Tag Archive | Think Today
December 13, 2016  

Think – Today: When Did Today’s Playing Cards (Deck Of Cards) Make An Appearance?

by Anura Guruge

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deck-of-cardsWe are all familiar with them. Most houses typically have at least one deck of cards lying around. So, when did playing cards, we we know of them now. make an appearance? Was it a very long time ago or was it more recent?

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Name Of The Donkey In The Nativity Of Jesus” — only two of the synoptic gospels talk about the nativity, these being Luke and Matthew. Neither mention a donkey, either in the manger or as having been ridden by Mary on the long, arduous trip. That trip on a donkey is only mentioned in the ‘Gospel of James‘, an apocryphal Gospel. But, there is no name mentioned. ‘Nestor’, the donkey, was a 1977 Hollywood creation.

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by Anura Guruge

December 12, 2016  

Think – Today: What Is The Name Of The Donkey That Is Often Seen In The Nativity Of Jesus?

by Anura Guruge

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donkeyYou know, the ‘Christmas’ manger scene. Birth of Jesus. A donkey is often shown as being present. This could be the SAME donkey that the Virgin Mary rode upon on her way to Bethlehem. What is the name of this famous donkey?

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Basis For The Gallon” — there are conflicting theories as to how the Imperial (i.e., the British) gallon got to be what it was — and it was this gallon that came ahead of the U.S. gallon. The explanation that makes most sense is that a gallon is the volume of pure water, at 62°F, weighing 10 pounds (as measured with brass weights). It is easy to see how this could an easy definition to come up with and enforce. 

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by Anura Guruge

December 11, 2016  

Think – Today: What Was The Basis For The Gallon?

by Anura Guruge

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gallon-of-waterIn the U.S. it is still (thankfully) the standard unit of measurement for gasoline (i.e., petrol), heating oil etc. How did we end up with the gallon? What was the basis for it as a unit for measuring the volume of liquids?

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “What Is Under Your Feet, A Few Thousand Miles Down” — at all times, wherever you are, there will be be at least 7,900 miles of ‘earth’ BELOW you! That actually happens to be the diameter of the Earth, 7,917.5 miles to be exact. The interior of the Earth, as you must remember from somewhere, is layered — like an onion (albeit without too many layers). There is the topmost ‘crust’, the main crust per se, the mantle, the liquid outer core and then the extremely solid, inner core. It is worth looking up. Google it “earth’s interior”.

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by Anura Guruge

December 10, 2016  

Think – Today: What Is Under Your Feet, A Few Thousand Miles Down?

by Anura Guruge

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feetHow often do you think about IT, i.e., what you are standing upon. Much of the time, we, at most, are only aware or thinking about, at most, the top 9″ of what we are standing upon. We tend to think of it as carpet, tile, road, grass, snow, sand, water etc. But, this is BUT the surface. What is underneath, directly underneath — thousands of miles down? Have you ever thought about that.

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “General Tso’s Chicken” — the name and the dish per se are essentially American, albeit created by one or more Chinese chefs in the 1970s. It is believed to have been named after a statesman and military leader from the Hunan Province, Zuo Zongtang (also Tso Tsung-t’ang). However, the good General had no hand in coming up with this dish and would never have had eaten it — given that he died in 1884. His name was basically borrowed to give the dish some ‘character’!

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by Anura Guruge

December 9, 2016  

Think – Today: Did “General Tso’s Chicken” Get That Name?

by Anura Guruge

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tsocIt is a staple, and one could even claim that it is one of the most popular dishes in American Chinese joints — General Tso’s chicken (also spelled, General Gao’s/Gau’s chicken, General Tao’s chicken or General Tsao’s chicken. So who was this general and how did he invent this dish.

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Who Features In The Tallest Statue On Earth” — interestingly (and possibly ironically) the three tallest, currently standing statues in the world, feature a Buddha! It would appear that 5 of the ten tallest statues (in the world) depict a Buddha. Check the list out on Wikipedia. 

