ODDS, ENDS & INSPIRATION

“It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” – Carl Sagan

z You might be surprised to learn that some fish can hibernate. During the long, dark winters, the Antarctic cod will burrow under the seabed and stay there for days at a time, cutting its metabolism by two-thirds.

z Despite the fact that famed magician Harry Houdini exposed a number of mediums and psychics as frauds, Sherlock Holmes novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle persisted in believing that Houdini himself was a medium.

z Wearing skinny jeans is said to cause varicose veins.

z In Germany, Rice Bubbles don’t say “Snap, Crackle, Pop”; they say

z“Knisper, Knasper, Knusper”. z Squid are well known for their uncanny ability to camouflage themselves by changing their colour to match their background. What’s really odd, though, is the fact that the creatures are colour-blind.

z The word “conspire” means, literally, “to breathe together”, meaning to be in harmony.

z Those who study such things say that not all your fingernails grow at the same rate. It seems the nail on your middle finger is a bit of an overachiever – it grows faster than the nails on your other fingers. z Thought for the Day: “Give all power to the many, and they will oppress the few. Give all power to the few, and they will oppress the many. Both therefore ought to have power, that each may defend itself against the other.” – Alexander Hamilton

NOW HERE’S A TIP

z “If you paint your kitchen cabinets, be sure that you label each door and drawer exactly where it goes. It can be really hard to figure it out, and the holes might not line up perfectly. Also, save hardware in baggies to keep it all together.” – R.U. z To create a fun cake stand, glue a 10-inch terra cotta saucer to the bottom of a 4-inch terra cotta flowerpot. Paint and seal the whole thing. When you flip it over, the bottom of the saucer becomes the cake plate. So neat! z “To clean the outsides of our windows, we mixed vinegar and hot water and added a couple of drops of dish soap. Then I used a microfibre cloth to scrub the window and its surrounding casing. We rinsed them with the hose and used the squeegee I keep in my car to get the water drops off. They look great!” – Y.D. z Wash your reusable shopping bags from time to time, either in the washing machine on the delicate cycle or hand wash in the sink. Hang to dry. z How much money should you have in an emergency cash fund? Experts say that at a minimum, you should have three months’ worth of necessary expenses (home payment, utilities, food and petrol, minimum debt payments, etc.) in an accessible form. This means you can’t count the value of assets or stocks you own, nor any retirement funds. This sounds hard because it is, but it could make the difference between success or failure in an emergency.