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I found this awesome old sewing machine the Pfaff 260 Stopmatic at a thrift store and I am just curious how old it is. It is one of the one that is built into the cabinet and flips under. Any information on it would be appreciated. I couldn’t find anything on google!

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it is branching up out of of the pipe that carries away the waste water. the dishwaher is next to the sink and also drains there I beleive.
it sticks up and ends just under the sink and has a white “cap” with holes in it.
would this setup release odors under my cabinet? I am having problem with odors under the sink
Thanks!
here is a photo:

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy179/arghhhhhhhhh/th_whatisthisplumbingfor.jpg

would this contribute to a musty odor each time I run the dishwasher?
I guess I can’t seal it off, should I pour bleach in there?
here’s a better link

http://s789.photobucket.com/albums/yy179/arghhhhhhhhh/?action=view&current=whatisthisplumbingfor.jpg

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It looks like a mini unicorn. It’s about four inches high and it keeps running around on the floor.
Should I keep it, or let it go outside?
It’s really strange looking, but it’s kinda cool.
That horn on it’s head is sharp!

When your baby starts walking, the number of dangers multiplies and parents must pay even more attention. Bookshelves become hazardous and table knick knacks become the object of unquenchable curiosity. Even table cloths can become dangerous. Yes, a simple tablecloth can create unintended havoc when a toddler is involved. Here are is a checklist for parents to follow and implement before your baby becomes a walking toddler:

1. Use bolts or screws to fasten bookshelves to the wall. If a toddler likes to climb, this is one of the many types of furniture they’re very likely to climb on, pull down or fall off of. There are also straps, anti-tip kits and anti-tip devices that secure your bookshelves to walls keeping your toddler safe. Falling bookshelves, bookcases, dressers and in general, falling furniture happens more often than people think and it can be fatal.

2. Electrical and pull cords can strangle a baby or toddler. Tape down all electrical cords and put cords on blinds and curtains up, out of reach of a child as they may be dangerous. Even the cord on the treadmill should be removed so a baby or toddler doesn’t strangle herself. As most of us know, a celebrity just tragically lost a small child because of a loose treadmill cord. Cord shorteners are available for curtain and blind cords. It only takes a moment to walk into a room and take precautions that will dramatically enhance child safety.

3. Put covers on electrical sockets so that a baby or toddler doesn’t get shocked, or electrocuted by putting his fingers or a metallic object in the socket. This does happen in real life, it is not an urban myth.

4. Medications and household cleaners can be dangerous. Items as mundane as bath oil or nail polish remover are toxic when ingested by a child. Put them up in a locked cabinet. Remember, a baby or toddler cannot tell you what they swallowed. Assume the worst. If you suspect that your child has swallowed something toxic, call your local poison control center. In fact, always make sure you have a legible list of emergency numbers next to every phone in the house. Take the time to program those numbers into your mobile phone.

5. Beware of small objects on the countertops like coins and paperclips. A toddler can reach these items and there is a high probability that they will at the very least put them in their mouth and at the worst, swallow them. Obviously, there is also a high probability that these item will cause the child to choke. It only takes a minute to look at your countertops and to remove those small, dangerous objects.

6. Keep electrical appliances, knives and glass objects high up and far away from your toddler. A small child will grab at anything that looks bright and shiny. These objects need to be locked up in cabinets and those cabinets should be up very high and they absolutely need to be locked. When a baby becomes a toddler latched doors and drawers in lower cabinets are no longer safe. A small child will try and open that lower cabinet if given the opportunity. All cleaning supplies should be kept high and locked up to ensure that the toddler can’t reach them. Never leave cleaning supplies out and absolutely never, never leave them open. That is just asking for trouble.

7. Cover any and all sharp edges on furniture. Toddlers aren’t all that agile or coordinated plus they wobble when they walk. It is not abnormal for a small child to bump their head or other body part on the corners of coffee tables, other tables, cabinets, table legs and just a countless list of furniture parts and pieces.

8. If you don’t have a garbage disposal and have a garbage can, secure it, hide it or keep it secured outside. Babies and toddlers are insatiably curious and the child can reach in and remove, examine and possibly swallow small objects or toxic objects. I am not exaggerating. Remember, whether you keep a garbage can inside or outside child proof it by securing it.

9. Put safety gates at both the top and bottom of stairs. Use baby safety gates that require a hardware installation as pressure gates are insufficient. Stairways are dangerous for babies and toddlers at both the bottom and top of the stairs. Make sure the railings of the gate are less than 2 3/8 inches apart. The last thing you want is to give a small child an opening between rails. Small children love to explore and will simply look at this as another adventure and the last thing you need is that type of adventure.

Please follow this checklist to ensure the safety of your children. Remember, child safety and home safety should always be priority number one.

When digital signage systems are put into hostile environments what are the best options for protecting them from the bright sunlight, high winds, frequent rain and snow, an outdoor LCD enclosure provides the relevant protection.

A furniture company who specialised in furniture for the outdoor living market needed a digital signage solution that would be eye catching as well as robust, as the location was near a beach with sea salt in the air – this is a killer for any unprotected LCD display, this doesn’t take into account the humidity.

Now one of the biggest obstacles faced when deploying an outdoor LCD is selecting the correct protective LCD enclosure. It is so important to select an TV enclosure that is specifically designed to withstand harsh environments. Outdoor TV enclosures need to be designed so they give steady operation in an uncontrollable elements.

