Thursday, October 29, 2020

Father reunites with his son after 47 years

A father from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania met his son, who is currently living in Utah, after being separated for almost 48 years. The reunion happened at HIA Airport. A long flight marking the end of a long and emotional journey for this father and son. The son shares the same name as his dad, and the same blood, but one thing they haven’t shared are memories. “Pretty much what I knew about dad was on the birth certificate,” the son said. The last time the two saw each other, the son was only 5-years-old. That was almost 48 years ago. “My mom I guess took off with my two sisters and I the day after Easter I think in 1973,” he said. “I had no warning it was happening,” the father said. As fate would have it, the son would be contacted by his aunt, who found him on Facebook two years ago. She connected the two. Over the years, the father worked in construction and security. The son joined the Air Force and would go on to have 4 kids and 5 grandkids. And, coincidentally, both have been married to the loves of their lives for 31 years. Now the two talk or text each other at least 3-4 times a week. “It’s almost like that puzzle piece that’s missing and kinda fitting into that place,” said the father. “47 years without seeing each other,” the father said. “I am numb.” (Fox 43)

Diet drinks linked to same heart issues as sweetened beverages, study says

Artificially sweetened drinks may not be a healthier option after all, with a new study finding an increased risk of heart issues. Results stemmed from the French NutriNet-Santé study with over 104,000 participants and their dietary records, completed every six months, according to a news release. “Compared to non-consumers, both higher consumers of sugary drinks and of artificially sweetened beverages had higher risks of first incident cardiovascular disease, after taking into account a wide range of confounding factors,” study authors wrote. These incidents were serious, including strokes and heart attacks. After dropping the first three years of a decades-worth of follow-up data to remove biases, researchers found that nearly 1,400 participants had their first case of heart disease. The lead study author said the findings may play a role in regulatory discussions. Study authors called for future investigations to confirm the connection between the drinks and heart disease. (EurekAlert)

Woman allegedly impersonated prosecutor, dropped charges against herself

A New Hampshire woman is accused of pretending to be a prosecutor and submitting paperwork dropping stalking and drug charges against herself, according to an indictment handed down this month. The 33-year-old woman was arrested after she allegedly submitted false documents in three separate court cases last November and December under the guise of a prosecutor. In some instances, she even used the electronic court system to file documents. Officials first became suspicious when a state forensic examiner, who was scheduled to evaluate the woman’s competency for trial, noticed that her charges had been dropped and questioned if they should move forward with the evaluation. The indictment also says she falsified a decision from a retired New Hampshire Supreme Court judge to waive filing fees in a lawsuit she brought against the Hillsborough County government. She’s also accused of filing an order on behalf of a relative to halt guardianship proceedings involving her child. She now faces a charge of false impersonation and six charges of falsifying physical evidence. (WBRZ)

Google announced it will ban election ads after the polls close on November 3rd

The ban will cover ads that mention the election, candidates, and results and it is expected to be enforced for at least a week. Google will implement the ban as part of its Sensitive Events policy in order “to limit the potential for ads to increase confusion post-election.” Google revealed it will partner with the Associated Press to provide election results on the Google search page. Youtube users will be shown a label that takes them directly to the Google search page. Earlier this month, Facebook announced it would ban any ads that refer to political or social events after the polls close to prevent any confusion. In addition, any posts by a candidate who unofficially declares themself the winner will be flagged. Twitter banned all political advertising last year and on Monday put a note on every user’s feed letting them know they may see “unconfirmed claims that voting by mail leads to election fraud.” (The Washington Post)

Some viewers who tuned in to the latest episode of “The Bachelorette” in Detroit, Michigan were shocked to see results mistakenly displayed on screen for next week’s presidential election

As the drama unfolded between Clare and Yosef on the reality show, viewers took to social media to note that WXYZ-TV seemed to accidentally post 2020 election results during the broadcast on the left side of the screen. The display showed President Donald Trump had defeated his opponent, Joe Biden, in the state. It also showed projections for several other local races despite Election Day being less than a week away. WXYZ-TV said in a statement that the results were randomly generated as part of a test of the system they’ll use on the actual Election Day that was mistakenly broadcast during “The Bachelorette.”  “During ‘The Bachelorette,’ WXYZ inadvertently aired an election result graphic as part of our testing of the systems we will use during election night coverage,” the network said in a statement. “The results displayed – the presidential race, the senate race and a number of congressional races to name a few, were part of a test and NOT actual results. In Michigan, no ballots are counted before election day.” The statement continued: “The results displayed were randomly generated by the system we use for testing. We apologize for the error and any confusion it caused. We take this matter very seriously and have taken steps to ensure this will not happen again.” Viewers were confused to see the network saying that, with 100% of the vote reported, Trump had won by 50% over Biden — numbers that could not have been real given a majority of votes have not even been cast yet, let alone counted. (Fox News)

