CONNECT SELECT A wide selection of interesting and trending stories – rip ‘em, read ‘em & post ‘em! FOR THURSDAY, JULY 16th, 2020

TODAY IS…  PERSONAL CHEF DAY – Who here is rich enough to have a personal chef?! Anyway…happy personal chef day! Now, go make yourself a sandwich!  NATIONAL CORN FRITTERS DAY – Fritters…pancakes…whatever you wanna call em, they’re a bonafide southern treat. Crispy, corny and delicious!

BIRTHDAYS:

 WILL FERRELL, 53 – Actor. Break out the cowbell! The SNL-cast-member-turned-movie- star has a new flick called ‘Eurovision Song Contest.’  COREY FELDMAN, 49 – Actor. He’s best known for his ‘80s roles in ‘The Goonies,’ ‘Stand by Me,’ and ‘Gremlins.’  LUKE HEMMINGS, 24 – Singer. The ‘5 Seconds to Summer’ singer is known for his hit ‘She Looks So Perfect.’

TRENDING/ODD:

STARBUCKS EMPLOYEE WHO REFUSED MASKLESS JERK MIGHT HAVE TO SHARE HIS ‘TIPS’ WITH HER (00:25) Remember that woman who 'went off' on a Starbucks employee who wouldn't serve her without a mask? He got a hundred thousand dollars in donations, and now that woman says she's entitled to half of it! She deleted her original, nasty Facebook post, but says she's considering suing for half of the 'tips' people raised for him (through GoFundMe) because she has asthma and gets something she calls 'mask-acne'. She backed up her claim with a letter…from a chiropractor.

‘WHICH LAMP ARE YOU’ IS NOW A THING ON INSTAGRAM (00:24) Ever play which 'Friends' or 'Sex and the City' character are you? Well, now you can finally find out...which lamp you are. Someone set up an Instagram page that lets you pick from a bunch of weird and tacky lamps that all have names. The point is to match one with your personality, and it seems we're all so bored, this has actually become a thing now! So far, most people are an ‘Audrey’ which is just a glowing baguette. (You can find em all at what lamp you are)

AIRBNB SLAMMED FOR ASKING RENTERS TO DONATE TO HOMEOWNERS (00:23) Would you donate money to an AirBnB host you're not even staying with? AirBnB is getting roasted on social media after encouraging guests to send cash donations to former hosts who may be having a little trouble renting their places during the pandemic. And the internet is having none of it! Someone tweeted AirBnB saying: 'I'm not sure I'll be contributing to the mortgage for anyone's second house at this time'.

‘KANYE FOR PRESIDENT’ IS OFFICIAL (00:20) Kanye is still running for President…for now. There was talk he might have pulled out, but last night, his name officially popped up on the ballot in Oklahoma. 'Yeezus' also filed with the Federal Election Commission declaring himself an official candidate for President of the United States. The filing also makes the Kanye 2020 committee totally legit!

US ARMY VET WHO REFUSED MASK DIES OF COVID (00:18) That US army vet who refused to wear a mask has died of COVID. He was 37, and became a poster child for the no-mask movement. His Facebook post, back on April 28th, made a huge stink about buying and wearing a mask. He said he'd "made it this far by not buying into that hype". He'd survived tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

TRUMP DITCHES ORANGE HAIR FOR MORE NATURAL GRAY LOOK (00:24) Noticed anything different about the President? Turns out, his trademark orangey hair is looking more 'natural' these days. White House observers have detected more silver and gray in the President's 'do'. The change came subtly, right around the start of the pandemic. Some guesses on Twitter: he's going for a more distinguished look for the 2020 election. Or he just can't get his hands on any of that 'Just for Men' stuff.

ROSE PARADE CANCELED (00:22) Well, forget about the Rose Parade! The New Year’s Day tradition is toast. The folks who plan the Tournament of Roses parade - before the annual Rose Bowl game - say they can't do it this year 'cause of COVID. It's the first time they've had to bail since World War 2. They say it's just too dangerous to do right now. There's still hope for the game, which might be played without fans.