These cases have special needs so that they can run in the optimum condition these are:

Cooling and heating Moisture control Adequate ventilation Durability for unmonitored use

Imagine the differences between a case that is deployed in Texas compared to Canada, the extremes in temperature ranging from sub-zero to 140 degrees F.

The solution.

However there are units on the market that have all the protection built in, firstly let us address the sand issue for the outdoor living company.

Dealing with sand.

A ventilator is fitted to the case to cool the unit, then a filter housing is fitted to the ventilator this ensures that the air coming into the case is clean and any air bourn particles have been removed including sand.

Cooling and heating.

Seeing that this element can vary so much, the perfect outdoor TV cabinet has fitted or as an optional extra a cooling fan unit and a heater, these are ideally thermostatically controlled so all the installer does is set the internal temperature of the cabinet and if it gets too hot the fan cuts in and if it falls, the heater cuts in automatically providing the perfect environment.

Moisture control.

This is addressed with the above heater unit.

Adequate ventilation.

Even though the outdoor TV case is sealed it still has to have adequate ventilation otherwise the case will choke.

Durability for unmonitored use.

The most durable material is steel and this is the best type of enclosure for an outdoor LCD display.

Now you know what to look for in an outdoor LCD enclosure.

My cousin, his wife, and his two children (ten and six) have been staying at my parent’s house (where I live, since I’m 15) since the 31st of July. It is now the 1st of December. It has been four months, and they show no signs of leaving. Let me explain why they are here.
Four months ago they managed to leave Cuba based on political refuge. Our extensive family here decided that we were going to help them (and by help, they mean dump them on us and visit once in a while). Our parents decided that they would house them until they get jobs and can move out. Well, they planned on maybe two months. But first, the work permits took very long. Eventually, about a month ago, they both got jobs. Yet they’re still staying.
Now here’s the situation: I had to give them my room so they could live with us. I agreed because I thought it would be for a couple of months. Both my parents are saying, however, that even after FOUR months, they’re staying for at least two more, making it officially at least half a year. When I gave them my room, I agreed to sleep in the office, which is a small, ten by ten room. There are two large computer desks, a filing cabinet, a night stand, all the movies, a tower, and three computer chairs in that room. I’m sleeping on an air bed. The room, even though I’m sleeping in it, is still being used as an office, meaning there are people in it ALL THE TIME and I don’t have anywhere to go. I have three drawers and half a closet for all my clothes. The closet is brimming with storage things like a piano, another filing cabinet, boardgames, and various other things. The closet is also tiny.
All four of them are sleeping in my room, where more than half of my stuff still is. They have my computer. The youngest one is constantly eating and drinking in there, and we have hardwood floors. In case you didn’t know, food and liquid can permanently damage hardwood floors. He is also constantly throwing things on the floor, leaving dents. Neither of his parents ever discipline him, so he has no respect whatsoever. He will literally yell back and kick and scream and disobey whatever you say. The older one is more calm, but she doesn’t understand the meaning of punishing. Whenever my sister and I try to punish the younger one for being highly disrespectful (using his toy gun to throw bullets at people’s faces, calling everyone fat, stupid monkeys, taking our stuff gleefully, ect.) she immediately comforts him and gives him whatever she wants. I know she’s a good kid at heart, but she doesn’t understand that her brother is literally spoiled rotten to the core. It’s hard to describe his atrocity.
Neither of his parents understand and rarely take action against the kids. They allow them to watch obscene movies and TV shows in front of OUR TV for hours on end. They allow them to use OUR Wii without permission (if it were up to me, which it should be, no six year old would be allowed to USE a Wii), and use all our computers endlessly.
I cannot stand sleeping on an air mattress any longer. I have nowhere to do my homework, there is never peace and quiet, and now I hate being in my house. The parents always comment on everything we do and make us uncomfortable in our own home. And when asked why it appeared that they weren’t looking for an apartment, my cousin said that he was worried that he would be fired and wouldn’t be able to pay for it. To me that sounds like an excuse, because people do that every day.
They are living under our house, using our resources, wasting our water and energy (because they use highly energy-inefficient things like hair dryers daily for thirty minutes each), and live under their OWN rules. Is it right of them to intrude upon this house any longer, or do you think four months of this ungratefulness is enough?

