(LifeWire) -- Jennifer Bilotta thought she and her husband Michael had the perfect present for his cousin's wedding. The gift in question -- a fused-glass plate decorated with a "tacky scene of a bride and groom," she recalls -- had been given to Bilotta at her own wedding a few years earlier. Nothing wrong with a little regifting as long as the bride and groom enjoy the gift. Or so Bilotta thought. "She collects Barbies, and he collects G.I. Joes," says Bilotta, 33, a publicist in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. "The plate seemed up their alley. So for their wedding gift, we gave them the plate along with a card with a check for the usual wedding amount." But the gift didn't go over well. "A few weeks after they got married, we were talking to them about their wedding gifts, and they mentioned this hideous glass plate that someone gave them," Bilotta says. "The card must have gotten separated from the plate, so they didn't know it was from us and they both went on about how ugly it was. We never fessed up."  Watch when to send a gift » Deciding what to give (or not give) newlyweds is never an easy task, says Peggy Post, one of the country's leading etiquette experts and co-author of the book "A Wedding Like No Other." Before you turn into a guestzilla, however, take heart. "Gift giving doesn't have to be a stressful experience," says Post. The wrong way to give Some gifts should never be given -- namely those that you yourself received. Whether it's to save yourself some cash or to avoid the hassle of shopping, regifting is a wedding no-no, says Steve Kemble, star of Style Network's "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" and "Married Away." "What makes you think someone is going to want a gift you did not want?" Kemble says. "Plain and simple, re-gifting is tacky! If you do not have the time to think about what a couple would really want, then don't give anything at all." Kemble ticks off a few of his favorite wedding gift gaffes: shot glasses ("I simply do not think there could be anything tackier," he says); knives ( "they represent bad luck for a relationship"); and, worst of all, deciding that a gift isn't necessary, because you gave the bride or groom a gift the last time they got married. "If you feel this way, then I feel you should not attend the wedding," he says. "If you are going to sincerely celebrate with them on their special day, then show that you are happy for them, and tradition says you should do this by honoring them with a gift." The right way to give When it comes to gift giving, Rob Johnsen, co-founder of MyWedding.com, has some simple, if calculating advice: Decide how much your relationship is worth. If the happy couple are two of your most cherished friends or relatives, get ready to fork over about $200, says Johnsen. "A blender or silverware off a traditional registry won't quite have the sentiment you are looking for," he says. Is the bride or groom is someone you talk to only a few times a year, yet someone you still value? Then keep your gift between $50 and $100, and feel comfortable selecting a set of dishes off the registry, says Johnsen. For distant relations, friends of friends or other lesser acquaintances, limit your spending to $50. "Sentiment here really isn't of concern, so go for something off the registry, or some cash in a card is acceptable too," Johnsen says. Peggy Post disagrees with putting a price limit on a wedding gift ("There's no such thing as a dollar amount," she says), but she does suggest basing the amount you spend on

Question: What is an appropriate amount to spend on a wedding gift?

Question: What are bad wedding gifts?

Question: What amount is appropriate for wedding gifts to close friends?

Question: What is considered bad wedding gifts?

Question: How much should you spend on a close pal's wedding present?

Question: What are bad wedding gifts, according to host?

Answer: $50.

Answer: fused-glass plate decorated with a "tacky scene of a bride and groom,"

Answer: $200,

Answer: re-gifting is tacky!

Answer: about $200,

Answer: shot glasses

Summary:
Expert: $200 is appropriate spending for wedding gift to close friends .
TV host: Shot glasses and knives are bad wedding gifts .
Peggy Post: It's OK to split cost of high-ticket gift with other guests .


(LifeWire) -- Nancy Dunetz, who teaches English as a second language in New York City, sat down in the school staff room to check her e-mail. One of the messages in her inbox was from an acquaintance she'd been corresponding with since their 50th high school reunion last year. In a survey of 4,000 people, about a third said they had accidentally sent an e-mail to the wrong person. But this e-mail last June didn't contain chummy banter or reminiscences. It simply included a lewd photo of a partly unclothed young man. The file name of the picture was "Mid East Hottie." "I was shocked!" says Dunetz, 68. She hastily closed the e-mail and tried to erase the image from her mind. Later that day, the sender e-mailed an apology to her and two dozen others who had received the e-mail. He explained he'd been experimenting with his new computer and was trying to figure out how to add attachments to an e-mail, Dunetz says. In doing so, he attached an image from his desktop and tried to send it to himself. Instead, the e-mail program automatically filled in an entire group from his address book -- something he apparently didn't realize until after he hit the "send" button. "I felt terrible for him," Dunetz says. "I could imagine just how mortified he must have been." With some 55 billion e-mails being sent daily (not including spam), according to e-mail archiving company The Radicati Group, misdirected e-mails have become the online equivalent of a wrong number. They're unavoidable, annoying -- and often embarrassing. The 'uh-oh' e-mail In a recent online survey conducted by AOL, 32 percent of the 4,000 respondents have at one time or another mistakenly forwarded an e-mail to an unintended recipient. And often, it's something not so nice. Karla Comer, an account executive at an ad agency in Greensboro, North Carolina, knows just how embarrassing that can be. In 2004, Comer met a guy at a concert and went out with him a few times, but ultimately realized she wasn't interested. "He was just awkward and clumsy. And sometimes I'd catch him staring at me, which really creeped me out," she says. She tried to end the relationship by simply not returning his phone calls. "But then he e-mailed and casually said that he had not heard from me in a while and he hoped everything was fine but just assumed I was busy," says Comer, 31. "Before I returned his e-mail, I sent the message to a close girlfriend with a blurb about what an idiot I thought he was and that dating him was a bad idea because he had no understanding of social cues." She thought she sent the "he's an idiot" e-mail only to her girlfriend. To her horror, Comer says, the spurned beau replied a few minutes later, calling her some not-so-sweet names and suggesting that she "share THIS e-mail with your friends." "I was speechless," says Comer, who chose to not respond. "But eventually I was able to laugh at it." When errant e-mails are sent at work, however, there's often much more at stake than personal embarrassment. Three years ago, Jamie Diamond, 33, e-mailed his then-boss to ask about a client at the public relations firm where he was working. His boss wrote back, criticizing the client as incompetent and urging Diamond to "go around him if you want to get anything done." Unfortunately, Diamond says, she also sent the e-mail to the client -- oops, make that ex-client. "One click, and suddenly we'd lost a $5 million account," says Diamond, who is now self-employed as a publicist in

Question: what caused the loss of a $5 million account?

Question: What did the publicist say?

Question: What did the author share?

Question: Where was the email sent?

Answer: sent the e-mail to the client

Answer: "One click, and suddenly we'd lost a $5 million account,"

Answer: THIS e-mail

Answer: to the wrong person.

Summary:
Author shares embarrassing stories of e-mail sent to wrong person .
"One click, and suddenly we'd lost a $5 million account," says publicist .
Service called BigString.com lets e-mailers tinker with or erase messages .
Expert's advice: Type recipient's full name and never use reply-all .


(LifeWire) -- The TV no longer sits on a moving box, but she's still using filing cabinets as end tables. Desiree Jacobsen graduated from college years ago, so why does her apartment resemble a dorm room? It's hard to save for the finer things when you've had to shell out money to be in five weddings in one year, three times as maid of honor. Some maids of honor have gone deep into debt rather than disappoint a friend who expects a lot. "I shop at the Salvation Army quite a bit to save money," says Jacobsen, 26, a medical editor in Dallas. Being a bride's maid or matron of honor is a distinction many women cherish. But it doesn't come cheap. It can easily cost a woman $1,000 or more for the honor of standing beside the bride on her big day, according to TheKnot.com, the leading wedding Web site. On top of the traditional expenses of wedding attire, transportation and chipping in for a gift from the bridesmaids, maids of honor can wind up hosting bridal showers, bachelorette parties and even the co-ed Jack and Jill party -- often footing the bill entirely. Expectations are reaching bridezilla proportions, a trend Anna Post, spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute and great-great-granddaughter of the etiquette authority, attributes in part to the extensive coverage of celebrity weddings on television and in style magazines.  Watch etiquette tips on attending wedding events » Many bridesmaids are left torn between maintaining a friendship and breaking the bank. Tough to say no When Sarah de Maintenon, a 33-year-old real estate agent in Syracuse, New York, agreed to be her best friend's maid of honor two years ago, the economy was good and houses were selling like hot cakes. But the currently slow real-estate market means that money has become tight as the big day -- scheduled for October -- slowly approaches. "I seriously just didn't know. I thought it was just a bachelorette party," says de Maintenon of the events she was expected to throw and attend. Her distress over the destination wedding sent her seeking advice online. The advice she received was simple, but effective: Talk to her friend and be honest about her situation. "I contemplated telling her I couldn't do it, but I couldn't break her heart," she says. "I was afraid it would cause an argument ... I didn't want to ruin her wedding day." Jacobsen hasn't skipped a wedding, but she did once skip the pre-wedding bridal portrait, which she would have had to travel out of town to participate in, because she was short on money and vacation time. "She was upset with me for a little while, but it quickly blew over because I started planning for her bachelorette party." When feelings get hurt, Jacobsen says, she tries not to take it personally. "It's usually because of the stress of the wedding." Etiquette rules vs. reality Is all this necessary? Are brides asking too much of their friends? Post says that contrary to popular belief, the bridal shower isn't the maid of honor's obligation. Traditionally, a close friend would throw a bridal shower for the bride, and sometimes that person is also the maid of honor. But expenses can be agreed upon in advance and shared by the entire wedding party. And though there may be multiple parties thrown for the happy couple, Post says, the maid of honor is not required to go. "That's not true," claims Kim Bohnert, a 32-year-old teacher in San Francisco. She's served nine stints as maid of honor and considers herself an expert bridesmaid. She insists that the entire bridal party -- especially the maid of honor -- is expected to attend all parties and shell out for a gift each time. "It definitely adds up," says Melissa Bauer, spokesperson for TheKnot.com. Bauer ticks off some of the major expenses: about $300 for a dress, $50 to

Question: What does a Bridezilla expect?

