Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Couple finds more than 66 bottles of Prohibition-era whiskey hidden in the walls of their New York home

When a New York couple was told their over 100-year-old home was built by a notorious bootlegger, they passed it off as small town legend. But during a recent home renovation, the couple discovered something that revealed the legend could be true. In early October, the couple said they found more than 66 bottles of whiskey from the Prohibition-era hidden within the walls and floorboards of their home, which was built in 1915. The couple had been living in the house nestled in the small village of Ames, located about three hours away from New York City, for a little over a year before they decided to begin major renovations two months ago. After was removing outside skirting along the bottom of the mudroom attached to the house, a mysterious package fell out. They went on to find more packages of smuggled whiskey under the floorboards after entering the mudroom through a uncovered hatch inside the floor. The liquor is a brand of Scottish whiskey labeled Old Smuggler Gaelic whiskey, which is still made today. Each bottle was wrapped in tissue paper and straw and bundled in a package of six. The original owner of the house was a German man known as Count Adolph Humpfner. After researching newspaper articles and various legal websites, the couple found out that Humpfner was known to be a man of mystery in the town and took part in many scandals. He died a sudden death and left behind the smuggled liquor, as well as a heavily disputed fortune. The series of discoveries have led the couple to continue documenting their home renovation on social media. Followers have reached out to participate in learning new history about the home and its bootlegging owner. The couple plans to leave the bottles they found empty or evaporated preserved in the home and sell the bottles they found full. The full bottles are estimated to be worth around $1,000 each. The couple said they will keep one of the full bottles of whiskey to taste test. (Bootlegger Bungalow Facebook)

A thief in Virginia is disguising himself as an Amazon delivery driver and stealing packages from people’s porches, police say

Police in Richmond, Virginia, said they were searching for a man dressed as an Amazon delivery driver who was stealing packages from doorsteps rather than dropping them off. Wearing a vest that looked similar to ones worn by Amazon delivery drivers, the man had been stealing packages for a few days, the department said. He walked up to homes with a dummy box, and exchanged it for full boxes, police said. Police released a blurry photo of the alleged thief, although it was difficult to identify the person. He wore a blue Amazon delivery vest, along with gloves, a hat, and a face-covering. He appeared to have sunglasses on. He carried a small box, which appeared to be empty. After stealing packages, he made his getaways in a blue car, possibly a Nissan Sentra, officers said. He did not have an Amazon truck, they said. (Richmond, Virginia Police Department Twitter)

Ahead of young girl’s 48th surgery, friends surprise her outside hospital window

An 11-year-old female patient looked confused and then broke into a smile when she realized what was happening just outside her window from a children’s hospital room in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. A crowd held up posters and the letters spelling out, “We Love You Ryan.” Just 30 minutes ahead of the latest surgery, the young girl, who was born with spina bifida, had friends crowding onto the ninth floor of the parking garage at Norton Children’s Hospital to wish her well. “It doesn’t take a lot, and what did we do today? We gave time. We all have time,” said the organizer and longtime family-friend. She knew if the little girl could just see them and hear them, those few minutes could be enough to lift the little girl’s spirits. While the girl is so young, this marked her 48th surgery. It also marked the first time many of those friends couldn’t line the hallways of the hospital to wish her well. And with her fierce determination, friends say the next time they’ll be cheering her on won’t be from a parking garage, but a crowded auditorium. The young girl has been hospitalized for the past seven weeks, but friends and family are hopeful if this surgery goes well, she could be home for the holidays. (WLKY)

New blood test may be able to detect 50 types of cancer

The U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) will pilot a simple blood test that may detect more than 50 types of cancer and could help thousands of people by allowing the disease to be treated more successfully at an earlier stage. The Galleri blood test, developed by Californian health care company Grail, will be piloted with 165,000 patients. Researchers hope the blood test will be particularly useful in identifying types of cancer that are currently difficult to diagnose and treat early. The pilot program, due to start in mid-2021, will involve 165,000 people, including 140,000 aged from 50 to 79 who have no symptoms but will have annual blood tests over three years. The remaining 25,000 participants will be people with possible cancer symptoms who will be offered the blood test to speed up their diagnosis after they are referred to a hospital in the normal way, the news release said. Results are expected by 2023, after which it is hoped 1 million people could receive the test by 2025, expanding this to the wider population thereafter. Grail, whose work is focused on detecting cancer early, is backed by investors, including tech billionaire Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Pharma Times)

A group of five Florida women broke a Guinness World Record when they collectively walked 2.04 miles barefoot over a pile of Lego bricks

Katie Wells, founder and CEO of lifestyle website Wellness Mama, gathered friends Ashley, Savanna, Grace and Cat to break the record for farthest distance traveled by walking barefoot on Lego bricks by a relay team in 1 hour. Each woman had to complete a minimum 20 laps on the 32.8-foot track in the one hour time limit to break the record, and they exceeded their own expectations by achieving a total distance of 2.04 miles on the track. The Lego track was created at a gym in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. The attempt was verified by a Guinness adjudicator who attended the attempt virtually. Medical professionals were on scene to make sure everything was performed to Guinness specifications. (Guinness World Records)