It is still ruff but I would like to know if it is something you would want me to write more of.
And yes, it still needs work.
Thanks.
______________________________________…
One
My Aunt Bessie drove me to the airport in Denver, Colorado. It was a nice day out; 82 degrees on a fall day. That’s pretty good for Colorado- we would consider that nice. I was wearing my lucky bracelet. It’s chain-linked and it has a heart hanging from it. On the heart says “I love you.”
I was going to go to the one place on Earth that I hated most; Hillcrest, Washington. My dad, Billy, lives there. He is Chief Billy Johnson of the people of Hillcrest; he’s the chief of police and has been ever since I remember. To that little town of Hillcrest, I know send myself. My mother and I used to live in Hillcrest until I was two. There was an accident and she died. I hated Hillcrest so I decided to go move with my Aunt Bessie to Denver. I would have to visit my dad, Billy, every other year.
Aunt Bessie and her husband, Lucas, travel a lot because of Lucas’s work. She stayed with me but I could tell she missed him dearly. They had just gotten married a few years ago and I was afraid the longer I stayed with them, the faster their marriage would go down the drain- not that I think their marriage is going to go down the drain or anything though. It’s just that he’s older then she is by many years.
“Zoey, I’m going to miss you so much!” Aunt Bessie exclaimed while she embraced me in one of her famous hugs.
“I know. I’m going to miss you too. I’ll tell Billy that you said hi.”
Aunt Bessie doesn’t look anything like me. She has chocolate brown hair, caramel colored eyes, and tan skin. She looks like the kind of person who would live somewhere…sunny. How could I leave her alone? I mean, she’s like a mom to me. She’s taken care of me almost my whole life. How could I just leave her here? What’s wrong with me?
“Please dear, be careful. I know how clumsy you are. I mean, I know those soccer muscles of yours help you keep your balance but still. And please, please take care of Billy. His cancer is very bad.”
“Okay I promise to be careful and take care of Billy.”
Why did she have to bring up Billy’s cancer? It’s almost as if she’s trying to rub it in.
I gave my Aunt Bessie one last hug goodbye and went onto the plane. I was going to fly to Seattle and then I would have to take another plane to Lancaster- the little city on the coast- and then drive home with Billy. That is going to be scary.
Billy’s happy that I’m moving with him but he isn’t sure why I’m moving back with him. I know he won’t say anything though because he isn’t like that. Billy keeps to himself a lot. He isn’t that much into people’s business. It will always be weird with him though because from his phone calls I could tell that he is still upset about my mother’s accident.
When I got off the plane in Lancaster, Billy was there waiting for me. So was his friend Jonathan. I’m guessing that Jonathan drove Billy out here to get me. Jonathan is Billy’s golfing buddy.
“Zoey dear, is that you? Wow, you’ve gotten so big! I missed you so much sweetie.” Billy yelled as I went to get my luggage. He gave me a hug when I got up to him. It was a weird hug. I got the sense that he thought it was awkward too.
“Yes it is. I missed you! Aunt Bessie says hi by the way.”
We all got into Jonathan’s truck and started our way to my new home. Billy tried having small talk with me. I could tell this whole ride was going to be awkward.
“I got you signed up for high school at Hillcrest High. You start school tomorrow.”
“Oh thanks Dad.” I wasn’t excited about school. I’m going to be an outcast, a weirdo. I would probably be able to pull it off if I looked like someone who lived somewhere sunny. I should be tan but I’m white. And I mean really white. My skin is almost translucent but it is kind of pretty. I have dirty blonde hair with red in it. And my blue-green eyes stand out against my skin.
“Hey Dad, do you know any places where I could buy a car?”
“Well you don’t have to look anywhere.”
“What do you mean?” What did he mean? Oh my, did he get me a car already? I hope not. Billy doesn’t really have what I would say as a “fashion sense.”
“I already got you a car. It’s a good car for you.”
“Dad, I was going to get my own car.” What did he mean the car was “good for me?”
“I actually got it for you as a welcome home gesture. I got it last week.”
“What does it look like?”
“Don’t worry, it’s a new car; only a few years old really. It’s a blue Toyota.”
“How much do I owe you?”
He paused a minute before answering my question. “You don’t need to worry about that Zoey. It’s a present from me to you. You don’t need to pay me for it.”
Wow. I just got a free Toyota. At least I won’t have to worry about that. I just have to worry about, oh let’s see, the rest of my life. Wow, that won’t be that hard…not.
“Okay, thanks Dad.”
Why did I say thanks? It was sure to be awkward with Billy and all this family stuff. Especially since I haven’t been much of a family member since I was two. I will just have to watch what I say from now on and try not to make it to awkward for the two of us. I don’t want to make it look like I’m some needy seventeen year old. Billy already has enough on his plate as it is, with the cancer and everything. Why did he have to get cancer? I mean I already lost part of me when mom died, if I lose Billy I would have lost everything. Why me, why me?
I shook my head to get those depressing thoughts out. I looked out the window to see what my new home looked like. Wow, I forgot how green and humid it was here. It was almost as if the green was from another planet, an alien planet. It completely covered everything in its path; trees were covered with moss, grass covered in green shrubs, bushes covered in green flowers- holy cow, green flowers? I’ve never seen green flowers in my life! I didn’t even know they existed- weird. It reminded me of a rain forest. It was very beautiful though; a rare beauty.