Question: Who is expected to organize bridal showers?

Question: What do Bridezillas expect?

Question: What may more women reconsider as the economy gets tough?

Question: What will women reconsider?

Answer: a lot.

Answer: maids of honor

Answer: a lot.

Answer: shop at the Salvation Army

Answer: between maintaining a friendship and breaking the bank.

Summary:
As economy gets tough, more women may reconsider being maid of honor .
Bridezilla expects bridal showers, bachelorette parties, co-ed Jack and Jill party .
Bridal coach: Detail expectations early and if concerns rise,  compromise .


(LiveWire) -- Voluble Gary Vaynerchuk, 31, the host of "Wine Library TV," an online video show, has been known to lick rocks, suck leather and eat dirt while on camera, all to illustrate the unique properties of wine.

"Wine Library TV" host Gary Vaynerchuk discusses four spooky wine varieties for Halloween show.

Of a "wild and gamey" red from Rioja, Spain, Vaynerchuk says, "Hit a deer on the road. Throw a bunch of cherries on it. Take out your knife, cut the deer. Bite it. That's the flavor profile."

That kind of attitude appeals to people who are mystified by the arcane lexicon of traditional wine journals or turned off by what they perceive as elitist barriers. Across the Internet, budding wine geeks are discovering a burgeoning number of Web sites, blogs, bulletin boards and other outlets that preach the gospel of the grape in terms they can understand.

About 40,000 Internet viewers  -- many of them 20-somethings -- have a daily appointment with "Wine Library TV." The low-budget video blog is produced five days a week from a nondescript office in the three-level wine retail operation that Vaynerchuk's family owns in Springfield, New Jersey.

Vaynerchuk has a discerning nose and palate, and he doesn't dumb down his subject. Yet he stuffs his patter with sports and pop-culture references -- and the kind of language a Wine Spectator critic would be unlikely to employ.

The mission of wine sites like "Wine Library TV," say several of the people behind these new outlets, is to demystify wine (and in some cases, sell it, too). Using the language, attitude and new media that appeal to a young, tech-savvy generation, they advocate trusting one's own palate rather than obeying powerful wine critics. Some of the sites also provide opportunities for average wine drinkers to share their opinions.

One site, SavorEachGlass.com, declares its dedication to "exploring the spirit of wine for a new generation," with reviews, online journals and essays that explain the finer points of winemaking  -- all with attitude. "The (wine) establishment is about ratings and 'reputation,'" says the site's founder, Tynan Szvetecz, 29. "It's about collecting the 'good' stuff as defined by someone else's palate and tastes. That bores a younger generation."

"We're not afraid to be smartasses," he continues. "We make fun of ourselves, old-world wine makers, new-world wine makers, and anyone else we can get our hands on."

In the U.S., interest in wine is exploding. While consumption has leveled out in traditional wine-producing countries such as France, Italy and Spain, especially among young people, it has trended upwards in the U.S. for 15 straight years. The U.S. is projected to overtake No. 2 Italy by the end of 2007, according to the annual report The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast a leading industry trade publication.

Many of the new converts to wine are the so-called Millennials, the under-30 age group coveted by beverage marketers and so comfortable online that they're also called iGen, or the Internet Generation.

One of the wine Web sites targeting a younger demographic is VineSugar.com, which features a blog called "Wine Burps." "We love wine but hate the elitism," writes founder, Ryan O'Donnell. "After all, it's just grape juice."

With rants about wine tasting fees, a feature spotlighting "wine hotties" working at California wineries, as well as interactive maps that plot and rate wineries, VineSugar.com leaves little doubt about its target audience.

CellarTracker.com, an online wine community, appeals to more established wine collectors. The site provides free software  -- designed by Eric LeVine, a fortuitously named former Microsoft software developer  -- that allows wine enthusiasts to create an online inventory of their wines.

The 39,000 users (who count 6 million bottles in their virtual cellars) post reviews of their wines and

Question: What has risen in the last 15 years?

Question: Amount of people watching wine library TV?

Question: Which show looks at wine business?

Question: What has risen in the US for last 15 years?

Question: what internet show is mentioned

Question: Has wine consumption risen in the US?

Question: What is the show looking at?

Question: What alcoholic beverage consumption  risen over 15 years?

Question: what business is talked about

Question: What is the number of regular viewers?

Question: consumption of what has risen in United States

Question: What is the regular viewership?

Question: What's the name of the Internet TV show with 40,000 regular viewrs?

Answer: consumption

Answer: 40,000 Internet viewers

Answer: "Wine Library TV,"

Answer: consumption

Answer: "Wine Library TV,"

Answer: trended upwards

Answer: Halloween

Answer: wine

Answer: wine tasting

Answer: 40,000

Answer: wine

Answer: About 40,000 Internet viewers

Answer: "Wine Library TV,"

Summary:
"Wine Library TV" Internet show has about 40,000 regular viewers .
Show takes irreverent look at wine business .
Wine consumption has risen in United States for last 15 years .


(LonelyPlanet.com) -- Despite the daily foot traffic, Lower Manhattan is one of the most under-appreciated parts of New York City. It's not just a playground for suits bound for Wall Street bank jobs or tourists following the old New Amsterdam crooked plan through skyscraper canyons heading to the Statue of Liberty -- or, increasingly over the coming months, crowding to get a glimpse of the new 9/11 Memorial.

As someone who has spent most of the last two decades in New York City, I can't begin to count the number of times visiting friends and friends of friends have asked me for "fun things to do in New York City."

The hidden sides of Lower Manhattan fit the bill. If you're heading to visit the 9/11 Memorial and are looking for other things to do in the area, try these tips:

LonelyPlanet.com: 40 free attractions in New York City

1. Trinity Church's gravestones

New York's most historic church, dating from 1698, faces Wall Street from Broadway. Visitors often pop in to see the stained glass and perhaps peek into the free museum (which includes a cut-out $10 bill so you can pose as Alexander Hamilton).

The Hamilton focus is there because the country's first US Secretary of Treasury -- who was shot in a duel by the former Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804 (no, Dick Cheney wasn't the first VP to shoot someone) -- is buried outside. But that's not the best part of the cemetery. On the bigger plot, on the north side of the church, there are shady spots to sit, and at the far northeastern corner lies James Leeson, who left a coded message atop his tombstone. According to Kevin Walsh's superb book "Forgotten New York," the code was finally cracked nearly a century after his death in 1794. The message: "Remember death."

2. National Museum of the American Indian

Manhattan got its name from the Lenape word for either "place of hills" or "place of inebriation" (the latter is certainly more apt in the past few hundred years), and Broadway itself follows old hunting trails that date centuries before Henry Hudson wandered this way. A great place to learn more about all of the Americas' pre-Columbian inhabitants is this free, relatively quiet museum. Part of the Smithsonian (and open every day), the exhibit of artifacts fills the gorgeous century-old Customs House.

Many equate Native Americans with images seen in old westerns -- usually wearing the attire of the Plains Indians, evident in a shirt that may have been worn by Sioux legend Crazy Horse. The "Infinity of Nations" exhibit gives a fuller picture. I also enjoyed thumbing through Native American newspapers from around the country and seeing works like a painting by Naiche, a Chiricahua Apache "prisoner-of-war" at Fort Sill, Oklahoma a century ago.

3. Stone Street dining

I'm always shocked by how many people eat lunch at unmemorable places on Broadway or chains at South Street Seaport. Locals instead bee-line for the city's first paved street, Stone Street, a small traffic-free winding lane filled with covered tables a few blocks east of Broadway (and south of Wall Street), lined with good food and bars. It gets BUSY on weekday lunches (noon to 1:30 p.m.) and as work winds down (after 4 p.m.). Go then, and share an outside table.

I like Adrienne's Pizza Bar (54 Stone St.) the best, but it comes in one big size -- don't go solo.

LonelyPlanet.com: How to cycle NYC like a pro

4. Rat Alley

OK, most people won't want to walk down Edens Alley, an L-shaped alley near the corner of Gold Street and Fulton Street, en route from the World Trade Center site to South Street Seaport. But it's legendary. In 2001, Robert Sullivan spent many nights here for four seasons, watching a terrifying scene of "relay teams" of eight to 10 rats storming into garbage bags that roared like "

Question: where should you stop to see stained glass?

Question: When is the best time to visit?

Question: What is a feature of Lower Manhattan?

Question: What types of food is sold on Stone Street?

Question: what is what of the most under-appreciated parts of NYC?

Question: Where is the Trinity Church located?

Question: What can you see at the Trinity Church?

Answer: Trinity Church's gravestones

Answer: weekday lunches (noon to 1:30 p.m.) and as work winds down (after 4 p.m.).

Answer: the new 9/11 Memorial.

Answer: Pizza

Answer: Lower Manhattan

Answer: faces Wall Street from Broadway.

Answer: gravestones

Summary:
Lower Manhattan is one of the most under-appreciated parts of New York City .
Stop at the Trinity Church to see the stained glass and free museum .
Stone Street offers dining alternatives to unmemorable chain restaurants .


