Category: Berry Interesting

Life advice you didn’t ask for, trends you’ll forget by next week, and feel-good fluff designed to help you stop doomscrolling, at least for five seconds.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: Oct 26-Nov 1

Halloween crime, the Starbucks Frappula, and “a small loan of $1 million.” Here’s what was in the news 10 years ago this week.

Stormtrooper was a hot Halloween costume

A Fandango poll found it was the most popular costume inspired by a 2015 movie. Everyone was amped for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to hit theaters that December – the first new “Star Wars” flick in a decade. (“Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” came out in 2005.) The second most popular costume was Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.”

A zombie and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle helped Beetlejuice cover up a hit-and-run

A woman dressed in a full Beetlejuice costume was driving in Atlanta and slammed into a Mercedes parked on the street. She did some serious damage, and her car was stuck on top of it. So she called some friends, and two guys dressed as a zombie and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle showed up a few minutes later. They helped push her car off the Mercedes, and they all took off. They didn’t realize someone’s security cam got it all on video.

*Indiana Jones also got into a high-speed chase that same week, but it wasn’t a Halloween costume. It was just a guy in Upstate New York named Indiana Jones.

A Fort Bragg soldier’s ill-advised Halloween costume

A bomb squad at Fort Bragg in North Carolina scrambled when a soldier showed up at a security gate dressed as a suicide bomber. The costume included a fake explosive vest.

The five fears we google most

A study by “Time“ magazine found the most-googled fear is a big one: death. The top three (at least in 2015) were: “fear of death”, “afraid of love,” and “fear of people.”

Starbucks debuted the “Frappula”

A play on the words “frappuccino” and “Dracula,” most fans loved the new spooky drink… while a few thought it tasted like crappula.

2015’s most influential teenagers included…

“Time” put out a list of the year’s “30 Most Influential Teens.” They included Kylie Jenner (18), Kendall Jenner (19), Zendaya (19), Malia Obama (17), Maisie Williams (18), Bindi Irwin (17), Jaden Smith (17), an up-and-coming Vine star named Shawn Mendes (17), and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai (18).

Taylor Swift’s “1989” album spend a full year in the Top 10

It went its first 52 weeks without dropping out of the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Only four other albums had done it before that. The last was Adele’s “21” that came out a few years earlier in 2011.

“A small loan of $1 million”

Then-candidate Donald Trump riled people up when he went on the “Today” show and said, “It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars.”

A Black Friday shopper camped out over a month in advance

A Florida man named Kevin Sutton camped out in front of his local Best Buy 33 days before the big day. He was hoping to land a deal on a new TV – and also used the stunt to raise money for charity. 10 years later, most of the Black Friday deals have moved online.

The Kansas City Royals won their first World Series in 30 years

They tacked on five runs in the top of the 12th inning to beat the Mets 7-2 in Game 5 and bring home their first championship since 1985.

Halloween: The Loneliest Night of the Year (and Not Just for Ghosts)

Apparently, Halloween isn’t just spooky for kids… it’s also terrifying for single adults?

A new survey from Dating.com found that 59% of single people say Halloween is one of the hardest days of the year… and 57% say it’s actually worse to be alone on Halloween than on Valentine’s Day. Which is wild, considering Valentine’s Day was literally invented to make single people feel awkward.

Almost 80% admit they feel lonely on October 31st, and more than half have even cried after opening the door to trick-or-treaters. (“No, I’m not crying… you’re crying. Now take your Snickers and leave me to my pumpkin spice despair.”)

So why does Halloween hit so hard? For one, it’s a very group holiday.

There are couples costumes, family parties, and squads of friends all pretending to be vampires together. And, if you show up solo, you may think you look like you wandered out of a haunted house looking for emotional support.

And even staying home isn’t exactly a win. Watching horror movies or baking festive treats alone sounds cozy in theory, but in practice it’s a lot more fun when shared with someone (anyone) else.

77% of singles admit they’ve pretended to have plans on Halloween, and 73% say social media makes it worse.

It’s tough scrolling past photos of matching “Barbie & Ken” costumes when you’re dressed as “Person Eating Candy Alone, Again.”

So if you’re flying solo this Halloween, remember: you’re not alone in being alone. Just think of it as the one night you can wear a mask and emotionally hide behind it.

Where You’re Most Likely to See Bigfoot (and Where He’ll Never Be Caught Dead)

This week the internet is celebrating National Sasquatch Awareness Day, which raises one big question: do we really need to be more aware of Bigfoot?

