Need Some Cocktail Party Trivia?
Honeybees are more energy-efficient than any human-built machine. In 1957 a Canadian scientist devised an experiment to find out how far a bee could travel on a gallon of honey. After a bee was given all the honey it could eat, it was tethered painlessly to a pole; and the pole measured the distanced flown by the rotating bee. From that information the scientist calculated the flight efficiency of a bee = .5 mg per 1 km. Thus on a gallon of honey a honeybee could go 4,704,280 miles. Obviously, car manufacturers need to get “beesy”.
Supermarkets need to keep lights on. Light keeps vegetables fresher longer. According to a study by government researchers, light helps spinach produce vitamins. Spinach is usually displayed in clear plastic at approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit under florescent light. After the researchers kept spinach in continuous light or darkness for 3-9 days, the spinach in darkness lost vitamins. However, the spinach in light produced more vitamins. In turn, the vitamins promoted photosynthesis. Even after spinach is picked – as long as there is moisture, gas exchange and light – spinach continues to photosynthesize – which enabled the researchers to “see the light”.
According to researchers at Business Week magazine Portland, Oregon is the most depressed U.S. City in 2010. The 50 largest metro areas were ranked based on such categories as crime (property and violent), divorce, suicide, unemployment and cloudy days – 1 being highest. The depression rate was calculated from drug-company data and antidepressant sales based on population. Portland ranked #1 because of a depression rate of 1, a divorce rate of 4, a suicide rate of 12, a crime rate of 24, 7.8% unemployment and 222 cloudy days. St. Louis was #2 and New Orleans, #3 – slightly less depressing rankings.
Portland may be depressing; but according to a survey by the Internet site “Real Simple”, Portland ranks #2 among easy-living cities. The cities were ranked 1-5 in five categories: getting around, health and safety, information and technology, green time-savers and lifestyle. Portland ranked 4.5, 4.5, 4, 4.5, and 4 respectively – totaling 21.5. Portland has the fourth largest, light-rail system; fast emergency services, resulting in one of the highest cardiac-survival rates; and 450 gourmet food carts around the city. Seattle, however, ranked #1 (22.5) and San Francisco, #3 (21). It seems New Orleans – “The Big Easy” – isn’t the biggest easy.
Knight Pierce Hirst takes a second look at what makes life interesting and it takes only second at http://knightwatch.typepad.com
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