The average employee spends 14 working days a year on personal e-mails, phone calls and web browsing, outside official breaks, according to employment analysts Captor.
29. When faced with danger, the octopus can wrap six of its legs around its head to disguise itself as a fallen coconut shell and escape by walking backwards on the other two legs, scientists discovered.
BBC wrote:A Devon pensioner has made a £500 bet he will die before the end of the year in a bid to cover his predicted inheritance tax bill.
Ex-soldier Arthur Robinson, who is 91, will win £3,000 at the 6/1 odds given by William Hill bookmakers if he passes away by 6 December 2005.
He has calculated that is how much his estate would have to pay if he dies before the end of the year.
Mr Robinson, from Crediton, said he regarded the bet as "a bit of a joke".
Mr Robinson, who is married to Cynthia, 85, said he did not think the bet was morbid.
He said: "I had asked an insurance broker to get a quotation to cover the £3,000 if I died and he wanted £1,300 which I thought was ridiculous so I decided to go for the bet."
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said that this was the first time that the bookmakers had accepted a bet on someone's own life.
He said: "We have had requests from people wanting to back themselves or, in one case, their wife, to die by a certain date.
"We have even taken bets from people who think everyone in the world will die on a certain date.
"However, when Arthur contacted us and explained the circumstances surrounding his wager, we were so impressed at his ingenuity in solving his taxing problem that we decided to lay him the bet - after all, if he wins, it's his funeral.
"It was, though, slightly tricky to calculate the likelihood that Arthur would not be around by 6 December but we took into account his age and general health and both we and he were happy with the 6/1 we came up with."
What I like about this is that it exposes "insurance" companies for what they really are: Legalized gambling companies.
18. If all the Smarties eaten in one year were laid end to end it would equal almost 63,380 miles, more than two-and-a-half times around the Earth's equator.
I did not know that.
23. In America it's possible to subpoena a dog.
24. The 71m packets of biscuits sold annually by United Biscuits, owner of McVitie's, generate 127.8 tonnes of crumbs.
If you mash 'em together, they ain't crumbs no more!
29. When faced with danger, the octopus can wrap six of its legs around its head to disguise itself as a fallen coconut shell and escape by walking backwards on the other two legs, scientists discovered.
I bet it could do that when it isn't scared.....if it really wanted to.
52. You're 10 times more likely to be bitten by a human than a rat.
Guess it's true though, I've never been bitten by a rat. Only humans.
63. It takes less energy to import a tomato from Spain than to grow them in this country because of the artificial heat needed, according to Defra.
My mother in law has a garden and she grows tomatos without artificial heat and they are just as good as the ones in the store. What am I missing here?
69. First-born children are less creative but more stable, while last-born are more promiscuous, says US research.
Interesting . Pretty true for me, as I have a younger brother, and we pretty well fit that bill.
78. One in 18 people has a third nipple.
87. Pulling your foot out of quicksand takes a force equivalent to that needed to lift a medium-sized car.
Remind me to never step in quicksand!
92. You are 176 times more likely to be murdered than to win the National Lottery.
Guess it's a good thing I don't play the lotto then. Zero chance to win the lotto times 176 equals zero chance of being murdered!
Right, right?
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.
100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".
Crazy, yet funny at the same time.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
About the tomato thing, this is a British report. They're saying that the more-moderate climate in England requires them to use heat lamps to properly grow tomatoes. Unfortunately, the amount of energy consumed by the lamps is greater than the amount of energy needed to ship a boatload of 'maters to England from Spain. Ergo, it's "cheaper" to grow 'maters in Spain and then ship them to England than it is to homegrow them.
Now, they aren't taking into account global warming, but nobody really does. Al Gore! Where are you when we need you!!
StlSluggers wrote:About the tomato thing, this is a British report. They're saying that the more-moderate climate in England requires them to use heat lamps to properly grow tomatoes. Unfortunately, the amount of energy consumed by the lamps is greater than the amount of energy needed to ship a boatload of 'maters to England from Spain. Ergo, it's "cheaper" to grow 'maters in Spain and then ship them to England than it is to homegrow them.
Now, they aren't taking into account global warming, but nobody really does. Al Gore! Where are you when we need you!!
Ah, I see now. Wasn't thinking about the British, was thinking about here in the states. Us Americans think the world revolves around us sometimes.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
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by bigh0rt » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:18 pm 
I did not know that. 
