Tuesday, April 7

Do you know US Anthem has 3 verses?

How many of the US citizens know that their country's anthem has three verses? I read that everyone knows only the first one. Is it true?

I know only this much:
* The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America.
* The lyrics come from a poem written in 1814
* It was written by a 35-year-old amateur poet named Francis Scott Key.

I want to know the details. I searched the web but could not find what I was looking for. I need to know the answers immediately for a specific purpose.

Antone to help me please?

Saturday, April 4

Fire walking made easier.

I am actually under firm opinion that only certain Indian can walk on fire. Even near my house, there will be an annual fire walking ceremony will be held in front of a Amman Temple. Fire walking is regarded as a highly religious ritual in Tamilnadu.

Just 15 minutes ago, my impression was shattered when I read that fire walking ceremony is also held in other parts of the world.

In 1969, at San Pedro Manrique in Spain, the author of a newspaper column found the bed of simmering coal too hot even to stand near the fire bed. He witnessed with awe, two members of a French TV crew remaining behind walk across the coals with no adverse effects.

The author, an American was egged on to walk on fire. He was asked to
make sure his feet are brushed free of grass and twigs. He then placed his feet firmly on the fire bed and walked across without any further hesitation and exited without any discomfort.

His uttered only this: "What a spiritual experience!"

Wednesday, April 1

Trees talk and kill.

But don't worry, trees that I am talking about won't kill humans but their predators only.

I happen to read an 18 year old issue of Science Frontiers that mentioned about killer trees that talk. By 'talk', I mean they send out signals to other trees of their own species that there is a predator at large.

The predators are 'Antelopes'.
The trees are Acacia.
The talking method is sending out a signal through air not in the form of sound buy by a unique method.

Here it is:
Antelopes nibble at Acacia trees. The trees then produce tannin in quantities that are sufficient to kill the antelopes within two weeks of eating the leaves.

To warn other acacia trees, the first victim tree emits ethylene into the air which can travel up to 50 yards. The ethylene warns other trees of impending danger, which then step up their own production of leaf tannin within just five to ten minutes.