Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Mayor condemns photo of fire chief posing with woman covered with sushi

The Mayor of San Antonio, Texas condemns a photo of San Antonio’s Fire Chief posing next to a woman whose nude body is covered with sushi, flowers and leaves. In the photo, the Fire Chief is holding chopsticks and kneeling next to the woman who’s lying on a table with sushi on her body. “The scene in that photo is counter to the standards and values that we expect from the city of San Antonio organization,” said the Mayor. The Fire Chief was off duty and was not in uniform when the photo was taken in January at a birthday party for a San Antonio firefighter who’s been battling colon cancer. The chief apologized to those who were offended by the picture. “I didn’t go out there to offend anyone. I didn’t go out there to objectify women. I went out there to support one of my beloved firefighters who has been struggling with cancer for years,” the Fire Chief said. The City Manager has called for an investigation into the incident which occurred in January at a birthday party for a firefighter. (San Antonio Express News)

Two holocaust survivors have been reunited after 70 years

The two families hail from the same Polish town. Both crossed into the Soviet Union to flee the Nazis and ended up in a camp in Austria, where the two became close friends. In September, the 83-years-old who lives in Philadelphia heard the name of her friend being called out during a Yom Kippur service held via Zoom. “I said to myself, could that possibly be?” she asked. After doing some digging, she found that it was indeed her childhood friend and the two met in East Brunswick, N.J., earlier this month. “It’s 70 years and I was a child. … So I called it a miracle, because I don’t see any other way that humans can organize such an event and make everything come together,” said the 79-year-old friend. (Today)

AstraZeneca announced its COVID-19 vaccine candidate produced a similar immune response in both older and younger adults

The news comes just days after U.S. health regulators gave the company permission to resume trials following a brief pause. AstraZeneca has been working with the University of Oxford on a potential vaccine and its candidate is considered one of the most advanced. The company had to suspend trials in the U.S. in September after a participant developed a neurological condition. Despite only receiving permission to resume trials in the United States, last week, the company had already continued trials in countries such as the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil. (CNBC)

Man with ninja-style outfit, weapons seen walking streets of North Little Rock

A man equipped with ninja-style clothing and weapons has been seen walking the streets of downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas. The man was recently spotted walking along Broadway and Main streets, a busy area with numerous restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. He was dressed in black and wearing a mask, gloves and arm gauntlets with two swords strapped to his back and a three-pronged melee weapon called a “sai” strapped to his leg. North Little Rock police spokesman said that despite the man’s attention-grabbing appearance, there’s no need to be concerned. “He does it for fun,” he said. “And people get a kick out of it, seeing him on the side of the road.” The man even has a superhero-esque name for himself, “Shadow Vision.” Police described him as friendly and talkative. He said the man happily poses for photos with onlookers. He’s been roaming North Little Rock for a couple months. The Police spokesman said he did not know the man’s real identity. He said that police have received no complaints about the man. (KATV)

Tesla has recalled 50,000 cars in China that were manufactured in the United States

The Chinese authorities have ordered Tesla to replace the linkages of the cars’ suspension. All cars recalled were produced at Tesla’s main facility in Fremont, California. It is unclear if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require a similar recall in the United States. Reports of problems with the suspension on Tesla cars are not new. Earlier this month, a Swiss owner of a Tesla Model S 90D was driving at 125 mph on the Autobahn when he heard a loud pop. He reported seeing heavy smoke before his steering wheel locked, and he lost full control of the car. The issue was revealed to be a broken suspension linkage. Tesla refused to cover the $8,223.38 repair cost despite the vehicle having been driven less than 50,000 miles.  Following setbacks with European manufacturing, Tesla will ship cars made in China to Europe. (CNBC)

Colleges confront a financial crisis

The pandemic has dramatically upended college life, and as the crisis lingers, U.S. schools are considering deep cuts to areas once deemed sacrosanct. Institutions like the University of California, Berkeley, and Ohio Wesleyan University are implementing profound changes amid massive budget shortfalls. Colleges are contemplating cutting tenured teaching positions, pausing admissions on Ph.D. programs, eliminating majors, furloughing departments and eliminating jobs. The pandemic has cost colleges about $120 billion, due to plummeting enrollment rates and soaring pandemic-related costs like testing and tracing. (The New York Times)

Who wants a bite out of Dunkin’?