Finally, I thought as we pulled up to Billy’s house. Jonathan dropped us off and drove away. I looked at the once familiar house. It was a tiny two story house. The paint was peeling off in some places. I would have to fix that. My bedroom faced over the front yard- my room always has in every house I’ve lived in. There was a giant tree in front of my bedroom window. Perfect for sneaking out, but knowing me, I wouldn’t do it anyways. The flowers needed some work too. I feel bad that Billy can’t fix all this stuff up. Stupid cancer.
Parked in the driveway was my new Toyota. I loved it! It was made of that really tough material that would turn another car into a billion pieces if it got into an accident. I actually thought I would have hated it but Billy has yet to surprise me, again.
“I hope you like your truck Zoey.”
“I don’t just like it Dad, I love it!”
I went up to Billy and gave him a big hug, a real hug. He probably hasn’t had one of these in a long time. He had gotten tense at first but then loosened up a little. Then I ran over to my truck and hugged it. It was perfect. At least I wouldn’t have to cry about that tonight.
I got all of my bags and went into the house. It looked the same as it did when I was last here. The family room was to the left. There was an old scruffy couch, a chair, and a TV. The carpet was a navy blue color. There was a huge window above the couch. To the right was the kitchen. The floor was white linoleum. The cabinets were a faded brown. There was a dishwasher, thank goodness. I hated washing dishes like I had to at my Aunt Bessie’s house. There was a kitchen table that was the same color as the cabinets. The chairs matched too. There was a window above the sink with a few flowers sitting on the window seal.
The stairs were right in front of me. I walked up them with my bags and stood in the hallway while I remembered falling down them when I visited here one time. To the right of me was Billy’s room. I haven’t been in there in years. And I will continue not to. In front of me was my own bathroom. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about sharing a bathroom. I don’t think Billy would have wanted to wait an hour and a half while I get ready every morning.
To the left of me was my room. I walked in and sat my few bags on the bed. I had to sort all of my winter clothes from my summer ones when I was packing. I ended up bringing all of my winter clothes- which was not that good. There was no point bringing my summer ones because it is always cold here. I guess I would need to go shopping.
I looked around my room. There was a bed, a dresser, a closet, a night table next to my bed, and a desk with a computer on it. It looks like Billy got rid of all my baby things. Everything in here has been here since I was born, except for the desk. The computer was so I could do my homework and probably keep in touch with Aunt Bessie if she ever wanted to contact me by email.
I looked out my window at the yard in front. The rain drops were lightly hitting my window one by one. I will have to get used to the rain too. I hate the rain. I love the sun and how it feels against my skin. What stinks is that it barely gets any sunshine here.
I’m glad Billy isn’t clingy because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to cry at all. He leaves me alone a lot. I guess he’s so used to being alone that he doesn’t feel comfortable with me being here. I kind of like being alone. I mean I’ve always been alone because Aunt Bessie would travel with Lucas. I like the quite. It would have taken an S.W.A.T. team to keep my Aunt Bessie from leaving me for a minute to get settled. That’s why I’m glad Billy and Aunt Bessie are so different.
Okay, at least the weather here is perfect for my mood- gloomy. I’ve been holding in these tears ever since I got on the plane to Seattle. I should just let them out now. I sat down on bed and started crying. I don’t even remember the last time I cried that much. I think it was when my mom had her accident.
I stopped crying and went downstairs to see what Billy wanted for dinner. I liked to cook; it kept me busy; it distracted me.
“Billy, what would you like for dinner?”
“Zoey, you don’t have to cook for me. I can cook for myself. I have for the past fifteen years.”
“I know Dad. I like to cook though.”
“Well I still don’t feel comfortable with you cooking.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s just that I don’t want you to burn down the house or anything while I’m working.”
“You really think that I would burn down the house?” Wow, he could at least have some confidence in me. I mean, I’m not that clumsy.
“No, but I just want you to be careful. I don’t know how you cook. If you cook like your Aunt Bessie then you are not going to be cooking in my house.”
His house? It’s my house too.
Aunt Bessie can cook…well, anything that isn’t edible. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was seven anyways.
“I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember. Trust me, my food is edible.” This is weird. I would have thought that I would have been shy around Billy. Well, at least not that bad.
I’ve always been shy around people. I mean besides soccer but that’s it. Speaking of soccer…
“Ugh Dad, does Hillcrest High have a soccer team? I still want to be able to play soccer even though it’s freezing cold here.”
“I think so. I’m not really sure though. You will have to ask the lady in the office tomorrow. Sorry. Why would you want to play soccer in this weather anyways?”
“Dad, I love soccer okay. It’s my passion. I know I am clumsy, but my soccer muscles do help me stay up, most of the time anyways.”
“Oh okay Zo. Well anyways, what’s for dinner?”
“What do you have?”
“Well, not a lot. I’m always at work so I never have time to go get food anyways.”
“Well I’ll just make some spaghetti and I’ll go shopping after school tomorrow.”
“Okay then. I’ll just go watch the basketball game.”
