50 things you didn’t know about Barack Obama

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Barack Obama was called the O-bomber by his fellow high school basketball players in Honolulu.

• 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 favourite 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 favourite 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 favourite 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 favourite 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 favourite 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 favourite 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 SUV

• 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 favourite fictional television programmes 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 favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• 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

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24 thoughts on “50 things you didn’t know about Barack Obama”

  4. LOVE Obama; but is it really important that we know he has 4 fireplaces in his Chicago home? LOLOL Sorry, it made me giggle 🙂

  7. Debbie, haven’t you ever heard the phrase.. white men can’t jump? It gets worse after a hip replacement >.>

  9. I will admit that 200 pounds on the bench press is impressive for his skinny body,lmao a pet called tata that sounds like something I would do..hey wheres the tatas,so after he gets the basketball pole will the Presidents limo have big chrome wheels and a loud bass sound system and curb feelers

  10. I think this list certainly makes him appear very human – not that he wouldn’t otherwise appear human, but most politicians don’t. He’s a real person, not just a facade.

  12. Well I don’t care what race or colour the guy is, it’s so encouraging to have a US president who both speaks a foreign language and who has travelled and lived outside your borders. There’s more hope now for a more peaceful world.

  15. I had a size 11 in the 6th grade was benching 225 pounds in the 8th grade.

    I dig Miles too. But Kyuss is a hell of a lot better than the Fugees. (Metal stoner rock is better than “psuedo Rasta” stoner music)

    Don’t intend to wear $1,500.00 dollar suits though.
    So if he has 10 suits why then the hubub over Palin’s wardrobe?

    What is this love fest?? We aren’t going to see any unbiased reporting press, are we?

    I wonder if this guy is the Anti-Christ of prophecy?

  17. THE POST SAYS:
    He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life.

    But he believes in abortion!
    The “EGG” is the very thing that he does not consider “life”.

    Jimbo asked “I wonder if this guy is the Anti-Christ of prophecy?”
    If you heard people talking about it or received the email about a man of muslim descent in his 40’s…on & on…
    The Bible Does Not Say That.

  19. timo –

    yeah the ‘egg’ thing struck me too…fragility of life, but he’s ok with late term and post-term abortions…sorta like ‘all hat and no cattle’, isn’t he?

  20. srt420,
    As I’ve stated many times, “I post things I find interesting”. I’m not saying they are all true or factual. They may or may not be. But’ they’re interesting. This list would certainly qualify as that.
    If YOU want to spend an hour or two or three trying to verify things on this list, give it a shot. You won’t hurt my feelings. Post them in a comment and let others know.
    If you’re looking for only verified information you’re in the wrong place my friend.

  21. Jimbo, Infidel, timo..

    The Anti-Christ won’t know he is the Anti-Christ until “it” (the knowledge) is brought upon him. How or when this revelation occurs is not known but it will be late for him to do anything but to follow through. “By choice” because it will be in the pursuit of “the truth” – the “false advertisement” (of sorts) to those that know.

    Forget about what is written at *this* time…after all, who wrote it ? Can you, do you believe in man and their “intentions” at *any* time ?

    Choices.
    Beliefs.

    Choose.

  23. I am absolutely euphoric at the prospect of Barack being at the helm of the US for the next four years. I look forward to intelligent leadership from him. He sure is walking into a mess, tho.
    Lefties are great!!
    Georgia

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