Friday 2/23/24
Celebrate:
Curling is Cool Day
Diesel Engine Day
International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
International STAND UP to Bullying Day
National Banana Bread Day
National CSA Day
National Rationalization Day
National Skip the Straw Day
National Tile Day
Play Tennis Day
World Understanding and Peace Day
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New Movies in Theaters this weekend
Drive-Away Dolls - Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up.
Starring - Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Margaret Qualley, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp, and Geraldine Viswanathan.
Ordinary Angels - A true story starring Alan Ritchson, Hilary Swank, Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones, Amy Acker, Drew Powell, Skywalker Hughes, and Emily Mitchell.
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I love weird articles I run across on the internet. Today - Bird Names that Sound Like Insults.
Blatherskite. It's a Scottish word actually that translates roughly to foolish nonsense talk from a contemptible person.
Dirty Allan aka parasitic jaeger. (no idea where the Allan part came from). This bird has a habit of eating..shall we say stuff from smaller gulls.
Mumruffin
Nope - a European finch having in the male rosy-red underparts.
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Do you have a fear of saying no to an invite?
Don't.
77% of our 51 respondents had accepted an invitation to an event that they didn’t want to attend, fearing blowback if they were to decline.
They also worried that they wouldn’t be invited to events down the road and that their own invitations would be rebuffed.
People tend to assume others will react poorly when an invitation isn’t accepted. But they’re relatively unaffected when someone turns down an invite they’ve extended.
In fact, people extending invites were much more understanding – and less upset, angry or sad – than invitees anticipated. They also said they would be rather unlikely to let a single declined invitation keep them from offering or accepting invitations in the future.
Consider the “no but” strategy decline the invitation, but offer to do something else with the person who invited you.
With this method, you’re making it clear to the person who invited you that you’re not rejecting them; rather, you’re declining the activity. A bonus with this strategy is that you have the opportunity to suggest doing something that you actually want to do.
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Banknotes carrying the King's portrait will appear in Britons' wallets for the first time from 5 June.
Notes which feature Queen Elizabeth II will still remain legal tender, and will co-circulate alongside King Charles notes.
In a statement, the Bank of England said new rounds of notes will only be printed to replace those that are worn and to meet any overall increase in demand.
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"The Washington Post" just did a big story about how skipping walks can "significantly affect your dog's emotional and physical well-being."
The writer's landlord just added a fence to the yard, so she can let her dog outside now. But she found out that's not enough. Those walks are still really important.
Most yards don't offer enough stimulation. They're too small, and everything's too familiar. One expert compared it to reading the same book over and over again, or expecting to have fun while hanging out in your bathroom.
Walks are good for three key reasons: They get some exercise . . . a sense of companionship from you . . . and it gives them the MENTAL stimulation they need.
Ideally, you should never rush your dog through a walk, or force them to stop sniffing that fire hydrant. It's like going to an art museum you're really into, and having someone hurry you along saying, "Let's go!
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A "Harry Potter" fan named her dog Dobby . . . after an elf character in the series. But her fandom goes WAY deeper than that. Because she actually taught him to respond to Harry Potter SPELLS. For instance . . .
"Accio" means "come" because in Harry's world, you say that when you want something to magically come to you.
"Expelliarmus" . . . a spell that disarms a would-be opponent means "drop it."
When Dobby is told to "go to Azkaban," he gets into his crate. Azkaban is a prison in the franchise.
And Dobby plays dead when he hears "Avada Kadavra", which is the KILLING CURSE.
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After re-listing his 38,500-square-foot mansion for a steeper amount in December, Sir Rod Stewart is slashing the asking price.
Back in June he listed his Beverly Hills property for $70 million. He told PEOPLE at the time that he wouldn't "take a penny under what I've asked for." Later in 2023, Stewart re-listed the property with Tomer Fridman of Compass with a $10 million increase.
As of Feb. 14, Stewart's home of more than 30 years is listed for $74 million.
He and his kids really don't want to sell it, but he plans to reside in England as his more permanent home base following the completion of his world tour and Las Vegas residency, which wrapped up in November.
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The Cadbury Bunny tryouts are happening again, and YOUR pet can enter. Just follow Cadbury on Instagram, post a photo, and explain why they're the best. Then tag Cadbury in it, and use the hashtag, "CadburyBunnyContest".
It's the sixth year they've done it, but they're doing a March Madness-style bracket for the first time. Past winners include a few dogs, a frog, and a one-eyed cat named Crash last year.
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There was a story last month about a chain of convenience stores in Kentucky that added disco balls and lights to the bathrooms, so they're like mini dance clubs. Now a couple just got married in one. After exchanging vows, they turned the lights on for their first dance.
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A guy named Anton Nootenboom is raising awareness for men's mental health by walking barefoot across the U.S. from L.A. to New York. He left Santa Monica, California on Saturday.
He calls himself "The Barefoot Dutchman," and he's done something like this before. In 2019, he became the first person to make it to Mount Everest basecamp barefoot.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Neuropsychology has shown that short-term memory lasts 15 to 30 seconds. After that, it either has to be encoded as a long-term memory or it decays.
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