Shah Rukh Khan house

He is one of India's biggest stars, and as a result, his house is one of India's largest. Take a look inside Shah Rukh Khan's house that is called Mannat.

















In the blogosphere, among all celebrity houses, SRK's is considered one of the best.
















In fact, fans across the world refer to Mannat as a palace. And it seems they are not wrong.


















Mannat was originally a heritage building that King Khan bought and converted into a luxury house.

















About two years ago, SRK was in trouble because of his house when a resident of the area filed a PIL against the building and the permissions it got.

















Luckily, the site got a clean chit and now SRK and his family inhabit the palatial house.


















The six-floored Mannat is situated in the Bandra region in Mumbai.

















It was recently discovered that SRK used a part of his house to shoot his commercials. This is done so that he can spend more time at home.






















According to reports, the house has been built in such a way that two floors are dedicated for shooting commercials.

















Ads like Dish TV and Airtel have been shot inside his house.


















The hind side of the house, which is another wing all together, has a gym that was key in giving SRK his famous six-pack. Even his office is in that part of the house.

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Bizarre and Extinct Thylacine Creatures

The little internationally-known Thylacine resembled a large, short-haired dog with distinctive dark stripes across its back, rump and the base of its tail, which earned the animal the nickname “Tiger,” dating back as far as the early Miocene, and thought to have become extinct in the 20th century, although sightings are still allegedly reported in current times.

Thylacines — Greek for dog-headed pouched one — were the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times, top-level predators native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea.

They were 1 of only 2 marsupials to have a pouch in both sexes — the other is the Water Opossum. The male Thylacine had a pouch that acted as a protective sheath, protecting the male’s external reproductive organs while running through thick brush.

Commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger due to its striped back, the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger, or simply the Tiger, they were the last extant member of their genus, Thylacinus. Their closest living relative is thought to be either the Tasmanian Devil or Numbat.

These creatures became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but survived on the island of Tasmania. It’s thought that intensive hunting encouraged by bounties to be blamed for their extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into their habitat.

About Thylacines
Thylacines bore a resemblance to a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail which smoothly extended from the body similar to that of a kangaroo, but many Europeans compared them to the Hyena.

Their yellow-brown coat varied from light fawn to a dark brown with a cream-colored belly, with dense and soft body hair up to .6 inches (15 millimeters) in length. In juveniles the tip of the tail had a crest.13 to 21 distinctive dark stripes ran across the back, rump and the base of the tail — 1 of which extended down the outside of the rear thigh, and were more marked in younger animals which faded as they got older. Their rounded, erect ears were about 3 inches (8 centimeters) long and covered with short fur.

Mature Thylacine ranged from 39 to 51 inches (100 to 130 centimeters) long, plus a tail of about 20 to 26 inches (50 to 65 centimeters). The largest measured specimen was 9.5 feet (290 centimeters) from nose to tail. Adults stood about 24 inches (60 centimeters) at the shoulder and weighed 40 to 70 pounds (20 to 30 kilos).

The female Thylacine had a pouch with 4 teats, but unlike many other marsupials, the pouch opened to the rear of its body. Males had a scrotal pouch, unique amongst the Australian marsupials.


These creatures had an unusual capability to open their jaws to an extent of up to 120 degrees — which can be seen in David Fleay’s short black and white film of a captive Thylacine from 1933 — and had 46 teeth with muscular and powerful jaws.

The Thylacine’s footprint is easy to distinguish from those of native and introduced species. Image Yomangani. Thylacine footprints could be distinguished from other animals — unlike foxes, dogs, wombats or Tasmanian Devils, they had a very large rear pad and 4 obvious front pads, arranged in almost a straight line. The hind feet were similar to the forefeet but had 4 digits rather than 5, with non-retractable claws.

Early scientific studies suggested they possessed an acute sense of smell which enabled them to track prey, but analysis of their brain structure revealed that their olfactory bulbs were not well developed, and likely to have relied on sight and sound when hunting instead. Some described them having a strong and distinctive smell, others described a faint, clean, animal odor, and some no odor at all. It’s possible that these animals gave off an odor when agitated, similar to their relative the Tasmanian Devil.