Billy is obsessed with basketball games. I don’t know why though. There is nothing interesting about it anyways. All you do is shoot and pass. Kind of stupid to me. Soccer is way better then that.
I got dinner ready fast and we ate in silence. It was awkward. I would have rather eaten by myself.
After dinner, I wrote a list of all the groceries I was going to get. Billy must go out a lot if he barely had any food in the house. That’s kind of sad. Well, no. What’s sad is the fact that a 45 year old man with cancer lives by himself and is a police chief. I couldn’t imagine going through that.
I shook the head to get the thought out. I put down the list I made and went to my closet to look for something to wear in the morning. I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a short sleeve Hollister shirt. Then I found my old fans- the ones I’ve had for two years- and a black sweatshirt that had the number one on the back. I laid them out on my bed and stared at them with shame. Why did I come here? It was a stupid idea to come here. Well, no it wasn’t- not for everyone else at least. I only moved here to make everyone happy. It worked, but I’m not happy. Oh well, it’s done. I’m already here aren’t I?
I quickly put on my old sweat pants and a baggy shirt and laid down in my bed. I laid there thinking of how difficult school was going to be the next day. I mean, I would have to introduce myself to everyone, walk around with a map in front of my nose, and…ugh…I just don’t know. Then I shut my eyes and let the darkness take me in.
I woke up with a slow start. It was 6:35 and school started at 8:00. I got up too fast because I practically fell once I stood up. I ran to my dresser and pulled out the clothes I had picked out last night. I finished getting ready and almost ran into Billy on my way down the stairs.
“Oh Dad!”
“Zoey, gosh. You scared the crap out of me! Don’t do that again!”
“Sorry it was on accident.”
“Are you ready for school?”
“Yes I’m leaving now. Bye Dad. Have fun at work. Is fun the right word anyways?”
“Fun will do. Bye.”
What was wrong with him? Something was definitely up. He sounded scruffy and sad. Something is wrong. I hope that it isn’t his cancer. I know that he has his bad days but still…
I walked outside to my new Toyota and tried not to fall on the icy cement. I got into the comfy truck and immediately felt safe; almost like I was home again, like this was where I belonged. I didn’t feel like this when I was in the house. What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this? I hope Aunt Bessie is okay.
I started the engine to stop myself from crying. I missed Aunt Bessie dearly. I backed out of the driveway and drove back onto the high way. Everything was off the high way; it was so spread out here, almost like everyone was isolated in this little bubble of space.
Hillcrest High was a small school. It didn’t look like a school though; just a bunch of little buildings with the same matching roofs and a fence around it. What’s with the fence? What do they want to keep everyone here like a jail?
I quickly stepped out into the light drizzle after finding a parking spot in the crowded parking lot. I ran into the tiny office. There was one desk behind a counter that split the room in half. The lady at the desk had curly red hair. There was a plant on the counter along with many papers that seemed to look like flyers for dances and rallies.
The lady looked up from the computer screen she had just been staring at. “Hey there sweat heart! Can I get ya’ll something?”
I tried so hard to not start laughing at her voice. I laughed at everything, it was so embarrassing.
“Uh, actually I’m Zoey Johnson and I’m new here.” That probably told her everything she needed to know by the look of sympathy in her green eyes.
“Oh dear, everyone has been waitin’ for you to come! Here, let me get your schedule.”
She shuffled through a stack of papers and practically ran up to me with them.
“This is your class schedule and here is a map of the school. I hope you have fun on your first day!”
I grabbed the schedule and map and power walked out of there. I couldn’t hold in the laughter much longer. Once I stepped out the door I began laughing so hard I almost cried. Some of the students looked at me probably thinking I was crazy.
After the scene I had just created, I quickly walked over to my first class which was English. I walked in quietly, hoping that no one would see my late entrance. I closed the door seeing that the class had already started. I glanced up and I immediately felt like a fish in a fish bowl. They were staring at me, almost as if they were looking beyond me at something else; like I wasn’t even there.
“Why Miss Johnson, you’re late,” Announced the very large man with dark brown hair.
“Sorry I was getting my schedule and such. I didn’t know. I’m sorry Mr.…”
“Mr. Smith. Oh, it’s okay. Just take a seat anywhere you like.”
Mr. Smith’s dark eyes penetrated into me. It was a weird sensation. It wasn’t anything sexual or anything near that. I had felt a stab of fear at the sight of his eyes. It was weird and unnatural; inhuman. Wow, what am I thinking? Am I crazy? Gosh, this isolated town is starting to get to me.
I quietly walked over to the empty seat in the back of the class so that no one would stare at me. I slouched into my seat and kept my hair down so that I couldn’t see anyone gawking at me.
After sitting there in the most uncomfortable position ever for an hour, a nasal buzzing sound filled the air. Everyone started getting there things together. I’m guessing it was time to go.
I got up and walked to the door as fast as I could. I was almost out the door when a dark figure stepped out in front of me. I ran right into it too.
“Wow there gorgeous. Where are you going?” The boy said.
“To my next class.” I stammered.
“Oh come on Jake, leave the new girl alone.” A raspy voice had said behind me.
