As I live and breathe, I am always finding out something new to wrap my mind around.
Today I learned that Roller Coasters were invented to distract people from sin. It is true. It was back in the 1880s. A guy named LaMarcus Thompson did not like the fact that certain people (Americans) were tempted sin. Specifically, by places like saloons and brothels — which he deemed hedonistic. So the old lightbulb clicked on, apparently. He made up his mind to straighten up one of the most immoral places he could think of. Yes. None other than Coney Island in New York. And it was there that he built America’s first roller coaster to give New Yorkers some good, clean fun. I’m guessing the saloons and brothels did not fade away with the advent of the roller coaster.
I’ve mentioned it before, but I have never — ever — been a fan of roller coasters. I think I’ve been on three, maybe, my entire life. I’m not sure what that says about me and sin. However, there was a day, a long time ago, when I would spend significant amounts of times in saloons. Also known as bars.
Bars.
A neutron walks into a bar and orders a drink. When the neutron gets his drink, he asks, “Bartender, how much do I owe you?”
The bartender replies, “For you, neutron, no charge.”
Okay. So you were neutral on that joke?
A sandwich walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.”
Food. Now that is a subject all its own. There are so many “food facts” out there. And a lot of them simply are not true. Like, raw carrots are more nutritious than cooked. It is actually the other way around, I’ve found out. The cooking of a carrot increases its nutritional value. The process breaks down the tough cellular walls that encase the beta-carotene.
Speaking of which, they need to rename beta-carotene. Beta always reminds me of the tape wars between VHS and Beta. Both of which are extinct these days. And carotene always reminds me of kerosene. And that is used for thing like oil lamps, jet engines, and as a solvent. Just saying those three things in the same sentence makes me nervous.
But we all need our jet engines. Okay, maybe not all of us, but a bunch. At any given time, there are 9,700 planes and 1.2 million people in the sky.
That’s a lot of people overhead. Right now. In the air up there.
That air is all around us. We share it, but we can’t see it. No matter where we are. The air in Earth’s atmosphere is made up of approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen.
So remember to breathe today.
It really helps.
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“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
― Mark Twain
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“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
― Maya Angelou
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“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
― Confucius
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