Skip to main content

3 Mysteries of the Week (August 15, 2009)


1. Question: It is one of the simplest, but most enigmatic mysteries of nature: why do flamingos like to stand on one leg?


Answer: Flamingos stand on one leg to regulate their body temperature.

2. Question: What is the origin of "See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil?"

Answer: The main guess is that it is derived from a religious phrase, "If we do not hear, see, or speak evil, we ourselves shall be spared all evil." This religious phrase was put into practice in the form of three monkeys carved, one with its hands over its eyes, one with its hands over its ears, and another with its hands over its mouth, for the Nikko Toshogo Shrine in Japan.

3. Question: What is my favorite palindrome?

*Sambo: A negro; sometimes, the offspring of a black person and a mulatto [offspring of black and white]; - formerly used colloquially or with humorous intent, but now considered offensive or racist by African-Americans. Taught to me as a commonplace term in my University Latin American Studies class.

Answer: I like "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"

Here are the ones I thought of:

-racecar
-Hannah
-civic

New ones I found amusing:

LETTERS:
-Madam, in Eden I'm Adam.
-A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
-Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
-Obama's a Sam[a]bo.
-I roamed under it as a tired nude Maori.
-Yo, banana boy!
-Draw, O coward!
-Was it a car or a cat I saw?
-Go hang a salami. I'm a lasagna hog.
-Stressed? No tips ? Spit on desserts.
-No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon.

WORDS:
-Fall leaves after leaves fall.
-First Ladies rule the State and state the rule: ladies first.
-Girl, bathing on Bikini, eyeing boy, sees boy eyeing bikini on bathing girl.

SENTENCES:
-The American comedian Demetri Martin composed a 224-word palindromic poem entitled "Dammit I'm Mad," the title itself being a palindrome.

DATES:
-The last palindromic date was November 30, 2003 (30/11/03)
-The next one will be on January 1, 2010 (01/1/10)

MUSIC:
-Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 47 in G is nicknamed the Palindrome. The third movement, minuet and trio is a musical palindrome.

which is your favorite

Labels:

Comments

  1. Julie TTue Aug 18, 03:48:00 PM MDT

    There sure are a lot out there! I ownder at the people who take the time to come up with long, new ones!!

    I really like, "Draw! O coward!"

    ReplyDelete
  2. RickWed Aug 19, 01:34:00 PM MDT

    I feel a kinship with Yo, Banana Boy. FYI, Obama's a sambo is not actually a palindrome. It would have to read: Obama's a samabo. But close enough, right?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts.

Popular posts from this blog

Rummi-"CUB" vs. Rummi-"CUBE"

The "Rummikub" Pronunciation Debate Affirmative Constructive: "Cub" For years, I have been a firm advocate and defender of the pronunciation, Rummi-"CUB".  The game box I grew up with spelled it, Rummicub  on the box. However, other productions of the game have variant spellings: Rummykub , Rummy Kube , Rummy Tiles , etc.  Based solely on box spelling, the game's true pronunciation is open to interpretation. Therefore, Rummi"cub" is equally acceptable to any other given pronunciation. Negative  Constructive : "Cube" My opponents argue that since the game originated over seas, we ought to respect and maintain its original pronunciation. Affirmative Rebuttal: Americanization of the Term When the game was brought to America and given Americanized rules, its name was also Americanized. Pronunciation loyalists then counter my rebuttal with, "there are lots of adopted foreign words that have retained their original pron...
5 comments
Read more

The Secret Reason Why "Good Witch" Feels Emotionally Off

TL;DR It's the Botox. For the past 3 months, my wife, Stacia, and I have been watching  Good Witch  (via Netflix and Amazon Prime). Stacia adores winding down to "Hallmark-y shows." We can rely on Good Witch episodes to always resolve happily. The episodes are never too intense. The height of conflict revolves around things like someone's inability to locate the perfect spot to snap a romantic photo for a new tourism brochure. I consider my time watching these shows spouse bonding time , and emotional training. My favorite thing about watching feel-good shows with Stacia is getting to observe her facial reactions to the on-screen drama. When two people lean in for a long-anticipated kiss, Stacia tucks her knees into her chest and frowns with her forehead while lifting her chin and bottom lip. While I'm typically unable to suspend my disbelief, Stacia seems completely entranced by the various characters' emotions. Wishing I could join her in being swept aw...
4 comments
Read more

Who's Got The Funk?

I am an amateur guitarist, and I've got no funk. My musical skills seem to lacking that special something . Great musicians have it . Those fortunate enough to have gotten hold of  it , create timeless hits. While musicians without it  fade into oblivion. After spending hours searching through Blues history websites and 1970's band documentaries online, I discovered what that special something  is thank to a (70% Man, 30% fish) character from the BBC show "The Mighty Boosh" named Old Gregg. He identified that  thing  as  The Funk ! But what exactly is The Funk ? Here is some dialogue from the show to help explain its origin and purpose: Old Gregg: You're a musician, yeah? Howard: Yes I am. Old Gregg: Butchya ain't very good, are ya? Howard: I'm one of the best in town. Old Gregg: Come on, I read your reviews. Hmm? You know what your problem is? Howard: What? Old Gregg: Ya ain't got the funk. You're all rigid. Hmm? You're l...
2 comments
Read more