Here’s an excellent set of photo’s, I’ve never seen before! Enjoy.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/01/detroit-in-the-1940s/384523/
Category Archives: TRADITIONS – CULTURES
Strange Facts about America…
The following are some strange facts about America that most Americans would be shocked to learn… (Highlighted items contain a url link.)
#1 In more than half of all states in the United States of America , the highest paid public employee in the state is a football coach.
#2 It costs the U.S. government 1.8 cents to mint a penny and 9.4 cents to mint a nickel.
#3 Almost half of all Americans ( 47 percent) do not put a single penny out of their paychecks into savings.
#4 Apple has more money than the U.S. Treasury.
#5 The state of Alaska is 429 times larger than the state of Rhode Island. But Rhode Island has a significantly larger population than Alaska does.
#6 Alaska has a longer coastline than all of the other 49 U.S. states put together.
#7 The city of Juneau , Alaska , is about 3,000 square miles in size. It is actually larger than the entire state of Delaware .
#8 When LBJ’s “War on Poverty” began, less than 10 percent of all U.S. children were growing up in single parent households. Today, that number has skyrocketed to 33 percent .
#9 In 1950, less than 5 percent of all babies in America were born to unmarried parents. Today, that number is over 40 percent .
#10 The poverty rate for households that are led by a married couple is 6.8 percent. For households that are led by a female single parent, the poverty rate is 37.1 percent .
#11 In 2013, women earned 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees that were awarded that year in the United States .
#12 According to the CDC, 34.6 percent of all men in the U.S. are obese at this point.
#13 The average supermarket in the United States wastes about 3,000 lbs of food each year. Meanwhile, approximately 20 percent of the garbage that goes into our landfills is food.
#14 According to one recent survey, 81 percent of Russians now have a negative view of the United States. That is much higher than at the end of the Cold War era.
#15 Montana has three times as many cows as it does people.
#16 The grizzly bear is the official state animal of California. But no grizzly bears have been seen there since 1922.
#17 One recent survey discovered that “a steady job” is the number one thing that American women are looking for in a husband, and discovered that 75 percent of women would have a serious problem dating an unemployed man.
#18 According to a study conducted by economist Carl Benedikt Frey and engineer Michael Osborne, 47 percent of the jobs in the United States could soon be lost to computers, robots and other forms of technology.
#19 The only place in the United States where coffee is grown commercially is in Hawaii.
#20 The original name of the city of Atlanta was “Terminus“.
#21 The state with the most millionaires per capita is Maryland.
#22 One survey of 50-year-old men in the U.S. found that only12 percent of them said that they were “very happy”.
#23 The United States has 845 motor vehicles for every 1,000 people.
#25 48 percent of all Americans do not have any emergency supplies in their homes whatsoever.
#26 There are three towns in the United States that have the name “Santa Claus“.
#27 There is actually a town in Michigan called “Hell“.
#28 If you have no debt and also have 10 dollars in your wallet then you are wealthier than 25 percent of all Americans.
#29 By the time an American child reaches the age of 18, that child will have seen approximately 40,000 murders on television.
And now the summary/opinion. More to think about! Once upon a time we were the most loved and most respected nation on the entire planet, but those days are gone. We have wrecked our economy, we have lost our values and we have fumbled away our future. But if you look close enough, you can still see many of the things that once made this country a shining beacon to the rest of the world. This article includes some weird facts, some fun facts, but also some very troubling facts. If we are ever going to change course as a nation, we need to come to grips with just how far we have fallen.
A Nice bit of History
please click on to the link (at the bottom) and watch through the end
Frank
Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said
that when he and a million other guys first heard her sing “God Bless
America” on the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as
they wiped away a tear or two.
Here
are the facts… The link at the bottom will take you to a video
showing the very first public singing of “GOD BLESS AMERICA”. But before
you watch it, you should also know the story behind the first public
showing of
the song.
The
time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression.
Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we’d have to go
to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.
This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE,
and American families sat around their radios in the evenings,
listening to their favorite entertainers, and no entertainer of that era
was bigger than Kate Smith.
