50 interesting facts you might not know about President-Elect Obama (i.e. he collects comic books )

[TeamJordan23]

Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili

• His favorite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream

• His favorite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favorite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favorite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favorite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favorite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favorite fictional television programs are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed "Bear" by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favorite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His specialty as a cook is chili

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1108/Barack_Obama_fanboy.html?showall
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/3401168/Barack-Obama-The-50-facts-you-might-not-know.html

[onehandle]

1. "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man" that started in 1976 was the best Spidey title ever.

I'll have to ask the President if he agrees. I think he might since we're the same age and likely started reading at the same time.

[Brotherjohn]

39. I think I have the No. 1 issue of that buried in my comics collection somewhere. (nt)

[samsingh]

44. that's a good series

i still love Groo, Xmen, Thor, Avengers, and the Legion. Spiderman of course.

[damonm]

52. Sorry, but Amazing Spider-Man rocks.

[onehandle]

56. Which run? I think there have been three now. nt

[black light poster]

67. ASM vs Peter Parker; I'd gamble on Batman & Superman too.

Barack was born in 1961 so comics probably kicked in for him as a kid about 1969, so Amazing Spider-Man would have been his original Spidey mag. And he'd have been a prime age for getting hooked by Barry Windsor-Smith's original Conan the Barbarian issues. Who knows, possibly he'd have still been collecting in high school when Peter Parker started.

I'm just not buying that he's a 100% Marvel zombie, though. "Contrary to some rumors I was not born in a manger. I was born far away on the planet Krypton and was sent here as a baby by my father Jor-El, for the purpose of saving Earth."

And what was the one movie we know that he got to a theater to see this summer? The Dark Knight. That was for himself, too (and probably Michelle). I highly doubt he let Malia see it, he's an extremely responsible father and the Joker and Two-Face were too harsh for most 10 year olds.

So, I'm saying the president-elect also has at least some Supermans and Batmans mixed in there in his long boxes.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. He's still smoking?

I hope he quits for good - we need him healthy!

[TeamJordan23]

4. Well he quit while running for President; not before. nm

[RollWithIt]

8. I believe he just didn't quit right away...

If my memory serves me, he quit during the middle of the primaries, not immediately as he'd promised Michelle.

[Pirate Smile]

10. I think he admitted to a relapse or two. That doesn't mean he is back to smoking.

[Dennis Donovan]

16. Great! Glad to hear it!

I quit 10 years ago - best thing I ever did!

[Kalyke]

31. You can be healthy and smoke.

Europeans - who eat far healthier, exercise a lot more and smoke more frequently than Americans - are healthy.

Everything in moderation.

[retread]

48. No. Unless by "can" you mean I can win the lottery or you discount increased risk

of diseases linked to smoking tobacco cigarettes including:

* Cancer, particularly lung cancer, cancer of the kidney, cancer of the larynx and head and neck, breast cancer, bladder, esophagus, pancreas, and stomach. There is some evidence suggesting an increased risk of myeloid leukemia, squamous cell sinonasal cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer after an extended latency, childhood cancers and cancers of the gall bladder, adrenal gland and small intestine.
* Cardiovascular disease
o Atherosclerosis
o stroke
o peripheral vascular disease
* Respiratory ailments
o common cold and bronchitis
o Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis in particular
* Birth defects of pregnant smokers' offspring
* Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans)
* Cataracts that may cause blindness<26>
* Cognitive dysfunction
o Increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and decline in cognitive abilities<27>
o Reduced memory and cognitive abilities in adolescent smokers<28>
o Brain shrinkage (cerebral atrophy)<29><30>
* Impotence

[boppers]

58. I'll take those lottery odds.

2 out of 3 smokers die of things unrelated to smoking risks.

Sure, you increase your *chances* of smoking-related health problems, but in the smoking lottery, most folks have other risk factors that take them out first... sure, somebody who smokes is increasing their health risks, but not nearly as much as somebody who is overweight.

FWIW, I'm trying to quit. I'm also trying to lose weight.

[kestrel91316]

35. Someone I met who met him on the campaign trail said he uses either the

gum or the patch, I forget which, and either doesn't smoke at all now, or very little.

[demokatgurrl]

3. I've seen pics of him eating ice cream

I guess just a photo-op?

[TeamJordan23]

6. yeah, I remember during the Access Hollywood interview w/ family; he said he didn't like sweets. nm

[Pirate Smile]

18. Except for PIE!!!

[RoccoR5955]

32. MMMMMMMM Pie! n/t

[bigwillq]

55. Photo-Ops!

:)

[Arugula Latte]

66. His favorite flavor is mint chip. We were in Eugene, Ore., and went to

the ice cream shop he'd stopped in -- FABULOUS place, homemade ice cream, amazing flavors. It's called Prince Puckler's. They have the mint chip flagged as "Obama's favorite" and have newspaper clippings from the visit framed and hung in the store now.

[my2sense]

5. Interesting Post n/t

[maxsolomon]

7. everyone wishes they were an architect

except for architects.

[nxylas]

9. He likes comic books and Harry Potter?

I like him even better now. Nerd Power!

[Flaxbee]

14. I read where he promised his girls he'd read the HP books to

them in their entirety - and did. What a good dad!

