Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

With summer approaching (at least in the Northern hemisphere), many will attempt to beat the heat by taking a dip. But what about the rule that states one should wait half an hour after eating? Is that true, or is it just an old wives’ tale meant to keep kids from eating too many FlufferNutter sandwiches by the pool?

According to numerous online sources, there is no indication that eating before swimming increases the risk of drowning. A 2005 piece from the New York Times explained that “while swimming strenuously on a full stomach could conceivably lead to cramps, for most recreational swimmers the chances are small.”

A blog from DukeHealth.org echoes the sentiment: “The common belief that the blood going to your digestive tract after eating steals the blood needed to keep your arms and legs pumping during swimming is unfounded.”

True, the body does supply extra blood to help with digestion, but “not enough blood to keep your arm and leg muscles from properly functioning,” DukeHealth.org explains.

How did this fearmongering begin? Nobody knows for sure, but the urban legend experts at Snopes.com write that it may have begun with a 1908 book, “Scouting for Boys.”

According to Snopes, the book warned: “First, there is the danger of cramp. If you bathe within an hour and a half of taking a meal, that is, before your food is digested, you are very likely to get a cramp. Cramp doubles you up in extreme pain so that you cannot move your arms or legs — and down you go. You may drown — and it will be your own fault.”

In other words, the book seems to be saying, not only will you drown if you eat before swimming, nobody will come to your funeral because you’ll be seen as an irresponsible twit.

Nowadays, experts agree that swimming-plus-food fears are unwarranted. However, alcohol is a different story. Booze and swimming don’t mix; the combination is dangerous and should always be avoided.

Thanks for reading,

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Hey Guys,

When a person is naked, he or she is sometimes referred to as being “in the buff.” Interesting expression, no? Here’s how the phrase came to be.

According to the Phrase Finder, an excellent site for all sorts of questions about word origins, the expression originally didn’t mean being naked. Instead it referred to a light leather tunic.

Often, these tunics were brown-ish yellow — or “buff” — in color. Buff, by the way, is indeed a color, not just an enviable body type.

The Phrase Finder writes that the first recorded use of “in the buff” to describe nudity came about in 1602 by Thomas Dekker in “Satiromastix, or The Untrussing of the Humorous Poet“:

“No, come my little Cub, doe not scorne mee because I goe in Stag, in Buffe, heer’s veluet too.”

But what about that other favorite bit of nudity slang, buck-naked? Nobody knows for sure, but Mavens’ Word of the Day, hazards an interesting theory. “Around the same time that buck naked was making its debut, so was another slang term, bucket, for ‘buttocks, rump.’”

Got a favorite phrase or expression that you’d like me to write about? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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Hey Guys,

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. While browsing around Yahoo! Answers, I noticed an uptick in questions having to do with the man behind the holiday. Who was St. Patrick? Did he really banish all the snakes from Ireland?

The History Channel has a slew of information on the Patron Saint of the Emerald Isle. The site explains that much of what we “know” about ol’ St. Paddy is actually false. For example, contrary to popular belief, Patrick didn’t drive out all the snakes from Ireland. Still, what he did do is arguably even more impressive.

According to History.com, Patrick was actually born in Britain. At 16, he was taken prisoner “by a group of Irish raiders” who took him across the sea to Ireland. There, he spent six years in captivity. Apparently, it was then that he turned to religion as a means of fighting off fear and loneliness.

Eventually, Patrick escaped. Guided by a voice he believed to be God’s, Patrick walked 200 miles to the Irish coast. Back in Britain, he trained to be a priest for 15 years. Patrick then returned to Ireland with two goals — “to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.”

Patrick was successful in his goals, perhaps largely due to his incorporating traditional Irish symbols into Christianity. For example, many believe he came up with the Celtic cross. According to legend, he wanted to incorporate an Irish symbol (the sun) onto the Cross “so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.” The site Catholic.org explains that Patrick also used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish (other sites call this another myth).

St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 “after years of living in poverty, traveling, and enduring much suffering.” Like St. Valentine and St. Nicholas, he has become a beloved figure to many. American Catholic offers an in-depth biography of the man and notes that for someone who is so famous, there is surprisingly little research. The St. Patrick Centre hosts a complete version of Patrick’s famed “Confession.”

Thanks for reading,

Mike

**PLEASE NOTE: A slightly different version of this blog was first published in March, 2009

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Hey Guys,

Like New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day is one of those “love it or hate it” holidays. But, even if you’re not a fan of February 14th, there’s no avoiding it. So, who was the real “St. Valentine”? Was he as romantic as the folks at Hallmark would lead us to believe?

I wanted to find one guy we can all blame for the candy hearts and corny cards. But, according to the experts at the History Channel, not everybody agrees who St. Valentine really was. One of the more popular theories claims that Valentine was a priest (irony alert!), who served in third century Rome. According to legend, Emperor Claudius II believed that single men made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine “defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.” He was later put to death for his actions.

History.com writes that some believe St. Valentine actually sent the very first Valentine’s Day card. While locked up in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. “Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today.” History.com acknowledges that this is more legend than fact, but it does make a nice story.

So, why is it celebrated on February 14? I assumed it was because this is when St. Valentine was either born or died. Apparently, that may not have been the case. Some experts believe that the Christian church might have started celebrating Valentine’s Day in the middle of February as a way to “christianize” certain celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival.

Things have obviously changed a bit since then. Folks started handing each other hand-made valentine cards in the 1700s. “In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.” Eat your heart out, Hallmark.

What do you guys think of Valentine’s Day? Love it? Loathe it? If you aren’t a fan, what is your favorite holiday? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

**This blog was first published in February, 2009

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Hey Guys,

Whether or not you voted for him, I think we can all agree that President Obama has a tough job. But how much does the commander in chief bring home in salary each year? It might not be as much as you think.

President Obama earns a salary of $400,000 per year, plus benefits. And the benefits are many. He’s got access to Air Force One and Marine One, the presidential helicopter. He can put up his feet at Camp David, the official presidential vacation spot. He gets a swanky Cadillac limousine and, when fancy out-of-town guests show up, the president can put them up at Blair House, the official state guest house.

But wait — there’s more! In addition to the salary, the president is entitled to $50,000 per year expense account, a $100,000 travel account, and a $19,000 entertainment budget. On the negative side, he has to wear a suit 365 days a year.

But the perks don’t stop when a president is no longer president. Retired presidents get a pension of $150,000 per year. As Yahoo! News points out, in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the four living ex-presidents together were paid more than $3 million for expenses, all picked up by taxpayers. Bill Clinton’s rent ran about $579,000 while George W. Bush’s phone bill was about $80,000. Sheesh, hasn’t he heard of unlimited data?

Got a question you’d like answered? Leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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