Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Man arrested after attempting to rob exactly three tacos from an Akron Taco Bell

A 36-year-old man was arrested in Akron, Ohio after he attempted to rob a Taco Bell of exactly three tacos, according to the Akron Police Department. Officers responded to the Taco Bell for a parking complaint. While police were on scene and waiting for vehicles to be moved, an employee walked out and told police that an attempted robbery had just occurred inside, police said. The employee told police that a man had entered the restaurant, walked up to the front counter and demanded three tacos. The man told employees he had a gun and would shoot them as he reached into his coat, according to police. Police said the man left without any tacos. Officers searched the area and found the man outside of the back of the restaurant and detained him. Police did not find a gun in their search, and the man was arrested and charged with robbery. (News 5 Cleveland)

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

Moroccan woman ‘kills lover, serves cooked genitals to tradies as treat’ in UAE

A 30-year-old Moroccan woman is accused of murdering her lover when she found he was planning to marry someone else, and then cutting off his private parts and serving them to builders as a treat. The horrific allegations were made against her claiming she alleged to have turned the man’s genitals into a traditional Arabian dish known as a “Machboos”. A Machboos is enormously popular in the Arabic world and is even the national dish of Bahrain. It is similar to the Indian biryani with a lot of rice and meat, typically chicken. The couple had reportedly been together for seven years and the relationship ended when the man, who was 10 years younger than the woman, suddenly revealed he was planning to marry someone else in Morocco. The woman allegedly flew into a rage and then murdered him before cooking his private parts up in the dish. She said the rest of his body had then been fed to the dogs who were also allowed to gnaw on his bones, according to a court report. The efforts to dispose of the body was so complete, that when the man’s brother turned up at the house looking for him, the only thing that seemed to be left was a tooth that was found in the blender. The woman allegedly confessed to murder and was taken to a hospital in order for her psychological condition to be examined. (7 News)

North Carolina firefighters dispatched to restaurant discover it isn’t on fire, just making 10,000 wings

Firefighters reporting to a call about a fire at a restaurant discovered that the smoke reported by a passerby wasn’t the result of a fire, but rather 10,000 chicken wings the eatery’s staff was preparing for Super Bowl orders the next day. Workers at Ronni’s Pizza in Clemmons, North Carolina, said a motorist called the fire department after seeing a plume of smoke coming from the restaurant on February 6th. In a Facebook post, the Lewisville Fire Department later clarified that, no, the restaurant wasn’t actually on fire. “While it looked bad when we got there, turns out their hardworking staff were just preparing roughly 10,000 chicken wings for Super Bowl Sunday. We are very fortunate that this was the outcome,” the fire department added. “Everyone be safe and enjoy the big game!” The restaurant, which bills itself as “home of the Buffalo wings,” thanked the firefighters who came out. “They made sure all was well, we fed them, and got a few laughs and a great picture,” the restaurant wrote on social media. (Lewisville, North Carolina Fire Department)

Pirate skeletons found in 1717 shipwreck off coast of Cape Cod

At least six more pirate skeletons have been discovered in a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod, investigators announced recently. The remains were unearthed from the wreck site of the legendary pirate ship, The Whydah, which went down off of Wellfleet in 1717, according to the investigative team from the Whydah Pirate Museum. They were identified in several large concretions and are currently being examined. The concretion holding the remains of the original Whydah pirate is now on display at the Whydah Pirate Museum on Cape Cod. (WHDH)

Toyota announced it will launch three new electric vehicles in the U.S. market

Two of the models will be electric, and the third will be a plug-in hybrid. The automaker plans to start selling the vehicles next year. The new vehicles are part of Toyota’s plan to launch 10 new EVs globally in the “early 2020s.” Toyota currently sells hybrids/plug-in hybrids such as the Prius and Rav4. It also sells the Toyota Mirai, a fuel cell car. The automaker has said all of its Toyota and Lexus models will have an electric option by 2025. It’s currently working on an electric battery called e-TNGA. Toyota projects EVs will account for 40% of its new vehicle sales in 2025. The automaker anticipates that number will jump to 70% by 2030. (The Verge)

Tennessee lawmakers have filed legislation which would allow fathers of an unborn child to petition the court if the mother of their child is planning an abortion

SB494/HB1079 is sponsored by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Representative Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) in their respective chambers, the bill states “A person may petition a court with jurisdiction over domestic relations matters to request an injunction to prohibit a woman who is pregnant with the person’s unborn child from obtaining an abortion.” The petition would then be served to the woman and a hearing date set where both the parties may present evidence of their case. An injunction stopping the woman from having an abortion would be issued if the father of the unborn child proves he his the biological father -although the bill states DNA evidence is not needed, and proves the woman will likely seek an abortion. If a judge decides to issue an injunction, the woman would be unable to have an abortion and could face legal penalties. The bill states “Upon violation of an injunction issued pursuant to this section, the court may hold the respondent in civil or criminal contempt and punish the respondent in accordance with the law.” Hearings for the injunction would have to be held within 14 days after the petition is filed. (News Channel 9)

