somebody give me something

[mzteris]

to research.

I don't really care what it is. The more obscure the better - just please, a "real" something I might could eventually find - not a non-existent something.

I think I'm about to lose my mind.

[Sanity Claws]

1. How many angels can dance on a pin?

It's said that people used to debate this as a theological question. After finding the answer, maybe you can tell us how they ever got into a ridiculous discussion.
With Christmas so near, I guess I've got religion on the brain.

[mzteris]

3. seemingly it was a needle,

not a pin.

Though complicated by the fact that "angels don't dance" (as they're non-corporeal. . .) and, it appears, there really wasn't a theological debate on the topic.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_132.html

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14698b.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=AMOQZfrZq-EC&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=%22how+many+angels+can+dance%22+why+scholars&source=web&ots=q3FCybSpTn&sig=-IiGGuekZdlli7Uj7MlDKK1W3gQ#PPP1,M1

[mzteris]

48. and in a related story

Bible put on a pinhead-size chip

Researchers in Israel say they have succeeded in putting a version of the Bible on a chip smaller than a pinhead. Its 300,000 words in Hebrew were inscribed on a silicon surface at the Haifa Institute of Technology.

. . .snip.. . .

The record for the smallest copy is held by a Bible measuring 2.8x3.4x1cm (1.1x1.3x0.4in), weighing 11.75g (0.4 ounces) and containing 1,514 pages.

The 0.5sq-mm (0.01sq-in) nano-Bible was written on a silicon surface covered with a thin layer of gold (20nanometres thick - 0.0002mm).

-more-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7158792.stm

[lost-in-nj]

2. how many miles

it is from the north pole to Wayne, NJ???

need to know.....

:)

THANKS

lost

[mzteris]

7. as a crow flies -

it looks to be about - 3,026.04 miles.

[hisownpetard]

15. Depends if there's the usual flooding in Wayne, or not...

:hi:

[MonkeyFunk]

4. Here's a good one!

Years ago, I read an article about the rate of pre-marital sex in Puritan colonies. Evidently, an examination of birth and wedding records showed an astonishingly high rate of non-marital coitus. I've never been able to find the original article I read.

So... have at it: What percentage of puritan pregnancies began outside of wedlock?

[mzteris]

9. percentages vary - but 1/3 looks about average.

******
"In towns such as Hingham and Watertown, the proportion of new brides who were already pregnant climbed from 10 percent in 1680 to 40 percent by 1730." Daniel Scott Smith and Michael S. Hindus, “Premarital Pregnancy in America 1640-1971: An Overview and Interpretation,” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 5 (1975):

******
In the 17th century nearly 50% of all brides went to the alter pregnant. "Made in America" by Bill Bryson.

****
In a study of records in seventeenth-century Somerset County, “more than a third of the immigrant women whose marriages were recorded were pregnant by the time of the ceremony. Such a high rate of bridal pregnancy – two to three times that of many contemporary English parishes – is testimony to the extend of social disruption. There is little evidence that the community objected to this kind of sexual freedom; no presentments for bridal pregnancy appear in any of the Maryland courts."


“. . . one out of five Maryland-born brides was pregnant when she married. Lack of parental control was a contributing element. Orphaned girls were apparently particularly vulnerable to premarital conceptions; initial study indicates an even greater frequency of bridal pregnancy among women whose fathers had died during their minority." http://www.pobronson.com/factbook/pages/428.html


*****
". . . men and women flirted at singing schools, drank and danced in alehouses, devoured romantic novels, and engaged in a good deal of premarital sex. . ." Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England, by Bruce C. Daniels. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1995.


****
". . . scholars say New England's first colonists weren't really anti-sex. They recognized the sex act as not only essential for procreation but an earthly delight. They just wanted it confined to marriage.

The confinement wasn't always successful. As historian Edmund S. Morgan writes, in spite of the harsh penalties for sexual sins, "the impression one gets from reading the court records of 17th century is that illicit sexual intercourse was fairly common." . . . http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/permw98.htm



*****

". . .In eighteenth-century New England, premarital sex and pregnancy surged. Previous historical interpretations generally followed the trope first advanced by evangelical critics during the religious revivals of the 1740s: that New England had declined from Puritan piety to wallow in immorality. More sensibly, Godbeer depicts a triumph of moral pragmatism over the impossible purity of the initial Puritan agenda. Unable to prevent young people from engaging in premarital sex, rural parents sensibly sought some influence and information by encouraging the practice of "bundling." Instead of seeking sex in barns or byways, young people slept together, "bundled" in the paternal home. Although ostensibly clothed and limited to fondling, the bundlers produced the surge in premarital pregnancy.