Judge Rules Robert E. Lee Statue In Virginia Can Be Taken Down

The judge’s ruling only allows it to be removed under the governor’s order. A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia can be removed. The judge’s ruling only allows it to be removed under the governor’s order. This legal battle over the statue has been going on for months, since the governor asked for the statue to be taken down. The statue was created in 1890. (The New York Times)

Engaged couples are making several big changes to their wedding celebrations amid pandemic

Out of a survey of 10,000 “to-be-weds”, around 50% of the participating engaged couples from around the globe had said they decided to postpone their wedding day. Meanwhile, in the U.S., that number drops slightly, with only 42% of couples indicating they postponed plans due to COVID-19. Furthermore, 56% of U.S. couples who said they would postpone the big day have already married legally, but intend to celebrate with a reception at a later date to keep their attendees safe. When it comes down to planning a wedding in late 2020 or early 2021, the survey found that 56% of engaged couples from around the world have decided on cutting their guest list by at least one-quarter, on average. Additionally, the wedding resource determined 41% of couples have been maintaining coronavirus-related FAQ sections on either their wedding invitations or website, or, they’ve sent emails to keep guests informed about health and safety protocols. Of those who intend to get married in the U.S., 94% said they would implement measures such as complimentary hand sanitizer and face masks for guests, or that they would be modifying food service, seating arrangements and entertainment options to comply with social distancing guidelines. Technology is also being considered for guests who cannot make it to the in-person celebrations, but would still like to be included in festivities. In the U.S., 43% of U.S. couples are planning to incorporate streaming video, so guests can watch them get married virtually. That number is slightly higher in Canada, with 49% of engaged Canadian couples indicating the same. Streaming a wedding was found to be substantially less popular in western Europe with 6% of engaged couples from Italy showing openness to it, while 9% from Spain, 10% from Portugal and 18% in France showed openness to virtual weddings. (The Knot World Wide)

High School Students Build Tiny Homes For Homeless Veterans

High school students in Kingwood, Texas are using nails and hammers to help veterans. The teens unveiled their second tiny home earlier this week that they have built for a homeless vet. In only 209-square-feet, students were able to fit all the essentials: a bed, dining table and chairs and cabinets. The tiny house is the second built by the architecture and engineering students at KPHS. The home was built for a veteran in need of a place to live. “Being able to pick up a veteran off the street and give him a home to live in and grow is just amazing to me,” one of the students said. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran who received the new home had a stroke two years ago. “It totally upended my life,” the veteran said. “I lost my house, my job and found myself in need. I’d always been independent, a marine, the hero, do things by myself, and then I found myself humbled, so to speak.” He was put in touch with the Students Helping Veterans project. Last year, he was given the project’s first home. For the vet, it was a lifesaver. The students say it is a lot of hard work, and not much fun on days when it’s cold or raining. But getting to see their project finally finished and given to someone who really deserves it – makes it worth it. “At the end of the day we are just kids,” another student said. “ Trying to give back.” The new home will be donated to a veteran and moved to the Langetree Retreat and Ecocenter in Liberty County. (KHOU)

Trump Campaign Site ‘Defaced’ In Apparent Hack

President Trump’s campaign website appeared to have been hacked the other night (10/27), briefly displaying an anti-Trump message and a solicitation for cryptocurrency payments. The message was posted for less than half an hour before the campaign’s website was restored. Whoever posted the message, which used FBI and Department of Justice logos to parody a notice put on websites seized by the U.S. government, claimed to have compromised devices belonging to Mr. Trump and his relatives. The message said the person had obtained evidence that “completely discredits” Mr. Trump, and asked for money to be deposited in either of two Monero cryptocurrency accounts — one under the header “Yes, share the data,” and the other “No, do not share the data.” Monero transactions are difficult to track, making it a favorite cryptocurrency among those seeking to protect their anonymity, including scammers seeking to convince people to send them unrecoverable money. It’s also previously been associated with ransomware attacks and Dark Web illicit markets. Trump campaign spokesperson said in a statement that no data has been stolen. (CNET)

