America Just Can’t Make It Anymore.

July 24, 2015July 6, 2015 fasab Business, Current Events, Factoids, Politics, Rants administrative jobs, all-American, America, America just can't make it anymore, American, American businesses, American Companies, American flags, apparel, apple, automotive industry, automotive products, automotive vehicles, Bangladesh, Barbie dolls, baseball, baseballs, bureaucrat, canada, cars, cell phones, chemicals, China, clothing, computer accessories, Computers, confused, consumer electronics, consumer goods, Converse All Stars, Current Events, curve ball, deck is stacked against them, defense, education, engines, Etch-a-Sketch, exports billions of dollars’ worth, factoid, facts, fast ball, financial services, fish, fridges, fruit, fuel oil, Germany, household furniture, Huffy bicycles, iconic symbols, imports, imports into the US, Indonesia, industrial machinery and equipment, industrial power house of the world, industrial supplies, industries, information, Japan, Levi’s, license fees, made in China, made overseas, math, Mexico, monopoly, moronic bureaucrats, oil, Opinion, parts, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, politics, private services, productive wealth creating jobs, Radio Flyer wagons, Rants, richest company in the world, royalties, shell-shocked, shoes, sports enthusiast, Stupidity And Bureaucracy, telecommunications equipment, televisions, Thoughts, trade deficit, transportation services, travel passenger services, U.S. Government service imports, United States, unprecedented wealth, US Government, vegetables, Vietnam, Wal-Mart, washers, white goods, world's first self-made billionaires, world's second biggest importer of goods

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

The statement in the title is not true, except that it is.

If you are a little confused stay with me and let me clarify.

The United States used to be the industrial power house of the world. Its industries generated unprecedented wealth for the country, creating the world’s first self-made billionaires and productive wealth creating jobs galore for everyone. The whole country prospered.

Today, however, the United States has become the world’s second biggest importer of goods. Worse than that, even though America still exports billions of dollars’ worth in oil, consumer goods and automotive products, it imports even more. This creates a trade deficit ($471 billion according to recent figures).

So what are all these imports into the US?

Well, they include industrial machinery and equipment ($681 billion), automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($309 billion), miscellaneous private services, primarily financial services ($201 billion), cell phones ($90 billion), travel passenger services ($86 billion), pharmaceuticals ($84 billion), computers ($65 billion), chemicals ($61 billion), other transportation services ($59 billion), computer accessories ($57 billion), telecommunications equipment ($54 billion), royalties and license fees services ($42 billion), apparel ($49 billion), petroleum products ($48 billion), fuel oil ($44 billion), industrial supplies ($29 billion), U.S. Government service imports primarily defense ($25 billion), fish ($18 billion), fruit ($13 billion), and vegetables ($11 billion).

If you are a bit shell-shocked by all those figures let me phrase it a bit differently using as examples the types of goods you would tend to buy.

100% (almost) of the shoes bought in the U.S. come from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico;
90% of white goods (washers, fridges, etc.) and consumer electronics are imported;
85% of household furniture is imported;
80% of cars on U.S. roads come from Canada (31%), Japan (24%), Germany (16%) and Mexico (12%); and,
65% of U.S. clothing is imported from China (37%), Vietnam (9.4%), Indonesia (7.2%) and Bangladesh (6.7%).

Probably the saddest part is that even things you thought were “American” are now actually made overseas and imported.

I remember while on a business trip to the US many, many years ago I bought a gift for the young son of a friend of mine. He was a big sports enthusiast so I reckoned that one of the most iconic symbols of sport from America would be a baseball. I bought one in Wal-Mart. It was marked with all the different holding positions for the various ways to throw a baseball (fast ball, curve ball and all that). The perfect gift.

I gave it to him on my return feeling ever so pleased with myself. The kid opened it, showed momentary delight, then looked up at me accusingly. “It says ‘Made in China'” he told me.

But it’s not only baseballs. Similar types of product that you would think are all-American, like Converse All Stars, Levi’s, Huffy bicycles, televisions, Monopoly, Etch-a-Sketch, Radio Flyer wagons, Barbie dolls, and last but by no means least, most of those American flags just ain’t American no more.

It really doesn’t have to be this way. Apple, for example, doesn’t have to become the richest company in the world by manufacturing its products in China and storing its vast hoards of cash overseas.

Or does it?

Everything on the lists above could still be made in the US and surpluses exported to other countries. But the US government and its moronic bureaucrats are spending their time and our money thinking up new ways, not to help American businesses, but to add ever-increasing amounts of rules, regulations and bureaucracy on to American companies.

American businesses can no longer compete, because their own government has ensured that the deck is stacked against them.

In the mind of a bureaucrat losing a million productive wealth creating jobs, for example, in the automotive industry, and replacing them with a million more administrative jobs that cost the country money evens things out.

