Thursday, November 12, 2020

Mountain Dew Is Releasing an Official Cookbook with Plenty of Green-Hued Recipes

In celebration of their 80th birthday, Mountain Dew is releasing its first-ever cookbook: The Big Bold Book of MTN DEW Recipes. Billed as “a compilation of fan-made, fan-inspired, and fan-favorited creations from some of the most imaginative culinary minds on the planet,” the 96-page tome has nearly 40 recipes “ranging from the quick and easy two-ingredient cupcake treats, to the advanced Code Red Brisket that will entice any BBQ pitmaster.” The six chapters of recipes include “Bada$$ Breakfasts,” “Dippin’ with Dew,” “Dew Does Dinner,” “Satisfying Sides,” “Dang Good Desserts,” and “Liquid Legends”—resulting in everything from grilled cheese to Dew-infused pickles, holiday recipes and far more legit MTN DEW cocktails than most people are probably used to making. There’s even a cross-brand PepsiCo collab with Cheetos for some Flamin’ Hot-crusted mozzarella bites. And yes, plenty of the dishes come in a delightful green hue. (Food and Wine)

A 2,000-pound great white shark just took a pit stop near Miami, Florida

In a journey already spanning 103 days, the shark has traveled 13,066 miles from the coast of Canada on a route that will eventually lead to the Gulf of Mexico. OCEARCH, a non-profit organization, has been tracking the shark’s journey since it was discovered on September 29, 2019. In an announcement on social media, the organization confirmed the shark’s spotting in Miami. Researchers hope that the shark’s travels will lead to more discoveries of great white sharks. They are classified as a vulnerable population by the World Wildlife Fund, just one step away from endangered. (WSOC)

U.S. allows emergency use of first COVID-19 antibody drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an emergency use authorization for pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody therapy. The approval expands COVID-19 treatment options and gives doctors the ability to give it to high-risk patients who require hospitalization. The U.S. will start distributing the drug to state health departments this week. Earlier this year, the U.S. government agreed to pay Eli Lilly $375 Million Dollars for 300,000 vials of its antibody, should it be approved by the FDA. The government has the option to purchase an additional 650,000 vials for $812.5 Million Dollars. (Reuters)

One of the Terms of Service For Starlink is that You “Recognize Mars as a Free Planet”

In May of 2019, SpaceX began launching its Starlink constellation with the launch of its first 60 satellites. To date, the company has launched over 800 satellites and is producing them at a rate of about 120 a month. By late 2021 or 2022, Elon Musk hopes to have a constellation of 1,440 satellites providing near-global service and perhaps as many as 42,000 providing internet to the entire planet before the decade is out. As of November 2020, SpaceX has invited participants to take part in a public beta test called “Better Than Nothing.” The service is providing users with a modest rate of between 50 to 150 megabits per second, a far cry from the gigabit download speeds at low latency they hope to offer. But perhaps more interesting is the small item in the terms of service, where participants must acknowledge that Mars is a “free planet.” On a message board posted to Starlink’s official Reddit account (on Wednesday, Oct. 28th), they attached the full terms of service document that users must sign to become involved in the “Better than Nothing” beta test. (Reddit)

NASA has certified Elon Musk’s SpaceX to carry astronauts, ending its reliance on Russia

NASA announced that it had certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket to carry U.S. astronauts to and from orbit, the first new craft to be certified by the agency “since the space shuttle nearly 40 years ago.” In a statement, NASA Administrator remarked on the milestone given to SpaceX, noting how it will advance the commercialization of space. The certification marks a historic milestone for both NASA and SpaceX. NASA, under the Commercial Crew program, supplied most of the funding used to develop Crew Dragon over the last six years and conduct hundreds of tests. (NASA)

Oklahoma state senator charged with manslaughter in crash

An Oklahoma state senator from Tulsa was charged with first-degree manslaughter after authorities say she was speeding and driving recklessly when her vehicle skidded off a rain-slickened road and crashed into a man’s disabled vehicle, killing him. The 29-year-old Democratic Senator Alison Ikley-Freeman was seriously injured in the May crash, was charged in Lincoln County. According to a state trooper who investigated, she was traveling 91 mph in a 75 mph zone in rainy conditions on the Turner Turnpike. The victim, whose vehicle had skidded off the road earlier and was stuck in a ditch, died at the scene. The patrol reported the State Senator was trapped in the wreckage for 40 minutes. She was operating the vehicle in “complete disregard for the motoring public” and was committing several misdemeanors when the accident occurred, including speeding, reckless driving, driving too fast for the weather and failing to stay in a single lane, the Oklahoma State Trooper wrote in an affidavit. If convicted of first-degree manslaughter, the State Senator faces between four years to life in prison. She was elected in a special election in 2017, lost her reelection bid last week. (News 9)

School lunch company produced juice with high levels of arsenic and toxins

A company that supplied a federal school lunch program sold juice with high levels of arsenic and used rotten fruit in their product, the Food and Drug Administration charged in a new lawsuit. In the suit, which was filed in federal court in Washington state against the company Valley Processing, food safety inspectors said they found high levels of arsenic in 17 batches of apple juice and two batches of pear juice during a 2019 inspection. Investigators also found high levels of a toxin produced by rotting or moldy apples and pears in the company’s juice, according to the report. Instead of fixing the problem, according to the suit, the company changed its standards and produced more juice that had been made from rotting fruit. FDA inspectors saw more than 40 rotting apples pass through a sorting process while observing the company, according to the suit. The company has ceased its operations prior to the lawsuit, according to the report. (The New York Times)