McDonald’s is offering its newest menu items for free with the purchase of a hot and iced coffee via the McDonald’s app

Coffee drinkers can earn an apple fritter, blueberry muffin or cinnamon roll at participating locations once a day, every day, from November 3rd through November 9th. The trio of snacks are the first new baked goods to be permanently added to the U.S. menu in more than eight years, per a McDonald’s press release. McDonald’s is hardly alone in offering free food in a bid to lure customers. Earlier this month, Krispy Kreme shared it would be celebrating Halloween by giving away a free doughnut to any customer who visited a participating location while dressed in costume. And more recently, Wendy’s announced it would be giving away its new(est) chicken sandwich, for a limited time, to anyone who ordered via the chain’s app. (McDonalds)

Billionaire accused of blaring ‘Gilligan’s Island’ theme song on loop at his neighbor

A billionaire is involved in a legal battle with his tech entrepreneur neighbor over a $1 million sculpture and allegations that he blasted the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song on a loop from his house. The man, who is the co-founder of investment firm PIMCO, and his partner installed a large lighted glass art installation on their Laguna Beach, California property along the property line shared with their neighbors, according to a lawsuit filed. They then installed larger poles and a protective net above the installation, and the lawsuit claims the art installation partially blocked their neighbors ocean views. After several months of unsuccessful attempts to discuss the matter with the owners, the neighbors filed a complaint with the city of Laguna Beach in June. The complaint prompted an investigation by the city that determined the installation, netting and lights were a violation of city code and did not have the proper permits, according to the lawsuit. Shortly after, the neighbors allege the owners began retaliating against them by harassing and disturbing them with “loud music and bizarre audio recordings at excessive levels” during various hours of the day and night, including pop or rap music, and often a series of television theme songs, according to the lawsuit, including the “Gilligan’s Island” theme on a loop. (CNN)

Pole-dancing skeletons must be removed, HOA tells homeowner

A Texas woman is refusing to take down her ‘inappropriate’ Halloween decorations after receiving a letter from her local homeowner’s association about the skeletons she has positioned as strippers. She first began posting photos of the “Candy Shop” at her Richmond, Texas, home on October 2 and has been going steady with her updates on how her frightful adult club has been going. The scene has quickly grown from just one dancer to an entire outdoor adult club. A sign at the front of the ‘club’ reads: “Attention patrons! Touching the dancers will result in immediate ejection from the Candy Bar.” And the whole skeletal cast has been named: There is Candy the dancer; John the frequent customer and his wife Millie; Vanessa the waitress; Dalton the security guard, checking IDs; Rico the enthusiastic patron; and the underage McLovins who are unable to get in. She shared that she received a letter telling her that the decorations were “offensively positioned” and that she had 30 days to remove them. Halloween falls before the HOA’s 30-day deadline to remove the decorations. She said that the inspiration for the idea came to them in the early days of the pandemic. No neighbors have actually come up to her to tell her their complaints, she said. (ABC 13)

Drug Testing Data Shows Overdoses, Abuse Up During Pandemic

In the early months of the pandemic, the Overdose Mapping Application Program said suspected overdoses rose by 18% in March, 29% in April, and 42% in May, compared to the same months in 2019. A recent study of nearly 900,000 drug tests found a surge across the board in non-prescription and illicit drug use. Fentanyl, heroin, and opiate positive tests were all up. The study also found an increase in fentanyl getting mixed in with other drugs including: 89% for specimens positive for amphetamines like Adderall; 48% for benzodiazepines like Valium or Xanax; 39% for opiates like oxycontin; and 34% for cocaine. With COVID cases surging, winter on its way, and more people inside and isolating, researchers say it’s important for doctors to be proactive. (American Medical Associatiion)

Thursday Stays Thirsty For:

• Cat Day
• Hermit Day
• International Bandanna Day
• Internet Day
• Oatmeal Day
• Read for The Record Day
• World Psoriasis Day
• World Stroke Day