Interesting Facts

By Kelly Musselman

To qualify for induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame an inventor and his/her invention must:

contribute significantly to the nation's welfare,
promote the progress of science and useful arts,
be covered by a United States Patent.
February 11th is Thomas Edison's birthday. It's also the date inventors, selected for induction into the Hall of Fame, are honored at a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, at the Patent and Trademark office during National Inventors Day.

Did you know?
• Our third president Thomas Jefferson was also an inventor. He is credited with inventing the swivel chair, pedometer, a hemp-treating machine, a decoding device, and an improved type of plow. He never received patents for any of his inventions.

Did you know?
• Abraham Lincoln is the only United States President who was ever issued a patent. He invented a device to help steamboats pass over sand bars. It was never manufactured.

Did you know?
• Benjamin Franklin is famous for inventing the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocal glasses. He refused to patent any of his inventions, seeing them instead as contributions to society.

What CAN'T you patent?
the laws of nature
an abstract idea
a new mineral or plant found in the wild
printed matter
a machine that is NOT useful
human beings

Source: Hopscotch, Jun/Jul2001, Vol. 13 Issue 1, p44, 2p

Interesting Facts About The Effectiveness Of Advertising

A RECENT survey carried out by media communications specialist OMD has revealed some interesting facts about the effectiveness of advertising in the different newspapers in the country.

For instance, it highlighted the fact that, contrary to popular belief, high readership does not necessarily equal high ad noting (percentage of ads noticed by readers).

The Star, which has been earning more advertising revenue than any other newspaper for years, had the lowest ad noting of all at only 52 per cent! By comparison, the New Straits Times had an ad noting rate of 55 per cent.

OMD Asia communication insights director Florence Oong says this clearly illustrates the shortcomings of media agencies that can only advise advertisers on the basis of a newspaper's readership.

"The Star may have the highest readership (among English language newspapers) but it clearly does not have the highest ad noting," she adds.

Berita Harian has the highest ad noting at 60 per cent. A score of 60 per cent means that three out of every five ads in Berita Harian were noticed by readers.

The survey also found that ad noting, in general, has declined from an average of 60 per cent in 2000 (in the first OMD survey) to 57 per cent in 2003.

The ad noting scores of English language newspapers were most adversely affected while those of Chinese language newspapers have remained relatively unchanged.

Oong says the decline in ad noting could be due to increased ad clutter and a general reduction in time spent reading newspapers.

After all, The Star which has the lowest ad noting also has the highest ad clutter. The newspaper carried 115,000 ads in 2002, a 33 per cent increase from 87,000 ads in the previous year.

In terms of demographics, it was found that the Malays registered the most significant drop in ad noting, falling from 64 per cent to 58 per cent.

The survey also highlighted the fact that females are more likely than males to notice advertisements. For some reason, females aged 20 to 39 had the highest ad noting score.

Professionals and executives, interestingly registered the lowest noting score of all occupational groups.

This suggests that more impactful advertising is required to grab the attention of this group of consumers, notes Oong.

Also, it was found that while right hand ads (i.e. ads placed in the right hand pages) generally command better ad noting, left hand ads in Nanyang Siang Pau, Kwong Wah Yit Poh and Utusan Malaysia actually did slightly better! Colour ads were found to be more appealing than black and white ads.

Readers paid more attention to colour ads, were more likely to read them and had better recall as well.

But, surprisingly, in the case of Berita Harian, it was found that the ad noting score for both colour, and black & white full page ads were the same at 78 per cent.

Stand alone ads do better than other ads. The ad noting score of ads that share space with editorial content drops slightly.

The ad noting rate falls further if the ad in question shares space with both editorials and other ads.

As expected, the front page which has an average readership of 98 per cent also commanded the highest ad noting.

But, in the case of the regional news section which has an average readership of 90 per cent, the ad noting rate was only 49 per cent! Sections such as technology and leisure which have far lower readership have been found to have pretty respectable ad noting rates.

"So if you want to do niche targeting, it makes sense to go into the technology, IT, lifestyle and women's sections," says Oong.