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by Anura Guruge

December 8, 2016  

Think – Today: Who Features In The Tallest Statue On Earth?

by Anura Guruge

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colossus_of_rhodesRecently there has been lots of talk about Sri Lanka’s (now abandoned) plan to have the world’s tallest Christmas tree. But, that is Christmas trees. Who is the subject of the world’s tallest statue — and by that I do mean one that is currently standing.

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Why Is The Blade On A Guillotine Angled” — similar apparatus to the Guillotine did predate the French Revolution ( 5 May 1789 – 9 November 1799). On October 10, 1789, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a physician, proposed to the National Assembly (of the Revolution) that capital punishment should always take the form of decapitation “by means of a simple mechanism”. That is where the name comes from. Pre-revolutionary apparatus did use straight or curved blades. They were not that effective. They tended to crush the neck rather than sever. The French set up a committee, Guillotin a member, to devise a better beheading device. They experimented using cadavers. That is when they found that an angled blade worked best.

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by Anura Guruge

December 7, 2016  

Think – Today: Why Is The Blade On A Guillotine Angled?

by Anura Guruge

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guillotineWouldn’t you have expected it to be straight or rounded? While you are at it: where did it get its name from and does it pre-date the French Revolution?

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Do Christians, Jews & Muslims Share The Same Heaven” — nobody, of course, knows for sure and there is not even universal consensus that there is indeed such a heaven. But, the conventional wisdom among those that believe in heaven is that Christians, Jews & Muslims must share the SAME heaven since they all believe in the same God and a major point of going to heaven is to be with God.

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by Anura Guruge

December 6, 2016  

Think – Today: Do Christians, Jews & Muslims Share The Same Heaven?

by Anura Guruge

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heavensgrocerystoretopWorth a thought? I am NEVER going there and have no desire, whatsoever, of going there. I actually do NOT believe in an afterlife. Nada. But, that does NOT stop me from thinking on behalf of those that do? Mean if you are planning on going to heaven don’t you want to know who else will be there? And then there is the question of the martyrs from the various religions. They, per tradition, automatically go to heaven. NOW think about that. Wow, there could be people up there that might cause you to raise an eyebrow. {SMILE}

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “How Long After The ‘Big Bang’ Did Light Come To Be” — the ‘Big Bang’, per the theory, was far from a conventional explosion, despite the name. There was NO sound, and there was NO flash. That much we can deduce. Why? The ‘stuff’, the ‘material’, the ‘particles’ needed for complex ‘things’ like light just had not come to be! Yes, it is all theory and conjecture BUT they [i.e., scientists who work on this stuff] reckon that it was at least 400,000 years — and possibly MUCH, MUCH, MUCH later (like a few hundred MILLION years) — before there was any light in the Universe. Google it. Read more. THINK. {SMILE}

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by Anura Guruge

December 5, 2016  

Think – Today: How Long After The ‘Big Bang’ Did Light Come To Be?

by Anura Guruge

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lightPrior to the ‘Big Bang’ there was nothing. No dimensions, no space, no time, no light. Then the ‘Big Bang’ occurred. Light came to be after that. The question to ponder is how long did it take before there was light.

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Guinness Book Of Records” — YES, the ‘Guinness Book Of Records’ has appeared in the ‘Guinness Book Of Records’ as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time! [The Bible is not copyrighted.]

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by Anura Guruge

December 4, 2016  

Think – Today: Is The ‘Guinness Book Of Records’ In The ‘Guinness Book Of Records’?

by Anura Guruge

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recordsThis came to mind the other day. It is what I think of as ‘recursive thinking‘. So is the ‘Guinness Book Of Records’ a holder of one or more records that would make it worthy of inclusion within itself? What do YOU think?

Think first, then research, then THINK again. Think for the pleasure of thinking.

Yesterday’s ‘Think’: “Number of countries currently in Africa” — 54! Look it up.

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