Friday 8/25/23
Celebrate:
Forgive Your Foe Friday
Kiss and Make Up Day
National Banana Split Day
National Park Service Founders Day
National Second-hand Wardrobe Day
National Whiskey Sour Day
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New Movies at the boxoffice this weekend
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story - Racing action movie starring
Thomas Kretschmann, David Harbour, Djimon Hounsou, Orlando Bloom, and more.
The Hill - The remarkable true-life story of Ricky Hill's improbable journey to play Major League Baseball. Starring Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, and Bonnie Bedelia.
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The Moon seems the place to be these days! Russia recently had a failed landing, but India became the fourth country to land on the moon, and the first to land on the moon's south pole, when its lunar rover touched down yesterday. Next, the country will attempt a crewed lunar landing. Japan will attempt its own lunar landing over the weekend.
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If it's oddly quiet at work, here's why: A study found yesterday is the "sickest day of the year" . . when we're most likely to skip out on work.
A company that tracks sick days looked at five years' worth of data. And more people call in sick on August 24th than any other day . . . either because they are sick, or just don't want to be there.
They're not sure why today is #1. But in general, they found more people call in sick in late summer . . . maybe because kids are back in school, and the weather's still nice.
August isn't the sickest MONTH though. That's February when a lot more people tend to actually be sick.
The second sickest day is February 13th, which is close to Valentine's Day AND the Super Bowl. So that might have something to do with it too.
The rest of the top five are October 25th, the week before Halloween . . . December 15th, in the lead-up to Christmas . . . and April 18th for some reason. September 5th also made the Top 10. That's the day after Labor Day this year.
Here are a few more quick stats from the study . . .
1. The most common sick day excuses last year were stomach bugs . . . COVID . . . and anxiety, or mental health days.
2. 26% of Americans didn't take ANY sick days last year. 5% took more than 20.
3. "Calling" in sick is an outdated term. 54% of us usually text now, or send a Slack message. 33% still call . . . 12% send an email . . . and 2% don't even bother telling their boss.
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There are a lot of types of packers: Over-packers . . . light packers . . . last-minute packers.
A new poll asked people how many pairs of UNDERWEAR they pack when they're going on a trip. Specifically, they asked about being gone for SIX nights.
22% of people said SIX pairs of underwear . . . one per day. 36% pack one or two extra, since they don't take up much room.
Some people got excessive: 6% said 12 . . . or two per day . . . and 4% said "more than 12." But hey, if there's one thing you're going to over-pack, it might as well be underwear.
13% of people gave the WRONG answer: FEWER pairs than the number of days. Those include: 5% who will pack five pairs . . . 4% who will pack four . . . and 4% who said "three or fewer."
Men are a LOT more likely to not pack enough underwear. 20% of men pack fewer pairs than the number of days, compared to just 8% of women.
The full demographic of under- underwear packers is: Younger men from the West or Northeast.
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An American Airlines flight from Miami to New York made an emergency landing on Sunday after a passenger gassed the cabin with pepper spray.
It's unclear what happened, but some reports online say a female passenger mistook the pepper spray for hand lotion or sanitizer.
Once the pepper spray got out, a LOT of passengers started coughing, and complaining that their eyes were irritated and even that they COULDN'T SEE.
Naturally, the flight crew was confused, so they asked anyone who knew what was happening to come forward. A woman admitted to using the pepper spray, but claimed it was an accident.
The flight was diverted to Jacksonville, and after it landed, the paramedics were brought in to deal with the passengers who were affected by the spray. It sounds like everyone will be okay.
The woman and her family were escorted off the plane.
Some people onboard claim the spray was NOT an accident . . . and that the woman was having some kind of altercation with another family across the aisle, and sprayed them on purpose. That hasn't been proven.
No one knows how she got the pepper spray on the plane in the first place. You CAN have it in a checked bag . . . as long as it meets TSA requirements . . . but it is NOT allowed in carry-ons or in the cabin. And THIS is why.
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One of the classic gags from "Seinfeld" was Elaine's HORRIBLE dancing. (It's like a full body dry heave set to music)
Well, a Minor League baseball team called the Brooklyn Cyclones holds an annual Elaine dancing contest. This year's competition just went down, and if you've never seen it, you HAVE TO.
In addition to the actual dancing, some contestants even dressed up.
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Chip and Joanna Gaines from the show "Fixer Upper" are developing a roller-dancing reality competition series for Max. It'll feature the best skaters from around the country competing for a cash prize, and it'll debut early next year.
Chip and Joanna issued a statement saying, quote, "Putting on a pair of roller skates is like reuniting with your childhood. There's just something about it that appeals to everyone . . .
"We are so excited to bring this nostalgic competition to life."
(can the writers and actors strike end soon please...)
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - A baseball player named John Miller hit a home run in his first at-bat, with the Yankees in 1966. And he hit another one in his LAST at-bat, with the L.A. Dodgers in 1969. And those were the only two home runs he hit in his whole career.
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