Where did the bull and bear market get their names?

First of all, let's remember that bears are sluggish and bulls spirited and burly. The terms are used to describe general actions and attitudes, or sentiment, either of an individual (bear and bull) or the market. A bear market refers to a decline in prices, usually for a period of a few months, in a single security or asset, group of securities or the securities market as a whole. A bull market is when prices are rising.

The actual origins of these expressions are unclear. Here are two of the most frequent explanations given:

The terms "bear" and "bull" are thought to derive from the way in which each animal attacks its opponents. That is, a bull will thrust its horns up into the air, while a bear will swipe down. These actions were then related metaphorically to the movement of a market: if the trend was up, it was considered a bull market; if the trend was down, it was a bear market.

Historically, the middlemen in the sale of bearskins would sell skins they had yet to receive. As such, they would speculate on the future purchase price of these skins from the trappers, hoping they would drop. The trappers would profit from a spread - the difference between the cost price and the selling price. These middlemen became known as "bears", short for bearskin jobbers, and the term stuck for describing a downturn in the market. Conversely, because bears and bulls were widely considered to be opposites due to the once-popular blood sport of bull-and-bear fights, the term bull stands as the opposite of bears.

Source: http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/129.asp

World's largest Maze

Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci, the man who published some of the world’s most fantastical works and luxurious volumes has created its biggest maze. His labyrinth of bamboo hedges at Fontanellato near Parma reportedly covers some seven hectares (17.5 acres), which would make it more than five times larger than the Pineapple Garden Maze on Hawaii, the largest permanent hedge maze in the Guinness Book of Records.

The maze is scheduled to open to the public in 2012. Bring a cell phone with you if you go, just in case you get lost.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/04/world-largest-maze-italy

Why do men have Morning Erection?

Morning erections, colloquially referred to as "morning wood" and scientifically defined as nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) are a healthy and normal physiological response that most men experience. Normally it happens when they are asleep. Men begin having them in early childhood and they continue throughout adult life. They appear during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the stage of sleep where dreaming occurs.

However, these involuntary erections have nothing to do with dreams or sexual excitement. They occur when neurological stimulators cause blood to flow into the penis. This ensures that oxygen is properly delivered to the penis and helps keep penile tissue healthy.

Men don't normally notice these erections, but may occasionally encounter them upon waking. On average a healthy male will have between three and five erections in a full night sleep, with each erection lasting between 25 -35 minutes. Men who are unable to have an erection because of a psychological problem still have erections during the night.

Many men say that "morning" or nocturnal erections are noticeably harder than those during the day. This is normal, and a natural result of nocturnal erections.

Source: http://www.mybrotha.com/mens-sexual-health1.asp

For more: http://sexuality.about.com/od/malesexualanatomy/a/morning_erectio.htm

How to wrestle a 20-feet Anaconda?

Ross Allen was a famous herpetologist who started Reptile Institute in Silver Springs, Florida in 1929 displaying native snakes, alligators, and an "Indian Village" with Seminoles he recruited from the Everglades. After watching Ross handle the snakes and Indians wrestle gators, tourists could purchase their own souvenir live reptiles to take back home with them.

One of his incredible stunt was wrestling a 20-feet Anaconda underwater together with his son, Tom.

Source: http://www.lostparks.com/rossal.html

How did Lamborghini get started?

Ferruccio Lamborghini, a major Italian tractor manufacturer, loved luxury cars. He owned quite a few brands such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Mercedes Benz, but his most beloved cars were Ferraris. He purchased several of them over his lifetime despite a slight dissatisfaction with them. He thought they were just track cars repurposed for the road and found them inelegant.

After having the clutch on his latest Ferrari fixed one too many times, Lamborghini brought his complaints straight to Enzo Ferrari himself. Enzo Ferrari, a man known for his arrogance, told Ferrucio that the problem was not with the car but rather with the 'farmer'.

After being insulted, Ferruccio was furious and at that moment decided to show Enzo how he should build sport cars. Ferrucio went back to his factory, had his Ferrari's clutch dismantled and realized that the clutch manufacturer was the same who supplied the clutches for his tractors. In his warehouse he found a spare part which he thought suitable, and when it was installed the problem was solved. That gave him the inspiration to start his own car line to rival Ferrari’s.

Had Enzo Ferrari a little less pride and a little more awareness of his customer base, the popular Lamborghini brand may never have existed. Instead, his arrogance lead an influential and resourceful customer turn from a loyal fan into a rabid rival.