Category: Omnibit

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-11-17

Eating a raw lima bean can be lethal.  So can eating a raw kidney bean. And a raw fava bean.

The raw beans contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin.

Don’t eat raw beans.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-11-17
Eating a raw lima bean can be lethal.  
Don’t eat raw beans.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-10-17

The sower Arepo holds with effort the wheels. That phrase was a bit of intellecutal wit in Ancient Rome. In Latin it is Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas. It is a palindrome.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-10-17

The sower Arepo holds with effort the wheels. That phrase was a bit of intellecutal wit in Ancient Rome. In Latin it is Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-7-17

Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolfe, was not only a terrific writer, he also had a flair for numbers. He used to give shows where he would take a casual glance at a column of figures and immediately give the total.

— William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-7-17

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-5-17

Hawaiian flag vs British East India Co Flag —  What’s the difference between the Hawaiian state flag and the flag of the famed British East India Co.? The British flag is more American in that it’s stripes are red and white. The Hawaiian flag uses red, white and blue stripes.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-5-17

Hawaiian flag vs British East India Co Flag

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-3-17

Majors rank above lieutenants but major generals rank below lieutenant generals. What’s up with that?

In medieval times, the commander of the army was the vassal lord and his basic unit was the company.

The company was comannded by the captain which comse from the Latin capitaneous meaning chief.

Eventually one captain was placed in general command during operations and he became known as “captain general” and eventually just general.

The captain’s assistant was his lieutenant which come from the French words lieu which means “place” and “tenant” which means holding. The lieutenant held the place for the captain in his absence.

As the lords and kings found palace life more to their liking than the battlefield, the big boss became known as lieutenant du roi (holding the place of the king). The evolved into lieutenant general as the big bosses appear to have been mistaken once too often for the captain’s assistant.

Sergeant comes from the French “sergant” which means servent. Military sergeants were those assigned to protect superior officers and be their valets. Some rose to command positions and were called sergeant majors. These were officers above captains but below colonels. This title was eventally shortend to major.

The sergeant major for the lieutenant general i.e. became known as sergeant major general. This was eventually shortened to major general.

So lieutenant general evolved from the title for the one who acted in place of the king while the major general evolved from the title for the general’s servent.

Now you know.

William Lawrence Sr. Omnibit 7-3-17

Majors rank above lieutenants but major generals rank below lieutenant generals. What's up with that? In medieval times, the commander of the army was the vassal lord and his basic unit was the company.