Coffee and Provocation

The Cheetah is Not the Fastest Mammal
The fastest mammal on earth is not the cheetah, but the Mexican free-tailed bat, which has recently been clocked at 100 mph during level flight (i.e., wing power alone). In contrast, a Peregrine Falcon can only fly at 60 miles an hour in level flight.

A Nazi Dog Grave in London
Nazi diplomat Leopold von Hoesch had a terrier named Giro who electrocuted himself while chewing on a lamp cord. The dog was buried, with headstone, in the garden of the German embassy at 9 Carlton House Terrace, which is now home to the Royal Society.

Is Chicken a Vegetable?
60% of Americans who say they’re vegetarian on surveys also say that they’ve eaten meat in the past 24 hours.

Let There Be Light
World population without access to electricity has now fallen below 1 billion.

The Last Day We Were All Together
Nov. 2, 2000 was the last time all living humans were on earth at the same time. Ever since then, the International Space Station has been in continuous occupation.

The "No Tell Motel" Owned By the Patels
One third of all motels in the U.S. are owned by Indians with the last name ‘Patel.’

Counting Whales and Turtles From Space
British scientists have demonstrated the practicality of counting whales from space using high resolution satellite pictures.  Turtles are also being tracked with telemetry that links to satellites.

A Fire That Has Burned for 4,000 Years
There is a hill in Azerbaijan that has been burning continuously for 4,000 years.

In a Word
"Cicurate" means to to tame, or to render mild.