She stresses that OMD is uniquely positioned to provide quality advice to clients because it is the sole proprietor of a data-base of 35,000 ad noting responses collected during the current survey and an earlier survey that was done in 2000.

"It helps our planners provide greater accountability to our clients in terms of their advertising dollars in newspapers.

"To the savvy advertiser, just placing an ad in a newspaper is no longer enough. We need better justifications in ad positioning, in ad sizes and by readers' profile because we know that ad exposure is not the same everywhere and with everyone.

"The bottom line is to enhance the value of newspaper advertising."

The survey involved a "walk-through" of newspapers to determine whether readers saw and read a collection of 20,000 ads. A total of 1,011 people aged 15 to 54 were interviewed face-to-face in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Penang, Ipoh and Johor Baru from March 19 to April 1.

The newspapers covered were Berita Harian, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pau, New Straits Times, Sin Chiew Jit Poh, The Star and Utusan Malaysia.

Source: New Straits Times (Malaysia), Jul 20, 2003

Professors Say Rhode Island Residents Are Making More Money

Rhode Islanders are getting richer.

More people are buying million-dollar homes. Fancy cars fill parking lots at the malls. Coworkers are swapping stories about their expensive summer vacations.

Besides the anecdotes, there's new data that shows some Rhode Islanders are making a lot more money. The facts come from two University of Rhode Island professors.

Mark Higgins and Joe Matoney dug through public IRS data files and found that the number of 1998 Rhode Island tax returns with more than $200,000 in income grew to 6,686.

That's 16 percent more than in 1997 and 40 percent more than in 1996.

It's an interesting fact, just like the 43 homes that have been purchased for a million dollars or more each this year -- more than in all of 1999.

But it's more than just a conversation starter around the backyard grill.

It's data that could help sort out the public policy debate about whether we should cut taxes -- and whose taxes should be cut.

Last year, it was Higgins and Matoney who carried IRS data to the State House during the debate over whether to cut taxes for the rich.

Several CEOs proposed that cutting the income tax for those making more than $200,000 would attract wealthy executives and their companies to Rhode Island. They, in turn, would create new jobs, putting more people to work who would pay more taxes, bolstering state revenues and the economy.

Higgins and Matoney pointed out that, based on the IRS data, if no new jobs were created, the proposed tax cut would cost the state $30.7 million in revenues in the first year, $38.6 million in the second and $46.6 million in the third.

Their findings were included in the final Senate report on the proposed tax cut, which, after a full airing, appears to have been shelved.

"Our whole point is that we are not for or against the tax cut, but that we tried to provide information from an academic point of view so the decision would not be made in a vacuum," Higgins said.

That sounds right. Facts from people without an agenda -- other than to do public service -- are needed at the State House. Too often, decisions made on complex issues, such as taxes, are dictated by the people lobbying for the change.

This summer, Higgins and Matoney dug deeper into 1998 IRS data and found the 16-percent jump in tax returns from Rhode Islanders who reported earnings of more than $200,000. The IRS data doesn't explain the big increase.

Higgins says it could be that more rich people are moving here, although there's little data or anecdotal evidence of that; or it could be that working husbands and wives have reached a level where they both pull down six-figure salaries, putting their joint return above $200,000.

In a tight, labor market, where employers are paying big bucks to keep employees, that could translate to more money being paid at the top.

But here's another theory.

Of the 6,680 returns reporting more than $200,000 in income, 5,619 reported capital gains -- profits from the sale of stock. Higgins suggests that money made during the bull market might be the best explanation for the jump in Rhode Islanders' income.

And the profits from trading stock probably grew last year, when the markets again yielded big returns.

Capital gains are important to the next tax debate at the State House. There's a pending proposal to eliminate the state's piggyback tax on capital gains for assets held more than five years.

The idea is to keep pace with neighboring states, such as Massachusetts, which is phasing out its capital-gains taxes by the end of next year, and encourage people who make big money in the stock market to live and invest here. Some of those people tend to be job creators and attracting those people would boost our economy.