Kate
was also large; plus size, as we now say, and the popular phrase still
used today is in deference to her, “It ain’t over till the fat lady
sings”.
Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time.
Kate
was also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and
afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America, and faith
in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up,
so she went to the famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin (who also
wrote “White Christmas”) and asked him to write a song that would
make Americans
feel good again about their country. When she described what she was
looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files
and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22 years
before – way back in 1917. He gave it to her and she worked on it with
her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song
would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any
profits from God Bless America. Any profits would go to the Boy Scouts
of America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of
dollars in royalties from this song.
This
video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the
orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very
first time, and starts singing. After the first couple verses, with her
voice in the background still singing, scenes are shown from the 1940
movie, “You’re In the Army Now.” At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a
young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper; it’s
Ronald Reagan.
To
this day, God Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in
our country. Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to
raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt whether she realized
just how successful the results would be for her fellow Americans during
those years of hardship and worry….. And for many generations of
Americans to follow.
Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Many
people don’t know there’s a lead in to the song since it usually starts
with”God Bless America …..” So here’s the entire song as originally
sung….. ENJOY!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnQDW-NMaRs?rel=0
| Kate Smith introduces God Bless America – YouTube |
PAST- WHERE DID THAT SAYING COME FROM?
“They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot.
Once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery.
If you had to do this to survive, you were ‘piss poor.’
But worse than that were the really poor folks who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot.
They ‘didn’t have a pot to piss in’ and were considered the lowest of the low.”
“Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May,
and they still smelled pretty good by June.
However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers
to hide the body odour.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.”
“Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.
The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other
sons and men, then the women, and finally the children. Last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the
saying, ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!’”
“Houses had thatched roofs with thick straw-piled high and no wood underneath.
It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals
(mice, bugs) lived in the roof.
When it rained, it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off
the roof. Hence the saying, ‘It’s raining cats and dogs.’
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem
in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed.
Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection.
That’s how canopy beds came into existence.”
“The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the term,
‘dirt poor.’
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they
spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing.
As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it
would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way.
Hence, ‘a thresh hold.’”
“In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over
the fire. Every day, they lit the fire and added things to the pot.
They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew
for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the
next day.
Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the
rhyme, ‘Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.’
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors
came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off.
It was a sign of wealth that a man could ‘bring home the bacon.’ They would cut off a
little to share with guests, and would all sit around and ‘chew the fat.’”
“Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused
some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death.
This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes
were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the
family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the ‘upper crust.’”
“Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes
knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for
burial.
They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would
gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up.
Hence the custom of holding a ‘wake.’”
“In old, small villages, local folks started running out of places to bury people.
So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse
the grave.
When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks
on the inside, and they realized they had been burying people alive.
So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up
through the ground and tie it to a bell.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (‘the graveyard shift’) to listen
for the bell.
Thus, someone could be ‘saved by the bell,’ or was considered a ‘dead ringer.’
Now, whoever said history was boring?”
Cat Shrubs
Cat-shrubs in English parks. The English surrealist painter Richard Saunders uses thick shrubs and trees to create his enormous cats! Once he saw trees cut in the shape of clouds on a picture and got the idea to turn shrubs into sculptures of cats. The prototype that served him is his cat Tolly, deceased, the Russian Blue.
We can see these cats in many corners of England, and are much appreciated by the population.
Most Amazing Intersection in the World
Most Amazing Intersection in the World ? ? ?
This is how a major intersection with NO white
or yellow lines, NO directional arrows, NO traffic
lights and no one directing traffic works. In this
time lapse video we see the intersection at Meskel
Square, the nerve center of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Check out the pedestrians as they navigate the
seeming chaos with apparent, though stealthy
immunity. Driving this intersection is not for the
timid, patient or slow-thinking driver. No one with
those limitations would ever get through! Driving
this intersection. Takes guts, split second timing,
a brake and gas pedals that work !
