Strange But True

* It was American author, journalist and psychoanalysis researcher Judith Viorst who made the following sage observation: “Infatuation is when you think that he’s as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Connors. Love is when you realize he’s as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford — but you’ll take him anyway.”

* Records show that during the last seven months of Elvis Presley’s life, he had 5,300 different medications prescribed for him.

* Those who study such things say that Labor Day is Americans’ third most favorite holiday, ranking only after Christmas/Hanukkah and Memorial Day. Also, a quarter of Americans are expected to travel out of town over the holiday weekend, with the most popular destinations being New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando and Chicago.

* In the TV show “Charlie’s Angels,” it was a requirement that each of the stars had eight different outfits for each episode.

* The country of South Africa has a grand total of 11 official languages. 

* Now that fall is approaching, here are a couple of interesting tidbits for parents: In the United States, the average K-12 student has $688 in back-to-school expenses. For the average college student, that goes up to $970.

* You may be surprised to learn that the first Caesar salad was actually created in Tijuana, Mexico. 

* For reasons that aren’t quite clear, in Sweden, it’s illegal to train a seal to balance a ball on the tip of its nose.

Thought for the Day

“The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps.”

--Benjamin Disraeli

(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.