When I was growing up I was regularly asked at the dinner table "What did you learn today?"
The regular answer was "I dunno."
I'd like to learn something every day. We all know the 'net is the best place to find verified, factual information. I have been putting some things I have learned in other web pages, like this one. But some things are just too small for an entire page.
Small things I have just learned, confirmed or read will appear here daily (I'll try) Monday through Friday at about 4 pm EST. If you already knew you have the satisfaction of saying to yourself "I knew that."
pop up (today's dose)
the list
The Hole Story, 2
HOW THE GREAT AMERICAN DOUGHNUT TOOK SHAPE
A century and a half after 15-year-old Hanson Crockett Gregory of Clam Cove, Maine, punched a hole in what he called “greasy sinkers,” we are scarfing down doughnuts at a record pace. Thanks in part to the waning popularity of bagels (another roll with a hole), doughnut sales have been rising faster than yeast dough in a warm room. Sales since 1994 have jumped from $6.5 billion to $8.5 billion and are expected to hit nearly $9 billion this year, according to Business Trend Analysts of Commack, N.J. That’s more than 10 billion doughnuts—and some 2.2 trillion sugary calories—in American tummies a year, says the National Restaurant Association.
By Candy Sagon Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 6, 2002; Page F04
The Hole Story, 1
HOW THE GREAT AMERICAN DOUGHNUT TOOK SHAPE
With doughnuts, it’s all about the hole. No hole, no doughnut. That little circle of nothing means everything. Otherwise, it’s a cruller, or a Bismarck, or a beignet, or a churro, or any of those words that means a fried piece of dough but not a real, all-American doughnut.
The idea of frying a chunk of dough is ancient. The Romans did it. So did just about every other culture from the Dutch to the Spanish to the Germans.
But the story of that little porthole in the center of a perfectly round doughnut is quintessentially American. It started with a 19th-century Maine teenager, continued with a 1920s Russian Jewish immigrant in Manhattan and moved into the 21st century with a North Carolina doughnut company that blazed past high-tech computer firms with the hot stock of the past year.
By Candy Sagon Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 6, 2002; Page F04
Ba Tuo
In the Songshan Mountains, Suburban Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 497 A.D., Ba Tuo came to China from India and founded the Shaolin Temple. He was very interested in Chinese Wushu (martial arts or kungfu to Westeners) but it was not known if he had training himself. His disciples Seng Chou and Hui Guang had perfect skills. According to historical records, Seng Chou was able to "walk a wall" and leap up to a rooftop with one bound showing his formidable strength in the legs. For Hui Guang, it was said he could keep a shuttlecock (or like a badminton birdie) in the air by kicking it 500 times in a row while balancing on the rails round a well. Hui Guang and Seng Chou were the first Shaolin Monks to practice martial arts. But what contributes to Shaolin Monks awesome participation in wushu training is the geographical location and distinct historical circumstances of their temple.
various sources
Shaolin Boxing
As the nucleus of Shaolin wushu, Shaolin boxing dates back more than 1,000 years to the Northern Wei, when Bodhidharma founded the Chan Sect. In those times, the monks were practicing the "18 routines of Luohan Boxing" to relieve the fatigue and long hours in meditation, but it was not until the late Ming or early Qing Dynasty that Shaolin boxing won fame among martial arts circles for it's special characteristics and routines. This was much later than the development of Shaolin kung-fu with weapons.
various sources
Tamo, part 3
When Tamo joined the monks, he observed that they were not in good physical condition. Most of their routine paralleled that of the Irish monks of the Middle Ages, who spent hours each day hunched over tables where they transcribed handwritten texts. Consequently, the Shaolin monks lacked the physical and mental stamina needed to perform even the most basic of Buddhist meditation practices.
Tamo countered this weakness by teaching them moving exercises, designed to both enhance ch'i flow and build strength. These sets, modified from Indian yogas (mainly hatha, and raja) were based on the movements of the 18 main animals in Indo-Chinese iconography (e.g., tiger, deer, leopard, cobra, snake, dragon, etc.), were the beginnings of Shaolin Kung Fu.
various sources
Tamo, part 2
The temple had been built years before in the remains of a forest that had been cleared or burned down. At the time of the building of the temple, the emperor's gardeners had also planted new trees. Thus the temple was named "young (or new) forest", (Shaolin in Mandarin, Sil Lum in Cantonese).
When Tamo arrived at the temple, he was refused admittance, probably being thought of as an upstart or foreign meddler by the head abbot (Fang Chang). Rejected by the monks, Tamo went to a nearby cave and meditated until the monks recognized his religious prowess and admitted him. Legend has it that he bored a hole through one side of the cave with his constant gaze; in fact, the accomplishment that earned his recognition is lost to history.
various sources
Tamo, part 1
The Shaolin order dates to about 540 A.D., when an Indian Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma (Tamo in Chinese), traveled to China to see the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor had started local Buddhist monks translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. The intent was to allow the general populace the ability to practice this religion.
This was a noble project, but when the Emperor believed this to be his path to Nirvana, Tamo disagreed. Tamo's view on Buddhism was that you could not achieve your goal just through good actions performed by others in your name. At this point the Emperor and Tamo parted ways and Tamo traveled to the nearby Buddhist temple to meet with the monks who were translating these Buddhist texts.
various sources
Shaolin Kung-Fu
Unlike Western Boxing, Korean Tae Kwon Do, or Japanese Jujitsu, Shaolin Kung-Fu has religious origins, rising from Buddhism. This is somewhat contradictory: a form of action based on attack and violence related to Buddhism, which preaches mercy and benevolence and is opposed to all manner of "destruction of life?"