(MENTAL FLOSS) -- College admissions are competitive, and not just from the student's side. Sure, sometimes it's hard to get into the college of your choice, but the schools are fighting just as hard to lure in top applicants. Davidson college students don't have to visit laundromats because they enjoy the luxury of a free laundry service. While some colleges boast about class sizes, graduate fellowships, and endowment growth rates, this sort of info is likely to bore the 17-year-old students they're wooing. Instead, some schools try to come up with unique perks that appeal to students, often in the form of free services. While the cost of these "free" perks is undoubtedly built back into tuition bills, when a family's spending upwards of $40,000 a year for school, it can't hurt to help them feel like they're getting something for nothing. Here are a few you might be jealous of: 1. Free laundry Nothing's more maddening for a college student than wanting to study, party, or sleep, only to be confronted with a massive mound of laundry. Most of us know that if left unchecked, these piles of dirty clothes can grow until they're on the brink of becoming sentient beings, but students at Davidson, an elite liberal arts college in North Carolina, don't have to worry about it. Their college does the laundry for them. Since 1919, Davidson has been operating a laundry facility that allows students to drop off their laundry and pick it up once its clean and smelling of dryer sheets. At the Lula Bell Houston Laundry, students' dress shirts and blouses are even pressed and put on hangers for them. The laundry clears about six tons' worth of dirty clothes and linens a week, but if students prefer to keep their filthy T-shirts to themselves, the school also offers free self-service washers and dryers in the dorms. As if that's not enough, Davidson was even more generous when its basketball team made a miraculous run to the NCAA's Sweet 16 last March. The school shelled out the cash for free bus transport to the venue in Detroit, two nights' lodging, and a free ticket to the game for any student who wanted to go cheer on their Cinderella in person. Mental Floss: 8 tuition-free colleges 2. Free skiing Michigan Technological University offers a pretty standard slate of majors for its students, but it also has a real estate holding that might lure in applicants. The school owns Mont Ripley, a ski slope on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While normal lift-ticket prices run at around $35 a day, Michigan Tech students can hit the slopes without dropping a dime. 3. Free computers At my undergrad alma mater, Wake Forest, one of the chief perks is that when you showed up for freshman orientation, the school gives you a fully loaded IBM Thinkpad and a printer. Students keep this laptop for two years, then trade it in for a new model before their junior year. Students then take this one with them when they graduate. While there was a downside to the system (if profs know everyone has a laptop, they're not the least bit shy about making you tote it to class), it really upped the on-campus computing efficiency. Any program you needed for a class was already loaded on the laptop, and since everyone on campus was operating one of only two types of machines, tech support could diagnose problems and fix them really quickly. Mental Floss: 12 college classes we wish our schools offered 4. Free theater tickets Nothing irks actors and theater owners quite so much as playing to an empty house, so if tickets are moving slowly, why not fill the seats with college students? NYU's Ticket Central can wrangle Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets for up to 75 percent off their face values, but sometimes, the school can get lucky students into theaters for free to help fill otherwise thin crowds. Ticket Central also boasts that it can get students into Knicks games for as

Question: What is used to lure students?

Question: Do students at Davidson College pay for laundry?

Question: What is given out for free at some colleges?

Question: Which ones have free laundry?

Question: What lures students to colleges?

Question: Where can I get a free computer?

Answer: free services.

Answer: don't have to visit laundromats because they enjoy the luxury of a free

Answer: laundry service.

Answer: Davidson college students

Answer: free services.

Answer: Wake Forest,

Summary:
Some colleges have come up with unique perks to lure students .
Students at Davidson College can do their laundry for free .
Free computers and theater tickets are given out at some colleges .
Ohio University offers discount personalized birthday cakes .


(MENTAL FLOSS) -- In the last 2,000 years, commodity shortages, financial speculation, wars, famines, and outright manias have created some pretty strange economic behavior throughout the world.

Once worthless Roman coins found in the British town of Snodland are considered quite a treasure.

Cake or death?

In order to stop rising inflation and devaluation of the currency in third century Rome, Emperor Diocletian instituted fixed prices on most consumer goods. Anyone selling goods at prices higher than those of the emperor was put to death; this led to hoarding of goods.

A law was then passed that forbade the hoarding of goods. Penalty? Death. So people just closed their businesses, then another law was passed. You guessed it: shut down your business or fail to follow in your father's business? Death. It's amazing the Roman Empire lasted as long as it did. Mental Floss: Strange things we didn't know were illegal

Gonna barter like it's B.C. 99

When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, so did the Roman financial system. Part of the collapse was the disappearance of Roman coinage. Nowhere was this more evident than in England, where, according to archeological evidence, money basically disappeared, driving the British isles straight back to a barter economy.

Coinage only came back centuries later when the English were forced to pay protection money (Danegeld) to the Vikings to stop the constant pillaging.

99.9 percent pure

In 15th century Germany, grain shortages -- acceptable -- frequently led to beer shortages -- unacceptable. In response, brewers in towns like Munich and Regensburg used seeds, spices, and rushes to flavor their beers.

Showing an uncomfortable foreshadowing of future events, German authorities instituted purity laws stating that only water, barley, and hops could be used in the brewing of beer. The rule, or Reinheitsgebot, is still on the books today.

Nothing but the best for France

While the Sun King, Louis XIV, and his building of Versailles typically get all the credit for bankrupting France in the seventeenth century, his Minister of Finance, Jean-Baptiste Colbert deserves some kudos as well. Colbert's tax schemes, deficit spending, and manic obsession with the production of luxury goods -- to the detriment, or outright exclusion of ordinary consumer goods -- emptied the French treasuries, drove the peasantry to starvation, and laid the foundation for the bloodiest revolution of the age.

But, let's face it: who wouldn't trade the fate of an entire nation for a really, really well made tapestry?

Adjustable rate mortgage, Archduke Ferdinand?

In the 1860s, the rulers of the newly-formed Austro-Hungarian Empire encouraged their bankers to be more free with their lending standards. Their goal was to encourage growth in the empire.

The result (this is going to sound eerily familiar) was over-speculation in building, massive default on borrowed funds, and economic collapse throughout Central Europe. The worldwide depression reached all the way to the United States and triggered the Panic of 1873.

On the bright side, many of the most beautiful buildings in Europe come from this period of "irrational exuberance."

Mississippi burning

John Law, a Scottish banker and businessman, took control of a French enterprise called the Mississippi Company in 1717. In just a few years, he turned the company into the main economic force behind the French colonies throughout the world. The share price for the company went from about 500 livres in 1719 to 10,000 livres in 1720.

Just one year later though, in a rather Enron-like turnaround, the stock price collapsed, Law fled France, and the French government (as the primary shareholder) was forced to cancel a significant portion of its debt obligations leaving lenders throughout the world ruined. Economists refer to the episode as the "Mississippi Bubble."

The Mason-Dixon bottom line

Many have read about the effects of hyperinflation on the German Weimar Republic. From 1920-1923, prices in Germany increased as much as 3.25 million percent. People burned their old currency for warmth, since it was less

Question: What were some things that were illegal in Roman history?

Question: What happened in Europe in 1860s?

Question: What was constructed in a period of "irrational exuberance"?

Question: When was Europe's "irrational exuberance"?

Question: What happened in 1860?

Answer: hoarding of goods.

Answer: the rulers of the newly-formed Austro-Hungarian Empire encouraged their bankers to be more free with their lending standards.

Answer: many of the most beautiful buildings in Europe

Answer: 1860s,

Answer: over-speculation in building, massive default on borrowed funds, and economic collapse throughout Central Europe.

Summary:
When in Roman history it was illegal to raise prices, hoard goods or close stores .
Europe's "irrational exuberance" in 1860s was when great buildings were constructed .
Shortages paper and leather led to U.S. bible shortage in 1943 .


(MENTAL FLOSS) -- Most of the world seems to think that America invented obesity sometime in the last century, but the truth is, fat has always been a part of life (witness Hatshepsut, one of the great ancient Egyptian queens who reigned in the 15th century BC -- despite her svelte sarcophagus, modern archeologists believe that she was pretty obese and may have suffered from diabetes).

Goldfish may have delivered a dubious dietary aid -- tapeworms.

So it stands to reason that dieting has been around just as long.

Some historians credit William the Conqueror with starting the first fad diet. Having grown too fat to ride his horse, William went on a liquid diet in 1087 -- or, rather, a liquor diet, since all he did was drink booze.

The story might be apocryphal -- William, still fat, actually died after falling from his horse and there was no word on whether he was drunk at the time -- but it's a good one, and it sets the tone for the next 1000+ years of dieting.

Throughout history, people have been looking for some kind of magic that will allow one to eat and live as one pleases, but still look emaciatedly gorgeous. And they've come up with some pretty dubious theories that somehow took hold in the public consciousness and became fads. Here are a few of our favorites.

Location, location, location

"The Causes and Effects of Corpulence" was a treatise penned in 1727 by one Thomas Short, in which he observed that larger people were more likely to live near swampy areas. His advice? Fat people should move to more arid climes.

Improbable side effects

The namesake of the graham cracker -- ironically now an integral part of that deliciously fattening treat, the 'smore -- was a Presbyterian minister who claimed that overeating could not only make you fat, it could make you lecherous, too. In the 1830s, Sylvester Graham ran health retreats for like-minded parishioners featuring a strict meat-free, incredibly bland diet.

Chew yourself thin

Horace Fletcher, a turn of the century San Francisco art dealer, became known as the Great Masticator after he claimed he lost more than 40 pounds by chewing his food until it was essentially liquefied and spitting out all the bits that weren't.

Fletcher's scheme became incredibly popular -- novelist Henry James and industry titan John D. Rockefeller were reportedly fans, as was John Harvey Kellogg. Kellogg, of the cereal fame, was a health nut who ran a sanitarium in Michigan, where he encouraged his visitors to "Fletcherize" with a little song he wrote called "Chew Chew." Mental Floss: How cereal transformed American culture

The parasite diet

In the early part of the 20th century, the weight loss industry allegedly found a tiny little helper in the form of a tiny little parasite -- the noble tapeworm. According to product advertisements of the day, tapeworms were being sold in pill form as a weight loss tool.

While whether or not those pills actually contained a real live tapeworm is certainly debatable, however, there is evidence that jockeys, who frequently needed to lose a lot of weight fast, would try to induce tapeworms. Another favorite weight loss tool of the Lilliputian equestrians: Burying themselves in piles of horse manure, which acted as a kind of natural sauna.

