samhexum

Not specifically the chicken sandwich, but Fatburger has been mentioned before.

Meat meltdown Irate sheriff calls for backup after Burger King messes up his order, as squad cars show up with sirens blaring Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens was boiling mad after a local Burger King allegedly messed up his Whopper order — so he called for backup, newly released bodycam shows.

NASA is set to launch a spacecraft to Jupiter's moon Europa, considered one of our solar system's most promising spots to search for life beyond Earth, to learn whether this ice-encased world believed to harbor a vast underground ocean is habitable. The U.S. space agency's robotic solar-powered Europa Clipper spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, carrying nine scientific instruments. After traveling 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in a trip lasting about 5-1/2 years, Europa Clipper is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030. After a delay caused by Hurricane Milton, NASA set a tentative launch time for 12:06 p.m. ET (1606 GMT) on Monday. Scientists have a keen interest in the salty liquid water ocean that previous observations have indicated resides below Europa's icy shell. "There is very strong evidence that the ingredients for life exist on Europa. But we have to go there to find out," said planetary scientist Bonnie Buratti of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the mission's deputy project scientist. "Just to emphasize: we're not a life-detection mission. We're just looking for the conditions for life," Buratti added. Europa Clipper is the biggest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission, measuring about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long, about 58 feet (17.6 meters) wide and weighing approximately 13,000 pounds (6,000 kg). It is larger than a basketball court because of its sizable solar arrays to gather sunlight for powering scientific instruments, electronics and its other subsystems. The spacecraft is due to fly by Mars, then back by Earth, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum like a slingshot. It has three main science objectives: gauging the thickness of Europa's outer layer of ice and its interactions with the subsurface below, figuring out the moon's composition, and determining its geology. NASA is planning for its spacecraft to conduct 49 close flybys of Europa over a span of three years. Europa's diameter is about 1,940 miles (3,100 km) at its equator, roughly 90% that of our moon. Europa's icy shell is currently believed to be 10-15 miles (15-25 km) thick, floating atop an ocean 40-100 miles (60-150 km) deep. This moon is considered an "ocean world." Even though Europa is just a quarter of Earth's diameter, its subsurface ocean may contain twice the water in Earth's oceans. "As an ocean world, Europa is very intriguing. And this mission is going to help us to understand a complex piece of our solar system," said Gina DiBraccio, acting director of NASA's planetary science division. Ocean worlds, DiBraccio said, might be a common type of body outside our solar system. "Clipper is going to be the first in-depth mission that will allow us to characterize habitability on what could be the most common type of inhabited world in our universe," DiBraccio said. Despite its hostile and frigid surface, scientists believe Europa could be capable of nurturing life. Buratti noted that there are three main requirements for life to form: liquid water, certain chemistry - specifically organic compounds that could serve as food for any primitive organisms - and an energy source. Europa receives only about 4% of the solar radiation that Earth - five times closer to the sun - gets. But Buratti noted that Europa flexes as its orbit comes nearer and farther from Jupiter, thanks to the huge planet's strong gravitational pull - a process that produces heat on the moon. "That's the source of energy we have," Buratti said. At the bottom of Europa's ocean, where the water meets the rocky mantle, there may be thermal vents where heat releases chemical energy. "They may be similar to thermal vents in the deep oceans of the Earth where primitive life exists and where life may have originated on the Earth," Buratti said. The spacecraft's MASPEX instrument will sample gases to study Europa's ocean, surface and atmospheric chemistries. MASPEX will look for "sophisticated organic molecules that could provide the food, if there are any primitive organisms," Buratti added. Jupiter is our solar system's largest planet. Among its 95 officially recognized moons, Europa is fourth largest, behind Ganymede, Callisto and Io. Europa orbits about 417,000 miles (671,000 km) from Jupiter. Buratti said exploratory missions like this one always uncover something "that we could not have imagined." "There is going to be something there - the unknown - that is going to be so wonderful that we can't conceive of it right now," Buratti said. "That's the thing that excites me most."

I didn't enjoy season two quite as much as I did season one, but I still liked it enough to hope that they get a season three. I noticed that some of the episodes were directed by a woman with the same last name as the female star so I assume that's a relative.

