CONNECT SELECT A wide selection of interesting and trending stories – rip ‘em, read ‘em and post ‘em! THURSDAY, JANUARY 28th, 2021

TODAY IS…

 DATA PRIVACY DAY – It’s a great day to change your email password. Data Privacy Day is a gentle reminder to come up with something a little harder to crack. A recent study found the most-hacked passwords are ‘1-2-3-4-5-6’ and the word ’PASSWORD.’  NATIONAL KAZOO DAY – It’s not the world’s most elegant musical instrument, but it sounds fun at a kid’s birthday party (or a wedding, if you’re not fancy). FUN FACTS: o The Kazoo is an American-born instrument, invented in Macon, Georgia in the 1840s. o It was made for kids and people with absolutely no musical ability. o There is such thing as an electric kazoo (and it sounds just as awesome as you think). HERE’S A LINK TO ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’ ON THE KAZOO HERE’S A LINK TO SOME DUDE MESSING WITH AN ELECTRIC KAZOO  NATIONAL BLUEBERRY PANCAKE DAY – Just when you thought it didn’t get any better than ‘pancakes’, someone decided to blow your mind and throw in some blueberries. It’s also a good way to get some vitamin K and C into your breakfast. Oh, and if you don’t want the whole pancake to turn blue - experts say: drop ‘em into the batter once you’ve poured it onto a hot pan.  NATIONAL HAVE FUN AT WORK DAY – Let’s face it, work sucks! But today, we’re encouraged to cut loose and have a little fun…unless you’re a surgeon, ‘cause that’s some serious stuff right there. FUN FACT: o Recent studies suggest companies that encourage having fun at work boost productivity and have lower levels of absenteeism.  LIL WAYNE SENTENCING (CANCELLED) – Lil Wayne’s probably sleeping in. This woulda been the day he got sentenced on gun charges, but President Trump pardoned the rapper, sparing him from up to 10 years in the slammer. Lil Wayne was praised for his commitment to a bunch of charities and some big donations to research hospitals and food banks.

BIRTHDAYS:

 ELIJAH WOOD, 40 – Actor. Best known for playing ‘Frodo Baggins’ in “The Lord of the Rings’” trilogy, Woods has been acting since he was a kid with roles in “Avalon,” “Radio Flyer” and “The Ice Storm.” He also voiced Mumble in the animated “Happy Feet” films. In 2010, he founded a company that specializes in producing horror films.  NICK CARTER, 41 – Singer. He was the ‘cute’ Backstreet Boy. Prior to joining the group, Carter had auditioned for “The Mickey Mouse Club” and had to make a choice between the show and the group. He made the right move. The TV show is long gone. The Backstreet Boys are still going strong and have been recording and touring for over 20 years. HERE’S A LINK TO BACKSTREET BOYS’ “EVERYBODY”  JOEY FATONE, JR. 44 – Singer/TV host. Former member of the 90s boy-band *NSYNC. (By the way: It’s Fah-tone, not ‘Fat One’, even though that name has applied in the past). When the band broke up, he went on to host TV game shows, including Nickelodeon’s “Nick Arcade.” He’s also done some acting and had a role in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding. HERE’S A LINK TO *NSYNC’S “THIS I PROMISE YOU”  ARIEL WINTER, 23 – Actress. She played the brainy ‘Alex Dunphy’ on “Modern Family.” She also voiced Princess Sofia in the animated “Elena of Avalor.” Winter was legally emancipated in 2015 after years of custody fights in her family.  RICK ROSS, 45 – Rapper/Producer/Record Exec. ‘The Boss Rick Ross!’ His 2006 debut single “Hustlin’” caused a bidding war between labels before he signed with Jay-Z’s Def Jam Recordings. In 2009, he founded his own label, Maybach Music Group. MTV once named him the “hottest MC in the Game.” HERE’S A LINK TO “HUSTLIN’”

TRENDING/ODD:

KRAFT IS MAKING PINK MAC ’N CHEESE FOR VALENTINES DAY (00:22) Would pink, candy-flavored Mac N Cheese help get you in the mood for lovin'? Kraft thinks so. They're giving away a thousand boxes of pink Mac N Cheese for Valentine’s Day. They're swapping the neon-orange cheese with pink powder made from carrots, beets and a whole lot of sugar. Already, Twitter thinks it's disgusting. You can't buy it, instead you have to go to Kraft’s website to win a box ('win' might be the wrong word for it)

BERNIE SANDERS ‘MEME’ MITTENS RAISE MILLIONS IN LESS THAN A WEEK! (00:20) About those funny wooly mittens that Senator Bernie Sanders wore to the inauguration - you know, the ones that made him a meme? Yeah, they've helped raise almost 2 million bucks in less than a week. Sanders' has been selling them and other ‘merch’ on his website with ALL proceeds going to charities in his home state of Vermont. Everything's sold out!

LAID OFF BOSS HAS THE MOST IRONIC NAME (00:17) In Canada, a TV network laid off a bunch of people last week, including a local news director in Vancouver. Sad as it is for him and his family, he's now trending because…who doesn't love a good pun? The guy’s name is Les Staff. So now the company has 'less staff' but also --- well, you get it.

