11/4/26 - Six Degrees, Restaurant Peeves, and the Cost of Thanksgiving

Wednesday 11/4/26

Celebrate:

Eat Smart Day

International Stress Awareness Day

King Tut Day

National Candy Day

National Chicken Lady Day

National Easy-Bake Oven Day

National Skeptics Day

Use Your Common Sense Day

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You've most likely heard of the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," the game where you try to connect any actor to Kevin Bacon in fewer than six steps, where each step links two actors who co-starred in a film.

The Pudding.cool website says that It's really 4 degrees of separation. In their database,169,000 actors are within 4 films.

Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep are also four degrees from every actor in Hollywood.

Actually, Samuel L. Jackson is "the center of Hollywood"

His average is 2.09. Willem Dafoe is second with 2.13 and Robert De Niro follows at 2.14. For women, Nicole Kidman is the highest-ranked woman at #21.

So who is next? Chloe Grace Moretz, whose latest movie is Love Language.

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What’s your restaurant pet peeve? A new survey finds rude service is No. 1 with 40%.

2. Cold food — 34%

3. Long waits — 27%

4. Sticky tables or menus — 24%

… The survey also found that 54 percent feel pressured by preset tipping screens. Nearly 30 percent had walked out because of long waits, while 20 percent had left because of rude staff.

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Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old former British Army paratrooper who spent the last 28 years walking around the world, returned home yesterday. He covered approximately 31,000 miles, one of the longest geographically unbroken trek in history.

The journey began on Nov. 1, 1998, in Punta Arenas, Chile. Bushby, then 29, had plotted his path in the mid-'90s after a birthday card from his father sparked the idea of walking from South America’s southern tip to his hometown of Hull, England. He initially estimated he’d return in 12 years, but visa issues, the 2008 economic crash, and the pandemic hindered progress. An arrest in Russia and a near-fatal plunge into the Bering Strait’s freezing waters added hurdles. But Bushby never skipped sections or used transportation, opting to swim across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel. His expedition spanned four continents, 30 countries, and 10,229 days.

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We are a couple of weeks out from Thanksgiving, and how much will it cost this year?

It kind of depends on where you live.

The cheapest U.S. state for Thanksgiving dinner is Oklahoma 

($49.59) While Hawaii ($71.57) is the most expensive.

 The national average cost of Thanksgiving dinner for 10 in 2026 is $52.70.

New York sits at #15 with $54.02.

Pennsylvania is at #32 with $52.02.

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A community movement sweeping suburban neighborhoods is the rise of monthly "Fix-It Cafes." Local volunteers, retired electricians, and woodworkers set up shop in community centers, inviting neighbors to bring in broken lamps, wobbly chairs, and malfunctioning toaster ovens to repair them together for free over coffee and donuts.

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A multi-year clinical trial published by sports medicine researchers showed that adding a brisk 15-minute daily outdoor walk lowers systemic inflammatory markers in the body by over 20%. Doctors noted that consistency matters far more than intensity, making short daily walks ideal for joint health.

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A 25-year-old nursing student in Orlando is being hailed as a hero after she rushed to help at a car crash while wearing a full banana costume. Stephanie Oropesa was heading home from a Halloween party on October 24th when she saw a car veer off the road and crash into a bar's outdoor patio.

While her fiancé pulled over, Oropesa—still in her giant banana suit—ran to the scene, called 911, and checked on the driver. The bar later posted the CCTV footage online, asking for help finding the "unknown banana hero." Oropesa commented to identify herself, and the bar treated her to a pasta dinner. A local shop even made "Banana Hero" stickers with her photo. "Anyone else would have done the same thing," she said.

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Starting today, county buildings across the U.S. are glowing green for veterans. The initiative, now in its sixth year, is led by the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers. Residents are encouraged to change one light bulb to green as a visible sign of support. "This is a small but meaningful way to express our gratitude," said Tom Rolfe of Lewis and Clark County. For veterans, seeing those green lights can mean the world. Sometimes a simple gesture says everything.

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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Humans share about 60% of their DNA with bananas. We're also ~98.8% genetically identical to chimpanzees.

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