samhexum

https://gothamist.com/news/locals-lament-demolition-of-east-new-york-white-castle-which-was-built-on-toxic-land The shuttering of the East New York restaurant will reduce the number of White Castles in the city to 21 — a marked decrease from 36 in 2008.

Outrageous: Meet the Mitford Sisters at the Center of BritBox’s Sweeping Historical Drama — Plus, Grade the Premiere! TVLINE.COM 'Outrageous' Season 1 premiere recap: Meet the Mitford sisters in Episodes 1 and 2 of BritBox's new...

or so you think...

Liked it, never loved it or found Macht as attractive as others seemed to, and eventually grew tired of it. I don't think I watched the final season (or two).

Anne Burrell — the beloved chef known for her trademark spiky platinum hair, larger-than-life personality and culinary expertise — died on the morning of Tuesday, June 17 at her home in Brooklyn, New York. She was 55. Reps for the star announced Burrell's death in a release obtained by PEOPLE. She is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton, whom she wed on Oct. 16, 2021, and his son, Javier, as well as her mother, Marlene, and sister, Jane, her children Isabella, Amelia and Nicolas, and her brother Ben. "Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered," her family said in a statement. "Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal." A fan-favorite on the Food Network, Burrell was best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America, where her passion for food and mentorship turned disastrous kitchen hopefuls into capable cooks. Her infectious enthusiasm, signature laugh and fierce kitchen skills made her a standout in the world of food television. Born on Sept. 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, New York, Burrell discovered her love for cooking early, inspired by her mother’s home-cooked meals and television icon, Julia Child. She studied English and Communication at Canisius College in Buffalo before pursuing a culinary career at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, where she graduated in 1996. Burrell's love of Italian cuisine led her to the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners, where she completed apprenticeships and developed a deep appreciation for the philosophies of Italian cooking. Returning to the Big Apple, she worked at acclaimed restaurants including Felidia under Lidia Bastianich and Savoy in Soho, where she honed her craft in Mediterranean cuisine. In the early 2000s, Burrell transitioned into teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education and eventually made her way to television. Food Network audiences first met Burrell as a sous chef on Iron Chef America. Her charisma and culinary chops led to her own Emmy-nominated show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which premiered in 2008 and ran for nine seasons. From there, Burrell became Food Network staple, also appearing on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, and most recently, the competition series House of Knives, which just premiered in March 2025. Burrell authored two cookbooks: 2011's Cook Like a Rock Star, which made her a New York Times bestseller, and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower. Outside the kitchen, she was deeply committed to philanthropy. She served on the advisory board of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, was a celebrity ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and was a dedicated member of City Harvest’s Food Council. "I feel so lucky to be able to share my true passion in life with others," Burrell was known for saying. Burrell and Claxton met on Bumble in 2018. "I have to say, I love being married," she told PEOPLE exclusively during City Harvest's 40th Anniversary Gala in April 2023. "We're together all the time because Stuart works from home. It's the being together all the time, but it's also the adventure together."

Tyler Perry Accused of Sexual Assault and Harassment by The Oval Actor Derek Dixon in New Lawsuit TVLINE.COM Tyler Perry is being accused of sexual harassment and assault by an actor on his BET show 'The Oval,'...

A new reality TV series celebrating everyday heroes and acts of compassion received an official citation from the Village of Floral Parkduring a press event on Thursday, June 12, at Heritage Park. “Finding Kindness,” created and hosted by producers Monty Hobbs and Valerie Smaldone ("Valerie smaldone is at the editor's desk" on WINS), is set to premiere July 1 on UP Faith and Family, a streaming platform dedicated to positive and uplifting entertainment. The show, filmed across Queens neighborhoods including Bayside and Flushing and in Floral Park, spotlights community members who go above and beyond for others — including one local entrepreneur who operates a pizza business out of a fire truck.

I assure you, my cock pic is real.

It's supposed to rain all day but stop by 4:00 PM.

German-style halal eatery Döner Haus opens on Bell Blvd. in Bayside – QNS QNS.COM Bayside just added a taste of Germany to the neighborhood with the latest expansion of Doner Haus... Get your K-Pop Fix! Korea Fest heats up LIC this Sunday - LIC Post LICPOST.COM Korea Fest is returning to Western Queens, K-Pop style, for the latest edition of its annual festival at Culture Lab... College Point Restaurant Week is back with 20% off at 21 restaurants – QNS QNS.COM College Point, bring your appetite—Restaurant Week running from June 16 to June 30 is back with more to...