Introducing the calorie

In 1918, Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters introduced a new word to the world lexicon --"calorie" (may she be forever cursed for it). Peters' book, "Diet and Health, With a Key to Calories," which helpfully included a phonetic spelling of the word "calorie," as so many people were unfamiliar with it, sold more than 2 million copies and established calorie-counting as the framework of a good health.

This diet regime wasn't particularly dubious, but it did lend a potentially dangerous new tool to those looking for a way to quantify and reduce their food intake. Case in point: The Scarsdale Diet of 1979, a strict 700-calorie a day diet that works -- because you're starving. Mental Floss: Quiz: Which item has

Question: In what century were pills with tapeworms sold for weight loss?

Question: What type of worms were in the pills?

Question: What kind of diet was William on?

Question: What killed William?

Question: Pills containing what were marketed as a diet aid?

Question: What parasites did people used to use to try to lose weight?

Question: How did William the Conqueror die?

Question: Where did people used to try to live in order to lose weight?

Answer: 20th

Answer: tapeworms

Answer: liquid

Answer: died after falling from his horse

Answer: tapeworm.

Answer: tapeworms

Answer: falling from his horse

Answer: more arid climes.

Summary:
Over the years, there have been many dubious theories on how to lose weight .
William the Conqueror went on liquid diet (alcohol) until killed by fall from horse .
In early 20th century, pills alleged to contain tapeworms were sold for weight loss .
Living in arid areas, chewing food into liquid, smoking pitched for weight loss .


(MENTAL FLOSS) -- When we think of economic crises in America, two periods come to mind -- the Great Depression and whatever it is we're in the middle of right now. But the U.S. stock market has crashed more times than we'd like to admit. Historically, our economy has been brought to its knees by everything from greedy bankers to horse illnesses. Horses, cows, whales and a failed copper scheme caused economic panics earlier in U.S. history. So let's take a deep breath and remember that panics are just part of the American way of life. 1. The Panic of 1873: America stops horsing around During the late 19th century, the American economy relied on horses the way it depends on gas today. Horses unloaded cargo from ports, transported goods from city to city, worked the farms, supported the army, and served as the emergency vehicles of choice. Without them, the American workforce would have ground to a halt. And that's exactly what happened in 1872, when an estimated 99 percent of all horses in America contracted equine influenza. The highly contagious strain started in Canada and spread through New England to the South in a matter of months, leaving horses across the country too weak to stand and coughing uncontrollably. Street buggies stopped running, paralyzing commerce in the cities. Railroads were stymied because trains run on coal -- coal that was hauled out of mines by horses. And as the horse flu spread, U.S. military troops had to go into battle on foot (they were fighting Apache Indians at the time). More tragically, a fire in Boston raged for three days because there were no horses to carry water. The flames destroyed more than 700 buildings, causing an estimated $73.5 million in damages and killing at least 20 people. The "Great Epizootic," as it was called, spiraled out of control in less than a year. At the height of the panic, as many as 20,000 businesses failed, a third of all railroads went bankrupt, and unemployment spiked to almost 15 percent. The economy took nearly a decade to recover. Ironically, nearly all of the horses recuperated by the following spring. 2. The Winter of 1886: When the cows don't come home During the second half of the 19th century, cattle ranches in the American West were thriving. From the Montana grasslands to the Texas prairie, ranches were attracting investors back East and across the pond in Europe. But by 1886, things were getting dicey. Overgrazing, coupled with a hot and dry summer, had left the plains almost bare. Then came the snow. Known as the "Winter of Death," the following season saw one of the worst cold spells in recorded history. More than half the cattle in the West froze to death, unable to move in the thick snow. Ghoulish firsthand accounts describe the bodies of dead cows stretching for miles across the horizon. When the spring thaw and floods came, thousands of bloated corpses floated into the streams and rivers. Some ranchers quit the business entirely and didn't even bother to round up their surviving cattle. Mental Floss: Bold business scams that failed miserably By the end of 1887, the disaster had wiped out more than half of the United States' western cattle and debilitated the national economy. Most cattle investors went bankrupt, and thousands of cowboys were left unemployed. But more than anything, the winter of 1886 put an end to all those turn-of-the-century, idyllic fantasies of open-range ranching in the Wild West. 3. The Panic of 1907: Captains of industry to the rescue! The Panic of 1907 started the way many panics do, with a greedy capitalist. Multimillionaire Augustus Heinze, who had made his fortune mining in Montana, believed he had enough control over the copper industry to corner the market. With the help of several major banks, he concocted a scheme to buy up all the shares of United Copper. But Heinze had overestimated his prowess, and the scheme failed, bringing down Heinze, United Copper, the banks, and

Question: What kills 99% of horses?

Question: when was the event

Question: what was the percentage of ill horses

Question: what Disease kills 99 percent of horses in 1872?

Question: What wipes out half the cattle in West?

Answer: equine influenza.

Answer: 1872,

Answer: 99 percent

Answer: equine influenza.

Answer: "Winter of Death,"

Summary:
Odd things caused U.S. economy to tank four other times .
Disease kills 99 percent of horses in 1872, causing business failures, bankruptcies .
Dry summer, record cold winter in 1886 wipes out half the cattle in West .
1907 copper scheme causes run on banks, banker uses own money to stop it .


(Mashable) -- Apple is scheduled to host an education-related event on January 19 -- shrouded with a veil of mystery, as always. A new report from Ars Technica says the company is about to unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books.

Previous rumors said that Apple will show no new devices, and that the event will center around Apple's new partnerships with textbook publishers.

If this new report is true, the event might turn out to be much more significant. Ars Technica's sources say Apple's about to present new authoring tools described as "GarageBand for e-books," making it easy for everyone to create interactive digital books.

The company also plans to expand its platform to distribute these e-books to iPhone and iPad users.

Apple, who currently supports the ePub 2 e-book standard (with some additions) is also expected to announce support for the ePub 3 standard for iBooks.

This venture is described as the pet project of Steve Jobs, who -- according to Walter Isaacson's biography -- believed the textbook industry is ripe for "digital destruction." According to Ars Technica's sources, Jobs was very closely involved on the project and has worked on it for several years.

See the original article on Mashable.com

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: Ars Technica says Apple is about to unveil what?

Question: Report says company also plans to expand what?

Question: What is Apple about to do?

Question: What does the report say?

Question: Who says Apple is about to unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books?

Question: What did previous rumors say?

Answer: a set of tools to create interactive e-books.

Answer: its platform

Answer: unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books.

Answer: the company is about to unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books.

Answer: Ars Technica

Answer: Apple will show no new devices,

Summary:
Ars Technica says Apple is about to unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books .
Previous rumors said that Apple will show no new devices .
Report says company also plans to expand its platform to distribute these e-books .


(Mashable) -- Ever think that Google's homepage was just a little too sparse? If all of that white space bothers you, your prayers have been answered: Now you can customize your background on Google.com.

You can now choose any photo or image from your hard drive or your Picasa Web Albums to enhance your search experience. A new link on the bottom left-hand corner of Google.com will soon appear for all users that will give them the ability to change their search background. The rollout begins with the U.S. over the next few days, with international users to follow.

The announcement, written by Google VP of Search Products Marissa Mayer, doesn't go into much detail as to why Google decided to add this feature. Personalization isn't something new -- iGoogle, Gmail and other Google products offer this type of feature already. However, the search giant has been working diligently to reduce clutter on the homepage.

The new feature immediately reminds us of Bing, Microsoft's upstart search engine. Every day it has a different photo on its homepage, and it has proven to be a popular feature.

Will you be customizing your Google homepage? Is this a smart move by the company? Let us know in the comments.

© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: What does the new feature reminds us of

Question: Where will a link soon appear?

Question: Which website is mentioned

Question: What will the link allow users to do?

Question: The new feature reminds them of what?

Question: The new feature reminds people about what?

Question: You can choose any photo or image from where?

Answer: Bing,

Answer: on the bottom left-hand corner of Google.com

Answer: Google.com.

Answer: change their search background.

Answer: Bing,

Answer: Bing,

Answer: your hard drive

Summary:
A link will soon appear on Google.com allowing users to change their search background .
You can choose any photo or image from your hard drive or your Picasa Web Albums .
The new feature immediately reminds us of Bing, Microsoft's upstart search engine .


(Mashable) -- Facebook is working with HTC to develop a phone that has a much deeper integration with the social network than any previous "Facebook phone." That's according to a report from All Things D, which says the phone is probably 12 to 18 months away from hitting store shelves.

Codenamed "Buffy" after the vampire slayer of the same name, the phone will run a modified version of Google's Android, but Facebook is reported to be tweaking the system "heavily."

HTC is known for modifying Android on its phones with its HTC Sense interface, and both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have created tablets with highly customized versions of the Android, so it's possible that Facebook is adopting a similar strategy.

Part of the package would be serving up Facebook apps via HTML5 support. This would allow users to play games like Farmville and Poker directly from the Facebook app. While most developers offer their apps as separate downloads from Facebook, that prevents them from tapping into active Facebook users, while cutting Facebook off from potential revenues. Buffy would presumably bridge the gap.

Buffy will be far from the first Facebook phone. Earlier this year INQ Mobile released two phones, the Cloud Touch and Cloud Q that put the service front and center. Then HTC took it a step further with the Status, which came to the U.S. on AT&T this summer and featured a prominent dedicated Facebook button. Finally, Facebook released an app designed specifically for the iPad in October.

Apple, however, hasn't played as nice with Facebook as the service might have liked, however. When Apple unveiled iOS 5, the latest major update to the software on iPhones and iPads, it featured deeper integration with Twitter -- letting users share photos directly from the phone's camera app, for example. An option for sharing to Facebook was noticeably absent.