But it's still not clear how much revenue the state would give up to cut capital-gains taxes, largely because it's uncertain how it would be phased in and the rules are not set.

The IRS data shows that the 5,619 returns, or about 1 percent of all the returns filed, reported total capital gains of $833.6 million. That's an average of $148,000 each. But there is no information about how long the asset was held before the sale -- a key component of any cut in capital gains.

"No one has hard data to indicate what it would cost," Higgins said.

There might be data available from a study of what happened during the Massachusetts tax cut. Or maybe a big accounting firm can provide some hard numbers.

To figure out and balance what the state would give up in taxes compared with what it would gain, and how the state budget would be balanced, more facts are needed.

Higgins and Matoney have provided a start. Two college profs have decided to leave the campus where they teach students about taxes to share what they know with the rest of us.

Their effort alters any image of a distant, self-contained public university with little contact with most Rhode Islanders.

It's refreshing. It's community service.

Higgins and Matoney, both certified public accountants with doctorates, say they're not doing anything special -- it's just part of the number crunching they do.

"Decisions shouldn't be made on bad or no data," said Higgins. "That's what's scary."

Source: Providence Journal, The (RI), Sep 02, 2000

Uncovering Malaysia's Secret

ONCE achieved in a marriage, intimacy often helps guarantee a happy and enduring union. Being shy is fine, but sometimes couples should consider adding a little spice to their marriage. And what better way to achieve this than with lingerie. Sexy, subtle or simply pretty, the choice is yours. A little variation is a good idea too. Play the vamp one day and the demure virgin another.

"People today are more open-minded and as a result we think they'll be more responsive to our products," says Kathleen Chin, managing director of on-line lingerie company, TheSaxyClub, which is part of Linear Channel Sdn Bhd, whose CEO is her husband, Joshua Chin.

Interesting facts gleaned from the couple include the fact that the Chinese tend to be a little more conservative, and that 70 per cent of their customers are males and Malay. That more of their customers are male is probably due to the fact that men are more visual creatures (since they're on-line), while women are more tactile and like to touch and feel their lingerie before making a purchase.

"I'd noticed that there wasn't a lot of choice on the Malaysian market.

I'd never come across the sort of lingerie lines we now stock and as a husband, I wanted my wife to buy or wear such lingerie styles for me,"

says Joshua.

Today, TheSaxyClub is basically the only company providing a comprehensive service supplying lingerie on-line in Malaysia. It only takes about three working days to deliver items to buyers, and those who do not have credit cards can bank their payments via Maybank or pay by cheque.

It is also Asia's largest lingerie store and besides Malaysia, has orders coming in from Indonesia and even from as far afield as the United States.

"I find that rather amusing as we acquire a lot of our styles from the US and then we are asked to ship them back to customers there," reveals Joshua with a laugh.

Kathleen and Joshua understand that Malaysian men and women are rather shy when it comes to buying such items off the rack in big shopping malls for fear of being spotted by friends or relatives. With their type of unique services, total privacy is assured. One needn't worry about faulty items either, as you can courier them back if they are damaged - as long as they have not been worn of course. The Chins will also follow up orders with a call or an e-mail in an effort to prevent fraud.

Everything to spice up your sex life can be found here. Provocative bras and panties, corsettes, negligees, garter belts, body stockings... you name it, and TheSaxyClub will probably have it. Reasonably priced evening dresses are also available.

The Chins also recently introduced fun and trendy two-piece items that look as if they can double up as bikinis. The choices offered remind you of those seen in Victoria's Secret catalogues and can easily rival products found there.

Are you someone who has looked longingly at overseas lingerie catalogues but were too afraid to place an order, worrying that items might get lost in the mail? Well, this is a good alternative as you can always contact its head office if any problems arise.

Then there's also the option of becoming a member of TheSaxyClub. All you need do is pay RM50 and you'll receive a thick copy of the latest catalogue and a 15 per cent discount each time you place an order.

We've all come across research findings which claim that a healthy sex life means a happier marriage. So ladies, do consider giving your man a special surprise. And men, if your lady is too shy, what's stopping you from buying her that intimate gift?