Some ministers fulminated against the practice, but in vain and to the detriment of their influence and careers. Parents defended bundling because it revealed whom their daughters slept with, so that in the event of pregnancy they could bring effective pressure for marriage or a financial settlement. "In order to ensure that unwed fathers were held accountable," Godbeer explains, "it was essential that people other than the lovers themselves know that they had been involved with each other." A growing number of young women got only a settlement for their out-of-wedlock baby, but they suffered surprisingly little damage to their reputations. Most of these young women quickly found another reputable man to marry them. Godbeer describes the new rules of the game "as a pragmatic accommodation between the greater sexual freedom that young people now enjoyed and the desire of parents to maintain protective surveillance over their children."
Sexual Revolution in Early America by Richard Godbeer Martyrs to Venus A Review by Alan Taylor
http://www.powells.com/review/2002_10_31.html


". . . Between 1640 and 1685, over 150 couples in Essex County alone were convicted of premarital sex, while those who secretly preformed said act without producing offspring remained under the radar of the Puritan church members . . ." Godbeer, Richard. Sexual Revolution in Early America. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2002 pg. 34 http://books.google.com/books?id=Tngxrcg-kqEC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=puritans+%22premarital+sex%22&source=web&ots=fp9eIC3y1a&sig=TI9PNBJLcAiiMCzix-9zzCrC92g#PPP1,M1

****

Thanks. That was fun and informative!

[hisownpetard]

5. Is the chow-chow really the oldest dog known to mankind, going back to the Ming dynasty?

[mzteris]

13. Reputedly the Han dynasty -

about 1100 years before the Ming.


Description: Arguments prevail as to whether the Chow Chow is one of the truly original dog breeds or whether it is a descendent of the Tibetan Mastiff. What is known, is that this breed with the unique blue-black tongue, has existed in China since 150 BC. Many of the Chows were used as guarding, hunting or carting dogs, although the few that were born with the smoky blue color were often elevated to the role of Buddhist temple dog. At one time, this breed was also raised as a food supply for Chinese tables, hence the name "chow" which is Cantonese for "food." http://www.kennel.com/chowchow/index.html

****
Bonus:

The "ancient" group includes 14 geographically diverse breeds that are not usually grouped together, including the Asian chow chow, Shar-Pei, Shih Tzu, Pekingese, Tibetan terrier, Akita and Shiba Inu; the African basenji; the Middle Eastern Saluki; and the Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute.

The group's geographic and physical diversity surprised a number of geneticists not involved in the study and even the researchers themselves.

Dr. Kruglyak speculated that these breeds were directly descended from the first dogs and then spread out with their nomadic owners.

When and where dogs first separated from wolves is hotly disputed, with time estimates based on mitochondrial DNA evidence ranging from 15,000 to 135,000 years ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/21/science/21dog.html?ex=1400472000&en=6b49c839cde80d81&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND

[hisownpetard]

16. Wow - thanks so much. That was really interesting, and fast, too! How much

do I owe ya?:hi:

[mzteris]

35. da nada.

It was my pleasure.

[RainDog]

6. what are the names of every person

currently working in the Bush administration who were also involved in Iran-Contra and what jobs do they have now?

[mzteris]

17. every person? who knows?

Elliott Abrams: Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy

Ambassador John D. Negroponte: Director of National Intelligence

Robert Michael Gates: Secretary of Defense

Charles Allen: Under Secretary for the Department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis

David S. Addington: Chief of Staff for Cheney


and, of course: Dick Cheney.

[Ptah]

8. When did this magnificent machine succumb to internal combustion gadgets?

:shrug:

[mzteris]

18. starting around 1934 . . .

the diesel started making inroads. By the mid 40's/50's - steam was essentially - er - out of steam.



1913: The first commercially successful internal combustion engine locomotive in the U.S. was built by General Electric for the Dan Patch Line in Minnesota. Locomotive #100 had two Model GM16 gasoline-electric 8" x 10" V8's rated at 175 HP @ 550 rpm each. It weighed 57 tons and rode on two four-wheel trucks (B-B).

1915: The Santa Fe Depot is dedicated in San Diego on March 7th.

1917: The first Diesel-electric locomotive in the U.S. was a prototype built by G.E. Number 4 had one model GM50 air injection two-stroke V8 rated at 225 HP @ 550 rpm powering one of two trucks. http://www.sdrm.org/history/timeline/


American Railroads by John F. Stover (particularly pp 212-214-ish)

[Ptah]

23. Why was Edgar Bergen there?

[mzteris]

26. maybe that was his?