Classes Canceled in Baltimore County After Cyber Attack

Classes have been canceled for students in a Baltimore County, Maryland school district that is the victim of a ransomware attack. Baltimore County Public Schools said that it will be closed for students this week so that staff can continue working to set up an “instructional platform.” The ransomware attack has left 115,000 students without classes as the district shifted to remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Baltimore County Police Department is investigating the cyber attack. A state audit released this week concluded that the school district’s computer network did not safeguard sensitive personal information and had other serious risks. (NBC Washington)

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Bodybuilder finally marries sex-doll fiance after Covid delay

Kazakh bodybuilder and self-proclaimed ‘sexy maniac’ Yuri Tolochko has finally tied the knot with sex-doll bride ‘Margo’ in a silicone ceremony after months of Covid-related hindrances. Tolochko, who proudly identifies as a ‘pervert’, announced he planned to take his rubber romance to the next step in May 2019 and wed Margo, whom he treats like a real-life woman. Their plans hit a snag due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stop the man, who also goes by the alter ego name ‘Odd Jack’, from wedding his plastic partner. He finally got his wish of walking her down the aisle, quite literally, and shared a video putting a ring on Margo’s finger in front of an array of joyous guests. The two shared a kiss in the small ceremony and even a first danceto the music Maroon 5’s ‘Sugar’ and confusingly titled “It happened… to be continued” even the the video finishes with a slide spelling out ‘The End’. The bizarre stop has even spawned an Instagram page for Margo where she shares details of their raunchy relationship, including plans for their big day, with has now become a reality. (RT)

CDC Admits Their Numbers on COVID Are off by a Huge Amount

According to the Center for Disease Control, many more millions of Americans so far have caught the COVID-19 and they now say it could be as high as 1/3 of the country. The record surge in coronavirus cases across the US is likely far worse, with an estimated eight infections unreported for every one infection counted, according to a government report,  which would put the true tally closer to 100 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calculated that by the end of September there had really been as many as 53 million Americans contract the deadly bug — just under eight times the confirmed cases reported at the time. Of those, the CDC believes about 45 million were sick at some point and about 2.4 million were hospitalized. (The New York Post)

More restaurants fight shutdowns

Restaurant operators and industry groups are pushing back against new rounds of coronavirus-related restrictions, with some owners defying shutdown orders by staying open. Lawsuits have been filed against the restrictions, and rallies have been held in Pennsylvania, New York City and Illinois calling for dining rooms to stay open. The U.S. hospitality industry has largely adapted to shifting city and state rules, and some restaurants have managed to pivot by embracing outdoor and offsite dining as well as investing in digital experiences. (The Wall Street Journal)

Monolith mystery deepens as Utah desert object vanishes

A state crew that buzzed through the wilderness, counting bighorn sheep from a helicopter, found the alien-looking object on November 18th and touched off international sci-fi speculation. The riddle in the desert, twice as tall as an average adult, drew scores of the curious to see it, even though its exact location was not made public, according to accounts on social media. No one seems to know where it went. Neither the federal Bureau of Land Management nor the state’s Department of Public Safety said they had any idea. “We have received reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the ‘monolith’ has been removed from Bureau of Land Management public lands by an unknown party,” the state agency posted on Saturday on its website. (Reuters)

WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES!!

Scotland becomes first country to make tampons and pads available for free

Scotland has become the first country to allow free and universal access to menstrual products, including tampons and pads, in public facilities, a landmark victory for the global movement against period poverty. The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of the Period Products bill last week, months after lawmakers had initially signaled their support. It means period products will be available to access in public buildings including schools and universities across Scotland. According to the new rules, it will be up to local authorities and education providers to ensure the products are available free of charge. The bill’s accompanying financial memorandum estimates it could cost around £8.7 million (nearly $12 million) a year by 2022, depending on the number of women who will take advantage of the free products. The new law was praised by a number of equality and women’s rights groups as well as politicians from across the parties represented in the Scottish Parliament. One in 10 girls in the United Kingdom have been unable to afford period products, according to a 2017 survey from Plan International UK. The survey also found that nearly half of all girls aged 14 to 21 are embarrassed by their periods, while about half had missed an entire day of school because of them. Scotland’s move follows a string of recent attempts to tackle period poverty in the country. (BBC)

Nurse put on leave in Oregon after TikTok video mocking coronavirus precautions

A Salem, Oregon, nurse has been placed on leave following a social media uproar over a TikTok video mocking COVID-19 precautions, hospital officials say. “When my coworkers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have playdates,” read a caption on the video in which the nurse, wearing scrubs and a stethoscope, lip-syncs to a song from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. The woman’s video and account have since been deleted, but the video was captured by other TikTok users. Salem Health said in a Facebook post the nurse had been put on administrative leave pending an investigation, calling the video a “cavalier disregard for the seriousness of the pandemic”. (KPTV)

Tuesday Shakes Down:

• Antartica Day
• Basketball Day
• Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day
• Civil Air Patrol Day
• Clark Kent’s Birthday (Superman)
• Day With(out) Art Day
• Eat a Red Apple Day
• Giving Tuesday (The day after Cyber Monday)
• Pie Day
• Rosa Parks Day
• World Aids Day
• World Trick Shot Day (First Tuesday)