Lingerie can also be a fun gift to give friends who are about to get married. Do check out TheSaxyClub's offerings. You won't regret it.

If you want to know more about this on-line lingerie store, check http://www.thesaxyclub.com.my/

Source: New Straits Times (Malaysia), Jul 27, 2003

Bush Victory Secrets

NOW THAT the experts have had a week to reflect on the scale of George Bush's epic win, here are some interesting facts you might have missed.

1 God voted for Bush. God is normally considered an independent, so this is quite a coup. Bush took not only the presidency and both Houses of Congress, but also now has control of two thirds of Heaven, with the power to declare new "sins". It is thought one of these will be "voting Democrat".

2 In the recent referendum on a regional assembly for the North East of England, Durham rejected a new tier of government, but voted for Bush.

3 The Democrats based their early-election-day optimism on the fact that, as soon as the polls opened, six lesbians voted in Delaware. The entire Democratic Party strategy, it now emerges, was based on them securing the votes of more than 40 million lesbians by tea-time. In the end, though, most lesbians voted Republican, as did all transgenderists, albinos, divorced uncles, and
Democrats. There was no surprise that fetishists and sadomasochists went Republican, since they were thought to be right-wing anyway.

4 The exit polls were so badly wrong, they initially suggested there were only seven Republican voters in America. The reason for this now appears to be that, whenever an elector said he had just voted for Bush, the exit pollster didn't count it because he thought the voter was either mad or just kidding. It's thought that up to 50 million votes were missed because of this method.

5 Al-Qaeda voted for Bush. This result has only just been announced, since al-Qaeda voters are more widely scattered and frequently fail to supply a forwarding address. In the end, al-Qaeda cited as its main reason for voting Bush the fact he was strong on "moral issues".

6 Even John Kerry, in the end, voted for Bush, saying he didn't necessarily agree with his policies but at least you knew where you stood with him. Kerry later issued a statement denying this, but followed it up with a denunciation of himself for changing his mind. He said it was just this sort of flip-flopping that made him in the end vote for Bush.

Source: Times, The (United Kingdom), Nov 10, 2004

Interesting Fact About Ecuador

E. L. Wisty, you should be living at this hour, even if only to say: "Now here is a very interesting fact about Ecuador." The fact being that it is one of the world's leading exporters of roses (above) and so should bless the day that St Valentine was born. But do they? Well, yes and no, to judge by Euan McIlwraith's timely documentary. On the one hand, it is jolly nice to be able to rely on February 14 to provide 90 per cent of your annual income, but on the other, it can get a bit boring churning out millions of red blooms just so some otherwise inconsiderate lout can do the right thing by her indoors once a year.

