Did you hear the one about the canal builder who forgot canals need water? The battle where everyone ran away? Or the boat made of ice, and the town that mixed up time? How about the shovel invented for soldiers with a hole in it? Colossal Canadian Failures is a lighthearted look at Canada’s unsung heroes the eccentrics, the failures, the misguided, and the just plain overoptimistic who never met an idea they could resist, no matter how crazy. From engineering blunders to business and political failures and more, Colossal Canadian Failures provides a muchneeded ego boost for anyone who thinks they’ve said «oops» one too many times.
From the engagement to the honeymoon, the act of getting married is surrounded with tradition and superstition. In All About Weddings, the ultimate question-and-answer book on matrimony, light is shed on the mysteries behind the rituals and rites of marriage; the past, present, and future of the enduring ceremony are explored worldwide; and the meaning of everything from boutonniere and confetti to woo and wet bargain is explained. Along the way you’ll also discover: What is the origin of the word «wedding»Why does the bride throw her bouquet?What is a shivaree?Why are cakes served at weddings?Where did the expression «tie the knot» come from?Why does a bride have bridesmaids?How did the custom of a dowry originate?How did «stag parties» originate?What is the highest-grossing wedding movie of all time?
What are «snow worms»? Are there more moose than people in the Yukon? What is the meaning of the word «Niagara»? Where will you find the world's largest perogy? Does Elvis have a street in Ottawa named after him? What was Pierre Elliott Trudeau's favourite snack food? Which province was the last to shift traffic from the left-hand side of the road to the right? These are some of the questions that are asked – and answered – in 1000 Questions About Canada . Every reader with an ounce (or a gram) of curiosity will find these intriguing questions and thoughtful answers fascinating to read and ponder. This book is for people who love curious lore and who want to know more about the country in which they live.
H. Clark Adams let you be the judge on 60 cases that he’s already made his decisions on in the legal arena of small claims court. It’s enough to put you off wedded bliss forever, but if you did harbour strong opinions on how the case Smith v Brown a couple on the brink of matrimony, interfering relatives notwithstanding should unfold, H. Clark Adams welcomes you to the legal arena of small claims court. Here feuding former lovers, despondent homeowners, and singed shopkeepers bring their grievances against their erstwhile partners in love and business for a ruling that could end the troubled relationship and maybe even offer them material or monetary comfort. In a tone that’s distinctly light-hearted, the retired deputy judge offers readers a fictionalized sampling of the cases presented at small claims court, and the chance for them to pit their best instincts and powers of judgment against his. Part I of the book is a collection of cases from the gripping to the ridiculous, whilePart II features Adams’s decisions on the cases presented. If your view on these 60 cases differs from the learned judge, be warned: no appeal to his decision has ever been successful.
Did you know… The Sumerians were the first to brew beer, and all the brewers were women? If you didn't – then read on. If you are intrigued by the odd, fascinated by the fantastic or tickled by trivia, then this is the book for you. The Useless Information Society was formed by some of Britain's best-loved journalists, writers and entertainers, including Keith Waterhouse, Richard Littlejohn, Suggs, Noel Botham, Ken Stott and Brian Hitchen. They meet regularly to swap new nuggets of trivia. This is the eighth collection of their absorbing, hilarious and wholly useless facts. An absolutely enormous collection, lose yourself in hundreds of pages of endlessly diverting facts that will keep you amused for hours.
In 1914 a train pulled into a provincial British railway station. The porter, a curious chap, asked the regiment of soldiers where they were from. 'Ross-shire,' one called down, but the porter heard 'Russia'. And so began a rumour that led to Germany losing the First World War.Often the history we learn at school is only half the story. We hear of heroic deeds and visionary leaders, but we never hear about the people who turned up late for court and thereby changed the law, or who stood in the wrong queue at university and accidentally won a Nobel Prize.The Great Cat Massacre: A History of Britain in 100 Mistakes demonstrates that the nation is as much a product of error as design. Through chapters on religion, law, culture, war, science and politics, it reveals such things as how an edict from Pope Gregory IX helped spread the Black Death, how the sister of cricketer John Willes invented overarm bowling, and how, had a letter not been lost, Disraeli might never have become prime minister.This book is history told through human failings, schoolboy errors, bad luck and extraordinary consequences; a history of mishearing, misdiagnosis and misinterpretation – a history that you won't find in the textbooks.
Step back a hundred years to the world of the pampered, privileged upper classes and look inside Downton Abbey to find out exactly what goes on behind the magisterial doors of TV's favourite stately home. They were the super rich of their times, pampered beyond belief – the early 20th century Edwardian gentry, who lived like superstars, their every desire or need catered to by an army of butlers, servants, footmen, housekeepers and grooms. Class, money, inheritance, luxury and snobbery dominated every aspect of the lives of the upper crust Edwardian family, led by Robert Crawley, The Earl of Grantham – played in the hit show by Hugh Bonneville. While below stairs the staff, including Carson the Butler (Jim Carter), Bates the Valet (Brendan Coyle), O'Brien the Ladies' Maid (Siobhan Finneran), and Daisy the Kitchen Maid (Sophie McSherra), inhabited a completely different world, their very lives dependent on servicing the rich, pandering to their masters' every whim, rubbing shoulders with wealth and privilege, privy to their most intimate and darkest secrets – yet faced ruin and shame if they ventured to make the smallest step outside the boundaries of their class ridden world. From manners and morals to etiquette and style, The Real Life Downton Abbey opens the doors to TV's favourite stately home.
Sexual failures of the world unite! Now is the time to stand up and be counted (or measured).A celebration of sexual failures, Is It In Yet? is an antidote to all those self-help books obsessed with sexual performance. Aimed not just at those with serious shortcomings, it’s a book for anyone for whom the phrase ‘cock-up in the bedroom’ is only ever associated with humiliation. These bizarre but true tales of sexual stupidity and strangeness include:The perils of having sex with a hot lasagne The couple who suffocated while making love in the back of a hearse The flasher who only exposed himself to department store mannequinsThe man who mistook superglue for lubricantAlarming fetishes including clowns, falling downstairs and licking eyeballsThe man who married his horse (and gave her lingerie) The woman who took five years to discover her boyfriend was actually femaleIf it’s deviant, disturbing or just plain dumb… you’ll find it in Is It In Yet?
Would you like to earn millions by talking about your favourite subject? A new generation of vloggers have become millionaires by sharing make-up tutorials, comedy sketches and gaming videos. These people didn't start off with fancy equipment, expert technical knowledge or huge audiences. They are self-made. This book examines how they achieved success and provides a step by step guide to the process of finding fame and fortune online.<br>Featuring advice from vloggers including Jim Chapman, Fleur De Force and KSI alongside business tips from YouTube CBO Robert Kyncl and Gleam Futures founder Dominic Smales, this book contains insider information about the mechanics of making money by vlogging.<br>Subjects covered include brand-building, filming and editing equipment techniques, social media, working with talent managers, dealing with digital marketing agencies, making merchandise and negotiating with brands.<br>Author Zoe Griffin is an established blogger, who set up her blog Live Like a VIP in 2009. She's worked with several vloggers and has noticed that the most popular ones have things in common. This book explains what these things are – so you can adopt similar tactics and get rich vlogging!