Thylacines were noted to have a stiff and somewhat awkward gait, making them unable to run at high speed. They could also hop in a similar manner as a kangaroo, which was depicted various times by captive specimens. Guiler speculates that this was used as an accelerated form of motion when they became alarmed. They were also able to balance on the hind legs and stand upright for brief periods.

Although there are no recordings of Thylacine vocalizations, observers of the animal in the wild and captivity noted that it would growl and hiss when agitated, often accompanied by a threat-yawn. During hunting they would emit a series of rapidly repeated guttural cough-like barks, likely for communication between the family pack members. They also had a long whining cry, probably for identification at distance, and a low snuffling noise used for communication between family members.

Life expectancy in the wild is estimated to have been 5 to 7 years, although captive specimens survived up to 9 years.


Tasmanian Tigers before their extinction in the 1930’s (female in foreground) in Hobart Zoo
prior to 1921.

Behavior and Habitat
Little is really known about the behavior or habitat of the Thylacine. A few observations were made of the animal in captivity, but only limited evidence exists of the animal’s behavior in the wild, mainly based on hearsay. Most observations were made during the day, but these creatures were naturally nocturnal. Some behavioral characteristics have been derived from the behavior of their close relative, the Tasmanian Devil.

They likely preferred the dry eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and grasslands in continental Australia. Indigenous Australian rock paintings indicate that these animals lived throughout mainland Australia and New Guinea. Proof of their existence in mainland Australia came from a desiccated carcass that was discovered in a cave in the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia in 1990. Carbon dating revealed its remains to be about 3,300 years old.

In Tasmania they preferred the woodlands of the midlands and coastal heath. Their striped pattern may have provided camouflage in woodland conditions, but it may have also served for identification purposes. They appear to have kept to their home range without being territorial, and groups too large to be a family unit were occasionally observed together.

As a nocturnal creature they primarily hunted during twilight at dawn and dusk, spending the daylight hours in small caves or hollow tree trunks in a nest of twigs, bark or fern fronds. They tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the day and hunted in the open heath at night. It was said that they were typically shy and secretive, with awareness of the presence of humans and generally avoided contact, though they occasionally showed inquisitive traits.

There is evidence for year-round breeding, although the peak breeding season was in winter and spring, producing up to 4 cubs per litter (typically 2 or 3), carrying the young in a pouch for up to 3 months and protecting them until they were at least half adult size. Early pouch young were hairless and blind, but they had their eyes open and were fully furred by the time they left the pouch. After leaving the pouch until they were developed enough to assist, the juveniles would remain in the lair while the female hunted.

The modern Thylacine first appeared about 4 million years ago, with species of the Thylacinidae family dating back to the beginning of the Miocene. Since the early 1990’s, at least 7 fossil species have been uncovered at Riversleigh, part of Lawn Hill National Park in northwest Queensland. Dickson’s Thylacine is the oldest of the 7 discovered fossil species, dating back to 23 million years ago.

Thylacine showed many similarities to the members of the dog family — sharp teeth, powerful jaws, raised heels and the same general body form — but they were unrelated to them. They are easy to tell from a true dog because of the stripes on the back, but the skeleton is harder to distinguish — the easiest way is by the 2 prominent holes in the palate bone, which are generally characteristic of marsupials.




Thylacine with 3 cubs, Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, 1909.





The Thylacine family a year later, in 1910.

Diet
The Thylacine was solely carnivorous. The stomach was muscular with an ability to distend to allow them to eat large amounts of food at one time, likely to compensate for long periods when hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. Trappers reported them as an ambush predator — some studies conclude that they may have hunted in small family groups, with the main group herding prey in the direction of an individual waiting in ambush, or a single Thylacine pursuing the animal until it was exhausted.

Prey included kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, birds and small animals such as possums, and their favorite prey may have been the once-common Tasmanian Emu which was hunted to extinction around 1850, possibly coinciding with the decline in Thylacine numbers.




Thylacine from the Natural History Museum at Oslo.

Thylacine’s Extinction
The Thylacine is likely to have become extinct in mainland Australia about 2,000 years ago, and possibly earlier in New Guinea, being attributed to competition from indigenous humans and invasive dingoes. The adoption of the dingo as a hunting companion by the indigenous peoples would have put the Thylacine under increased pressure.