If a seven-foot-tall, hairy dude comes lumbering out of the forest, awareness won’t be your problem…

Still, a new report just ranked the places in North America where you’re statistically most likely to bump into Bigfoot. And no, you probably won’t find him chilling outside a Starbucks in Miami.

Researchers looked at reported Bigfoot sightings, how forested each state or province is, and the average temperature. (Apparently, the ideal Bigfoot climate is a pleasant 55 degrees Fahrenheit.)

If you’re hoping to make a found-footage horror movie, here are the top ten places to go Bigfoot-hunting:

  1. Washington
  2. West Virginia
  3. Oregon
  4. British Columbia, Canada
  5. Michigan
  6. Maine
  7. Pennsylvania
  8. Idaho
  9. Ohio
  10. Massachusetts

Prefer to stay Bigfoot-free? These are the least likely places to find him:

  1. Quebec, Canada
  2. Maryland
  3. Arizona
  4. Alberta, Canada
  5. Louisiana
  6. Manitoba, Canada
  7. Indiana
  8. California
  9. Alaska
  10. Wyoming

Really? If I were Bigfoot, I’d totally pick Wyoming or Alaska over, say, Florida. (Too many gators, not enough privacy.)

1 in 4 People Use Zero Vacation Days?

A new report found that 23% of employees didn’t take a single vacation day in the past year, even though most of them technically have PTO.

You’ve probably heard it from your boss or HR team: “Make sure you take time for yourself!” Which sounds lovely… until you try to schedule a week off and suddenly you’re treated like you just asked to take the breakroom coffeemaker to Mexico.

The main reason? Work has become like a treadmill that’s on fire.

43% say their workload is just too heavy to justify taking time off, and 30% worry they’ll drown in emails the second they get back. Another 29% say they feel guilty about requesting PTO because it might make them look “less committed,” and one in four workers say their boss would probably react badly if they asked for a whole week off. (Apparently, “mental health” is only encouraged on weekends and national holidays.)

Then there’s the “unlimited PTO” trap… a perk that sounds amazing until you realize it’s really code for, “We’ll never tell you what’s too much, but you’ll know when you’ve crossed the line.”

Workers in tech know this game well: unlimited vacation, but somehow every week is the wrong week to take it.

And sure, some people say they don’t have enough PTO to take a real vacation anyway. A day off to do laundry and cry into a sandwich doesn’t count.

Here’s the thing: time off actually helps companies. It boosts morale, focus, and productivity. It even makes workplaces feel more like a team instead of a group therapy session that charges by the hour.

So yeah, “take time for yourself.” Just make sure it’s not during a busy quarter, before a product launch, after a holiday, or on any day ending in “Y.”

The World’s Favorite Crayon Color Is…

In the most pressing news your inner child (or actual child) will care about, Crayola just released results from a massive global poll to find the world’s favorite crayon color.

After surveying people in 183 countries, we finally have an answer – and yes, it’s incredibly specific.

Our Favorite Crayon Color? Cerulean

Yup, that soft, sophisticated shade of blue that Meryl Streep’s character famously lectures Anne Hathaway about in The Devil Wears Prada. You might remember the monologue where a simple sweater becomes a masterclass in fashion history. Turns out it’s also a global favorite when it comes to coloring outside the lines.

The top three crayon colors in the world are Cerulean, Robin’s Egg blue, and Wisteria purple.

Each generation’s favorite color?

Crayola also broke it down by age, and the blue obsession crosses generational lines. Boomers are the only generation that didn’t have blue at the top of their list.

Blue has been a top pick for decades

This isn’t the first time blue has dominated the crayon world. In fact, it’s kind of a long-standing monarch. Back in 1993, Crayola polled Americans and blue won then too. Then in a 2000 poll, six different shades of blue made the Top 10. So if you’re wondering why your kid’s coloring books all look like the ocean, now you know.

Walking “On Clouds” Can Be So Squeaky

You know that moment when you’re walking through a quiet office or store and your shoes start squeaking like a clown at a children’s party? Yeah, imagine that… but every single time you wear them.

Have you seen those fancy “On” athletic shoes, with the “Cloud” line of styles? They cost around $140 to $180, and promise a “walking-on-clouds” experience. What they deliver is more “walking-on-wet-gym-floor.”

The problem? Those trendy little hollow pods on the bottom apparently double as squeak amplifiers. So instead of floating gracefully through life, you’re announcing every step like a duck in patent leather.

People have been complaining about this online for over a year, and now there’s a full-on class action lawsuit.