“Future” Prediction
Now we have 2018
Predictions:
1. Auto repair shops go away. A gasoline engine has 20,000 individual
parts. An electrical engine has 20. Electric cars are sold with
lifetime guarantees and are only repaired by dealers. It takes only 10
minutes to remove and replace an electric engine. Faulty electric
engines are not repaired in the dealership but are sent to a regional
repair shop that repairs them with robots. Essentially, if your
electric “Check Motor” light comes on, you simply drive up to what looks
like a car wash. Your car is towed through while you have a cup of
coffee and out comes your car with a new engine.
2. Gas stations go away. Parking meters are replaced by meters that
dispense electricity. All companies install electrical recharging stations.
3. All major auto manufacturers have already designated 5-6 billion
dollars each to start building new plants that only build electric cars.
4. Coal industries go away. Oil companies go away.
Drilling for oil stops.
5. Homes produce and store more electrical energy during the day and
then they use and will sell it back to the grid. The grid stores it
and dispenses it to industries that are high electricity users.
A baby of today will only see personal cars in museums.
1. The FUTURE is approaching faster than one can handle!
In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85% of all photo paper
worldwide. Within just a few years, their business model disappeared and they
went bankrupt.
What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next
5-10 years and, most people won’t see it coming.
Did you think in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on
film again?
Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had
10,000 pixels, but followed Moore ‘s law. So as with all exponential
technologies, it was a disappointment for a time, before it became way
superior and became mainstream in only a few short years. It will now
happen again (but much faster) with Artificial Intelligence, health,
autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs.
Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Welcome to the Exponential Age!!
2. Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10
years.
3 Uber is just a software tool, they don’t own any cars, yet they are now
the biggest taxi company in the world.
4. Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they
don’t own any properties.
5. Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially better in
understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go-player
in the world, 10 years earlier than expected.
6. In the U.S., young lawyers already don’t get jobs. Because of
IBM’s Watson, you can get legal advice (so far for more or less
basic stuff) within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared with 70%
accuracy when done by humans. So, if you study law, stop
immediately. There will be 90% fewer lawyers in the future, only
omniscient specialists will remain.
6A. Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, its 4 times more
accurate than human nurses.
7. Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize
faces better than humans. In 2030, computers will become more
intelligent than humans.
8. Autonomous cars: In 2018 the first self-driving cars will
appear for the public. Around 2020, the complete industry
will start to be disrupted. You don’t want to own a car anymore.
You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location
and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it you
only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while driving.
The very young children of today will never get a driver’s license and
will never own a car.
8A. It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% fewer cars
for that. We can transform former parking spaces into parks.
1.2 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide. We now
have one accident every 60,000 mi (100,000 km), with autonomous
driving that will drop to 1 accident in 6 million miles (10 million km).
That will save a million lives worldwide each year.
8B. Most car companies will doubtless become bankrupt. Traditional car
companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car,
while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary
approach and build a computer on wheels.
8C. Many engineers from Volkswagen and Audi are completely terrified of
Tesla
9. Insurance companies will have massive trouble because, without
accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car
insurance business model will disappear.
10. Real estate will change. Because if you can work while you
commute, people will move further away to live in a more beautiful
neighborhood.
11. Electric cars will become mainstream about 2020.
Cities will be less noisy because all new cars will run on electricity.
12. Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean: Solar
production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can
now see the burgeoning impact.
13. Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil.
Energy companies are desperately trying to limit access to the grid to
prevent competition from home solar installations, but that simply
cannot continue… technology will take care of that strategy.
14. With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water.
Desalination of salt water now only needs 2kWh per cubic meter
(@ 0.25 cents). We don’t have scarce water in most places, we only
have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone
can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.
15. Health: The Tricorder X price will be announced this
year. There are companies who will build a medical device (called
the “Tricorder” from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes
your retina scan, your blood sample and you breath into it.
It then analyses 54 bio-markers that will identify nearly any
disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet
will have access to world class medical analysis, nearly for free.
16. 3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from
$18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100
times faster. All major shoe companies have already started 3D
printing shoes.
17. Some spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote
airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need
for the large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.
18. At the end of this year, new smart phones will have 3D scanning
possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect
shoe at home.
