February 16, 2001 - All the Rest

ALL THE REST – February 16

Today's Quotations — BOYS

We were, fair queen,
Two lads that thought there was no more behind
But such a day to-morrow as to-day,
And to be boy eternal..

– Shakespeare - The Winter's Tale

When you were quite a little boy, somebody ought to have said ``hush'' just once.

– Mrs Patrick Campbell,
to George Bernard Shaw

Here I am, an old man in a dry month
Being read to by a boy, waiting for rain.

– T. S. Eliot - Gerontion'

And the voice of the wayward song
Is singing and saying still:
'A boy's will is the wind's will
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.'.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- My Lost Youth

Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes;
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases.

– Lewis Carroll
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Today's Word – HERESY

her·e·sy noun 1.a. An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, especially dissension from or denial of Roman Catholic dogma by a professed believer or baptized church member. b. Adherence to such dissenting opinion or doctrine. 2.a. A controversial or unorthodox opinion or doctrine, as in politics, philosophy, or science. b. Adherence to such controversial or unorthodox opinion. [Middle English heresie, from Old French, from Late Latin haeresis, from Late Greek hairesis, from Greek, a choosing, faction, from hair¶isthai, to choose, middle voice of hairein, to take.]

It is incumbent on every man who reverences the character of the Creator, and who wishes to lessen the catalogue of artificial miseries, and remove the cause that has sown persecutions thick among mankind, to expel all ideas of revealed religion, as a dangerous heresy and an impious fraud.

AGE OF REASON
Thomas Paine

Definitions from American Heritage Dictionary

Today's Fact

Over the next several days the facts here on the DM will be about Serendipitous Discoveries.
This is the first fact on this subject.

Serendipity
Discoveries
Eureka!

Serendipity, or chance discovery. This has been the means of a number of scientific discoveries both great and small.

SERENDIPITY 2
In 1928 a British bacteriologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in London was conducting experiments with bacteria cultures. One day he mistakenly left the cultures near an open window. When he returned later to the laboratory he discovered that tiny bits of a green mold, penicillium notatum, had blown into the room through the open window. The mold had landed on the bacterial cultures. After further investigation, he noticed that the bacteria had grown around the bits of mold.

The bacteriologist that made this serendipitous discovery was Alexander Fleming. From this accident, Alexander Fleming, soon realized he had stumbled across a possible miracle drug. He isolated the mold, grew it in a fluid medium, and found that it produced a substance capable of killing many of the common bacteria that infect humans. This drug was later called Penicillin.
Even though penicillin was used clinically it was not until 1941 that it was purified and tested by Dr. Howard Florey. The first large-scale plant to produce penicillin was constructed under the direction of Dr. Ernest Chain. By 1945, penicillin was commercially available. In that same year, 1945, the three Fleming, Chain and Florey received a joint Nobel prize for their work on penicillin. Alexander Fleming was also knighted and given the title 'Sir.'

Penicillin was so widely used that by 1950 it was being prescribed for 60 percent of all the illnesses in the United States. Today there are several types of penicillin. The different kinds of penicillins are divided into two classes: biosynthetic penicillins (those formed during the process of mold fermentation) and semisynthetic penicillins (those in which the structure of a chemical substance--6-aminopenicillanic acid--found in all penicillins is altered in various ways). All penicillins work in the same way, namely, by inhibiting the bacterial enzymes responsible for cell-wall synthesis and activating other enzymes to break down the organisms' protective walls; therefore, they are not effective against microorganisms that do not produce cell walls.

The chief side effects of penicillin are allergic or hypersensitivity reactions. These effects include: skin rashes, hives, swelling, and anaphylaxis, or allergic shock. Milder symptoms are treated with corticosteroids and usually are prevented by switching to other antibiotics. Anaphylactic shock, which can occur in previously sensitized individuals within seconds or minutes, may require immediate administration of epinephrine to prevent the death of the patient.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica | The Blunder Book

The Daily Miscellany Times

February 16, 1939
Old News = History

Sheer Luxury for the Masses

"Hurry while the supply lasts!"
That's what the ads are saying. Hordes of American women are hurrying to the stores. A new kind of women's stockings on sale today in the U.S. stores. They are causing quite a shopping frenzy! These new stockings are just "too good to be true." They are sheerer than pure silk, and stronger too. They are easy to wash and dry. Unlike the expensive silk stockings, these are so inexpensive that anyone can afford them.
The new stockings are made of nylon. This miracle material was patented by the Du Pont Company two years ago. Nylon is entirely artificial. It is a polymer made entirely from chemicals. Nylon is extremely tough. It can be made into sheets, molded to any shape, or spun into the finest yarn.
Nylon was discovered by the chemist, W. H. Carothers. Mr. Carothers died soon after his discovery. He never lived to see Nylon mad into a useful product. Last year the Nylon tooth brush was marketed.

