Bits & Pieces; This 'N That

 

If you are (as I am!) a fan of the TV Star Trek spinoff show Deep Space 9, then you recognize Quark, the Ferengi barkeeper on that station. Ever wonder where the script writers find these crazy terms? WELL, ferengi is a old recognized word meaning foreigner. Cool, eh?

Here's a quote from Valorie Zimmerman, VP of the Washington State Genealogical Society, referencing the recent awards' announcement:  "It's so good to see so many genealogical societies swimming together!" We agree, Val. 

One innovative airline seems to have captured a unique clientele.... for an incredibly hefty price, they will fly your pet in comfort to your destination. Apparently they noticed that there has been a steady rise in the number of people traveling with their pets and have not been happy with the restrictions placed on these special passengers.  Really?

Do you know where the longest bridge is in Washington? Constructed in 1966, the 21,474 foot long behemoth was built to connect Astoria, Oregon, to Megler, Washington. It was build so people could cross the Columbia River at its mouth quicker and safer. 

Aristotle called the hand the "tool of tools; Kant, "the visible part of the brain." The earliest works of art was handprints on the walls of caves. Throughout history hand gestures have symbolized the range of human experience: power, tenderness, creativity,, conflict and even bravo. Without hands, civilization would be inconceivable.  So the discovery in 2011 of the bones of a dozen right hands at a site were the ancient Egyptian city of Avaris once stood, was particularly unsettling. To skip to the end of the story, the ritual seems to have become standard practice in Egypt, with soldiers returning from combat and presenting the dismembered right hands of defeated foes to their pharaoh or military commander. (Want to read more? The story was in the newspaper; New York Times, Franz Lidz, photo by Julia Gresky.) 

Would you have guessed that they're still finding unexploded shells on the Gettysburg battlefield? Yep, according to a bit in the May/June 2023 Archaeology Magainze, a U.S. Army ordnance disposal team was summoned to Gettysburg when a 160-year-old live artillery shell was uncovered during archaeologizl work. The 7-inch long unexploded round was found two feet below the surface near a rocky outcrop known as the Little Round Top.  Unbelievable, no?