Forums » Smalltalk » Wierd things you know,

Sooo.... When I was a young man, before reaching the age of majority, my father was Mister Z---. I being the oldest (also only) son, I was referred to on occasion as the young Master Z---, as my dad would have been the lord of the house.

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I took that child out back and had him shot."

Props if anyone knows the original reference and where the altered version stems from (because I don't; I heard it on Youtube once).

Anyway, uh, cool story, bro! Did you know that Master was an old form of "Mister" at one point, too? I tried to use it in my old RPs, but occasionally people thought I was making "slave & master" references.

Handshakes weren't commonplace til post-16th century The Roman's had a form of it but it was restricted to primarily military individuals.

You're referring to that "grab the wrist" action, right? I heard in my Ancient history class that this + the back pat was used to check for hidden weapons, since the right hand was used for drawing swords (and I guess a Roman's standard attire could hide daggers or something?)

In the city of Bath, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman as long as he is wearing a kilt, playing bagpipes and you use a bow and arrow.

I'm not going to put this to the test, however.

Darth wins everything ever.

Back in 'the olden days' (dunno specific times), it was thought that cameras stole a person's soul when a picture was taken.

Agreed. Darth wins.

There are local legends about werewolves - people that turn into pigs at night (not wolves, PIGS) and run around biting people.

EDIT: Or sometimes horses.

So if you eat their bacon or glue, does the curse pass down to you?

Ambergris (play /ˈæmbəɡriːs/, Latin: Ambra grisea, Ambre gris, ambergrease or grey amber) is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales.

is more expensive than gold...

in texas you can legally still be hung for horse thievery. ... One obscure law gives humans and pigs right of way. ... If you are inebriated while horse riding you can be charger with a dui and cruelty to animals. I loved looking up obscure, funny laws. Sites all about it. ... Off of laws, if you have a headache and pinch a certain part of your tongue you can relieve the headache, but only ass long as you pinch.

No, but it does if the pigs or horses bite you

More weird laws i pulled from laptop files: arkansas drive-thrus suck. You are not permitted to leave until you park unless there is no parking space. ... ... In china you must be intelligent to legally attend college. ... ... a standing illinois law requires a woman to call her male companion master on a date unless married. In oklahoma it is illegal to have a sleeping donkey in your bath tub after 7pm. In baltimore maryland it is illegal to take a lion to the movies--wonder who messed that one up. ... In new york city women may go topless in public provided it isn't for business. Conversely, it's illegal to let someone dance in your restaurant unless you have a cabaret license. But naked laws are great. Montpelier, vermont. No law was violated when 42 cyclists rode through the capitol nude 5/14/09. Vermont has no ban on public nudity, just disrobing in public. they had already disrobed and couldn't be prosecuted. But back to new york. A state law has a 25$ fine for flirting. (gotta continue next post!)

The old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on the street to look "at a woman in that way". A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear "a pair of horse blinders" when he goes out. watch out guys, new york just has it in for you. In carmel you can't be seen with pants and a jacket that don't match. Ouch!

Florida: It is illegal to have sex with a porcupine.

Oklahoma (I think): It is illegal to Harpoon whales from your car.

Change of pace: Animals.

The average walrus can, and frequently does, dive as deep as 2 miles.

You may know polar bears have black skin, and clear fur. They appear white due to light refracting through the hair. But did you know while laying next to an ice hole, waiting for its prey, polar bears cover their black nose with their paws?

Tigers have striped skin.

Poison Dart frogs loose their toxicity in captivity. Their poison is not produced in their own body, but rather absorbed from specific insects they eat in their natural habitat. Without these insects in their diet, the frogs become harmless.

Apparently oral sex is illegal in the state of Missouri. :u

you know, on the subject of silly laws no one listens to.

There's a law somewhere in the states that says it's illegal to spit on the streets.

And I believe, if memory serves right, that it's still LEGAL to ride your horse in Austin, Texas' streets and public areas.

And if I'm still remembering right, a state official once rode his horse INTO the capital building itself in protest of something.

And speaking on horse based laws, I read one time that in...Oklahoma I believe it was, it's illegal for a horse to eat a fire hydrant. And elsewhere tis against the law to carry ice cream in your back pocket.

the spitting is wauwatosa, wisconsin. My old town.

The anti-spitting on streets/sidewalks laws actually aren't stupid. And are fairly common. They come from when Tuberculosis (TB) was more common. If you get TB, the cure involves taking medicine for 1 full year. (Drinking Alcohol counters said medicine.) In most cases the prescription runs out at 6 months, which also coincides with the symptoms clearing up. People think its gone, and don't bother to renew the script or continue treatment. Unfortunately, that does not mean the disease is gone. Just that the symptoms are. As such, the microbe which causes it is still alive and within the infected person. The microbe can exist outside the body for long periods of time without dying. Spitting on the side walk while infected with TB puts the disease on the sidewalk, where it is very much alive and still highly contagious. You, or I, or anyone else walks along, kicking it up into the air with our feet (quite unintentionally) days later. Inhale. And now you have TB.