Both HTC and Facebook told Mashable that they don't comment on rumor and speculation, though the Facebook spokesperson added, "Our mobile strategy is simple: we think every mobile device is better if it is deeply social. We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers to bring powerful social experiences to more people around the world."

The collaborative picture Facebook paints is a far cry from the ultra-competitive war among mobile platforms with Google, Apple, Facebook, and others vying for consumers' hearts and minds. Perhaps the most telling aspect of the rumored phone is the codename. With a name like Buffy, the Facebook phone's mission is clear: slay all comers.

See the original story on Mashable.com

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: What operating system does it run?

Question: What system will it run?

Question: What will HTC run?

Question: What will the HTC phone run?

Question: Phone is how many months from hitting stores?

Question: What is the brand?

Question: What put Facebook front and center?

Question: when will the phone be in stores?

Question: How long to go before phone on sale?

Answer: a modified version of Google's Android,

Answer: a modified version of Google's Android,

Answer: modified version of Google's Android,

Answer: a modified version of Google's Android,

Answer: 12 to 18

Answer: HTC

Answer: Cloud Q

Answer: 12 to 18 months

Answer: 12 to 18 months

Summary:
All Things D says phone is 12 to 18 months from hitting stores .
HTC phone will run a modified version of Google's Android, report says .
INQ Mobile's Cloud Touch and Cloud Q put Facebook front and center .


(Mashable) -- For all their buzz and value, location-based social networks haven't really gone mainstream yet. Only 7 percent of Americans are aware of location-based social networks, according to data from Edison Research.

Part of the explanation for this is that the majority of mobile users aren't using smartphones. And as a result, just 10 percent of those surveyed use mobile location services at least once a week, according to the Mobile Marketing Association's latest Mobile Consumer Briefing survey. For smartphone users, like those of the iPhone (a popular device among early adopters), that number jumps all the way up to 63 percent.

Still, even with smartphones predicted to overtake feature phones sometime next year, there may still be adoption hurdles for location-based social networks. Here's a look at why location-based services haven't yet hit critical mass and what those platforms are doing about it.

Privacy concerns remain an issue

Kristine van Dillen, director of industry initiatives and partnerships at the Mobile Marketing Association, said location-based services aren't growing as quickly as they should be. One reason for the lag is concern over privacy and who has access to users' data.

Sites like PleaseRobMe.com, which humorously bring awareness to location-based privacy issues, may have scared some social media users from opting in. Furthermore, the use of geo-location data for commercial purposes has also raised concerns, prompting the Congressional subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection to hold hearings on the issue.

Concerns about loopholes in Foursquare that give others the ability to announce your check-inshave also been raised.

"There's still a perceived risk in accessing location data," van Dillen said.

Location-based service providers are addressing these concerns by giving consumers more control. Most current iterations of the popular location-based networks allow users to opt-out of location tagging and notifying users when their location is being shared.

Consumer education is also key. Users need to know how their location data will be used, and feel comfortable that the companies that have access to it will behave responsibly, according to van Dillen.

She said consumers will become more comfortable sharing information with their friends and trusted applications. Brands will view these services as less risky, and more mainstream, and new types of location-based services will come to the forefront.

Where is the value?

Because of privacy concerns, it is imperative for location-based services to clearly communicate the value proposition to users. Without a clear picture of what they're getting in return, users may be hesitant to share location data.

One of the ultimate promises of location-based check-ins is more accurately targeted advertising. For some users, the privacy concerns of sharing their location might be trumped by the potential utility of receiving highly targeted advertising and promotions.

However, even though Gowalla, Foursquare, BrightKite and Yelp allow for check-ins at "places," rather than just map coordinates, which makes the data more valuable for targeted advertising, actual advertiser value hasn't yet totally materialized.

Michael Boland, a senior analyst and program director at BIA/Kelsey said check-ins represent the makings of a business model, but they haven't reached their full potential value yet because there isn't a well-defined system to buy and sell advertising. "I think it does have a lot of staying power. We're only going to see it grow and evolve," he said.

For early adopters, though, the long-term promise of more value through targeted ads, coupons and deals, along with the game mechanics (i.e., badges and "mayor" competitions) instituted by some networks has made location-based services worth the potential privacy headaches.

As Twitter and Facebook move into the location tagging space, they might finally take the trend mainstream.

During its Chirp developer conference in April, Twitter announced the launch of its annotations feature, which gives users the ability to attach metadata to tweets, including location. Facebook, meanwhile, will also reportedly soon enable members

Question:
who gets buzz from tech media
What percent were aware of it ?
What does the app do ?
what is not achieving popularity
What are getting buzz from tech media?
What percent of america are aware?

Answer: location-based social networks

Answer: 7

Answer: bring awareness to location-based privacy issues,

Answer: location-based social networks

Answer: location-based social networks

Answer: 7

Summary:
Sites and apps that let users track their locations get buzz from tech media .
But the sites are not achieving mainstream popularity, according to surveys .
Only 7 percent of Americans are aware of location-based social networks .
Facebook and Twitter may soon popularize the idea, however.


(Mashable) -- It was speculative before given the lack of independent confirmation, but now apparently Apple has gone on record to confirm that the original deal signed with AT&T for iPhone exclusivity back in 2007 was a five-year deal.

That means at least some legal hoops would need jumping through if we're ever going to see that oft-rumored Verizon iPhone before 2012.

Engadget reports that court documents filed by Apple in a California class-action suit confirm the original AT&T exclusivity deal had a five-year duration. The suit, ongoing since 2007, claims that Apple and AT&T were exerting a monopoly over iPhone service by surreptitiously locking iPhone buyers into renewing contracts with AT&T once their initial two years was up.

On the flip side, there are a number of reasons such a contract might be amended or canceled, so it's not exactly a total given that the iPhone won't appear on another carrier before 2012. But given the original terms, it could require some tricky negotiation or legal fancy footwork to get there.

Moreover, the class-action suit also alleges an illegal monopoly over the iPhone App Store, which the court ruled substantial enough to move forward.

On both fronts then -- consumer market and legal proceedings -- it will be fascinating to watch for further details on when the AT&T iPhone exclusivity curtain might drop or even be forcibly struck down.

Do you think we'll see the iPhone come to another carrier before 2012?

© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: Who have Apple signed a five-year deal with?

Question: Apple signed a five-year deal with which company?

Question: What did the lawsuit claim?

Question: What do lawsuits claim?

Question: What does lawsuit claim?

Question: Could the iPhone appear on another carrier before 2012?

Question: When could the iPhone possibly still appear before?

Question: What has Apple done?

Answer: AT&T

Answer: AT&T

Answer: Apple and AT&T were exerting a monopoly over iPhone service by surreptitiously locking iPhone buyers into renewing contracts with AT&T once their initial two years was up.

Answer: illegal monopoly over the iPhone App Store,

Answer: that Apple and AT&T were exerting a monopoly over iPhone service by surreptitiously locking iPhone buyers into renewing contracts with AT&T once their initial two years was up.

Answer: won't

Answer: 2012.

Answer: gone on record to confirm that the original deal signed with AT&T for iPhone exclusivity back in 2007 was a five-year deal.

Summary:
Apple signed a five-year deal with AT&T for iPhone exclusivity back in 2007, court documents show .
Lawsuit claims that Apple and AT&T exerted a monopoly over iPhone service .
But the iPhone could possibly still appear on another carrier before 2012 .


(Mashable) -- Social media management company Vitrue released a free tool Thursday, the Social Page Evaluator, designed to help marketers get a better understanding of a Facebook page's value.

Just submit a Facebook page URL and the app will come up with a valuation based on factors like number of fans, number of posts per day, number of interactions and so forth.ssss

It's a cool -- if not completely scientific -- way to gauge the potential value of your Facebook page to advertisers. The formula used by the Social Page Evaluator is related to the formula that Vitrue released last month to estimate the relative value of Facebook Fans to big brands.

The tool, which was built over 63 hours in a Startup Weekend-style project, is adjustable and interactive. For instance, the base rate of Earned Media Value (or CPM in more traditional terms) is $5, but this can be adjusted to a higher or lower value depending on the brand in question.

Likewise, there is a "Fan-tasize" section that lets you manipulate other features like number of posts per day, engagement level and Fan count to see how that affects the valuation.

You can also compare a Facebook Page with up to three other brands at a time and view a Page's value history. In addition to the valuation data, there is also a list of best practices for getting the most out of your Facebook Page.

So how accurate is this tool? It's difficult to determine, as it is based on a formula that, while derived from a study of large brands, is obviously not going to be applicable to all companies.

Still, it's a fun, easy way to get an idea of the factors that impact a Facebook Page valuation. It's also a good stepping stone for marketers to start thinking about the potential advertising power of a Facebook Page.

What do you think of the tool? Let us know!

© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: What is adjustable and interactive?

Question: What page URL?

Question: What do you have to submit to see a valuation?

Question: What is the name of the new app?

Question: Who built the new app?

Question: What helps marketers get a better understanding of a facebook page value?

Question: What helps marketers?

Question: What features does the tool have included?

Answer: the Social Page Evaluator

Answer: Facebook

Answer: a Facebook page URL

Answer: Social Page

Answer: Vitrue

Answer: Evaluator,

Answer: Evaluator,

Answer: help marketers get a better understanding of a Facebook page's value.

Summary:
A new app helps marketers get a better understanding of a Facebook page's value .
Submit a Facebook page URL to see a valuation based on factors like number of fans .
The tool, built in a Startup Weekend-style project, is adjustable and interactive .


(Mashable) -- Stuart Hughes, the British jeweler known for his expensive remakes of popular gadgets, is at it again, this time with a diamond-clad iPhone 4 with a price tag of 5 million pounds, or roughly $8 million.

The handmade bezel contains approximately 500 individual flawless diamonds that total more than 100 carats.