Thylacine survived in Tasmania into the 1930’s. From the early days of European settlement they were rarely sighted but slowly began numerous attacks on sheep, which led to relentless bounty schemes to control their numbers. The Van Diemen’s Land Company introduced nearly 2,200 bounties on these animals from as early as 1830, and between 1888 and 1909 the Tasmanian government paid a lucrative £1 per head and 10 shillings for pups.

Their extinction is popularly attributed to these unrelenting efforts by farmers and bounty hunters. It’s also likely that other factors led to their extinction, including competition with wild dogs introduced by settlers, erosion of habitat, the parallel extinction of prey species, and a distemper-like disease that also affected many captive Thylacine at the time.

Whatever the reason, the animal had become extremely rare in the wild by the late 1920’s. Several efforts to save them from extinction include records of the Wilsons Promontory management committee dating 1908 with recommendations to be reintroduced to several suitable locations on the Victorian mainland. In 1928, the Tasmanian Advisory Committee for Native Fauna had recommended a reserve to protect any remaining Thylacines, with potential sites of suitable habitat including the Arthur-Pieman area of western Tasmania.


This 1921 photo by Henry Burrell of a Thylacine with a chicken was widely distributed and may have helped secure the animal’s reputation as a poultry thief. The image is cropped to hide the fenced run and housing, and analysis by one researcher has concluded that this Thylacine is a mounted specimen, posed for the camera.

The last known wild Thylacine to be killed was shot in 1930 by farmer Wilf Batty in Mawbanna, which had been seen around his hen houses for several weeks.

The last captive Thylacine, later referred to as “Benjamin,” was thought to actually have been female despite the name, based on photographic evidence. Ben was captured in 1933 and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for 3 years, and died on September 7 1936. It’s believed to have died as the result of neglect — locked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters, and exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather of high heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night.

National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on September 7th in Australia to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded Thylacine.

Although there had been a conservation movement pressing for the Thylacine’s protection since 1901, political difficulties prevented any form of protection coming into force until 1936. Official protection by the Tasmanian government was introduced on July 10 1936, 59 days before the last known animal died in captivity.

Results of subsequent searches indicated a strong possibility of the survival of the species in Tasmania into the 1960’s. Searches by Dr. Eric Guiler and David Fleay in the northwest of Tasmania found footprints and scats that may have belonged to the animal, heard vocalizations matching the description of the Thylacine, and collected unsupported evidence from people reported to have sighted the animal. No conclusive evidence was ever found to prove their continued existence in the wild.

Thylacine held the status of endangered species until 1986. International standards state that any animal for which no specimens have been recorded for 50 years is to be declared extinct. Since no definitive proof of the Thylacine’s existence had been found since Benjamin died in 1936, it was declared officially extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is more cautious, listing them as “possibly extinct.”



Bagged Thylacine, 1869. This iconic image featuring Mr. Weaver in a studio portrait is repeatedly published, yet it is not attributed. It may have been taken by Victor Prout who sojourned briefly in Tasmania in the late 1860’s.

Unconfirmed Sightings
Although the Thylacine is considered extinct, many believe the animal still exists. Sightings are regularly claimed in Tasmania, other parts of Australia and in the Western New Guinea area of Indonesia near the Papua New Guinea border.

The Australian Rare Fauna Research Association reports 3,800 sightings on file from mainland Australia since the 1936 extinction date, while the Mystery Animal Research Centre of Australia recorded 138 up to 1998, and the Department of Conservation and Land Management recorded 65 in Western Australia over the same period. Researchers Buck and Joan Emburg of Tasmania report 360 Tasmanian and 269 mainland post-extinction 20th century sightings. On the mainland, sightings are most frequently reported in Southern Victoria.

Some sightings have generated a large amount of publicity. In 1973, Gary and Liz Doyle shot 10 seconds of 8mm film showing an unidentified animal running across a South Australia road, but attempts to positively identify the creature as a thylacine have been impossible due to the poor quality of the film.

In 1982 Hans Naarding, a researcher with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, observed what he believed to be a Thylacine for 3 minutes during the night at a site near Arthur River in northwestern Tasmania, which led to an extensive year-long government-funded search. In January 1995, a Parks and Wildlife officer reported observing a Thylacine in the Pyengana region of northeastern Tasmania in the early hours of the morning. In 1997, it was reported that locals and missionaries near Mount Carstensz in Western New Guinea had sighted Thylacines.

