6/19/25 - Juneteenth, Workout Music, and Coffee

Thursday 6/19/25

Celebrate:

Garfield the Cat Day

National Dump the Pump Day

National Eat an Oreo Day

National Martini Day

National Pets in Film Day

National Watch Day

Recess at Work Day

World Albatross Day

World Sauntering Day

World Tapas Day

--

Juneteenth

Although Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until after the war was over that slaves became free in Texas, possibly because the Proclamation could not be enforced there, or because news of the Proclamation had not been spread there. The war ended in April of 1865, but word did not reach Texas until the following month, and it was not until June that the Confederate Army in the area surrendered.

As of 2021, it has been recognized as a federal holiday.

–

According to a new poll, the top benefit of music to a workout is that it Increases Motivation.  Second is that it Reduces Boredom, and third is that it Improves Focus.

the Top 5 artists we work out to, in order:  Kendrick Lamar . . . Metallica . . . Taylor Swift . . . Red Hot Chili Peppers . . . and Beyoncé.

Rock was voted the most motivating genre, with 47% . . . 44% get a rise out of Hip-Hop and Rap . . . and 42% get inspiration from Pop.  Electronic and Metal round out the Top 5.

But Metal and Electronic listeners work out the longest:  49 and 46 minutes, respectively.  And Metal fans are most likely to max out, lifting as much weight as possible.  For one rep, anyway.

–

A new study looked into, quote, "dark personality traits," and found that humans can display different levels of those traits . . . depending on their location.

Specifically, those traits are "psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism," which is manipulativeness, or "the desire or urge to exploit others."

The study took place over 20 years, and included almost 1.8 million people, across 183 countries.

In the U.S., these four states contain the highest percentages of people with "dark personality traits:" Nevada, New York, South Dakota, and Texas.

As for countries, the ones that ranked the highest include:  China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan.

–

There's a new study out from Tufts University, which shows that "drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily is associated with lower overall mortality" particularly from cardiovascular causes.

BUT there's a catch:  The benefits are specifically for black coffee.  If you add cream, sugar, and whatever's it becomes less healthy.

You don't have to ditch the additives completely.  Black coffee . . . and coffee with "low levels of added sugar and saturated fat" . . . were associated with a 14% lower risk of death, compared to no coffee consumption.

Finally, drinking two to three cups was slightly better than drinking one cup . . . however, there was no added benefit to drinking more than three.

--

A man in Salt Lake City was out having lunch with a friend on Saturday.  And out of nowhere, the guy attacked him . . . put him in a chokehold . . . and tried to stab him with a wooden stake.

He pulled out the wooden stake . . . which had a nail in it . . . and told the guy he was going to stab him in the heart because he was a werewolf.

They also found several rocks in his pocket, which he said were in case his werewolf buddy tried to kill him.  He's facing charges for aggravated robbery. 

Weird thing is the full moon was last wednesday.

--

Today's Useless Fact of the Day

Eleven approves!!!

When Eggos were invented in 1953, they were called Froffles, for "frozen waffles."  But people started calling them "eggos" because they kinda tasted like eggs . . . and within two years, that became their official name.

Thank heavens..Leggo My Froffle...doesn't have the same ring to it.

--