WOMAN WHO TAKES SHARK BITE STILL LOVES SHARKS (00:23) Takes a special kind of person to profess their love for sharks after one takes a bite of them. A shark documentary film maker was bitten on the ankle off the Queensland coast of Australia. Cameras caught her shouting 'I still love sharks! Sharks are beautiful!' while being wheeled away on a gurney. The captain of the ship she was on says the film maker was more worried about missing out on adventure than her own leg.

CRIME

HACKERS TAKE OVER UBER, APPLE, KANYE ACCOUNTS FOR BITCOIN SCAM (00:25) They're still trying to figure out who hacked into Twitter yesterday, taking control of a bunch of high profile accounts and scamming followers out of money. The accounts for Apple, Uber and guys like Bill Gates, Kanye West, Barack Obama and Elon Musk were hacked with messages urging followers to send a thousand bucks in Bitcoin (to a specific address) promising to double it in half an hour. The scammers got at least a hundred grand before they were eventually shut down.

STOP SIGN VANDALISM IN THE NAME OF RACIAL JUSTICE (00:21) A guy in Port Orange, Florida is accused of using stop signs to promote anti-racism messages. Cops say they found stencils and spray paint in his home. Under the STOP on the sign were words like 'racism' and "I can't breathe." Clever yes, but he's accused of damaging a hundred signs at a cost of more than 10-grand. He told cops they could lock him up and throw away the key.

HEALTH/SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES NOW SAY ‘FEED YOUR BABY PEANUTS, EGGS!’ (00:21) Forget what grandma used to say, the US government is now recommending parents feed their infants peanuts and eggs to reduce the chances of growing up with allergies. They say it's safe to do it after they're 4 months old. The new dietary guidelines from the Department of Agriculture also say check the label: feeding babies and toddlers stuff with added sugar will lead to obesity.

NEW GUIDELINES: LIMIT BOOZIN’ TO JUST ONE DRINK A DAY (00:20) There's always a new study that says alcohol will either kill you, or make you live to a hundred. But the folks who recommend the US dietary guidelines now say ONE drink a day is best. The current guidelines say 2 drinks for guys, one for women, but they're changing their tune based on new research. New dietary guidelines come out at the end of the year.

HAIR STYLISTS MAY HAVE SAVED LIVES BY WEARING MASKS (00:22) Want proof face masks work? Leave it to contact tracing at a hair salon in Missouri. At a Great Clips in Springfield-Greene County, two hair stylists were sick with COVID-19 and didn't even know it. But because they wore masks while they worked, they spared 139 people from being infected. The info comes out of a new report from the CDC. Great Clips now requires face masks for employees and customers.

YOUR MONEY/SHOPPING

TEENS DRESSING UP AS MASKED GRANDMAS TO SCORE BOOZE (00:22) Some teens have figured out the bright side to wearing a mask: no one stops you from buying liquor! It started as a prank on TikTok, with teens dressing down, in grandma-attire, along with a mask, wig and sometimes, a walker. And it works! As long as they keep their masks on, no one is carding them. They're also finding that using someone else's ID is way easier when half your face is covered up.

WALMART, SAM’S CLUB REQUIRING SHOPPERS TO WEAR MASKS (00:18) If you're planning to do a little shopping at Walmart, better bring a mask. Starting on Monday, all Walmart and Sam's Club stores will require shoppers to wear a mask or face covering. Walmart also says it's gonna be replacing its 'greeters' with what they're calling 'health ambassadors' to remind shoppers to mask-up.

‘GOLDEN GIRLS’ HOUSE FOR SALE (00:24) The 'Golden Girls' house is up for sale and it's nowhere near Miami. The mid-century modern bungalow is actually in LA. It's 3-thousand square feet with 4 bedrooms, but there's no 'lanai', like the one in Blanche's backyard. Producers used the house for exterior shots and later built a replica on the Disney lot. The house is listed for 3-million bucks, and at that price, they'll hopefully throw in a cheesecake or two.