I turned to see a tall boy with dark curly hair- Superman style- and dark blue eyes. His eyes made his olive skin tone and perfect features stand out in the most perfect ways. His scent was heavenly and it radiated off his skin in waves, the next one as strong as the first. It didn’t smell like any cologne I’ve smelt before that all the guys’ layer on themselves. His black short sleeve shirt fit his muscles in a perfect way. His dark jeans and black shoes seemed to fit him quite well.
“Dude, you should really relax. I didn’t do anything to her.”
“Jake, just back the hell up okay. Clearly she is confused.”
“Fine dude. See you at lunch.”
The guy who’s name is Jake turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the classroom.
“Sorry about that, Jake is such a pervert. He doesn’t know anything.”
“Oh it’s okay.” I stammered. Man, was he perfect…
“Sorry, it is so rude of me to not introduce myself. I am Steven Deveraux. And you must be Zoey Johnson.”
“Hi there Steven. Yes, I’m Zoey. How does everyone know me around here?”
“This is a small town. Word gets around very quickly. You will surely learn that.”
“Oh well okay then.” I blushed knowing how stupid I must sound right now.
“What class do you have next?”
“Spanish with Ms. Latina I think. I don’t know where her class is though.”
“I would be glad to show you to it. Besides, I have that class next too.”
Steven and I walked out of the classroom after what seemed like minutes. We walked down the long corridor to room 14. It was so hard not to notice that rain drops hitting the uncovered cement. It smelled so natural out here; so fresh.
Steven and I walked into Ms. Latina’s class and he went and took a seat in the back row. Ms. Latina introduced me to the class and of course I turned blood red. She assigned me a seat next to Steven and I tripped over my own shoes on the way to my seat. Two girls, both platinum blondes, giggled in high pitched tones. I stared at them with the fiercest eyes I could. They immediately shut up.
I took my seat and a note was flung onto my desk. I opened it with shaking hands.
So, tired of this boring town yet??
I looked over, almost immediately knowing it was from Steven. He even wrote in a nice font. I steadied my hand to make my writing look neat like his.
Not really. I just got here. How can I be tired of it?
I tossed back the note and it landed on the floor. He bent over to get it when I saw what looked like a tattoo on the back of his neck. I wonder what it looks like.
Well, you certainly don’t look like your not enjoying it here. I bet you are only doing this because you think it will make everybody happy. Look I know that everyone has been gawking at you today but it is only because everyone thinks your really hot- as in the guys think that- or that your going to be a ho- as in the girls think that. Don’t listen to the girls though; they are all stupid sluts anyways. Watch out for Clara. She is the leader of the whole prep group. She sleeps with every guy, even the ones who are taken. If she bothers you, tell me.
I’m glad he’s being really nice to me. He is the first person who actually has the guts to talk to me. This Clara girl sounds like a real *****. I wonder what turned her into this monster, well that is if she hasn’t always been like this.
How do you know all of this? What, do you read people’s minds or something? And about the whole Clara thing, have you ever slept with her?
He took a minute to write back. I took this minute to my advantage and tried listening to what the teacher was saying. She was talking in Spanish so I couldn’t understand her. I really need to switch out of this class. I didn’t even pick my classes anyway. The only reason I want to stay in this class is because of Steven. Suddenly, that familiar nasal buzzing sound filled my ears and everyone was in a rush to get out of there. I would have to ask Steven about Clara later. I walked quickly out of the room, not even glancing back at Steven. I walked toward my History class in room 5.
Mr. Martin sent me to an empty seat next to a girl with platinum blonde hair with no introductions. I sat down and stared straight ahead so that it looked like I was paying attention.
“Hey, aren’t you that new girl?”
“Yes I am.” I replied back to the platinum blonde.
“I’m Clara. This school is so boring. It’s only fun because I go here.”
Oh. My. Gosh. Did she seriously just say that?
“Yeah, you heard me right. It’s cool because I’m cool. If you try and mess with me, I will ruin your reputation okay.” Clara said again.
“Look Clara, I just got here and it is my first day. I haven’t done **** to you so if you have a problem, don’t take it out on me. I’m not going to get in your way so leave me alone.” Wow, I never knew I had the guts to say that to her.
“Well okay then, we seem to be on the same page. Oh, and by the way, leave Steven alone. He’s mine.”
She turned back towards the front of the room to make it look like she wasn’t talking. I glanced away form her in discuss. Why was she so mean? I swear it was like someone had taken a stick and shoved it up her tiny ***.
The class was over before I knew it and I still had one more class until lunch. That class also happened to be the one class I liked, science. I walked into my science class and introduced myself to Ms. Parker. She had long dark hair that flowed gently to the middle of her back. She was wearing a nice suit and a pair of fancy heels. She was so beautiful. She assigned me to a lab table in the middle of the room next to a pixie looking girl. I didn’t actually see her features until I got closer but she was beautiful. She looked like a girl that everyone would love. She had short choppy brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Her skin was a translucent color.
“Hey there, you must be Zoey. I’m Rebecca, but you can call me Baca.”
“Hi there.” I said sheepishly.
Science went by in a blur because the next thing I knew, everyone was leaving the room. I grabbed my things and walked towards the lunch room. It was packed when I first walked in. That girl Becca came to me in a graceful walk.
