samhexum

Heartstopper Forever NETFLIX MOVIE PREMIERE In this full-length film that serves as a series finale, it's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang — and as Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.

I've always had multiple shopping carts-for shopping, laundry, garbage. As they have worn out, I've had to replace them. Last year, I ordered a large one and had it sent to my sister's house so my brother-in-law could put it together for me. It was too big and unwieldy and twice when I had it loaded up, it tipped over and I fell on top of it. A week after the second time that happened one of the wheels fell off, and I had to throw it away. I ordered one and had it sent to my house months ago; it's useful, but too small. The last decent full size one I had died a few weeks ago so, like a modern day Goldilocks, I ordered another one from Walmart that would be neither too big nor too small. It arrived July 7, and I shocked myself by actually starting to put it together about 2AM, so less than six months after I actually got the thing (which is my usual normal). Anyhoo... without further ado... I was sitting on the floor starting to assemble things, and I thought I was missing a washer, but it turned out I was sitting on it. however, I only had one cotter pin, which hold the back wheels on, so you need two. I called Walmart at close to 3 AM, got past the AI assistant, and spoke to the usual person with a very heavy Indian accent. I explained the situation and said I'm disabled and it's difficult for me to get around so I don't want to return it, but could they just send me the missing piece? He put me on hold for about a minute while he looked into the matter then came back on the line and said I've initiated a full refund of $63.14 to you because the item was damaged with missing parts. You can just throw it away. I knew that I had some spare parts that came with the big one and the small one, but I thought I had used all of the cotter pins trying to repair the last full sized cart that I had a couple of times before it died. You'll never guess what I found! TWO cotter pins! Anyhoo again... After all that (and not really having been in the mood to assemble the thing anyway) I put my free cart aside (meaning shoved it off to a different part of the floor) and will do it at some point over the (or some) weekend. Then I got the email asking me to rate my call with the rep but never got the email saying we've initiated a refund so I called back at 4 AM and got another rep who checked and said that while the first rep thought he had initiated the refund he hadn't, but the second one did and I've gotten the email saying that the refund is in the works.

Next time you're desperately searching for payphone, come to the Stop & Shop at 74 –17 Grand Ave. in Maspeth, New York, since there is now one outside the store. I asked two employees when they installed it; neither one even knew it was there.

More than 40 years ago, a then-unknown Whoopi Goldberg premiered her one-woman show that would move to Broadway later in the year. The trailblazing self-titled show is coming back to New York, in a new Off-Broadway revival titled, “The Whoopi Monologues.” The show – reimagined for a new generation – is led by an ensemble of five actresses bringing Goldberg’s unforgettable characters back to life on stage. One of the stars of the production, actress and producer Kerry Washington, joins Morning Joe, along with the show's Tony-nominated director Whitney White, to discuss the new production. https://apple.news/AEliY1EH1S26_JS9iGaTO6g

Netflix's Vegas-set drama "The Roman," starring Oscar Isaac and executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, has added Vincent D'Onofrio, Kate Mara, Clancy Brown, Thomas Sadoski, and Jason Schwartzman to its cast, Variety reports.

Rose Landry continues to have an interesting love life: Sophie Nélisse ("Yellowjackets," "Heated Rivalry") will play Lucy in Netflix's forthcoming adaptation of Carley Fortune's "This Summer Will Be Different." The 10-episode series is described as "a simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers on Prince Edward Island" where a young woman navigates her twenties and "her first real love with her best friend's brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for."

Tiny elevators in walk-ups. Formal recognition for tenant unions. A rethink of credit checks and the widely used requirement that apartment seekers earn 40 times the monthly rent. Those are among 23 proposals in a new roadmap released Thursday by the Mamdani administration, aimed at changing how New York City renters find apartments, report unsafe conditions, and confront landlords who fail to make repairs. The 67-page “Rental Ripoff Recap” grew out of five boroughwide hearings Mayor Zohran Mamdani held between February and April that drew 2,419 participants, according to officials who conducted 852 one-on-one listening sessions and received 882 pieces of digital testimony. https://www.amny.com/news/mamdani-23-proposals-reshape-renting-nyc/

Jeff Stryker and I will not be elderly until AT LEAST 8/22/27, the day after we turn 65.