Four prominent members of the Metropolitan Opera’s stable of talent – soprano Janai Brugger, tenor Jack Swanson, baritone Benjamin Taylor, and pianist (and Met assistant conductor) Howard Watkins – will present a recital of operatic works this coming Saturday, June 14, starting at 7:00 PM, on Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park. The event is free; no RSVP is required

Darren Criss’ Tony win made it three years in a row that a Glee grad has claimed a prize at Broadway’s award show. As suggested by THR, could Lea Michele continue the streak with a win next year for her role in the musical revival of Chess? WHO CARES? I SAW THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION IN LONDON!

I read an article in the athletic that says that major-league baseball has been tracking the drag coefficient on batted balls for nine years and this year is the highest yet but they don't know why. Balls are traveling an average of 4 feet less this year than last season when struck equally well. In other news... I hope he has breath mints... According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, "Jake Cousins has a UCL injury, but is still in the process of gathering onions, Aaron Boone said." AND... Baseball is a family game - last night the brewers catcher threw his big brother out trying to steal.

I'm watching Honor Blackman's next-to-last AVENGERS episode from 1964 and she just mentioned Meals on Wheels.

I've had a long day... I was about to ask what X is...

Nature meets Pride at Queer Birding event at LIC waterfront park

maybe they were carried away... FORE!!! The osprey didn’t get its “fish hawk” nickname by chance. The raptor is the only bird known to possess specially designed feet and claws for snatching prey from the water. Its talons curve more than other avians, and spines on the pads of its feet work like barbs to grab fish scales. The birds can even rotate their outer toes so that two digits face forward while the other two face in the opposite direction, allowing them to better clasp their prey while flying. While they generally target prey less than 12 inches long, occasionally an osprey catches something a bit larger than it can handle. Take a situation last month in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There, a man playing through a disc golf course witnessed an osprey drop a sizable hammerhead shark after being beset by crows. “It’s not uncommon to see an osprey carrying something, but you take note because it’s still really cool to see,” Jonathan Marlowe told Garden & Gun magazine. As it flew above the course’s 11th hole, a pair of crows attacked the osprey in what’s known as “mobbing.” The aggressive, cooperative technique is utilized by birds to protect territory against predators during breeding season. Although the raptor escaped unscathed, it gave up its meal during evasive maneuvers. Marlowe initially thought the hawk was carrying a “random fish” likely retrieved from the nearby Atlantic Ocean—but he was surprised by what he found after walking over to examine the lost prey. “We couldn’t believe it and kept asking ourselves, ‘did that really just happen?’” he said. The osprey had given up a hammerhead shark. Known for its distinctive head shape called a cephalofoil, there are 10 known species around the world, with several populating the southern US coasts along the Atlantic. Three species are known to roam the waters near South Carolina according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources—the bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), and great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). As LiveScience notes, a new, rare species known as the Carolina hammerhead (Sphyrna gilbert) was also discovered around the same region in 2013. It’s unclear which species plopped onto the disc golf course. Instead of retrieving it, Marlowe opted to leave it where it lay just in case the osprey returned for its meal.

Unless she's pissed at you...

Who the hell would go to Vermont to buy a coat?

I liked Bewitched, but Adam West in his batsuit appealed to me in a special way.

and just like that, I have a present for you...