19. In China, they already 3D printed and built a complete 6-story
office building. By 2027, 10% of everything that’s being produced will
be 3D printed.
20. Business opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to go
in, first ask yourself: “In the future, do I think we will have
that?” And, if the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner?
20A. If it doesn’t work with your phone, forget the idea. Any idea
designed for success in the 20th century is doomed to failure in the
21st century.
20B. Work: 70-80% of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There
will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough
new jobs in such a short time.
21. Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the
future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of
their field instead of working all day on their fields.
22. Aeroponics will need much less water. The first Petri dish produced
veal is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal in
2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows.
Imagine if we don’t need that space anymore.
23. There are several startups who will bring insect protein to
the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It will be
labeled as “alternative protein source” (because most people still
reject the idea of eating insects).
garbowski.net
21 Pictures only “old folks” will understand
#1: Cars Were Colorful! Most cars these days look fairly bland, but in the 50’s, our cars were big, bright, and fun!
#2. We Got Dressed Up for Birthday Parties. And sometimes there was even a pony there!
#3: We Played in the Streets: We didn’t have to text our friends back in the day – we’d all just come outside and get to playing!
#4: Gas Was Very Cheap: On some days, it was only $0.20 a gallon, and beyond that, the people at the station could also fix just about anything!
#5: Ben Franklin 5-10 Was Everything: We loved going to these stores. They had just about anything and everything you could think of.
#6: If it Wasn’t the Ben Franklin, it Was the A&P!
#7: Our Skates Got “Locked” with a Key. They were also made almost entirely of metal and very hard to skate on!
#8: The Drive-In Was The Place to Be: This 1950’s photo from South Bend, Indiana shows how popular they were!
#9: Car Seats Were More Like Couches: That’s right – they were big, long, and you could slide all the way across!
#10: The Freezer Actually Had to be DEFROSTED!: That’s right, every now and then you’d have to manually defrost the freezer – sometimes took all day with a lot of scraping!.
#11: Grandma Let Us Do Everything. Well, maybe that hasn’t changed so much, but we LOVED eating off the beaters!
#12: Sometimes Your Food Came On Roller Skates! That’s right – certain restaurants had “roller girls” who would zoom your food out to you!
#13: We got DOWN at the Sock Hop!
#14: Sunday Drives Were A Thing: That’s right – on Sunday, many of us would load up the family car and just go cruising over to the neighbors or just around town!
#15: There Was One TV. And, surprise, we didn’t argue all night about who should get to watch their favorite show. Most of the time, we all liked the same shows!
#16: The Playgrounds were VERY Different: At recess, we’d swing from the monkey bars with wild abandon and often even stand on the swings and go as high as possible. And still, we survived!
#17: TV Had “Sign Off” Messages. Remember these? TV would go off at midnight and sometimes even go as far as playing the National Anthem all night.
#18: Just One Hula Hoop Wasn’t Enough: Some of us could do multiple at a time!
#19: We didn’t Text, But We Did Pass Notes! And we were experts at not getting caught!
#20: We Had Xylophones That We Kept on a Pull String. That’s right – there was nothing like the Pull a Tune!
#21: We Got Bottled Cokes and Loved Them: That’s right – no cans or plastic bottles back then. We were 100% excited when we’d find a cooler like this to get that ice cold bottle!
garbowski.net
Memory from PAST
hmm, very interesting……
Camping out in 1918. (even brought along a slop pail)
This couple pose in an early version of American Gothic, with a groundhog killed on their Manchester farm. It’s dinner!
Note: Photo taken circa 1914, from a family photo album.
Standing over one of her many trophy mule deer, subsistence-and-sport huntress “Gusty” Wallihan appears every inch the frontier matron with her dressy bonnet, prairie-pattern cartridge belt, floral-em broidered gauntlets, hunting knife, and Remington-Hepburn rifle. 1895
At least this one won’t be quite as dangerous as the old single wheeled models. Look in the trailer over the back wheel. They have their baby in there!
This was the approved way to change the street lamps in 1910. Cool!
