QASSIA

Did you know...
You can get unlimited quality backlinks to your website or blog when you join and use Qassia?

What is Qassia you ask...

Qassia is a program that will give you credit for sharing your intelligence.
Everyone is an expert on something and at Qassia you can let the world know just how smart you are. At Qassia You earn credits as well as share in the ad revenue sharing system which is the best on the internet. The more credits you earn, the better your websites or blog will rank. You get a backlink to your website for every "intel" you add. It's free to join and you get to advertise your blogs and /websites to all the members.

What's an intel?
An intel is a short article You write. It can be about whatever you want it to be, within limits, of course. After all this is a family site so we try to keep it clean of bad language and pornographic materials.

You can earn Qassia dollars when you screen the latest incoming intel written by other members and earn easy credit! You get $8 inQassia dollars for every intel you screen. Not only that but you earn for every referral that joins and writes an intel.
It's fun and easy so come on over and join us. We are anxiously waiting to read your first intel. Oh, your ready, then click on our funny name QASSIA and it will take you there!

The Circus

Did you know...
The circus is believed to have originated in Ancient Rome. The Roman amphitheatre was called a circus after the Latin word for “circle” and was most often used for gladiatorial combat and chariot races. The modern circus started in England in 1768. A former sergeant major named Philip Astley started organizing shows featuring trick riders on horses galloping in a circle.

The first circus in the USA was held in Philadelphia on April 3, 1793. John Bill Ricketts, a Scottish horseman put on the first circus show. It was not held in a huge tent or in an enormous sporting stadium like circuses are today. He built a roofless amphitheater of wood which was called "Circus" - that's how the name came about. John Bill Ricketts, with the help of his brother performed tricks on horseback. A clown and a tightrope walker - both friends of the brothers - were the other acts that were added to the show later. George Washington, our first president, attended this circus many times.

The "big top", otherwise known as the circus tent, was first used in 1825. The use of the tent enabled circus acts to set up and take down a show very quickly, making travel easier.

The circus became a form of entertainment for all ages and grew from a one ring act to many rings with what we call a "ringmaster" in the center ring. The first two-ring circus was introduced in 1872, and the first three-ring circus was in 1881. The multiple rings enabled spectators to enjoy three different acts performing all at the same time. The ringmaster still wears the fashionable riding clothes as did John Ricketts.

The first clown to perform in a circus was a man named McDonald
I think you may have heard and/or seen a clown by that name, haven't you?

It is estimated that there have been more than two thousand circuses in this country.

P.T. Barnum was never an owner of any circus. He was actually a museum owner for most of his career; however, his name carries strong associations with the circus. While never owning a circus of his own, Barnum worked with many co-owners to market and produce some of the most popular circuses of the late 19th century

Toque (Chefs Hat)

Did you know...
A toque blanche (French for "white hat") is a tall, round, pleated, starched white hat worn by chefs. Chefs have been wearing toques for more than 400 year.
All toques are not created equal, the culinary student's hat is (7 inches) 2 inches shorter than a cooks hat and a cooks hat is (9 inches) 2 inches shorter than a chefs hat.(11 inches and taller) The taller the toque the more experienced the chef. In the days before the toque was white the rank of a chef was known by the color of the toque they wore.
The many folds or pleats on a toque are believed to signify the many ways that an egg can be cooked. Some executive chefs have as many as 100 pleats in his/her toque.
The French chef Marie-Antoine Careme wore a toque 18 inches tall with 100 pleats.
Can you think of 100 ways to cook an egg? I sure can't!

Saddles

Did you know...

The earliest saddles were simple pads attached with a surcingle** in or around 800 BC. The saddle tree came into use around 200 BC, and paired stirrups by 322 A.D.
There is evidence that man first began taming and riding the horse possibly as early as 4000 BCE. Though this has been disputed by some. It is not known precisely when horseback riders first began to use some sort of padding or protection, but a blanket attached by some form of surcingle was probably the first "saddle," followed later by more elaborate padded designs. The saddle was a status symbol for the wealthy and was emblished with elaborate leatherwork, precious metals, jewels, and embroidery.


Saddles in the styles seen today date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, modern saddle comes in a wide variety of styles, each designed for a specific equestrianism discipline, and each require careful fit to both the rider and the horse.

Parts of a saddle:

* Tree: the base on which the rest of the saddle is built. Usually made of wood or a similar synthetic material, it is eventually covered in leather or a leather-like synthetic. The tree size determines its fit on the horse's back as well as the size of the seat for the rider.

* Seat: the part of the saddle where the rider sits, it is usually lower than the pommel and cantle to provide security

* Pommel or Pomnel (English)/ Swells (Western): the front, slightly raised area of the saddle.

* Cantle: the back of the saddle

* Stirrup: part of the saddle in which the rider's feet go, provides support and leverage to the rider.

