Fact Five

The original fact five had to be removed from this blog because it was so quite interesting, so jammed packed full of trivions, that it threatened to send my readers (all 3-4 of them) into a state of total factosis, a condition where the mind becomes so receptive to a piece of information that it literally overloads. I myself once fell victim to a full blown attack of factosis which, sent me rolling around the floor like a rabid horse in an earthquake.


To recover, I had to be placed in a sensory deprevation tank where I was able to learn no new factual information for at least 48 hours until my mind returned to a state of absolute calm.

Factosis is not a laughing matter. It is one of my long term ambitions to set up a foundation and a helpline for people have suffered and lost valuable pieces of information through this debilatating condition. A helpline number is now pending.



Todays phobia is Androphobia — a Fear of males

Fact Six

Pies have been around since 2000 BC in Egypt and was later passed onto the Greeks and then spread to the Romans by around 100BC (already a thousand years old). The first known pie recipe came from the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.

The Pie came to England in the 12th century and were predominantly filled with meat. The crust was known as the Coffyn and was used as a container, for a long time the pastry was not eaten.

Pies, are of course, also used for acts of comedy. Here are some people who have fell victim to random pie attacks.

Jeremy Clarkson
Prince Charles
Jean-Luc Goddard
Bill Gates
Calvin Klien
Kenny Rogers
William Shatner
Claire Short
Anne Widdicome
Andy Warhol

Today's Phobia of the day is 'Lalophobia or Laliophobia' a fear of speaking

More Great Things By Me

I have more spectacular things (2 articles and 1 story no less - careful, contain that excitement) on the bloc website.

www.bloc-online.com

An interview with multi-milllion selling author Robert Goddard (he talked to the whole class, I taped and then wrote it down), Publishing a magazine (It's on that magazine I'm writing for so it's only fair I write about them) and 'The End of Summer' ( A short weepy).

Phobia of the Day: Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia — Fear of the number 666.

Fact Four

No one knows for sure why moths are so facinated by the light

It is thought that moths navigate by maintaining a constant angular relationship to a bright celestial light (such as the moon), but on encountering a bright artificial light it navigates by maintaining a constant angle to the light, resulting in the moth flying in a spiral until it hits the light source.

This cause problems because moths circulate the pollen from night blooming flowers. Could this be a harmful long term problem for the environment?

What Not To Eat

The following conversation appeared on the Falmouth College Writing Message board and is relayed here in appropriate chronological order.

Please see below the contents of a memo we have received from Channel Four.
Please remember that the reputation of the MA in Professional Writing course is dependent on students and staff ensuring credibility with industry professionals.
The Editorial Team is taking this matter very seriously. We are in the process of identifying those responsible for this misconduct.
From: Lifestyles Programme Editor, Channel 4
To: Editorial Team, MA in Professional Writing, UCF.
Re: Celador Productions: 'You Are What You Eat'
Sirs,

We are concerned that considerable time and expense has been wasted from our limited budgets by students attending University College Falmouth.

Dr Gillian McKeith Inc., (the 'World Authority on Nutritional Eating and Bowel Movement Studies'), received details recently of a potential candidate for the forthcoming series of 'You Are What You Eat'.
The information came from someone calling themselves 'Vince Matthew', and suggested a fellow student named David P Nixon as an individual who might benefit from Dr McKeith's guidance and nutritional programme.

Mr Matthew included details on Mr Nixon's current diet, which he suggested consists of 'various forms of cheese, Pringle crisps and litres of Coca Cola - supplemented only by a bi-weekly carrot'.
You are no doubt familiar with the format of the programme. Dr McKeith and her crew scheduled a weekend down in Penryn, and began secretly filming Mr Nixon in preparation for confronting him with evidence of his imbalanced diet.

Dr McKeith was disappointed and angered by the results of this investigation. Rather than a nutritionally dysfunctional intake of food, the following eating diary compiled by Gillian suggests that in fact Mr Nixon sets an excellent example to his peer group of young males:

Saturday: Breakfast - 'Activator Smoothie' and pumpkin seeds; Lunch - Tofu and Bean Burger with Watercress;

Dinner - Mackerel and Pine Nuts with Avocado Sauce. Mineral Water.

Sunday: Breakfast - Quinoa Porridge with sunflower seeds; Lunch - Pumpkin Stew with Butternut Squash Mash;

Dinner - Miso Soup with Tofu, and Spinach Sprouting Seeds Salad. Mineral Water.

Dr McKeith and her team were furious at this misrepresentation of David. Her team observed, however, that Mr Nixon appears to wear a padded corset to hide an extremely impressive six-pack and toned abdominal definition. They did wonder, therefore, if this time-wasting exercise did involve an element of collusion...
We would be most grateful if you would ensure that those responsible for hindering Dr McKeith's international crusade to improve eating habits and stool formation be identified, and Celador Productions be notified of the miscreants in anticipation of potential legal action.

A letter of apology has been sent to Mr Nixon, who regretably received an e-mail from Celador Productions before this hoax had been uncovered, which included the phrase 'We have been watching you, you cheese-chomping coke-guzzler, and your malnourished over-caffeinated days are numbered'.

Yours in anticipation,
Hilary Killjoy
Lifestyles Programme Editor, Channel 4.
___________________

RajanGuest Group31 March 2006 at 2:11pm

I, for one, would like to support the investigations that the Editorial Team are conducting into this serious matter.
I think it is dreadful that members of the course should behave in this way.
On behalf of all career-minded, right-thinking students, I would like to apologise unreservedly to Ms Killjoy, Dr McKeith - and indeed to David - for this very poor lapse in judgement displayed by nameless members of the course (another excellent reason that Christina quite rightly insists that we do not put up entries on this board under false names - childish behaviour).
If I can help in anyway in tracking down the culprits, please let me know.

Yours disgustedly
Rajan

_________

Editorial TeamGuest Group31 March 2006 at 2:16pm

Thank you for your support, Rajan
____________________

RajanGuest Group31 March 2006 at 2:17pm

You are welcome.
____________________

Legal TeamGuest Group31 March 2006 at 3:05pm

In view of recent events David Paul Nixon is currently seeking legal advice in reference to the ‘You are what you eat’ incident. Our client has been greatly troubled by these accusations and feels that he has been misrepresented as a cheese-chomping coke-guzzler. We would also like to point out that any corset Mr Nixon may or may not wear is for medical purposes only, and that any accusations of collusion are totally false.

We were also asked to relay the following message on behalf of Mr Nixon.

“I’ll get you next time Rajan, you massive W*****”
________________________________
RajanGuest Group31 March 2006 at 3:15pm

Guys, want to find out more about having the confidence to alienate people, make yourself generally unpopular and gain an official David P Nixon-accredited 'Massive W*****' nomination*?
Take the test...
http://www.nomoremrniceguy.com/ngs.php
* more valuable than a Blue Peter Badge at the moment - and you can sell your title on e-bay...

Fact Three

Many films released in Malaysia are significantly edited and cut.

The following is a selection of films banned entirely.

Saturday Night Fever, Babe 1 & 2, Zoolander, Schindlers List, Bruce Almighty, Daredevil, Sin City, Brokeback Mountain, Saving Private Ryan, South Park, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Blade, Underworld.

In Zimbabwe 'The Interpreter' was banned by a September 2005 interdict from President Robert Mugabe Office, stating that the film is “mischievous” and a “subtle denigration of our head of State by the Bush administration and the CIA.”

Dirty Harry is currently banned in Finland, From Dusk Till Dawn was banned in Ireland for 6 years after its release and What's New Pussycat was banned in Norway for some reason.