There's 53 additional diamonds in the back, and the main navigation button is made of platinum, holding a single cut 7.4 carat pink diamond.

If you know diamonds, all of this probably means something to you. To us, it just sounds really, really expensive.

Only two of these will ever be made, so don't worry: if you buy one, the chances of bumping into someone who has the exact same phone at a party are quite slim.

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: On what price is fixed the device?

Question: How much of these Iphone 4s will be made?

Question: What is the price tag?

Question: For what Stuart Hughes is known for?

Question: What number of these iPhone 4s will be made?

Question: Who is known for his expensive remakes of popular gadgets?

Answer: 5 million pounds, or roughly $8 million.

Answer: two

Answer: 5 million pounds, or roughly $8 million.

Answer: his expensive remakes of popular gadgets,

Answer: two

Answer: Stuart Hughes,

Summary:
Stuart Hughes is known for his expensive remakes of popular gadgets .
Only two of these iPhone 4s will ever be made .
The device has a price tag of 5 million pounds, or roughly $8 million .


(Mashable) -- The AP Stylebook has released its new social media guidelines, including the official change from"Web site" to "website" (a move first reported back in April) and 41 other definitions, use cases and rules that journalists should follow.

Among the more interesting changes -- at least from a grammar and style standpoint -- are separating out "smart phone" as two words, hyphenating "e-reader," and allowing fan, friend and follow to be used both as nouns and verbs.

Beyond that, the AP has also defined a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting and instant messaging. While most of them should be fairly well-known to regular web and mobile phone users (ROFL, BRB and G2G are among the definitions) one actually was new to me: POS.

According to the AP, this stands for "parent over shoulder" (I've used POS to refer to something else occasionally, but I digress), and is used by "teens and children to indicate, in an IM conversation, that a parent is approaching." Elsewhere, other terms making the cut include "trending," "retweet" and "unfriend" ("defriend" is also acceptable, though the AP concludes it's less common).

Finally, the AP also offers some basic rules of thumb for how social media should and shouldn't be used by journalists, with a focus on making sure they continue to confirm sources and information they find on blogs, tweets and other forms of social media.

The full 2010 AP Stylebook, which includes the new social media guidelines, was released today and is available on the AP's Web site.

© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: when was the AP style book released?

Question: Which Stylebook was released ?

Question: what did the ap define?

Question: What has also defined a number of acronyms?

Question: what is it the AP has defined a number of?

Question: what does POS stand for?

Question: What does AP POS stands for?

Answer: today

Answer: AP

Answer: a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting and instant messaging.

Answer: the AP

Answer: acronyms

Answer: "parent over shoulder"

Answer: "parent over shoulder"

Summary:
The AP has also defined a number of acronyms that are commonly used in texting .
According to the AP POS stands for "parent over shoulder"
The full 2010 AP Stylebook was released Wednesday .


(Mashable) -- There's no denying that Facebook has had an impact on the way the younger set flirt, fall in love and break up. Now, Seventeen magazine has released a study that depicts just what kind of repercussions the social networking site has had on modern courtship.

"Teens are incredibly social, and Facebook plays a huge role in their love lives," says Ann Shoket, editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine.

According to the study -- which polled 10,000 guys and girls ages 16 to 21 -- Facebook plays an important part in how amorous teens make a connection.

Within one week of meeting a new person, 79 percent of people click "friend," and after adding a new friend; 60 percent of people stalk their crush's profile once a day (40 percent check in on their would-be soulmate several times a day).

Moreover, contrary to beliefs that social networking is erroding interpersonal communication, 72 percent of those surveyed said that talking to someone online brings you closer to them IRL.

As we have already seen in other studies, Facebook also plays a role in how we fall out of love.

Mashable writer Samuel Axon wrote a detailed feature about how Facebook has changed dating for the worse, Facebook dating app AreYouInterested released a study in which 21 percent of respondents said they would break up with someone via changing their statuses, and, most recently, infographic wizard David McCandless came out with a chart that shows popular breakup periods by way of status updates.

Seventeen, for its part, reports that 10 percent of people have been dumped over Facebook, and the same number would just change their relationship status to "single" to cut a lover loose.

The report also depicts the anguish the site can cause after a breakup, citing that 27 percent of people change their connection to their exes after a breakup via blocking (getEx-Blocker for that extra push), hiding him or her on the News Feed or unfriending.

Surprisingly, 73 percent of people keep their exes in the friends list. I'd like to see some stats on how many of those 73 percent stalk said ex after the breakup.

A couple of other interesting tidbits from the study:

Girls are more judgmental: 43 percent of girls would decide not to date someone based on their Facebook profile, compared to 33 percent of guys.

Guys are more likely to keep relationship statuses under wraps: 17 percent of guys don't share their status, compared to 12 percent of girls.

Girls think it's exciting to change their relationship status: 50 percent of girls get a kick out of the status change -- one-third of guys agree; 24 percent of guys find it unnecessary, compared to 17 percent of girls.   What do you think? Has Facebook affected your love life?

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: How many people have been dumped over Facebook?

Question: Which magazine has released a study on Facebook?

Question: who released study on facebook

Question: What percent of people have been dumped over Facebook?

Question: What percentage of people keep their exes in the friends list?

Question: Which magazine released a study on Facebook and modern courtship?

Question: what is facebook

Answer: 10 percent

Answer: Seventeen

Answer: Seventeen magazine

Answer: 10

Answer: 73 percent

Answer: Seventeen

Answer: social networking site

Summary:
Seventeen magazine has released a study on Facebook and modern courtship .
The study reports 10 percent of people have been dumped over Facebook .
Surprisingly, 73 percent of people keep their exes in the friends list .


(Mashable) -- We've seen some major world events unfold on the social media stage in the past week, the biggest being Google's threat to pull out of China and the Haiti earthquake.

Google's actions have brought attention back to the long-standing Internet censorship that blankets China, while the destruction in Haiti has mobilized hundreds of thousands to open their wallets and their hearts.

Just like the Iran election crisis, those events are causing people to reassess the impact of social media on the world. It's clear that social media has the power to impact world politics and the lives of billions, but some have overstated what social media can actually do. We need to understand what social media really is in order to use it effectively for social good.

iReport: Looking for loved ones in Haiti

Let me explain by highlighting a few examples of social media's impact on the world stage, and then concluding with how I view social media's impact in the larger context of mobilization and world discussion.

Iran election crisis

During summer 2009, the world's eyes were fixated on Iran. Questions were raised after Ahmadinejad was declared the winner over rival Mousavi in Iran's Presidential elections. The abnormalities and potential tampering of the vote resulted in massive protests that engulfed the Islamic nation.

Social media's role in the Iran Election Crisis started with #CNNFail, but that was only the beginning of social media's role. With the Iranian government clamping down on information and enforcing censorship, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube became the primary mediums for bringing information out of the conflicted nation and spreading notes between dissidents.

Take a look at the Iran election social media timeline we built if you want to see its full impact. Key moments in the crisis, especially the death of Neda, were recorded and spread like wildfire, creating an outpouring of support for the protesters. Twitter's role was so important in fact that the U.S. government got involved in scheduling Twitter's downtime.

In the end though, social media didn't topple any governments, although it has helped shift the political climate in Iran. In some cases the use of Twitter in Iran was overstated, yet the result is that the tipping point for Iran is close, thanks to social media.

Haiti earthquake

After a magnitude 7.0 earthquake (and multiple aftershocks) devastated the nation of Haiti, social media became the medium in which everybody spread the word. Dramatic Haiti earthquake Twitter pictures swept across the Web, while tech giants mobilized.

iReport: Earthquake rocks Haiti

The most impressive part of social media's impact on Haiti has to be the charity text message campaign that has already raised more than $10 million for Haiti victim relief. Social media spread the word. Technology made it possible.

It's not all perfect, though: the money raised is small compared to the relief coming from world governments and donations face 90 day delays. Still, social media for social good is becoming more effective with each crisis.

China-Google standoff

While we are still far from the conclusion of this messy affair, Google's threat to pull out of China has already had a dramatic effect in both social media and political circles.

Politically, China has been put under pressure. The U.S. government has thrown its support behind Google, though it's doubtful that the Obama Administration will get involved in the end.

More importantly though, social media is being used to lift China's blanket of censorship. Social tools, while many are blocked by the Chinese, can get through China's great firewall. We have the tools to undo censorship in China. Google's efforts have re-ignited the debate over censorship, but they won't break the barrier.

Social media's global impact

In all three cases -- China, Haiti and Iran -- social media has had an impact, especially as the course of events evolved. Real-time communication platforms like Twitter and Facebook have spread the word about what's happening within these nations, long before the mainstream media prints the story. These tools have also created a level awareness we've never

Question: Social media has helped mobilize people where?

Question: Technology and what are tools people must use?

Question: what happened after haiti's earthquake?

Answer: Haiti

Answer: social media

Answer: social media became the medium in which everybody spread the word.

Summary:
Author: Social media has helped mobilize people in China, Haiti and Iran .
After Haiti's earthquake, aid groups solicit donations by text message .
Social media's ability to help people has been overstated in the past, author says .
Ultimately, technology and social networks are tools people must use .


(Mashable) -- You know there's something significant going on when Google creates one of its whimsical "doodles" on its home page, and Halloween is no exception.

In case you can't see it where you are, this year (in some countries), there's a time-lapse video showing some of the most gigantic pumpkins in the world, going through a metamorphosis from blobs of orange to art as night falls.

Here's how the Googlers describe the making of this kooky video on the official Google blog:

"To celebrate Halloween this year, the doodle team wanted to capture that fascinating transformation that takes place when carving a pumpkin. Instead of picking up a few pumpkins from the grocery store, however, we decided to work on six giant pumpkins, specially delivered from nearby Half Moon Bay (some weighing well over 1,000 pounds). What you see is a timelapse video of the approximately eight hours we spent carving in the middle of our Mountain View, California, campus."