A single Paddy Wagon. Never knew they had such a vehicle! This is way cool.
Here is an early motorhome, built in 1926.
This is a travel tent accessory built in 1910. 
These are vintage treadmills in the 1920’s.
This is a 1920’s refrigerator. Only the elite could afford such a thing, and most still had the old ice boxes.This is a 1920’s refrigerator. Only the elite could afford such a thing, and most still had the old ice boxes.
A hair dryer in the 1920 Salon. What a contraption!
Chester E. Macduffee next to his newly patented, 250 kilo diving suit, 1911
A postcard from the 1800’s advertising a knife throwing act with the traveling circus.
A Strongwoman balances a piano and the pianist on her chest. 1920
London, in the 1920’s, this was a telephone engineer. What a job!
garbowski.net
Detroit…Quiz
Quiz On Detroit These are NOT easy……………..
click here: How well do you know Detroit… ?
****************************************************************************************
CARNAVAL D’ALICANTE…OUAH !!! LES COSTUMES….MAGNIFIQUES
click and watch: Carnaval_d_Alicante2
***********************************************************************
“TEXAS” HUMOR
www.garbowski.net
The year was 1955
|
Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging 7 cents just to mail a letter? If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $50,000 
I never thought I’d see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They’re even making electric typewriters now. It’s too bad things are so tough nowadays. 
It won’t be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work. I’m afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business. Thank goodness I won’t live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to government. The fast food restaurant is convenient for a quick meal, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on. There is no sense going on short trips any more for a weekend. It costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a hotel. No one can afford to be sick anymore. At $15.00 a day in the hospital, it’s too rich for my blood. If they think I’ll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it. Know any friends who would get a kick out of these, pass this on! Be sure and send it to your kids and grand kids, too! thanks www.garbowski.net ********************************************************************* |
world’s place – VERY INTERESTING
Where is the world’s hottest place?
Guess before you check the answer.
Death Valley National Park ….
The highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, at Death Valley National Park on July 10, 1913.
Where is the world’s coldest place ?
East Antarctic Plateau …
On the high ridge of the East Antarctic Plateau, the temperature can drop to as low as -135.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which was recorded in August, 2010.
Where is the world’s most populated city ?
Shanghai …
At a whopping 24,150,000 permanent inhabitants, Shanghai is the only city that is home to over 24 million people in one city.
Where is the world’s least populated city? (the picture is the clue)
Vatican City …
With a paltry population of 842, the city-state of Vatican City is the smallest city and state in the world.
Where is the world’s wealthiest city ?
Tokyo , Japan ..
That tower might as well be made of gold since Tokyo tops the charts
with a GDP of $1,520 billion, beating New York City by a mere $310 billion.
Where is the world’s poorest city in the poorest country ?
Kinshasa , Congo ….
it is the poorest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is also the poorest country in the world, at a GDP of $55 billion. Many of its residents live on less $1 a day.
What is the highest point in the world? (this one is easy)
Mount Everest …
Towering 29,029 feet in the air, the top of Mount Everest
is the closest you can get to touching outer space while still standing on Earth.
Where is the lowest point in the world?
The Challenger Deep Trench
It is the lowest known natural point in the world at 35,797 ft. below sea level at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Only three people have ever made it to the bottom in a submersible, one of which was filmmaker James Cameron.
What is the most photographed place in the U.S.?
Surprise: the Guggenheim building in New York…
Photos have always told stories, but in today’s world of cell phone cameras and social media, that story is relayed as data to companies who monitor everything we do. Geotagged data was culled by Sights map using a Google-based image sharing software, and can show us the most photographed places in the world, right down to this landmark. The strange winner is this building in New York City. Guess it impresses a lot of visitors.
Where is the wettest spot on Earth? (and it’s not the Amazon!)
Mawsynram , India …
In this city in India, it rains an average of 467.35 inches per year, and has a record of 1000 inches in 1985…much more than any rain forest!
Where is the driest spot on Earth? (It’s not the Sahara!) 