It doesn’t. Simple math will tell you that. Every time it happens things get worse and America gets poorer.

So America just can’t make it anymore, but not because China has stolen the jobs. It’s because the US government bureaucrats gave them away.

Put the blame where it should be.

============================

Gray And White Matters.

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual $1.7 billion trillion, artists, assist in childbirth, Bank of America, breathing air in Beijing, buy ambulances, Central Intelligence Agency, China, CIA, civilization, conquered, Dalton Chiscolm, Deus Ex, diverted, education, Entertainment, explained, fact, factoid, facts, female brain, frustrated, funeral escort, Genghis Kahn, gray, gray matter, Guatemala, guys, highest air pollution in the world, influence media, information, invented, location of his grave, Lord of the Rings trilogy, male brain, matters, Maxim gun, Maya, Mayan language and culture, Mexico, mistake, modern chainsaw, Mongolia, Moscow, mountains, nano second, nerve signals, New York City, Operation Mockingbird, process thoughts more rapidly, professor of mathematics, revolutionize warfare, rich people, risk of lung cancer, river, Scottish doctors, Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf, secret campaign, Sir Hiram Maxim, smoking 21 cigarettes a day, speed of transmission, sued, surgical procedure, Switzerland, Symphysiotomy, terrorist attack, traffic, twin towers, unknown, unusual facts, video game, White, white matter, widens the pelvis, world wars, world’s first machine gun, Yucatan Peninsula

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”
.
Yes, apparently gray and white matters as you will find out in one of today’s selection of unusual facts.
Hope you enjoy the others as well.
.

.
During the production of the video game Deus Ex,

one of the artists forgot to add

the Twin Towers to New York City.

His mistake was explained by

way of a terrorist attack.

The year was 2000.

Switzerland has

208 mountains over 3,000 meters high

and 24 over 4,000 meters.

The male brain contains more gray matter

whereas the female brain contains more white matter.

White matter basically increases the speed

of transmission of all nerve signals,

which ultimately allows women to process thoughts

more rapidly than their male counterparts.

Don’t fret guys, you’ll get this

in another nano second or two.

Genghis Kahn wanted the location

of his grave to be unknown

(somewhere in present day Mongolia)

so his funeral escort killed everyone they met

along the way and he even demanded that

a river be diverted to run across his grave

so it could never be disturbed.

Although their civilization has declined and been conquered,

in many rural parts of Mexico and Guatemala

Mayan language and culture perseveres.

In fact, there are an estimated 7 million Maya

still living in and around the Yucatan Peninsula.

The modern chainsaw was invented by Scottish

doctors to help with Symphysiotomy.

This is a surgical procedure that widens the

pelvis in order to assist in childbirth.

China is among the countries with

the highest air pollution in the world.

Breathing air in Beijing, the country´s capital,

increases the risk of lung cancer in the same way

as smoking 21 cigarettes a day.

In 1883 Sir Hiram Maxim created the Maxim gun.

The world’s first machine gun would go on to

revolutionize warfare and was used in both World Wars.

Some rich people in Moscow buy

ambulances and use them to drive around

because the traffic is so bad.

Operation Mockingbird was a secret campaign

begun in the 1950s by the

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

to influence media.

After being frustrated by the service

he was receiving at Bank of America,

Dalton Chiscolm sued them

for $1.7 billion trillion.

During the trial a professor of mathematics

was even called in to testify about

how big the number was.

To give you an idea,

Earth’s total combined GDP was $60 trillion that year.

That is still over 28 million times smaller

than what he was asking for.

Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf

in the Lord of the Rings trilogy,

a decision that cost him $300 million

(he was offered 15% of the film’s profit).

=============================

Take These Facts With A Pinch Of Salt (Water)

July 14, 2015July 6, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual Africa, American Dennis the Menace, Australia, beaches, Boston Tea Parties, Bostonians, Ceuta, China, climbers, corpses, deceased climbers, dog food, education, enclaves, English Dennis the Menace, Entertainment, fact, factoid, facts, gold, independent authors, information, Melilla, most expensive college tuition, Mount Everest, nearly silent type of Velcro, New Zealand, oldest recipe for beer, Pepsi, pinch of salt, ripping noise, robbing, saltwater, secret, southern most capital city on Earth, spain, stuck in the garage, successfully sued, Sumerians, Terrence Dickson of Pennsylvania, territories, toilet paper, United States, US. Military, waypoints, Wellington

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Mind you if you do take these facts with a pinch of salt water you’ll be richer than you were.

Not by much though, but every little helps these days.

But enough of this.

Enjoy the facts.

1 liter of saltwater contains

13 billionths of a gram of gold

The US military has a secret,

nearly silent type of Velcro, which

reduces the ripping noise by over 95%.

The oldest recipe for beer is 4,000 years old.

