December 18th
A Canadian mining company has uncovered a diamond said to be the largest ever found in North America.
The 552-carat yellow gem was discovered in October at the Diavik Diamond Mine, located about 220 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories.
The company, Dominion Diamond Mines, said the stone’s 33.74 mm by 54.56 mm size is “completely unexpected for this part of the world.”
The diamond has yet to be cut or appraised for value.
According to Dominion, the previous North American record was held by a diamond which weighed 187.7 carats and was discovered at the same mine in 2015. It was cut into two pear-shaped pieces and sold for $1.3 million
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Almost everyone gives their fruits and veggies a quick rinse before eating it. That’s not only to wash off dirt and debris, but also to remove any pesticides. But how effective is it? A 2008 study found that tap water only reduced the residue of five different pesticides by 20 percent. And that goes for other fruits and vegetables as well. So, what should we do? For one, don’t waste your money on one of those commercial produce washers. They were rated as no more effective than rinsing it in cold water. Try vinegar. It was found to reduce the residues of six different pesticides by as much as 94%. Fill a spray bottle with one-part vinegar to three parts water and keep it next to the sink.
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ENTERTAINMENT
- “Bad Times at the El Royale” (R-Rated, Mystery/Suspense): Several strangers, most with a secret to bury, meet by chance at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one night, everyone will show their true colors – before everything goes to hell. (Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson)
- “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” (PG, Comedy/Kids): A young orphan named aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world. (Jack Black, Cate Blanchett)
- “Fahrenheit 11/9” (R-Rated, Documentary): Filmmaker Michael Moore examines the current state of American politics, particularly the Donald Trump presidency and gun violence, while highlighting the power of grassroots democratic movements. (Roger Ailes, Brooke Baldwin)
ALFONSO RIBEIRO is suing two video game makers for using his CARLTON DANCE’ from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” without his permission. The Carlton first appeared in a 1991 episode called ‘Will’s Christmas Show.’
He’s suing Epic, which makes “Fortnite”, and Take-Two, which does “NBA 2K”. He says both games feature digital versions of his dance.
TODAY IS……………….
“Answer the Telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day”. The idea is to answer: “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?”, a quote that comes straight from the 2003 Will Ferrell movie.
1966 [52] Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” airs on TV for 1st time
2009 [09] “Avatar”, directed by James Cameron, opens in movie theaters (with a reported budget of $300 million-plus, it’s said to be the most expensive movie ever made; fortunately, it’s also the most successful, with $2.8 billion in worldwide box office. ‘Avatar 2′ is slated for release in 2020)
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
DECEMBER 18TH, 2004 Tim McGraw’s “Back When” went to Number One
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RANDOM REPORT
1 Being hungry causes serotonin to drop, causing anxiety, stress, anger, and sadness.
2 The big toe carries the most weight of all the toes, bearing about 40% of the load.
3 Your mouth produces a bottle’s worth of spit every day.
4 Chewing gum improves your mood, while decreasing anxiety and stress.
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TODAY’S GOOD NEWS
An anonymous rich guy goes around the country each year, handing out $100 bills to people around the holidays. And this year, he added a twist.
He recently met a homeless guy in Phoenix named Moses Elder, who looks like he’s in his 50s or early 60s. And he asked HIM to hand out some of the money.
He gave him a few hundred bucks to keep for himself, plus THREE GRAND to hand out to whoever he wanted.
He gave most of it out to random people who stopped to talk to him on the street. A few of them got pretty emotional, because they really needed the money for the holidays.
He also gave $400 to a guy he knew from church. Plus $500 to a woman he knows who’s homeless and has five kids. And she got VERY emotional about it.
The Secret Santa says he was hoping Moses might enjoy the chance to GIVE people money for a change. And he was right.
Moses talked about it with a reporter afterward and said he’s “eternally grateful,” and that it feels like a “new beginning” for him.
He said they helped a lot of people in one day, but that HIS life was changed the most.
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BIRTHDAYS
[72] Steven Spielberg, movie director-producer (“Indiana Jones” films, “Jurassic Park” films) COMING UP…”Bumblebee” 2018
[64] Ray Liotta, actor
[55] Brad Pitt, actor
[43] Randy Houser, country singer
[40] Katie Holmes, actress
OTTAWA GRINCH
An Ottawa family that has for years built an outdoor hockey rink on its front lawn for the neighbourhood children to enjoy is being forced to take it down after a neighbour complained, calling it an eyesore and alleging that it violates city bylaws.
Cory Cosgrove, who built the rink for his three daughters, said he was initially told by a city bylaw officer that the boards of the rink were on city property, so he moved them back.
Nevertheless, a bylaw officer returned this week to tell the Cosgroves that the boards of the rink will have to come down.
