Thursday, February 02, 2006

inner dork: two for one Thursday: Morse Code and Marriage customs and traditions

I am not a competitive person at all. You would not want me on your team in gym class. I was there just to enjoy myself and have fun in the game. However, put Jeopardy! on, or break out Trivial Pursuit and well....

My love of trivia came out in a very competitive way over the weekend.
I tend to talk very quickly any way,(I've been told by co-workers and friends that they are going to do a word per minute count someday) throw in a bottle of Stoli, add a game of trivia and I was told by my best guy friend, that if NASA could harness the WPM, it would not take 9 years to get to Pluto.
I finally told them I would wait until the question was finished being read before I answered. I mean I didn't want to be rude.

So, I am going to do a couple longer inner dorks today. (Jay, I hope you enjoy)

Did you know the code that Morse created in 1832 died a quiet death 165 years later? In 1997 Morse code ceased to be the official international language of distress, being replaced by much more sophisiticated satellite-based, "Mayday" electronic systems. (Mayday is derived from the French, m'aidez, which means, "help me.")
However, the military still utilizes Morse code. Satelittes can malfunction or be jammed or they can breakdown in battle. So, every year the U.S. army trains 2,800 soliders in Morse code.
Every U.S. merchant ship must have on board a radio officer who can transmit and receive Morse code.

And one more:

In honor of it being the first inner dork of February here are some factoids about marriage and wedding customs. (I was going to do why the ring finger is the ring finger, but it's too long. I'll do it next week)

The orgin of the wedding shower is based on the legend of a Dutch maiden who fell in love with a poor miller. Her family could not afford a dowry so their friends, "showered" them with gifts so they could be married without a dowry. (I would love for there to be a "good for you, you stayed single and had to buy all your own crap shower," but no one in my family is jumping on board that one.)

Because Anglo-Saxon brides were often kidnapped before a wedding, she stood to the left of her groom so his sword hand would be free. The best warrior stood next to the groom to help him defend his bride. That is why today the best man stands to the right of the groom.

In Medieval times, Europeans believed that newly married couples were vulnerable to evil spirits. If the groom carried the bride, she was protected from the floor and the evil spirits in the ground. That is the origin of the groom carring the bride over the threshold.

6 comments:

Jay Adkins said...

Two for one thursday! Sweet!

Alas, I have only one for you today. I like finding stuff that ties into your trivia. Since I know next to nothing about Morse code and the like...


...let's talk about: veiling.

Veiling is synonymous in today's western society with womens' oppression in Islamic cultures. But, did you know that christians were forcing their women to wear veils hundreds of years before Islam came into existence?!

We can trace the veiling of women as far back as Mesopotamia. Christians were veiling women as a result of I Corinthians Chapter 11, which basically stated that it was a disgrace for a woman to have her head uncovered while in church. Paul used I Corinthians to defend his position on the subject and stated quite directly the the purpose of this was that it was a sign of a man's authority over women,(after reading the book of Paul, I've come to the conclusion that Paul was a repressed homosexual.) Here in the US, as late as the 1960's, Catholic women covered their heads during mass. The Quran, by way of comparison, mentions veiling in a very ambiguous light. In Islam, veiling is a symbol of modesty. It was also practised by both women and men. The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) is often depicted wearing a hijab. Contrary to popular belief, veiling is not mandated by the Quran. Nor is it mandated in most of Islamic society today. Women generally choose to veil themselves. Like it was is its earliest incarnations, veiling is a symbol of social stature, peity, and purity. The oppressiveness of veiling is, historically, a christian vice.

Party Girl said...

very nice, and by the way, I had no idea. Shanks!

I thought you'd like the two for one. My gift to you. *wink*

Here's a question back for ya, are there different veils for different social classes?

(also, I liked how you continued the Jesus theme. Very, very nice) I haven't gotten to the book of Paul in Jesus class, nor will we, perhaps I need to check out the repressed homosexual on my own)

Jay Adkins said...

In certain cultures, the more ornate the veil, the higher the social status. The traditional hijab, which is just a plain headscarf you see most Muslim women wearing today, is simply a symbol of Islamic Taqwa, (piety).

If you read the book of Paul, anyone with a clear head can tell that Paul absolutely hated women and was uncomfortable in their presence. What better way to deal with such issues than to oppress the little bitches using the Old Testament?! ;P

Party Girl said...

thanks for the dorking baby! *wink*

AeroAangel said...

always love good trivia...sorry i've been absent for a while...been very busy with both jobs...still love your blog though

Party Girl said...

Areo: thanks, I wondered what happened to ya! Glad to see you!