“Zo, why don’t you come sit with me and my friends? Don’t worry; I will talk a lot so that it doesn’t make things awkward. I was the new kid before so I know what it’s like.”
We walked over to the table with her many friends. She introduced me to everyone one at a time. We sat down and started chatting away. I wasn’t even acting shy. Why was that? I glanced up to the other side of the room where a group of guys sat there. Among them was Steven. He looked past his friend and into my eyes. He glanced away before I could. In that moment that our eyes met, I knew there was something different about him.
“Zoey, Steven is totally checking you out!” Baca exclaimed quietly.
“No he’s not.” I quickly glanced up to him and there he was in his Superman glory staring at me.
I stood up mechanically and walked over to his table. It got dead silent once I got there.
“Hey Steven. What’s up?”
“Nothing really…How are you doing?”
“Saying hi to you. Are you doing anything later?”
“Yeah, I’m busy later. Sorry.” I could see the sacrifice in his eyes. It clearly meant he wanted to be with me.
“Okay then I guess I will just see you later then.” I gave him a smile I thought could win over anyone’s heart.
I turned away and could barely hear his friends telling him he should have went out with me. I smiled knowing that he wanted to. I can’t believe I just thought that and did all of that. Am I turning into that girl Clara? Ew, I am so stupid.
“Zoey did you seriously do what I think you did?” Becca asked curiously.
“Yes I did. He had ‘plans’ though.”
“Wow, I am going to have to hang with you more often.”
“Well first things first, let’s go to class.”
I looked around the empty lunch room. It was deserted. I ran to my Math class and then an hour later went to my P.E. class. Math class was pretty boring. I had already learned everything back in Denver. P.E. was okay. I was really tired so it wasn’t that fun.
I walked out of the girls locker room and started walking to my car under the over hang. I pulled up my hood as I walked out into the heavy rainfall.
“Z, wait.” I knew who it was once that magical voice spoke. “About tonight, I don’t actually have any plans. Would you like to go hang somewhere or something?”
“Steven, I thought you said you were ‘busy’.”
“I’m actually not. But I still want to know if you want to hang out. Would you like to?”
“Sure. I would love to. Where are we going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How about your house?”
“No! I mean, sorry we can’t go to my house. We can always go to your house though. That is if it’s okay with Billy and everything.”
“Oh, I totally forgot about Billy. Why don’t we hang out tomorrow. Billy wasn’t feeling to well today. Plus I have to go to the store. You can always call me later or something if you want. I’m sorry Steven. Rain check?”
“Okay. Rain check.”
I took out a notebook and wrote down my cell phone number. I gave it to Steven and walked over to my truck. I got into my toasty truck and immediately laughed. I can’t believe I’m not being shy. This is a start.
I started the truck and backed out of the stall a little too fast. I almost hit a tiny car. Luckily, I slammed on my brakes to prevent an accident. The other car honked and kept going. I backed out again, slowly, and drove to the grocery store. I got everything I needed and drove back home. I parked my truck in the drive way and ran into the unlocked house. Wait, unlocked? I walked into the dark kitchen and put the bags on the table. I walked over and turned on the light. Laying there on the floor in front of the stairs was Billy. I ran over to him, falling on my way over there.
“Billy! Billy wake up!” I screamed as I took his head in my hands. “Billy wake up! Come on, please wake up!” I sobbed as I dragged myself over to the phone.
“911 please help me! My name is Zoey Johnson and I am Chief Johnson’s daughter. I just walked into the house and found him unconscious. Please help me! He won’t wake up! Please hurry!”
I hung up the phone and crawled back over to Billy. I would give him CPR but I couldn’t remember how to at the moment. My mind completely went blank. All I could think of was what if he was dead?
I checked to see if he had a pulse but I couldn’t feel one. I looked on his neck and saw two small puncture marks. There was blood dripping down from them. What the heck are those? I laid down next to him and started to cry even more. Then I saw a reflection of red and blue lights in the microwave. The cops and medics came in and told me to step aside. I did as they said and the quickly stared working on him. After what seemed like hours, they put a blanket over him. They kept calling him a body. I knew that he was dead.
The cops and meds got up and took Billy away. They left me all alone in the empty house that was now mine. I grabbed the phone and dialed in Aunt Bessie’s number. She answered the phone and I couldn’t even tell her what I had just witnessed.
“Z, tell me what happened? Is everything okay? Are you or Billy hurt? , talk to me!”
“Billy, he’s…he’s…dead.” I finally got out between my sobs.
“Oh. My. Gosh. I am coming to get you right now.”
“No…stay there Ant Bessie. I am fine. Don’t come and get me.”
I hug up the phone before she could object. Billy was dead. What am I to do? Just go on and live out my life here like nothing happened? Or move somewhere far away and pretend that none of this happened?
I stood up slowly and grabbed onto the stairs to keep my balance. I fell back down again immediately. I crawled up the stairs one by one and into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked so empty, so dead. I walked over to the shower and turned it on. I got in it and sat under the hot water with all of my clothes on. I have been dreading this day my whole life. I started sobbing even more. I cried more this time then I did when my mom past away. I felt so empty, like my soul died when I saw Billy lying there on the floor. This changes everything.