Swimming Child Hit in Head By SUV Crashing Into Pool and Pulled Underwater by Tire A boy having fun near a resort pool was trapped underwater after a vehicle suddenly crashed through the fence and landed in the water. The single-car crash occurred on Monday, July 13, at around 3:30 p.m. local time at the popular Smuggler’s Notch Resort in Vermont. The 9-year-old child, Joseph Sage, said the dark blue SUV hit him in the head while he was swimming before he was pulled below the water by one of the car’s tires. Boy was trapped underwater by a car tire during wild crash “I just heard a bang and a car went there,” the boy told NBC 5. “It hit my head and pulled me under.” the most infuriating thing about the story is that the SUV had just eaten ten minutes before and shouldn't even have gone swimming for another 20 minutes

Only at Raymour & Flanigan

People Are Talking About McDonald’s New “See-Through” PlayPlace Design Julieta Simone McFranchisee/X McDonald’s has unveiled its new restaurant prototype, and the new McDonald’s new PlayPlace is already generating buzz online thanks to one standout feature: a large, glass-fronted PlayPlace that’s visible from both inside and outside the restaurant. But the redesigned family play area is only one part of a much broader concept. The prototype, developed as part of the company’s new “McDonald’s Next” strategy, combines transparency, digital technology, and operational upgrades designed to modernize both the customer experience and the kitchen behind the scenes. While the design is still being refined before a wider rollout, it offers an early look at what future McDonald’s locations could eventually become. The Glass PlayPlace Is Getting All the Attention McFranchisee/X The most talked-about feature of the new prototype is the PlayPlace itself. Unlike many recent McDonald’s restaurants that either removed play areas entirely or tucked them away, this design proudly showcases the children’s play space behind bold red-tinted glass. Photos from the company’s Worldwide Convention quickly spread across social media, with many users expressing excitement that McDonald’s appears to be embracing family-friendly spaces again after years of increasingly minimalist restaurant designs. Customers Can See Straight Into the Kitchen McFranchisee/X Transparency is one of the biggest themes behind the redesign. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows allow customers to see deep into the restaurant, including the kitchen where fries, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and other menu items are prepared. McDonald’s says the goal is to reinforce confidence in food quality while giving guests a clearer view of how their meals are made. The Espresso Station Becomes Its Own Attraction McFranchisee/X Coffee lovers may notice another unusual addition. The prototype includes an espresso preparation area positioned directly behind a large viewing window, complete with counter seating where customers can watch employees prepare specialty drinks. Rather than hiding beverage production in the back, McDonald’s is turning it into part of the restaurant experience—a concept similar to coffee shops that showcase baristas at work. Technology Is Built Into Nearly Every Part of the Restaurant McFranchisee/X The redesign isn’t just about appearance. Digital ordering kiosks have been streamlined, large video displays showcase menu items throughout the dining room, and connected technology is integrated across both customer-facing and back-of-house operations. The concept reflects McDonald’s growing emphasis on digital ordering, automation, and operational efficiency while still maintaining a welcoming dining environment. Pickup Lockers Make Mobile Orders Easier McFranchisee/X Instead of relying solely on the traditional front counter, the new restaurant includes temperature-controlled pickup lockers where customers can retrieve mobile orders. Different compartments are designed to maintain appropriate temperatures for fries, cold drinks, desserts, and other menu items. Similar lockers are also located outside specifically for delivery drivers, helping reduce congestion inside the restaurant during busy periods. Delivery Drivers Get Their Own Dedicated Pickup Area McFranchisee/X Recognizing how much delivery has changed the restaurant business, McDonald’s created a separate enclosed pickup station outside the building for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and other delivery services. Drivers can enter a code to retrieve completed orders without competing with dine-in customers or waiting at the counter, potentially speeding up both delivery and in-store service. The Kitchen Is Smarter Than Ever McFranchisee/X Behind the scenes, much of the equipment is connected to a central operating system capable of monitoring restaurant performance in real time. Managers can receive alerts when fryer oil needs replacing, refrigeration units require maintenance, or other equipment needs attention. The system is designed to reduce downtime while helping restaurants maintain more consistent food quality. Drinks and Desserts Take Up a Bigger Role Mashed One of the biggest surprises inside the prototype is how much space is devoted to beverages and desserts. According to Restaurant Business, roughly 40% of the kitchen is dedicated to drinks and sweet treats, reflecting McDonald’s growing investment in premium coffees, specialty beverages, McFlurries, and other dessert offerings as competition in the beverage category continues to increase. Some Experimental Features Didn’t Make the Final Design Tasting Table Not every idea survived testing. McDonald’s experimented with a conveyor belt between drive-thru windows and an automated self-service sauce station dispensing ketchup, ranch, barbecue, and other sauces. Company executives ultimately decided both features felt unnecessary or distracted from the restaurant’s focus on quality, so they are expected to be removed before franchisees begin adopting the final prototype. The Entire Restaurant Is Designed to Feel More Like McDonald’s Again REMKO DE WAAL/Getty Images Beyond the technology, the prototype makes a conscious effort to reinforce the brand’s identity. Golden Arches design elements appear throughout the restaurant, the PlayPlace reintroduces a feature many families have missed, and even the outdoor patio includes a roof inspired by sesame seed buns and French fries. Company executives say the overall goal is to create restaurants that feel “unmistakably McDonald’s” while balancing speed, convenience, hospitality, and modern digital ordering. Will You Actually See This Restaurant Soon? ermingut/istockphoto Although the concept has generated significant attention online, customers shouldn’t expect every McDonald’s to change overnight. The prototype is currently being refined after its debut at the company’s Worldwide Convention, with franchisees expected to adopt elements of the design during future remodels and new restaurant construction. Whether it’s the see-through kitchen, the return of the PlayPlace, or the expanded digital features, the project offers a glimpse into how McDonald’s hopes to evolve while staying recognizable to longtime customers.