Mr. Bergen is the proud owner of a J. I. Case steam traction engine and his name appears on the membership roster of the Western Steam Fiends Association which confirms him as an ardent steam fan.
http://www.steamtraction.com/archive/149/

[Ptah]

27. He came to my small town in 1962 to watch a local farmer that still used steam.

We got his autograph.

[mzteris]

31. you have the most interesting

pictures!!

[kedrys]

10. Is it possible to hypnotize someone over the 'net?

A friend of mine has been going on and on about this chat room where the operators run "trances". I think it's bull. What say you?

[mzteris]

20. certainly are people claiming to!

Internet hypnosis service launched
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s309770.htm

NetHypnosis: Hypno-psychotherapy Over the Internet. http://hypnosis.org/nethypnosis.htm

Hypnosis - Chat Rooms on IRC - irc.netsplit.deHypnosis Chat: Search for 'Hypnosis' within the Internet Relay Chat! ... irc.netsplit.de/chat/hypnosis.php

Chat Room Schedule
Hypnosis is a method of communication that induces a trance or trance-like state. .... Press HERE to CHAT. Press HERE to return to Dr. Blansett's Home Page ... www.serve.com/Blansett/SmokingForms/INTAKEPACKET.HTM - 15k -





Try it yourself and see: http://www.rabailkal.com/

[kedrys]

25. In-teresting...!

Thanks for looking it up for me - lots of good reading there!

:hi:

[no name no slogan]

11. What was the sister ship of the "Edmund Fitzgerald"?

... the steamship that shipwrecked on Lake Superior in November of 1975? Bonus points if you can find a picture of it (yes, they do exist out there on the series of tubes)

[mzteris]

21. here ya go!

S.S. ARTHUR B HOMER

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

12. Was Poe a genius or simply a drugged-out madman?

...Something in keeping with that losing your mind issue... :evilgrin:

[mzteris]

22. both.

A Genius who was self-medicating his mental health issues.

[SPKrazy]

14. how far is timbuktu from

Ft. Smith Arkansas

:shrug:

[mzteris]

24. 2,102 mi

of course that's Timbuktu, Oregon.

;)

[SPKrazy]

30. nyaaaaat!!!

wrong Timbuktu!

but

okay

thanks

:hug:

[mzteris]

32. 1,392?

Timbuktu, Twenty-nine Palms, CA

[mzteris]

33. okay okay

6,923.28 miles (more or less)

[SPKrazy]

41. that's better

;)

:hug:

:loveya:

[mzteris]

44. anything to make you happy,

hon!

:loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug: :loveya: :hug:

[SPKrazy]

46. anything?

:evilgrin:

:think:

:hug: :hug: :hug:

:loveya:

:hi:

[mzteris]

47. Welllllllllllllllllll .........

it IS Christmas and all . . .

[mountainvue]

19. Gin & Juice. I had some guy telling me the other night that

it was Gin & tonic.:crazy:

[mzteris]

29. uh - no -

Gin & Juice:
Gin 2 oz.
Grapefruit Juice 2 oz.
Orange Juice 3 oz.
Lime 1 slice

Gin & Tonic:
2 oz gin
5 oz tonic water
1 lime wedge



Bonus: "Gin and Juice" is a 1993 single by rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, from his debut solo album Doggystyle. Also done by Dr. Dre and a NYC hip-hop artist named Phish, and has been covered by a bluegrass band from Texas called the Gourds.

[eyesroll]

28. Why did Wisconsin abandon the common-law rule against perpetuities?

And is there any good way to craft an estate plan so one's grandchildren may benefit, when one's children haven't even been conceived yet?

[mzteris]

34. hmmmmm -

The common law rule served a valuable social objective. Indeed, in Tennessee, perpetuities are banned by the state Constitution.3 Nevertheless, the rule often did work badly. If A violated the rule, it was not A who suffered; rather an interest clearly intended for B would often go to C instead. The need for reform was evident.


Only eight states, plus the District of Columbia, still maintain the common law rule, unadorned by modern modifications.


. . . in the other 12 states, which have either repealed the rule entirely or allowed a trustor to "opt out" of the rule.5 Most of those states are open about their motive: to promote trust business. In other words, repeal is not generally enacted for reasons of policy, since USRAP adequately addresses the historic shortcomings of the rule. Rather, commerce has trumped policy, much to the chagrin of those who still believe the rule serves a vital purpose.


