat the occasional bird or rodent, but up to 99% of its diet is bamboo. And it's not very nutritious.
Keep in mind that most of what we know about pandas we know from observation in zoos: the wild pandas (of which there are only about 1,000 left) are quite elusive and difficult to find. You can learn more about pandas here and here.
Pandas are adorable. They look so fluffy and cute, and the internet is abound with videos of them playing on slides, logs, and crunching on that ubiquitous plant they love so much. I think it would be awesome to pet a panda some day, if such an opportunity presents itself.
But no, it does not appear they eat 16 hours a day. Where does Snapple get some of its facts? However, eating up to 16 hours a day on occasion makes sense. After all, 28 pounds of food would take a long time to eat, especially if you have to go looking for it. To put that amount of food into perspective, the average human probably eats 3-5 pounds of food a day, depending on dietary needs (Andrews).
So the next time you think you're full beyond belief, or super bored waiting for your dinner partner to finish off their crab legs, remember how much and how long a panda eats.
Resources:
Andrews, Ryan. "Energy and Calorie Density: What are your 4 pounds made of?." Precision Nutrition Blog. Precision Nurtrition, n. d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-are-your-4-lbs>.
"Giant Panda." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda/>.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Fact #712
Real Fact #712: 100% recyclable, old newspapers are great for washing windows.
Never would have thought to try that. As we do not have a newspaper subscription nor the space to store anything of immediate or repetitive use, currently I am unable to try this myself.
I would imagine, however, that the newspaper would deteriorate very quickly, leaving wet mulch on your windows. Also, wouldn't the ink just transfer to your windows, leaving black or colored streaks?
You can find instructions on how to do this on the internet, just like you can find almost anything else. To get step by step instructions to try it yourself, go here. If you do try it, please let me know. I will update this post and try it myself. We have two sliding glass doors on our apartment...to be frank we could use all the help we can get!
(Picture taken from www.nielson.com)
Newspaper is one of those unusual materials that can be used for so many reasons. First of all, obviously, you can read it. How many of use have memories from childhood of a parent, most likely Dad, sitting at the table on a weekend morning, sipping coffee?
Okay, so that may sound very 1950's. Yet that's how I grew up: coming down to breakfast to find Dad drinking black coffee (ew!) and reading the Seattle Times. After reading the paper cover to cover, Dad would break out a pen or pencil and start on the crossword. He's brilliant. He can do the whole thing in about 15 minutes, maybe a bit longer. Heck, I'm lucky if I can answer just one clue! Ads would be in a separate pile, and on Sunday the comics would be in their own little corner. My brother and I would fight over first dibs. As an adult, all I want from the paper is the comics...and occasionally a good "Dear Abby" article.
Most people today get their news from the internet, on their phones, or by watching television. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. Rumors abound that they may go 100% obsolete. I hope not. Sunday comics are a tradition I very much cherish. I have also written for a paper before. It's a high stress task, but also so much fun! Yes, it was my college's newspaper for which I wrote for two to three years. I would love to share the articles with you! However, I cannot seem to find them archived online. If you ever come across any editions of the Carroll College Prospector from 2009 to 2011, please let me know.
Newspapers can be so much more than just for reading. Many of us who have ever packed up every belonging we own and traveled from one domicile to the other would understand the need for padding when you move. Whenever I have moved, stacks of newspaper have been my friends when I need to cushion dishes or other fragile items.
Nowadays you can find other uses for newspaper online. Have you ever heard of a material called pykrete? It's a mixture of frozen water and wood pulp. Kind of like a frozen particle board. It's tough stuff.
(Photo from www.simegen.com)
So what does pykrete have to do with newspaper? Wood pulp, like newspaper, ultimately comes from trees. You can actually use newspaper to create a kind of pykrete. This may seem like a ludicrous idea, but it has been done.
The Discovery Channel hosts a show called "MythBusters." Those who know me well have heard about ti before: it's a great show! Anyway, there is a myth floating around that in World War II the U.S. Navy wanted to build a fleet of pykrete air craft carriers, attributing the idea to pykrete's slow melt rate, bulletproof qualities, and readily available materials (by this point in the war, steel was in very short supply). Now we never built any naval fleets with the stuff because the war ended, but the idea remained: could you actually build a boat with pykrete? The main hosts of the show, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, set out to Alaska to find out.
While they did discover that pykere is indeed stronger than ice and melts slower, they also toyed with the idea of using newspaper instead of wood pulp. The newspaper proved to be much stronger than the wood pulp and they did build a boat out of the material:
(Photo from www.popularmechanics.com. Photo taken during Season 7, Episode 2 of the show "MythBusters")
Sadly, I cannot find a free link to show you the episode. I own 95% of all MythBusters episodes through iTunes, so I don't go looking for a freebie. Do go watch the show. It's awesome. And they blow stuff up all the time. I guarantee I will be mentioning MythBusters again in this blog.
