WONDERFULLY WEIRD

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- NOVEMBER 30, 2024

During a conversation at a holiday party, it's fun to be the person who tosses  something weird into the mix. Such tidbits can cause everything from wonderment to winces. 

For example, every party features a variety of foods. On an Indiana table you might find brain sandwiches. The creation may look like a chicken sandwich, but there's nothing like a crispy pork brain to tantalize your taste buds. “The brain is breaded and fried and mustard is added for a little more flavor. It certainly isn't for the faint of heart!” 

If a pork brain does not appeal to you, how about livermush? “Found commonly in North Carolina, livermush is comprised of pig liver and parts of the head, and then it's baked into cornmeal that makes it look like some twisted snack bar.” More of these detectable dandies at: https://www.buzznet.com/2024/11/most-questionable-foods-from-each-state/.

If you've traveled to that party, you probably stopped at a gas station along the way. Do you know what is the most popular gas station chain in each state? “Over time, gas stations have transformed into full-fledged convenience stores, offering everything from freshly brewed coffee and full meals to local merchandise and travel necessities.” 

Every region has a favorite. For Michigan it's Speedway. “Speedway has a strong presence across several Midwestern and Eastern states and is known for its Speedy Rewards program. Long-haul truckers can all agree they take care of their own.” See the data and a nifty map at: https://www.freebets.com/news/americas-favorite-gas-stations/.

Travel is sometimes impacted by weather. Just be happy that there's not a repeat of what happened in another November. “The Great Storm of 1913 was easily the region’s largest natural disaster ever. It was four days of chaos that packed blizzard conditions as well as hurricane-force winds. Fast-moving 'trains' of huge waves - some topping 30 feet high - lashed ships making their late-season runs.

The Detroit News reported that 273 lives were lost in the storm. “Mariners reported winds gusting to 100 mph in some spots, amid monster 36-foot waves. The storm has been given several monikers over the years, including the White Hurricane. But really, it was two storm systems colliding to produce what forecasters now call a meteorological bomb.” The full story is at: https://www.mlive.com/news/2024/11/why-the-white-hurricane-of-november-1913-was-the-great-lakes-worst-disaster.html. 

If the weather outside is frightful, it usually does not affect our viewing of NFL football. This brings up an interesting fact. “Coin flipping is a time-honored tradition for making decisions, like the NFL uses to determine opening kickoffs. Scientists have discovered that coin flips are not as random as most of us think.”

They actually studied this. A couple of tests revealed coins land as heads about fifty-one percent of the time. No biggie? Maybe not. “A serious concern comes from a 2009 study, which revealed that coin tosses can be easily manipulated with just a few minutes of practice. So if you’re relying on the randomness of a coin toss to determine important decisions, make sure you trust the person doing the flipping.” (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/coin-flips-are-not-actually-random/)

Sometimes a fact is fun to reveal, but other times you just want something to shock people. This could involve your Christmas shopping. “During the holiday season, there is an uptick in the smuggling of rare animals which are sold for a hefty price as gifts.” 

How exotic? “A bug smuggler was busted trying to leave Peru with 320 tarantulas strapped to his body. The terrifying collection included thirty-five adult Bolivian blue leg bird eater tarantulas, which officials said were as big as a human hand, as well as another 285 juvenile tarantulas.” Yuk! (https://nypost.com/2024/11/21/world-news/bug-smuggler-arrested-with-more-than-300-tarantulas-strapped-to-his-body/)

Speaking of gifts, Santa won't have any trouble locating houses in one Polish village. Everyone in Suloszowa — with a population of 5,672 — lives on one single street. The 5.6-mile road has homes dotted on either side of it, but the billowing ribbons of yellow, green, and gold fields stretching out from behind them, form living art in the surrounding countryside.”

This is one of those things that you have to see to believe. The photos are amazing. Go to: https://nicenews.com/culture/polish-village-suloszowa-everyone-lives-same-long-street/.

After all that partying you may be ready for a good night's sleep. If so, the magic number is 46. “Only 46 extra minutes of sleep per night are linked to improvements to overall well-being, including a beneficial impact on a person's gratitude, flourishing, resilience and prosocial behaviors.”

The findings of the study suggest hitting that snooze button may be a good move. "We saw that people who increased their sleep by 46 minutes a night ended up feeling more resilience, gratitude, life satisfaction, and purpose in life. When people  cut back on sleep by a mild average of 37 minutes a night, they experienced drops in mood, resilience, flourishing and gratitude." (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-snooze-extra-minutes-boosts-gratitude.html)

Finally, don't forget the Neff Zone holidays page at: https://www.neffzone.com/holidays/. As you decorate your house for the holidays, have the kidlings check out some festive craft projects. “Follow easy craft tutorials, find free printables and coloring pages, and get advice on basic crafting techniques to make fun kids' crafts with the family.”  

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.