Useless Facts

Here in Michigan, a cold submarine sandwich is a sub, a hot one is a grinder.

[The term “Grinder” can be traced back to the East Coast, where during World War I, Italian immigrants set up sandwich shops close to the shipyards. Their freshly baked Italian rolls were filled with generous amounts of meats and cheese, and were then baked and garnished with lettuce and tomato. These super-sized sandwiches were a favorite of the hard working men who ground off rivets on the metal warships. The friendly shop owners referred to these men as grinders, and the ever popular sandwiches also came to be known as GRINDERS.]

 

I'd not heard of that. But I do know that the word salary comes from a Latin word for a soldier's allowance to buy salt. I guess salt really was important back in the day.

 

“He who controls the spice salt controls the universe.”

 

You inspired me to finally look up my theory that 'hero sandwich' is derived from gyro. I found something saying the the hero was named in the 20's 0r 30's, and the American food scene wasn't seriously affected by Greek culture until the 60's (if I remember right). Well, that still isn't definitive. Some restaurateur or sandwich shop owner may well have known about Greek sandwiches way back when—they did have travel then. So the question remains unanswered in any definitive way.

 

That’s where they get the expression about someone being worth their salt. It wasn’t exactly used as money, but salt was a high value trade item.

 

and the expression about eating someone's salt, I guess.

 

The study of flags is called "vexillology"
And, aside from the staff/flag pole, there are 5 parts to a flag:

• Canton
• Charge
• Fly
• Field
• Hoist

 

Attitude (heraldry)
From Wikipedia


The lion passant guardant, a frequent figure in heraldry, has often been called a leopard by French and English heralds.

In heraldry, an attitude is the position in which an animal, bird, fish, human or human-like being is emblazoned as a charge, supporter or crest. It always precedes any reference to the tincture of that being or its various parts. Many attitudes apply only to predatory beasts and are exemplified by the beast most frequently found in heraldry—the heraldic lion. Some other terms apply only to docile animals, such as the doe (usually blazoned as "hind"). Other attitudes, such as volant, describe the positions of birds, mostly exemplified by the bird most frequently found in heraldry—the heraldic eagle.[1] The term naiant (swimming) is usually reserved for fish but may also apply to swans, ducks or geese. Birds are often further described by the position of their wings. The term segreant is usually applied to the griffin, but this approximation of rampant which is more appropriate for them has also been applied to the dragon.

Additionally, there are positions applying to direction of the head, to indicate variations from the presumed position of a given charge: animals and animal-like creatures are presumed to be shown in profile, facing dexter (the viewer's left), and humans and human-like beings are presumed to be shown affronté (facing the viewer), but the blazon may specify all other possibilities.

A beast rampant (Old French: "rearing up") is depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised.[3] The position of the hind legs varies according to local custom: the lion may stand on both hind legs, braced wide apart, or on only one, with the other also raised to strike; the word rampant is sometimes omitted, especially in early blazon, as this is the most usual position of a carnivorous quadruped. Note: the term segreant denotes the same position, but implies a particular wing position and is only used in reference to winged quadrupeds such as griffins and dragons.[4] Rampant is the most frequent attitude of quadrupeds, and as supporters they are rarely seen in any other attitude. Forcené is the term for this position when applied to horses or unicorns.

• 
  Lion Rampant
  
  
  
• 
  Lion Rampant Guardant
  
  
  
• 
  Lion Rampant Regardant
  

I was only going to post about the term Rampant, and was going to put in in What New Word Did You Learn Today?, but this was so full of gems I wanted the whole thing. It sheds light on certain terms, for instance affronté meaning facing the viewer explains the idea of an affront—something aggressively facing or threatening a person (or animal?). Also naiant meaning swimming. Must come from the same root as naiad.

 

Lenin spoke English with an Irish accent, according to Roddy Connolly (James Connolly's son) who had a chat with him in Moscow; HG Wells later visited Moscow and confirmed it.

 

The most deadly thing on the planet for humans is a bed

 

TIL that Governor Gustav Adolf Graf von Götzen of German East Africa in 1905 put down down the Maji Maji Rebellion by intentionally creating a famine, which he was ordered to do. And this may have caused up to 300,000 deaths. Colonialism really was absolute rubbish.

 

. It was a disturbingly common tactic in colonialism and counter-insurgency. Basically what Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US have been doing to Yemen since 2015.

 

Also what communist and socialist regimes do to their own citizens. Hard to argue with the effectiveness of it.

 

Thr British empire was starving millions of its citizens long before any socialist regimes existed

 

Did I say otherwise? Or are you implying the idea originated with the British or something?

 

You're referring to the Bengal famines starting from 1770? Not citizens but colonized subjects, but appalling regardless.

 

Now for something completely different:

There's actually an Irish whisky called "Writer's Tears."

No, wait, that fact's not useless.

 

Partly yes, but there were other famines throughout India induced by British policy. Then there's Ireland with its own series of deliberate famines.

Fair point about "citizens" versus "subjects".

 

It's quite good, too. To my undeveloped taste buds, similar to Green Spot.

 

And Britain, as a people, should have known better. Correction, they did know better.

It's a sober warning that it could happen to any of us, even to us who consider ourselves enlightened and virtuous in our own spheres. So easy to give into the temptation to regard our fellow humans as less than we are or as worthy of ill-treatment, because, damn it, their opinions, habits, and ways of life are horrible. No. Not our job to be the scourge of the earth. And that goes regardless of our flavor of virtue and enlightenment.

 

Sheldon Cooper would be proud of you.

 

Which famines were deliberate? The British could be incompetent, for example not sending anything like enough emergency food when disease caused the Great Famine, but I'd not heard of them deliberately causing a famine. How did they do it?