In February 2005, German tourist Klaus Emmerichs claimed to have taken digital photographs of a Thylacine he saw near the Lake St Clair National Park, but the authenticity of the photographs has not been established. The photos were not published until April 2006, 14 months after the sighting, which showed only the back of the animal, and said by those who studied them to be inconclusive as evidence of their continued existence.


Stuffed specimen at National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.


Discovery of Thylacine
The indigenous peoples of Australia made first contact with the Thylacine, with numerous examples of Thylacine engravings and rock art dating back to at least 1000 BC. Petroglyph images of the Thylacine can be found at the Dampier Rock Art Precinct on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.

By the time the first explorers arrived, the animal was already rare in Tasmania. Europeans may have encountered them as far back as 1642 when Abel Tasman first arrived in Tasmania, and his shore party reported seeing the footprints of “wild beasts having claws like a Tyger.” The first definitive encounter was by French explorers on May 13 1792, noted by the naturalist Jacques Labillardiere, in his journal from the expedition led by D’Entrecasteaux.

But it wasn’t until 1805 that William Paterson, Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania, sent a detailed description for publication in the Sydney Gazette. The first detailed scientific description was made by Tasmania’s Deputy Surveyor-General, George Harris in 1808, 5 years after first settlement of the island.

Several studies support the Thylacine as being a basal member of the Dasyuromorphia and that the Tasmanian Devil is its closest living relative. However, research published in Genome Research in January 2009 suggests that the Numbat may be more basal than the Devil and more closely related to the Thylacine.



Photo Henry Constantine Richter after John Gould, colorist Gabriel Bayfield 1863, which shows what’s regarded as the most famous and reproduced image of the then extant species.

Modern Research and Projects
The Australian Museum in Sydney began a cloning project in 1999, with a goal to use genetic material from specimens taken and preserved in the early 20th century to clone new individuals and restore the species from extinction. Several microbiologists have dismissed the project as a public relations stunt and its chief proponent, Professor Mike Archer, received a 2002 nomination for the Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon Award for “the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudo-scientific piffle.”


Thylacine skeleton, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris. Photo FunkMonk



Analysis of the skeleton suggests that when hunting, the Thylacine relied on stamina rather than speed in the chase. Photo Beatka Brehms Thierleben Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1883.


The skulls of the Thylacine (left) and the Timber Wolf are almost identical although the species are unrelated. Studies show the skull shape of the Red Fox is even closer to that of the Thylacine. Photo Fritz Geller-Grimm

In late 2002 the researchers had some success as they were able to extract replicable DNA from the specimens. On February 15 2005, the museum announced that it was stopping the project after tests showed the DNA retrieved from the specimens had been too badly degraded to be usable. In May 2005, Professor Michael Archer, the University of New South Wales Dean of Science, announced that the project was being restarted by a group of interested universities and a research institute.

In what they describe as a world first, researchers from Australian and U.S. universities extracted a gene from a preserved specimen of the doglike marsupial, and revived it in a mouse embryo.

In 2008 researchers Andrew J. Pask and Marilyn B. Renfree from the University of Melbourne and Richard R. Behringer from the University of Texas reported that they managed to restore functionality of a gene Col2A1 enhancer obtained from 100 year-old ethanol-fixed thylacine tissues from museum collections. The research enhanced hopes to eventually restore the population of thylacines.

That same year, another group of researchers successfully sequenced the complete thylacine mitochondrial genome from 2 museum specimens. Their success suggests that it is feasible to sequence the complete thylacine nuclear genome from museum specimens, and their results were published in the journal Genome Research in 2009.

The International Thylacine Specimen Database was completed in April 2005 and is the culmination of a 4-year research project to catalog and digitally photograph all known surviving Thylacine specimen material held within museum, university and private collections.


One of only 2 known photos of a Thylacine with a distended pouch, bearing young, Adelaide Zoo, 1889. Photo author unknown, license expired.

National Symbols
The Thylacine has been used extensively as a symbol of Tasmania, and is featured on the official Tasmanian Coat of Arms. Since 1998, it has been prominently displayed on Tasmanian vehicle number plates, and has appeared in postage stamps from Australia, Equatorial Guinea, and Micronesia.