It was first made by the Sumerians

The United States has by far the

most expensive college tuition

out of any developed nation

Spain has two enclaves (territories) in Africa.

They are Melilla and Ceuta.

With over 10,000 beaches you could visit

a new beach every single day in Australia

for the next 30 years

There are 200 corpses of

deceased climbers on Mount Everest.

They serve as waypoints for climbers

There were actually two Boston Tea Parties

with the one you know about being

on December 16, 1773.

The Bostonians repeated it, however,

several months later on March 7, 1774

Wellington, New Zealand, is the

southern most capital city on Earth

The first documented use of toilet paper

dates back to 6th century China.

The English Dennis the Menace

and the American Dennis the Menace

were thought up by completely independent authors

and published on the same day – March 12, 1951.

In October of 1998 Terrence Dickson of Pennsylvania

was trying to exit the house he was robbing.

He managed to get stuck in the garage

and for 8 days he lived off of Pepsi and dog food.

He then successfully sued for over half a million dollars.

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Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Its Quiz Day!

July 13, 2015July 13, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests actor, America, American Revolutionary War, Angkor Wat, Australia, Australian stockman, bathometer, battle, beverage, bird, Blithe Spirit, borough of Brooklyn, calypsos, cattle grid, cattle guard, China, citizens of Paris, Cobnuts, commemorated, convert alternating current to direct current, country, creature, deathbed, destination, Doctor Zhivago, education, Entertainment, filberts, flower, fruit juice, general knowledge, Geography, gives birth, Haber process, Hail to Thee blithe spirit, Harry Belafonte, history, Kzahkstan, Ladies Singles Championship, largest young, leisure, manufactured, movie, movies, National Park, nationality, nature, new york, novel, Old Man’s Beard, pealing of all the bells, peninsular, Percy Bysshe Shelley, planets in our solar system, play, questions, quiz, quizzes, rectifier, science, Shelley’s poem, silencing, soda water, songs, southwestern, species, sport, stock grid, suppressing, surrounded, Tajikistan, temple complex, test, tests, Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Traveller’s Joy, tree, turning point, UK/Ireland, Uzbekistan, vegetable, Wimbledon 2015, young kangaroo

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

For those of you who find the title a little obscure Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport is one of the best-known and most successful songs from Australia, inspired by Harry Belafonte’s calypsos, it is about an Australian stockman on his deathbed.

It also provides a handy link to question one.

As for this and the rest of the questions, if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

quiz 06

Q. 1. What is a young kangaroo called?

Q. 2. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is situated in which country?

Q. 3. What is commonly used in a rectifier to convert alternating current to direct current?

Q. 4. Which creature gives birth to the largest young?

Q. 5. What do you call the peninsular leisure/entertainment destination found in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York?

Q. 6. What is a bathometer?

Q. 7. Cobnuts and filberts come from what species of tree?

Q. 8. What country is surrounded by Kzahkstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China?

Q. 9. About which bird did Percy Bysshe Shelley write ‘Hail to Thee, blithe spirit!’?

Q. 10. Who wrote the play ‘Blithe Spirit’ which took its title from Shelley’s poem?

Q. 11. What is a ‘cattle grid’ (UK/Ireland), a ‘stock grid’ (Australia), or a ‘cattle guard’ (America) used for?

Q. 12. What recently deceased actor was ‘Doctor Zhivago’ in the 1965 movie?

Q. 13. What nationality was ‘Doctor Zhivago’?

Q. 14. ‘Old Man’s Beard’ and ‘Traveller’s Joy’ are names for a variety of which flower?

Q. 15. What is manufactured by the Haber process?

Q. 16. Which novel opens: “It was 348 years, six months and 19 days ago today that the citizens of Paris were awakened by the pealing of all the bells in the triple precincts of the City, the University and the Town”; and who wrote it? (A point for each correct answer.)

Q. 17. What are the names of the first and the fifth planets in our solar system?

Q. 18. No battle was fought here, yet, it was the turning point of the American Revolutionary War and is now commemorated as a National Park. What is its name and in which state is it located? (A point for each correct answer.)

Q. 19. Who won the Ladies Singles Championship at Wimbledon 2015?

Q. 20. This word can mean the name of a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water, part of the name of a well-known vegetable, a sport, or the act of silencing or suppressing – what is it?

ANSWERS

Q. 1. What is a young kangaroo called?

A. 1. Joey.

Q. 2. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is situated in which country?

A. 2. Cambodia.

Q. 3. What is commonly used in a rectifier to convert alternating current to direct current?

A. 3. A ‘Diode’.

Q. 4. Which creature gives birth to the largest young?

A. 4. Blue Whale – 8 metres and 2,700 kg at birth. In the first 7 to 8 months they reach 16 metres and weigh about 21,000 kg.

Q. 5. What do you call the peninsular leisure/entertainment destination found in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York?