Copyright (C) The Times, 2005

Random Interesting Fact

By Phyllis Barkas Goldman

In Iceland, more books per person, are read than in any other nation.
The Siamese cat originated in Thailand, but you won't find many there today. The Thais say that the Siamese cats all went to England. One Thai legend says that once there was a Siamese princess who needed a safe place to keep her precious rings while she bathed. A palace cat bent his tail and told the princess that she could put her rings on his tail for safe-keeping. That is why many cats in Thailand today have crooked tails. Other cats there have bobbed or shortened tails.
The island country of Madagascar is often called "the land of living fossils," because of its unusual plants and animals. The Malagasy, (people of Madagascar), is a melting pot of different cultures. A death is honored by feasting, singing, and dancing. In fact, some groups celebrate funeral ceremonies as long as 30 days. Recently, however, the government has stated that no funeral may be more than four days long.
Instead of attending middle school or high school, Norwegian children attend either a three-year realskole or a five-year gymnasium.
In Kenya, most families depend primarily on cattle in order to make a living.
The Vikings, pirates from northern Europe of 1,000 years ago, went to Ireland demanding money from the Irish. At first the Irish refused to pay but the Vikings forced them to pay by slashing their noses. This is how we got the expression "pay through the nose."
Many people of the Congo believe that if a pied wagtail, which is a beautiful bird, lands on your doorstep you will have a happy marriage. Legend has it that the spirit of a good, handsome prince lives in this bird.
Liberia was settled in the 1800's by many American-born freed black slaves. Monrovia, Liberia's capital and largest city, was named after U.S. President, James Monroe.
Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister from 1940-45 and 1951-55) once called Uganda, "a fairy tale." This landlocked nation, with its great rivers and lakes, snow-capped mountains, and deep valleys, has some of the most magnificent terrain in the world.
The people of Botswana are called Btswana. A relatively new African nation, Botswana has European influences in both dress and food.
Laos is the only landlocked state in Southeast Asia. Most Lao are Buddhist or Animist. A small country dominated by periods of Japanese and French rule, Laos was also greatly affected by the Vietnam War.
Hospitality is very important in Moroccan culture. A host will even protect his guest with his life! At one time, Moroccan women were confined to their homes. If she did go out, she had to cover herself with a veil and a long robe (jellaba or haik). Today, young Moroccan women wear Western-style clothes, and attend schools, shops, and mosques freely.
South Africa is one of the richest countries in the world. However, despite its great mineral wealth, the majority of its inhabitants are poor.
New Zealand, officially known as the Dominion of New Zealand, is agriculturally rich. The standard of living is high, and extensive social services are provided for its citizens.
During the early 1700's the Russian Czar Peter I (Peter the Great) wanted the Russian people to look more "civilized" so he imposed a tax on beards. When this failed to convince the men to shave, he outlawed beards altogether.
The Lapland region lies across Arctic Norway, Sweden, Finland, and western Russia. Lapps are very small people — only four and a half to five feet tall in height!! Although short, they are stocky in build, and blond-haired and blue-eyed. Some still live nomadic lives as reindeer herders.
Aruba, located in the Caribbean Sea off of the coast of Venezuela, is a popular vacation destination. In fact, this small island's economy depends on the tourism industry. A Dutch colony with Spanish influences, its official languages are Spanish, Dutch, English, and Popumiento (a combination of Spanish, Dutch, English, and Island language).
The Phillippine islands are made up of 7,107 islands and islets. It's coastline is 13,997 miles (twice that of the U.S.!) 116 dialects and languages are spoken! Although Fillipinos are Maylay descendants, more than 300 years of Spanish rule has influenced this region in customs and culture. Men are called Fillipinos and women, Fillipinas.