Chippendales dancers from Las Vegas are attempting to unionize, making it the first all-male revue to start a labor action. A supermajority of the roughly two dozen beefcakes of the Rio-hotel-based cast voted last week to move to formalize their agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. “The entire Las Vegas Equity community is thrilled to welcome the Chippendales into our ranks,” Actors’ Equity Association leader Marci Skolnick said in a statement. The Chipps have gone so far as to file paperwork to hold a union election within the next month, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Cast member Freddy Godinez was the first of the studmuffins to broach the subject of labor issues facing the troupe. “The biggest issue that was surprising to me was health benefits, specifically, and sick leave,” Godinez, a second year cast member, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “There are performers there that have been with the show for seven years, one of them has been there 10 years, and there are no benefits offered for the performers.” “To me, that is kind of a minimum that companies should be able to provide for, especially for their full-time performers,” Godinez added. The musclemen are seeking health benefits and higher wages but that is not the extent of the issues chapping their cheeks. Other issues include compensation for image and likeness that are used on countless products such as posters, billboards, cups, calendars, playing cards, magnets, and t-shirts. Chipps workers say they are also expected to mingle with attendees of the show after the performance but are not compensated for that labor. The union membership would cover the residency show in the Rio Hotel and both the national and international touring productions. Any dispute could threaten a Lou Gehrig-esque streak that the Chipps have at the Rio Hotel – baring their buns at the venue for 8,700 shows since opening in 2002.

I got a text from my sister a couple of hours ago, saying that they have landed, but that my brother in law's bag was never loaded onto the plane. I have absolutely no idea what that's about, so I am assuming that, in addition to the games at Citi Field that they have tickets to, they somehow got tickets to at least one game in Los Angeles and paid last minute prices for a flight.

Head and hands of Colo. girl, 16, last seen in 2005 found in freezer of recently sold home NOT a great real estate find...

444 7-Eleven stores across North America are closing for underperforming, according to the company. Seven & I Holdings, 7-Eleven’s Japan-based parent company, announced in an earnings report Thursday that the stores are closing because of a dip in sales, particularly cigarette sales, as well as decreased traffic and inflation. A list of which stores will be closing was not released. 7-Eleven has 13,000 stores across the US and Canada, which means the closures would only impact 3% of the company’s portfolio. The convenience store chain has faced six consecutive months of traffic declines, including a 7.3% dip in August. “The North American economy remained robust overall thanks to the consumption of high-income earners, despite a persistently inflationary, elevated interest rate and deteriorating employment environment,” Seven & I Holdings said in an earnings release. “In this context, there was a more prudent approach to consumption, particularly among middle- and low-income earners.” The chain highlighted that cigarette sales, once the largest sales category for convenience stores, have fallen 26% since 2019 and that a shift in sales to other nicotine products has failed to make much of a difference. The company said it will transform its stores to be centered around food, which is now the highest-selling category. Seven & I Holdings strives to be “a world-class retail group centered around its food that leads retail innovation through global growth strategies centered on the 7-Eleven business and proactive utilization of technology,” the company said. In July, the convenience store chain said it would also sell popular international food items, including milk, bread, egg sandwiches and miso ramen, at its U.S. stores.

‘Spell casting’ woman arrested for abuse of a corpse, cooking body parts in a pot

Some SVU trivia... An actor named Brett Cullen guest starred this week as a judge. One of Mariska's first roles was as his younger sister in a few episodes of Falcon Crest. She was a free spirit who drove Jane Wyman's character nuts.

A taste of Transylvania: Twister Cake Bakery serves up delicious Eastern European treats to Queens locals City Parks Foundation holds second annual Senior Fitness Fair, featuring special guest Mr. Met

That's true, though they WERE the first team all season to lose a game to the Chisox by double digits.

