Random Links Thread

[Redondo]

McDonald’s to close hundreds of eateries inside Walmart stores

This summer, hundreds of McDonald’s eateries located inside Walmart stores across the US are slated to close because of sluggish business — a trend that was accelerated by the pandemic.

The decades-old partnership between the largest restaurant chain and largest retailer in the world has been fraying for years. There were about 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants inside Walmart stores during their heyday, but by 2020 there were half as many McDonald’s stores, Walmart confirmed.

In July, McDonald’s said in its second quarter earnings report that it would be closing 200 restaurants in 2020 and that over half of them were at "lower sales volume" Walmart locations.

At the end of the summer just 150 McDonald’s stores will remain at Walmart, the retailer confirmed.

The accelerated pace of store closures was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Happy Meals will soon get harder to find at Walmart. This summer, hundreds of McDonald’s eateries located inside Walmart stores across the US are slated to close because of sluggish business — a trend that was accelerated by the pandemic.

McDonald’s does a significant amount of business via its drive-thrus — more so since the pandemic began — and Walmart lacks that option, sources pointed out. Margins at McDonald’s Walmart locations have likewise been hit as "customers at times loaded up on refills and condiments," according to the Journal. Walmart also has largely stopped building new stores, instead remodeling them, which has created awkward situations, according to the paper.

"You can’t do a multimillion-dollar remodel in a store and then have a 1980s McDonald’s at the front," one source told the Journal.

Subway eateries are also pulling up stakes in Walmart stores, according to the paper. The franchise is facing its own challenges, as The Post has reported, with stores closing across the country.

 

They closed the one at our local Walmart

The other one near here has a Subway and it's still open

Edited April 12, 2021 by Redondo

[Redondo]

Killer whales attack fishing boat near Spain

The yearlong aggression of orca pods against boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal continues unabated.

By October of last year, there were 33 bizarre "revenge" attacks by killer whales off the coast of Spain and Portugal and it seems they’re not done yet.

A video taken by fishermen in the Straights of Gibralter on April 3 shows the men valiantly fighting off a pod of the angry sea mammals as they attack the boat and break its rudder.

In a video published by The Daily Mail,  the captain, Antonio Busse, 40, is seen fighting off the orcas with a pole while screaming at them to "piss off!" "Mamma Mia!" and "get off the (bleeping) boat!"

Other crew members are seen throwing items into the water to try and frighten away the angry pod of four, to no avail, and one large killer whale can be seen swimming underneath the boat — causing the crew to scream in fear. Another video shows the orcas threateningly circling the boat and breaching the surface nearby.

At first, the crew "heard a strange noise and rushed to the top of the ship" thinking they may have hit a container – but "quickly realized that killer whales were playing around the ship instead, trying to hit it," Captain Busse told The Real Press.

The killer whales finally managed to break the rudder after they hit it repeatedly.

The orcas finally left after a flare was lit, successfully scaring the killer whales away.

While orcas in other parts of the world usually leave boats alone, the last year has seen mounting aggression from them in this area of the world, confusing scientists.

[Tank]

Antifa orcas are the worst.

[Redondo]

Woman arrested for refusing to return $1M accidentally deposited into account

A former sheriff’s dispatcher in a suburb of New Orleans has been arrested, accused of refusing to return more than $1.2 million that had been accidentally deposited into her brokerage account, authorities said.

Kelyn Spadoni, 33, was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds, nola.com and WVUE-TV reported. The reports said she was fired by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after her arrest. 

Spadoni is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a $50,000 bond. It was unknown if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.  

Spadoni is accused of immediately moving the funds to another account and using some of the money to buy a new car and a house, authorities said.

[Tank]

7 hours ago, Redondo said:

Woman arrested for refusing to return $1M accidentally deposited into account

A former sheriff’s dispatcher in a suburb of New Orleans has been arrested, accused of refusing to return more than $1.2 million that had been accidentally deposited into her brokerage account, authorities said.