The plight of the Thylacine was featured in a campaign for The Wilderness Society entitled, “We used to hunt Thylacines.” Tiger Tale is a children’s book based on an Aboriginal myth about how the Thylacine got its stripes. The Thylacine character ‘Rolf’ is featured in the extinction musical, Rockford’s Rock Opera.


Possible Aboriginal cave painting of a Thylacine and its cub in the Pilbara region of
West Australia dating back 6,000 years. Photo author unknown, license expired.


Illustration of the Powerful Thylacine, which existed during the Miocene, the Thylacine’s largest known relative. It preceded the modern thylacine by 4 to 6 million years, and was 5% larger, was more robust and had a shorter, broader skull. Its size is estimated to be similar to that of a grey wolf - the head and body together were around 5 feet long, and its teeth were less adapted for shearing compared to those of the modern thylacine. Created by Michael Ströck on January 17, 2006.


Image edited to add color.

Ben - Last Captive Thylacine

This Thylacine features in the last known motion picture footage of a living specimen - 62 seconds of black-and-white footage showing it pacing backwards and forwards in its enclosure in a clip taken in 1933 by naturalist David Fleay.

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24 Terrifying, Thoughtful and Absurd Nursery Rhymes for Children

In more repressed times, people were not always allowed to express themselves freely, for fear of persecution. Gossiping, criticizing the government or even talking about current events were often punishable by death. In order to communicate at will, clever rhymes were constructed and passed around to parody public figures and events.

The first nursery rhymes can be traced back to the fourteenth century. While the Bubonic Plaque ravaged England, peasants used a rhyme to spread the word about equality. The "Adam and Eve" rhyme made peasants realize that they were important to the economy and contributed to the Peasants Revolt of 1381. Under the guise of children's entertainment, many rhymes that were encoded with secret messages throughout history have endured the test of time and are still with us today.

Other nursery rhymes don't seem to carry a particular message at all, but convey a macabre sense of humor. They have been so ingrained in us since childhood that we hardly notice that babies are falling from trees, women are held captive or live animals are being cooked. It's only when you stop and absorb the actual words of these catchy, sing-song rhymes that the darkness and absurdity is realized. A handful do not reference historical events at all, but instead seem to convey warnings or common sense wisdom.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It's raining, it's pouring
The old man is snoring
He went to bed and he bumped his head
And couldn't get up in the morning

In this strange nursery rhyme, the man apparently was careless in going to bed and didn't wake up. We can only assume it's a message to be cautious when you're on your way to bed.


Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the King's Horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.


In children's books, Humpty Dumpty is portrayed as a large egg, usually dressed like a little boy. It's a sad story, as he gets busted up and nobody can fix him. However, the real story behind the rhyme dates back to the English Civil War. Humpty was a huge cannon mounted atop a high wall-like church tower. During the Siege of Colchester, The tower was hit by enemy cannon fire and Humpty suffered a great fall. There was no fixing the cannon or the tower, and the Humpty Dumpty rhyme was born.


Ring Around The Rosie

Ring around the rosy
A pocketful of posies
"Ashes, Ashes"
We all fall down!

This rhyme dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665. The symptoms of bubonic plague included a rosy red ring-shaped rash, which inspired the first line. It was believed that the disease was carried by bad smells, so people frequently carried pockets full of fresh herbs, or "posies." The "ashes, ashes" line is believed to refer to the cremation of the bodies of those who died from the plague.


Baa Baa Blacksheep

Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!
One for the master, one for the dame
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane


Baa Baa Black Sheep references the importance of the wool industry to the economy from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century. The rhyme is also thought to be a political satire of the export tax imposed in Britain in 1275 under the rule of King Edward I.


For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the battle was lost
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail

This simple rhyme is a reminder for children to think of the possible consequences of their actions. It has often been used to illustrate the chain of events that can stem from a single thoughtless action.


Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row


This rhyme is a reference to Bloody Mary. The garden refers to growing cemeteries, as she filled them with Protestants. Silver bells and cockle shells were instruments of torture and the maiden was a device used to behead people.


Goosey, Goosey Gander

Goosey, goosey, gander,
Whither dost thou wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady's chamber.


There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers;
I took him by the left leg,
And threw him down the stairs

While Mother Goose seems like a kind, grandmotherly sort, the gander in this rhyme appears to be quite a bastard. This sixteenth century rhyme is a reminder to children to always say their prayers.


Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Peter , Peter , pumpkin-eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well

This nursery rhyme also has it's roots in America, unlike most that started in England. It was a different time back then for women, and for views on divorce, too, which is why this rhyme served to warn young girls about infidelity. Peter's wife was supposedly a harlot, and Peter's remedy for the situation was to kill her and hide her body in a giant pumpkin shell.


Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?


This rhyme most certainly originated long ago, before PETA existed. It was likely based on a spoof by a court jester who thought it would be hilarious to trick the king by putting live birds into a pie shell. At the time, cooked blackbirds were considered a delicacy and would have been served to the king.


The King Was in his Counting House

The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

This is actually a continuation of "Sing a Song of Sixpence" and refers to what common folk imagined that royalty did all day. The live birds that were put in the pie are back for revenge in this verse.


London Bridge

London Bridge bridge is falling down, down
Falling down down, falling down, down
London Bridge bridge is falling down, down
My fair lady.


Take a key key and lock padlock her up,
Lock padlock her up, lock padlock her up,
Take a key key and lock padlock her up,
My fair lady.

This nursery rhyme refers to the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Boleyn was accused of adultery and incest and was ultimately executed for treason.


There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!


There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wiggled and tiggled inside her;
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog;
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow;
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's dead, of course!

These absurd lyrics were written by Rose Bonne and made popular in 1953 by Burl Ives. A woman who has a relatively small problem makes it progressively worse, which ultimately leads to her death.


Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor doggie a bone,
When she got there
The cupboard was bare
So the poor little doggie had none

or alternatively:


Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor daughter a dress.
But when she got there
The cupboard was bare
And so was her daughter, I guess!

This rhyme is reputedly about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Wolsey refused to facilitate a divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon for King Henry VIII. The King wanted a divorce so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. The doggie and the bone in the rhyme refer to the divorce, the cupboard is a reference to the Catholic Church and Wolsey is Old Mother Hubbard. The divorce was later arranged by Thomas Cramner and resulted in the break with Rome and the formation of the English Protestant church.


Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away


Little Miss Muffet was written in the sixteenth century by Dr. Muffet, the stepfather of a small girl named Patience Muffet. Dr. Muffet was an entomologist famous for writing the first scientific catalog of British insects.


Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home

Ladybug, ladybug fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
Your children will burn.
Except for the little one whose name is Ann,
Who hid away in a frying pan

Farmers have long known the beneficial qualities of ladybugs as a natural predator of destructive insects. After harvests and before the fields were burned, this rhyme would be chanted in hopes of the ladybugs surviving and coming back the following year. There is also speculation that this rhyme originated from the Great Fire of London in 1666.


Solomon Grundy

Solomon Grundy
Born on Monday
Christened on Tuesday
Married on Wednesday
Ill on Thursday
Worse on Friday
Died on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
That is the end of Solomon Grundy.


This rhyme was originally collected by James Orchard Halliwell and published in 1842. Solomon Grundy is more widely known now as a D.C. Comics character.


A Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

This rhyme does not appear to have any hidden historical references, but carries a valuable message that holds true today.


Three Blind Mice
Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice


The vicious farmer's wife in this rhyme is believed to refer to Queen Mary I, the daughter of King Henry VIII. Mary, a staunch Catholic, was so well known for her persecution of Protestants that she was given the nickname "Bloody Mary." When three Protestant bishops were convicted of plotting against Mary, she had them burnt at the stake. However, it was mistakenly believed that she had them blinded and dismembered, as is inferred in the rhyme.


Little Bo Peep
Little Bo peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they'll come home,
Bringing their tails behind them.


Little Bo peep fell fast asleep
And dreamt she heard them bleating,
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were all still fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook
Determined for to find them.
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they left their tails behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side
All hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks went rambling,
And tried what she could,
As a shepherdess should,
To tack again each to its lambkin.

Little Bo Peep doesn't seem to refer to anyone or event in history, but is a warning about the consequences of irresponsibility.


Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow the cow's in the corn.
But where's the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack fast asleep.
Will you wake him? No, not I - for if I do, he's sure to cry

Little Boy Blue may refer to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (1475-1530). Wolsey was an arrogant and wealthy self-made man and had many enemies in England. After obtaining his degree from Oxford at the age of fifteen, he was dubbed the "Boy Bachelor." The words "come blow your horn" likely refer to his incessant bragging.


