Pearls of Wisdom

I've long been a fan of trivia - of which some have said "trivia is to knowledge as weeds are to flowers". I'm not sure I agree, weed is pretty popular (grin!)

Plato said (well, he reiterated it, he wasn't the first to say it) in order for something to be considered knowledge, is must be justified (testable), true and believed. So according to Plato, trivia is not knowledge. He must be a weed guy. My point is that trivia represents a methodology for obtaining and storing knowledge that everyone can identify with - and believe in.

Let's talk about Pearls.

Why are pearls valuable? Up until a 150 years or so ago, they were a random, rare freak of nature that required risking one's life repeatedly to obtain. So valuable were natural pearls that the jeweler Cartier purchased the Fifth Avenue mansion that is now the New York Cartier store for US$100 cash and a double strand of matched natural pearls valued at the time (1917) at US$1 million.

The twelve "Pearly" gates of New Jerusalem are said to be each made of a single pearl. In the Book Revelations 21:21,  "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every gate was of one pearl: and the streets of the city were pure gold, as if transparent glass..."

There is a special vocabulary used to describe the length of pearl necklaces. While most other necklaces are simply referred to by their physical measurement, pearl necklaces are named by how low they hang when worn around the neck of a woman.

A pearl collar, measuring 10 to 13 inches in length, sits directly against the throat and does not hang down the neck at all; it can be multiple strands.

Pearl chokers, measuring 14 to 16 inches in length, nestle just at the base of the neck.

A strand called a princess length, measuring 17 to 19 inches in length, comes down to or just below the collarbone.

A matinee length, measuring 20 to 24 inches in length, falls just above the breasts.

An opera length, measuring 28 to 35 inches in length, will be long enough to reach the breastbone or sternum of the wearer; and longer still, a pearl rope, measuring more than 45 inches in length, is any length that falls down farther than an opera length.

So there you have it - a bit of trivia, and perhaps some knowledge thrown in for good measure.

But remember - it's not what you know, it's how you got to know it!

Peruvian Nights and Inca Days, Macchu Picachu

My kids just got on the plane to head to Peru for their volunteer time at a medical clinic there. Seems like a fun place to visit, I only saw the inside of bars when I went to University. Actually, I saw the floor of a lot of bars when I went to University.

So I decided to leverage my investment in their trip and learn a litte about Peru:

1. The Nacza lines (outlines of animals in the desert hundreds of feet long) are in Peru
2. The guinea pig is a favored dish in restaurants along with ceviche
3. The population of Lima is about 7.5 million people
4. The domestic currency is the Sol - and $100 USD buys you 275 Sol - enough for 2 slave workers!
5. The Atacama desert is the driest in the world. Drier even than Harry Reid's soul.
6. Peru is south of the equator, almost straight due south from Miami
7. The potato is from Peru - but so is the Avocado! Lima Beans too, so 2 out of 3 is pretty good
8. There are 1701 species of birds recognized in Peru - the most in any country in the world
9. Peruvian coffee is now recognized as the best in the world. Period.
10. Oddly enough - the Peruvian national anthem is based on "Enter the Sandman" by Metallica

My grandfather always wanted to visit Peru, so the kids are taking the torch for him. Enjoy the guinea pig, I hear it tastes like chicken. With fur. Named "Snaps".