PRO September 25, 2015

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Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • Image of the Day • Joke of the Day! • Last Minute Items • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Video of the Day • Wacky-But-True

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DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

This is day 268 of 2015. There are 97 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Barbara Walters is 86

• Michael Douglas (Ant-Man) is 71

• Cheryl Tiegs is 68

• Anson Williams (Potsie on Happy Days) is 66

• Mark Hamill (Star Wars films) is 64

• Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Thelma & Louise) is 57

• Heather Locklear is 54

• Will Smith is 47

• Catherine Zeta-Jones is 46

• Bridgette Wilson-Sampras (I Know What You Did Last Summer) is 42

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1789: The first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. (Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.)

• 1911: Ground was broken for Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

• 1981: Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

• 2001: Michael Jordan announced he was returning to basketball with the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

• 2006: The Louisiana Superdome reopened for a New Orleans Saints game.

• 2006: Four Detroit carjackers stole an inoperable vehicle from a woman waiting for a tow truck to arrive. Undeterred by a flat tire — or the victim’s cell phone — the masked crooks got behind the wheel and attempted to outrun police. They couldn’t.

• 2013: Oracle Team USA defeated Team New Zealand 9-8 to win the America’s Cup.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• National Food Service Workers Day

• Bright Pink Lipstick Day

• One-Hit Wonder Day

• Psychotherapy Day

• Vegan Baking Day

• Pharmacists Day

• Hug A Vegetarian Day

• Love Note Day

• Save The Koala Day

UPCOMING

• October 6: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends

• More holidays – Updated with 2016 holidays.

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DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

• Country singer David Frizzell is 74. Olivia Newton-John is 67. Country singer Carlene Carter is 60. Linda Hamilton is 59. Country singer Doug Supernaw is 55. Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie) is 53. Jim Caviezel is 47.

• Batman Day; Johnny Appleseed Day; Family Health and Fitness Day USA; Fish Amnesty Day: National Hunting and Fishing Day; National Museum Day; National Public Lands Day.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

• Meat Loaf is 68. A. Martinez is 67. Shaun Cassidy is 57. Comedian Marc Maron is 52. Gwyneth Paltrow is 43. Avril Lavigne is 31.

• Ancestor Appreciation Day; World Tourism Day; Chocolate Milk Day.

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

150: People whose names and faces you can remember without a prompt.

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NEWS ATTACK!

The conservative family values group One Million Moms is calling for the end of the new Muppet show, which isn’t tailored for kids like the original show but is made for adults. They say that the Muppets have been thoroughly corrupted. [They’re particularly upset over Miss Piggy’s reoccurring wardrobe malfunctions.]

Doctors operated on a Texas woman complaining of severe headaches, and found that her brain was infected with tapeworms. [The operation was a success, the woman has returned to normal, and she no longer has any desire to run for public office.]

The cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County gathered for an interview to refute accusations that they fake the drama on the show. [The interview was going well until one of the ladies flubbed her lines.]

Vladimir Putin says that what he admires most about America is its creativity and openness. [He says that he can hardly wait to destroy it.]

The University of Washington announced success in linking two brains over the Internet. [Usually, the Internet has little to nothing to do with brains.]

New data shows that last year U.S. consumers threw away enough edible seafood to feed 10 million people for an entire year. [It’s like my mom used to always tell me: eat everything on your plate because somewhere a little shark is starving.]

According to a new UK study, people in the office who constantly fidget in their chairs are offsetting the negative effects of long-term sitting, and are actually increasing their life expectancy. [They live longer because they’ve irritated everybody else to death.]

For the first time the pope has canonized a saint on American soil. [The latest saint is a man who willingly ate only salads while his wife was trying to lose weight.]

A plane made an emergency landing on a busy California street. [Well, sometimes you’re just really in the mood for Chipotle.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

FACEBOOK’S BRIEF OUTAGE CAUSED FREAKOUTS _ Facebook had a brief outage Thursday that came as the lunch hour set in on the East Coast. This, naturally, caused more than a few people to head over to Twitter to complain and, well, freak out.

… Some of things people tweeted while Facebook was down:

• “BREAKING: Patriots being investigated for recent Facebook crash.”

• “FB users r roaming the streets in tears, showing pictures of themselves in other people’s faces yelling ‘Do you like this’?”

• “People from the neighborhood are sitting here in the dark, candles burning, trying to keep morale up. trying to survive.”

WE’RE DOING “DUMB THINGS” WITH MONEY _ Are you doing dumb things with your money? The chief investment officer with one of the largest wealth management companies says we are. Mike with Morgan Stanley wealth management said consumer behavior is starting to show signs of excess as the economic recovery continues.