OVERDUE BOOK RETURNED TO NEW YORK LIBRARY 72 YEARS LATE! (00:19) A public library in New York finally has its copy of 'The Life Story of Theodore Roosevelt' back on its shelves. It was borrowed 72 years ago! Some guy found it in a box of his parents’ old stuff. They died ages ago. The first edition biography was due back on April 5, 1949. Good thing the library doesn't charge late fees anymore.

NEW 23andME TOOL TELLS YOU IF YOU’LL DIE FROM COVID (00:23) One of those ancestry DNA testing companies says they can now tell you your risk of DYING from COVID. 23andMe has launched a new tool they say can predict your chances of developing a severe case of COVID, IF you even get it. They call it the 'COVID Severity Calculator'. It's an algorithm that compares your DNA to factors that could determine how bad you get it - stuff like: ethnicity, height, weight and genetics.

APPLE WARNS IPHONE 12 COULD KILL YOUR GRANDPA (sorta) (00:21) Your new iPhone 12 could kill your grandpa!…well…sorta. Apple has issued a warning that their new phone is packed with so many magnets, it could actually mess with someone's pacemaker or surgically implanted defibrillator. The magnets are what make the iPhone 12 charge wirelessly but can throw off medical devices, too…so they say those people should check with a doctor first.

STUDY: WE’RE ACTUALLY FATTER THAN ELEPHANTS (00:14) Next time someone compares you to an elephant, consider it a compliment. A new study from the University of Indiana says the average elephant is in better shape that most humans and, despite their size, elephants carry less body fat than the average person. (A typical elephant has only 9 percent body fat while we have between 12 and 31.) HERE’S A LINK TO THE SOUND OF AN ELEPHANT (BRAGGING THEY’RE SKINNIER THAN YOU)

WORST NIGHTMARE? A THOUSAND BEES RELEASED IN SEMI CRASH (00:20) Afraid of bees? How about thousands of them? In San Antonio, Texas an 18-wheeler didn't quite make the turn on the interstate. The semi flipped. The truck from a bee removal business had 400 hives in the back. Out came the honey bees! About a thousand were freed. The fire department had to come in and kill the 20-thousand left with a foam spray.

LAW & DISORDER

AWARD WINNING PARAMEDIC ACCUSED OF STEALING VIRUS VACCINE (00:22) An E-M-T in Florida is now accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccines. He was the state's "Paramedic of the Year" in 2020. But now he’s been charged with forging vaccine forms and stealing ten doses. He says his fire captain forced him to swipe the vials. The captain was arrested too. Polk County's sheriff was floored by the crime. He asked, "What were you thinking? Do you only have three brain cells?"

ENGLAND WANTS TO TURN KIDS INTO SPIES (00:24) A proposed law in England would let teenagers spy on their own parents. Their mission? To help the government stop a crime, protect the public's health or to collect taxes. Good luck getting any teenager to look up from their cell phones. Some 20 different agencies would be allowed to exercise those powers. Supporters insist the welfare of the teen would always come first. Others say it could put their lives in jeopardy.

IRS AGENT ACCUSED OF STEALING MAN'S IDENTITY (00:16) An IRS agent is in big trouble with the law. While working an investigation, prosecutors say the agent stole the identity of the person he was looking into. They say the agent set up companies in the man's name and even bought an apartment in New York City. He faces twenty years in prison.

WEIRD SCIENCE & TECH

APPLE SECURITY WARNING (00:14) If you've got any Apple devices, you should update them as soon as you can. Apple says a flaw in their latest operating system (iOS 14) could leave your stuff vulnerable to hacking. They've released an update they say should patch up all those holes.

SCHOOLS NOT THE PROBLEM IN THE PANDEMIC (00:24) Now health experts are saying schools are NOT the problem in the pandemic! The CDC says schools that social distance and have kids wear masks have seen very little spread of the coronavirus. Turns out, the classroom experience is way different from nursing homes and factory work sites. Experts do say they’re worried about indoor sports like wrestling, where social distancing is not an option. They also warn against gym indoors.

YOUR MONEY/SHOPPING

GAMESTOP STOCK HYPE EXPLAINED (00:29) A bunch of people on Reddit are turning the stock market upside-down and making a killing on companies like GameStop and Blackberry. Members of a message-group called 'WallStreetBets' bought up tons of stock that traders bet on to fail. GameStop's shares are up 2000 percent this month, and those Wall Street hedge fund guys could be out a fortune because of it! There's also no way to know who's getting rich, since a lot of CEOs and traders have been known to hype up investments on message boards to make themselves richer. HERE’S A LINK TO THE ‘CLOSING BELL’ AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE

CVS NOW OFFERING COVID VACCINE SHOTS AT THEIR STORES (00:14) Now you can start getting your COVID vaccine at the drug store. CVS is offering in-store shots. Right now, they're for the elderly only. CVS is hoping to administer up to 25 million shots a month - but we'll need to get our hands on more vaccine first.