1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley’s Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen.
2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen.
3. The “57″ on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had.
4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person.
5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels.
6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn’t digest itself.
7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim.
8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945.
9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.
10. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.
11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son.
13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number.
14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately).
16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles.
17. The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan.
18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903.
19. A “2 by 4″ is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2.
20. It’s estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world’s population is drunk.
21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar
22. 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print.
24. The “spot” on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino.
25. 315 entries in Webster’s 1996 dictionary were misspelled.
26. The “save” icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards.
27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively).
28. Camel’s have three eyelids.
29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day.
30. John Wilkes Booth’s brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son.
31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister.
32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system.
33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps.
34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape.
35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses.
36. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark’s stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name “soyce”.
39. Slugs have four noses.
40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows.
43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON’T TRY IT, DUMBASS)
44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing.
45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.
46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States.
47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called “Solarmax”.
49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess.
50. Upper and lower case letters are named “upper” and “lower” because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters.
51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
52. The numbers “172″ can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.
53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That’s more than sharks.
54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday.
55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it.
56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour.
59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original.
60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves.
62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar).
63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”.
64. IBM’s motto is “Think”. Apple later made their motto “Think different”.
65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original “Halloween” was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget.
66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.
67. The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is.
69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service.
70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived.
71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes.
72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald’s.
73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from.
74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide.
75. In Disney’s Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward).
76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, “Red Vineyard at Arles”.
77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.
78. One in ten people live on an island.
79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%.
81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.
82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson”, Humphrey Bogart NEVER said “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca, and they NEVER said “Beam me up, Scotty” on Star Trek.
84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing.
85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model.
86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head.
87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia).
88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.
89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas.
90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
92. Back in the mid to late ’80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn’t considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft’s Flight Simulator.
93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S.
94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public).
95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
96. Jim Henson first coined the word “Muppet”. It is a combination of “marionette” and “puppet.”
97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words “North” and “South).
98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company’s first ads in 1896.
99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity.
100. The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive.
102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a “palindrome”.
103. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide.
105. China has more English speakers than the United States.
106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year’s Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes.
107. One in every 9000 people is an albino.
108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.
110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury.
111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on.
112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten.
113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing.
114. In every episode of “Seinfeld” there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere.
115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human’s neck.
116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.
117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity.
119. About 55% of all movies are rated R.
120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually.
121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India.
122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles.
123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.
125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable.
126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world.
130. The word “maverick” came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick.
131. Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse’s legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building.
134. An American urologist bought Napoleon’s penis for $40,000.
135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters “MT”.
137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy.
138. Almonds are members of the peach family.
139. Rats and horses can’t vomit.
140. The penguin is the only bird that can’t fly but can swim.
141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day.
142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.
143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
144. There are only four words in the English language that end in “-dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie.
147. “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan” are the only Disney animations in which both of a character’s parents are present and don’t die during the movie.
148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure.
150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies.
151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21.
153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
154. All polar bears are left-handed.
155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal)
156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
157. Butterflies taste with their feet.
158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump.
159. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
160. Starfish have no brains.
161. 11% of the world is left-handed.
162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later.
163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.
166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray.
168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months.
170. Los Angeles’ full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula”. It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.
171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour.
173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
174. A “jiffy” is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second.
175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade.
176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old.
177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer.
178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured.
179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects’ legs melted into it.
181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.
182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. “You’ve got Mail!”). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as “Q-Link.”
184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white.
185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother.
186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes.
188. Shakespeare invented the words “assassination” and “bump.”
189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth.
190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
192. The name Jeep comes from “GP”, the army abbreviation for General Purpose.
193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do.
194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
195. Cats’ urine glows under a black light.
196. A “quidnunc” is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip.
197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970.
198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items.
199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated.
200. 25% of a human’s bones are in its feet.
201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic’s distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.
203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined.
204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the ’30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition).
205. “Canada” is an Indian word meaning “Big Village”.
206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older.
207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S.
209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet.
210. A jellyfish is 95% water.
211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001).
212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day.
214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death.
215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle)
216. In golf, a ‘Bo Derek’ is a score of 10.
217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined.
218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple.
220. Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross.
222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France.
223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska’s third largest city.
224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.
226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50.
227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers.
228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5.
229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal.
230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand.
231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119.
232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand “1″ and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner.
233. Judy Scheindlin (“Judge Judy”) has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary.
234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z.
235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years.
236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister.
238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day.
239. John Lennon’s first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.
240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.
241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
242. “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English.
243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330.
244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn’t kill their enemies.
245. “Duff” is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor.
246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined.
247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history.
248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world).
249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters.
250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world’s nuclear weapons combined.
251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.
252. Julius Caesar’s autograph is worth about $2,000,000.
253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient’s arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer.
254. People say “bless you” when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.
255. US gold coins used to say “In Gold We Trust”.
256. In “Silence of the Lambs”, Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks.
257. A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion.
259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+)
260. Pearls melt in vinegar.
261. “Lassie” was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal.
262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself.
263. Nepal is the only country that doesn’t have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag.
264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible.
265. Tiger Woods’ real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname “Tiger” in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War.
266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol.
267. Abraham Lincoln’s ghost is said to haunt the White House.
268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther.
269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census.
270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world.
271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment.
272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash.
273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed.
274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice.
275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen.
276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital.
277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day.
278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people.
279. The “if” and “then” parts of conditional (“if P then Q”) statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q).
280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech.
281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode.
282. Only female mosquitoes bite.
283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world’s mail.
284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells.
285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age.
286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female.
287. The “countdown” (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called “Die Frau Im Monde” (The Girl in the Moon).
288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system.
289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul’s armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas.
290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel.
291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died.
292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit.
293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.”
294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland’s baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player.
295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open.
296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person).
297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today.
298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the “Treaty of Paris”: Seven Years’ War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951).
299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father’s assassination as well as during President Garfield’s assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated.
300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands.
301. The past-tense of the English word “dare” is “durst”.
302. Don Mac Lean’s song “American Pie” was written about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who all died in the same plane crash.
303. The drummer for ZZ Top (the only one without a beard) is named Frank Beard.
304. Hummingbirds can’t walk.
305. When movie directors do not want their names to be seen in the credits, they use the pseudonym “Allen Smithee” instead. It has been used over 50 times, starting with “Death of a Gunfighter” (1969).
306. Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing).
307. Pamela Lee-Anderson was the first to be born in Canada on the centennial anniversary of Canada’s independence (7/1/1967).
308. There is about 200 times more gold in the oceans than has been mined throughout history.
309. William Shatner is credited for being the first person on TV to say “hell” as well as to have the first inter-racial kiss (with Nichelle Nichols), both in episodes of Star Trek.
310. While the US government’s supply of gold is kept at Fort Knox, its supply of silver is kept at the Military Academy at West Point, NY.
311. Alexander Graham Bell’s wife and mother were both deaf.
312. Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, the reverse of how a record works.
313. In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, if a man was not married by age 30, he would not be allowed to vote or watch athletic events involving nude young men.
314. Attila the Hun (invader of Europe; 406-453), Felix Faure (French President; 1841-1899), Pope Leo VII (936-939), Pope John VII (955-964), Pope Leo VIII (963-965), Pope John XIII (965-72), Pope Paul II (1467-1471), Lord Palmerston (British Prime Minister, 1784-1865), Nelson Rockefeller (US Vice President, 1908-1979), and John Entwistle (The Who’s bassist, 1944-2002) all died while having sex.
315. Humans and dolphins are the only animals known to have sex for pleasure.
316. Pac-Man, Namco’s 1979 arcade game, was originally called “Puck Man”. The name was changed when they realized that vandals could easily scratch out part of the letter “P”.
317. Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same day, April 23, 1616.
318. There are about 7.7 million millionaires in the world (more than 1/1000th of the population).
319. The youngest mother on record was a Peruvian girl named Lina Medina. She gave birth to a boy by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 (which happened to be Mother’s Day), at the age of five years, seven months and 21 days.
320. The “middle finger” gesture originates back to 423 BC in Aristophanes play “The Clouds”.