Specifically:

The common law rule against perpetuities is not in force in Wisconsin. Rather, Wis. Stat. § 700.16(1)(a) states: "A future interest or trust is void if it suspends the power of alienation for longer than the permissible period. The permissible period is a life or lives in being plus a period of 30 years." "The power of alienation is suspended when there are no persons in being who, alone or in combination with others, can convey an absolute fee in possession of land …." Wis. Stat. § 700.16(2).
****

Wisconsin does not recognize the common law rule against perpetuities: The rule against perpetuities is an English law principle that has been carried over to the United States. It requires a person's interest in property to vest (or become absolute) within a certain period, typically within a life or lives in being plus 21 years. When the rule applies, restrictions placed on the transfer of property beyond that period will be invalid.

The rule against perpetuities can be an obstacle in estate planning in connection with trusts that are intended to continue for many generations. These trusts (sometimes called "Dynasty Trusts") will not be effective in states that still follow the old English law rule. Wisconsin is one of only a few states that does not recognize the rule against perpetuities in its common law form. Instead, Wisconsin statutes provide for a rule against suspending a power of alienation that voids a future interest or trust if it suspends the power of alienation for longer than the "permissible period," which is set by statute as a life or lives in being plus 30 years.2 The statute also provides that a violation of the rule is avoided for trusts if the trustee has the power to sell trust assets, or there is an unlimited power to terminate the trust in one or more persons in being. Therefore, a trust established in Wisconsin can continue indefinitely as long as the grantor grants the trustee the power to sell trust assets.


*****
then there's this:

Common Law Rule Against Perpetuities – No interest is good unless is must vest, if at all, no later than 21 years after the death of some life in being at the creation of the interest.


We must prove that the interest will necessarily vest or necessarily fail to vest within the required period.
The Period begins at the creation of the interest and extends 21 years past the death of any persons who were alive at creation and who can affect the vesting of the interest.
If the interest necessarily vests or necessarily fails to vest within this period, it’s valid.


*****

As to your other question - I'm not lawyer so I don't think I can really comment.

Though I did find this info:

Beneficiary –
Identification of Beneficiaries – it’s alright to name unborn children as beneficiaries because they are ascertainable, but other beneficiaries, such as “my friends” are unascertainable.
Person or a Charity – most trusts must benefit a person or a charity (unless it’s an Honorary Trust, in which case it can be paid to certain categories, such as maintenance of a grave or a pet, etc).

§851.13 – Issue
Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.

http://wisconsinsba.org/outlines/tne/TNEstatesErlanger-Ross.doc.

[Lil Missy]

36. Here's a serious one.

Why is the Black population disproportionately penalized in the legal system as opposed to Caucasians? Even the death penalty is unevenly applied to Blacks. That seriously disturbs me, when there is a lot more White crime than Black crime.

Let me tell you a story. A couple days ago I got into a serious scrape and injured myself fall on the ice, and it was so slippery that I couldn't get up. A Good Samaritan came along and helped me, but even he fell on his ass slipping in the ice.

I was convinced he was needed to crawl to the snow pack to get some traction to get up. I seriously in a desperate state when I fell and couldn't get up without his help.

I have told this story several times, and I am so grateful for his help.

So, why does this story take on a different tone if I mention that the Good Samaritan was Black?? Why does that make a difference? That pisses me off.

[mzteris]

37. because the US is

a "white supremacist patriarchal capitalist" society.

It was founded on racism and runs on racism. It's called "institutionalized racism".


Wanna hear another story to piss you off?


My youngest son is black and adopted while we were living in North Carolina. People would give me the "look" when they saw my baby, shunning, cold shoulder, mutters, etc - but if I told them he was a foster (or later adopted) - then suddenly I was "God's own helper" and "Blessed" for giving that "poor child a home".

Pardon me while I :puke:

No, I'm "blessed" because he's a wonderful loving awesome little boy!!

[Lil Missy]

43. Well bless your heart. And I agree.

And I don't mean that in a condescending way either.

And BTW, I am partial to little boys! Just a fickle (and I don't give a shit if they are purple) and perhaps anal retentive thing with me.

:hi:

Well, maybe that was not a good research question for you.

[HuskerDU]

38. Was Johnny Thunders murdered? n/t

[mzteris]

39. officially, no -

listed as a drug overdose.

Some think, however, he was poisoned via his drugs.

[HuskerDU]

40. Yup

Who knows? He lasted 10 years longer than Westerberg figured.

[KitchenWitch]

42. What are the functions of the beta receptors in a cell

[mzteris]

45. Beta receptors

mediate relaxation or decreased activity of the effector cells. Thus, blood vessels dilate and uterine smooth muscle relaxes in response to activation of beta receptors. . ."

:hi:

Thanks for playing!