CONNECT SELECT A wide selection of interesting and trending stories – rip ‘em, read ‘em and post ‘em! THURSDAY, APRIL 8th, 2021 TODAY IS… DOG FARTING AWARENESS DAY Everyone blames the dog, but dogs really do fart. The main reason is swallowing too much air when they eat. And since dogs can’t make themselves burp, all that air eventually comes out the other end. DRAW A BIRD DAY It doesn’t even have to be good; just give it a beak and some wings. They started ‘Draw a Bird Day’ in 1943, during the Second World War, as a way for soldiers to get a momentary break from all the suffering and misery of battle. ZOO LOVERS DAY A great excuse to ditch whatever you have planned and hang out with some monkeys instead. NATIONAL EMPANADA DAY Celebrating the dough-wrapped, savory Spanish treat. EMPANADA FUN FACTS: o It’s believed they were invented around 1520. o While they originated in Spain, it’s thought they borrowed the idea from samosas, which were invented hundreds of years earlier in the Middle East. BIRTHDAYS: JOHN SCHNEIDER, 61: Actor/Singer. The actor and Country singer famously played Bo Duke in the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show. CLICK HERE FOR THE “DUKES OF HAZZARD” THEME SONG PATRICIA ARQUETTE, 53. Actress. The Emmy and Oscar-winning actress creeped us out in Netflix’s “The Act.” IZZY STRADLIN (Jeffrey Isbell), 59: Musician. The Hall of Fame rhythm guitarist founded the band Guns ‘N Roses along with Axl Rose. CLICK HERE FOR GNR’S “SWEET CHILD O’ MINE” STEVE HOWE, 74: Musician. The Hall of Fame guitarist for the classic rock band Yes and the 80s super group Asia has also released more than a dozen solo albums. CLICK HERE FOR YES’ “OWNER OF A LONELY HEART” CLICK HERE FOR ASIA’S “HEAT OF THE MOMENT” J.R. BOURNE, 51: Actor. He played wolf hunter Chris Argent in “Teen Wolf.” SUNG KANG, 49: Actor. The actor is best known for his role as speedster Han Seoul-Oh in the “Fast and the Furious” films. TRENDING/ODD STUDY: HERE’S HOW MANY AMERICANS NEVER USE THE INTERNET (00:25) It’s not just your technophobe grandpa who hates Google - a new study finds about 7 percent of American adults don’t use the internet at all! That’s about 1-in-14 of us. A Pew Research Center study says that’s an improvement from 2015, when about 1-in-7 of us didn’t go online. And back in 2000, it was nearly half! Researchers say it’s mostly seniors who don’t use the internet - especially those who live in the country compared to city-folk. GIANT LIZARD TAKES OVER 7-ELEVEN STORE (00:20) 7-Elevens are pretty popular in Thailand…even with giant lizards. A 7-foot-long water monitor slithered into the 7-Eleven and started climbing the shelves of the dairy section like Godzilla. It even tried opening one of the freezer doors but gave up, climbed a shelf and took a nap. Water monitors are pretty common in Thailand, but not in convenience stores. CLICK HERE FOR A FACEBOOK VIDEO OF THE GIANT LIZARD COPS SAY TIGER WOODS WAS SPEEDING WHEN HE WRECKED HIS SUV (00:22) Cops in LA now say Tiger Woods was speeding when his SUV flew off the road back in February. Los Angeles County crash investigators figure he was doing nearly DOUBLE the speed limit that morning: 87 miles per hour in a 45 zone. The SUV’s data recorder showed Tiger slammed onto the gas instead of the break after he lost control. He shattered his right leg, likely ending his pro golf career. GUY UNKNOWINGLY MARRIES ADOPTIVE MOM’S LONG-LOST DAUGHTER (00:24) A guy in China just happened to marry his long lost sister…kinda. The groom was adopted. His adoptive mom had abandoned a baby girl 20 years ago. At the wedding, she noticed a strange birthmark on the bride’s hand - same as her daughter had. The bride’s parents confirmed they adopted her and BANG!…just like that, mom gets a daughter-in-law…AND…a biological daughter. And since the couple isn’t blood-related, it’s not even gross (but mom’s gonna have some issues to work out). SHAQ PAYS OFF SOME RANDOM GUY’S ENGAGEMENT RING (00:17) There’s video going viral of Shaquille O’Neal paying off some random dude’s engagement ring. Shaq just happened to be at a Zales Jewelry store (he has a jewelry line there) and overheard a young guy paying an installment on his fiancee’s engagement ring (you know, like layaway). Shaq handed the clerk his credit card and, just like that, the bill was paid. DUDE GETS JAIL TIME HELPING WIFE FAKE DEATH TO AVOID PRISON (00:25) A guy in West Virginia helped his wife fake her own death so she could avoid going to prison. Too bad the cops found out. His wife