… The good news: Wilson said the US economy is finally “self-sustaining” again.

… The bad news: We’re feeling pretty good, starting to spend money again, and starting to do dumb things. Like borrow money for a home or car we really can’t afford.

105-YEAR-OLD MAN SETS SPRINT RECORD _ A 105-year-old Japanese man (Hidekichi Miyazaki) has set a record as the world’s oldest competitive sprinter. Born on September 22, 1910, he didn’t start running until he was in his 90s. Known as the “Golden Bolt” for imitating Jamaican Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt’s famed lightening bolt pose, the 105-year-old says he longs for the opportunity to challenge the fastest man in the world

SCOTS HAVE MORE WORDS FOR SNOW THAN INUIT _ Are you ready for “sneesl?” If you said yes, you must own a good pair of snow boots and a shovel. Researchers say the Scottish language has more words for snow than Inuit languages, a total of 421 including “sneesl,” “snaw,” and “skelf.” The Scots also use the words “flindrikin,” “feefle” and “spitters,” which means small flakes of snow.

iPHONE 6S SELLING MORE ROSE GOLD _ Pre-orders for the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus due out today (Friday) showed the new rose gold color has been the most popular finish.

A GOTH BURGER KING BURGER IS COMING FOR HALLOWEEN _ Last year Burger King offered customers in Japan a limited-edition black hamburger. The unusual appearance of the so-called “Kuro Burgers” was due to their bamboo-coal-infused buns, squid-inked cheese, and pepper-encrusted meat patties. Now a source says Burger King will have a Halloween Burger for U.S. customers. But unlike the black burgers sold in Japan, the U.S. version won’t have black cheese or the squid-ink sauce.

MANY THINK IT’S OK TO DIGITALLY TRACK THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHER _ Using technology to track your partner might not be as taboo as some people think, especially for young people. According to a survey of 16- to 24-year-olds (in Australia) almost half think it’s okay to track their partner in some manner using mobile devices or computer software.

… A full 46 percent of people think tracking is acceptable to some degree, though 84 percent think electronically tracking a partner without her consent is serious. Men are more inclined to think tracking is OK — 52 percent of young men agree, compared to 40 percent of women.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: Do you and your spouse track each other with your smartphones? What about your kids — do you know where they are?

NFL STADIUM IS GETTING BREASTFEEDING PODS _ An NFL stadium is about to introduce a feature that really should have been everywhere already: a little privacy for breastfeeding moms. The Minnesota Vikings announced that they’ll be installing “pods” for moms to nurse in peace while watching the game. The pods come courtesy of Mamava, which has installed stations in airports, colleges, and businesses across the country. Vikings COO Kevin Warren says the idea came from a worker who was a new mother. The employee had told him that the team needed to do better for female employees, guests, and fans who needed to nurse or pump breast milk. About a month later, he spotted a Mamava pod in the Milwaukee airport and decided to reach out about a partnership.

McDONALD’S EMPLOYEE PRAISED FOR ACT OF KINDNESS _ A Chicago McDonald’s employee who closed the register during the dinner rush to help a disabled customer is being praised by the fast food chain. A photo showing the employee, known only as Kenny, cutting food of an elderly disabled man was secretly taken by Destiny Carrero. The image, which was first posted to Facebook last week, has been shared close to a million times on social media.

… Carrero wrote that she was in line waiting to order when the man, who was in a wheelchair, took his food, before asking: “Please help me.” The cashier suggested a few things before he figured out the gentleman needed help cutting and eating his meal.” He shut down his register and helped the customer.

MAN FEARED DEAD ON EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA HIGHWAY WAS NAPPING _ Several motorists called 911 when they saw a man’s body along Route 33 in eastern Pennsylvania. Troopers who responded say they found the man was homeless and sleeping.

THINK CHRISTMAS CREEP IS NEW? _ It’s only September and already you’re seeing Christmas commercials and newspaper ads. And some stores have Christmas merchandise set up right next to Halloween stuff. Why? Who wants Christmas this early? Apparently we do, or stores would realize they don’t benefit from running the ads and decorating the aisles in September and October.

… You can’t blame Target, Walmart and all the other retail stores — national or mom-and-pop. It turns out Christmas Creep has been around since the late 1800s. At the turn of the century — the one before this one — merchants realized they could boost sales by taking out newspaper ads promoting holiday gift-giving before their competitors thought of it. Customers berated them, but it didn’t seem to matter. The reality is we consumers might complain, but when we buy decorations gifts now we’re feeding the retail beast.

