Did you know who was nominated 18 before she won an emmy?

Did you know it only took eighteen nominations, before Susan won her first Emmy? It came as a shock to both her as well as the viewing audience when she finally won in 1999.

Did you know that a cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her life time?

Did you know these animal facts:
The average hen will lay 227 eggs a year

The female pig is the fastest barnyard mama. Miss Piggy gestates in three months, three weeks, and three days.

The way to get more mules is to mate a male donkey with a female horse.

The poison arrow frogs of South and Central America are the most poisonous animals in the world.

A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

A cow drinks approx 1 bathtub full of water per day.

It takes 70-100 hours for a cow to digest it's food.

Fresh milk has a natural sweet taste

Light Cream is for Coffee and Heavy Cream is for whipping.

A cow gives approx 8 gals per day or enough
for over 100 people to have a glass of milk every day!

A cow must have a calf once a year to continue milking. A newborn Holstein calf is born with his/her eyes open, able to walk within one hour and weighing about 80 pounds.

Did you know why they called it black friday?

You have probably heard of "Black Friday". This is the the day after Thanksgiving when retail outlets offer special early bird sales and deals for the Holiday season. You may even have gotten up in the wee hours of the morning to go to the stores and get your share of these super special sales. If this is the case, you are sure not alone.

Each year, the stores are packed with crowds looking to save some money and bring home gifts at the lowest prices possible. If you have ever wondered why it is called Black Friday or how this tradition started, read on to learn more about the history of retail's biggest day of the year.

Did you know why it is Called "Black Friday"?

Interestingly enough, there are two ways that this shoppers holiday got it's name. At the very beginning of the tradition, people we so eager for deals that they swarmed the shopping centers. This resulted in traffic accidents and other unfortunate altercations amongst the crowds. Back in 1966, the Philadelphia Police Department coined the term "Black Friday" to describe this phenomenon.

The other meaning of the term came later and gets its origins from an accounting term to mean profit for the retailers. Where as being "in the red" indicates a loss, being "in the black" means profits. As the popularity of these sales caught on, retailers could expect a very profitable day on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday has marked the beginning of the Holiday shopping season since the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924,. Before it was known by what we call it now, it was simply "After Thanksgiving Sales". Then as now it was one of the single busiest days of the year. During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving to a week earlier so that merchants could have more shopping days in the season in which to sell their wares.

These days, Black Friday has become so popular with shoppers that many larger retailers open their doors as early as Midnight on Thanksgiving in order to get the most hours out of the day.

Did you know that the average major league baseball pitcher last?

Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people!

Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!

Clinophobia is the fear of beds!

The average life span of a major league baseball last 5-7 years as a pitcher!

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable"!

Did you know why your hair goes gray?

Did you know why hair goes gray? Hair goes gray because of the loss of melanin, which is the pigment in our hair (and skin) that gives it it's colour. Melanin is produced by cells that are called melanocytes.These melanocytes eventually die and so the production of melanin is stopped. The concentration of melanin in the hair shaft decreases and where there is no colour there is gray. And then when the melanin disappears completely the hair is white. It is not known exactly how hair loses its pigment.

Did you know that going gray is part of life?

As we get older the pigment (color) cells in the roots of our hair -- our hair follicles -- gradually die. As the color cells die, the hair loses its color and it becomes transparent.

The age that we start going gray is determined by our genetics. Some people go gray very young.

Did you know that these five foods suppress hunger?

How to Suppress Hunger By Eating Five Foods

Uncontrolled hunger and overeating can make even the best weight loss plans go awry. One way to reduce the risk of overeating and help keep hunger at bay is to eat frequent, small, meals throughout the day. This not only keeps the metabolism primed, but also reduces hunger that can lead to poor food choices. One option to reduce the risk of overeating is to eat foods that suppress hunger naturally. When it comes to controlling appetite, eating certain foods can help to reduce hunger cravings so that fewer overall calories are consumed throughout the day. What are some of these foods that suppress hunger naturally?

Almonds

To suppress hunger naturally, avoid high carb treats and snack on a handful of almonds instead. A study published in the journal Obesity showed that overweight women who ate two servings of almonds a day ended up consuming fewer overall calories. Although almonds are high in calories and fat, they’re also a good source of protein and fiber which helps to naturally suppress hunger. It’s also thought that some of the fat in almonds is not absorbed by the body, so the calories may not be completely utilized

Apples

Another way to get full without overloading on calories is to snack on an apple. A medium-sized apple has only seventy calories, and is a rich source of fiber. Apples are also a good source of pectin, an indigestible fiber that slows down the rate of stomach emptying – leading to a greater sense of satiety. To get the hunger suppressing benefit of an apple, eat it whole rather than as a juice so you can get less calories and more fiber.

Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids which cause secretion of two hormones that suppress hunger naturally – CCK and glucagons-like peptide. One study showed that women who ate pine nuts experienced twenty-nine percent less hunger. Because this effect lasted for up to four hours, these women took in fewer calories overall throughout the day.

Oatmeal

Eating a healthy breakfast is important for weight control and one of the best breakfast foods for naturally suppressing appetite is oatmeal. Oatmeal is fiber-rich and a good source of complex carbohydrates which help to stabilize insulin levels.Fiber-rich foods like oatmeal are slowly digested which means they reduce hunger cravings for longer periods of time. For greater benefits, choose old-fashioned oats or steel oats and avoid packets of instant oatmeal that are often loaded with sugar and calories.

Eggs

An egg has only sixty calories and its high protein content makes it a natural appetite suppressant. Studies have shown that people who eat eggs for breakfast, take in fewer overall calories. High protein foods such as eggs increase secretion of a peptide known as PYY which helps to suppress hunger naturally. Whether they’re scrambled, boiled, or poached, eggs are a good choice for breakfast or even a mid-day snack.The bottom line: add some of these foods to your daily diet and you’ll take in fewer calories overall, while still feeling full and satisfied.

Did you know that the 809 scam is a hoax? Here is why...

Here is the proof that the 809 area code is a hoax!

The Truth About the Area Code 809 Hoax and Scams

Brief Summary: There is no evidence* that anyone falling for the '809 scam' ever complained about their phone bill, or paid more than standard international rates*.

Full Summary: In early October 1996, someone sent out spam* that tricked people into calling an 809 (Dominican Republic) phone number, and the callers were likely billed about $.50/minute *. About a week later, an organization called ScamBusters got a hold of this information, and reported* (incorrectly) that it could cost up to $25/minute and $100+ total. People passed this information on through chain letters, where $25 and $100 got turned into $2,425 and $24,100 (due to encoding and human error*). Everyone from the BBB to Attorneys General got duped*, thinking something barely worthy of the term 'scam'* was a huge deal. There is no evidence* of anyone ever having complained about their phone bill from this! The hoax, on the other hand, causes huge problems*. click here to see more.

Unraveling the Hoax and Proving it

Despite hundreds of newspaper articles, warnings by police, sheriffs, district attorneys, attorneys general, colleges and universities, there is one lynchpin that keeps this whole thing alive: that it might have cost $25/minute to call these numbers (which then snowballs into the higher figures). The prospect of getting charged $25/minute is scary (and worthy of informing others of); getting charged $.25/minute* is not. If that $25/minute can be disproven, the whole thing can be shown to be a hoax, since all the warnings mention amounts of money that are based on the $25/minute rate.

The truth is that there is just one source for that $25/minute amount: The original ScamBusters article, which said "apparently be charged $25 per-minute." Their alert went out on 07 Oct 1996, 5 days after the scam started, so nobody had gotten a phone bill yet. Their alert was based on reports from 2 people, and quoted no sources for any of their information. Five days later, they issued a new alert, mentioning "reportedly up to $25 per minute." So their story changed from a flat rate per call to a variable rate.

On 21 Nov 1996 (6 weeks after the scam started), Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune said that the $25 figure was a 'wild error', and that you are billed standard international rates. The truth is that it cost people about $.50/minute to make the call back in 1996. On 12 Jan 1997, an intelligent Usenet poster claims that he for 6 months requested that anyone with proof of 809 calls cost more than the normal international rate to let him know; nobody responded. We also sent an E-mail to the one of the authors of the original ScamBusters article, asking if he had any evidence that anyone ever paid more than the standard international rate. No response. A reputable website has requested evidence of surchages for 8 years, with no takers.

So it seems very clear that the $25/minute that all the hoaxes are based on was completely made-up, most likely to try to get people to hype the ScamBusters article. A good job they did!

