Friday 4/14/23
Celebrate:
Children With Alopecia Day
Day of Silence
Dreams of Reason Feast Day
Ex-Spouse Day
International Moment of Laughter Day
Look up at the Sky Day
National Dive Bar Day
National Dolphin Day
National Pecan Day
Pan American Day
Pathologists' Assistant Day
Reach as High as You Can Day
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New York City has hired its first-ever rat czar: a former teacher who hates rodents as much as Mayor Eric Adams.
Kathleen Corradi beat out 900 applicants to become the citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation. The job comes with a salary range of $120,000 to $170,000.
The new appointment also comes on the heels of the new garbage collection rules that went into effect this month, which are part of Adams’ push to eradicate rats in the five boroughs. The plan also aims to make city streets cleaner by reducing the amount of time filthy, smelly trash bags can sit on the street.
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At least four of Major League Baseball's 30 teams are allowing alcohol sales through the eighth inning, not just the seventh, to make up for comparatively speedy games thanks to the introduction of time limits between pitches and batters. Erin Payton of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said that no matter when alcohol sales end, "we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game."
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The National Recording Registry just inducted three massively successful projects to be forever etched into American history. Madonna's Like A Virgin, Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You, and the original Super Mario Bros. video game piece, Ground Theme, have all been inducted into the national audio canon. Mario-maker Nintendo made history with its entry as the only video game song to ever be inducted. (Where's the Zelda theme?)
Each year, the Library of Congress makes a selection of audio recordings to be archived after hundreds of options are submitted by the public. In total, 25 pieces were chosen this year, including Queen Latifah's All Hail the Queen. She became the first woman rapper to have her music archived at the Library of Congress.
Some others selected were
"Sherry" by The Four Seasons
Jackie DeShannon "What the World Needs Now is Love"
Bobbie Gentry "Ode to Billie Joe"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Deja Vu"
John Lennon "Imagine"
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"
John Denver "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
Jimmyu Buffett "Margaritaville"
Irene Cara "Flashdance..What a Feeling"
Eurythmics Sweet Dreams
The Police album Synchronicity
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Scientists have found a hidden chapter of Bible text written more than 1,500 years ago. They uncovered the scripture after applying ultraviolet light to a manuscript about ancient Christian stories and hymns housed at the Vatican Library. The page features chapters 11 through 12 from Matthew, providing more details than today's standard gospel text. The man who made the discovery says the Gospel text found in the reused manuscript contains the so-called old Syriac translations of the Gospels.
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NPR said Wednesday it will stop posting fresh content to its 52 official Twitter feeds, citing the social media platform's labeling of the network as "state-affiliated media" then "government-funded news." Twitter uses the term "state affiliated" to describe propaganda outlets from autocratic countries like Russia and China.
NPR CEO John Lansing said the move was necessary to protect the network's credibility so it could continue its journalism without "a shadow of negativity." "The downside, whatever the downside, doesn't change that fact," he said.
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A pair of trainers once worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan has sold for $2.2m at auction, becoming the priciest shoes ever sold.
The signed sneakers - which Sotheby's had estimated would fetch $2m to $4m - are among the most expensive Jordan items auctioned.
A jersey he wore at the 1998 NBA Finals sold in 2022 for $10.1m.
The latest sale seals Jordan's position as the most valuable athlete at auctions for sportswear memorabilia.
The previous record for Jordan shoes was $1.47m for a pair of his Nike Air Ships auctioned in 2021.
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Ever wanted to feel as small as Mario did when confronted by his original, seven-foot tall gorilla nemesis?
On Monday, the Strong National Museum of Play shared its new plans to create an enormous, 20-foot-tall Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. Even though it will be close to four times as big as the 1981 original, the cabinet will indeed be playable, no quarters required.
It will be unveiled on June 30th at the museum in Rochester NY.
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A Monopoly game ended in violence after a man brought out a Japanese katana sword, leaving two men in hospital with serious injuries, one of which was life-threatening, according to reports.
A group of four people was playing the classic board game on April 2 on a sidewalk in Forest, Belgium, when a neighbor came out of his house wielding a stick in his hand, the Belgian newspaper La Libre reported.
La Libre reported that those playing the game and the frustrated neighbor got into a verbal altercation, which prompted the neighbor's son to join the fracas.
It was 5 a.m. and the neighbor was annoyed by how loud the group was being.
The son came out with the sword and one of the players grabbed it damaging the sheath and the blade sliced them both.
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The old farmers almanac newsletter today talked about nasturtiums..anyone else grow them in biology class in high school??? I don't remember why we did..but SCIENCE!!!
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New Movies this weekend
Mafia Mamma - Monica Bellucci and Toni Collette
Renfield - who was Dracula's servant starring Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, and Awkwafina
The Pope's Exorcist - Russell Crowe
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Website TV Insider put out a list of the 10 worst finales, and believe it or not, Seinfeld isn't on it.
1. "Game of Thrones", 2011 - 2019
2. "Gossip Girl", 2007 - 2012
3. "Star Trek: Enterprise", 2001 - 2005
4. "How I Met Your Mother", 2005 - 2014
5. "Quantum Leap", 1989 - 1993
6. "Dexter", 2006 - 2013
7. "Lost", 2004 - 2010
8. "Two and a Half Men", 2003 - 2015
9. "The Sopranos", 1999 - 2007
10. "The Walking Dead", 2010 - 2022
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We learned recently that the HBO Max and Discovery+ teaming up will be called just plain Max.
Some shows were announced as well including more details on the Harry Potter series. It will be a straight-up remake, or, if you prefer, a reimagining of the books, with a brand-new cast and is expected to play out over 10 years.
Plus series based on Conjuring, another Big Bang Theory spinoff with no details, (maybe Sheldon's couch cushion) Robert Dowoney Jr in The Sympathizer, a spinoff of The Batman with Colin Farrell's Penguin, Game of Thrones Prequel, Jodie Foster's True Detective, and an animated Gremlins show.
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Today’s Useless Fact of the Day - The definition of a classic car in most states is a car that was made at least 25 years ago. So a car from 1998 is now technically a classic.
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