Customers say the squeaking is a design defect. The company says, nah, it’s just a “feature.” Or, “normal wear and tear.” Sure, because all my normal wear-and-tear experiences involve sounding like you’re stepping on a toddler’s bath toy.

“On” hasn’t commented on the lawsuit, but they have reportedly denied warranty claims for squeaky shoes. (Because nothing says “premium experience” like being told the $180 noise machine on your feet is “working as intended.”)

Other brands like Brooks Sports say squeaky shoes happen when moisture or air gets trapped under the insoles. Their fix? Take those soles out after every wear so they can “dry properly.”

Perfect… because what I really want from my daily footwear is a side hustle as a part-time cobbler.

So if you’re looking for shoes that scream “athletic elegance” and literally scream at the same time, On Cloud might be your perfect match. Walking on clouds never sounded so… squeaky.

The Halloween Candy Your Kids Won’t Miss (and You Totally Can Steal)

Looking for Halloween candy you can “borrow” from your kid’s stash without facing a full-blown tantrum?

Good news: there’s now a ranked list of sweet treats that adults love way more than kids do. Translation? You can swipe these guilt-free.

A poll from a few years ago compared candy preferences between adults and kids aged 8 to 14, and it turns out there are quite a few classics kids wouldn’t even notice if they mysteriously vanished. At the top of the list: Dove Dark Chocolate Bars, which kids apparently see as the broccoli of the candy world. Adults, however, are living for them.

Here are the top 10 candies kids are least likely to care if you swipe:

  1. Dove Dark Chocolate Bars
  2. Andes Chocolate Mints
  3. Almond Joys
  4. Mixed nuts (Okay, not candy, but still fair game.)
  5. Baby Ruth bars
  6. Butterfingers
  7. Restaurant mints (like those wrapped ones by the register)
  8. Heath Bars
  9. York Peppermint Patties
  10. Whatchamacallits

Basically, if it’s chocolatey, nutty, or minty, your kid probably won’t fight you for it. These are your Halloween safe zone.

But beware: not everything is up for grabs. The same poll found the exact candies that kids are way more into than adults. So unless you’re ready to start a candy-fueled uprising, steer clear of these:

  • Sour Punch Twists
  • Pop Rocks
  • AirHeads
  • Nerds
  • Gummy Bears
  • Ring Pops
  • Double Bubble gum
  • Sour Patch Kids
  • Welch’s Fruit Snacks
  • Pixy Stix

Basically, if it fizzes, pops, sours your mouth, or dyes your tongue a shocking color, it’s sacred. Hands off.

So go ahead, dig into those Almond Joys and York Patties with zero shame. Just maybe wait until they go to bed—because even if they don’t like them, they might suddenly decide they need them the moment you’re caught with a wrapper in your hand.

46% of All Pumpkin-Related Knife Injuries Will Happen This Week

Halloween is already the scariest month of the year – now add the very real possibility of stabbing a knife through your own hand!

Nearly half of all pumpkin-related knife injuries will happen in the coming days. So, if you’re breaking out the carving kit, consider this your official safety PSA.

According to a recent study in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, the U.S. sees about 2,000 E.R. visits per year related to pumpkin-carving accidents, and they’re pretty much all in the month of October. That number only includes the people who actually go to the hospital – so the total tally of pumpkin-carving injuries is much higher.

84% of pumpkin-related knife injuries happen in October

It makes sense… because who’s carving pumpkins in July? Sure, there are a handful of cooks incorporating pumpkins into meals in other months. (Looking at you, November.) But according to the stats, more than 4 in 5 pumpkin/knife injuries (84%) happen in October.

The majority of those injuries are in the second half of the month… because if you’re carving your pumpkin more than a week out, you’re looking at a pile of orange mush on your porch by the 31st. So yeah, it’s just volume. If you carve a pumpkin this year, chances are you’re doing it this week.

Nearly half (46%) happen in the final week leading up to the big day, with the final three days seeing the most injuries. So if you show up to the E.R. with a hand covered in pumpkin innards and blood this week, you might have company.

Your thumb and index finger are at the highest risk

The study found those two digits are the prime targets. Roughly 60% of carving-related cuts involve one of them – or if you’re a real overachiever, both. Taking a pumpkin-carving knife to the thigh may happen, but it’s rare. 88% of pumpkin-carving cuts are hand injuries.

Kids are the most likely to get hurt

Kids between 10 and 19 make up 32% of pumpkin carving injuries. Another 20% happen to kids under 10. So while it may feel like a safe holiday activity, it can get bloody real quick.

