Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for October 19, 2022

Tonight I have yet another story from the annals of True. [Please note that guaranteed it-happened-to-me true stories have less of a chance (though still a chance) of some whiny under-the-bridge type complaining about them…

A dentist has been advertising on local radio that he can help you “overcome your insurmountable fear of dentistry.” I was amused, of course. How does one overcome the insurmountable? Later that week I had an appointment to get my teeth cleaned, so I told my hygienist about the spot, emphasizing the word “insurmountable.” She nodded and said, “Oh, that’s good.”

I was taken aback; I thought she would laugh. “Uh, do you know what ‘insurmountable’ means?” I asked her.

“Oh, that’s like a really big fear, right?”“Um, right,” I conceded. We went on to other topics.

Food waste is a pretty serious problem. Not only is it an issue of wasted energy to produce the food, but unless disposed of in a responsible way (which it rarely is), the food breaking down releases gasses which can contribute to bad air quality and the greenhouse effect.

The large majority of it isn’t just the scraps left over on plates, though; it’s food that either went unsold for too long or was deemed unfit for sale, and thrown out before anyone ever even got a chance to eat it.

Know of anyone who still has their 39-year-old “brick” cell phone?

My boss had one, but limited range, as not many cell towers back then, so limited coverage area.

A while back, there was a comical radio ad for all things obsolete. It mentioned cell phones the size of shoe boxes.

Besides the brick, there was also the bag phone, which was even bigger, but had a greater effective distance that it could transmit.

Good on MJ to practice shooting with the strobes. One of Larry Byrd’s obsessions was to spend hours dribbling a basketball up, down and diagonally at the arena to find any quirks in the floor at every arena before game time. The floors don’t just stay put, you know, and the playing surface is composed of segments that get disassembled and reassembled to accommodate the needs of a multi-use arena.

The first 5G cell phone mast in town is put up. Suddenly, all sorts of people develop medical conditions. A citizens’ initiative against the mast is formed. A public hearing is organized with the mayor and representatives of the telecom company. The people bring forward all the ailments they suffer from since the mast was erected.

The telecom technician replies: “For God’s sake, what will be going on when we put the mast into operation?”

I had joke about the weight of those original cell phones, but it felt too forced so I decided against it.

Now I understand his tongue wagging.

Take care, may paunch bellied landfill bulldozer operator Otis “The Rats And Possums Here Speak To Me And It Gives Me Solace” Zoloftord be with you, and gesundheit.

My wife and I might be responsible for almost two pounds of wasted food per year. Some things get lost in the crisper at times. I don’t see where so much food is getting thrown out??

Then in 1984, they introduced the next model of cell phone making the 1983 versions obsolete.

Mr Jordan also shot 1000 free throws every day. Being the GOAT of your time is not easy.

Another couple of years and an iPhone will be back to $4000. Progress!

Good one. Thanks

$1,000.00 for the phone and $3,000.00 for a wheelbarrow to carry it in.

I work at a retail grocery store (Kroger) and it is just disgusting the food we waste. I mean, we do donate what we can, but there is just too much waste and throwaways. I save what I can and bring it home and hopefully not get in trouble at work. But I can’t stand the waste! I wish there was something we could do……UGH!

Nice sight-gag in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, with Gordon Gekko getting out of prison & having one of those phones with his personal property.

Wonder whether the strobes helped Jordan against glare also.

I’m happy to say I almost never waste any food I buy.

Hubby and I had perfectly good food left over at our wedding reception. When we asked the venue to donate it to the local soup kitchen, they said they couldn’t because of liability issues. I think that’s a problem at grocery stores, restaurants, etc., which is a shame. :-(

Surely it is meant here that “humans” waste a billion tons of food each year?