While I am not sure of the authenticity of some of the things I bump into on the Internet, there are some very interesting collections that I have come to enjoy and often store in my “Grab-bag” file. 

They are good for reference, to use as supplements in speeches, radio scripts and are good fodder for conversations. Here are a few, I have put in safe keeping.

• Glass requires one million years to decompose.  This means that it never wears out and can be recycled in an infinite amount of times.
• Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn’t smoke unless it is heated above 450F.
• The roar we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
• Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
• The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
• In ancient times, strangers shook hands to show that they were not armed.
• The moon moves about two inches away from the earth each year.
• The earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.
• Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.
• The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
• This from Mandy Joye, UGA Marine Biologist: She says we are fast approaching the time when there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
• No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
• Never ask your three-year-old brother to hold a tomato.
• You are getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a rollercoaster.
• Time may be a great healer, but it is a lousy beautician.
• The four stages of life:

1. You believe in Santa Claus
2. You don’t believe in Santa Claus
3. You are Santa Claus
4. You look like Santa Claus

• Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
• Middle age is when you choose your cereal for fiber, not the toy.
• Which city is the most visited in the world?  London with 18.6 million international visitors annually; that generates over 19 billion dollars in revenue for London town.
• Which country drinks the most alcohol?  That would be Belarus where the average person above the age of 16 drinks an average of 4.6 gallons of alcohol every year.
• One of the ways to stay young is to “keep learning.  Learn about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever…never let the brain idle.  An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.  And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.”
• Pluto has not completed full orbit since its discovery and won’t until March 2178.
• The following appears on a tombstone in the Logan City Cemetery, Logan Utah!  “Five Rules for Men to Follow for a Happy Life.”

1. It is important to have a woman who helps at home, cooks from time to time, cleans up and has a job.
2. It is important to have a woman who can make you laugh.
3. It is important to have a woman who you can trust and doesn’t lie to you.
4. It is important to have a woman who is good in bed and likes to be with you.
5. It is very, very important that these four women don’t know each other, or you could end up dead like me.

Selah!