From the Desk 06.06

Xpat Magazine June, 2006

Vfrom_desk_2olume of soft drinks consumed by the average North American in 1999 : 48 gallons

Top grossing soft drink company in the world : Coca Cola

Number of human rights violations against union members, including unfair dismissal, abduction, torture, and murder, alleged to have been committed by Coca Cola in Columbia by a 2004 New York City fact finding delegation: 179

Number of violations for murder: 9

Total amount spent by the US on poppy eradication and other anti-drug campaigns in Afghanistan last year: $780,000,000

Amount it would have cost to purchase the country’s entire 2004 poppy crop: $600,000,000

Total number of uses for the word or acronym POP discovered while researching this issue: 36

Number of Popeye statues in the United States: 6

Date that John Lennon proclaimed the Beatles “more popular than Jesus”: March 4, 1966

The reaction of Richard James Cardinal Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston at the time : Lennon was “probably right”

Number of people who search google for “Jesus” and the “Beatles” in one month respectively:850,000 and 170,000

Number that search “Cheese”: 750,100

Ratio of searches for “Britney Spears” to “God” : Nearly 2 to 1

Most searched word on google : sex

Most Popular album of all time according to a 2003 Zagat survey : Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run

Number of positions in top 5 albums of same survey occupied by the Beatles: 3

J-Lo’s dressing room requirements for a benefit concert in Miami : White room, white flowers, white tables and/or tablecloths, white drapes, white candles, white couches…

Most popular movie of all time according to the Internet Movie Database : The Godfather

Most published book of all time : The Bible

Greatest novel of all-time according to a poll of prominent authors from around the world : Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

Number of free copies of Don Quixote distributed to Venezuelan people by the government in “Operation Dulcinea” : 1 million

Reason for “Operation Dulcinea” according to President Hugo Chavez : “We’re still oppressed by so we want the Venezuelan people to get to know better Don Quixote, who we see as a symbol of the struggle for justice and the righting of wrongs.”

Marilyn Monroe’s measurements : 37-23-36

Average fashion model’s measurements: 33-23-33

Projected measurements of a Barbie doll, if she were a full-sized human being: 36-18-33

Percentage of 9-and 10 year-old-girls polled by Pediatrics magazine that are trying to lose weight : 40%

4 President of International Operations at Coca Cola Muhtar Kent’s feelings on Chinese cuisine : “Chinese meals and Sprite are really connected”

President Bush’s popularity rating on February 27, 2006 : 34% (an all-time low)

President Clinton’s approval rating immediately following his impeachment : 73% (his highest ever)

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