The Atacama Desert …
The 600 miles of South America’s Atacama desert is recorded as the driest place on Earth, no contest. This desert has an average of only 4 inches of rain every hundred years. Incredible, but true.
What city claims to be the sunniest place in the U.S.?
Yuma , Arizona …
In this city in Arizona, the sun shines for an average of 11 hours a day.
The usual forecast is sun for 90 percent of the year, averaging a total of 4015 daylight hours each year.
Where is the most expensive city to live in? (It’s not in the U.S. thankfully) 
Singapore …
This city has recently beat out Tokyo, Japan, for the title of “most expensive city” for 2014. Cars can cost between 4-6 times as much in Singapore from what they cost in the US or UK (for example, a Toyota Prius actually costs about $150,000.00 there).
Where is the least expensive city to live in?
Mumbai , India …
At the other end of the spectrum, Mumbai, India, is the cheapest place to live in the world, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Index, 2014.
For some comparison, a loaf of bread that would cost $3.36 in Singapore,
would only cost $0.91 in Mumbai. A lot of poverty brings the cost of living down.
What country consumes the most food per capita?
The overweight United States …
We eat an average of 3,770 calories a day each.
Shamefully, obesity is becoming more of a problem every year.
Where is the world’s oldest city ?
Damascus …
There’s quite a bit of controversy over which city gets to officially claim the title of “oldest continuously inhabited city.
However, Damascus is the safest bet, with evidence of civilization that extends back over 11,000 years.
Which is the youngest country in the world?
South Sudan …
The people of South Sudan were formally recognized as an independent country in 2011 , making it the youngest country in the world to-date.
Which is the world’s most visited city?
London …
After a several years of competition with Bangkok, London has regained its place as the world’s most visited city (according to MasterCard’s 2014 Global Destinations City Index).
The city sees about 18.69 million international visitors annually , generating $19.3 billion in revenue for their city.
What is the world’s least popular country ?
Iran …
On that same rating scale, Iran has come in dead last (at a 79% negativity rating) for many years. Only 15% of people polled viewed Iran in a positive light.
Where is the world’s most dangerous city to live in?
San Pedro , Honduras …
This city averages over three murders a day .
The violence stems from the city’s role as a major hub for illegal drug and arms trafficking.
Which country consumes the most caffeine in the world?
Sweden …
The strong coffee in Sweden will put a spring in your step, and hair on your tongue. The Swedes consume an average of 388 mg of caffeine in coffee per person, per day (that’s almost 5 Red Bulls in the U.S.).
Which country in the world drinks the most alcohol ?
Belarus …
In the little country of Belarus, each person above the age of 16 drinks an average of 4.62 gallons of alcohol every year. That’s a lot of booze.
Which country is the most bicycle friendly in the world?
The Netherlands ?>
By comparing cities using the average number of bicycle trips made daily, one city reigns supreme:
Groningen in the Netherlands. About 50 percent of the population commute via bike daily, making it the city with the greatest proportion of cyclists.
However, many other cities in the Netherlands have a great bicycling tradition.
Where is the world’s most energy efficient city?
Reykjavik , Iceland …
All of the energy and heat used by the citizens of Reykjavik, Iceland come from geothermal plants and renewable hydropower making it the most sustainable and energy efficient city in the world. This city has also been replacing traditional buses with hydrogen-fueled buses, from which the only emissions are water.
Which country has the longest life expectancy in the world?
Monaco …
According to the World Health Organization’s study from 2013, Monaco tops the charts for longest living citizens with an average life expectancy of 87.2 years.
Men in Monaco live an average 85.3 years, and women live longer to an average of 89 years.
Which country has the shortest life expectancy ?
Sierra Leone ?
On the opposite side of that coin, the population of Sierra Leone live only to an average of 47 years.
The men of Sierra Leone live to an average of 47 years old, whereas women live a little longer, an average of 48 years. Poverty plays a big roll in their short life expectancy.
What country would qualify as the most stressed-out nation in the world because of their living conditions?
