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 Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:13 pm
Nearly everyone today is familiar with the fateful, April/1912, maiden voyage of the Titanic - the largest oceanliner ever built. But few are aware that 14 years earlier, Morgan Robertson had already written about the fateful, April/?, maiden voyage of the largest oceanliner ever built in his novel titled "Futility"; only it was named the "Titan". No doubt few are aware of this because "Futility" was not well written and did not sell many copies a hundred years ago.
The novel follows the trials of an ex-Naval officer, John Rowland, who battled alcoholism after being rejected by a woman he had grown infatuated with. Struggling to pick himself up, he lands a job as a common sailor on the maiden voyage of the largest oceanliner ever built - the Titan. On board, he runs into his old flame who is now married and a mother. However, she falsely believes that Rowland is out to kill her child. He is able to redeem himself in her eyes when the Titan strikes an iceberg, sinks a half a page later, and he rescues her child from sea.
Robertson's account of the sinking of the Titan was extremely short and had little bearing on the author's plot, which lacked any spark or fire to it. The only thing worthy in this prose is the author's imagination that dreamt up the Titan - he was able to imagine what the world's largest oceanliner would eventually look like with such accuracy that he nearly guessed it's name to the letter! Both the Titan and the Titanic were 70,000-ton vessels that could do 25 knots and hold 3,000 passengers. Both hit an iceberg in April (because that's the month of icebergs), both were considered "unsinkable", and both sunk with a great loss of life because both did not have enough life boats.
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:36 pm
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:41 am
Interesting facts, ay? Here's one....
Most people get the impression that potatoes are bad for you. But in fact, they are very nutritious, high in vitamins, minerals, water and even fibre! To gain a kilo of weight from eating potatoes you would have to eat like 40 (but you should never have more than 8 a day [as if you could anyway!] coz of a toxic chemical in potatoes called solanine, you know, that green stuff in bad potatoes).
The key is in the cooking. Don't fry or smother them in butter/cheese/salt! And let them cool a bit too, it is more fibrous that way.
What can I say, I am a nerd!!! mrgreen mrgreen mrgreen
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:39 am
When the first bunch of passionfruit reach the civilized world, they thought they were all off because they were yellow inside.
Likewise, people thought tomatoes were poisenous because people who ate them got sick. They weren't entirely wrong, The yummy juice didn't go so well with their lead plates.
People act a lot like cats, only stupider.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 4:19 pm
The budgerigar or the parakeet as it is known in America, is one of the world's most popular pets and certainly the most popular bird! Wild Australian budgies are always green but they have been breed in captivity to express many colours. They are one of the best talking parrots. The name budgeriar is thought to mean "good cockatoo".
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:11 am
Valentine's day used to be a pagan roman festival at the end which the roman men drew names of pretty young girls out. The girls had to serve the men sexually for a year.
The Roman men weren't that happy when the custom was changed.
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:57 am
vote for women!! womens lib lol pfft good luck to any roman thinkn that be the case these days...
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:19 am
Don't worry. The last of the roman empire was destroyed by Crusaders on the way to the Holy Land.
3000 years...not bad for a civilation.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:26 pm
i don't know if you all already k now this but tomatoes used to be the real love fruit. you would give on to someone you liked and it was like buying them flowers and chocolate.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:02 am
I didn't know that., Thanks. Now I have learned something today.
Did you know the god who created greek thearte (which was the model for wetern acting for along time) was the god of maddness and wine.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:48 pm
According to folklore...the camel spider is said to be the most gruesome of spiders. It can get to the size of a dinner plate, it has toxins that it releases when it bites its prey, causing numbness. The camel spider doesn't only bite, it chews. So if you are ever bitten by one, you wouldn't know it until you woke up to find missing chunks of meat. -_-ll
When the spider gives chase, it goes up to 12 mph, and emits screams. It dislikes the sun and it follows your shadow. According to them folklore people. ;P
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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:30 am
The original symbol for christianity was a fish. They only switched to the cross after the fall of the roman empire.
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