Of the world's countless monasteries and temples, Shaolin is probably the only known for its martial arts.
various sources
Su Kong Tai Djin
Shaolin Do traces its lineage back to the Fukien Shaolin Temple through three extremely remarkable Shaolin Grand Masters. The first was born in Fukien Province in 1849.
He was born with a rare genetic disease called hypertrichosis, that caused hair to grow all over his face. His parents believed him to be a demon and left him in the woods near the Fukien Temple to die. He was found and raised by the monks of the Fukien temple. In the temple it was customary for a student to choose one system in which to study, but he was no ordinary student. He knew that because of his appearance, he could not live a normal life outside of the temple.
From a very early age he studied the Shaolin art with exceptional dedication. The Fukien Masters responded to his dedication with a rare deviation from normal training, Su Kong Tai Djin was allowed to study with each of the Fukien Masters.
He was able to complete every branch of Shaolin training and in doing so, he mastered hundreds of styles and disciplines. This was an unheard of accomplishment. In a time when each Master was responsible for a particular segment of the Shaolin system, Su Kong Tai Djin mastered the entire system.
Dots and Crows
In June of 1972, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Mason Division of Candy Corporation of America. The acquisition added two famous candies to the Tootsie Roll family - Mason Dots and Crows. Crows were originally invented in the 1890's by founders Ernest Von Au and Joseph Maison. The product was originally to be called Black Rose, but when the name was given orally to a printer, he heard the name as Black Crows, and so he printed up wrappers with that name on them. Tootsie Roll formally introduced and trademarked Mason Dots in 1945. Currently, Tootsie Roll Industries' produces 14 million Mason Dots and Crows a day in their Chicago Plant.
from the official Tootsie Roll site
Tootsie Pop
In 1931, the famous Tootsie Pop was born. This pop that contains the chewy Tootsie Center was revolutionary because it was the first soft centered lollipop. Over the years Tootsie Pop has itself become part of American history. Enjoyed by kids of all ages, the brand received extra exposure in the 1970's with Telly Savalas, as Kojak, eating Tootsie Pops as he solved crimes.Tootsie Pops may best be remembered today by consumers trying to answer that question... "Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?" To date, we at Tootsie Roll have answered more than 25,000 letters, each with a response unique to the author. The real answer may never be known...
from the official Tootsie Roll site
Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia is the general name for a related set (a "complex") of various cognitive states having in common that stimuli to one sense, such as smell, are involuntarily simultaneously perceived as if by one or more other senses, such as sight or/and hearing.A common example is: sounds of musical instruments will sometimes produce certain color patterns, each color specific and consistent with the particular instrument playing. A piano may be a sky-blue cloud while a tenor saxophone produces an image of electric purple neon lights.
In other versions the synaesthesiac may taste words or feel music or have flavors produce visualizations.
Synaesthesia is additive; that is, it adds to the initial (primary) sensory perception, rather than replacing one perceptual mode for another.
The word "synaesthesia" comes directly from the Greek (syn-) "union", and (aísthesis) "sensation", thus meaning something akin to "a union of the senses".
from the synesthesia site
Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Roll is a chocolatey candy product wrapped in a nostalgic package that has become part of Americana for over 100 years. In 1896, Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant, came to the United States to set up a small candy store in New York City, where he hand-rolled and wrapped a candy creation that he had brought from the old country. Leo Hirshfield decided this product should be named after his daughter Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie. Tootsie Roll became the first wrapped penny candy in America.from the official Tootsie Roll site
M&M History
Who would have guessed that the idea for "M&M's"® Plain Chocolate Candies was born in the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War? Legend has it that on a trip to Spain, Forrest Mars Sr. encountered soldiers who were eating pellets of chocolate that were encased in a hard sugary coating to prevent them from melting. Inspired by this idea, Mr. Mars went back to his kitchen and invented the recipe for "M&M's"® Plain Chocolate Candies.First sold to the public in 1941, "M&M's"® Plain Chocolate Candies became a favorite of American GIs serving in World War II. Packaged in cardboard tubes, "M&M's"® Plain Chocolate Candies were sold to the military as a convenient snack that traveled well in any climate. By the late 1940's, they became widely available to the public, who gave them an excellent reception. In 1948, the packaging changed from a tube form to the characteristic brown pouch known today.
from the official history of the M&M
Dead Sea Scrolls
The first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 in a cave at Qumran above the Dead Sea.The scrolls were found stored in clay jars and proved to be ancient copies of the Book of Isaiah, dating as far back as the first century B.C. Continuing the search, archaeologists uncovered copies of other Old Testament books and the Manual of Discipline.
courtesy of my LIFE: Through the Second Millennium calendar
The Naiades
The Naiades (Naiads/Nayads) were nymphs of bodies of fresh water and were one of the three main classes of water nymphs —the others being the Nereides (nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea) and the Oceanides (nymphs of the oceans).The Naiades presided over rivers, streams, brooks, springs, fountains, lakes, ponds, wells, and marshes. They were divided into various subclasses: Crinaeae (fountains), Pegaeae (springs), Eleionomae (marshes), Potameides (rivers), and Limnades or Limnatides (lakes). Roman sources even assigned custody of the rivers of Hades to Naiades classified as Nymphae Infernae Paludis or the Avernales.
from Bulfinch's Mythology