Bumble bans porn star, she says it’s because of her line of work

Bunny Colby, the 28-year-old adult film actress, says she was banned from Bumble because of her job. Bumble, which was created by a female and claims to be female-friendly, told Colby she had been kicked off for engaging in commercial activity Colby said that wasn’t true, but Bumble didn’t reinstate her account. Colby believes she is being discriminated against and all she did was include her Instagram handle on her profile, something many people do on dating apps. Colby has been nominated for adult film awards, though her bio simply read: “Cat lady. Internet person. Nice people only.” Colby told Bumble: “You are targeting sex workers unfairly even when they adhere to your TOS.” She wasn’t trying to sell anything, only to find love, or something like that. “The assumption that even a full-service sex worker would be on that app just to do sex work is wrong. Those people can also want authentic relationships, which is what Bumble says it exists for,” she said. (The Daily Beast)

If your team is down, this may help

The pandemic has taken a toll on our mental health and, as a result, many companies are struggling to maintain employee morale, especially when another Zoom happy hour just won’t cut it. One solution? Volunteering. Employer-sponsored volunteer activities like virtual mentoring programs don’t just provide a morale boost, they can also lift workplace atmosphere and improve brand perception. Nearly 90% of respondents in a survey said volunteer activities, when supported by work, contributed to a “better working environment overall.” (Deloitte)

A new drug to treat obesity has been hailed as a “game-changer” by researchers

According to a new study, Semaglutide, a drug that has been used to treat Type 2 diabetes since 2017, can help obese people lose 15% of their body weight in 17 weeks – when given at a higher dose. For the study, researchers enrolled 2,000 people in 16 countries. Half of the participants injected themselves weekly with Semaglutide and the other half took a placebo – those in the control group lost just 2.5% of their body weight in the same timeframe. More than a third of those who took the drug lost more than 20% of their body weight. Semaglutide is a lab-made version of a hormone that produces feelings of satiety. An obesity researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the study, called Semaglutide a “game-changer.” (New England Journal of Medicine)

Newsom Recall

A push to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom has collected enough signatures to potentially trigger a special election, organizers announced over the weekend. The drive surpassed the nearly 1.5 million name threshold, though the signatures must now be validated by the California secretary of state, a previous review yielded a 25% disqualification rate. Organizers have until March 17 to collect enough valid signatures.  Newsom’s critics argue the state’s COVID-19 response has been overly restrictive, and the governor drew backlash late last year for violating the measures during an upscale dinner at Napa Valley’s French Laundry. If the recall drive is successful, a special election would likely be held in May or early June. (Cal Matters)

On the other side of the country…

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces new allegations his administration obscured data on nursing home deaths early in the pandemic. A recent report found patients who died from COVID-19 after being taken from nursing homes to hospitals were not tallied in the state’s breakout of nursing home deaths. New York Attorney General released a report about two weeks ago accusing the Cuomo administration of undercounting coronavirus deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%. Governor Cuomo dismissed the report, arguing it doesn’t matter where the patients died: “Who cares [if they] died in the hospital, died in a nursing home? They died.” (Axios)

Lemur study reveals the brain circuitry responsible for monogamous behavior in some animals varies widely from species to species

Humans aren’t the only mammals that form long-term bonds with a single, special mate — some bats, wolves, beavers, foxes and other animals do, too. But new research suggests the brain circuitry that makes love last in some species may not be the same in others. Red-bellied lemurs and mongoose lemurs are among the few species in the lemur family tree in which male-female partners stick together year after year, working together to raise their young and defend their territory. Once bonded, pairs spend much of their waking hours grooming each other or huddled side by side, often with their tails wrapped around each other’s bodies. Males and females of these species spend a third of a lifetime with the same mate. The same cannot be said of their closest relatives, who change partners often. To biologists, monogamy is somewhat a mystery. That’s in part because in many animal groups it’s rare. While around 90% of bird species practice some form of fidelity to one partner, only 3% to 5% of mammals do. The vast majority of the roughly 6,500 known species of mammals have open relationships, so to speak. (Nature)

Stop the guilt of pandemic laziness

You’re sitting at home, scrolling through Netflix recommendations when you’re suddenly hit with pangs of guilt for being lazy. One social psychologist tells us to stop this nonsense, explaining we feel this way because “we use external cues as an ‘anchor’ to help us gauge whether we are spending our time well enough.” Not every moment we’re home needs to be spent working. In fact, they encourage “cyberloafing,” or a mindless scroll through the internet or social feeds, as research shows we often come back “more productive and focused” after such an activity. (CNBC)

Tuesday Troubles Continue With:

• Almond Day
• Buna Day
• Do A Grouch a Favor Day
• Fastnacht Day (Day Before Ash Wednesday)
• Fat Tuesday (Day Before Ash Wednesday)
• IHOP National Pancake Day
• International Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday)
• Kyoto Protocol Day
• Mardi Gras
• Pancake Day Race (Between US and England)
• Paczki Day
• Travel Africa Day