samhexum

Party City shutters after nearly 40 years, firing workers without severance pay Once the largest supplier of balloons and other fun-time supplies in the US, the company announced Friday it was closing down all of its stores, ending nearly 40 years in business. The Party City CEO told employees that the chain was “winding down” operations immediately and that today would be their last day of employment. Staff were told they would not receive severance pay, and they were told their benefits would end as the company goes out of business

I'm STILL convinced Oscar Pistorius was far too good-looking to have committed that crime.

Where does Dominos fit in the evolutionary timeline?

Martha explains the benefits of a Jaccard tool to perforate duck skin. Scoring or using a Jaccard tool helps to release the fat during pan searing. Martha Stewart and Hao Jiang Tian and his wife Martha make Peking duck with green onions, cucumber and hoisin sauce.

It was weird for sure, but tonight's episode was wonderful.

I get my kicks from Fahrvergnügen

That's nonsense. Obviously, ANY tangible item you pay for is real. If you pay for crystals to clean your aura, they are real. The OP was comparing porn to a 'real' sexual encounter, which is something the other person would participate in if they weren't being paid. There's nothing wrong with paying somebody for sex; it just isn't 'real'. It's performance art of a very specific kind.

yeah, but it made for a good pun.

any property you own in South Florida could one day be an underwater investment... South Florida sees dozens of luxury high-rise buildings start to sink

Kaapo Kakko traded to Kraken say THAT one ten times, fast...

‘Murder hornets’ now officially eradicated from the US with no sightings since 2021 applause.wav Baby, you're incredible.wav go away.wav jaws.wav Thank you, precious!.wav That's the way I like it.wav toilet flush.wav toodle-oo.wav

New Yankee teammates Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. Or are you only interested in fertile Christian men who've been married for 20 years?

My brother in law read that Bellinger's wife is Stanton's ex. @jeezopete this makes me wonder who'd sing this to whom:

a REAL thing is something you don't have to pay for.

Since the late 1990s, Post cereal has given us an excuse to enjoy cookies for breakfast. While cookie cereal might not be part of your morning routine as an adult, there’s certainly something nostalgic about childhood favorites like Oreo O’s. The combination of milk and cookies is a timeless duo, after all. Whether it’s to kick off a Saturday of activities or as a loaded midnight snack, it’s hard to beat the convenience and flavor that cereal brings to the table. Now, decades after the launch of Oreo O’s, Post is releasing a new cereal featuring milk’s favorite cookie—but the release comes with bittersweet news for fans of the brand’s original offering. Oreo O’s Are Leaving Shelves As Post Introduces Oreo Puffs Cereal Oreo Puffs cereal will soon land on shelves at major retailers nationwide. The corn and oat-based crunchy puffs are made with real Oreo cookie wafers, delivering a true-to-name taste in every bite. In addition to the chocolatey puffs, the cereal also contains mini marshmallows. Instagrammer @Markie_Devo shared the news in a recent post and fans can’t wait to get their hands on a box. “Oh wow my kids would be all over this one!,” said one excited commenter. “Oooo I need to try! The O’s have been one of my favorite handfuls-straight-from-the-box late-night snacks lol,” added another. One Instagrammer suggested that Oreo Puffs could be good enough to give one General Mills favorite a run for its money. “Now that's like a Reese’s Puffs competition,” they wrote. While some Oreo lovers are excited about the drop, many others are frustrated that the new cereal will be replacing the original Oreo O’s.

GROSS! What are you, a cannibal? Use a different ingredient. Please!

Grandfather dead after bear shot in a tree falls on him while hunting

My extra special gift of appreciation for my vital contribution to the New York health survey.

