Here are some things that I recently found out. Discovered. Tripped over.
Some are interesting. Some happy. Some terrible.
And with each, I have a few words to say, as always.
This is a blog, after all. I am a little chatty here.
Randomly on, let us forge ahead.
Fact: The cookies that Cookie Monster eats are just painted rice cakes. Actual cookies would damage the puppet because of the grease.
This one makes me feel a little sad and also a little bit punked. Rice cakes? Of course, I know it is a puppet. And that he isn’t really eating. But when I watch the Cookie Monster, I believe it IS the Cookie Monster. I have faith in the things that the Cookie Monster says and does. And now, I find out those chocolate chip cookies are painted rice cakes? There should be someone I can call about this. And it’s not Jenny Craig or Oprah.
Fact: TIME Magazine was the first to introduce the name “World War II.”
I didn’t feel like this was particularly noteworthy when I first read it. But then I thought — imagine the time. America had just barely forgotten the horrors of WWI. And then TIME labels this European conflict as World War II. I bet there were some major “gulps” in the throats of Americans when the article came out.
Fact: A Japanese YouTuber sparked outrage from viewers in 2021 after he apparently cooked and ate a piglet that he had raised on camera for 100 days. This is despite the fact that the channel’s name is called “Eating Pig After 100 Days” in Japanese.
I, for one, would have been upended. I would have been outraged. But then, I’d probably put all that aside to fix my breakfast, which typically involves bacon or ham with my eggs.
Fact: Disney is said to spend $10.68 billion every single year to keep their parks open and functional. If you were to split that evenly, each park would cost roughly $3.25 million per day to stay open.
People complain about the high prices at Disney. But if you want the Magic Kingdom to be magical, you have to pay the King and all his Court.
Fact: In 1947, the town of Holt, Missouri (population 471) experienced the greatest one-hour rainfall total ever observed worldwide. An incredible 12 inches of rain fell in just 42 minutes.
Now. If I am one of those 471 people watching this rain come down in literal buckets for 42 minutes, I might have been thumbing through the index of my Bible to see if there was anything listed concerning the event. Right after I had put on my waders.
Fact: The US Army looked into using biodegradable ammunition, which planted a seed after being fired to grow food for animals.
This article appeared on CNN in 2017. This was mostly to replace the existing bullets used in training – including grenades and tank rounds. The Army cited their environmental concerns for these areas. I’m not sure if this ever moved forward. But a field of flowers sure would be nice.
Fact: Elephants are capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror, which is a sign of self-awareness. Elephants were shown a mirror, and their reactions were observed. Those good elephants went through a series of behaviors, including touching their own bodies and inspecting their mouths.
All I have to say about that is: “Daahhhhling. You look maaaahhhhvelous.”
And that goes for your too.
“””””””””””””
Information is the resolution of uncertainty.
— Claude Shannon
“””””””””””””
We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.
— John Naisbitt
“””””””””””””
Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.
— Mitch Kapor
“””””””””””””
It’s an undeniable fact. I think.