Scott Bryce, who played Craig Montgomery on As the Stomach Turns, has died of cancer at 68. I knew him as a frequent TV guest star, including in 4 episodes of Facts of Life (he played Jo's beau). The year was 1988 and Bryce had been playing Craig Montgomery on the now-defunct CBS soap for seven years, per IMDb. Meanwhile, McKeon had been playing tough-talking Jo Polniaczek since 1980. Although Jo attempted to marry during the show's first season, she remained single throughout most of the show's run. But years later, Jo also became the first of the four Eastland Boarding School alumni to marry. When it came time to cast Jo's boyfriend turned new husband, McKeon knew who she wanted cast in the role, which she revealed in a touching tribute to the late actor. "Am incredibly sad to learn that we have lost the lovely and talented Scott Bryce," she wrote on Instagram. "As a fan, I loved watching his work on the soap opera As the World Turns and when our writers on FOL wanted to cast the man that Jo would eventually marry, I quickly and enthusiastically asked that they please consider Scotty…🤗his talent won them over as well!…an absolute privilege and am forever grateful for such beautiful memories." McKeon's Facts of Life co-stars, including Lisa Welchel (Blair Warner) and Mindy Cohn (Natalie Green) also left their condolences on the post. "So very very sad. What a sweet and talented man," Welchel wrote. Cohn said, "What a loss. I adore him SO!" Bryce played another famous sitcom husband just a few short years later when he landed a recurring role on Murphy Brown, playing Corky Sherwood's husband, Will Forrest. Bryce is survived by his wife, Jodi, and son, Jackson.

"Colin from Accounts" is closing up its books for good: The Australian rom-com will end with its upcoming Season 3 on Paramount+, TVLine has confirmed. Season 3 still doesn't have a premiere date on Paramount+, but a source tells TVLine it's "coming soon."