Nigeria …
By looking at the homicide rate, the GDP per capita, continued income inequality,
corruption, lack of education opportunities and unemployment numbers, one thing is clear: Nigeria’s people are, hands-down, the most stressed out population in the world.
Which city has the highest average IQ?
Hong Kong …
There are a lot of factors that affect an IQ score, ranging from national and personal wealth, to simply what test is used.
As a result, these findings are highly controversial, but suggest that Hong Kong has the highest IQ level, at an average of 107 points per person.
Which foreign city is the world’s most well-connected one for Internet use ?
Seoul , South Korea
Surprisingly, despite China’s 618 million Internet users who spend an average of 18.7 hours a week surfing the net, China didn’t even make the top 10 for Internet connection. Seoul ,Korea is a different story considering the average connection speed, availability, (including free access), openness to innovation, support of public data, and privacy/security, Seoul , South Korea is the champion of Internet-connectedness.
With 10,000 government supported free WiFi spots dotting the city, and an Internet speed that goes unchallenged globally, Seoul is an Internet junkie’s paradise.
Wasn’t that interesting? I’ll bet you learned something new.
garbowski.net
The world’s largest flower garden
Rainbow-colored oasis with 45 MILLION flowers is
in the middle of a desert
Dubai Miracle Garden is world’s biggest flower garden. It is situated in the North West Quadrant of Arabian Ranches interchange
This amazing tourist attraction is a Guinness Record Holder for the Largest Vertical Garden.
Also popular is the heart shaped flower beds at the Alley of Hearts
Dubai Miracle Garden has more than 45 million blooming flowers with
stunning color combinations achieved through 45 different species
Bordered by windmills, this area provides parking, sitting areas,
a prayer room and shops for visitors to Dubai Miracle Garden
The Dubai Miracle Garden features a sensational 45 million flowers
over a 18-acre site,
from breathtaking flowerbeds to heart-shaped archways and adorned castles
The spectacular bonanza provides a colorful oasis for the eyes of city workers,
who can escape to the natural splendor
In order to create a fresh experience for guests visiting the
rainbow gardens, the displays are changed seasonally
These have included millions of flowers in the shape of the UAE’s flag, floral clock, a Ferrari car with driver decorated by flowers,
a vertical buried car zone, flower apple structures, artificial animals, flower boats and an Islamic Arch Design
At the moment, there are 45 species of flowers in the garden, which are imported in from all around the world
If the natural landscape was not incredible enough, what makes this attraction particularly impressive is the unique sub-surface
irrigation system that recycles waste water via drip irrigation while avoiding evaporation and saving up to 75 percent of water and energy
A fantasy flower house at the Miracle Garden, which has plants growing over its turrets, doors, walls and towers
A pathway shaded by umbrellas at the Miracle Garden, provides a
colorful walkway for visiting guests
Peacock topiary covered in an array of colorful flowers
There is no limit to the imagination gone into the design of the gardens,
which include flowers streaming like hair from a giant statue
Barrels tipping streams of flowers, and peacocks with colorful
plumages are featured in the creative attraction
Even Disney characters such as Mater from the movie Cars can be
seen at the Dubai oasis, of course decorated with flowerbeds
Giant structures can be viewed in the park, covered from top to bottom in an array of flowers
If you’re considering a visit to these gardens, this is their official website: http://www.dubaimiraclegarden.com/
The Dubai Miracle Garden features over 45 flower species imported from all over the world
A multitude of shaped archways, flowerbeds and structures can be seen at the 18-acre site.The colorful array is watered by a system that recycles waste water while avoiding evaporation.
garbowski.net
Australia
click below & watch this video:
Australia
Temples In India
see beautiful temples in India – click here: hinduplaces
A GERMAN WONDERLAND
AMAZING…
There have been little clips about this place for the past few years, it is still not finished but is growing to that conclusion as they will soon run out of space. A short review…. it was started by two brothers as a place to show their hobby, it started growing by leaps & bounds.