More than 175 dogs across Britain have been dressed up as Nativity characters for a festive Instagram display. After more than 60 dogs took part in the festive stunt last year, the team doubled their efforts again this year. The Nativity display, which owners have posted throughout the day on Monday, is to help an animal rescue. The group of dog owners banded together on Instagram to divvy up the main characters — including Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Angel. The stunt is in aid of Broken Biscuits, the UK’s leading disabled animal advocacy charity, which is based in Lincolnshire. Characters were allocated to each of the original 150 dog owners involved in the plan on Instagram. They all went away and bought, sourced or made their costumes before the big reveal. applause.wav cow crap.wav oh shit.wav what's new pussycat.wav jingle_dogs.wav

Stripper at vegan club allegedly stabs DJ during show in caught-on-camera attack well, we know she didn't use a steak knife...

Kathy Hochul’s decision to fork over taxpayer money to build a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills drew renewed scorn – after the NFL team’s billionaire owners sold a minority stake for a massive profit, The Post has learned. Hochul, a Buffalo native, had agreed in 2022 to provide $600 million in state funding – with Erie Country tossing in an additional $250 million – for the privately-owned stadium after Bills owner Terry Pegula threatened to leave Western New York. The new 62,000-seat Highmark Stadium, expected to open in 2026, played a significant role in inflating the value of the Bills by more than $2 billion – yet the state will not get any significant return on its investment, critics of the so-called Buffalo boondoggle claimed. “The investment proves what everyone knew: the deal was great … if you are the Bills’ owner but not so for the people of Buffalo or the state,” an adviser to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, familiar with the Bills stadium deliberations, told The Post. Dr. Mark Rosentraub, director of the Center for Sports Venues at the University of Michigan, noted that there will be no direct benefit to Buffalo residents since the new stadium is being built next to the antiquated one in the suburb of Orchard Park. “This was an egregious deal. There is no other way around it,” Rosentraub said. “Had this facility been built in Downtown Buffalo it might have stimulated the economy. But they are just replicating what they had in the same place.” Hochul’s office defended the stadium deal. “In 2013, the State agreed to a deal where nearly 75% of the Bills’ stadium renovation was funded by the taxpayers — today, this new stadium is being constructed with less than 30% in State funding, a figure that is substantially below other recent NFL stadium projects,” a spokesperson for the governor said. The Hochul rep claimed the new Bills stadium project is injecting $2.1 billion into New York’s economy. Pegula, who paid $1.4 billion for the Bills in 2014, had threatened to move the team to Austin, Texas, without public funding. But legally the Bills could not relocate if the government made a good faith effort to keep the team, Rosentraub said. That could have included lending him the money to build a stadium — which is expected to cost $2.1 billion — instead of giving the deep-pocketed Pegula a handout. There was no public funding for the last two NFL stadiums built: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which both opened in 2020. “Pegula negotiated the best deal for his business. The fault lies with the public sector, not the private sector,” Rosentraub said. The Bills were worth $3.4 billion when Hochul agreed to the deal, according to Forbes. Since then, the value of NFL teams has exploded. The average franchise is now worth $6.49 billion, and no team is valued at less than $5.25 billion, according to CNBC’s Official 2024 NFL Team Valuations. In August, the league for the first time allowed private equity to buy up to a 10% stake in NFL teams. Pegula took full advantage. Earlier this month, the fracking mogul sold a 10% stake to Arctos Partners – and another 10% to 10 limited partners led by NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter – at a $5.8 billion valuation. The Bills, who lead the AFC East this season and are one of the favorites to win what would be their first Super Bowl title, are expected to get a boost in revenue from the new stadium from personal seat licenses, suite sales and sponsorships. “Having a new stadium is a nice thing,” one banker told The Post. “It makes it a much more attractive investment.” “Did it add 10% to the value? Yes, and that’s our tax money at work,” the banker said. A second banker added: “I think the new stadium is not insignificant when valuing the team.” Hochul had previously drawn criticism for the alleged sweetheart deal. Her husband, William Hochul, is a former top administrator with the Buffalo Bills’ concessionaire, Delaware North. She defended the decision during a press conference in March 2022. “I went into these negotiations trying to answer three questions – how long can we keep the Bills in Buffalo, how can we make sure this project benefits the hardworking men and women of Western New York and how can we get the best deal for taxpayers?” she said. “I’m pleased that after months of negotiations, we’ve come out with the best answers possible – the Bills will stay in Buffalo for another 30 years, the project will create 10,000 union jobs and New Yorkers can rest assured that their investment will be recouped by the economic activity the team generates.” are you sure you wanna do that.wav crapfest.wav good, bad, the ugly.wav you're doing it wrong.wav Thank you, precious!.wav toilet flush.wav j-e-t-s~1.wav

