Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life
August 13, 2025
Who Talks More … Men or Women?
The National Debt Equated to Years
Ask a Dumb Question
My Political Correctness Story
“Cats on a Treadmill” Videos
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Who Talks More—Men or Women?
(with a talking-to-my-cat story)
It’s been a few years since people were debating whether men or women are the most talkative, but in 2007, researchers refuted the claim that women speak about 20,000 words a day, while men only need to say 7,000 words to be happy. This February 2025 article states that men and women are both talking less these days, speaking around 16,000 words a day, and researchers believe this might be related to their age.
Sometimes when I call someone to see how they’re doing, I joke that I need to speak at least 5,000 words a day to be happy. Living alone with no family or friends nearby and neighbors I rarely see, I strike up conversations with strangers when I’m out and about, and talk to several people after church on Sundays. But on many days, my cat, Liza, gets most of my daily words. And she listens intently, never breaks eye contact with me, and makes me feel as though I’m the most interesting person she knows (perhaps because she hides from visitors and I’m the only person she ever sees).
She has learned many words and understands sentences such as, “It’s OK to come out now” (from the closet) and “Wanna go downstairs?” (great when the tornado siren sounds). Best of all, she knows, “Stop it, “Get down,” “Move!” and “Wanna play?” On days when no one calls me and I’m too busy to call anyone, I’m grateful to have a cat who not only listens to me, obeys my commands, responds with love, and comes to me when I call her. (Most of the time.)
P.S. If you want to boost your mental and physical health, read Mayo Clinic’s article on the many benefits of having a pet.
The National Debt Equated to Years
A million seconds is about 12 days.
A billion seconds is close to 32 years (half a lifetime for some).
A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years
(more than all of recorded history).
Our national debt was $37 trillion on July 7 when I wrote this Tidbit, but 37 trillion x 32,000 years is more than I can count, but it puts us in God’s backyard of Eternity.
If you want to see how much the debt has grown since July 7, visit the US Debt Clock page, which also tracks D.O.G.E. savings, credit card debt, how much money we owe China and other countries, and other figures, such as the population, workforce, number of self-employed, and much more.
On second thought, some things are better not known when it’s clear we can’t change the dire consequences of the answer.
Ask a Dumb Question
In an interview in Success Magazine, Frank Pacetta, a sales coach and expert in business development, said, “Historians report that when Napoleon arrived at a meeting, he’d act as though he were the dumbest man there, asking dumb questions by the dozen. He was never afraid to show a lack of knowledge. When the meeting was over, though, he would have absorbed everyone else’s expertise. He’d depart the smartest man on the scene.”
I published this little story in one of my newsletters many years ago. Today, Pacetta is a world-class speaker and motivator who is probably using everything he learned as he practiced what he preached. I know firsthand how well this information-gathering strategy works because I saw my husband, Harry, use it time and time again, usually when he was dealing with someone for the first time and trying to decide if this was a fellow he could trust and work with.
My Political Correctness Story
The political correctness movement was already deeply entrenched in 1998 when the last edition of my Creative Cash book was in the final stages of editing. I was greatly annoyed when I was forced to make a change for the sake of political correctness.
I had commented on how woodcarvers in the Ozarks often showed off their skills at a fair by demonstrating on a large work, “such as a carousel pony or a wooden Indian.” The editor felt this would be insulting to Indians, so I was forced to change it to “large wooden figure,” even though Cigar Store Wooden Indians have always been considered Early American Folk Art. Such art is highly collectible today. (Google “cigar store indians” to be amazed.)
Years later, my crafts book editors said I should stop saying “craftsmanship,” but I then had enough clout as an author to keep this word in my books. I’ll stop saying it the day someone gives me a replacement word that means the same thing.
I now yearn for the old days of “simple political correctness” because what’s happening in today’s culture is insane. I will be politically incorrect until I die an old FEMALE, and I hope you will also take a stand against those who are attacking traditional American values.
Need a Chuckle?
Watch “Cats on a Treadmill” Videos
As one who loves cats and has used a treadmill at times, I got my chuckles the day I watched these two videos of cats on a treadmill. In this one, two curious cats are trying to figure out what a treadmill is. This one features two other cats trying to learn how to walk on a treadmill at different speeds. (The folks quietly chuckling in the background add to the merriment.)
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