Newspaper is perfect for paper mache projects. It can be shredded and used as liner or bedding for certain small mammals. Fish get wrapped in it all the time (yuck...I'm allergic to fish).
Perhaps the biggest use for newspaper outside of just READING it would be recycling. Newspaper is generally 100% recyclable. By recycling your newspaper, you are providing material to make more newspaper, recycled paper, paper products, paper towel, etc. The more you recycle, the fewer trees we have to chop down to make more. The fewer trees we cut down, the less pollution we have and the happier our planet will be. Remember a green planet is a happy planet, so let's all do our part. I wish I could recycle...our apartment does not have a recycle program.
So can newspaper clean windows? Give it a try and let me know. When I can try it myself, I will let you know!
Never would have thought to try that. As we do not have a newspaper subscription nor the space to store anything of immediate or repetitive use, currently I am unable to try this myself.
I would imagine, however, that the newspaper would deteriorate very quickly, leaving wet mulch on your windows. Also, wouldn't the ink just transfer to your windows, leaving black or colored streaks?
You can find instructions on how to do this on the internet, just like you can find almost anything else. To get step by step instructions to try it yourself, go here. If you do try it, please let me know. I will update this post and try it myself. We have two sliding glass doors on our apartment...to be frank we could use all the help we can get!
Newspaper is one of those unusual materials that can be used for so many reasons. First of all, obviously, you can read it. How many of use have memories from childhood of a parent, most likely Dad, sitting at the table on a weekend morning, sipping coffee?
Okay, so that may sound very 1950's. Yet that's how I grew up: coming down to breakfast to find Dad drinking black coffee (ew!) and reading the Seattle Times. After reading the paper cover to cover, Dad would break out a pen or pencil and start on the crossword. He's brilliant. He can do the whole thing in about 15 minutes, maybe a bit longer. Heck, I'm lucky if I can answer just one clue! Ads would be in a separate pile, and on Sunday the comics would be in their own little corner. My brother and I would fight over first dibs. As an adult, all I want from the paper is the comics...and occasionally a good "Dear Abby" article.
Most people today get their news from the internet, on their phones, or by watching television. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. Rumors abound that they may go 100% obsolete. I hope not. Sunday comics are a tradition I very much cherish. I have also written for a paper before. It's a high stress task, but also so much fun! Yes, it was my college's newspaper for which I wrote for two to three years. I would love to share the articles with you! However, I cannot seem to find them archived online. If you ever come across any editions of the Carroll College Prospector from 2009 to 2011, please let me know.
Newspapers can be so much more than just for reading. Many of us who have ever packed up every belonging we own and traveled from one domicile to the other would understand the need for padding when you move. Whenever I have moved, stacks of newspaper have been my friends when I need to cushion dishes or other fragile items.
Nowadays you can find other uses for newspaper online. Have you ever heard of a material called pykrete? It's a mixture of frozen water and wood pulp. Kind of like a frozen particle board. It's tough stuff.
So what does pykrete have to do with newspaper? Wood pulp, like newspaper, ultimately comes from trees. You can actually use newspaper to create a kind of pykrete. This may seem like a ludicrous idea, but it has been done.
The Discovery Channel hosts a show called "MythBusters." Those who know me well have heard about ti before: it's a great show! Anyway, there is a myth floating around that in World War II the U.S. Navy wanted to build a fleet of pykrete air craft carriers, attributing the idea to pykrete's slow melt rate, bulletproof qualities, and readily available materials (by this point in the war, steel was in very short supply). Now we never built any naval fleets with the stuff because the war ended, but the idea remained: could you actually build a boat with pykrete? The main hosts of the show, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, set out to Alaska to find out.
While they did discover that pykere is indeed stronger than ice and melts slower, they also toyed with the idea of using newspaper instead of wood pulp. The newspaper proved to be much stronger than the wood pulp and they did build a boat out of the material:
Sadly, I cannot find a free link to show you the episode. I own 95% of all MythBusters episodes through iTunes, so I don't go looking for a freebie. Do go watch the show. It's awesome. And they blow stuff up all the time. I guarantee I will be mentioning MythBusters again in this blog.
Newspaper is perfect for paper mache projects. It can be shredded and used as liner or bedding for certain small mammals. Fish get wrapped in it all the time (yuck...I'm allergic to fish).
Perhaps the biggest use for newspaper outside of just READING it would be recycling. Newspaper is generally 100% recyclable. By recycling your newspaper, you are providing material to make more newspaper, recycled paper, paper products, paper towel, etc. The more you recycle, the fewer trees we have to chop down to make more. The fewer trees we cut down, the less pollution we have and the happier our planet will be. Remember a green planet is a happy planet, so let's all do our part. I wish I could recycle...our apartment does not have a recycle program.
So can newspaper clean windows? Give it a try and let me know. When I can try it myself, I will let you know!
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