* Leathers and Flaps (English) or Fenders (Western): The leather straps connecting the stirrups to the saddle tree and protecting the rider's legs from sweat.

* D-ring: a "D"-shaped ring on the front of a saddle, to which certain pieces of equipment (such as breastplates) can be attached.

* Girth or Cinch:(surcingle) A strap that goes around the horse's barrel that holds the saddle on.


**A surcingle is a strap made of leather or leather-like synthetic materials such as nylon or neoprene, sometimes with elastic, that fastens around a horse's girth area.

"Let's Play Ball"...Baseball

Did you know...
The modern version of the game of baseball was developed in North America? It began in the eighteenth century. Historians believe it evolved from earlier bat-and-ball games, such as cricket and rounders, brought to the continent by the British and Irish immigrants. By the late nineteenth century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States. The game, sometimes referred to as "hardball" is very similar to the game of softball.

The first documentation of a baseball game in North America is Dr. Adam Ford's contemporary description of a game that took place in 1838 on June 4 in Beachville, Ontario, Canada. This report was related in an 1886 edition of Sporting Life magazine in a letter by former St. Marys, Ontario, resident Dr. Matthew Harris.

In 1845, Alexander Cartwright of New York City led the codification of an early list
of rules (the so-called Knickerbocker Rules), from which today's rules have evolved. He had also initiated the replacement of the soft ball, which was used to play rounders, with a smaller hard ball. While there are reports of Cartwright's club, the New York Knickerbockers, playing games in 1845, the game now recognized as the first in U.S. history to be officially recorded took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the "New York Nine" defeating the Knickerbockers(on their own field) 23–1, in four innings.

In the 1860s Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States. In 1869, the first fully professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semi-pro and amateur teams. By the following decade, American newspapers were referring to baseball as the "National Pastime".
The first attempt at forming a "major league" was the National Association, which lasted from 1871 to 1875. "Let's play ball" is the cry from the home plate Umpire that many fans of this game love to hear.

Perk-Up Scents

Did you know...
Different scents can help you perk-up?

Peppermint: People who do tasks like typing and filing can do it faster and more accurately after sniffing peppermint oil. So theres a good reason to pop that peppermint candy in your mouth while at work.

Jasmine: Can stimulate the brain waves that amp up alertness. Drinking a cup of hot jasmine tea could help you remember what you need to be doing..

Cinnamon: Inhaling this spice can improve your mood, vigor and concentration. Put a little sprinkle on your tissue and place it in your desk drawer. Every time you open the drawer you'll get a little boost.

Coffee: This may be why so many people have a cup of coffee just sitting there. The smell can boost your energy. Don't drink coffee? A small dish of coffee beans works just as well.

Lemon: This clean scent effects the brain as a mood enhancer and a source of stamina.
Squeeze a little into your next glass of water, while standing around the water cooler.

Healthy Benefits

# According to research, essential oils of ginger, spearmint, and sweet fennel may alleviate chemotherapy-induced nausea.
# Because of how our olfactory receptors work, scents can elicit responses in our moods and emotions. Vanilla is the scent of romance and can boost your sex life.

Worlds First Newspaper

Did you know...
The first newspaper was printed and published over 400 years ago?
Not in America but in Germany.
The "Relation" a Strassburg, Germany newspaper was printed in 1605 by Johann Carolus. It has been recognized by the Association of Newspapers as being the worlds first published newspaper. But there were papers or daily handwritten news sheets, which were posted by the government in the Roman Forum from the year 59 B.C. to at least A.D. 222 and which were filled with news of such subjects as political happenings, trials, scandals, military campaigns and executions. First or not the news has been circulated around the globe for many years. In 1990 there were 1,611 daily newspapers which is 14% less than in 1940, before the TV was in wide use. The TV, internet and other electronic devices that deliver the news will be the death of all newspapers.

How many Languages?

Did you know...
Of the roughly 6,912 known languages and dialects spoken in the 191 countries of the world, only 2,287 have writing systems (the others are only spoken)

Gold, give it up or go to jail!

Did you know...
Under orders of the creditor (the Federal Reserve System and its private owners) on April 5, 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Presidential order 6102, which required all Americans to deliver all gold coins, gold bullion, and gold certificates to their local Federal Reserve Bank on or before April 28, 1933.

Any violators would be fined up to $10,000, imprisoned up to ten years, or both for knowingly violating this order. This gold was then offered by the Fed owners to any foreign, non-U.S. citizen, at $35.00 per ounce. Over the entire previous 100 years, gold had remained at a stable value, increasing only from $18.93 per ounce to $20.69 per ounce.

Since then, every U.S. citizen (by virtue of their birth certificate) has become an asset of the government, pledged at a specific dollar amount to pay this debt through future taxation. Thus, every American citizen is in debt from birth (via future taxation), and is, for all practical purposes, property of the creditors, the privately owned Federal Reserve System.