To many, Alanna O’Donnell is affectionately known as “the chicken lady.” The special education teacher at P177Q, The Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children in Fresh Meadows, runs the first public school chicken coop in Queens’ District 75. O’Donnell has a flock of 9 chickens that she takes care of with her class, a small group of six 19 to 21-year-olds affectionately referred to as her “boys.” O’Donnell, with the support of three paraprofessionals, runs a unique hybrid academic and Essential for Living curriculum that builds a vocational and social skills program for the boys. The backyard of PS 177Q is an unusual sight: an urban farm complete with a chicken coop, vegetable garden, and sensory garden that disrupts the mundane flow of the otherwise unassuming neighborhood of Fresh Meadows. O’Donnell and her students take care of the day-to-day upkeep, including feeding the chickens, cleaning their coops, and other related tasks. The tasks are rotating between the students, a tactic she uses to help her students get used to change in routine, build empathy, and other important behavioral skills. “ When we started with this…my boys did not want anything to do with them. Now they’re hand feeding them,” she said. “They’ll pick them up, they’ll move them from one area of the coop to the actual farm on their own.” PS177Q is a self-contained special education school for children and young adults ages 11 to 22 with autism, emotional and behavioral challenges, Intellectual Disability, and Multiple Disability, with tailored in-school programs to support their needs. O’Donnell admits that she had no prior experience with taking care of chickens. In fact, she was inspired to start the program to help her students adapt to changing routines and lessen stress responses in other areas of their lives. “It was Tractor Supply who held my hand and walked me through everything that we needed. I was a chicken virgin. I had no experience with chickens,” she laughed. “I just really thought this was something I could see really working. I had a vision for it, and I walked into my principal’s office, and I looked at him and I said, how do you feel about chickens?” O’Donnell credits the support of her principal, administrators, and classroom paraprofessionals with starting the chicken coop. When she and her students built the coop in October 2023, O’Donnell did upkeep on weekends and holidays. Since then, she’s been able to make it more self-sufficient. The community has rallied around the program, with neighbors bringing their families to the coop and farm, and there is a consistent demand for fresh eggs. “People can’t get eggs fast enough,” O’Donnell said. “We take whatever money we have left and reinvest in the farm.” O’Donnell also uses the earnings to take her students on regular field trips to the Queens County Farm, where they purchase vegetables for the birds and have a chance to interact with farm workers. “It exposes them to being in the neighborhood shopping, meeting people outside…the staff over there was very kind to the kids,” she said. O’Donnell tailors a lesson plan from the New York Agriculture in the Classroom. In 2023, she received a $1,500 grant from the organization to start the chicken coop, and since then, she’s invested over $25,000 of her personal earnings. She hopes to expand the program and have over 40 chickens in the near future. For O’Donnell, taking care of the chickens is rewarding for the students and their families. With the majority of her students being nonverbal and communicating through devices, O’Donnell said it was heartwarming seeing her students shatter expectations. “The first time we saw one of them do it by themselves, there were a lot of tears…I’ve said this before, when a parent is told this is the best that your kid is going to do, and then they exceed those expectations, it changes the way you view this program and what we’re doing,” she said. “ Everybody seems to think…they can’t raise chickens. But the reality is, they’ve learned how to be tolerant. They’ve learned how to accept no, they’ve learned how to follow directions, manage their behaviors, and let us know when they’re exhausted,” she said. Her passion for her students has not gone unnoticed. On Friday, May 30, the FLAG Foundation honored O’Donnell with the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, a $25,000 personal cash prize and a $10,000 grant for an arts education initiative in her school. A few months ago, O’Donnell said a parent nominated her for the award, and she didn’t think much of it after she sent in her application. The award and subsequent celebration came as a shock to O’Donnell. In fact, she thought Friday’s celebration was a retirement party.  ”It was such a surprise, and my boys were sitting there. And you could see that they knew something was happening, they just weren’t sure what yet. And then as the event went on, they were completely engrossed in what was happening, so it was really amazing,” she said. Thirty-three winners were selected from the nominees, with six winners from the five boroughs. Nominees were required to complete a comprehensive application, participate in an interview process that included an interview with their principal, and submit supplementary material. This year’s FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence received the most nominations in its history, with 1,600 submissions from students, parents, principals, and teachers. O’Donnell said she’s looking forward to going on a small vacation and paying for her semester for her second master’s degree in Literacy and TESL, which she’s finishing in December of this year at Pace University. O’Donnell said that none of this was possible without the support of her classroom’s paraprofessionals.  ”It was probably the most humbling thing because…when they called my name, it’s not just me. It’s the team of ladies that I work with. When you acknowledge me-yes, I wrote the grant and I did that stuff-but you are acknowledging their hard work and their dedication and their love for the kids as well,” she said. The grant is going towards a project, a homesteading YouTube channel called the 177 School Steading Project, which should be launching in September. “ So we’ve used that money to get a new computer, a new camera, new equipment that would allow us to create these videos where we invite guests on and we ask them questions and we can share our knowledge on farming and chicken care,” O’Donnell said. The YouTube channel will be available for public viewership, and O’Donnell said she hopes it will foster a sense of community and confidence for her students and allow them to engage with others. O’Donnell always knew she would live her life in service of others. Growing up in Fresh Meadows as the daughter of a FNDY firefighter, and registered nurse, the foundation her parents laid created a clear pathway for her future.“ When you are raised in that kind of a household where you watch your parents constantly giving back to the community, it’s not an option,” she said. “My mom and dad are just amazing human beings. I am so lucky to have been raised in that life of service. So, of course, I’m glad that I’m able to continue it.” O’Donnell has worked with P.S. 177Q for the past three years and with the NYC Department of Education for 12 years. “ It is the greatest job. It is not without its difficult moments, but I wouldn’t be the human being I am today if I didn’t work in special ed,” she said.

Missing Bride Surrenders, Is Arrested After Allegedly Murdering Husband On Honeymoon Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, allegedly surrendered at a police station in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Monday, June 9. Police accuse her of hiring people to kill her husband, Raja Raghuvansh, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, the BBC and local outlet Hindustan Times reported. Sonam married Raja, 30, on May 11 at a ceremony in Indore, which was blessed by both families, according to the BBC. However, the couple went missing four days after they arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon.

He was 82.