African Forum

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The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for

Blood plasma.
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No piece of paper can be folded in half

more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait...
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Donkeys kill more people annually

than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass )
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You burn more calories sleeping

than you do watching television.
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Oak trees do not produce acorns
until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
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The first product to have a bar code

was Wrigley's gum.
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The King of Hearts is the only king

WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
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American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987
by eliminating one (1) olive

from each salad served in first-class.
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Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!)
(That women are going the 'right' direction...?)

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Apples, not caffeine,

are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
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Most dust particles in your house are made from

DEAD SKIN!
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The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.
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Walt Disney was afraid

OF MICE!
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PEARLS MELT

IN VINEGAR!
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The three most valuable brand names on earth:
Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
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It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...

but, not downstairs.

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A duck's quack doesn't echo,

and no one knows why.
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Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush
be kept at least six (6) feet away from
a toilet to avoid airborne particles
resulting from the flush.

(I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)
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And the best for last....

Turtles can breathe through their butts.
(I know some people like that, don't YOU?)

So......................





Remember, knowledge is everything, so pass it on...and go move your toothbrush!!!

What is the significance of the Mason-Dixon Line? The Mason-Dixon Line is the boundary between the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, but it came to represent more than that. Established on October 18, 1767, the 233-mile (375-kilometer) line came to designate the boundary between the northern "free" states and the southern "slave" states in Civil War times. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon set out in 1765 to survey the land and settle a dispute about land grants between Pennsylvania's Penn family and Maryland's Baltimores. The term Mason-Dixon Line was first used in congressional debates leading to the 1820 Missouri Compromise, which determined where slavery would be allowed as the United States expanded.

Quote: "Right knows no boundaries, and justice no frontiers; the brotherhood of man is not a domestic institution." — Learned Hand

Why didn't the world take action when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935? When Italy invaded Ethiopia on October 3, 1935, it was the first time in Ethiopia's long history that it lost its independence. There was a public outcry, but, because there was a fear of igniting hostilities in Europe, no effective political opposition was made to the use of poison gas and other atrocities that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Ethiopians. On October 19, the League of Nations paid lip service to the issue by imposing largely ineffectual economic sanctions on Italy. In May 1936, Italy completely conquered the country and Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie went into exile. He returned in 1941 when British and South African forces wrested control of the nation from Italy, and Selassie organized a new government. Selassie remained the leader until 1974, when he was overthrown by a military junta.

Quote: "Ethiopia didn't just blow my mind; it opened my mind." — Bono

Ladipo Solanke (c. 1886 - 2 September 1958) was a political activist who campaigned on West African issues.

Born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as Oladipo Felix Solanke, he studied at the Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone before moving to study law at University College, London in 1922.

In Britain, Solanke joined the Union of Students of African Descent. In 1924, he wrote to West Africa to complain about an article in the Evening News which had claimed that cannibalism and black magic had been common in Nigeria until recent years. His protest received the support of Amy Ashwood Garvey, who became a close friend, while Solanke began studying British papers for other derogatory reports.

Finding himself living in poverty, Solanke began teaching Yoruba and annoyed by the lack of interest in traditional Nigerian culture among other Nigerian students in London. In June 1924, he became the first person to broadcast on the radio in Yoruba. The following month, with Garvey's encouragement, Solanke and twelve other students founded the Nigeria Progress Union to promote the welfare of Nigerian students.

In 1925, Solanke and Herbert Bankole-Bright founded the West African Students' Union (WASU) as a social, cultural and political focus for West African students in Britain. He became the organisation's Secretary-General and the main contributor to its journal, Wasu. In 1926, he recorded music in Yoruba for Zonophone, and in 1927, he published United West Africa at the Bar of the Family of Nations, calling for Africans to enjoy universal suffrage.

Solanke also led WASU's drive for a hostel for West Africans in London. In 1929, he left for a fundraising tour of West Africa. He spent three years travelling, his mission being supported by the West African and followed by most of the local press. While there, branches of WASU were founded in each country he visited. He also met Opeolu Obisanya, and the couple later married.