Most of us plan our holidays around TripAdvisor reviews, flight prices, and whether the hotel has a pool. Drew Binsky plans his around something slightly different. The 34-year-old American content creator has spent the last decade traveling to every single country on the planet, including North Korea, Afghanistan, and a handful of places that most travel agents would refuse to book for you on principle. His YouTube channel has racked up 5.7 million subscribers and over a billion views, which tells you that people are very interested in watching someone go to the places they themselves would absolutely never go. And now, after a decade of doing exactly that, Drew has ranked the five destinations that actually scared him. Genuinely scared him. And the list does not disappoint. Drew’s travel career started the way a lot of great stories do, with a semester abroad. In 2012, he went to study in Prague, visited over 20 countries while he was at it, and got bitten by the travel bug. He moved to South Korea to teach English and launched a blog called The Hungry Partier. The rest, as they say, spiraled gloriously out of control. Along the way, he has set two world records, visiting 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in a single 24-hour period in 2016, and completing the fastest-ever regulated suitcase pack. Not the most conventional CV, but it appears to be working. Mogadishu, Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, took the top spot without much deliberation. Drew described it as a city with no rules and no laws, one where simply stepping outside your hotel requires a military escort, armed convoy vehicles front and back, and a group of soldiers in bulletproof vests actively scouting the route ahead of you. Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda offshoot, has a significant presence in the city, and the atmosphere that it creates is one of constant, unrelenting threat. On his last visit, Drew had gone to meet a friend at the Hyatt Hotel, which is now just rubble. “It’s just very, very scary and very unfortunate,” he said. Of all the countries he has visited, and there are 197 of them, Mogadishu sits alone at the top of the list. Conakry, Guinea Conakry, the capital of Guinea, earned the second spot, and Drew’s description of it is not exactly a tourism brochure. He was stopped by police within ten minutes of leaving his hotel, got caught up in an active coup attempt, and described the general experience of being there as a “complete mess.” Kandahar, Afghanistan Kandahar, Afghanistan, came in third. As the historical stronghold of the Taliban, the city has operated under an intense atmosphere of control for the better part of 25 years. Drew found the ancient markets fascinating, but even there, something sat differently. He made it clear that he loves Afghanistan as a country. Kandahar is simply its own category. Port Au Prince, Haiti Port-au-Prince, Haiti came in at number four, and the story Drew tells about it is the most personally harrowing on the list. He entered a gang-controlled area near the airport with a local guide and found himself in a situation that escalated quickly with armed men controlling the territory, demanding payment, weapons being pointed in his direction. Tripoli, Libya Rounding out the list at number five is Tripoli, Libya, where Drew’s 2018 visit involved falling asleep to the distant sounds of artillery. Walking the streets came with constant police attention from officers wholly unaccustomed to foreign visitors. He did note that Tripoli has reportedly opened up considerably in recent years, and that he hopes to go back. That sentiment is honestly heartwarming. When it comes to unaliving numbers, the three most dangerous cities in the world are all located in Mexico, but people are still packing their bags and happily visiting Cancun for spring break. Sadly, the cities on Drew’s list are suffering deeply amid socio-economic turmoil. By crime index, his evaluation of Port-au-Prince seems to check out, and it is followed by Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Pietermaritzburg, and Johannesburg in South Africa. Different metrics, different lists, but Haiti keeps showing up near the top of all of them. What makes all of this bittersweet is that several of the countries on Drew’s list are, beneath the instability, strikingly beautiful. Somalia has some of the most untouched landscapes in the entire Horn of Africa, with pristine white-sand beaches, coral reefs, and ancient archaeological ruins that have barely been studied because so few people can safely get there. Afghanistan, for its part, is home to the cobalt-blue Shrine of Hazrat Ali in Mazar-i-Sharif and the extraordinary travertine lakes of Band-e-Amir National Park. These are not places that lack beauty or history or cultural richness. They are places where the gap between what they could be for travelers and what they currently are is almost painful to sit with. Danger, Will Robinson!