A 73-year-old Seattle-area grandmother was duped into sending at least $20,000 by a scam artist posing as MSNBC anchor Ari Melber. Patricia Taylor, a former Boeing employee and an avid watcher of the Comcast-owned cable news channel, began a months-long dialogue on Facebook earlier this year with someone pretending to be Melber, the Emmy-winning journalist who hosts the nightly show “The Beat with Ari Melber” on MSNBC. Taylor was convinced she was speaking with the MSNBC host, which was exploited by the poseur operating the Facebook account, according to KING 5 News in Seattle. Last Monday, Patricia Taylor flew from Seattle to New York to meet the man she thought was the MSNBC host, according to the news station. Taylor’s trip included a layover in Portland, where a relative intercepted her by tracking her cell phone, KING 5 reported. Meri Taylor said she believed that if her mother landed in New York, the scam artist would have met her and taken her hostage and demanded a ransom in exchange for her release. “They’d see how much money they could get out of us.” The Marysville, Washington police department has launched an investigation. An MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment. The fake Melber asked Patricia Taylor to send him money and gift cards to treat his sick dog, Penny. “My mom is saying, ‘You’re on TV. Don’t you have money?'” Taylor’s son, Joey Taylor, told KING 5. “He tells her he doesn’t have access to this money,” said Joey. “He tells her that it’s for Penny. ‘Please don’t let Penny die.'” According to Taylor’s daughter, Meri, her mother sent the fake Melber at least $20,000 as of Nov. 1. “There could be more,” Meri Taylor told KING 5. As if that weren’t nefarious enough, Patricia Taylor was seduced by the scammer into thinking they were in love and going to get married. The scam artist sent Patricia Taylor an engagement ring that Meri Taylor said was worth $30. Patricia Taylor grew suspicious that she was being duped, prompting the fake Melber to text her: “When did Ari Melber turn into a scammer?” The fraudster then used an AI-generated voice message that resembled the sound of Melber speaking. “You’re reading my messages and not responding. I’d never (scam) you. Have you found someone else?” the fake Melber is heard saying. According to Meri Taylor, the family staged two interventions with Patricia Taylor in an effort to convince her that the individual she was communicating with was not the real Melber. “Our mother is not a dumb person,” Meri Taylor told KING 5, noting that Patricia Taylor worked at Boeing and the University of Washington before retiring. “”How did she fall for this? How did she not see what was going on? You try to explain the logic and it doesn’t sink in.” The family is concerned that Patricia Taylor may still try to meet with the individual posing as Melber. “We just want our mom back,” Joey Taylor told KING 5.

Emmy-nominated, multi-platinum musician, Ben Folds is touring across the nation, raising money for underserved children. The genre-bending alternative rock-piano pop concert ‘Paper Airplane Request Tour‘ is a unique experience, where fans are invited to launch their song request to the stage via paper airplanes. $1 from each ticket will go towards supporting Keys For Kids, a charitable initiative spearheaded by Ben Folds that provides free piano lessons to underserved children in his home state of North Carolina. Folds first rose to fame in the mid-’90s with Ben Folds Five, he launched his solo career in 2001, and has released a New York Times best-selling memoir Dream About Lightning Bugs. The North Carolina native has interviewed several notable celebrities, such as Louisiana native and musician/composer Jon Batiste, Sara Bareilles, Bob Saget, and Rainn Wilson on his podcast, ‘Lightning Bugs.’