Saxe’s use of the phrase “happy as a clam” in his sonnet is not its first use. In fact he uses it in quotations suggesting a much longer history of usage. The first record of the shorter phrase occurs in print 10 years earlier than Saxe’s 1840 poem. Dating the first use of the longer [...]

Many pub or bar games involve competitive drinking for speed and not necessarily for the quantity consumed. Like poker, speed drinking games are some of the funniest games for drinking. The object of these games may not be inebriation, but may simply involve “bragging rights” or wags of cash which benefit the fastest drinker. Three [...]

Epoxy resins have many different uses. For example, resins that are cured through exposure to ultraviolet light are commonly used in fiber optics, optoelectronics, and dentistry. Industrial tooling applications use epoxy resins to make laminates, castings, fixtures, and molds. In the electronics industry, epoxy resins can be used to make insulators, transformers, generators, and switchgear. [...]

The moisture found in a mucous membrane acts to protect the body by creating a barrier and preventing the inside of the body from drying out. Mucus also traps pathogens, dirt, and particulate matter so that they can be sequestered and eliminated by the body. The nose is particularly famous for this, using mucus as [...]

I provided the school with tools and skills to help the teacher run her class successfully, but the teacher did not follow any of them. The teacher was almost at the end of the school and grabbed my daughter by the arm and punished her when it was established by the school administrator that the [...]

A couples shower is a baby shower or a wedding shower that involves both male and female guests. Traditionally, baby and wedding showers have involved a female guest of honor and her female guests. With the continually changing roles of men and women in society and in the family structure, however, the couples shower is [...]

Parents need to make their own choices before exposing children to violent video games. There is still speculation at the degree to which children may be harmed by playing violent video games. Studies in this matter do show that children tend to exhibit more aggressive behavior directly after playing violent video games, but many argue [...]

Have you been invited to participate in a gift exchange at the office, at the company Christmas party, at church or a club gathering? Are your children participating in gift exchanges at school, scouts, or church? A grab bag gift exchange can be a lot of fun but sometimes it’s hard to know what type [...]

The primary difference between an atheist and an agnostic is that the atheist does not believe God or gods exist whereas the agnostic is not sure either way because existence of God or gods, they say, cannot be proven. The atheist may be a weak atheist or strong atheist. The weak atheist may say, “I’m [...]

A maiden name is the last name used by a woman before changing her name upon marriage. Some people prefer to use the term “birth name.” As a general rule, a woman’s maiden name is her father’s last name, reflecting the patrilineal system of descent which dominates many cultures. If a woman is born with [...]