/Burning Questions for July 25th 2009

While listening to a few NPR Saturday morning shows, some questions popped into my head:

01. Does the newly-developed EATR robot really fuel up on human flesh?.. and wouldn't that be one way to get rid of excess body fat?

02. Will "pole-dancing" (some call "lateral dancing") become a valid Olympic sport?

03. Where would a chicken hide under the hood of a car? One recently took such a ride.

(A number of years ago, my kids and I stopped at a gas station 3 miles away from our house. As I lifted the hood to check the oil, a white cat popped out and began to purr. I guess that was to tell us that she had had a nice ride. The cat belonged to a neighbor who was pleased to get her back, even though she needed a scrubbing to get the grease out.)

04. What happened to the original video of the Apollo-11 flight?

For those that think that it never happened, I would refer you to our friend, Al Lister, who examined all the specs for the rockets and made sure that they were followed exactly. He knew these astronauts personally and was a great source of flight information. I believe that he also was presented with a moon rock.

05. What is the purpose of the little ball on top of a flagpole?

06. What ever happened to Moe Berg, the baseball player who spoke 7 languages?

07. Why do "free" burials for veterans cost $16?

08. Why did Governor "Big Arnie" Schwartzenegger open a video to Californians by examining a giant knife?

(When my son and I were deep into weightlifting and bodybuilding, Big Arnie was our hero. Nobody... before or after.. has ever had such massively well-developed muscles. The "Austrian Oak" was handled by Canadian Joe Wieder and won every major body-building award .. most of them several times. )

There is a popular story about Arnold. He had bought a new red convertible and stopped at an outside phone booth to make a call.. he left the motor running and some guy jumped in and was about to drive it away.. however, the guy apparently wasn't too knowledgable about stick-shift cars and this delayed him enough that Arnie was able to bound out of the booth, reach into the car, pick the guy up, and crush his head... I wonder if this really happened.. I know that I would not want to get Arnold mad at me, even today.

09. What does the biblical phrase "The Visitation" refer to?

Of course, I should know this. My religious friends might help me out here. There is a wonderful painting by Peter Paul Rubens named "The Visitation". He painted it in 1613.

10. Will the "bark-to-Japanese" translation device be marketed in the US?

Some dogs in Japan are now "bow-lingual".

11. What ads will be shown on the moon? (I guess they will only appear when there is a full moon.)

12. When will Nora, the piano-playing cat make an appearance at Baltimore's Lyric Theatre?

13. Why did undercover cops for two different North Carolina police units arrest each other for drug possession?

14. Why did Kelly Hildebrand marry Kelly Hildebrand? How will they name their kids?

15. Why didn't anyone bid on the Watergate complex in a recent auction?

16. Was the Taco Bell dog assassinated?

Well, now I have given you and me lots of stuff to look up with Wikipedia and Google.

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