Solanke returned to Britain with sufficient funds to open the planned hostel, named "Africa House", and became its first warden [disambiguation needed]. However, he faced serious criticism from some WASU members over alleged extravagant spending while in Africa.

During the 1930s and 40s, Solanke was able to use his friendships with figures including Marcus Garvey, Paul Robeson, Reginald Sorensen and Nathaniel Fadipe to further the causes of West African unity and anti-racism, raising the profile of WASU. When cocoa farmers in the Gold Coast tried to break a cartel of British companies, they wrote to Solanke personally to gain his assistance, and he was able to organise a large campaign in Britain, including questions in Parliament.

In 1944, Solanke returned to West Africa to raise funds for a new hostel, and did not return to Britain until 1948. The trip again proved a success, but in his absence, WASU had increasingly come under the influence of Kwame Nkrumah and then Joe Appiah. Faced with internal dissent, Solanke stepped down as Secretary-General in 1949, to campaign against communist influence in the union. His efforts to organise a slate of anti-communist candidates to contest the elections to the WASU executive in 1951 proved unsuccessful, and in January 1953 he finally split with the union after it decided to close Africa House, due to financial pressures. Solanke maintained the hostel with his own dwindling funds, until his death from lung cancer in September 1958.

What's the difference between a legume and a nut? Legumes refer to plants whose fruit is enclosed in a pod, as well as to the fruit itself. Peas, lima beans and soybeans are all examples of legumes. Nuts are edible kernels enclosed in a hard shell, one to each shell. Almonds, cashews and pecans are all examples of nuts. A peanut, despite the "nut" on the end of its name, is actually a legume — each pod holds between one and three seeds. The versatile seed is pressed into oil, ground into peanut butter, used in cooking, and eaten as a snack. March is National Peanut Month in the US. Peanuts are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins, but are equally rich in fat and calories, so you have to watch your intake.

How large are your kidneys: a. the size of your fists, b. the size of two ping-pong balls, or c. the size of two quarters? If you chose a, you're right. You have two kidneys, each one the size of a fist, located just above the small of your back. Though, it's not always easy to diagnose, just about one in every ten adults in the US has suffered some damage to his kidneys. Chronic kidney disease, or a slow deterioration of renal function, are most often caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. Since the same things that cause diabetes and high blood pressure usually also cause obesity, you can use the same tricks to prevent the diseases that you would use to keep weight off: eat properly, and get as much exercise and sleep into your routine as you can. Today is World Kidney Day, observed annually on the second Thursday in March, to raise awareness of kidney disease and how we can prevent it.

Do they still dance the hula in Hawaii?

What would a trip to Hawaii be without the hula dancing? The Polynesians who originally settled in Hawaii developed the undulating movements to illustrate stories that were sung or chanted. Hawaiian traditions, history, myths and prayers were passed on through the generations by way of the hula dances. Missionaries who arrived in the early 19th century tried to suppress the dance, denouncing the movements as heathen, but there was a resurgence of the traditional arts, including the hula, under Hawaii's last elected king, David Kalākaua. Since 1964, thousands have participated in an annual week-long event called the Merrie Monarch Festival, honoring King David Kalākaua. One of the highlights of the week is the Miss Aloha Hula competition, the world's largest hula contest. The festival begins today on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Word of the Day

distaff (DIS-taf)

adjective:
Of or relating to women.
noun:
1. A staff for holding flax, wool, etc. for spinning.
2. Women considered collectively.
3. A woman's work or domain.

Etymology
From Old English dis- (bunch of flax) + staef (stick).

Notes
A distaff is a staff with a cleft for holding wool, flax, etc. from which thread is drawn while being spun by hand. In olden times, spinning was considered a woman's work, so distaff figuratively referred to women. Distaff side (also spindle side) refers to the female side of a family. The corresponding male equivalent of the term is spear side (also sword side).