Useless Fun Facts

We are all way too serious. The internet is jammed with bad news, sad news, and idiots espousing that their theories and opinions are the only valid ones. 

I thought it was time for a break. Feel free to use these useless facts for fun; maybe impress your friends; to create interest; or to store in your big brain for no absolutely good reason. 

Here we go... 

Salt used to be used as currency. Pogonophobia is the fear of beards. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match. Queen Elizabeth II was trained as a truck driver and mechanic during World War II.

Movie trailers got their name because they were originally shown at the end of the movie. Your fingernails grow faster on your dominant hand. 

A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours, and they have six legs but can’t walk. Right handed people, on average, live nine years longer than left handed people. A snail can sleep for three years. 

There's more...

Women see more colors and have more tastebuds than men. There are 32 muscles in a cat’s ear. Over a hundred acres of pizza is consumed in the US every day. The average person has four to six dreams a night. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. 

Animals that lay eggs don’t have belly buttons. Your body contains about 100,000 miles of blood vessels. According to the Bible, the chicken came before the egg. 

Women hiccup less than men. Those metal studs on your jeans are placed on certain spots to add extra support where the denim is more likely to wear out and rip. Jupiter is twice as large as all the other planets combined. 

And this...

Riding roller coasters can help you pass kidney stones. The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself in 1971. Mosquitoes are attracted to people who eat bananas. 

Almonds are members of the peach family. Flamingos can only eat with their heads upside down. A piece of paper can be folded no more than nine times. 

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. Bees have five eyes. The average person spends six months of their life sitting at red lights. 

Now you know.

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Freedom is a Privilege

Millions of women and men of all races and nationalities have given their lives for the freedoms we embrace. Those freedoms are not a right; they are a privilege we hold dearly in our souls. You and I may disagree but we both cherish our ability to do just that.

No one, no matter who they are, what office they hold, or how many names they call those who oppose them, has the right to unilaterally decide those freedoms simply by our faith, the country of our birth, or the colour of our skin.

No one.
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The Essence of Equality

I get upset when I see the inequality in our workplace. There is no reason for it. We have been on this planet for a couple of hundred thousand years yet we are still making the distinction between men and women and work.

Anne-Marie Slaughter contends that attitude is shifting and the question is not about gender or work but about life and love and family and balance.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

TED | Anne-Marie Slaughter

Celebrate International Women’s Day

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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

Kiva

Bonding and Business

NFL playoff season is upon us and millions of us will be coaching from our armchairs or favorite establishment as we cheer on our favorite uniform and life’s focus turns to pigskin, but a lot more than football is going on.

Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University, shares data and a humorous look at guys and how we communicate and interact. His insight sheds light onto more serious topics such as; culture, leadership, and collaboration.

Go Packers!


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Philip Zimbardo

The Face of a Leader

“Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.”

Much has been written, discussed, and said about the attributes of a great leader. It’s perhaps easy for us to look to sports or business for those examples because they are plentiful but how often are they right there, in the middle of real life?

Before October 9th, 2012 most of us had never heard of Mingora, Pakistan. It is located in the Swat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The landscape is stunning, the people are strong, and at one time it was a tourist destination. Queen Elizabeth called it the “Switzerland of the new Empire”. But fear and terror are now part of daily life in Mingora as the Taliban’s presence has replaced peace.

"I am not here to speak against the Taliban. I'm here to speak up for the right of every child."

Three years ago, a young Mingora girl began writing a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. Her perspective was simply from a girl who wanted to realize her potential and for those around her. The New York Times filmed a documentary of her life which created more exposure for her and her cause.

She gave television and print interviews and soon her real identity was known. Her work garnered a nomination for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.

"The extremists are afraid of books & pens. The power of education frightens them."

Malala Yousafzai was a brave young girl who was simply sharing her feelings and telling the stories of her town. But the Taliban was paying close attention and October 9th, 2012 they attempted an assassination on her life.

While she was returning home from school, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head and neck leaving her for dead. Malala miraculously survived and has become more vocal than ever, speaking for the rights of girls around the world to gain a good education and realize their dreams.

"I am focusing on women to be independent."

United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Yousafzai's name, using the slogan "I am Malala" demanding all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. Time magazine featured her on the cover as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in the World".

Malala has become the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Noble Peace Prize and has won the Pakistan National Youth Peace Prize, Sakharov Prize, and Simone de Beauvoir Prize.

"I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard."

In just over a year, she survived being shot in the head, written a book, shown her bravery in the face of terror, spoke at the United Nations, appeared on countless televisions networks, met with country leaders – including President Obama – to fight for woman’s educational rights, and created The Malala Fund to further the cause.

If you want to see leadership personified, meet 16 year old Malala Yousafzai.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

tribune | united nations

Huffington’s Big Business Idea

There’s no denying that Arianna Stasinopoulosis Huffington is a successful person. According to compete.com, the mega news agency CNN's website has approximately 28.5 million unique visitors a month. That is a pretty impressive number but with their worldwide footprint and huge staff it’s understandable. Well, Arianna's site The Huffington Post – which was purchased by AOL this past February for $315 Million – receives about 23 million unique monthly visitors.

The work involved in building such an online empire is immense. It took long hours and a lot of sacrifice. At 60, Huffington works hard. But anyone who is an overachiever will admit (perhaps only to themselves) there is a physical cost to all this work. Like so many before her, Huffington almost paid the ultimate price for her achievements.

In this TEDWomen talk held in Washington DC last December, Arianna Huffington outlines her big business idea that she believes can be the secret to success. [video]



Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

Laugh and Change

There is a lot of chatter about the monumental shift in how we communicate. This is not only about the social web but it certainly has accelerated our ability to quickly find similar thinking people all over the world then connect and share. The world is changing, but then again hasn't it always been changing?

New York cartoonist Liza Donnelly has been reflecting change in her work for decades. She joined The New Yorker in 1982 and has challenged the status quo, stood up for individuality and done it through making people laugh and think. [video]



knealemann | How can I help?

video credit: TED

Women in Leadership

Sit at the table.

Success, business and leadership are tough. We can read about these topics all day long and nod our heads but this is not easy in the real world. Some countries, like the one I live in, have come a long way on the issues of equality and human rights. We still have a lot of work to do.

Make your partner a real partner.

On the topic of women in the workforce, we have a mountain range to climb. Women are still paid less, lead less companies, ask for less and are not treated equally. I think this is precisely what we need to fix in order for some companies – and nations – to get their financial act together.

Don’t leave before you leave.

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook discusses the issues
of leadership, business, success and women.

We need to watch this, digest this, then act on this. [video]



knealemann | email


video credit: TED