Soon they were joined by other ‘Model Railroad Clubs’ and other craftsmen. Some were electricians, model makers, carpenters, computer programmers, their wives would stop by to see what they were doing and usually bring them a lunch. One thing led to another, 3 of the ladies had worked at a bakery, several visitors would ask if they had a snack bar. The idea was planted, some of the carpenters came and built a nice restaurant area for the bakery and a kitchen too. If the fresh coffee smell didn’t get you then the bakery definitely would. This was about 5 years ago. One of the Breweries came and furnished all of the tables and chairs, serving counter, etc. Their latest finished area is the airport. Planes look like they are flying and landing.
GERMAN WONDERLAND link below – AMAZING
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ACkmg3Y64_s?rel=0
garbowski.net
Master Card Wedding
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You got to love this guy… This is a true story about a recent wedding that took place at Clemson University . It was in the local newspaper and even Jay Leno mentioned it. It was a huge wedding with about 300 guests. After the wedding, at the reception, the groom got up on stage with a microphone to talk to the crowd. He said he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from long distances, to support them at their wedding.
He especially wanted to thank the bride’s and his family and to thank his new father-in-law for providing such a lavish reception. As a token of his deep appreciation he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift just from him. So taped to the bottom of everyone’s chair, including the wedding party was an envelope. He said this was his gift to everyone, and asked them to open their envelope.
Inside each manila envelope was an 8×10 glossy of his bride having sex with the best man. The groom had gotten suspicious of them weeks earlier and had hired a private detective to tail them. After just standing there, just watching the guests’ reactions for a couple of minutes, he turned to the best man and said, ‘F—you!’ Then he turned to his bride and said, ‘F— you!’ Then he turned to the dumbfounded crowd and said, ‘I’m outta here.’ He had the marriage annulled first thing in the morning. While most people would have canceled the wedding immediately after finding out about the affair, this guy goes through with the charade, as if nothing were wrong. His revenge–making the bride’s parents pay over $32,000 for a 300-guest wedding and reception, and best of all, trashing the bride’s and best man’s reputations in front of 300 friends and family members. This guy has balls the size of church bells.
jar of Jalapenos–what you do today, might burn your rear tomorrow……’
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The nightly India and Pakistan Border Ritual
This video is real. It is both fascinating and hysterical. The video shows how the border between India and Pakistan is closed every evening!This is more fun to watch than the changing of the guards in London!watch this here: http://www.wimp.com/indiapakistan
advanced people
How Italians Tell Time
see it here: How Italians Tell Time
or here: http://biggeekdad.com/2013/04/how-italians-tell-time/
Garden-China
own design in the garden – you may have your own…
watch this here: Garden-China
HISTORY LESSON – a condensed version
For those that don’t know about history, here is a condensed version:
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers.
They lived on deer
in the mountains
during the summer and would go to the coast 
and live on fish and lobster in the winter. 
The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer
and the invention of the wheel. 
The wheel was invented to get man to the beer.
These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
2. Conservatives.
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Once beer
was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture.
Neither the glass bottle
nor aluminum can
were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting
around waiting for them to be invented,
they just stayed close to the brewery.
That’s how villages were formed. 
while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement….
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night
Other men
who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQs
and doing the sewing,
fetching, and hair dressing.
This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. They became known as girlie-men.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats,
the invention of group therapy, group hugs,
and the concept of Democratic
voting to decide how to divide the meat
and beer
that conservatives 
provided.
Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant.
Liberals are symbolized by the jackass
for obvious reasons.
or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish
but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men.
Most social workers,
personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers
in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter
rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.
mostly Bud or Miller. They eat red meat
and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters, 
rodeo cowboys,
lumberjacks,
construction workers,
firemen, medical doctors, police officers, 
engineers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively.
Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get something for nothing.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine
but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men.
Conservatives drink domestic beer,
Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little. They prefer to govern the producers….
and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America.Here ends today’s lesson in world history:
It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.
A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute
truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to piss them off.And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self…
..I’m going to have another beer…or whiskey.
garbowski.net
SHANXI- China
City built in the mountains of SHAN. Its amazing how this was built. 
See it yourself: ShanxiChina
watch this beautiful video
click here : Holland
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