Sierra Leone, located in West Africa, translates "Mountains of the Lion". There is some dispute of how this came about. Some say that when the sound of thunder rolls through the mountains during a storm, the fearsome sound is like a lion's roar. Others say that 15th century Portugese sailors saw the shape of a lion in the rugged outline of the mountains coming up from the swampy Coast of West Africa.
The Canary Islands is a group of Spanish Islands off of the coast of Spain. It gets its name from the yellow songbirds (canaries) that are found there. The major language of Canarians is Spanish.
Somalia, or the Somali Democratic Republic, is located in eastern Africa. It is often called the Land of Milk and Myrrh. Somal, means "milk of the cow or goat."
Located in Northern Africa, El Azizia, Libya reached a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius) on September 13, 1922. This is the highest temperature ever recorded!
Benazir Bhutto, who became prime minister of Pakistan on December 2, 1988 was the first woman to lead a Muslim nation.
Indonesia, a country located north of Australia, consists of 13,677 islands. Of these islands, about 6,000 are inhabited. Also, Indonesia has the highest Muslim population in the world with about 174 million Muslims.
Located in Venezuela is the Angel Waterfall which is the world's highest waterfall at 3,812 feet.
Within Nepal, a small country located between China and India, lies Mount Everest. At 29,108 feet, Mt. Everest is the tallest Mountain in the world.
In the Philippines, the yo-yo was originally used as a weapon. It was later adapted and introduced as a toy in 1929.
The largest island in the world is Greenland. Located between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans, Greenland was originally settled by Vikings, led by Eric the Red in 986 AD. Today, Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
In New Zealand, the Maori people named a local hill, Taumatawhakatangihangakoauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronuku pokaiwh enauakitanataha. In English, this 84-letter word means "the brow of the hill where Tamatea who sailed all round the land played his nose flute to his lady love".
Over the centuries bodily functions have found their way to what is known today as the "bathroom, wash room, comfort station, powder room, etc". The actual history of the bathroom began over ten thousand years ago in Scotland. Crude pipe systems enabled people to use indoor private quarters to rid themselves of bodily waste.
In Kenya and Tanzania, wildlife has become an important source of income. Tourists from around the world travel to these countries to view its wildlife.
In Antarctica today there is not a single tree or bush on the entire continent yet scientists have found evidence that at one time Antarctica was densely covered with forests of pine, palm, and fern-like trees.
One of the national drinks of Pakistan is sour milk. Also, in Pakistan the homes of the wealthy are often divided into two parts: one part for the men and another part for the women and children.
For 2000 years Sri Lanka has been known for its pearl fisheries. Other gemstones that are found there are moonstones, garnets, topazes, amethysts, sapphires, and rubies.
Adam's Peak (in Sri Lanka) is where Buddha is said to have ascended to heaven. This mountain can be seen from far out at sea.
In Sweden, North of the Arctic Circle, the sun shines 24 hours a day during June and July.
The world's longest electric railroad runs from the southern tip of Sweden, to Narrik (in northern Sweden) a distance of almost 1,400 miles.
Australia is the world's largest wool producer, and is the only country in the world that occupies a whole continent.
Myanmar (me-yan-mar), formerly Burma, is called "The Golden Land" by its people. Some think that it gets its name from the Myanmar custom of decorating Buddhist pagodas with gold leaves, which glitter and sparkle in the sunlight. It is also possible that it gets its golden name because the sun shines on it most of the year!
It rains nearly half of all the days of the year in Singapore.
Hungary, a central European country, derives its name from a famous group of nomadic warriors called the Huns. In the mid-5th century AD, the Huns, led by Attila the Hun ravaged much of Europe. The Europeans, who feared the Huns, called this band of warriors the "scourge of God".