pleaded guilty to scamming the Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than 300-thousand bucks, and instead of getting locked up for 10 years, they tried to make it look like she fell off a cliff. They found her hiding in a closet two days later. Now they’ll BOTH go to jail. He’s been sentenced to 8 months of lockup. FOR HIRE - PERSON TO WATCH 24 HOURS OF SCARY TRUE CRIME STORIES (00:18) If true crime stories are your thing, Magellan TV is paying 24-hundred bucks for someone to watch 24 hours of documentaries and write about 'em on social media. The ideal candidate should be able to handle gory details and not be spooked by the paranormal. If you find serial killers fascinating, you can apply for the gig online. LAW & DISORDER WALMART EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH STEALING $124K IN GIFT CARDS (00:12) In West Virginia, a 63-year-old Walmart employee has been charged with stealing 124-thousand dollars in gift cards. They think he loaded them up over a 5 month period. If convicted, he could get 20 years in the slammer. GUY TRIES TO BUY CHEMICAL WEAPONS WITH BITCOIN AFTER BAD BREAKUP (00:23) A bad breakup can make you do crazy things, and we're not talking drunk texting. A guy in Missouri was sentenced to 12 years in prison for trying to buy chemical weapons online using Bitcoin. Not smart. After he was busted, cops found writing in his home that talked about heartache and anger from a breakup. He may have wanted to take out his ex, but prosecutors say he ordered enough chemicals to kill 300 people. WEIRD SCIENCE & TECH STUDY: COVID SURVIVORS ARE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES (00:14) Researchers say Americans who’ve had COVID are more likely to experience some form of brain issue within 6 months. The Oxford University study found 1-in-3 coronavirus patients went on to suffer from depression, anxiety, dementia, psychosis or even a stroke. STUDY: VACCINE SKIN REACTION NOT SERIOUS (00:23) Some get skin rashes after getting the coronavirus vaccine. A new study finds the skin reactions are a brief side effect and so far have not led to more serious complications. Skin irritations can show up a day or so after getting vaccinated, and in some cases are seen a week later. Researchers tracked folks who've received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. They say none have caused a life- threatening reaction. DOCTORS INVESTIGATE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE BLOOD CLOT CONCERN (00:14) Doctors are reviewing how dangerous the AstraZeneca vaccine is. It's the COVID shot that may cause blood clots, and could be deadly. Still, top experts in the field say catching the coronavirus is far, far riskier than getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. YOUR MONEY/SHOPPING GM RECALLS PICKUP TRUCKS OVER POWER STEERING SYSTEM (00:13) If you drive a Chevy or GMC pickup, listen up! GM is recalling 2015 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks because of a bad part that could cause the power steering to suddenly stop working. GM says they’ll fix it for free. LIFE/SURVEY SAYS… SURVEY: PANDEMIC CHANGES HOW WE USE A PUBLIC RESTROOM (00:25) Do you still use public bathrooms? When you gotta go, you gotta go! A new survey finds half us still run to the restroom, at work, at the store, and in a restaurant. Just over ten percent say they avoid it completely. Of those that go, more than 60 percent say they use a paper towel or something as protection from touching the toilet handle and the door handle. Other techniques include using your foot to flush and your butt to open and clothes doors. FACE MASKS CAN COME OFF FOR PHOTOS AT DISNEY WORLD (00:28) Disney World has updated its mask rules. You've still gotta wear them throughout the park, even if you're vaccinated. But now, you're allowed to remove your mask while taking outdoor photos. Last year, if you slipped off your mask on a ride and you were caught on camera, Disney employees would digitally put a mask on your face in those photos sold. You know, the ones you can buy coming off an attraction. That is no longer happening. Disney says they heard from guests and ended the program. UTAH FATHERS HAVE TO PAY HALF OF MOM’S MEDICAL EXPENSES FOR PREGNANCY & DELIVERY (00:20) Baby daddies in Utah will have to open their wallets sooner than they may like. Even if you're not with her anymore, a new Utah law requires biological fathers to pay half the medical expenses of the pregnant mamas, including delivery costs, which are not cheap.