NFL star Stefon Diggs continues to fight sexual assault allegations made by Chris Griffith, who claims the information the player is seeking is already in his possession. Griffith argues that Diggs and his team arranged his May 2023 trip to Washington, D.C., meaning any related travel documents should already be in the NFL star’s possession. New court filing disputes Stefon Diggs’ request for travel records According to TMZ, Griffith’s attorney argued that any records related to the trip would already be in Diggs’ possession. The filing states, “To the extent travel arrangements, confirmations or related documents exist, they are at least equally within [Stefon’s] possession, custody or control.” Griffith has also claimed that he has already produced 24 pages of text messages exchanged with members of Diggs’ support staff. The dispute began when Diggs filed a defamation lawsuit against Griffith over false allegations of sexual assault and drugging during a Washington trip. Diggs has explicitly rejected all accusations. According to the countersuit, Griffith alleged that Diggs personally flew him to Washington, D.C., where the alleged incident later took place. He claims the trip was arranged by Diggs before the events that became the center of the lawsuit. Stefon’s lawyer argued, “[Chris] engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct by knowingly publishing false statements accusing Plaintiff of violence, sexual assault, drugging people, and serious crimes.” Diggs’ attorney also argued that Griffith’s statements had the potential to damage the player’s reputation. In a countersuit, Griffith has claimed that Diggs flew him to Washington to hang out with him. Griffith alleged that he was later given a piece of candy that had been laced with drugs without his knowledge. According to TMZ, Griffith alleged that Diggs later exposed himself, touched his ear with his tongue, and invited him to his bedroom. The lawsuit further alleges that, after he rejected Diggs’ advances, the player instructed his brother, Darez Diggs, and two other individuals to assault him approximately a week later. Separately, TMZ previously reported that Griffith reached a settlement in a separate $10 million lawsuit involving his apartment complex and Darez Diggs over the alleged 2023 assault. The civil litigation between Griffith and Stefon Diggs remains ongoing. deja vu all over again?

Franco is back on social media, telling people about “some serious sh*t” he has been experiencing. It all started with the Oscar-nominated actor appearing on TikTok on June 3, where he said in his first video that it was really him, not an AI-generated figure, in the clips. “I can’t say too much right now. But stick around, and I promise it will all make sense,” Franco said. Almost like he knew what everyone was thinking, Franco clarified that he wasn’t “crazy.” “I maybe seem crazy, like, why? What’s going on? What’s the gimmick? No. This is real,” he said. But his words didn’t do much to quell concerns, as he continued sharing a string of cryptic videos in the following weeks. The 127 Hours star made bizarre claims, saying people were watching him and following him. He even said he was worried he might disappear. On June 15, Franco shared a video in which he claimed to have spotted an alien on his property. Viewers wondered whether his videos were part of some twisted marketing campaign to promote an upcoming film. Although Franco is involved in multiple upcoming films, none of them are reportedly about extraterrestrial beings. The Pineapple Express star shared another video on June 15, where he spoke about sharing footage of his alien encounter with the world. He also mentioned the date July 13 as the day he would release the supposedly explosive content. On a video posted on June 25, Franco spoke about his account getting hacked and how people have been calling him “crazy.” “OK, they hacked my account. I got it back. They want me to stop. People think I’m acting crazy. Whatever. I’m not acting crazy. I saw something,” the panic-stricken actor said. “They tried to hack my account, and I got it back,” he continued. “They don’t want me to show what I’m gonna show. I’m gonna show it. I already told you, 7/13.” Eventually came the day of July 13, the day he earmarked to expose the footage of the alien lurking on his property. “I saw something, and I thought, you know what? I can’t keep this quiet,” the actor said. “I need to get this out for that very reason that people are trying to stop me.” “You wanted it. Here it is. I deliver,” he said, proceeding to show viewers black and white clips of an alien-like figure roaming around his house and peering into his window. “A lot more footage dropping soon! It gets very crazy!!!” read a message that came at the end of his July 13 video. The video, which he had been harping on for a month, left netizens scratching their heads. “God dam**t James Franco, you made us wait for this?!” “OK now be real with us,” another said. “Is this for a movie or is this legit footage?” “Looks like a clip from the 1950’s movie creature of the black lagoon,” one said. “Are we all forgetting HE IS A PROFESSIONAL ACTOR???????” another asked. “Alright it’s time to unfollow,” one commented online Some people assumed that the alien story was to promote his upcoming Christian Guiton-directed film, Love Meets in the Sunshine. But Guiton clarified that Franco’s TikTok videos had nothing to do with his movie. “It’s not a science fiction movie,” the director said on TikTok. “It’s not a conspiracy movie,” he added. “If I was promoting Sunshine, this is not how we would do it.” Franco has largely kept a low profile and barely featured in mainstream projects since he was hit with allegations of s**ual misconduct. He was sued for engaging in “s**ually-charged behavior towards female students” at the acting school he co-owned. Former students, who attended his now-closed acting school Studio 4, accused him of creating “a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional s**ual exploitation in the name of education,” according to the 2019 lawsuit. The actor agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the lawsuit in 2021. The Never Been Kissed actor admitted having physical relations with his students but maintained that it was all consensual. “Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong,” he said in an interview on The Jess Cagle Podcast with Julia Cunningham. He also said he was never able to be “faithful to anybody” before meeting his girlfriend, Izabel Pakzad, 30, whom he has been dating since 2017. “Either he’s schizophrenic or he’s making a very funny movie,” one commented online

