Fun Facts

Happy Leap Day! In the spirit of Ben's fun leap year facts, I'd like to share some facts I've learned this week:

Did you know that cheetahs have no genetic diversity at all? They are practically all clones of each other. It's true, but scientists are trying to help them by introducing genes from other cats.

Did you know that the word influenza comes from the Italian word for "influence" because the ancient Italian astrologers thought that the sickness was caused by the periodic influence of the constellations.

Currently, one in 99 men in the U.S. are in prison. It's the highest percentage there has ever been.

If the current issue of Vogue is any indication, there are only ugly clothes being made right now. (Yes, this is a fact.) Seriously--they are all ugly! Except for maybe one dress by Nina Ricci, even the handbags are ugly! It's a good thing I'm poor and have decided to make all my clothes from now on.

There are over 100 strains of the cold virus, and when you've had one, you are generally immune to that particular strain for about 4 years, but not to any of the other ones. So far, no one has been able to create a vaccine or a cure. Don't I know it! This cold that I have, or whatever it is, will not go away... and its making me so angry.

Okay, I guess those are all the facts I have for now. And I don't know if they are actually fun or not, but you always have to call them "fun facts" for some reason. I realize they are not actually very fun.

In other news, I'm so excited because in a few weeks I get to go to Charleston, where its warm! And I think after that I'm going to go back to the South during my spring break, for some more warm weather. I saw tulips growing today (oh! It was so pretty--I also saw a restaurant where they planted little miniature daffodils in flowerboxes all around their outdoor sidewalk seating area. It was so lovely!), but it's still really really really cold here, and I'm tired of it. I realize I sound kind of grouchy right now, but I'm just so sick of being sick. I promise that this weekend I will write an interesting post about art.