Kelyn Spadoni, 33, was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds, nola.com and WVUE-TV reported. The reports said she was fired by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office after her arrest. 

Spadoni is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a $50,000 bond. It was unknown if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.  

Spadoni is accused of immediately moving the funds to another account and using some of the money to buy a new car and a house, authorities said.

sounds like she can afford bail.

[Blarg]

On 4/18/2015 at 7:18 AM, Redondo said:

Potato peeling trick will save you hours of time

I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge for those who haven't just discovered cooking. I learned this as a child from watching my mom make potatos. She did the same for making potato salad. 

[T.G.]

9 hours ago, Blarg said:

I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge for those who haven't just discovered cooking. I learned this as a child from watching my mom make potatos. She did the same for making potato salad. 

I just cook the potatoes with skins and eat them with the skins. 

[Blarg]

You make mashed potatoes with the skin on? 

[T.G.]

8 hours ago, Blarg said:

You make mashed potatoes with the skin on? 

Yes

[gotbeer]

9 hours ago, Blarg said:

You make mashed potatoes with the skin on? 

Skins are the best part.  Mashed potatoes, isn't it Claim Jumpers that still serves them with skin on?  And when I get a baked potato, I eat the skin.

Heck, when you get those loaded potato wedge appetizers, I never see people taking the skin off of those.

[Blarg]

1 hour ago, True Grich said:

Yes

My wife wouldn't touch them that way. For her they can have no lumps and need a bit of garlic and gravy for her to eat them. Her mother served some sort of potato, mostly just boiled, almost every night for dinner so she balks at eating them.  

Me, I can eat them a dozen different ways and properly prepared skin on is delicious. So I either have to wait for guests at dinner or order at a restaurant, which most are crappy at preparing them. 

[Redondo]

 

TRUE CLOSE ENCOUNTER?

 

Pentagon confirms authenticity of video showing UFOs over Navy warship

 

The Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of newly leaked video and images showing multiple UFO sightings by U.S. Navy personnel, as the government prepares to release a highly anticipated first-of-its-kind report on UFOs this summer.

An 18-second video shows what is described as three pyramid-shaped UFOs hovering over the warship USS Russell at night in July of 2019 off the San Diego coast. At one point, the pyramid-shaped crafts reportedly hovered 700 feet over the tail of the Russell.

This is the first video the public has seen from the July 2019 incident in which mysterious UFOs described as unmanned aerial vehicles reportedly harassed at least three U.S. warships during military exercises over multiple days — at one point matching the speed and bearing of one destroyer for 90 minutes while performing "brazen" maneuvers.

 

Months earlier, an FA-18 pilot reportedly used his cellphone to snap photos of three different unidentified aircrafts off the coast of Oceana in March including two UFOs dubbed the "Metalic Blimp" and "The Sphere."

The unidentified aircrafts captured by the pilot in March 2019 were able to remain stationary in high winds, with no movement, beyond the capability of known balloons or drones, according to the Mysterywire.com.

"I can confirm that the referenced photos and videos were taken by Navy personnel," Department of Defense spokesperson Susan Gough told Fox News. "The UAPTF [Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force] has included these incidents in their ongoing examinations." 

[gotbeer]

July of 2019.  Just before the Rona started spreading worldwide.  Wake up sheeple!

[Blarg]

Bat people of Planet Zhir infected us unintentionally, they were just stopping by Wuhan to pick up some take out. 

[Redondo]

 

Makeup artist transforms herself into A-list celebs, claims she's even fooled her boyfriend

 

Liss Lacao, 29, has recreated the recognizable features of celebrities such as Gordon Ramsay, Dolly Parton, the Queen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She's so good, she's even fooled her iPhone — which has facial recognition — and her friends into thinking she was one of the A-listers.

 

 

 

[Redondo]

'Real life Rapunzel' teen with world’s longest locks cuts her hair for first time in 12 years

A teen with the world’s longest locks has chopped her mane for the first time in 12 years, donating the 6-foot ponytail to Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

18-year-old Nilanshi Patel from India has held the glossy Guinness World Record for longest hair on a teenager since 2018, having avoided the hair salon with a vengeance after a rough haircut at age 6, the record-keeper said.

