By Haddon Libby
‘It is far too hot to write a serious article this week. I wrote those words nine years ago after a scorcher of a week. The heat back then was nothing compared to the heat now. Average temperatures over the last week are the highest in the history of the Coachella Valley.
Where will temperatures be in another nine years? Between last year’s hurricane and the damage done to our air quality and higher temperatures for longer periods of time, the Coachella Valley has felt the impact of climate change more than many parts of the world.
Rather than dwell on things that we cannot control like the weather, let’s look back on some of the light-hearted vignettes that I shared when I thought it was too hot along with some new ones:
According to a study by Dr. Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics, men who cheat on their partners have lower IQs. Meanwhile, people with ring fingers that are longer than their middle fingers are more likely to be interested in casual sex. In a completely unrelated fact, there is a type of fish called a “Slippery Dick”.
While contemplating halichoeres bivittatuses (Slippery Dicks), did you know that Donald Trump was moved to the New York Military Academy by his parents as a kid as he would often get in trouble. It’s hard to believe, I know.
In thinking of all things presidential, the U.S. government spent $277,000 on pickle research during the first year of the Clinton Administration. They failed to research cigars though.
Did you know that male kangaroos flex their muscles to impress the female kangaroos while a group of pandas is called an embarrassment? Now you know!
Seventy-five percent of people marrying the person whom they had an affair with eventually divorce while 50% of female homicides are committed by their partner. As a side-note, more serial killers are born in November than any other month….speaking of which, James Cameron said that he initially intended to use O.J. Simpson for the Arnold Schwarzenegger role in “Terminator” but did not think that O.J. was convincing as a killer. Boy, was he wrong!
A French study found that men who like spicy food have higher testosterone levels than their mild-eating cohorts. Meanwhile, the New Hampshire State Lottery issued a scratch and sniff lottery ticket that smelled of bacon.
While I’m not sure if this qualifies as red or white meat, a pound of houseflies contains more protein than a pound of beef. Anyone interested in a McFly Combo Meal? Might be perfect for the $5 menu.
If that didn’t gross you out, did you know that your mobile phone has nearly twenty times the bacteria as a toilet seat. Speaking of bacteria, they make up four pounds of your body weight. Yes, we have trillions of bacteria in us. We also have over 100,000 miles of blood vessels.
In 2023, 134 million people were born while 61 million died. This increased global population by 0.9% to 7.9 billion people. It has taken 200 years for global population to grow from 1 billion to nearly 8 billion.
According to babylist.com, Jack and Olivia were the most used names for babies in 2023. Some people have odd names. As examples, Canaan Banana was the first president of Zimbabwe, New Zealand has a resident named Angus Pattie, and the 1950s produced NASCAR driver Dick Passwater. A man named Sam Sung once worked for Apple. There are actual people walking amongst us named Bud Light, Phat Ho and the ever lovable Van Lullen whose Belgian name translated means ‘From Cocks’. As bad as these names may be, do they even compare to the name given an Italian police officer. Born in the 1940s, he was named Hitler Mussolini.
Haddon Libby is Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Winslow Drake Investment Management, an RIA. For more information on our services, please visit www.WinslowDrake.com.