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COUPLE GETS $2 MILLION PHONE BILL _ We’ve all found mistakes on our cell phone bills, likely a few dollars here and there. But imagine hearing you owe more than $2 million on a phone plan you had for just a month. That’s exactly what Ken Slusher of Damascus, Oregon, and his girlfriend say they’re dealing with. Slusher and his girlfriend opened a Verizon account last November and they bought two phones. They only kept the service for one month after noticing major discrepancies on their bills. Slusher says their first bill should’ve been for about $120. Instead, it was for $698, plus it showed a previous balance of $451. Slusher says their next statement asked for just $9. Slusher says they canceled the service in December and returned the phones to a local Verizon store in January. They thought it was all cleared up until they started getting notices from several collection agencies demanding upward of $2,000. Slusher and his girlfriend say they’ve been going back and forth for months with customer service representatives who agree there’s been a mistake. However, with no resolution, Slusher checked his Verizon account balance again on Monday and that’s when he heard the $2 million figure.

… The worst part? Slusher is scheduled to close on his new house Monday (September 28) but with collection agencies coming after him, he says his mortgage company won’t sign off on a loan.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEARLY NAKED WOMAN GLUES REAR TO DEPARTMENT STORE _ A nearly naked old woman glued herself to a bench in a department store window in a bizarre protest in south London. The woman said she was staging the protest because she was “fed up with everything”.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LOTTERY TICKET THIEF GETS ARRESTED TRYING TO CASH IN AT SAME STORE _ An Alabama man was arrested after he stole a lottery ticket dispenser from a liquor store. He got caught when he attempted to cash a winning ticket at the same store.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON’T SCARE THE DUCKS _ 82-year-old Nev Cooper is retired from Britain’s Royal Air Force. He loves boats. He built a 2-foot replica of a military boat and was about to sail it on a local pond when officials told him no: there are ducks in that pond and they might be scared by a boat in the water. Cooper said, “Yes, they might fly off, but five minutes later they will be back.” Cooper says he might defy the order since “police would think it was a joke if they were called.”

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ON TELEVISION

SEASON PREMIERE: THE AMAZING RACE (8p ET, CBS) — 11 new teams begin a race around the world, starting in Venice Beach.

SEASON PREMIERE: LAST MAN STANDING (8p ET, ABC) — Mike (Tim Allen) returns from his two-month road trip in the Season 5 premiere.

BEST TIME EVER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

MINORITY REPORT (8p ET, FOX) — A repeat of the premiere episode.

MASTERS OF ILLUSION (8p ET, CW) — New

THE MUPPETS (8:30p ET, ABC) — If you missed the premiere, see it tonight.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (8:30p ET, CW) — Repeat

SEASON PREMIERE: HAWAII FIVE-O (9p ET, CBS) — Season 6 begins tonight.

SEASON PREMIERE: SHARK TANK (9p ET, ABC) — Ashton Kutcher is a “guest shark” on the Season 7 premiere, taking a special interest in a pitch from a man who claims his invention will make baby feeding time even easier.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition

ROSEWOOD (9p ET, FOX) — A repeat of the pilot episode.

PENN AND TELLER: FOOL US (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

SEASON FINALE: COLD JUSTICE: SEX CRIMES (9p ET, TNT) — The season wraps up tonight.

SEASON PREMIERE: BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — Season 6 kicks off tonight.

20/20 (10p ET, ABC) — New

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ENTERTAINMENT

NEW MEN IN BLACK TRILOGY IN THE WORKS _ Sony is planning a new Men in Black trilogy — likely without Will Smith.

JILL AND JESSA DUGGAR TO STAR ON NEW TLC SPECIALS _ Jill Duggar and sister Jessa Duggar will star in some TLC specials. The Hollywood Reporter says the 24-year-old and 22-year-old siblings will return to television on two or three network specials. The first will reportedly begin production soon, and is expected to premiere before the end of the year. One of the still untitled programs will follow Jill, her husband Derick Dillard, and their infant son Israel as they embark on their mission trip to El Salvador. The former reality star recently became a midwife after returning home from the assignment.

… Another will focus on Jessa and her husband, Ben Seewald, as they prepare to welcome their first child.

