Page 49 - Other Facts

No LA police officers have died in the line of duty in almost 4 years.

Knock on wood! Only total of 200 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department are officially recognized as dying in the line of duty- note that the Los Angeles Police Department was established in 1869. This does not mean however that the fallen officers of the LAPD are forgotten. In fact, they are honored in a number of ways:

• The Los Angeles Police Memorial is a monument outside Parker Center, established outside the LAPD’s headquarters on October 1 1971, to honor all those who risk and have lost their life in the line of duty.
• When an LAPD officer does die, they are given extremely large funeral. The 2008 death of Randal Simmons was observed by over 10000 mourners.

(Source)

Finnegans Wake is considered the hardest fiction to read. There's not even consensus on who the characters are!

Finnegans Wake is a work of fiction by James Joyce that’s famous for its unique style of writing and its difficulty to read. It was written in Paris over a period of seventeen years before being published in 1939. Finnegans Wake is generally avoided by many readers due to the heavy linguistic experiments it includes, as well as the stream of consciousness writing style used and its abandonment of usual plot and character structure.

No two summaries have interpreted the plot in the same way, in part because of the nonlinear, unconventional style of storytelling the book features. Actor/director David Hayman has said "For all the efforts made by critics to establish a plot for the Wake, it makes little sense to force this prose into a narrative mold." If you find some spare time and have an interest in attempting to best the beast that is Finnegans Wake, you should check it out.

(Source)

Doctor Who was originally meant to be an educational show!

Doctor Who is one of the longest running and most successful TV shows of all time, yet most people don’t know that it was originally intended to be a children’s educational program! The show is about a time travelling alien, who looks like a human, known as “the Doctor.” While it eventually caught the attention of science fiction enthusiasts around the world, Sydney Newman, the co-creator, has said that the stories were made to teach kids about history and science.

It was set in the past so kids could learn more about history, with simple scientific facts provided to get kids interested in science. The show only became a science fiction series with the second story. This story featured the “Daleks” which are a race of mutant cyborgs bent on the conquest of the universe. This twist in the show caught so much more attention than a children’s educational program, that producers decided to stick with the more outlandish theme. Good thing they did because Doctor Who is still on today!

(Source)

Pakistan has a brewery operating since 1860. Due to its laws, it can't sell to 98% of the population!

Murree Brewery was established in 1860 due to the increasing demand for beer by the personnel of the British Raj (the English rulers of India, which Pakistan was then a part of). It is currently the country’s oldest and largest brewing enterprise. By the turn of the 20th century, Murree became known far and wide for its beer in keg and bottle in the bars, beer halls, and army messes of British India.

The British rewarded with it many more than 150 awards through the years. Today, Murree Brewery has become a small franchise; it has breweries outside of Pakistan in the Czech Republic and other European countries. However, the original Murree in Pakistan is not permitted to sell alchohol to Muslims-which constitute 98% of the country’s population.

Additionally, it is not allowed to ship alchohol made in Pakistan to other parts of the world. Murree does have a website however, and their products can be acquired from some “mystery” source there! Check it out (but only if you’re over the drinking age)!

(Source)

All QuickTrip gas stations are Safe Places for Homeless Youth!

When you find yourself alone on the streets, after a while, it can seem like safety and comfort just weren’t meant to be a part of your life. That’s where Safe Place comes in. Safe Place is a national not for profit organization that provides troubled and threatened youth with the one thing that they desire or at least need the most; a place to go when they feel like they are in trouble.

Various commercial and non-commercial locations have volunteered to be “Safe Places.” (e.g. QuikTrip). At these safe places, runaways and at-risk youth can come in off the street, receive food and drink, and wait for a volunteer to connect them with professional help or find them a place to stay until their situation is resolved. To learn more about “Safe Place” and where you can find one, check out the source!

(Source)