Pass the Ketchup, Please

If you prefer ketchup on your fries, France is NOT the place for you!

Many schools in France have actually BANNED ketchup from their cafeterias. They believe the bold flavor "Masks the taste of fine French Cuisine!" That's too bad, their mouths are missing out on a lot of happiness there.

Also, traveling tip: When in France, do your best to avoid putting seasoning on your food. Putting salt or pepper on your food when it has already been seasoned suggests that the chef didn't season it well enough. Here in America, if you're unhappy with your food, you just send it back. The customer's always right, right? Nope. Being unhappy with your food is a major insult to the chef.

... And I Think to Myself "What a Wonderful World."

Roses aren't always red. Here is an experiment to try out!
If you cut a white rose four or five times vertically on the stem (just three inches upward from the bottom),  and soak each part in a different color dye, the flower will turn rainbow!

Famous Last Words

Did You know that Theodore Roosevelt had to watch his mother die of Typhoid fever, then immediately go upstairs to watch his wife die of childbirth complications?
Also, Roald Dahl said his last words as his goodbye in a hospital. The nurse sedated him to ease the pain, and to everyone's surprise, he said his real last words as the needle pierced his skin: "Ow, #@$%!"
Queen Marie Antoinette's last words were "Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose." She said this after accidentally stepping on her executioner's foot.
James French was sentenced to the electric chair for murder. His last words were "Hey, fellas! How's this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries!' Get it? Because his last name is French and he's gonna get fried?
Joseph Henry Green said "It's stopped." when checking his own pulse seconds before death.

And my favorite: "This is the last of Earth! I am content!" said by a President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. Very poetic.

Sword Swallowing

       Did you know?

       There are only a little more than 80 sword swallowers in the entire world because the act is so dangerous and deadly. The act of sword swallowing is a performance typically shown at a circus or on the streets. The swallower takes a real sword and lowers it into his/her throat until the tip touches the bottom of their stomach. They are typically trained to refrain from slicing their throats or throwing up in the middle of their act.

       Kids, don't try this at home.

The Jersey Devil

       In the Pine Barrens, New Jersey, a cryptid (a mythical or unproven animal or being like unicorns and Nessies) roams in search of blood and meat. It's name is The Jersey Devil. 
     
       It is said that it has dragon wings, short arms with clawed hands, skinny twig-like legs with horse hooves, rams horns, the head of a goat, and a forked tail, coining the devil aspect. There were numerous (hundreds!) sightings in 1909. So many, that whether the existence of this creature was believed or not, most schools in New Jersey were closed and families were advised to stay at home until the Jersey Devil sightings had died down.
       The myth began in Native American tribes, one being the Lenni Lenape tribe, as a tale of folklore. The area around Pine Barrens was called "Popeussing," which is Native American for "Place of the Dragon." It makes sense because the "monster" looks very much like a kangaroo-goat-dragon-thing.

       Beware the Jersey Devil! (I won't be held accountable for deaths when you go out searching for it.)

Sugar Hypes

       Everyone knows you're that one friend that gets hyper every time you eat a piece of candy. It's just that one thing you do. But why do you do it?

       I just love to prove people wrong! Sugar hypes are a myth.
       A group of scientists revealed all when they conducted an experiment on five kids. They gave them all drinks and explained to them that the drinks were insanely sugary. All of the kids were bouncing off the walls by the time they were done. But get this: There was NO sugar in those drinks. So why do you get hyper every time you eat sugar? Think about it.

Google Cars

       Did you know?:

       Google drove one of those cool-looking un-piloted cars 3,300 miles with only one accident, a parking lot fender bender. The accident happened when a human was driving it! How ironic!

Chopsticks

       Chopsticks are so much fun to use! But be careful, even the way you hold your chopsticks can leave you empty handed at a restaurant.

       Don't put your chopsticks straight up in your bowl. This is reserved for funerals, and can be very insulting to the chef.
       The normal way to hold chopsticks is at the top, not the bottom or the middle.
       Don't hold your chopsticks over multiple dishes when deciding on what you want. This is considered very greedy.
       USE THE CHOPSTICK HOLDERS!!! They are there for a reason, you know.
       Don't cross your sticks when putting them down.
       Don't play with your chopsticks. This is stupid pretty much everywhere.
       Don't lick the stick!
       You shouldn't dig in the dish looking for something good. You get what you get and don't throw a fit!
       Hold them right! It's hard to master, but holding your chopsticks correctly is something you can practice, and makes you look really good.

        Good luck!

Radio Waves

       Have you noticed that on cloudy days, your radio sounds so much clearer? There is actually a scientific explanation!

       Radio waves actually bounce on the clouds to your radio on a cloudy day. Radios transmit frequencies of 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz. The frequencies travel at the speed of light to your device. Unless the frequencies are really loud or low, you won't feel a thing if they pass by you. But they can touch the clouds. The frequencies bounce of clouds, dust particles, and precipitation. But don't get fooled, the wind has no effect on radio signal.

Brownie in a Mug!

Have you heard of brownie in a mug? It's totally the new cupcake! Nowadays, people have been showing an interest for the so-called "Brownie in a Mug," a tasty life hack (life hacks are things people can do to make life easier using simple things, like using hair combs to hold nails and turning old baby cribs into desks.) 

The recipe is really quite simple. 

Ingredients necessary: 

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa (unsweetened)

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons water

Maybe a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla extract?

Mix ingredients in your favorite mug using a regular spoon. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Add 

ice cream, if preferred. BÓN APPETÍT!