5/15/25 - Pets, Obesity, and Eating Dog Food (sort of)

Thursday 5/15/25

Celebrate:

Bring Flowers to Someone Day

Brown Bag It Thursday

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Hummus Day

International Conscientious Objectors Day

International Day of Families

National Aperitif Day

National Chocolate Chip Day

National Notebook Day

National Safety Dose Day

National Senior Fraud Awareness Day

National Nylon Stockings Day

Peace Officers Memorial Day

Straw Hat Day

Relive Your Past By Listening to the First Music You Ever Bought No Matter What It Was No Excuses Day

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A new survey asked pet owners how they classify their pets, and older generations are most likely to say they consider their dogs and cats to be "companions" or, you know, "pets."

Meanwhile, 48% of Gen Z'ers consider themselves PET PARENTS and see no difference between caring for a pet and an actual human child.  Millennials are the generation most likely to consider pets SIBLINGS.

People don't consider their pets to be "co-workers."  But in the survey, 51% of people who work in pet-friendly workplaces say they like their co-workers' pets MORE than they like their actual co-workers. 

This is silly, but there's one thing that pretty much EVERYONE can agree on.  98% of pet owners say that their pets make their lives better. 

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Around 2 in 5 American adults are obese – defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition is associated with a host of serious medical issues – from stroke and diabetes to heart attack and cancer. It’s also estimated to cost the country’s health care system nearly $173 billion a year.

(Preventive health care could save so much, but good luck getting it paid for by insurance)

So which states are the most obese?

1. West Virginia with a whopping 41.7%

2. Arkansas a close second with 40.5%

3. Mississippi 40.4%

4. Louisiana 39.9%

5. Alabama 39.4%

6. Oklahoma 39.0%

7. Iowa 37.9%

8. Kentucky 37.8%

9. Indiana 37.8%

10. Tennessee 37.8%

Least Obese

1. Colorado 24.6%

2. Hawaii 26.8%

3. Massachusetts 27.1%

4. California 27.7%

5. New York 27.9%

6. New Jersey 8.5%

7. Vermont 29.0%

8. Connecticut 29.2%

9. Florida 29.7%

10. Montana 30.2%

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A skydiver from the U.K. dropped an iPhone from about 14,000 feet, and later found it perfectly intact. 

(meanwhile you dropped yours from the bedside table on to carpet and broke the screen)

He used the Find My iPhone app to learn that his handheld was located about 4 miles from where he had landed.

it hardly had a mark on it, and it seemed to work just as well as before its hard landing. If anything, it worked even better, as a button that had been stuck ever since Casey had accidentally spilled a drink on it now appeared to work flawlessly. (not a recommended fix)

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TikTok's hot new health hack is eating human "Dog Food." It's not really dog food, it just looks like it.

Some guy shared his meal-prep hack, where he basically just minces a bunch of vegetables . . . chops up tofu and chicken . . . adds rice . . . cooks it all . . . then mixes it together, and eats a bowl of it for EVERY MEAL.  

Essentially, it's just stir-fry with lots of ingredients.  But it's chopped up so fine, it looks more like something your dog would eat.  So people are calling it the "human dog food" or "human kibble" diet.

The idea is it makes meal planning easy, and you know you're eating healthy.  But nutrition experts say there are some downsides.

1.  You'll probably get bored, so you won't stick with it.  Plus, it sort of strips all the JOY out of eating.

2.  Nutrient gaps.  Even though it's full of good stuff, it's the SAME stuff every day.  The mix you go with might not have all the vitamins and minerals you need.  So it's generally better to have more variety in your diet.

That said, it might be a good hack for SOME of your meals.  Like, maybe you eat your normal breakfast and dinner . . . and just have the kibble for lunch.

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Airbnb isn't just for renting houses anymore.  Founder and CEO Brian Chesky announced that they're adding new services.

These include things like massages and personal training, plus experiences tailored to specific locations . . . like a pastry-making class in Paris or a gallery tour in New York City.

Oh, and you'll also be able to rent CELEBRITIES.  Chesky says he has dozens of famous people ready to participate.

Initial offerings will include a day playing football and eating barbecue with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and day-long experiences with Sabrina Carpenter and Megan Thee Stallion.

Chesky is hoping Airbnb will get people off their damn phones.  Quote, "AI is magical, but you know what's more magical than AI?  The real world, and people and relationships and memories."

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Pete Rose is no longer banned from baseball.  Neither is "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated them yesterday, making them FINALLY eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In fact, Manfred unbanned EVERYBODY who's dead, saying, quote, "Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.

"Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual."

Rose was banned in 1989 for betting on games while he was managing the Cincinnati Reds.

"Shoeless" Joe and seven other members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for fixing the 1919 World Series.

Pete and Joe can't get into the Hall of Fame until 2028 at the earliest.  That's because their greatest contributions to baseball came before 1980, meaning they'd have to be considered by the 12-person Classic Baseball Committee which doesn't vote again until December of 2027.

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Miley Cyrus is in the news for the advice she gave fans during the listening party for her new album in New York last week.  Actually, it was advice she REPEATED.

She said the best piece of advice she's ever gotten came from her godmother Dolly Parton.  Quote, "You do you, and I'll do me.  And together, we'll be us."

In other words, be yourself and let everyone else do the same.  The "us" is how we coexist even when we're different.

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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - The surface area of the five Great Lakes combined is roughly the same size as the entire United Kingdom.

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