Caesar salad fans are about to have a new reason to visit the drive-thru. Starting July 21, McDonald’s is launching a new creamy Caesar sauce and adding it to several chicken favorites for a limited-time summer menu. The new sauce features a savory Parmesan blend with subtle notes of lemon and garlic, bringing classic Caesar flavor to sandwiches, wraps, and even McCrispy Strips as a dipping sauce. The limited-time menu includes three ways to try it: Bacon Caesar McCrispy: A McCrispy filet topped with Caesar-style sauce, applewood smoked bacon, shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, crispy onions, crinkle-cut pickles, and served on a toasted potato roll. Caesar Snack Wrap: A McCrispy Strip topped with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, and the new Caesar sauce, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. The snack wrap will be available nationwide for $2.99. McCrispy Strips with Caesar Sauce: McDonald’s recently updated McCrispy Strips with crispier panko breading, and the new Caesar sauce joins the lineup as a limited-time dipping option. The new sauce and menu items will be available at participating McDonald’s locations nationwide for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot.

NEITHER AM I! (I just move like I am.)

Mature, experienced, 2/3 of devilish (666)

Police from the 100th Precinct are looking for the suspect who allegedly assaulted an elderly man in broad daylight at a shopping center in Arverne last month. Police say the 66-year-old victim was inside the Stop & Shop at 70-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd. just before 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, when a stranger who had been screaming and cursing at other shoppers approached him and struck him with her purse. The crazed woman proceeded to punch him in the face with a closed fist and then began biting both of his arms, police said. The suspect fled the scene running eastbound on Rockaway Beach Boulevard toward Beach 69th Street. The victim sustained minor lacerations to his arms and was transported by EMS to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect and described her as having a dark complexion with shoulder length braids. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black shorts, pink Crocs, a large blue backpack and she carried a white handbag.

