National Anthems: Algeria

"We swear by the lightning that destroys,
By the virtuous and fragrant flood...
...So we have taken the drum of gunpowder as our rhythm
And the sound of machine guns as our melody"

This is part of the Algerian national anthem "Kassaman" or "Quassaman" which was written by Mufdi Zakariah in 1956 when he was imprisoned by the French colonial forces. Zakariah actually wrote the anthem on cell walls with his own blood.

6 hours of shopping = 1050 calories

Six hours of shopping at the mall will burn 1,050 calories!!

You're welcome for the tip, ladies!
Shop away and BURN those calories!!

Monaco: highest average age at 45.7 years

The country of Monaco has the highest average age at 45.7 years.

Average American Eats 125.6 lbs of potato /year

The average American consumes 125.6 lbs of potatoes per year!


Photo: howstuffworks(dot)com)

106.5 billion people have lived. Ever.

106.5 billion people have lived. Ever.



Photo: workerspower(dot)co(dot)uk

New Zealand: 8 times more sheep than people

There are almost 8 times more sheep than people in New Zealand!
Baaaa!!



Photo: myadventuresinnz(dot)blogspot(dot)com

Everyone: Shares their birthday with at least 9 million people

Everyone shares their birthday with at least 9 million other people on earth!




Photo: all2need(dot)com

Warren Buffett: Divide Wealth Evenly Among All Living People

If Warren Buffett divided his wealth evenly among all living people, you would get $7.36 (USD)

Nose inflates balloon

Andrew Dahl, is 16 years old, and can inflate balloons with his nose.

He holds the record for inflating the most balloons by nose in just three minutes, 23 by the way. He can even inflate two at once; one on each nostril. But sometimes, the balloons can pop and as Andrew says "it's pretty gross for everyone standing a little too close."

Dahl started when he was 7 years old, "when we had barbecues or get-togethers I'd do it just to show that I could," he said.

When Dahl was 14, he set the world record when he blew 213 balloons in an hour (an average of more than three and a half per minute).

Coca-Cola drinking

If you drink one bottle of Coca-Cola a day, you'll gain 26 pounds in one year. Ouch!

According to their website, Coca-Cola is the 'most popular and biggest selling soft drink in history, as well as the best-known product in the world.'

Coca-Cola was created by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, and was first offered as a fountain beverage by mixing the Coca-Cola syrup with Carbonated water.

Diet Coke, on the other hand became the Number 1 sugar-free drink in diet-conscious America. It is also known as Coca-Cola light.

Other interesting varieties of Coke include:

• Cherry Coke (available only in the U.S. and the U.K.)
• Vanilla Coke (available in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Coke Black Cherry Vanilla (available in the U.S. and Bosnia Herzegovina, but discontinued in 2007)
• Raspberry Coke (available in New Zealand, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but discontinued in 2006)

Black Cherry Vanilla:

 

[Sources: Black Cherry Vanilla, Coke USA]

Dr. Seuss and his political views

His book, Horton Hears a Who! was dedicated to a Japanese friend after the Hiroshima bombing and the American occupation of Japan after the war. He used the book to convey his feelings on internationalism and anti-isolationism. In fact many of his other books are used to evince his views on different political and social issues:

The Lorax is express his views on environmentalism and anti-consumerism.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas excoriates the consumerism and materialism of Christmas.
The Sneetches is about racial equality.
Yertle the Turtle concerns anti-authoritarianism and Adolf Hitler.
The Butter Battle Book regards competition between parties for the best armed forces (like the Cold War).

I bet you'll never read his stories the same way again.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Suess, mistaken as a Jew

In college, Geisel was faced with Anti-Semitism when he was mistaken as a Jew whereas, actually, he was a Germany practising Christianity.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Seuss and his political cartoons

In WWII, Geisel drew over 400 political cartoon in two years.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Five Litres of Blood

The average human has five litres of blood contained in their bodies.


[Image: brucemhood.files.wordpress.com]

Dr. Seuss's Relationships

In his lifetime, he had two spouses, the first being Helen Palmer, who committed suicide in 1967 because she wanted to end her series of illnesses (this includes cancer), then Audrey Stone Dimond, whom he married in 1968.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Seuss was a liberal...

Geisel was a liberal Democrat. 
Also, in his early political cartoons illustrated an opposition to facism because he wanted Americans to, well, oppose facism before and after the U.S.A entered WWII. 
Not only that, but some of his cartoons also illustrated the early stages of the Holocaust and criticised discrimination in the USA against African Americans and Jewish people.

Dr. Seuss (originally pronounced "soyss")

Originally, "Seuss" is pronounced "soyss" (it's German), but Geisel changed it to "soos" or "syoos" because he thought that it would give him an advantage as a children's books author to be associated with Mother Goose and because most people were already using this pronunciation.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Seuss and His Education

Geisel went to Springfield's Classical High School and Dartmouth College (Class of 1925), where he was caught drinking gin with his friends, so he had to resign from his extracurricular activities, including a college humour magazine called Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern where he was editor-in-chief. But, because he wanted to continue his work on the magazine, he started using the pen name Seuss. Prior to Darthmouth, Geisel went to Lincoln College, Oxford, wanting to earn himself a Doctor of Philosophy in English literature. This is where he met his wife, Helen Palmer. Geisel then returned to the U.S.A without his degree.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Seuss's Real Name

Theodore Seuss Geisel, has many pen names, including, Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg (that's Geisel backwards, by the way, if you didn't notice), Rosetta Stone, and Theophrastus Seuss.


Picture from:
<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>

Dr. Seuss's birthday became the National Read Across America Day.

Dr. Seuss was born in 2 March, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts and died, 24 September, 1991 due to throat cancer. His birthday became the National Read Across America Day.

Picture from:

<http://www.todayinliterature(dot)com>