Council Member Julie Won has announced plans for the long-delayed “Long Island City Ramps” project, which aims to transform a gritty area under the Queensborough Bridge ramps into 50,000 acres of public land and park space. LIC Ramps aims to address a lack of open space in Court Square by converting two parcels of land underneath the road ramps that lead to the Queensborough Bridge into recreational areas and green space for the local community. The two ramps converge above Jackson Avenue. Proposed rendering for LIC Ramps. Photo: STUDIO V The proposal, which would cost an estimated $7.95 million, includes plans for a 17,000-acre lot on Dutch Kills Street, currently being used by a DOT contractor for roadside parking, and an adjacent 33,000-acre NYPD School Safety parking lot. Unlike the DOT lot, the majority of the NYPD parking lot is not covered by the Queensborough Bridge ramps, providing a large area with plenty of sunlight. The city first committed to the LIC Ramps project in 2018 and has now agreed to move forward with it after six years of delays. Designed by Studio V, the LIC Ramps proposal includes spaces for a playground, dog run, seating, an urban grove and an outdoor ball court. It also includes plans for a flexible art space, bike racks and other public amenities. Rendering for the planned entrance to LIC Ramps. Photo: STUDIO V Design and construction of the open space will amount to $3.1 million of the $7.95 million estimated total of the project, with an additional $2.4 million required for maintenance of the space for a 15-year term. The remaining $2.45 million will go toward the construction of the space’s dog run and playground. American Lions, a joint venture between the Lions Group and Fetner Properties, has provided $5.5 million of the total funding, while Friends of Dutch Kills Open Space has applied for a grant to address the $2.45 million funding gap for the playground and dog run. Additional funding will be raised through donations. Rendering for the planned dog run at LIC Ramps. Photo: STUDIO V Won said the project is long overdue and will help to address the lack of open space in the local community. “After six long years and tireless community advocacy, the LIC Ramps project will finally fill the need for parks and public green space in Court Square,” Won said. “It is vital that our neighbors have walkable, modern, and safe outdoor spaces in their own communities.” Rendering for the planned urban grove at LIC Ramps. Photo: STUDIO V Laura Rothrock, president of Long Island City Partnership, described LIC Ramps as an innovative milestone for the neighborhood. “By transforming underutilized space in Court Square into a vibrant community hub, this project will deliver new recreational and gathering spaces for residents, employees, and visitors alike,” Rothrock said in a statement. Anatole Ashraf, chair of Community Board 2, called on city agencies to work with the local community and ensure that the project comes to fruition. “The LIC Ramps is a vital project in reclaiming our public spaces to serve the LIC community. We’re very close to making it a reality, provided all city agencies work with the community to get it over the finish line,” Ashraf said. The LIC Ramps project is set to be put to Community Board 2 for review during the CB2 meeting on Oct. 10. Rendering for the planned flexible art space at LIC Ramps. Photo: STUDIO V

Severe damage to the roof of Tropicana Field.

Severe damage to the roof of Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton.

Yes. And the storylines around the league, just like with the NBA. I'm still a Yankee fan, but from afar.

EEEEEATSCON brings star-studded feast to Forest Hills this weekend EEEEEATSCON New York, a food festival created by the restaurant review platform The Infatuation, returns to Forest Hills Stadium this weekend for its fifth year. The two-day event on Oct. 12 and 13 will feature over 30 restaurants, including five out-of-town eateries, four collaborations, and special appearances by celebrities and performers. Founded by The Infatuation, a media company known for its restaurant reviews and food guides, EEEEEATSCON combines a traditional food festival with the energy of a music festival. The event highlights exclusive dishes, collaborations between popular chefs, and live entertainment, offering attendees a unique culinary and cultural experience. Among the highlights of this year’s festival is Salt & Straw, an artisanal ice cream shop that recently opened on the Upper West Side. California-based Bodega SF will also make an appearance, offering exclusive dishes such as beef and mushroom skewers. A notable collaboration for this year’s event is between Shake Shack and Thai Diner, a downtown hotspot known for its Southeast Asian cuisine. Together, they will present the Thai Diner Shack, a burger that has generated excitement ahead of the event. Additional collaborations include Community Goods x Apollo Bagels, Potluck Club x Great NY Noodletown, and Cloudy Donut Co. x Sugar Hill Creamery. Sofia Vergara, best known for her role as Gloria in Modern Family, is one of eight speakers set to appear at the event. Former New York Knicks players Amar’e Stoudemire and Latrell Sprewell are scheduled to attend, and the Girls Gotta Eat podcast will host a live show on Sunday. General admission opens at noon each day, with tickets priced at $41.86. VIP packages, including early access and exclusive tastings for Chase customers, are also available. Speakers will begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 5:30 p.m., with performances scheduled between presentations.

Yes. Can you fully appreciate how boring I find baseball to be?

Homeowner calls cops after yard taken over by more than 100 raccoons ‘demanding food A homeowner who fed neighborhood raccoons for decades called 911 after coming home to find more than 100 of the fuzzy masked invaders “demanding food” and preventing her from getting inside.

I like the characters more than the scripts so far, but it's watchable.

I'm waiting for $8 from Breyer's because my natural vanilla ice cream wasn't all natural.

80-year-old refuses to evacuate as Milton barrels towards Florida “Everyone says I should go to a shelter for this one, my son says I need to. I haven’t decided yet. I’m not leaving town, this is my home, but I can decide to go to the middle school later if I want to shelter there.” Florida housing market crumbles: Homeowners struggle to sell amid rising insurance costs and storm fears Hurricane Milton path shows Tampa, Florida, could still take direct hit from superstorm A timeline of Robert Saleh’s miserable tenure as Jets head coach Milton reaching max limits leads to calls for a new Category 6 designation for hurricanes one of these things is not like the others; one of these things doesn't belong...