Her dark hair grew and grew, measuring a whopping 6'6.7 inches when it was last officially measured in July 2020. During that time, Patel won three Guinness World Records titles for her marvelous mane. Ready for a change, Patel recently lobbed her locks and has donated her hair to Guinness World Records.

"My hair gave me a lot - because of my hair I am known as the 'real life Rapunzel'... now it’s time to give it something back," the Modasa, Gujarat teen said in a statement.

"I love my new hairstyle. I feel proud that I’m going to send my hair to the U.S. museum," Patel said. "People will see and be inspired by my hair. I’m really, really happy… Today is a new beginning and I hope I will break many more records in [the] future."  

Once it arrives stateside, the 9.4-pound ponytail will go on display at Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Hollywood, before moving to the Guinness World Records Museum.

Nilanshi Patel and her mom Kaminiben before the big chop.

[Redondo]

Elephants kill suspected poacher at South African national park, officials say

A suspected poacher was trampled to death by a herd of elephants in South Africa over the weekend, according to national park officials.

The man and two alleged accomplices tried to run away when rangers spotted them at Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves, on Saturday, South African National Parks said in a statement.

Rangers requested backup from the Airwing and K9 unit and when the suspects realized they had been spotted, they dropped an axe, and a bag with their provisions "in an attempt to escape," the statement added. 

One of the suspects told rangers that the group ran into a herd of elephants and he was unsure if his pals managed to escape. Rangers searched the area and found a man "badly trampled," who later succumbed to his injuries, according to the release. 

Authorities are still looking for the third suspect, who continued to flee and is believed to have suffered an eye injury.

A rifle was also recovered. Officials said the trio are suspected of attempting to poach rhinos in the area.

"It is unfortunate that a life was unnecessarily lost," said Gareth Coleman, managing executive of the Kruger National Park. "The campaign against poaching is the responsibility of all us; it threatens many livelihoods, destroys families, and takes much-needed resources to fight crime which could be used for creating jobs and development."

[Redondo]

LA MOUNTAIN BIKER DANGLES FROM SIDE OF CLIFF, IS RESCUED BY HELICOPTER

A mountain biker held on for dear life as he dangled over the side of a cliff before being rescued by Los Angeles County Sheriffs.

The biker was riding along the Mount Wilson Toll Road and ended up going over the side of the road.

His friends called for help, bringing the L.A. County Sheriffs to the scene: a deputy arrived along with the department’s rescue helicopter, Rescue Five, to find the biker in a "really, really bad spot," according to a report.

"He couldn’t move," Paramedic Dan Aleman told KNX Newsradio. "He was literally stuck while he was down there."

"They had thrown him like…a small rope, it was real thin and somehow he was able to attach it to his ankle and they used that to keep him from sliding," he explained.

 

 

[T.G.]

 

[gotbeer]

But did he wash his car?  I hate when video's leave me hanging.

[Blarg]

He had to go back inside to change his underwear first. 

[Jason]

Hey @Φαήλος in response to your comment last night about heavy metals in Garden of Life brands. Obviously that is concerning and got me thinking about it so I looked into it. I think this may be what you were referring to with the Garden of Life products

Arsenic, Lead Found in Popular Protein Supplements - Consumer Reports

Now there are some articles that refute these claims

Heavy Metals in Plant Protein Powder: Mostly Hype or Cause for Concern? (purefoodcompany.com)

Garden of Life RAW Protein Heavy Metal Contamination (drbradshook.com)

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Jason

[gotbeer]

We are all doing it wrong.

Italian hospital employee accused of skipping work for 15 years

[Tank]

1 hour ago, gotbeer said:

We are all doing it wrong.

Italian hospital employee accused of skipping work for 15 years

Eh, it’s been done before.

[St1ck]

12 minutes ago, Tank said:

Eh, it’s been done before.