“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”
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We’ll find out later whether or not you would take the Bubble Baba Challenge.
In the meantime have a look at this week’s selection of facts.
Enjoy.
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Harry Potter shares the same birth day
as his creator J K Rowling,
his is July 31, 1980 and
Rowling’s July 31, 1966.

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A Yew tree located in the churchyard of
the village of Fortingall in Perthshire, Scotland,
is estimated to be 3,000 – 5,000 years old
which many believe makes it Europe´s oldest tree.
With its massive trunk of 52 feet (16 meters) in diameter,
the yew is still in good health and may last for many more centuries.

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Thames Town is a little town situated in the heart of China
that is an imitation of a classic British city
with traditional English architecture, cuisine,
and even those classic red phone booths
we all identify with London.

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Still in China, “The Great Wall of China”
did not get that official name
until the end of the 19th Century.
Previously it had been known by names
such as “barrier”, “rampart”, “fortress”,
“Purple Frontier” or “Earth Dragon”.

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The United States has had some remarkable successes
in the field of space flight and exploration.
However it wasn’t always that way.
The very first time they tried to launch a satellite into orbit,
on December 6, 1957 (Vanguard TV3),
the rocket lost thrust only 4 feet (1.2 m) above the launch pad
and fell back to the ground, its fuel tanks
rupturing and creating a massive fireball,
damaging the launch pad and destroying the rocket.
Due to limited data measurement methods in these early days,
though, the cause was never fully determined.

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If you like Vodka then look out for a bottle of
“The Billionare Vodka“,
the world´s most expensive vodka.
It is first ice-filtered, then filtered through
Nordic birch charcoal and lastly passed
through sand made from crushed diamonds and gems.
It is sold in a platinum and rhodium encased,
diamond encrusted crystal bottle and
will set you back only $3.75 million dollars.
Cheers!

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No more time in the joint for smoking a joint,
at least not in the U.S. state of Washington,
the first state to officially legalize cannabis
in a state law in December 2012,
with the state of Colorado following close behind.

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Ant queens can live for up to 30 years,
about 100 times longer than solitary insects of a similar size.
Workers live from 1 to 3 years.

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Eight US Presidents were born British subjects:
Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe, J. Q. Adams, Jackson, and W. Harrison.

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Jim the horse, a former milk wagon horse,
was responsible for curing diphtheria.
He was infected with diphtheria
but unlike other animals he didn’t die.
Doctors found that Jim’s immune system
was able to create antibodies to fight the disease
and this allowed doctors to make a serum for humans,
with great success, helping to save the lives
of millions of humans and animals around the world.

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Al ‘Wallpaper’ Wolff is best remembered
as having been the last surviving member
of the group of eleven federal law-enforcement agents,
led by Eliot Ness, known as the Untouchables.
Wolff was the fearless agent and a ferocious
persecutor of those who obtained illegal alcohol.
Strangely, once he retired from law enforcement
and alcohol was legal he got involved in
the cocktail lounge business in Chicago.
He died in March 1998 at the age of 95.

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In 1827, world famous author Edgar Allan Poe
enlisted in the United States Army
using the false name “Edgar A. Perry”.
He claimed to be 22 years old
even though he was just 18.

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James Dean’s silver Porsche 550 Spyder,
the car he died in following an accident in 1955,
was known as the “Little Bastard”
and said to be cursed.
After it was sold for parts,
the car fell and crushed a mechanic’s legs;
later, a doctor who bought the car’s engine
was killed in a car accident;
another victim who bought the transmission
was severely injured in a crash;
the tires sold from Little Bastard
blew out simultaneously,
sending their buyer to the hospital;
and lastly a truck carrying the car’s shell crashed,
killing the driver.
Hmmmm….

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The Bird´s Nest Restaurant, located in
the Soneva Kiri Eco Resort in Thailand,
gives the customers privacy,
as well as the unique opportunity to
admire spectacular views while dining.
Tree nests hang 16 feet above the ground
and are served by waiters who use a zip line
to deliver the food and drinks.
A typical dinner for two costs about $450.

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Finally, time for those of a nervous disposition to look away.
Officially known as the “Bubble Baba Challenge”,
this is an unusual (to say the least) sporting event
where participants float down a river
embracing a rubber woman.
The idea was apparently dreamt up
by a Russian, Dmitry Bulawinov,
initially as a joke at a party
where the men got drunk!
(It could have been worse!)
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