A duck and a dog formed an unlikely friendship. Now they’re inseparable. Epilepsy medication helped the golden retriever, but it dulled her personality. The arrival of a 4-day-old duckling sparked new life in Barley For months, Barley was not herself. The golden retriever, now 7 years old, was diagnosed with epilepsy in February 2024 after a string of seizures. Although medication made the seizures stop, it also dulled Barley’s personality. “She lost her goldenness, her fun, her spunk,” said Tori Cannarelli, Barley’s owner who lives in Brookhaven, a suburban town on Long Island. “She was always sleeping or mopey. It was heartbreaking.” But Barley’s playfulness began to reemerge in May 2024, when a 4-day-old duckling arrived at their home. Barley stuck her snout into the duckling’s small enclosure, and the two locked eyes. It was then that an unlikely friendship was born. “They fell in love with each other instantly,” Cannarelli said. “It was the weirdest thing.” The duckling showed up at their house after Cannarelli’s husband saw a Facebook post by an elementary-school teacher looking to rehome two ducklings. Her husband said he planned to keep them at their house just for the weekend before bringing them to the local garden center he runs. One of the two ducklings died on the first night. “We don’t know why,” Cannarelli said, explaining that they believe the animal was ill when it arrived at their home. The surviving duckling, an American Pekin they named Louie, never made it to the garden center. They kept him because Cannarelli suspected the tiny duck was bringing Barley back out of her shell. “Maybe she was lonely, I’m not really sure,” Cannarelli said, adding that their vet said behavioral changes can happen when dogs start epilepsy medication. Within a few weeks, Barley and Louie were inseparable. Every morning, Barley would go to Louie’s outdoor pen, which has a wind-protected shed and a small pool. “You don’t expect that friendship, and it’s nice to see,” Cannarelli said. Pekin ducks are domesticated, cannot fly and don’t exist in the wild. They can live up to 12 years. “The duck is constantly following around the dog,” said Cannarelli, who has two children, ages 9 and 11. “They roll around together all day long.” They occasionally wrestle — though always gently, Cannarelli said. “Every now and then, she’ll get the zoomies and romp around and play with the duck as if he’s a puppy,” Cannarelli said. They also spar over food. Louie is a vegetarian, and his favorite foods are tomatoes, peas and cucumbers, which Barley enjoys, too. They often snag bites from each other’s dishes, and Louie prefers eating out of a dog bowl to eating out of a duck feeder. “The duck has no idea he’s a duck. He thinks he’s a dog,” Cannarelli said. That impression isn’t just a joke, said Stanley Coren, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the author of “How to Speak Dog.” “If you’re getting these heterogeneous species living together,” Coren said, “they will pick up on the behaviors of the others who they’re living with.” Golden retrievers, Coren added, are among the breeds most likely to form this kind of bond with another species. “If you presented a duck to a terrier, the duck is gone,” Coren said. “Retrievers are much more interested in retrieving than they are in hunting.” In this case, the timing mattered, too. Although dogs are predators and ducks are prey, young mammals give off pheromones that can sometimes trigger a protective instinct in animals around them — especially females, according to Coren. “That means the initial contact which the dog makes with the duck is going to have this protective mothering kind of a halo,” he said, noting that he doubts the bond would have formed the same way if Louie was an adult duck when he met Barley. “Over time, that can turn into a friendship.” Coren said he is not surprised Barley perked up after Louie appeared. “Dogs are highly sociable and so are ducks, so they feel more comfortable having somebody familiar and nonthreatening nearby,” he said. “There really is an emotional bond, and it can be cross-species.” Shortly after Louie arrived at their home, Cannarelli started an Instagram account to chronicle their unusual relationship. She had been sending her colleagues photos and videos when they suggested she make an account. “I started it as a joke for the office girls,” Cannarelli said. For two years, the account had a relatively small following, but in the past few months, it suddenly took off. Some of her videos have drawn millions of views. “I’m completely blown away,” said Cannarelli, who refers to Louie as Barley’s “emotional support duck.” People online are charmed by their dynamic. “This beautiful story should be a book for kids,” someone commented on a recent post. Cannarelli said having a pet duck is not for everyone. “They’re very messy, they’re a lot of work,” she said. “You really have to love them and take care of them and keep them clean.” Still, she said, Louie has become a fixture in their family. “We all got attached to him. … It’s not something I thought was ever going to be in my future, but now that he’s here, I seriously love him,” Cannarelli said. “He’s even on our Christmas card.” She said she plans to continue sharing Barley and Louie’s friendship. “I want to give people something to smile about,” she said. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/07/12/duck-dog-formed-an-unlikely-friendship-now-theyre-inseparable/