FIFTY SHADES DARKER RUMORS: FULL-FRONTAL NUDITY _ The Fifty Shades Darker rumors are heating up, with reports claiming that fans will see Jamie Dornan’s character in some fully nude scenes. It just might not be Dornan they’re seeing. One report says if there is nudity it will be a Dornan body-double after he reportedly turned down an extra million bucks to do full-frontal. But another report says the full-frontal story is completely bogus since it could push the film from an R to an NC-17.

JON HAMM IS JOINING SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS _ Following his long overdue Emmy win on Sunday, Jon Hamm will guest star on SpongeBob Squarepants. Cheekily referring to his iconic Mad Men character Don Draper, Hamm will voice a character named Don Grouper on the animated Nickelodeon series. The episode will air next year.

GOOP TEAM RESPONDS TO STEPHEN COLBERT’S JABS _ No one can ever accuse Goop of taking itself too seriously again. On Thursday, the Gwyneth Paltrow-run lifestyle brand had some words of wisdom for Late Show host Stephen Colbert, who recently roasted the whole concept of lifestyle brands while facetiously announcing the launch of a brand of his own. In a blog post titled “6 Fail-Proof Tips for Launching a Men’s Lifestyle Site,” Goop specifically calls out Colbert and Snoop Dogg (who also announced a lifestyle brand based on marijuana), adding, “It’s about time someone brought a sausage or two to this clam bake.”

THE A-TEAM SERIES REBOOT IN THE WORKS _ The A-Team will get a reboot. The original series revolves around four Vietnam war veterans who are framed for a crime they didn’t commit and who help the innocent while on the run from the military. The TV reboot will pick up the same plot but feature both male and female members. The original series ran from 1983 to 1987 with the latest reboot being a 2010 movie starring Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson.

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY RESCINDS BILL COSBY’S HONORARY DEGREE _ In an unprecedented move for the Jesuit college, Fordham University in New York City has rescinded Bill Cosby’s honorary degree. In a letter to students, alumni and staff, the university announced that Fordham’s president put forth a motion on Thursday, before the University Board of Trustees, to revoke the honorary degree that the university awarded Cosby in 2001 — a motion that the board voted unanimously in favor of. Cosby has held honorary degrees from as many as 23 universities.

KYLIE JENNER BUYS $70K CAR FOR HER FRIEND’S 18TH BIRTHDAY _ After receiving a $320,000 Ferrari from her boyfriend for her 18th birthday, Kylie Jenner paid it forward and bought one of her besties a $70,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible when she turned 18. Both Jenner and pal Jordyn Woods posted a photo of the car on Instagram on Thursday, where the birthday girl thanked her very generous friend.

SHARON STONE’S COMING TO HBO _ HBO continues to work with acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. The Oscar winner is at work on Mosaic, which will star Sharon Stone. It’s being described as an experimental film, but further details are closely guarded.

HUGH JACKMAN SUGGESTS TOM HARDY FOR YOUNG WOLVERINE _ When Hugh Jackman was asked which actor should replace him when he retires from his role as Wolverine, the 46-year-old Australian actor suggested Tom Hardy. Hardy is 38.

… Jackman’s final Wolverine film is scheduled for release March 3, 2017.

THE REAL VLADIMIR PUTIN CALLS ELTON JOHN TO DISCUSS GAY RIGHTS _ Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned music icon Elton John Thursday to discuss gay rights in his country — this time for real. The news comes a week after John admitted that he was the victim of a hoax after expressing that he wanted to talk to the Russian leader about his “ridiculous” attitude towards the LGBT community. Two Russian comedians had prank called the singer acting as Putin. This prompted John to celebrate the news on Instagram and caused Russian officials to deny the conversation ever took place. But Putin really called John Thursday. Putin said that he knows what a popular performer Elton John is, and in the future, if their schedules coincide, he will be ready to meet with him “and discuss any questions that are of interest.”

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY’S BROTHER GETS YEAR SUPPLY OF BEER _ Matthew McConaughey’s older brother Michael, who goes by “Rooster,” loves beer so much much that he named his own son Miller Lyte. Apparently the older McConaughey is always seen with a can of his favorite beer in hand. Little Miller is nine now but Miller’s parent company (SABMiller) only recently caught wind of the branded moniker. To reward McConaughey’s brand loyalty, Miller beer is sending Rooster 24 cases of Miller Lite, what the beer maker considers to be a year’s supply. At 24 cans per case, that’s 576 beers total — or 1 and a half beers a day. It might not last the diehard Miller fan more than a few months.

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BITS & BREAKS

BLOG THIS: FALL FOLIAGE MAP

Here’s a great fall foliage map to share on your show blog (and then link to on social media).

