Did you know..

Things you never knew about manure. Did you know that in the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before the invention of commercial fertilizers, so large shipments of manure were quite common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, not only did it become heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas of course. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the instruction ' Stow high in transit ' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term 'S.H.I.T', (Stow High In Transit) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day !!!!!!!

Unusual Animal Facts.

As I continue to read this book... I would like to share about some animal facts . As you know animals come in all different shapes and sizes. They come in different facts, habits and more.

A dolphin sleeps with one eye open.

A crocodile can't stick it's tongue out.

An insects blood is yellow and a lobsters blood is blue.

Loud, fast music makes termites chew faster.

Bars always exit a cave to the left.

Camels have three eyelids to protect their eyes from the sand.

Slugs have four noses.

In the Caribbean, the oysters can climb trees.

Cats can not taste sweet things.

A blind chameleon can still change color to match it's environment.

Statistically, you are more likely to be attacked by a cow than a shark.

At birth, a giant panda is smaller than a mouse.

A horned lizard squirts blood from it's eyelids to scare of it's enemies.

Spider silk is heavier than steel.

A snail can sleep for three years.

Sheep can recognize other sheep from photographs.

Bees have five eyes.

Honeybees kill more people than venomous snakes do.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Female ants do all the work.

Female canaries cannot sing.

Elephants and humans are the only creatures that can stand on their heads.

If a starfish is cut into pieces each piece will turn into another starfish.

Cats hate lemons.

Emus and kangaroos can't walk backwards.

Camels will spit if their annoyed.

Most insects are deaf.

Camels will sit when they are annoyed.

Threatened...

Today I was watching a program on Animal Planet about lions and fell in love with them. But that also got me thinking about other animals. Endangered in particular.

The top 10 most endangered species in the world are the tiger, the polar bear, the pacific walrus, Magellanic penguins, the leatherback turtle, the mountain gorilla,the bluefin tuna, the monarch butterfly, the javan rhinoceros, and the giant panda.

Animals become endangered  because firstly: Humans destroy precious habitat when they dam rivers and cut down trees to make homes, roads and other developments. Secondly: Pollution.Oil spills, acid rains and water pollution have been known to be the cause of the death for many birds and animals. And finally, because many animals are over hunted for their meat, fur and other valuable body parts.

According to Barry Commoner, a staunch environmentalist and author of  The Closing Circle , the first law of ecology states that ''Everything is connected to everything else''.  It's so simple.The endangered species need to be protected because if that specific endangered specie is extinct, the animal that eats it will also get extinct. Apart from the fact that they hold the medicinal, agricultural, ecological, commercial and aesthetic/recreational value, it's just a right thing to do.

Look at the tigers and the polar bears, they are so cute. Large, but cute. They are pretty gentle too, who wants to get rid of a gentle giant ?

Save Something

Today when we went to the supermarket we had 13 items packed in 9 plastic bags !!! Haven't they ever heard of the ecosystem / global warming/ recycling/ reuse? At this rate, how on earth is UAE going to keep it's promise of being free of plastic bags by 2013 ?

I absolutely hate it when people go to a grocery store, and when they get the bill, 95% don't even glance at it.  Imagine the number of trees that will get saved if the bills are not printed ! Trees are our main life support. If we continue to cut down trees like this, the human race will come to and end. Think of all the wooden furniture in your home. Think about how many trees needed to be cut to make them.

In my house, there are  9 air-conditioning systems and 4 of them are on 24/7. Think about the air-conditioning systems in your homes. I admit I cannot live without the air-con but then can't we have solar-energy??? Why don't the middle-east governments get together and do something about it? As it is we get enough sun to fry an egg on our window-sills !!

It also annoys me when people don't segregate their rubbish and put all in just one bag ! It does not even take an extra minute to put garbage in different bags . 

I just wish people could take recycling seriously and do their bit for the environment . Maybe if we do take things a wee bit seriously, we'll have fewer earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, floods, tsunamis, out of season rainfalls and perhaps enjoy nature more !