Did you know that...

[pieces o nine]

Did you know that there was a parrot in the pet shop in my home town who kept a lookout for gullible visitors? When a likely looking mark passed by, he would pitch forward on his perch, hang upside down from it by one foot, and squawk,  HELP!  HELP!  HELP!

When the distraught patron rushed to the counter to get help, he would pull himself back upright with his beak, and laugh  while the staff shook their heads and tried to calm down the customer. I've always wondered who first saw him playing on the perches and taught him that word; also what went through his rather smart mind when choosing to say it.

[Opsa]

Love the smart talking bird stories!

[Swatopluk]

Did you know that there is a website dedicated to Tim Burton inspired cakes?
http://www.cakenweenie.com/

[Opsa]

I do now! 

[Swatopluk]

Did you know that in 1906 a steam-powered car reached a speed of 205 km/h, a record not broken until 2009?

[Opsa]

I didn't know that! Makes me wanna drive round in a steam car wearing pince-nez.

[Swatopluk]

Did you know that in Turkey it is illegal to use the letters Q, X and W since 1928?
Abolishing that is currently under discussion but by no means assured.
('justification' for this law: these letters occur in the Kurdish but not the Turkish alphabet)

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I bet they are dragging their feet to do so.

[Swatopluk]

Hm, what about Greenlanders in Turkey? They seem to have the highest density of Q's in their written language of all people.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Somehow I don't think they fear the Greenlanders.

They may fear The Greens though.

[Swatopluk]

Which greens ? Those with the green headdresses (Islamic fundies*) or those with the environmental fetish?

*Iran currently excepted where the moderates 'usurped' the colour

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Heck, for what I know they may fear eating their greens.

[Swatopluk]

Then why are there so many Turkish greengrocers (I mean apart from the theory that they are the secret avant-garde of the Turkish takeover)?

[Griffin NoName]

Do Turkish greengrocers actually sell greens? It doesn't seem very Turkish. In the UK "greens" as in vegetable are very specific - the term is assumed to mean a particular vegetable leaf rather than being a generic term for several different types - or stages of development. At least, as far as I have ever shopped, cooked and eaten.

[Opsa]

Here it is possibly more general, depending on how it is used.

"Eat your greens" means to make sure to eat plenty of vegetables, but there are also specific greens which are identified, such as mustard greens or collard greens.