MILLENNIALS TAKE ON MORE CREDIT CARD DEBT DURING PANDEMIC (00:14) Millennials are struggling during the pandemic with credit card debt. A new survey finds nearly 60 percent of young adults say their credit card debt has exploded. Millennials are the ones most likely to have lost a job and not had enough in savings.

DETROIT STYLE PIZZA COMING TO PIZZA HUT (00:17) There's New York's foldable pizza, there's Chicago's deep dish, and now there's Detroit style. Pizza Hut says they've got four different kinds; The Detroit Double Pepperoni, Double Cheesy, Meaty Deluxe and The Supremo with Italian sausage. The pizzas come in a big fat rectangle, a tradition from Detroit.

LIFE/SURVEY SAYS…

TREND: LONELY MILLENNIALS TURN TO CO-LIVING (00:25) No one actually WANTS to live with a roommate…but new research finds that more and more lonely millennials are choosing to write their name on their food and wait in line for the bathroom. A study says a lot of the people who left big cities at the start of the pandemic are now moving into shared communal houses so they don't feel so isolated. A lot of vacation resorts are now converting to long- term housing to jump onto to the new trend.

PLASTIC SURGERY GOES UP AS VACCINE DISTRIBUTION BEGINS (00:28) Seeing a big boom during the pandemic is plastic surgery. It's kind of nice to have a face mask on during recovery. At first no one was leaving the house, but now with the vaccine here, more people are wanting to touch up their look and be ready for meetings in real life. One cosmetic surgery website says appointments jumped over 70 percent in October, and the trend continues. Plus with the harsh reality of Zoom, one doctor says lip and cheek fillers are up 30 percent from pre-pandemic times.

GUY HITS TWO DEER WITH NEW CAR - LATER WINS 2 MIL LOTTERY (00:20) Imagine having a brand new car, then hitting two deer with it. But then you find out a day later, you've won two million bucks in the lottery! Talk about bad luck to good luck for a guy in Leland, North Carolina! He says he went to bed so mad about the car wreck, and then woke up to his winning numbers. Nice! Now he gets to fix his car and pay it off!

ENTERTAINMENT

BRIDGERTON IS NOW THE MOST-WATCHED SHOW IN NETFLIX HISTORY (00:24) Bridgerton' is now the most-watched show in Netflix history. 82 million households streamed the steamy series since the it launched on Christmas Day, and it's number 1 in 83 countries, including the US. It's produced by the woman who made Grey's Anatomy (Shonda Rhimes) and if you haven't seen it, it takes place in the Victorian-era, but is basically softcore porn. The show’s even got an 'intimacy director' to help things look as 'real' as possible. HERE’S A LINK TO THE ‘BRIDGERTON’ THEME SONG HERE’S THE BRIDGERTON TRAILER (SEND THE KIDS AWAY!)

OBIT: ACTRESS CLORIS LEACHMAN DEAD (00:17) Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman has died. She was 94, but kept working until a few months ago. Her last regular role was playing the crusty granny 'MawMaw' on Fox's 'Raising Hope'. But she was probably best known for her roles in the old Mary Tyler Moore Show and the movie 'Young Frankenstein.' HERE’S A LINK TO ‘THE MARY TYLER MOORE’ THEME SONG HERE’S A LINK TO CLORIS LEACHMAN’S FAMOUS SCENE IN ‘YOUNG FRANKENSEIN

WEEKEND / “ICYMI”

COCA-COLA’S NEW COFFEE DRINK HAS ALMOST 2X THE CAFFEINE AS REGULAR COKE (00:16) If coffee alone doesn't do it for you anymore, Coca-Cola has just come out with a new coffee drink. It hits shelves this week and comes in 3 flavors: Dark Blend, Vanilla and Caramel. A 12-ounce can has 69 milligrams of caffeine in it - that's nearly double what you get in regular Coke. (That'll wake ya up!)

BUDWEISER, PEPSI AREN’T BUYING SUPER BOWL ADS THIS YEAR (00:20) For the first time in decades, there won't be any blockbuster Budweiser commercials during this year's Super Bowl. Anheuser-Busch is choosing to skip this year's big game. Same goes for Pepsi, Coke and Hyundai - all saying they'll spend that money on COVID vaccine awareness instead. CBS is selling one 30-second spot for 5-and-a-half-million bucks!

COMFORT FOOD BREAKDOWN BY STATE (00:28) We all love comfort food but our tastes range by region. A new report analyzed Google search volume and broke down comfort food by state. The most popular overall and tops in six states is the grilled cheese sandwich, followed by fried chicken, tops in four states. Also popular were chicken and waffles, chili, and pot roast. Surprisingly on the list – strawberry shortcake in Connecticut and Swedish pancakes in Washington state. Surprisingly NOT on the list – mac and cheese! (I protest!)

QUARTZ ROCK LOOKS LIKE COOKIE MONSTER (00:19) Who knew rocks could be fun? In Brazil, a volcanic rock was discovered. When split open, it looks a whole lot Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. The quartz is the perfect blue and the eyes and mouth really capture what Cookie Monster looks like. The geologist who found it says he's been offered up to ten-thousand-bucks for the special rock.

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