"Source: On This Day"

Today's SMILE

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)





Rare Dog Crossbreeds

Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter: a traditional Christmas pet

Kerry Blue Terrier + Skye Terrier = Blue Skye: a dog for visionaries

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund = Pyradachs: a puzzling breed

Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso: an abstract dog

Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel = Irish

Springer: a dog fresh and clean as a whistle

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever = Lab Coat Retriever: the choice of research scientists

Newfoundland + Basset Hound = Newfound Asset Hound: a dog for financial advisors

Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull: a dog that makes awful mistakes

Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador: a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer = Moot Point: a dog that....oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway

Collie + Malamute = Commute: a dog that travels to work

Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere: a dog that's true to the end

Opportunity

This country is so full of opportunity. Where else can a wife hire a woman to do her housework so she can volunteer at the day care center where the cleaning woman leaves her child.

ZONDERVAN Time To Smile

Enjoyed the Sermon

One Sunday morning, after attending church services in Hartford, Connecticut, Mark Twain said to Dr. Doane, the minister: "I enjoyed your services this morning, doctor. I welcomed it like an old friend. I have, you know, a book at home containing every word of it."

"You have not," said the indignant Dr. Doane.

"I have so," countered Twain.

"Then send it to me. I'd very much like to see it."

"I'll send it," promised Mark and the following day he sent the Reverend Dr. Doane an unabridged dictionary.

The Field Trip

While waiting to board a plane in a small airport, the ticket agent made the following announcement on the paging system: "Would the person who dropped his pants please return to the ticket counter." After a slight pause, the same voice added, "The pants were on a hanger!

ZONDERVAN Time To Smile

KEEP IT

Once there was a millionaire, who collected live alligators. He kept them in the pool in back of his mansion. The millionaire also had a beautiful daughter who was single. One day he decides to throw a huge party, and during the party he announces, "My dear guests...I have a proposition to every man here. I will give one million dollars or my daughter to the man who can swim across this pool full of alligators and emerge unharmed!"

As soon as he finished his last word, there was the sound of a large SPLASH!! There was one guy in the pool swimming with all he could...the crowd cheered him on as he kept stroking. Finally, he made it to the other side unharmed. The millionaire was impressed.

He said, "My boy that was incredible! Fantastic! I didn't think it could be done! Well I must keep my end of the bargain...which do you want, my daughter or the one million dollars?"

The guy says, "Listen, I don't want your money! And I don't want your daughter! I want the person who pushed me in that WATER!!!."

Source: David A. Rinke II / Funny Pages Mailing List

Cured :

A man goes into a drug store and asks the pharmacist if he can give him something for the hiccups. The pharmacist promptly reaches out and slaps the mans face. (Whack)

"What did you do that for?" the man asks.

"Well, you don't have the hiccups anymore do you?"

The man says, "No, but my wife out in the car still does!"

Source: Speaker's Encyclopedia

TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

God gave us two ears but only one mouth . . . Some people say that's because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it's because He knew listening was twice as hard as talking.

Daily Miscellany Comics

Have A Great Day

Phillip Bower

Soul Food February 16

Today in History February 16

Send Mail to pbower@neo.rr.com

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Copyright Information: Phillip Bower is not the author of the humor, and does not claim to own any copyright privileges to the jokes. Sources of jokes are listed when known. Birthday's and Happenings for the date, and quotations are public knowledge and collected from numerous sources. Quotations are public knowledge and sources are listed when known. Weekendspirations are written by Tim Knappenberger who has copyright privileges. Cathy Vinson authors Whispers from the Wilderness and owns copyright privileges. Weekendspirations and Whispers from the Wilderness are used with permission by the respective authors. Other devotions are written by Phillip Bower unless otherwise stated. In all cases credit is given when known. The Daily Miscellany is nonprofit. Submissions by readers is welcome.