A. 5. It is called ‘Coney Island’.

Q. 6. What is a bathometer?

A. 6. It is an instrument for indicating the depth of the sea beneath a moving vessel. You can have the point if you said depth gage or something to measure depth of water.

Q. 7. Cobnuts and filberts come from what species of tree?

A. 7. From the Hazel tree.

Q. 8. What country is surrounded by Kzahkstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China?

A. 8. Kyrgzstan.

Q. 9. About which bird did Percy Bysshe Shelley write ‘Hail to Thee, blithe spirit!’?

A. 9. A skylark (in To a Skylark).

Q. 10. Who wrote the play ‘Blithe Spirit’ which took its title from Shelley’s poem?

A. 10. Noël Coward.

Q. 11. What is a ‘cattle grid’ (UK/Ireland), a ‘stock grid’ (Australia), or a ‘cattle guard’ (America) used for?

A. 11. It is used as a barrier that allows vehicles to pass, but not cattle.

Q. 12. What recently deceased actor was ‘Doctor Zhivago’ in the 1965 movie?

A. 12. Omar Sharif.

Q. 13. What nationality was ‘Doctor Zhivago’?

A. 13. Russian.

Q. 14. ‘Old Man’s Beard’ and ‘Traveller’s Joy’ are names for a variety of which flower?

A. 14. The Clematis.

Q. 15. What is manufactured by the Haber process?

A. 15. Ammonia.

A. 16. Notre Dame de Paris (also known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame) by Victor Hugo

Q. 17. What are the names of the first and the fifth planets in our solar system?

A. 17. The first is Mercury (the smallest, now Pluto has been demoted) and the fifth is Jupiter (the largest).

A. 18. It is Valley Forge located approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania.

Q. 19. Who won the Ladies Singles Championship at Wimbledon 2015?

A. 19. Serena Williams.

Q. 20. This word can mean the name of a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water, part of the name of a well-known vegetable, a sport, or the act of silencing or suppressing – what is it?

A. 20. Squash.

==================================

The Entertainer Continues

July 12, 2015July 10, 2015 fasab Current Events, Factoids, Politics a liar in the White House, above the parapet, afraid, America, American society, americans, avoiding taking stands on moral issues, brash, buy the same gadgets, Chairman Mao, China, conditioned to act the same, control, cranks, crime, Current Events, detractors, Donald Trump, dress the same, empty talking head on TV, English is becoming a second language, entertaining, ethnic diversity, factoid, facts, first hand experience, free thinking people, frightened, herd, Hillary, illegal immigrants, liberal political elites, live the dream, loud, lower that Confederate flag, luxury of sitting on the fence, massive influxes of immigrants, minority groups, mocking, nice, not smart at all, Opinion, ordinary Americans, political elites, politics, predictable pattern, presidential, pseudo-intellectuals, raise a white one, Rants, sad reflection, say the same things, secretly cheer, Sheeple, smart, Social problems, soft target for crime, style, surge in the polls, take advantage, The Entertainer, think the same, Thoughts, to tell the truth, Trump, Trump's critics, trying to get publicity, uncomfortable truths, watch the same TV shows

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

If Donald Trump has done nothing else, apart from entertaining us, he has raised some uncomfortable truths for Americans to face.

For too many years people in America have had the luxury of sitting on the fence, avoiding taking stands on moral issues, or issues affecting minority groups in their country.

They’re frightened.

Frightened of looking like cranks.

Frightened of pseudo-intellectuals (who really know very little) mocking them.

Frightened of not being part of the herd.

Frightened of not appearing ‘nice’.

Lower that Confederate flag and raise a white one, quick!

Dear help us.

Confederate battle flag flies in South Carolina — Confederate flag comes down at South Carolina Capitol after half century

People, and not only in America, have been conditioned to act the same, buy the same gadgets, watch the same TV shows and even dress the same. If it continues they’ll all be dressed in similar suits like China in the days of Chairman Mao, only with little red smartphones instead of little red books.

More importantly than all these, the people are being conditioned to ‘think’ the same. ‘Sheeple’ are easier to control than ‘free thinking people’ and as we know it is all about control.

When I said they’re ‘frightened’, I meant Americans have been conditioned into being afraid to stick their own heads above the parapet.

But when occasionally someone does it for them then they secretly cheer – but not too loud mind you in case someone hears.

That’s why Trump enjoyed a surge in the polls after his remarks about illegal immigrants and how they are not all perfect human beings. Everybody knew it but were afraid to say it.

The political elites, most of them anyway, would never be caught saying what they really think – in public. Admittedly Trump said it in his own brash and loud style, but at least he said it.

You don’t have to agree with him – far from it – but you do have to acknowledge that he said what many thousands of ordinary Americans were thinking yet were afraid to say.