Even grown-ups should probably use those orange safety knives

Adults aren’t immune to those same injuries, which is why many experts suggest ditching real knives altogether. Blades that are too sharp can easily slice through more than just your pumpkin. And knives with a sharp point run the risk of blasting through the whole gourd and straight into your hand on the other side.

Those flimsy orange pumpkin carving tools that come in kids’ kits? They’re designed to be dull enough to not slice through fingers, but strong enough to saw through pumpkin skin. Unless you’re planning some real high-level pumpkin carving, anything more than that is probably overkill.

Young kids should skip the carving altogether

If you’ve got little ones helping out, experts recommend skipping the carving entirely for kids under 10. Let them paint their pumpkins or slap some stickers on instead. Bonus: zero cleanup, and that jack-o-lantern they’re so proud of won’t shrivel up into a pile of goo in two days.

Color Us Boring: Most Cars Sold Today Are Grayscale

Have you heard about how birds are more likely to target dark-colored cars with their, well, aerial gifts?

That got us curious about what colors of cars people are selecting in different areas, and to be clear, this is not “for the birds.”

A while back, the website iSeeCars.com put out a report on car sales by color (this was in 2023)… and they found that white is more popular than ever.  28% of cars sold nationwide are white, which is up from 16% in the mid-2000s.

Black is the second-most popular, followed by gray and silver.  If you add up the percentages for those colors, 80% of the cars sold are grayscale… like you are watching a black-and-white movie.

The state with the most car-color diversity is West Virginia, where 28% of the cars are colorful.  The state with the least diversity is California, where only 17% of the cars are colorful.

If you exclude grayscale “colors,” every state’s top color is either blue or red.

Outside of that, 2% of the cars sold across the country are green… and all the remaining colors account for less than 1% of car sales each.  But if you’re curious, here’s the order:

Orange is the eighth-most popular car color, followed by beige… brown… yellow… gold… and purple.

Experts say that white is popular because it’s “one of the easiest colors to maintain, and because it is a common color for fleet and rental vehicles.” 

That leads to white used cars being very common.

But there’s good news for people who are brave enough to buy a bold color:  Less popular colors tend to depreciate less, because they are scarce in the used car marketplace.

Here’s How to Spot If Someone Is Lying

Think you’ve got a solid B.S. detector? You might want to think again.

A new breakdown of the most common tells suggests that spotting a liar isn’t always as easy as we’d like to think.

Body language expert Judi James has laid out the top signs that someone might be lying, and while some of them are classics (like fidgeting or avoiding eye contact), others are a little trickier. And here’s the kicker: nervous truth-tellers can show these signs too, just because they’re worried you won’t believe them.

Still, if you’re trying to get a read on someone, here are 10 behaviors that could mean the truth is being stretched like pizza dough:

  1. Shifty eyes: Eye movement can give away what’s going on upstairs. Looking to the right could mean someone is making something up, while looking left suggests they’re trying to recall a memory. (Just don’t make this your only clue, or you’ll end up accusing every daydreamer of fraud.)
  2. Long pauses: If they suddenly sound like a broken Alexa, they might be stalling for time. Repeating your question or taking forever to answer could mean they’re crafting a lie on the fly.
  3. Voice changes: Liars might get squeaky or breathless. Stress raises vocal pitch, so if they suddenly sound like they inhaled helium, take note.
  4. Fidgeting: Classic nervous energy move. Of course, some people fidget when they don’t get enough sleep or had too much coffee . . . plus, that means all children are liars.
  5. The poker face: On the opposite end, some liars lock up and go super still to avoid giving anything away. Congrats, you’ve just met a statue.
  6. Eye-dancing: If their eyes are ping-ponging around the room, they might be panicking. Or scanning for the nearest exit.
  7. Overcompensation: Trying too hard to seem confident can be a red flag. Liars sometimes puff up their chests, smirk too much, or act like they’re auditioning for a courtroom drama.
  8. Barrier moves: Subtle gestures like folding arms, shifting away, or shaking their head could signal defensiveness. It’s like their body is trying to hide something, even if their mouth isn’t.
  9. The forced smile: It’s not always easy to fake warmth. A tight-lipped, lifeless smile could mean something’s up… or they’re just socially awkward. Flip a coin.
  10. Too many filler words: “Umm,” “like,” “you know”… if every sentence is a remix of verbal static, it could mean they’re stalling or spinning.

Bottom line? These signs aren’t guarantees. But if several of these behaviors show up at once? You might want to take what you’re hearing with a hefty grain of salt.

Exit mobile version