[Why Syzygy]

19. He read every HP book to his girls. nt

[samsingh]

45. i love comics and i'm not a nerd!

[nxylas]

51. Suuuure

You just keep telling yourself that ;)

[samsingh]

57. i do - everytime i read my comics

[BrklynLiberal]

11. "Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita"

and Jesse Jackson made that nasty comment about him???!!!

[Pirate Smile]

15. Michelle went to school with one of Jackson's daughters - I guess that is the one.

They've been friends since they were just kids.

[BrklynLiberal]

20. Interesting...Guess Jesse did not let that friendship influence his opinion of Barack.

[progressoid]

33. But he cried on election night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSyzZCDhJCA

[rug]

12. Kudos for Moby-Dick.

:applause:

[THUNDER HANDS]

13. i heard he's ripping up the White House bowling alley to put in the basketball court

he really hates bowling.

[BrklynLiberal]

21. My son went to Northwestern...just Northof Chicago. They do not allow

bowling alleys in the town.. :shrug:

[surrealAmerican]

50. Northwestern is in Evanston, which doesn't allow ...

... bowling alleys, Chicago does.

[beachmom]

43. Seriously? LOL.

[No Elephants]

17. Swahili? It's Arabic. And I thought Michelle said that Malia wanted to go to Princeton.

[starroute]

30. Barack is both Arabic and Swahili

Swahili has a lot of Arabic words as a result of centuries of coastal trade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_language

Swahili is the native language of various groups traditionally inhabiting about 1,500 miles of the East African coastline. About 35% of the Swahili vocabulary derives from the Arabic language, resulting from the fact that the language evolved through centuries of contact between Arabic-speaking traders and many different Bantu-speaking peoples inhabiting Africa's Indian Ocean coast. It also has incorporated Persian, German, Portuguese, Indian and English words into its vocabulary due to contact with these different groups of people.

[kestrel91316]

37. Hussein is an arabic name. IIRC, Barack is Swahili.

Do you have a source for your assertion? And I don't mean FR.

[DrPresident]

22. Our President is a dork...I LOVE IT!!! n/m

[shanti]

46. no

he is DEFINITELY not a dork! *ush is the dork.

[lady raven]

63. He is simultaneously nerdy and incredibly cool.

And I have to admit I find that very sexy. (Sorry, Mr. KittyKitty)

[DrPresident]

64. Yeah. A Dork. There's nothing wrong with being a dork.

Where I come from, dork = nerd.

[Why Syzygy]

23. Obama and I have the same birthday ..

and I worked at Baskin Robbins in high school too!

Maybe I'll pay off my student loan after I'm elected Senator.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Sounds like a regular guy to me

[On the Road]

25. He Can Bench 200lbs?

Rudy Giuliani's head better get out of the way!

[FatDave]

26. Yes, but what's his high score on Joust?

Our president has good taste in music! And film. Yay!

[Khaotic]

28. Damn

Loved that game.

Wasn't that good at it though.

I was more of a Sinistar guy.

I wonder what videogames Obama has played.

He's not a big advocate of them to say the least.

[FatDave]

65. I hunger!

:toast:

[Khaotic]

27. Spidey Guy

Makes sense ... he knows that with great power comes great responsibility.

Most reassuring.

Your friendly neighborhood Commander-in-Chief. Too cool.

Gotta watch out though Barack ... with great power also must come great restraint.

[crispini]

29. "He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard"

and was REJECTED! LOL

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Terran]

40. I can't imagine why...

too skinny? :shrug:

[4_Legs_Good]

34. Great list! Thanks for posting!!

Moby Dick - Best novel EVER

Casablanca - waaaayyyyyy overrated!

David

[Epiales]

36. I thought he was just joking about being a little too awesome...

wow.

[Not a robought]

38. He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

We're DOOOOMED, he even dresses Marxist!!!

[InvisibleTouch]

41. But his haircuts only cost $21, so it's okay. :) n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

42. Another cool pet he had:

Two baby crocodiles while living in Indonesia. As a reptile keeper myself, I applaud! :)

[gmoney]

47. Obama Vandalay?

"He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician"

Although I can just hear the freeps making lame jokes about this one...
"He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds"

[cooolandrew]

49. I like the hybrid fact and a basketball court in the WH is pretty cool.

[Uzybone]

53. Sounds like a real person

Actually sounds like a real person who reads and is inquisitive.

Unlike the idiot we currently have sitting in Baracks' house.

[FrenchieCat]

54. So cute!

His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10)
and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)


:rofl:

[OHDEM]

59. That was fun! Thanks for posting!

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is one of my favorite films, too! This stuff makes him seem so normal. I can only imagine what it's like for Obama and his family to move into the White House! Surreal!

[Prophet 451]

60. He read Spidey books? I'm sold

Seriously, this is the first president that ever passed my personal "guy I'd want to have a beer with" test. Same favourite movies, same speciality meal and raised by his grandmother, just like I was.

[aaronbees]

61. Great taste in music

The Fugees and Bach? Dylan and Miles? Nice way to rock the White House.

[Debbi801]

62. Hey cool! He and I have the same car...

I was a trend setter and didn't know it. :)

I love my hybrid.