Friday 12/29/23
Celebrate:
National Get on the Scales Day
National Pepper Pot Day - According to legend, pepper pot soup was created on today's date in 1777, ten days after General George Washington and the Continental Army had set up their winter camp at Valley Forge. Legend says it had tripe, other meat and vegetable scraps, and peppercorn, and other spices. Perhaps the biggest part of the legend surrounding pepper pot soup is that it rejuvenated the troops, not only to get them through the winter but to set the foundation for them to win the war. In fact, it earned the nickname "the soup that won the war."
The evidence says that it first appeared in print in 1698 and is likely a Caribbean dish.
No Interruptions Day
Still Need to Do Day
Tick Tock Day
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The Powerball drawing for Saturday is now set at $760 Million with a cash value of $382.5 Million. Go get your ticket and be a (follow this) New Year's Eve Eve winner.
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A new survey found that Americans believe only 37% of the content on social media is "real." That includes struggling to separate authentic images from the ones with hidden filters, Photoshop, and other edits. But it's more than that.
People are skeptical of targeted advertisements . . . as well as "influencer content," like those products that can be pitched as friendly tips and hacks, but are actually scripted paid promotions.
There's also the "businesses" that friends and followers try to sell you on, which are often pyramid schemes . . . bots . . . and spam profiles.
Overall, 74% of Americans admit they can't always tell what's real and what's fake, and 71% of people think it will get harder to determine what's real and what's not over the next 10 years, with A.I. and other technology.
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There are some TikToks making the rounds, claiming that GRILLED ICE has become a specialty street food in Northeast China.
The vendor takes some ice, throws it on a grill, seasons it with spices like chili, cumin, scallions, coriander, and sauce . . . and then serves it up. One serving of grilled ice reportedly costs $2.
A lot of people wonder if the ice would melt, but the idea is to use big chunks of ice, and to "grill" it quickly. One customer described it as "spicy" and "interesting."
As we all know, you can't believe everything you see on social media . . . and some locals say they've never seen it so it must be a joke. But others say that it IS legit.
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An eight-year-old girl has been crowned best female player at the European blitz chess championships.
Bodhana Sivanandan, from Harrow, north-west London, scored 8.5/13 at the event in Croatia, finishing ahead of seasoned professionals in the process.
She defeated an international master and drew with a grandmaster, in a result described as "unbelievable".
The chess prodigy, who began playing aged five, said she was "proud" of her performance over the weekend.
The tournament was held at the blitz time control - a quick form of chess where players have just minutes on their clocks for their moves.
Asked if she gets nervous, she replied: "No, I just play the board."
Dominic Lawson, president of the English Chess Federation, described it as an "extraordinary result for an eight-year-old and something we've certainly never seen in this country".
"She has a remarkably mature playing style, it's strategic and patient. She has what you might describe as a long game," he added.
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Today’s Useless Fact of the Day - In Italy it's good luck to wear red underwear on New Year's Eve. They also have a tradition to throw old kitchenware out the window.
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