Many of these ordinary Americans are probably living in areas where there have been massive influxes of immigrants. They know how it has affected them. In these areas English has become a second language. Social problems have increased and crime has gone up. And everyone is afraid to say why.

More to the point, they know from first-hand experience that this new ethnic diversity has failed to provide the benefits that the liberal political elites promised it would.

Facts are facts are facts.

Many people have come to America to live the ‘dream’ and better themselves. But many others have come to take advantage of what they regard as a soft target for crime.

Many of Trump’s critics are just as guilty of trying to get publicity for themselves as perhaps Trump is making the remarks in the first place.

But the critics exhibit a sadly familiar and predictable pattern. They see an empty talking head on TV, think it’s smart, and then say the same things or a slight variation thereof. That makes them think they look smart too, except of course it doesn’t, because the talking head on TV was empty, not smart at all.

Many of these detractors have gone so far as to say that Trump’s remarks are not “presidential”.

The big question, that unfortunately is not being asked in blazing headlines in the media, is why in America today is it not ‘presidential’ to tell the truth, or to give a true expression of what you believe?

If that is now really the case then it is a sad reflection of American society and not something to be proud of.

You have another choice though.

If you want a liar in the White House there’s always Hillary.

===========================================

Sign Language Is Very Handy.

June 25, 2015June 21, 2015 fasab comedy, Humour, Language, Puns 'I' in team, advice, amusing, apple, bad jokes, bad listener, bloke, boomerang, Chang, China, cliche phrases, Comedy, crystal ball, didn't see that coming, doctor away, even Steven, experimented with drugs, football team, fortnight, friends, funny, gone away, Humor, Humour, jokes, lost their voice, lying, make up words, pharmaceutical engineer, pun, pun day, puns, silly jokes, sponsored by Apple, stupid, surname, two weeks to live, university, wife, Wong, word play, word plays

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

I would sign at you that this is Pun Day, but what would be the point you can’t see me.

Instead I’ll just keep quiet and let you get on with reading this latest selection of word plays.

As always….

Enjoy or endure!!

If anyone ever tells you they’ve lost their voice,

They’re lying.

I experimented with drugs while I was in university.

I’m now a fully qualified pharmaceutical engineer.

The most common surname in China is Chang,

correct me if you think that’s Wong.

I bet the bloke who threw the first boomerang

didn’t see that coming.

All my friends hate using cliche phrases.

Even Steven.

Want to keep the doctor away?

There’s an apple for that.

I’ve just been given two weeks to live.

The wife’s gone away for a fortnight.

Eleventeen percent of people

make up words.

I’ve never been told

I am a bad listener.

My football team is sponsored by Apple.

So now there is an ‘I’ in team.

If I had a crystal ball

I’d sit down very carefully

Finally for today,

here’s a bit of advice for you.

Advi.

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Need To Spend A Penny? Find Out Where You Can’t In Today’s Fact File.

June 23, 2015June 21, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual .yu, 20th century, Abraham Lincoln, Al Gore, appeared in a dream, assassinated, Australia, black man, British ship, China, colonists, constructed buildings without mortar, cosmetics industry, cosmetics products, cost effective, currency, dilate, domain names, education, Entertainment, fact, factoid, factoids, facts, falling-out hair, first female American self-made millionaire, first submarine attack in history, fitting together perfectly, fortune, good indication, grow back, gunpowder, HMS Eagle, huge stones, hull, illegal, Incas, Independence, information, International Space Station, internet, invented wi-fi, involuntary behavior, jinx, lying, Madame C J Walker, me, mixture, Montenegro, nasa, National Science Agency, New York Harbor in 1776, Pan-American exposition in New York, pennies, permission from the government, person's pupils, President James Garfield, President McKinley, President William McKinley, registered, reincarnation, Robert Todd Lincoln, stores, submersible, sued, text message, The Turtle, told her, too heavy, top level internet domain, US military bases, websites, witness the assassination, world, Yugoslavia

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Spending a penny is becoming more and more difficult these days, especially if you are in the US military as you will see. But then they are trained to take the pressure.

More fabulous facts below.

Enjoy.

Stores on US military bases around the world

don’t accept pennies as currency because they are

“too heavy and are not cost-effective to ship”.

A person’s pupils will dilate if they are lying.

In fact, because this is an involuntary behavior

it is usually a good indication.

The world’s first female American self-made millionaire,

Madame C.J. Walker, made her fortune

in the early 20th century cosmetics industry.

A black man appeared to her in a dream

and told her the mixture which would help

her falling-out hair grow back in.

It worked, and she enjoyed a lengthy career

selling her cosmetics products.

Australia’s National Science Agency

claims to have basically invented wi-fi

and has even sued over it.

But sure we all know it was Al Gore,

or was that the internet he didn’t invent?