CDC investigates E. coli outbreak potentially linked to romaine lettuce

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched an investigation into a multi-state outbreak of E. coli potentially linked to contaminated romaine lettuce after 12 people fell ill, with five requiring hospitalization. The investigation may be related to Tanimura & Antle lettuce, which was recalled on November 6. The company recalled its packaged single-head romaine lettuce after Michigan officials identified E. coli 0157:H7 in routine sampling. This strain of E. coli can cause diarrheal illness, often accompanied with bloody stools. While most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, others can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. No deaths have been reported, but consumers are advised not to eat, sell or serve Tanimura & Antle’s recalled packaged single head romaine lettuce. The lettuce was packed on Oct. 15-16, 2020, with UPC number: 0-27918-20314-9. According to the recall notice, a total of 3,396 cartons of potentially affected product were distributed in stores located in Alaska, Oregon, California, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, Montana, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New Mexico, South Carolina, Washington, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico and Illinois. The health agency said people usually get sick from E. coli an average of two to four days after consuming contaminated products, but it could be as many as eight days later. The CDC is asking consumers who develop symptoms to contact a health care provider and write down what they consumed in the week before getting sick. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

**WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES!**

Nude woman caught touching herself outside chicken shop found ‘committing same offence’

A 38-year-old woman who was arrested for public masturbation just a few weeks ago has been arrested again for the same offense. She was completely naked when she was seen thoroughly enjoying herself by passers-by outside a chicken shop in St Petersburg, Florida. According to the St Petersburg police arrest paperwork, the woman showed no sign of being drunk or under the influence of drugs, and there was no evidence of mental health issues. Nevertheless, she was observed outside Popeye’s Fried Chicken at 10am entirely naked and touching herself. Arresting officers “also witnessed the defendant masturbating in front of the dumpster completely naked,” and later examination of the CCTV footage from Popeye’s meant that she was “observed on security cameras masturbating while fully naked” there as well. The woman was previously arrested on September 30 for masturbating outside a 7-11 convenience store a short distance away from where today’s offense took place. On that occasion, she was allegedly spotted at about 11am “continuously rubbing her vagina” outside a supermarket in front of a child. The woman, who was said to be “smirking” at the time of that first incident, was reportedly observed by the child’s uncle, who “video recorded the incident” and showed the evidence to the arresting officers. (Daily Star)

Texas boy wins first place in national mullet championship

Not everyone agrees on the winner of the 2020 presidential election but the results of the USA Kids Mullet Championship have, at least for now, not been contested. After authenticating some 20,000 votes to confirm there was no cheating or hacking of the system, MulletChamp.com confirmed Jaxson Crossland, an 8-year-old boy from Celeste, Texas, as the winner. The young boy will receive a $500 cash price and has already become a local celebrity in his hometown. Children from across the country submitted photos of their mullets, ranging from Jaxson’s curly mullet to the freedom flapper, modern mullet and Tennessee top hat. The submissions received more than 20,000 votes and 50,000 reactions on social media. On October 27, Jaxson was crowned the winner of the 2020 Kids Mullet Championships contest. (USA Mullet Championships)

America’s surprise startup boom

Despite the recession and the ongoing pandemic crisis, America is in the midst of an unexpected startup boom. While new business applications collapsed when the coronavirus first hit, just six weeks later, the numbers started rising, with the third quarter of 2020 producing the highest number of applications on record. Many who found themselves freshly out of work jumped on opportunities provided by the pandemic, putting the U.S. ahead of its European counterparts in terms of business creation, though with a notably higher rate of unemployment. (NPR)

After strengthening into a hurricane again, Eta is headed for Florida’s Gulf Coast

Meteorologists said that Eta could bring heavy downpours, strong winds, dangerous flash flooding, and landslides to the Tampa Bay area. In its latest update, the National Hurricane Center said that Eta has sustained winds of 75 mph, which makes it a Category 1 hurricane. Eta is expected to make landfall early today. It will head northeast into the Atlantic late on Thursday or early Friday, the NHC said. Residents should prepare for dangerous twisters, forecasters said. Eta is the 12th major storm to hit the U.S. this season, an all-time record. Eta made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 last week, killing 150 people in several Central American countries, as well as Mexico. (Tampa Bay Times)

Fishing friends come to rescue of monkey struggling to swim

A group of friends out fishing in Brazil ended up acting as a taxi service for a monkey that was stranded away from shore. The group of men said they were camping and fishing in Tres Vendas, Rio Grande do Sul, when they spotted a monkey swimming nearby and noticed the primate was showing signs of fatigue and could be in danger of drowning. A video of the encounter shows the men extend an oar to the monkey, which holds onto the offered support as the boat ferries it to shore. The footage shows the men help the monkey reach a tree at the shoreline, where it climbs to safety. The men said the animal is believed to be an endangered bugio, also known as a howler monkey. (UPI)

Thursday Punches Out With:

• Chicken Soup For The Soul Day
• Domino Day
• Fancy Rat & Mouse Day
• French Dip Day
• Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day
• World Pneumonia Day