Strange BUT TRUE

• A honey badger named Stoffel, resident of a wildlife center in South Africa, was noted not just for repeated escapes from his enclosure, but his stubborn penchant for pursuing much larger animals than himself. After ending up in the clinic after attacking two lions, upon his release, he immediately broke free to attack them again!

• The novelty song “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett was banned by the BBC for over a decade on the grounds it was too morbid.

• Sorry, Honey Nut Cheerios fans, your cereal doesn’t contain any nuts. While ground almonds used to be included, since 2006 just “natural almond flavor” has been used, and that is typically derived from apricot and peach pits.

• An estimated 5% of the population has never experienced a headache.

• Who needs Red Bull? In the early 1900s, distance runners were given champagne, brandy or even strychnine (rat poison) as a type of “energy drink” during long races.

• Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” holds the world record for being the most-often rejected book to later become a bestseller, with a whopping 121 refusals before a publisher finally agreed to buy it.

• On the moon, the Earth doesn’t appear to rise or set, just wobble a bit.

• A Ukrainian couple tried to save their failing relationship by handcuffing themselves together. They lasted about four months before throwing in the towel for good.

• Studies have shown that removing lead from gasoline was a factor leading to the decline of violent crime in 1990s America. Individuals exposed to lead at young ages have numerous conditions and problems with impulse control, all of which may negatively impact their decisions as they reach adulthood.

••• Thought for the Day: “You always pass failure on the way to success.” -–Mickey Rooney