If You Can Raed Tihs, You Msut Be Raelly Smrat

Chances are you've seen this in your inbox:
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."
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Chances are you also understand it. It purports that the order of the letters inside a given word doesn't matter, as long as the first and last letters of each word are in the right place.
You can read the words because the human mind reads words as a whole, and not letter-by-letter.
Well, that's what it says. But while it's entertaining and ego-boosting (that is, if you can read it), it ain't exactly so.
The e-mail, while partially correct in its overall hypohsetis — um, hypothesis — is "very irresponsible in several important ways," says Denis Pelli, professor of psychology and neural science at New York University.
First of all — oops — there was never a study done at Cambridge University. And therein lies a tale.
The e-mail was originally sent around without mentioning Cambridge; it got added after the Times of London interviewed a Cambridge neuropsychologist for comment.
Matt Davis, a senior research scientist at Cambridge University's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, spent some time tracking down the origin of this letter-transposition story.
He found that it comes from a letter written in 1999 by Graham Rawlinson, a specialist in child development and educational psychology, to New Scientist magazine in response to an article written about the effects of reversing short chucks of speech.
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Taxes

TAXING SITUATIONS... A visitor from Holland was chatting with his American friend and was jokingly explaining about the red, white and blue in the Netherlands' flag. "Our flag symbolizes our taxes," he said. "We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bill, and blue after we pay them." "The same with us," the American said, "only we see stars, too."
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VISITING THE IRS... A man walked into the tax collector's office and sat down and smiled at everyone. "May I help you?" said the clerk in charge. "No," said the man. "I just wanted to meet the people I have been working for all these years."
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DEDUCTION... A stockbroker received notice from the IRS that he was being audited. He showed up at the appointed time and place with all his financial records, then sat for what seemed like hours as the auditor pored over them. Finally the IRS agent looked up and commented, "You must have been a tremendous fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." "Why would you say that?" asked the broker. "Because you've made more brilliant deductions on your last three returns than Sherlock Holmes made in his entire career."
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FAST FOODS

Fast food is the food that can be prepared and served very quickly. Modern fast food is associated with global chains of fast food restaurants like Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC and the like. And country wise, United States probably would be the first country you would think of if asked about fast food. However fast food chains are not the only sources of this food and it can be found, most likely, in every country in the world.
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Fast Food From Europe

Poland
Zapiekanki - somewhat similar to a pizza but much less salty - is a popular Polish fast-food composed of a long baguette, sprinkled with chopped mushrooms, meaty toppings and cheese and then heated to melt the cheese, poured on top with ketchup, mayonnaise and additionally other toppings.

Fast Food From Asia & Australia.
Australia
The meat pie and sausage rolls are examples of traditional take-away foods. Typically found in many takeaway shops is the ‘Australian Hamburger’. This is mainly distinguished from other hamburgers by the range of fillings available. An order with all fillings is known as a ‘Hamburger with the Lot’. The fillings include lettuce, tomato, cheese, beetroot, grilled onion, bacon, a fried egg and pineapple.
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A Look Back: 15 Vintage Household Ads

Take a peek at these cutting-edge household inventions of the past.

Enlarge

Household chores may never feel effortless, but appliances that make our day-to-day lives easier have definitely come a long way over the decades.

Take a fun look back at vintage ads that tout then-innovative inventions, such as the gas range, electric broom, portable television and more!

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Crayola Crayon Colors

What is or was your favorite color?

Colors in Order

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Guess who's coming through the Cat Door......

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For you Cat Lovers

NEW CAT HAMMOCK!

The SnoozePal™ Hammock-in-a-Box
Here is a box in which your cat will happily hang out for hours. Made of heavy-duty cardboard, it encloses a comfy hammock to snuggle in, gives your kitty an elevated spot off the ground, and has porthole windows to keep an eye on the neighborhood. What else does a happy cat need?
And, yes, the box is extremely durable and its hard, smooth surface discourages scratching. SnoozePal™ is absolutely the cutest thing ever!
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Elegant cat hammock will make you and your cat happy!
This is the cat hammock your cat will love, the best cat bed to rest in, especially after some vigorous cat tree climbing. The cat hammock molds to your cat's shape, providing it with a sense of warmth, security, and ultimate comfort.
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Girl earned all 33 badges... by the age of nine

When Rebecca Hooper joined the Cubs, she was determined to be more than just one of the pack.
It took her little more than a year to earn all 33 available activity badges.
She has become the first girl in the country and, at the age of nine, the youngest Cub of either sex to achieve the feat.

Rebecca, who was ten this month, has been saluted for her 'determination and
enthusiasm' by the Scout Association after mastering activities ranging from astronomy to animal care and DIY to martial arts.
Girls have been allowed in the Cubs since 1991, and Rebecca chose them over the Brownies because she found their activities more appealing.
She set to work after a pack leader jokingly told her that she needed to 'pass all the badges' before she could achieve her silver Scouting award.
Rebecca, of Toft Monks, near Beccles, Norfolk, hopes to become a vet and particularly enjoyed looking after her family's pets for the animal career badge.

Triumphant: Rebecca is the youngest UK member of the scouting movement ever to have earned all 33 activity badges
For the Air Activities badge, she took her first flight in a small private aeroplane, which was organised by her stepfather Mik Horn, an IT technician, who has a private pilot's licence.
Other badges saw Rebecca also attend judo lessons, make a computer desk, cook her family a roast dinner, repair a puncture on her bicycle, visit a synagogue, learn how to read a map, sail a boat and tidy up her local churchyard.
Her mother Helen Horn, a teacher, said: 'I am really proud of her. She has been really dedicated and has had to work very hard to achieve this.'
Rebecca's passion for Scouting is in the blood. Her mother was a Queen's Guide, the highest Girl Guide award in her day, and her grandfather ran a Scout troop.
Rebecca, a pupil at Glebeland Primary School, will join the Sea Scouts in September - and her next aim is to get all their 60 badges. Her brother Ben, 12, is in the Sea Scouts, who meet in the same hall on the same night as her Cub pack.
There is clearly something in the Norfolk air that inspires the Cubs - last year the Mail told how ten-year-old Ben Spratling, from Norwich, won all 33 badges along with Leon Johnson, also ten, from Stockport.

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Lions

Lion Cub

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Albino Lion

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Lion Dog

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Freedom Tower is out, World Trade Center is in

Agency changes name of building to replace towers destroyed on 9/11

The agency that owns the site says that the signature 1,776-foot skyscraper replacing the towers destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, will be known as One World Trade Center.
The building under construction at the site was named the Freedom Tower in the first master plan. Officials at the time said the tallest, most symbolic of five planned towers at the site would demonstrate the country's triumph over terrorism.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman Anthony Coscia says the agency refers to the building as One World Trade Center. He says it's the building's legal name and "the one that's easiest for people to identify with."
"As we market the building, we will ensure that it is presented in the best possible way — and 1 World Trade Center is the address that we're using," said Coscia.
"It's the one that is easiest for people to identify with — and frankly, we've gotten a very interested and warm reception to it."
The name change for the 102-story, $3.1 billion skyscraper, unveiled after a PA board meeting, drew a sharp rebuke from former Gov. George Pataki, whose April 24, 2003, speech gave the building its brand.
"The Freedom Tower is not simply another piece of real estate and not just a name for marketing purposes," Pataki said.
"In design and name, it is symbolic of our commitment to rise above the attacks of Sept. 11. Where 1 and 2 World Trade Center once stood, there will be a memorial with two voids to honor the heroes we lost — and, in my view, those addresses should never be used again."
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