SmokyMountains.com/fall-foliage-map/

NEW IN THEATERS TODAY

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (PG)

Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.

• Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher
• website, trailer, reviews

THE INTERN (PG-13)

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

• Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Rene Russo
• website, trailer, reviews

EVEREST (PG-13) — EXPANDS FROM IMAX TO WIDE RELEASE

A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.

• Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal.
• website, trailer, reviews

THE GREEN INFERNO (R)

A group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.

• Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns
• website, trailer, reviews

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEKEND

• Pitch-Perfect 2
• Flash Season 1
• Arrow Season 3
• The Cosby Show – The Complete Series
• Modern Family Season 6

CRUCIAL PIECES OF LIFE ADVICE AS TOLD BY PEOPLE OVER 60

Hat tip to Dan Preston for sharing this in the Facebook Group. Source: tickld.com.

A question was posed to those over the age of 60: “What advice would you give to those who are half your age?”

• People always say, “Make sure you get a job doing what you love!” But that isn’t the best advice. The right job is the job you love some days, can tolerate most days, and still pays the bills. Almost nobody has a job they love every day.

• Years go by in the blink of an eye. Don’t marry young. Live your life. Go places. Do things. If you have the means or not. Pack a bag and go wherever you can afford to go. While you have no dependents, don’t buy stuff. Any stuff. See the world. Look through travel magazines and pick a spot. GO!

• The most important person in your life is the person who agreed to share their life with you. Treat them as such.

• Nobody ever dies wishing they had worked more. Work hard, but don’t prioritize work over family, friends, or even yourself.

• Eat and exercise like you’re a diabetic heart patient with a stroke — so you never actually become one.

• Floss regularly, dental problems are awful.

• Don’t take anyone else’s advice as gospel. You can ask for advice from someone you respect, then take your situation into consideration and make your own decision.

• Don’t hold onto material objects, hold onto time and experiences instead.

• When you meet someone for the first time, stop and realize that you really know nothing about them. You see race, gender, age, clothes. Forget it all. You know nothing. Those biased assumptions that pop into your head because of the way your brain likes categories are limiting your life, and other people’s lives.

SCIENCE HAS DETERMINED THE WORLD’S MOST “FEEL-GOOD” JAM

In Holland, cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jacob Jolij has determined which songs are scientifically best at making you feel good.

10. Walking on Sunshine — Katrina & The Waves (1983)

9. I Will Survive — Gloria Gaynor (1978)

8. Livin’ on a Prayer — Jon Bon Jovi (1986)

7. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun — Cyndi Lauper (1983)

6. I’m a Believer — The Monkees (1966)

5. Eye of the Tiger — Survivor (1982)

4. Uptown Girl — Billie Joel (1983)

3. Good Vibrations — The Beach Boys (1966)

2. Dancing Queen — Abba (1976)

1. Don’t Stop Me Now — Queen (1978)

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FUN & GAMES

YES OR B.S.!

I’ll read some news headlines. If you think it’s real say, “Yes.” If you think I made it up say, “B.S.”

• Dogs Have Pool Party Before Pool Closes for Season – YES

• All-in-one People Food/Human Food to be on Shelves Next Year – B.S.

• Vigorous Tooth Flossing Causes Knee Infection – YES

• Rare Pink Dolphin Spotted in Louisiana River – YES

• Chess Player Caught Using Morse Code to Cheat – YES

• New Music Streaming Service to Stream All Tunes Backwards – B.S.

• Scientist Hasn’t Bathed in 12 Years – YES

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JOKE OF THE DAY

A little girl went crying to her mom. “What’s wrong, dear?” asked the mom. “My doll! Billy broke it!” she sobbed. “How did he break it?” the mom asked. “With his head,” sobbed the little girl. So mom asked, “With his head!? How on earth did he do that?” And the little replied, “I hit him over the head with it.”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Baby goat has fun sliding down ramp.

BONUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Kicker ricochets ball off ref’s head.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Successful hunt.

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• The treadmill’s dark and twisted past.

• Finally the answer to, What should we watch tonight?

• Write a letter to your future self.

• Peanutize yourself.

• Wedding day from the bride’s perspective.

• A quick personality test called What Did You See First?

• iSkelter Tab lap desk looks like an interesting new way to work with your iPad.

• A database of paper airplanes with easy to follow folding instructions.

• 10AppsManager is a tool to uninstall Windows 10 pre-installed Store apps.

• I had no idea you could make a challenging game out of tic-tac-toe.

• The Guide to Practicing How to Win Friends and Influence People.

• The 7 Most Moving Podcasts Ever.

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