The Big Ship Sails
The big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh
On the last day of September.


The captain said it will never, never do
Never, never do, never, never do
The captain said it will never, never do
On the last day of September.

The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea
The bottom of the sea, the bottom of the sea
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea
On the last day of September.

We all dip our heads in the deep blue sea
The deep blue sea, the deep blue sea
We all dip our heads in the deep blue sea
On the last day of September.

The origins of this depressing dirge are unknown. However, there is speculation that it refers to the Manchester Ship canal, which was built for ocean-going ships and opened in 1894. It is the eighth-longest ship canal in the world, and is only slightly shorter than the Panama Canal.


Pop Goes the Weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

This Cockney rhyme dates back to the 1700s. The Cockney community developed a slang all their own because they mistrusted strangers and police. "Pop goes the weasel" was actually slang for "pawn your coat" and the Eagle refers to a pub, said to have been frequented by Charles Dickens. The pub was bought by the Salvation Army in 1883 and all drinking and music stopped.

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6 College Degrees You Won’t Believe Exist

6 CollegTired of boring ol’ Shakespeare? Try the Harry Potter class. Already, across the world, one could study “The Simpsons” or learn Klingon from “Star Trek”. At Princeton, a freshman seminar lab called “Getting Dressed” is available. “How to Watch Television” is an offering at Montclair State University, also in New Jersey. Yes, you did read correctly; these “courses” are offered at universities. Why not a college course on “Survivor” or “Teletubbies”?

The Science of Harry Potter - Frostburg State University



Fans of the phenomenally popular children’s book character, Harry Potter, turned to Frostburg State University this year when University offered the seminar “The Science of Harry Potter.” The course, which examines the magical events in J.K. Rowling’s books and explains them through the basic principles of physics, received international attention after an Associated Press writer picked up the story. From there, reports of the FSU class appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation and throughout Europe, Australia, Indonesia and China. Harry Potter fansites on the Web posted announcements about FSU. Even the 24-hour news stations, such as CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC, ran information of the unusual class on their bottom-of-the-screen news crawls.
Media outlets, including the BBC, Radio Europe and morning radio shows, hounded FSU Physics Professor George Plitnik, the mastermind behind the Potter course. He even received international e-mails Potter fans who wanted to take the class (including a woman in Romania!)

Simpsons and Philosophy - Cal-Berkeley



- Aristotle and Socrates.
- Kant and Descartes.
- Nietzsche and Sartre.
- Homer and . . . Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie.


“The Simpsons,” believe it or not, now grace the syllabus of at least one course at Cal, one of the country’s most prestigious public universities, home to Nobel Prize winners, renowned scientists and more famous authors than there are hemp clothing sellers on Telegraph Avenue.
You’ll need to know more than Simpsons trivia – the class takes an in-depth look at how the long-running cartoon depicts social issues such as racism and politics. Passing the class, which includes writing a 22-minute show for the final exam, earns students two credits.


Star Trek and Religion - Indiana University



Indiana University at Bloomington lists Star Trek and Religion as one of its course offerings in the Arts and Humanities section. As “an introduction to the critical study of religion by way of popular culture,” it is “possible to find [Star Trek] episodes whose themes are hostile to religion,” among other relationships between the sci-fi show and religion.

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Elvish, the language of “Lord of the Rings” - University of Wisconsin



At the most rarefied level, Tolkienism is a field of academic study, and conference participants leave their fur-tufted Hobbit feet behind. Tolkien’s vast created world of invented languages, legends, maps, poetry and creatures invites explication — and debate.
Fans in the Madison, Wisconsin area with a desire to learn elvish might be interested to know that the University of Wisconsin has created a mini course on Sindarin to be taught by UW grad David Salo .David Salo is a doctoral candidate in linguistics at the University of Wisconsin. He was the primary linguistic consultant to film director Peter Jackson for the Lord of the Rings movie series.



