Thursday, March 19, 2020

You Dirty Rat….

A rat carrying a whole Egg McMuffin down a flight of stairs captured the attention of onlookers in New York’s subway system – and a video of it has since gone viral. The Twitter account “Subway Creatures” first shared the clip, writing “And just like that a star was born.” The video has garnered hundreds of comments – most of them positive – with people noting the animal’s hustle and perseverance. “Rats are smart, social beings. She’s bringing the whole thing back to share w/ family. Maybe someone gave her the McMuffin (as it looks intact)?” one Twitter user wrote. Other videos posted online, which were also shot in New York City, have shown rats carrying a bagel, donut, coffee cup, and a slice of pizza. (CNN)

Police ask public not to call 911 if they run out of toilet paper in Oregon

Law enforcement officers in Newport, Oregon wants to remind people their services are limited, and they can’t help you if you are out of toilet paper (police are actually asking people not to call for that reason). The Newport Oregon Police Department made the request on its Facebook page. The post goes on to name all the different ways people throughout history have survived without their favorite two-ply tissues. The police department said they believed callers would survive without police assistance and no toilet paper. They said they would not rush any to the rescue. (Fox News)

Woman licking plane toilet seat for ‘coronavirus challenge’

A woman has been slammed on social media for an alleged “coronavirus challenge” video that has since gone viral. She has been seen as a guest on Dr. Phil and accused of being a “clout-chaser” on social media, has recently gone viral for a bizarre stunt that is getting widely criticized during the global coronavirus pandemic, which is responsible for 68 deaths and at least 3,700 positive cases in the U.S. alone. In the video, which was originally shared to TikTok, the 22-year-old aspiring influencer from Miami is seen licking a toilet seat, allegedly while in a plane bathroom. “Please [retweet] this so people can know how to properly be sanitary on the airplane,” she captioned the 6-second clip. Despite the woman labeling the stunt the “coronavirus challenge,” it does not appear to be an actual social media challenge others are participating in at this time. (Fox News)

Fewer people view the coronavirus pandemic as a real threat, according to a new poll

The poll also found that a majority of Americans have little trust in the information they are hearing from President Trump about the coronavirus, and their confidence in the federal government’s response to it is declining sharply.

• Just 46% of Americans now say the federal government is doing enough to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, down from 61% in February.
• Just 37% of Americans now say they had a good amount or a great deal of trust in what they’re hearing from the president, while 60% say they had not very much or no trust at all in what he’s saying.
• The president rates worst of all groups tested, be it public health officials, state and local leaders or the news media. And more Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the pandemic than approve by a 49%-44% margin. But that does not differ greatly from his overall job approval rating, which stands at 43%.
• Public health officials got the highest level of trust at 84%, followed by those state and local leaders (72%). Americans were split 50% to 47% on whether they can trust information coming from the news media or not. (NPR)

Google said it would increase its reliance on automated systems to moderate content

Normally, this work is typically done by thousands of humans. The company warned that users could see “increased video removals, including some videos that may not violate policies.” During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, many companies are closing their offices and directing their employees to work from home (WFH), schools are moving to online classes and people are quickly adopting social distancing measures. Some users, advertisers, developers and publishers may experience delays in some support response times for non-critical services, which will now be supported primarily through our chat, email, and self-service channels. Google will provide updates if there are additional delays in support over time. (Google)

Airlines seek $50B assistance package

U.S. airlines have asked for more than $50 billion in government assistance as they struggle to cope with plummeting demand due to the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic will drive most airlines worldwide into bankruptcy by the end of May, according to the CAPA Centre for Aviation. The travel industry is reeling, with tour organizations, airlines, hotel groups and cruise companies under siege from customers seeking refunds. (CNBC)

Starbucks offers workers therapy

Starbucks is offering free mental-health services to its front-line workers and their families in what human resources professionals say is one of the most high-profile programs for hourly service workers to date. Starting next month, full and part-time workers and immediate family members can be connected by a third party with counselors in person or online. The chain, with 200,000 baristas and other café workers, said it made the move in response to their feedback on benefits before the coronavirus began spreading. (The Wall Street Journal)

Pie company giving away a toilet paper cake

According to a Facebook post from a pie company in Choctaw, Oklahoma they will be giving away a toilet paper cake. The company, called Katie’s Pies and More, will give away the cake after a few different criteria have been met. One of the criteria is getting 2,000 likes on the post. (Katie’s Pies And More Facebook)

‘Golden unicorn’ dog born with one ear melts hearts around the world

A 12-week-old golden retriever born with one ear is taking the world by storm for her “unicorn horn.” Rae was born with one ear at birth. According to the post, her mother accidentally bit her ear off when she was trying to tear her amniotic sac, causing her other ear to grow on top of her head, but that doesn’t affect her hearing. Her owner says Rae doesn’t let her birth defect hold her back. An Instagram page dedicated to ray shows her running around, playing, and posing for the camera just like any other puppy. (Instagram Page) (CNN)

This Aussie is one reason for the toilet paper shortage

While coronavirus fears have unusually spawned massive hoarding of toilet paper all around the world, one Australian woman can claim she may have something to do with it. Haide Janetzki of Toowoomba went to order some butt paper from the appropriately named website “Who Gives A Crap“. She intended to order 48 rolls of toilet paper, but she got 48 boxes of the product instead. One box has 48 rolls, leaving her with a total of 2,306 rolls. That’s enough paper to last her family for 12 years. And the total cost of her mistaken order: $2,920, plus $358 in postage. She’s not going to wait 12 years to use up the paper product. The woman is selling the toilet paper with a slight mark-up to help raise money for her children’s school trip to Canberra. The money will help offset some of the costs for her and 40 parents who are sending their kids on the trip. The woman can’t help but be the butt of jokes. But she has a good sense of humor. “I’ve been called the Queen of Toilet Paper,” she said. (Channel 7 Australia)

Drunk Man In Underwear Resists Arrest, Get’s Tased

A Virginia man likely didn’t have much dignity left after allegedly fighting with cops — all while only wearing his underwear. A police deputy had to use a Taser to calm down an allegedly intoxicated man. Cops reportedly pulled over a vehicle for a routine traffic stop that evening when they saw another vehicle parked behind their cruiser. Upon approaching that vehicle, its driver allegedly got out and began to strip off his clothes. Cops say while the driver appeared intoxicated and allegedly ran away in only his underwear. The deputy chased the nearly naked man and was able to tackle him. When the man allegedly continued to resist, the officer used the Taser. A police dog sniffed the man’s vehicle and reportedly found packages of marijuana. He faces charges of obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, public intoxication and possession of marijuana. (Fauquier Now)

Todays Reasons To Stay Thirsty:

• Absolutely Incredible Kid Day (3rd Thursday)
• Client’s Day
• Data Innovation Day
• Free Cone Day (Dairy Queen) (First Day of Spring)
• International Astrology Day (Spring Equinox)
• National Certified Nurses Day
• National Chocolate Caramel Day
• National Farm Rescuer Day (Third Thursday)
• National Poultry Day
• Operation Iraqi Freedom Day
• Ostara (Spring Equinox)
• Spring (Vernal Equinox) @ 10:50 pm CDT
• Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day
• World Storytelling Day (Always Spring Equinox)