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Pastimes : Happy Hour: A thread for not so intelligent discussions -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Zbyte who wrote (1492)	8/19/1999 6:16:00 PM
From: Susie924	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2380

Only in America Only in America...can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. Only in America...are there handicap parking spaces in front of a skating rink. Only in America...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. Only in America...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke. Only in America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters. Only in America...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage. Only in America...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place. Only in America... do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'. Only in America... do they have drive up ATM machines with Braille

To: Zbyte who wrote (1492)	8/20/1999 8:05:00 AM
From: Susie924	Respond to of 2380

Why does an "X" mark stand for a kiss? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In medieval times, most people were unable to read or write. When it came time to sign a document, people who could not write usually made an "X" mark. Of course, an "X" is not much of a signature. To add a sense of commitment, it became customary to kiss the "X" after writing it. Kissing the "X" was "performance law," a ritual act that bound the parties the way legal documents bind us today. This act, witnessed by the person who wrote the text, represented a solemn guarantee of the truthfulness of what was written, and an oath to carry out whatever obligations were stated in the document. Over the years, the "X" and the kiss became interchangeable. Today, people who can read and write might still add one or more "X" marks to their letters, maybe with a couple of "O"s thrown in for hugs.