Still on the subject of the internet,

when Montenegro gained its independence

from Yugoslavia its top level internet

domain went from .yu to .me

And yet more Internet goodies,

in 1993 there were only 623 websites.

Today, more than 100,000 domain names

are registered every single day

The Incas constructed buildings without mortar,

the huge stones they used fitting together

so perfectly and tightly that

nothing could get between them.

In China reincarnation is illegal.

Unless you have permission from the government.

(But how would they know if you came back

as an American or maybe a dog?)

The first submarine attack in history

took place in New York Harbor in 1776.

The colonists attempted to attach gunpowder

to the hull of the British ship HMS Eagle

using a submersible they called ‘The Turtle’.

NASA will send you a text message

whenever the International Space Station

passes over your location.

Is there such a thing as a jinx?

Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln

was by his father’s side as he passed away.

He then went on to witness the assassination

of President James Garfield.

Twenty years later, in 1901, President William McKinley

invited him to the Pan-American exposition in New York

and on that day President McKinley was also assassinated.

Robert decided to decline any presidential invitations

from that day forth.

=============================

A Mish Mash Quiz Today.

June 22, 2015June 21, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests actresses, Alfred Pennyworth, almonds, Amazon, American Odyssey, art, Asia, Australian actor, Australian movie character, aviation sunglasses, ban, Bausch & Lomb, Bible, book, books of the New Testament, britain, cabbage, characters, China, city, Controversial, countries, country, creatures, currencies, devil on two sticks, dust, earth, education, Entertainment, Europe, fictional character, first, first names, flamboyant, food, former name, fruit cake, game, general knowledge, Geography, George Custer, group, headaches, history, internet users, irish, Japan, John Lennon, juggling, La Gioconda, largest American retailer of lingerie, last, legendary city, Lieutenant General John MacCready, literature, M A S H, M*A*S*H, medical equipment manufacturer, movie, movies, music, nature, nausea, new york, painting, Paul McCartney, pilots, Potato, questions, quiz, quizzes, Ring of Bright Water, Robin Hood, Sahara, science, Scotland, sport, sun rays, television, test, tests, The Beatles, The City Of Tigers, The Golden Girls, Timbuktu, town, traditional, transports, TV series, US Army Air Corps, USA, video, widow, wind

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Welcome to today’s quiz on the fasab blog.

Another challenging selection of questions for you.

And if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1. M*A*S*H was a famous book, movie and TV series, but what do the letters M A S H stand for?

Q. 2. Wind transports approximately how many millions of tonnes of dust from the Sahara to the Amazon every year?

a) 4 million tonnes b) 40 million tonnes c) 400 million tonnes

Q. 3. What city is known as ‘The City Of Tigers’ ? (HINT: it is not in Asia.)

Q. 4. ‘Ring of Bright Water’ is a book about which creatures?

Q. 5. This one is the name of a rich fruit cake decorated with almonds, a town in Scotland, and the last name of a comic Australian movie character. What is it?

Q. 6. In which country is the legendary city of Timbuktu? (If you have been following the TV series American Odyssey you’ll know this one.)

Q. 7. A multi-point question. What currencies are used in the following countries?

a) USA b) Britain c) Japan d) Europe e) China

Q. 8. What percentage of internet users quit waiting for a video to load after 10 seconds?

a) 10% b) 20% c) 30% d) 40% e) 50% f) 60%

Q. 9. What were the first names of the four main characters of the long running and highly successful TV series ‘The Golden Girls’ ? (Bonus points if you can also correctly name the actresses who played them.)

Q. 10. In 1929, US Army Air Corps Lieutenant General John MacCready asked Bausch & Lomb, a New York-based medical equipment manufacturer, to create aviation sunglasses that would ban the sun rays and reduce the headaches and nausea experienced by his pilots. What name were they given?

Q. 11. “The devil on two sticks” is a former name for which juggling-like game?

Q. 12. What are the four largest countries on Earth by area? (A point for each you name correctly and a bonus point if you get them in the correct order, starting with the largest.)

Q. 13. What is the painting, ‘La Gioconda’, more usually known as?

Q. 14. What is the name of the traditional Irish potato and cabbage dish?

Q. 15. What is the name of John Lennon’s widow?

Q. 16. With whom is the fictional character ‘Alfred Pennyworth’ associated?

Q. 17. Who is the largest American retailer of lingerie?

Q. 18. In the Bible what are the names of the first and last books of the New Testament?

Q. 19. What was the name of the flamboyant and controversial Australian actor who starred in many movies during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and played characters like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘George Custer’?