Arby’s parent, Inspire, is in talks to buy Dunkin’ Brands, which owns the coffee-and donut-chain Dunkin’ as well as Baskin-Robbins. The deal would take the company private at an implied valuation of $8.8 billion. The chain has been boosted as customers have flocked to its online ordering and drive-through services over the pandemic. Last year, it dropped “Donut” from its name to focus on coffee and compete more directly with Starbucks. (The Wall Street Journal)

‘Pandemic fatigue’ is taking hold

As governments on both sides of the Atlantic ramp up restrictions again in the face of a resurgence in new COVID cases, some say they are being met with “pandemic fatigue” on the part of the public. Health care and other frontline workers, as well as families, are struggling to respond. While Gallup polls show an increase in the number of people who say they wear masks in public, for example, the proportion of those avoiding gatherings with family and friends is diminishing — along with those who continue to wear masks at such gatherings. (All Sides)

Los Angeles plans to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing overpass

The 165-feet-wide bridge over the 101 freeway will allow mountain lions living in isolated pockets of wilderness to mix up with other mountain lions, hence increasing genetic diversity. “They are becoming genetically isolated, because animals cannot move into the small islands of habitat that are created by our freeways,” said a spokesperson of the National Wildlife Federation. The bridge will also help reduce the number of mountain lions that are run over by cars, more than 300,000 vehicles pass through the area every day, while allowing them to flee wildfires. Construction of the $87m project is expected to start next year. (Fast Company)

According to a study, water may be more widely distributed on the moon than previously thought

Astronomers used to believe that water only existed in shadowed areas near the poles, but the latest research indicates that there is also water on the sunlit surfaces. The discovery reveals that water might be distributed across the lunar surface and not limited to the cold shadowed places near the lunar poles, where we have previously discovered water ice. Decades of previous research already strongly supports the existence of water on the Moon, but this pair of studies reveals new insights about the whereabouts, properties, and possible extent of this valuable resource. The results suggest that some 40,000 square kilometers of the Moon’s surface may contain water ice, about twice what was previously estimated. For reference, the Moon’s total surface area is about 38 million kilometers, so the vast majority of its terrain is bone-dry as a result of searing temperatures during the two-week-long lunar day. The detection is particularly interesting because it shows that water can survive on parts of the sunlit Moon. (Nature Astronomy)

Wendy’s is giving away new chicken sandwich for free for 2 weeks

Wendy’s really wants people to try its new chicken sandwich. After releasing the “Classic Chicken Sandwich” last week, the fast food chain has announced that people can get it for free for the next two weeks.  Wendy’s announced the promotion which will run through November 8, 2020. In order to get a free “Classic Chicken Sandwich,” fans just have to make any purchase through the Wendy’s mobile app or at the restaurant. Those who purchased the new chicken sandwich are eligible to get two free sandwiches – one each week for the two weeks the promotion is running. After the promotion ends, the “Classic Chicken Sandwich” will return to its previously estimated price of $4.99, depending on location. (Today)

Harley-Davidson launching new company for retro bike

Harley-Davidson is known for its old-school bikes, but its latest one takes the cake. It’s an electric bicycle inspired by the brand’s very first motorcycle from 1903. The retro ride will be the first from a new e-bike company called “Serial 1 Cycle Company” that Harley-Davidson is launching in the spring. Harley-Davidson will hold a minority stake in the company, which it describes as an outsourced effort to expand into the segment. Pricing and technical details will be revealed in November, but the bike features a black frame, white wheels, a leather seat and a toothed rubber belt instead of a chain. It won’t be Harley-Davidson’s first foray into battery-powered bikes, however. The brand launched the all-electric Livewire motorcycle last year. (Harley-Davidson)

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds, but what about elections or COVID-19?

A man in Washington, Missouri says he’s been waiting for weeks for items he sent to be delivered and a recent search found the packages collecting dust at a United States Postal Service facility in Hazelwood, Missouri. He said his delivery is at a standstill regarding packages he sent through USPS. He’s a vintage record dealer, selling them through eBay for the last 20 years out of his Washington, Missouri home. He says during that time he’s rarely had any issues with shipping, until now.  With so many people voting by mail, there’s plenty of people with anxiety about their ballots getting lost in the mix. Tracking numbers for packages that should be headed out of state shows they’ve been sitting at the Hazelwood Regional Distribution Center since September. “If eBay decides it’s taking too long, the buyer gets a 100% refund,” he said. He’s already had to pay one customer back for a package that’s still sitting at the facility. And if the other two don’t get delivered soon, he’ll have to refund those purchases as well. He contacted local media outlets about the issue and they reached out to USPS. A representative said they are looking into this issue. The USPS has reported delays in postal service across the nation because of the pandemic. They reported that 27 percent of track mail was considered late. (KMOV)

Wednesday Whips It All With:

• Champagne Day (US Champagne Bureau)
• Chocolate Day
• First Responders Day
• Internal Medicine Day
• St. Jude’s Day