Source: Monkeyshines on Cultures & Customs From Around the World, 1997, p145, 5p

Did You Know?

By Phyllis Barkas Goldman

All the insects in the world weigh more than all the other kinds of animals in the world put together!
In a four-month period, a pair of house flies could have 190,000,000,000,000,000,000 children and grandchildren, but only if they all survived!
The heaviest insect in the world, the Goliath beetle of Africa, weighs just 3 ½ ounces!
Some kinds of beetles are smaller than some protozoans, which are one-celled animals!
A Chinese proverb says "Patience and the mulberry leaf become a silk gown." A silk moth would have to eat ten pounds of mulberry leaves to make one pound of silk cocoons. These cocoons can be spun into a thread more than 100 miles long!
The buzzing sound of a bee is made by its wings moving up and down very quickly.
The female trichogramma wasp lays her eggs inside the eggs of other insects.
Ancient Egyptians awarded The Order of the Golden Fly to people who performed acts of special bravery.
Fly larvae bred in sterile conditions were used in the 1800s to remove diseased tissue from war wounds.
Fireflies were once used as hair ornaments in Brazil.
The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandria Birdwing butterfly. The female can have up to an eleven-inch wingspan.
Pesky insects of the jungles of Asia brought about the origin of carpets. The natives discovered that sitting on sheep's wool is very effective protection from the crawling insects. Thus the carpet was created to protect them from these critters, who disliked the grease found in the wool.
There are 900,000 to 1,000,000 known species of insects in North America alone.
Honeybees move their wings back and forth about 400 times per second or 26,000 times per minute.
There are 30 million species of insects: 10,000 million insects per square kilometer of inhabitable land, and 200 million insects per person.
A swarm of African Desert Locusts may contain millions of individual insects and may weigh 70,000 tons.
The dragonfly keeps its body cool by resting in a vertical position. It keeps warm by resting in a horizontal position.
The poinsettia whitefly does an enormous amount of destruction to fruit crops, yet it is so small that three of the insects would fit on the head of a pin.
The male African butterfly feeds on mongoose dung in the Kakamege Forest in Kenya.
The female mosquito needs the protein from blood to produce eggs.
Black and orange burying beetles hunt for dead birds, mice, or even snakes. They then bury them so that they may raise their young in "animal graves."
The tiger beetle will grab and stab its prey (usually a small insect) and then drag its food as far as a foot underground so it can be eaten at the beetle's leisure.
The bee-eater, a type of bird, does not get stung when it captures bees. It holds the bee in its beak, and knocks it against a branch of a tree, ridding the bee of its stinger before it is swallowed.
Fire ants have been invading parts of the U.S. Some measure as long as a quarter-inch and build mounds 12-18 inches high! They have virtually devoured a calf unlucky enough to have been born on an ant mound.
The "ptera" in the scientific names for some insects means "wings."
Dragonflies have been around for 300 million years.
The word "medicine" comes from "mead," a honey-based alcoholic beverage, which was used as a remedy in the Middle Ages.
Some people believe that if on a golden beetle's wings there are more than seven black spots, then the corn harvest will be scanty; if there are less than seven black spots, the harvest will be plentiful.
Some mantids, such as the orchid mantis of Malaysia and Indonesia, can disguise themselves as flowers.
The aphid (a plant parasite) does not lay eggs like other insects. The eggs hatch inside the female, producing live young.
Not all insects are bugs. All bugs are insects. The front wings of real bugs look like half wings!
An insect does not have lungs; it breathes through air tubes called tracheae, located throughout the body.
An average beehive has over 50,000 bees.
The poinsettia whitefly does an enormous amount of destruction to fruit crops, yet it is so small that three of the insects would fit on the head of a pin. In California, a swarm of poinsettia whiteflies reduced one produce company's harvest from 750,000 cantaloupes to 25,000.
Although it is illegal, visitors to the U.S., immigrants, and Americans who have traveled to foreign lands sometimes bring exotic fruits and vegetables into the U.S. These foods can carry insects such as the whitefly, the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the Oriental fruit fly, which are extremely harmful to U.S. crops and cause devastating damage.
In ancient times insects were used to dye clothing. The Kermes insect, for example, made shades of red, carmine, and scarlet.
The honeybee and silkworm were among the first creatures to be domesticated by humans.
Fire ants supposedly came to the United States in a freight accident in 1918 off the coast of Mobile, Alabama.
Locusts are able to destroy plant life very quickly because their wings enable them to fly 70 miles a day.
Some Native Americans used to fasten fireflies to their shoes for light for night hunting.
Ticks are not insects, but belong to the same family as spiders and scorpions — the arachnids. (Arachnids have 8 legs, whereas insects have 6.)
Most insect blood is yellow since they do not have the hemoglobin mammals have.
Ants have five noses.
The honeybee comes in more than 300 varieties.
Dragonflies can carry three times their weight, hover in the air, and fly backwards.
Bed bugs were once taken as a cure for malaria.
Many gardeners believe a ladybug in your garden will bring money, but to kill one will bring bad luck.
Because the Southeast Asian Mantid's body resembles a violin in shape, it is nicknamed the "walking fiddle,"
Dragonflies can fly at 35 miles per hour.
Engineers study dragonflies to design aircraft after their aerodynamics.
Only the female mosquito sucks blood.
Fireflies do not use or produce heat to make their light. Instead, the light is produced by a chemical reaction between luciferin, a chemical stored in their abdomen, and oxygen.
Insects use the reflection of the sun or moon in their eyes to guide them. By keeping the reflection at an unchanging angle in their eyes they can travel a straight line.
The female mosquito tracks down her human victims by sensing the carbon dioxide emitted from their breath.
Engraver beetles can kill the trees they burrow into. The trails they leave can make patterns, which is how these beetles got their name.
The mosquito that carries the virus for yellow fever likes to lay its eggs in flower vases.
In some places, insects are not just eaten for nutritional value, they are also cooked and prepared as medicine.
Poisonous leaf beetles may remain poisonous even when they are dried museum pieces.
The grasshopper can leap about twenty times the length of its own body.

Source: Monkeyshines Goes Buggy (The Study of Entomology