Q. 20. What was the name of the group that Paul McCartney went on to form in 1970 after The Beatles split up?

ANSWERS

Q. 1. M*A*S*H was a famous book, movie and TV series, but what do the latters M A S H stand for?

A. 1. Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.

Q. 2. Wind transports approximately how many millions of tonnes of dust from the Sahara to the Amazon every year?

a) 4 million tonnes b) 40 million tonnes c) 400 million tonnes

A. 2. The correct answer is b) 40 million tonnes.

Q. 3. What city is known as ‘The City Of Tigers’ ? (HINT: it is not in Asia.)

A. 3. It’s Oslo, Norway. (Apparently because the city was referred to as ‘Tigerstaden’ (the City of Tigers) by the author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson around 1870, due to his perception of the city as a cold and dangerous place.

Q. 4. ‘Ring of Bright Water’ is a book about which creatures?

A. 4. Otters.

Q. 5. This one is the name of a rich fruit cake decorated with almonds, a town in Scotland, and the last name of a comic Australian movie character. What is it?

A. 5. It is ‘Dundee’.

Q. 6. In which country is the legendary city of Timbuktu? (If you have been following the TV series American Odyssey you’ll know this one.)

A. 6. Mali, Africa.

Q. 7. A multi-point question. What currencies are used in the following countries?

a) USA b) Britain c) Japan d) Europe e) China

A. 7. a) Dollar b) Pound c) Yen d) Euro e) Yuan Renminbi

Q. 8. What percentage of internet users quit waiting for a video to load after 10 seconds?

a) 10% b) 20% c) 30% d) 40% e) 50% f) 60%

A. 8. The correct answer is e) 50%.

A. 9. They were Dorothy Zbornak (played by Bea Arthur); Rose Nylund (played by Betty White); Blanche Devereaux (played by Rue McClanahan); and Sophia Petrillo (played by Estelle Getty).

A. 10. They were called Ray Ban.

Q. 11. “The devil on two sticks” is a former name for which juggling-like game?

A. 11. Diabolo.

Q. 12. What are the four largest countries on Earth by area? (A point for each you name correctly and a bonus point if you get them in the correct order, starting with the largest.)

A. 12. 1) Russia 2) Canada 3) United States 4) PR China

Q. 13. What is the painting, ‘La Gioconda’, more usually known as?

A. 13. The Mona Lisa.

Q. 14. What is the name of the traditional Irish potato and cabbage dish?

A. 14. Colcannon.

Q. 15. What is the name of John Lennon’s widow?

A. 15. Yoko Ono.

Q. 16. With whom is the fictional character ‘Alfred Pennyworth’ associated?

A. 16. He is butler to Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.

Q. 17. Who is the largest American retailer of lingerie?

A. 17. Victoria’s Secret.

Q. 18. In the Bible what are the names of the first and last books of the New Testament?

A. 18. They are the book of Matthew and the book of Revelation.

A. 19. He was Errol Flynn.

Q. 20. What was the name of the group that Paul McCartney went on to form in 1970 after The Beatles split up?

A. 20. It was called ‘Wings’, have a taste….

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May The 4th Quiz Be With You.

May 4, 2015April 24, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests American state, Antonio de Egas Moniz, band, books, brain, brightest star in the night sky, canoeing, Chairman Mao, Chemical Element, China, City of 72 Nations, collective noun, color, Conrad, costas, country, created, diamonds, different course, education, Entertainment, figure-skating judge, general knowledge, Geography, girl’s best friend, Heller, highest score, history, house, international car registration, Journey, kayaking, Kipling, Liberation of Saigon Day, links, literary characters, literature, Living Next Door to Alice, loop of a meander of a river, movies, music, Name, Nobel prize for medicine, operation, Owls, paddles, people places, phonetic alphabet, PL, Portugal, prime minster, public holiday, questions, quiz, quizzes, science, Southwark, spain, Tabard Inn, test, tests, trumpet, vacations, valves, voting representatives, Welsh poppy, word, words, writers

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

I don’t know what it is, but I can’t resist using that “May The Force Be With You” thing on this date. Sorry, but you’ll probably see another version of it next year if we’re all still around in the blogshpere.

But to get on with today’s real business, I do have another quiz for you.

The usual random selection and also as usual you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?

Q. 2: What is the collective noun for a group of owls?

Q. 3: ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?

Q. 4: What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?

Q. 5: What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?

a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 d) 8 e) 10

Q. 6: For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?

Q. 7: Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?

Q. 8: Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?

Q. 9: What is the brightest star in the night sky?

Q. 10: Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.

Costa _ _ _ _ _ _

Costa _ _ _ _ _

Costa _ _ _ _ _ _

Q. 11: What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?

Q. 12: As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?

Q. 13: What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?

Q. 14: In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?

Q. 15: What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?

Q. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?

