Sheep; cute little fuzzy berks in woolly jumpers. Read the rest of this entry »
Category Archives: Why?
Why do cats love to sleep on important paperwork?
Piles of paperwork – and for that matter laptops and important or engrossing tasks of any kind – are not likely to be the most comfortable places in the house to nap. Cats must have an ulterior motive for getting right in the way so effectively.
Bond movies and the internet have influenced our opinion of cat behaviour significantly in recent years. We are led to believe Read the rest of this entry »
Why do people snore after they’ve been drinking alcohol?
As people drink there are certain common effects; they get clumsy, they get loud. They forget that some things are better kept private. They think EVERYTHING is an AWESOME IDEA. And they eat a takeaway, go to sleep somewhere (hopefully, but not always, indoors) and wake up suffering for it.
But it doesn’t take that much drink Read the rest of this entry »
Why do dogs sniff each others’ bums?
Any dog owner (or regular walker in places where dogs can be found) knows very well exactly how much time a dog can spend with its nose in another dog’s rear. (Hint: it’s a lot). But why is this such a vital part of canine ritual? Read the rest of this entry »
Why do people say ‘right as rain’?
We British have learned to tolerate rain, at best. Most folk would not describe it as ‘right’ at all. So where does this phrase come from? The distant shores of South America!
In the last few years Peru has been the world’s greatest producer of silver, by volume. The landscape is rich with untapped minerals and precious metals. Right up until the 15th century the main inhabitants were the Incas; a tribal-based agricultural society who may seem quite primitive to us now, but were on par with the Egyptians for learning and culture. Plus they made beer, which is a sure sign they were on the ball.
The rain was of course important to them for watering the crops, but it goes further than that. The rich minerals in the mountainsides found their way into the rivers and lakes during heavy monsoon periods, and cycled in the clouds and rain. Traces of silver especially would taint the water in very wet seasons.
However, the result was far from tainting the water sources. Silver has become widely used recently as a coating for plasters because of its antibacterial properties. It is an excellent healing tool. The Incas learned this long before we did, noticing during and after heavy rains that cuts, abrasions and minor maladies would recover far more quickly. Thus if someone had a wound, they would tell them the rain would make it right. Five centuries and several translations later, the phrase ‘right as rain’ remains.
What causes varicose veins?
We all know they’re terribly ugly. Your grandma probably has them. Big blue veins bulging on the legs, it’s horrible to even think about. How to avoid this fate?
First I direct your attention to flamingos. These amazing birds are in fact naturally white (or to be accurate, colourless). The only reason they are pink is because they eat so much shrimp that the pigment gets into the bloodstream and dyes the feathers.
Next, recall the media frenzy surrounding Sunny Delight in 1999 when some stupid Welsh parent fed their toddler so much that she turned bright orange.
Continuing in this vein (if you’ll excuse the pun) certain blue cheeses are threaded with copper wires to introduce bacteria which make flavoursome mould. It is possible for these bacteria to build up in the blood and cause swelling and discolouration. If this occurs in the legs, it will result in varicose veins.
To maintain healthy-looking legs into old age, make sure you avoid blue-veined cheeses such as stilton, gorgonzola and dolcelatte.
Why was Gandalf in Lord of the Rings yet not in Star Wars?
A very good question, considering that Gandalf is not only a very powerful force on planetary scale, but also immortal.
However, it is the source of his immortality that unlocks this particular riddle.
Gandalf, as all the wizards, is a kind of demi-god sent to counter Sauron and Read the rest of this entry »
Why are bogeys green?
The truth of the matter is that not all bogeys are green. They can range all the way from clear down to filthy grey/black. So why the variety?
First we must identify the standard types of snot, and their common causes.
Why is it that every day when you sensibly open your yoghurt with it facing away from you it opens fine and doesn’t make a mess, but on the very rare occasions that you forget and absent-mindedly open it facing you, you are 100% GUARANTEED that it will spurt all over you and make a mess?
It’s true. It’s sod’s law, and it happens to all of us.
Except it isn’t just sod’s law. The fact that it happens EVERY DAMN TIME is proof in itself that there are greater forces at work here. Read the rest of this entry »
Why does Diet Coke have the same effect on me as alcohol?
It is true that Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine. The name was originally descriptive of the ingredients; coca leaves and kola nuts. Obviously this was stopped completely in 1929, so drugs are not the cause of your behaviour when drinking the stuff.
Diet Coke is different from the standard because it contains less sugar. They replace the natural sugars with Read the rest of this entry »
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