They say there’s not much they can do as far as having a slab of ice on your front yard for the kids to play on, but the structure itself is the issue,”
The neighbour who complained said that the Cosgroves never consulted with her before putting up the walls. Many other neighbours say they have no problem with the rink.
“I guess the Grinch is out,” said Greg Hill, a parent and neighbour. “We always talk about wanting kids to get outside more and have fun and this is how they do it. And if people have a problem with this sort of thing, it’s a shame that they can’t do it.”
In response to outcry on social media, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said that he has asked his staff to review the Cosgrove case.
“We are a hockey nation and what can be wrong with playing hockey in your own backyard?” he tweeted.
A CAMERA SURPRISE
Technology is really cool, but sometimes the perspective you get from a camera can be deceptive.
Bryan Fitzwater from Burlington, New Jersey got an alert on his phone from his doorbell, which features a security camera.
The alert said, “Unfamiliar Face Front Door. Your camera spotted someone it doesn’t recognize.”
Upon checking out the video, Fitzwater discovered a Praying Mantis had pressed the doorbell and was up close and personal with the camera– the technology had presumed the insect’s face was a human’s face.
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CDC: FLU SEASON IS OFF TO A SLOW START
Flu season is upon us, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday (December 14th) that it’s off to a slow start.
Alicia Budd, an epidemiologist at the CDC says, “Flu activity is still fairly low, but as expected we have been seeing activity slowly increasing over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball to know how badly we are going to fare during this flu season.”
She added that peak activity can occur anytime between December and February.
As far as this year’s vaccine goes—it appears to be the most well-matched one to the strains going around this year—so it will most likely be more effective than last year’s vaccine.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 18TH
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
[72] Steven Spielberg, movie director-producer (“Indiana Jones” films, “Jurassic Park” films) COMING UP…”Bumblebee” 2018
[64] Ray Liotta, actor
[55] Brad Pitt, actor
[43] Randy Houser, country singer
[40] Katie Holmes, actress
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- The New Orleans Saints downed the Carolina Panthers 12-9 in Monday Night Footballlast night in North Carolina. The New Orleans defense kept pressure on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton all night, limiting him to 131 yards passing, sacking him four times and forcing two turnovers
- • “The Voice” (NBC): The winner of Season 15 is announced.
- “Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown 2018” (CW): A countdown of the 12 best holiday commercials ever, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Also: other great commercials that capture the true spirit of the holiday season.
- “Greatest Holiday Video Countdown” (CW): Featuring some of the most memorable holiday videos from around the globe. Hosted by the Holderness Family, the viral video family that rose to internet fame with their viral hit “Christmas Jammies”.
- ALFONSO RIBEIRO is suing two video game makers for using his CARLTON DANCE’ from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” without his permission. The Carlton first appeared in a 1991 episode called ‘Will’s Christmas Show.’
He’s suing Epic, which makes “Fortnite”, and Take-Two, which does “NBA 2K”. He says both games feature digital versions of his dance.
- A sophomore at the University of Colorado was flying home to San Diego the other day, and Southwest wouldn’t let her bring her pet fish on board. So she left it with a passenger who was taking a different airline, but didn’t get their name. She says Southwest wouldn’t even let them talk to each other after she handed the fish off.
Carrie Underwood’s Excellent Response to a Mean Tweet
CARRIE UNDERWOOD is very good at social media . . . and she proved it again yesterday. A woman tweeted that she “hated” the new “Sunday Night Football” theme, “Game On” . . . and Carrie had the perfect response.
She wrote, “Hey, I know my music isn’t for everyone, but I love what I do and I love being a part of “SNF” on NBC. I am one lucky lady. I also love women who build other women up. Just saying . . .”
She followed that with this Tweet “Today, let’s be positive. Let’s be NICE to each other. Let’s do something nice FOR someone else. Smile at a stranger. It’s the start of a new week. Today is precious. Don’t waste it. Sending love and cheer to you all.”
The woman’s name is Jessica Smetana, and she’s a producer – show runner at “Sports Illustrated”.
Once word got out, she Tweeted an apology saying she’s “sorry for dissing” the song and is “all about supporting women too” but she misses the previous theme. “Waiting all day for Sunday night”
ALABAMA TO KICK OFF ’50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR’ IN JANUARY
Alabama will celebrate five decades of music next year, and to celebrate the feat, the trio have announced the first leg of dates for their 50th Anniversary Tour. So far, they have nearly 30 dates throughout the U.S. on the books for 2019.
Alabama’s 50th Anniversary Tour will open on January 10th at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. They will be joined by The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Oak Ridge Boys, Restless Heart, Chris Janson, Tracy Lawrence and Exile on select dates.