Q. 17: What color is a Welsh poppy?

a) Blue b) Yellow c) Red d) White

Q. 18: How many valves does a trumpet have?

Q. 19: Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘P’ ?

Q. 20: Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?

A. 1: Hotel.

Q. 2: What is the collective noun for a group of owls?

A. 2: A parliament.

Q. 3: ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?

A. 3: Poland.

Q. 4: What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?

A. 4: Tehran.

Q. 5: What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?

a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 d) 8 e) 10

A. 5: The correct answer is c) 6.

Q. 6: For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?

A. 6: Prefrontal lobotomy.

Q. 7: Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?

A. 7: Chou En-Lai (or Zhou Enlai).

Q. 8: Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?

A. 8: The pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Q. 9: What is the brightest star in the night sky?

A. 9: Sirius (The Dog Star).

Q. 10: Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.

Costa _ _ _ _ _ _

Costa _ _ _ _ _

Costa _ _ _ _ _ _

A. 10: The correct answers are Costa BLANCA, Costa BRAVA, Costa DORADA, and the Costa DEL SOL

Q. 11: What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?

A. 11: The answer is ‘Joseph’. Joseph Conrad, Joseph Heller and although he was much better known as Rudyard Kipling his first name was also Joseph.

Q. 12: As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?

A. 12: Carbon.

Q. 13: What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?

A. 13: Canoe paddles have a single face and Kayak paddles a double face.

Q. 14: In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?

A. 14: Vietnam.

Q. 15: What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?

A. 15: Oxbow Lake.

Q. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?

A. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.

Q. 17: What color is a Welsh poppy?

a) Blue b) Yellow c) Red d) White

A. 17: The correct answer is b) Yellow.

Q. 18: How many valves does a trumpet have?

A. 18: A trumpet has 3 valves.

Q. 19: Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘p’?

A. 19: Pennsylvania.

Q. 20: Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?

A. 20: Smokie.

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Time For Some Crude Talk.

April 17, 2015April 14, 2015 fasab Business, Current Events, Investing $20 per barrel, $200 per barrel, America, barrel, barrels, burned off at the oil wells, China, CNG, collapsing completely, collected, commodity, compressed into tanks, compressed natural gas, crude, Current Events, declined, diesel, domestic oil production, drilling equipment, dumping oil on the black market, fall in income, finance their war, imported oil, investment, Iranians, iraq, ISIL, ISIS, layman's answer, long term, low prices, market glut, natural gas, North America, oil, oil fields, oil industry, oil price, oil price declined, OPEC, OPEC countries, over supply in the market, predictions, pretty good guess, Random, scarce, secondary effects, shale-oil fields in the United States of America, supply is greater than demand, supply of oil, surplus, tar-sands in Canada, Terrorists, the price falls, the price rises, those in the 'know', Thoughts, vast reserves, vehicles

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

It’s not so long ago that I was getting bombarded with emails about how great an investment oil would be.

At that time the predictions by those in the ‘know’, who really know nothing, was that oil would hit $200 per barrel – maybe much, much more!

Well, they almost got the number correct, except that oil actually hit $20 per barrel, not $200. As these things go it was a pretty good guess!!!

So why has the oil price declined and, although it has recovered a bit, why are the predictions for today’s low prices to hold long term?

The simple layman’s answer of course is that the oil price has declined because supply is greater than demand. When there is a surplus of a commodity the price falls and when it is scarce the price rises.

The supply of oil has increased relative to demand for a number of reasons.

The most obvious one is the vast reserves of oil found and now being recovered in the massive shale-oil fields in the United States of America and the tar-sands in Canada that have added more than 5 million barrels per day to domestic oil production since 2008. Able to produce more at home, North America has been able to reduce its demand for imported oil.

The effect of this, of course, is that the OPEC countries have seen their annual revenues fall sharply during the same period. To try to rectify this fall in income, which they need to provide for their own citizens, they have been trying to replace lost revenue from North America by increasing production of their own oil supplies.

In other words, they have created even more over supply in the market, which helps to keep the oil price down.

Then there was the ISIS or ISIL terrorists in Iraq who had taken control of most of the oil fields and were dumping oil on the black market as fast as they could to help finance their war. Recently they’ve lost control of a lot of those oil fields so that part of the equation may no longer be in play to the same extent.

However, if there is a deal ever done with the Iranians and they are able to trade without restriction again, no doubt they will be adding their oil to the market glut which will also help to keep the market over-supplied and the price suppressed.

Then there is the increasing use of compressed natural gas or CNG. This is the natural gas that used to be burned off at the oil wells, but that is now collected, compressed into tanks and used to power vehicles and in drilling equipment, meaning less diesel is purchased.

Despite all these over-supply pressures, the thing that is keeping the oil price from collapsing completely is the continued demand from China. This is a good thing because a long-term collapse in the oil price, whilst it may make life a bit easier financially for many with decreased heating and fuel bills, also has detrimental secondary effects on some parts of the country where the oil industry provides a living for a great many people.

I haven’t had an email about investing in oil for a long time and I don’t expect them to start again soon. Now you know why.

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