Wondering about wild grapes

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Wondering About Some Facts.

 I think I will fortify and stimulate (or bore) you with a lot of useless facts.  So, if you are brave enough and have nothing better to do, read on:

"Every second, Americans collectively eat one hundred pounds of chocolate"


If I would quit eating chocolate, the pounds of chocolate eaten would be drastically reduced!!

In 32 years. there are about 1 billion seconds!

People use the world billion with ease about all sorts of things without regard of how large that number is.  The government talks about spending billions and billions and even trillions without much thought of just how much that is.  So, if they paid that much back at a rate of a dollar a second, it would take hundreds of years.  Just think about that for a minute the next time you see the figures for the national debt.  BTW, as of right now (2/24/15 - 10:59 am) the debt is $18,136,189,300,825.

Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women!

Gee, I wonder why that is?  Maybe it is because men are taller?? Nah.  Or maybe it plays out like this.  A storm is coming on fast and the wife tells her husband to hurry up and go out and take down the flag from the tall, metal, grounded, flag pole. .

The sun is 330,330 times larger than the earth!

That is a lot bigger for sure, but numbers don't really paint that good of a picture, so how about one of those pictures that is worth a thousand words:
 
The above picture shows the sun in comparison to all the planets.  Bet you had no idea that there was that big a difference in sizes, or did you?  So, let the sun shine on you and have a very great day, you hear?

15 comments:

  1. One of my favorite drives is from Presque Isle, Maine down to Houlton, ME.... the sun is at the University in PI... and in perspective including size and distance, the planets as we know them are spaced along the way on tall posts... each has its own little pull-over park. Pluto is at the visitor center in Houlton. I think the sun is in the stairwell (takes up 2 stories) of the science bldg in PI... I have to drive this route at least once when we're up at Aroostook NWR.

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    1. That would be neat to see. It would also put things in perspective.

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    2. I have walk the solar system a number of times.

      " Here in Silver City, New Mexico, we have a one-of-a-kind scaled solar system along a stretch of Swan Street's sidewalk. The system starts with our sun near the 50 yd line of Fox Field by the corner of 32nd & Swan St., and finishes with Pluto 1.2 miles away, across Highway 180 (don't worry there's a stoplight.)

      Our Solar System, which includes the sun and all nine planets, is accurately scaled in both distance from the sun and actual diameter. Small spheres, representing the sun and each planet, are set into bronze plaques (95% copper) which, in turn, are imbedded into the sidewalk at measured intervals. Written on these plaques is the planet's name, size in comparison to Earth, and distance to sun in miles."

      This project is part of Physical Science 485 at Western New Mexico University in conjunction with the NF Observatory. The original proposal was submitted to the town of Silver City in the Fall of 1996. We hope our sidewalk solar system will host many awe-inspiring fieldtrips and will help students to realize the incredible dimensions of our solar system and universe."

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  2. I wonder what would start a revolution fastest? Banning chocolate or banning guns. Obviously a lot more people like chocolate than guns. :(

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    1. As far as I am concerned, either would, but I would give up chocolate before guns. Guns would be the last thin I would ever do.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Trouble. I am starting to run out of ideas to post.

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  4. LOL the flagpole thing! I wonder how many of those men were struck playing golf??? Just one more hole.. that storm don't look so bad!

    KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
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    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/
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    1. I don't play golf so don't have to worry about getting struck with lightning on the golf course and I don't have a flag pole. I do like to fish and have been caught in some storms.

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  5. How about the number of people in the world who are worth in excess of $1Billion? It's ridiculous no matter how you look at it - nobody should be worth that much in monetary value. I can barely wrap my head around the difference in size between the sun and the earth.

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    1. They are not 'worth' a Billion dollars. They have accumulated assets that are measured in US dollars to be 'worth' a Billion.

      It is the asset value that is 'worth' the monetary value, at the time of measurement, not the person. The person has 'worth' only if they are desirable or useful; some are some are not.

      Semantics perhaps but an important distinction.

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  6. On the planets; they don't call them the gas giants for nothing. Including our Sun we have five. The Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

    The Sun and Jupiter are made up of so much gas they make their own heat from the mass. Of course we are very glad the Sun makes heat, especially right now with all the snow.

    Wade in NW Florida

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    1. True or not I can't say, but I've heard that if Jupiter were 10 times larger it would have become a star (very small sun)

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    2. Wade, yes those large planets' gravity squeezes everything down which produces heat, but so does all the planets. After you dig down a few hundred feet here on Earth, the deeper you go the hotter it gets.

      David, Yes, I have read that, too.

      David,

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