Hummingbirds Can’t Resist This Vibrant Flower—and Why Garden Experts Say It’s a Must-Plant Plus, some additional gorgeous options to usher in all the hummingbirds. https://apple.news/AO-QCAPLURuC8B4ZsmjzwtQ

The remnant of P.S. 59, which was destroyed by the cyclone that hit Woodhaven 131 years ago, on July 13, 1895. Only that this storm struck on a Saturday in July prevented this from being a far more tragic tale. Next week marks the 131st anniversary of the infamous storm that struck Woodhaven, Queens. It was on July 13, 1895, that the storm swept in from the south, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Three people would ultimately lose their lives, including one victim more than 100 miles away in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The storm cloud, estimated to cover an area of 300 square yards, first struck Woodhaven at Jamaica Avenue and Elderts Lane after sweeping through Cypress Hills Cemetery, where it toppled monuments and ripped out trees and headstones. Eyewitnesses described the cloud as massive and dark, with some saying it was shaped like a funnel. Others recalled a soft red glow within the cloud. Trees and chimneys were torn from their foundations and hurled through the air as if they weighed no more than feathers. Several people were lifted off their feet and carried through the air before landing a block or two away. The worst destruction occurred at the newly built two-story brick schoolhouse at University Place (95th Avenue) and Rockaway Road, today Rockaway Boulevard. P.S. 59 had been built in 1890 on land purchased from manufacturer Florian Grosjean, whose legendary factory and clock tower still stand on the border of Woodhaven and Ozone Park. The roof of the schoolhouse was ripped away and the upper half of the building collapsed. The fact that the storm struck on a Saturday in July prevented this from becoming an even greater tragedy. No one was injured inside the school. Outside, however, it was a different story. One block east of the school, at 3rd Avenue (84th Street) and Rockaway Boulevard, 16-year-old newlywed Louise Petroquien was sitting at her sewing machine when she heard the commotion outside. Looking out the window, she saw the massive dark cloud overhead and ran outside to warn her mother. She emerged from a side doorway, but before she could shout a warning, a large beam torn from the roof of P.S. 59 struck her in the head and neck, killing her instantly. It was her mother, returning after the storm had passed, who found her daughter’s body beside the steps leading to their home. The storm continued south toward Jamaica Bay, leaving an eerie silence amid widespread devastation. Although nearly 150 homes were damaged, accounts differ on how many were destroyed. The true number was probably somewhere between 15 and 30. In the days that followed, more than 100,000 people traveled to Woodhaven on the Long Island Rail Road along Atlantic Avenue to witness the destruction. While residents cleared away debris, visitors dropped coins and bills into barrels set up to aid the nearly 300 people who had lost everything, or nearly everything, in the storm. The main attraction for many visitors, however, was the Petroquien home. The family allowed people to enter through the same doorway Louise had rushed through moments before her death. Visitors stepped past the spot where she had fallen before entering the parlor to pay their respects as the young bride lay in a rosewood coffin beneath a mound of flowers. For more than a century, accounts of the 1895 storm referred to Louise Petroquien as Woodhaven’s only fatality. However, another victim has been largely forgotten: five-year-old Johnny Kolb. Johnny had been playing near Atlantic Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard when the storm struck. He was later found beneath the rubble with a broken arm and leg and died the following day from his injuries. Both Louise Petroquien and Johnny Kolb were buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery. Today, the intersection of 83rd Street and Rockaway Boulevard, now part of Ozone Park, gives no indication that it was once the scene of one of the area’s most destructive storms. A new school was built just one year later at the same site where the original building had stood. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the building became well known as a Friendly Frost appliance store. What happened there 131 years ago serves as a reminder that we remain at the mercy of nature and its ability to humble us without warning. By Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society

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