Mashable: Where do Google doodles come from?

Watch the video of this Halloween Google doodle -- or go to Google.com to experience the doodle for yourself.

© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Question: what did the doodle show

Question: how much did they weigh

Question: What does the video show the emplees doing?

Question: What's the doodle of?

Question: What does the video show?

Question: What weight are the pumpkins?

Question: What is the weight of some of the pumpkins?

Question: What is the theme on Google?

Answer: some of the most gigantic pumpkins in the world,

Answer: well over 1,000 pounds).

Answer: carving a pumpkin.

Answer: fascinating transformation that takes place when carving a pumpkin.

Answer: some of the most gigantic pumpkins in the world, going through a metamorphosis from blobs of orange to art as night falls.

Answer: (some weighing well over 1,000 pounds).

Answer: over 1,000 pounds).

Answer: Halloween

Summary:
Google's Halloween-themed doodle shows time-lapse carving of giant pumpkins .
Video shows employees carving massive pumpkins into Google logo .
Some of the pumpkins in the video weigh more than 1,000 pounds .


(Mental Floss) -- Almost everyone knows that each state of the Union has its own flag. State flags, however, are just the most visible elements of an elaborate, esoteric system of legalized symbols that characterize and codify our united states. It's time we were all exposed to the bizarre symbology of state identity-politics. Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet, is celebrated in the Texas state song. To begin with, some of the most well-known state symbols allude to lesser-known meanings and histories. I grew up in Wisconsin and only recently learned that the Badger State title originally refers not to Bucky, nor to the savage beast itself, but to lead miners in the 1820s and 30s. These miners moved from prospect to prospect in southwestern Wisconsin, traveling light and often, with little money for luxury. When winter came and conditions worsened, those miners too far from home to migrate would dig themselves sheltering caves in the hills -- like badgers. These temporary dwellings could be abandoned if a prospect proved fruitless, without much regret; and if the lead pickings were good, the lucky miner could fluff up his badger hole or upgrade to a more traditional Euro-American residence. For this practice Wisconsin miners were dubbed "badgers" -- a jibe that was soon appropriated as a proud, statewide nickname. Bucky didn't come along until 1949; the furry, quadruped badger, notoriously vicious when cornered, wasn't declared Wisconsin's state animal until 1957. Other miners migrated south for the winter to the far end of Illinois, much like the region's sucker fish; which earned them the nickname of Suckers, and their state of Illinois its unenviable nickname, The Sucker State. Mental Floss: How 22 colleges got their nicknames 'Rebel' woodpecker The state bird of Alabama has another tale behind it. They honor a little woodpecker they call the yellowhammer, which is known outside of Alabama as the northern flicker, the common flicker, or simply The Flicker. (It eats a lot of ants, and is not to be confused with the yellowhammer bunting of Europe and New Zealand.) State birds are chosen for reasons many and varied, some meaningful and others frivolous -- from the pretty songs they sing to their proximity to extinction -- and I believe this is the only bird singled out for its resemblance to Confederate uniforms. The story goes that a clean, trim, flashy bunch of new Confederate recruits one day passed by a weary, bedraggled, dusty pod of veterans, and their fresh uniforms, grey tinged with brilliant yellow, reminded some jokester vet of the woodpecker, so he let out a mocking call: "Yallerhammer, yallerhammer, flicker, flicker!" The jeer stuck, and the recruits were soon labeled the Yellowhammer Company. Later, as these things go, all Alabama troops were known as Yellowhammers, the whole state as the Yellowhammer State, and Confederate veterans developed a habit of wearing yellow feathers in their caps and lapels to dress up for post-war reunions. How entertaining and informative. But the real fun starts when these state symbols more shamelessly approach the ridiculous. Let us consider some of the finest specimens: Eat and drink to the honor of the state Most states have at least one form of official food. In Louisiana, the official doughnut is the beignet. (I'm unaware of any other state doughnuts -- and I'm disappointed.) New York's official muffin is made with apples; Minnesota's with blueberries; and none have yet found it fit to honor the vegan bran and raisin muffin, despite whatever strange wonders it works on the abdominal tubing. Vermont is the only state with an official flavor: maple, as in maple syrup -- but because they've designated the "flavor," not the "syrup," we can assume the appointment includes everything from maple-glaze for ham to autumnal maple lattes. Shockingly, Oklahoma has recognized a complete (and daunting) meal: fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbeque pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, chicken friend steak, black

Question: Who dug caves?

Question: What is the origin of the Badger State symbol?

Question: What is Alabama's state bird?

Answer: miners

Answer: miners too far from home to migrate would dig themselves sheltering caves in the hills

Answer: yellowhammer,

Summary:
Wisconsin's Badger State comes from miners who dug caves to survive winters .
Alabama's state bird is a flashy-looking woodpecker .
State drinks: Nebraska -- Kool-Aid, Indiana -- water .
Mississippi state toy: the teddy bear; Massachusetts state bean: navy bean .


(Mental Floss) -- Although you probably use it every day, here's some interesting trivia you may not know about deodorant. Actor Matthew McConaughey reportedly doesn't wear deodorant. 1. Be thankful for your foul body odor. According to anthropologist Louis Leakey, it might be responsible for early man's survival. Leakey's theory claims that most predators avoided feasting on humans because our body odor was "too repugnant." 2. Not only did the ancient Egyptians give us pyramids and flush toilets, they also pioneered the field of deodorants. Egyptians were the first to popularize the idea of applying scents to armpits, usually using cinnamon and other spices that wouldn't turn rancid in the heat. 3. The Roman poet Ovid preferred a more proactive solution. In Book III of the Art of Love, he cautions women against carrying goats under their arms. 4. Antiperspirants are classified as drugs by the FDA. Technically, they affect and/or alter your body's natural functions. 5. The first modern brand of antiperspirant, EverDry, hit drugstores in 1903. The original formula was so acidic that it regularly ate through clothing. 6. Of course, modern antiperspirants can also ruin your clothing. Aluminum chloride, the ingredient that blocks glandular openings and prevents sweating, is notorious for turning T-shirts yellow. So, blame your antiperspirant for your pit stains, not your body. 7. Offensive body odor is actually illegal in libraries in San Luis Obispo County, California.  Mental Floss: Weird wedding laws still on the books 8. One thing modern antiperspirants don't do is cause degenerative diseases. Medical science has found no conclusive evidence that absorbing aluminum chloride through the skin can lead to memory loss or slurred speech. 9. Aoki, a Japanese company known for its menswear, has developed a deodorant suit that supposedly absorbs sweat and neutralizes odors all over the body. 10. But that's nothing! The greatest Japanese innovation in the fight against B.O. is Fuwarinka scented gum. The so-called "functional candy" contains aromatic compounds that cause your skin to release "Fresh Citrus" or "Fruity Rose" aromas for up to 6 hours after chewing. 11. When Kurt Cobain wrote the lyrics for Nirvana's breakout song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he didn't know Teen Spirit was a popular deodorant brand. The Mennen Company, which produced the deodorant, wouldn't say whether the song caused sales to spike, but six months after the single debuted, Colgate bought the company for $670 million. Mental Floss: 7 food promotions gone horribly wrong 12. In May 2008, actor Matthew McConaughey revealed that he never uses deodorant or antiperspirant. The next day, he received a year's supply of deodorant body spray from the Axe Company, along with a note on why he might want to start. For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com

Question: What reason did predators avoid early humans?

Question: Who doesn't wear deodorant?

Question: Who was the first for applying scents?

Question: Who were the first to popularize applying scents to armpits?

Question: What is illegal in one of the U.S. city's libraries?

Question: According to anthropologists, what did predators avoid because of body odor?

Question: Which actor reportedly doesn't wear deodorant?

Question: Which people first popularized applying scents to armpits?

Question: What did Anthropologist say?

Answer: our body odor was "too repugnant."

Answer: Matthew McConaughey

Answer: Egyptians

Answer: Egyptians

Answer: Offensive body odor

Answer: feasting on humans

Answer: Matthew McConaughey

Answer: ancient Egyptians

Answer: it might be responsible for early man's survival. Leakey's theory claims that most predators avoided feasting on humans because our body odor was "too repugnant."

Summary:
Anthropologist: Predators avoided early humans because body odor too rank .
Egyptians were first to popularize applying scents to armpits .
Offensive body odor is actually illegal in one U.S. city's libraries .
Actor Matthew McConaughey reportedly doesn't wear deodorant .