How to Watch Television - Montclair State University



A few of the 57 Montclair students who packed the class last semester were disappointed when they learned How to Watch Television involved more than sitting in a lecture hall watching “Friends"


“This course, open to both broadcasting majors and non-majors, is about analyzing television in the ways and to the extent to which it needs to be understood by its audience. The aim is for students to critically evaluate the role and impact of television in their lives as well as in the life of the culture. The means to achieve this aim is an approach that combines media theory and criticism with media education”

Students get to watch popular shows - ”CSI,” later in the semester - but never with the same pleasure once they’ve heard Professor Gencarelli’s thought-provoking lectures on the effect the medium has on the culture.
Do his students appreciate what he’s teaching them? Perhaps, he says. By the end of the semester, they give him his highest praise: ”You’ve ruined TV-watching for us.”

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Getting Dressed - Princeton University



Seriously, some days getting dressed takes a lot more effort than it should. Enter Princeton’s “Getting Dressed” class, a freshmen-only course that lets students discuss controversial topics such as jeans, baseball caps, tattoos, flip-flops and Chuck Taylors. It’s more complicated than just figuring out what to wear in the morning, though. The class discussed how people use fashion to do everything from study history to assess character. Although it doesn’t appear that the class is offered any longer, Princeton does offer other interesting-sounding freshmen seminars, including “Google and Ye Shall Find?” and “Good to be Shifty: American Swindlers.”e Degrees You Won’t Believe Exist

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12 Endangered Animals That People Still Eat

Endangered animals often end up as food for humans for reasons such as cultural convention, traditional medicine, economic need, or pure arrogance. While recent reports of people consuming near-extinct species are alarming, this list of commonly eaten endangered species around the world puts those cases in perspective.

Chinese Giant Salamander




Amphibians as a whole are already on their way towards extinction, but at least they’re not generally found on dinner plates. Unfortunately for the Chinese Giant Salamander, which is the largest amphibian in the world, it is a delicacy in China and the target of illegal hunting.


Chimpanzees & Gorillas


The consumption of bushmeat, often originating from great apes like chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, is a cultural tradition in parts of Africa and it is not viewed as a problem. The species are also suffering a population decline due to deforestation and habitat loss.




Chinook Salmon




Chinook salmon, found exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, have been on the steady decline for years due to damming of rivers, pollution and over-fishing. While commercial fishing in some areas is subject to annual approval, officials kill sea lions — natural predators of salmon — in order to allow more salmon stocks for fishing in the Columbia River.




Bluefin Tuna




When an endangered species swims under the sea, people tend not to give as much pause before taking a bite. Bluefin tuna is a favorite for sushi in Japan, and despite its incredibly endangered status, is still commercially harvested and sold.




Caribou




Caribou populations across North America vary from burgeoning to sparse, but despite protection, the rare populations are still hunted. For instance, the Innu in Quebec hunt the animals from snowmobiles and will slaughter entire herds.






Fin Whales



The Japanese whaling fleet claims to kill whales for research, yet not a single study has been published based on their annual hunt. In addition to hundreds of Minke whales, the ships slaughter a few dozen endangered Fin whales every year, which inevitably end up in cans on store shelves.




African Forest Elephants




Elephants are famously poached for their ivory, but forest elephants — the most at-risk elephant species in the world — are also hunted for their flesh. The animals weigh over 5,000 pounds but only yield 1,000 pounds of meat. Combined with the ivory, one elephant kill can land a poacher thousands of dollars.


Green Sea Turtles




Green sea turtles are hunted for their shells, leather, flesh and fat. Their eggs and meat used to be a delicacy in Hawaii before the Endangered Species Act granted them protection in 1977. However, the turtles are still hunted in Indonesia and other countries in South Asia.


River Dolphins




Freshwater dolphins — found in the Ganges, Indus and Amazon rivers — suffer from naturally low populations, so the impact of pollution and hunting has been drastic. A species in the Yangtze river was driven to extinction in 2006, the first mammal to go extinct in 50 years.


Gaurs/Seladangs




The gaur, a wild relative to the cow, is a threatened species found in South Asia. While domesticated gaurs called gayals are common, the wild herds are still hunted for their meat. The animals have few predators other than tigers, which they’ve been known to fight off and kill.


Sharks




The Ganges Shark is hunted from the river’s muddy waters for its nutrient-rich oil. Dozens of other species across the world are becoming endangered from the practice of shark finning, where fisherman slice off the fins of live sharks before tossing the animals back into the water to drown. The fins are dried and used to make soup in Asian restaurants

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