If you really want to report on the scam

Let's say that you want to report about the scam behind the hoax. You feel that your citizens/constituents/students/whatever need to know. That's OK. While we feel that it isn't worthy of reporting, you may. However, please at least consider these guidelines if you do report it:

• Do NOT just mention area code 809. Mention all area codes that could result in international long distance rates.
• Do NOT mention any specific information without backing it up. e.g. do not say 'Calls can cost as much as $25/minute'.
• Do NOT mention vague information that cannot be backed up ('This is spreading rapidly', 'Lots of people have been victims', 'high phone bill', etc.).
• Do NOT imply that this is 'pay-per-call' or that extra charges, surcharges, or fees apply beyond long distance rates.
• DO make it clear that people falling for the scam will just pay standard international rates of about $.25/minute.
• DO make it clear that there is absolutely no reason not to call people or businesses you know in any country (assuming you know what the standard rate is)
• DO distinguish between the scam in the chain letters (where someone cons you into calling an 809 number, and there is no benefit to the call) from the 'quasi-legitimate' scams such as Mystery Shopping ads that would appear in newspapers, where people actually did get information they wanted (but complained for various reasons). They are very different scams.

Boos to:

• AT&T - They get a ton of free publicity from the hoax, as many people use their page to 'prove' that the hoax is real. They do admit that the costs are highly exaggerated (but still claims there are 'high charges'). They don't admit that court documents (see p110) show that AT&T received 90% of the money for the printed version of the '809 scam'. Update the page to make sure that people can't accidentally use it as 'proof' that the chain letter is real.
• ScamBusters - They've gotten a ton of free publicity from the hoax that they helped start! Their page is still used as 'proof' that the hoax is real. They still suggest that the $25/minute rate they made up might be accurate. Just admit that there is no evidence that anyone ever paid huge sums of money, accept that you got tons of free publicity for 13 years, and be done with it.
• FCC - They are sometimes used as 'proof' of the hoax. They need to revise their article, removing the hoax pieces, and making sure people aren't going to accidentally use it as 'proof' that their chain letter is real.
• BBB - They are sometimes used as 'proof' of the hoax. They need to revise their article, removing the hoax pieces, and making sure people aren't going to accidentally use it as 'proof' that their chain letter is real.
• Snopes - This is usually an excellent resource. However, the hoax (showing $2,425/minute) points to their site 'proving' it is real, since they state 'Mixture of true and false information', 'pay-per-call', 'hefty up-front fee', '$25 to $100'. People see that, and the hoax continues (sometimes with modifications, sometimes not). If you're a hoax-busting site like Snopes, and you have a hoax that links to a webpage of yours to 'prove' the hoax is real, that page must make it very clear that it is a hoax, and be completely accurate. If Snopes thinks that people might be billed $100 for this, they haven't done enough research.

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Specifics...

In 1996 it only cost about $.50/minute to call the 809 area code

Evidence from Usenet postings shows that in this time a good deal for international rate calling to the 809 area code was $.50/minute.

For example: $.46/minute (soc.culture.dominican-rep 23 May 1996), $.46/minute (biz.marketplace.non-computer 14 Oct 1996), $.47/minute (ca.forsale 27 Aug 1997), $.52/minute (biz.marketplace.services.non-computer 07 Nov 1996), $.52/minute (soc.culture.hongkong, 26 Nov 1996).

There has been no evidence that anyone paid anywhere close to $25/minute. Even if they did, the long distance phone company (who the person being scammed chose) would have pocketed the $24+/minute over the normal rates!

In 2009 it costs about $.25/minute to call the 809 area code

Today, there are typically 2 different international rates: one for normal calls, the other for mobile calls or premium services. Here is what you can expect to pay as of 23 Oct 2009 (all are for 'premium services' calls):

AT&T: $.24/minute (U-verse International Calling).
Charter: $.25/minute
Qwest: $.25 (using Broadband Phone Service)
Verizon: $.18 to $.47/minute

These scams are rare today

First, there's the fact that there are very, very few reports of anyone having ever fallen for this scam (and none include a dollar amount).

Then, there's Ask Andy. He says that he helped investigate this in 1998, and he is not aware of any such scam since then (as of the report, dated 13 Mar 2009).

The only reports we could find were: [1] Per that Ask Andy article, there were about a dozen people targeted in North Mississipi in or before 1998, and [2] A college student that reported it to the campus police (after he called, before he got the bill; he only reported it because he saw an article suggesting he might be paying a high rate), [3] The Missouri Attorney General says that a senior citizen got the message and called, but doesn't remember if he got an extra charge on his phone bill.

Did you know if you want to see more proof click here.