Page 195 - Animal Facts

While filming The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was slapped by her director for failing to complete a scene.

During the scene in which Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Garland got a case of the giggles and could not stop laughing. Unable to get his lead actress to focus, director Victor Fleming brought her off the set and slapped her across the face! After returning, Garland was able to successfully complete the scene in just one take. (More weird Wizard of Oz trivia)

He later felt terrible and apologized for it. Years later, Judy Garland said that she still admired him as a director. Learn more about Victor Fleming in this video.

A new type of bacteria has been discovered that uses poisonous arsenic to build its DNA.

All life on Earth was thought to have been composed of six elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur...until now. This newly-discovered microorganism, called GFAJ-1, was found in Mono Lake, California. The building blocks used to create its genetic material contain arsenic, which is poisonous to all but a few organisms on Earth!
(source)

In five years, the number of Chinese skiers increased by 25 times.

In 2000, there were 200,000 Chinese skiers. In 2005, that number went up to 5 million. The China Ski Association estimates that number will be 25 million in the year 2014. This is just a sign of an increasingly affluent middle class in China. The result is that leisure activities have been booming.

Still, in China, 90% of skiers are beginners that rent their equipment, and 80% of first-timers do not ski ever again, because they had a bad experience. The Chinese ski industry is hoping to change those numbers by providing more five-star ski resorts in the country. Right now most of the slopes are still really bumpy and accidents are common.

More info on the growing Chinese ski industry.

You can buy frozen milk in Siberia.

Yakutsk, Siberia has been dubbed "the coldest city". Winter there lasts from October until May, and the temperature can get as low as -55 degrees. 98% of the town is covered in permafrost. Since permafrost is an unstable surface to build on, the buildings there are built on stilts that are drilled into the ground. The stores there sell frozen milk and frozen fish!

Despite the weather, this town is home to 240,000 people. The Czars used to exile their political opponents to this area. Under Soviet control, Gulag prisoners were sent there to work in mining. The Soviet Union spent billions developing the area to develop the region, because it is rich in natural resources. This is where 20% of the world's rough diamonds come from, and there are also deposits of silver, gold, and coal.

More information about this strange city in this article.

Many cats are lactose intolerant.

Despite the prevailing notion that cats love milk, most are not able to digest it well. Serving a cat milk can lead to an upset stomach, indigestion, cramps and kitty gas. If your cat insists on having milk, try giving it a small bowl of cream once in a while (a few times a week at most). Strangely enough, milk with less fat tends to have more lactose, so avoid giving your cat skim milk.

Cats also can't eat onions, garlic, or related vegetables because it gives anemia. Green tomatoes also can give your kitty intestinal problems. And, like dogs, your cat shouldn't eat chocolate either.

This article has more tips on what your cat can and can't eat.