Chaplain’s Spot
Fun Facts About the World That Sound Absurd But Are Actually True
- It’s time for some fun!
1) It snows in the Sahara Desert - the impossible happened in 2018 and the Sahara Desert was covered in a blanket of white snow. However, the snow only lasted for a day before melting under the hot sun.
2) There are only two countries in the world where Coca Cola does not exist - North Korea since 1950 and Cuba since 1962.
3) Sudan has the most pyramids in the world (not Egypt) - Egypt and pyramids are almost synonymous, but did you know there are pyramids in Sudan too? Nubia, a region in Sudan, has 255 pyramids — twice the number in Egypt!
4) Macchu Pichu is an earthquake-proof city - The Incans created a brilliant engineering technique called ‘ashlar masonry’ - rocks are cut to fit perfectly together without mortar. This allowed the stones to move during an earthquake, and settle back in place.
5) You could walk from Russia to Alaska (on ice) - Between Russia and Alaska lies the Bering Strait. When it freezes up in the winter, you can journey across, with 3.8km being the shortest end.
6) China has only one timezone - Having a single timezone is fine if the sun rises and sets at the same time for everyone. However, as Beijing is preparing to go to bed at midnight, folks in Xinjiang are just beginning to watch the sunset.
7) San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge ‘speaks’ - In June 2020, this beloved bridge speaking, after amendments made to bike path railings. San Franciscans reported hearing eerie sounds. City officials explained that high winds pass through the new handrails.
8) You can go on a safari in Sri Lanka - Kenya isn’t the only safari experience! Less than four hours away, in charming Sri Lanka, is Asia’s very own Safari. On the open plains of Yala National Park, you’ll spot elephants, leopards, and even aquatic birds!
9) In Sweden, you can order Macs on skis - Everyone gets the Macadee munchies, in 'minus' degrees. Sweden has blessed skiers with McSki since 1996, the only ski-thru in the world! Nothing warms you up like a box of nuggies after a day on the slopes.
10) There’s a rock in Australia that’s bigger than Uluru – which you can even see from space! Mount Augustus is two and a half times the size of Uluru, and a 54km drive around it! Uluru still is the largest single rock formation in the world, also known as a monolith.
11) New Zealand has the steepest residential area in the world - San Francisco’s steepest street angle is 27°. Baldwin Street in Dunedin won the Guinness World Record with a 38° slope. The sharp incline makes the houses look like they’re sunk into the ground.
12) In Hawaii, you can experience sunny beaches and snowy mountains - Hawaii only has two seasons — Summer and Winter! The temperate rarely rises above 32°C or drops below 16°C but in the mountains, it snows pretty often!
Quote for the week: typewriter is the longest word that can be made using only the letters on the top row of the keyboard.
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Reminders:
# The second-hand uniform is available every Tuesday morning before school on the deck outside the SPC. We have multiple sizes of shorts, shirts, pants and dresses. A gold coin donation is all that is required.
# Volunteers for Toast Tuesday, can you please sign in at the office at 8am, and then proceed to the SPC! Bakers Delight Heathmont & Woolies Eastland are our sponsors.
# MealTrain roster: If you would like to help a needy family with a meal, please go to the link below. The first few meals have been greatly appreciated. There are vacant spots for August 15 & 29, and September 5 & 12. I will add the Term 4 link in the next newsletter.
The link for the rest of Term 3 is: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/vlwooz
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Please feel free to contact me via Compass, or at school, if there is anything you would like to discuss. I am here to support our school community with whatever is challenging us.
Alan Silverwood – Chaplain - Pastoral care for our community. [Monday, Tuesday, Friday]
[alan.silverwood@education.vic.gov.au] Supporting the School community in
emotional, social, spiritual and practical wellbeing.
Our Chaplaincy program is funded by the Federal Government, donations and GRPS School Council.