(Mental Floss) -- Because you weren't going into botany, the priesthood, or coin manufacturing, you thought you were safe to dismiss Latin as a dead language. Obviously, you didn't graduate cum laude. I think, therefore I am the famous statue "The Thinker" by French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Latin is about as dead as Elvis (who, by the way, made $54 million in 2004). Whether you're deciphering a cryptic state seal or trying to impress your Catholic in-laws, knowing some Latin has its advantages. But the operative word here is "some." The ability to translate The Aeneid probably isn't going to come in handy anytime soon, so we'll start you off with 9 phrases that have survived the hatchet men of time (in all their pretentious glory). Caveat Emptor:   (KAV-ee-OT emp-TOR): "Let the buyer beware" Before money-back guarantees and 20-year warranties, caveat emptor was indispensable advice for the consumer. These days, it'd be more fitting to have it tattooed on the foreheads of used-car salesmen, infomercial actors, and prostitutes. For extra credit points, remember that caveat often makes solo appearances at cocktail parties as a fancy term for a warning or caution. Oh, and just so you know, caveat lector means "let the reader beware." Persona Non Grata: (puhr-SOH-nah non GRAH-tah): "An unacceptable person" Remember your old college buddy, the one everybody called Chugger? Now picture him at a debutante ball, and you'll start to get a sense of someone with persona non grata status. The term is most commonly used in diplomatic circles to indicate that a person is unwelcome due to ideological differences or a breach of trust. Sometimes, the tag refers to a pariah, a ne'er-do-well, a killjoy, or an interloper, but it's always subjective. Michael Moore was treated as a persona non grata at the Republican National Convention. Bill O'Reilly would experience the same at Burning Man. Habeas Corpus: (HAY-bee-as KOR-pus): "You have the body" When you wake up in the New Orleans Parish Prison after a foggy night at Mardi Gras, remember this one. In a nutshell, habeas corpus is what separates us from savages. It's the legal principle that guarantees an inmate the right to appear before a judge in court, so it can be determined whether or not that person is being lawfully imprisoned. It's also one of the cornerstones of the American and British legal systems. Without it, tyrannical and unjust imprisonments would be possible. In situations where national security is at risk, however, habeas corpus can be suspended. Cogito Ergo Sum: (CO-gee-toe ER-go SOME): "I think, therefore I am" When all those spirited mental wrestling matches you have about existentialism start growing old (yeah, right!), you can always put an end to the debate with cogito ergo sum. René Descartes, the 17th-century French philosopher, coined the phrase as a means of justifying reality. According to him, nothing in life could be proven except one's thoughts. Well, so he thought, anyway. E Pluribus Unum: (EE PLUR-uh-buhs OOH-nuhm): "Out of many, one" Less unique than it sounds, America's original national motto, e pluribus unum, was plagiarized from an ancient recipe for salad dressing. In the 18th century, haughty intellectuals were fond of this phrase. It was the kind of thing gentlemen's magazines would use to describe their year-end editions. But the term made its first appearance in Virgil's poem "Moretum" to describe salad dressing. The ingredients, he wrote, would surrender their individual aesthetic when mixed with others to form one unique, homogenous, harmonious, and tasty concoction. As a slogan, it

Question: what does it mean to be a persona non grata?

Question: What number of Latin phrases are commonly used today?

Question: how many Latin phrases commonly used today

Question: what does Persona non grata mean

Answer: "An unacceptable person"

Answer: 9

Answer: 9

Answer: "An unacceptable person"

Summary:
Nine Latin phrases commonly used today .
Persona non grata: Person unwelcome due to ideological differences .
Quid pro quo refers to a deal or trade .
Sui generis refers to something so new or bizarre it defies categorization .


(Mental Floss) -- Behind every good war are many good women. Using their feminine (and in at least one case masculine) wiles, the following five spies would make James Bond proud. Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her spy service. 1. Mata Hari While Margaretha Geertruida Zelle MacLeod (1876--1917) may not have caused World War I, she sure as heck kept it going. Having spent time in Java with her husband, Captain Campbell MacLeod, Margaretha returned to Holland and sued for divorce. To make ends meet she took up exotic dancing and the name Mata Hari (meaning "the light of day" in Malay). With her sensual performances becoming the attraction of the major European cities came the men and the gifts for her favors. Many of these favors came from royalty and high-ranking French and German military officers. As World War I progressed, both sides became suspicious that Mata was spying for the other side. The French eventually put her on trial and, although the charges were never proven, Mata Hari was convicted of espionage and was executed by a firing squad on October 15, 1917. Playing the seductress up until the end, Mata refused a blindfold, smiled, and blew a kiss to the firing squad as the fatal shots were fired. Mental Floss: When a criminal survives execution 2. Noor Inayat Khan Khan was born in 1914 and at a young age moved with her family first to England and then to France. In 1940, Khan, along with her mother and sister, escaped back to England just before France surrendered to Germany. While in England she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), but her ability to speak fluent French soon caught the attention of the Special Operations group and Khan agreed to become a spy. Khan was flown to Le Mans, where she teamed up with other female spies and traveled to Paris, France. There they joined the French Resistance Prosper Network. Soon after their arrival, the network was infiltrated and many were arrested. Khan was ordered to return to England, but instead she stayed on and continued to pass information on to England. Eventually she was arrested again and interrogated by the Gestapo. When she refused to speak, she was sent to a prison in Germany and then to the Dachau concentration camp. On September 13, 1944, Khan and three other female British spies were executed by the Nazi SS. In 1949, Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross. 3. Belle Boyd (aka "La Belle Rebelle") Born Isabelle Boyd in Martinsburg, Virginia, in 1844, the beautiful Belle soon became the star attraction in Washington, D.C., social circles prior to the beginning of the Civil War. With the outbreak of the war, she returned to Martinsburg. When the Union soldiers occupied the city, Belle mixed with the officers and soon gathered information on troop movements, which she passed on to the Confederate forces. However, she is probably best known for warning Stonewall Jackson that the Union intended to blow up all the bridges around Martinsburg. With this information, Jackson, with a small number of troops, was able to surprise the Union troops and drive them from the area. In 1864, Confederate president Jefferson Davis asked Belle to carry letters for him to England. The Union Navy captured her ship, but the officer in charge fell in love with Belle and let her escape. The officer, Lieutenant Samuel Harding Jr., after being courtmartialed and discharged from the Navy, traveled to England, where he married Belle. After the war, Boyd toured the United States as an actress under the stage name of La Belle Rebelle. 4. Elizabeth Van Lew Crazy Bet, as she was known, was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1818 but educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After developing a hatred for slavery, Elizabeth returned to Richmond and freed all her family's slaves. She also went so far as finding where her freed slaves' relatives were and purchased and freed them also.

Question: Who pretended to be crazy?

Question: What was exotic dancer Mata Hari convicted of?

Question: Who did Belle Boyd pass on information to?

Question: What did Van Lew do?

Question: Who was an exotic dancer?

Question: What did Boyd do?

Question: Who passed on information to Confederateforces?

Question: What was the fate of Mata Hari?

Question: Who got information from Belle Boyd?

Answer: Elizabeth Van Lew

Answer: espionage

Answer: the Confederate forces.

Answer: freed all her family's slaves. She also went so far as finding where her freed slaves' relatives were and purchased and freed them also.

Answer: Margaretha Geertruida Zelle MacLeod

Answer: warning Stonewall Jackson that the Union intended to blow up all the bridges around Martinsburg.

Answer: Belle Boyd

Answer: executed by a firing squad on October 15, 1917.

Answer: Stonewall Jackson

Summary:
Elizabeth Van Lew pretended to be crazy so no one would take her seriously .
Belle Boyd passed on information to the Confederate forces .
Sarah Edmonds fought and spied as a man during the Civil War .
Exotic dancer Mata Hari convicted of espionage and executed by firing squad .


(Mental Floss) -- Either I had a really short attention span as a kid and never made it past the first verse of a song -- which is entirely possible -- or there are some obscure lyrics to the songs we all know and love.

1. "The Teapot Song" goes on to further explain this little teapot character:

I'm a clever teapot, Yes it's true Here let me show you What I can do I can change my handle And my spout Just tip me over and pour me out!

2. "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" I'm impressed that a children's song contains the word "semaphore."

Do your ears hang high? Do they reach up to the sky? Do they droop when they are wet? Do they stiffen when they're dry? Can you semaphore your neighbour with a minimum of labour? Do your ears hang high?

3. "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" involves terrifying nightmares:

Last night as I lay on my pillow Last night as I lay on my bed Last night as I lay on my pillow I dreamed that my Bonnie was dead.

Mental Floss: 10 adult versions of children's songs

4. "Oh My Darling Clementine" I didn't know anything beyond the "Oh my darling" chorus, but there's a whole little tale that goes along with the tragic Clementine. There are a few variations. One of them goes like this:

In a cavern, in a canyon, Excavating for a mine Dwelt a miner forty niner, And his daughter Clementine Light she was and like a fairy, And her shoes were number nine, Wearing boxes, without topses, Sandals were for Clementine. Drove she ducklings to the water Ev'ry morning just at nine, Hit her foot against a splinter, Fell into the foaming brine. Ruby lips above the water, Blowing bubbles, soft and fine, But, alas, I was no swimmer, So I lost my Clementine. How I missed her! How I missed her, How I missed my Clementine, But I kissed her little sister, I forgot my Clementine.

5. "Bingo" The earliest recorded version from 1888 adds two verses after the one that spells out the famous farmer's dog's name. They went like this:

Thys Franklyn, syrs, he brewed goode ayle, And he called it Rare good Styngo! S, T, Y, N, G, O! He call'd it Rare goode Styngo! Nowe is notte thys a prettie song? I thinke it is, bye Jyngo, J wythe a Y -- N, G, O -- I sweare yt is, bye Jyngo!

Mental Floss: Look What the Dog Swallowed!

6. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" just keeps going:

When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night. Then the traveller in the dark, Thanks you for your tiny spark, He could not see which way to go, If you did not twinkle so. In the dark blue sky you keep, And often through my curtains peep, For you never shut your eye, Till the sun is in the sky. As your bright and tiny spark, Lights the traveller in the dark, -- Though I know not what you are, Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

7. "Baa Baa Black Sheep" If you feel the need to deplete the rest of the barnyard denizens of their precious goods after you've taken the sheep's wool, you certainly can:

Cluck, cluck, red hen, have you any eggs? Yes sir, yes sir, as many as your legs. One for your breakfast and one for your lunch; Come back tomorrow and I'll have another bunch. Moo, moo brown cow, have you milk for me? Yes sir, yes sir, as tasty as can be. Churn it into butter, make it into cheese, Freeze it into ice cream or drink it if you please. Buzz,

Question: What does "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" involve?

Question: what involves terrifying nightmares

Question: What is the dog's name?

Question: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" involves terrifying  what?

Answer: terrifying nightmares:

Answer: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"

Answer: "Bingo"

Answer: nightmares:

Summary:
There are some obscure lyrics to the children's songs we all know and love .
"My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" involves terrifying nightmares .
After spelling out BINGO the dog's name, this song goes on about some fine ale .
And after a girl drops a green and yellow basket, someone else takes it .