TESLA'S CORONAVIRUS PROBLEM (00:25) Tesla...sure it's a hot car brand. But now the company is hot with COVID. Over a hundred thirty employees have tested positive for the virus, and more than 15-hundred were exposed at Tesla's plant in Fremont, California. That's according to leaked internal documents. Now there are reports the plant is closing for "upgrades." Elon Musk was not shy about how much he disliked the lockdown, and in fact re-opened the plant earlier than expected.

CANNED TUNA POPULAR DURING QUARANTINE (00:19) With little chance of dining out, do you find yourself craving more canned tuna? While we were buying all the Lysol wipes, a lot of us were also stocking up on canned tuna fish. From March to April, Bumble Bee saw sales jump a hundred percent. The problem is producers didn't plan for the high demand and wholesale tuna prices are up.

GOYA - A HILL OF BEANS CONTROVERSY (00:25) The daughter of the Prez, Ivanka Trump is facing backlash online. She tweeted a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya beans. The tweet includes Goya's slogan, "If it's Goya, it has to be good," in both English and in Spanish. Problem is, if you work a high profile federal job like she does, you're not supposed to endorse products. Goya has faced boycotts since their CEO praised the President at an event at The White House last week.

THE GREAT DEBATE- WORTH PAYING FOR COLLEGE NOW? (00:32) College. It's supposed to be about booze benders and all night cram sessions and, oh yeah, a degree. But for many incoming freshmen, the only "face time" they'll get is with online classes (snore!) because of the coronavirus. Now the debate is whether to start this fall or defer the year. Finance experts have crunched the numbers for the Class of 2024. And if they wait the year, it could cost them 90-thousand dollars in earnings over a lifetime. Because graduating later means earning a college-level salary later. Still, is it worth the debt to miss out on the real college experience?

LIFE/FAMILY

STUDY: MORE MARRIED COUPLES ARE CHEATING ONLINE DURING COVID (00:16) A new study by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville finds that a quarter of all married couples are using dating apps to cheat during the pandemic. And cheating sites like AshleyMadison say they've been seeing an average of 17-thousand new accounts per day since COVID started.

POLL: WORKING FROM HOME IS STRESSING US OUT (00:20) If you're thinking your job will never return to normal…you're not the only one. A new survey finds three-quarters of working Americans think their jobs are gonna stay…weird, forever. Two-thirds say it's making their jobs way more stressful, and plan to work remotely for the rest of the year. Almost 7- in-10 think they should work from home until there's a vaccine.

STUDY: THE WORLD ISN’T MAKING ENOUGH BABIES (00:23) Around the globe, we have one thing in common. We're not having as many babies as past generations. Researchers say it will have a jaw-dropping impact on society. Just think, the old will vastly outnumber the young. How will pensions be paid? Will we be able to afford retirement? The one region seeing a population boom is most of Africa. It could mean racial equality will take center stage for future generations.

ENTERTAINMENT

MEGAN THEE STALLION SHOT?! 00:19) Megan Thee Stallion says she was shot on Sunday night. The rapper and her rapper boyfriend, Tory Lanez, were pulled over by LA cops after shots were fired outside of a Hollywood Hills party. She says police drove her to the hospital where she had surgery to remove 'bullets'. There's word she'd initially told the cops it was broken glass.

TYRA BANKS - NEXT HOST FOR DWTS (00:30) They've got a plan over at ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to SMIZE (that's smiling with your eyes). Tyra Banks of "America's Next Top Model" will be the next host on the dance competition show. She'll also be the executive producer. Banks says she's a fan and loves that the show is "fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances. It's always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk." She replaces Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. And yes, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ will involve social distancing (should be interesting).

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