Content for Friday, August 6
Poll: 20% of Americans Have Ended Friendships Over COVID Spats
New polls show that significant numbers of Americans have ended friendships over disagreements about COVID-19. In one survey, YouGov asked: “Have you lost any friendships because of differences in opinion related to the COVID-19 pandemic?” Overall, 20 percent responded “yes,” 68 percent responded “no,” and another 11 percent replied “Don’t know.” Democrats were significantly more likely than Republicans to have lost a friend due to disagreements about Covid, with 24 percent responding “yes” versus 15 percent of GOP voters who said the same. Another poll asked: “Do you personally know anyone who has died due to complications from covid-19?” Eleven percent responded “Yes, a family member,” and another 18 percent said “Yes, a close friend.” Among Democrats, a combined 40 percent said they’ve lost a close friend or family member to the disease, while a combined 26 percent of Republicans said the same.
40% Of Americans Think They Could Compete In The Olympics
Two in five Americans believe they have what it takes to be in the Olympics. Researchers surveyed 1,000 adults in the US and found 40% think they’re fit enough to compete in at least one summer or winter sport at the Olympics. Men were more likely to say they could compete in the Olympics at 60% compared to women at 22%. Basketball, soccer and swimming were the top choices people said they could compete in.
Jennifer Aniston Stands By Decision to Cut Off Un-Vaccinated Friends Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Jennifer Aniston addressed a recent interview in which she admitted to cutting out friends who are un-vaccinated. The actress recently told InStyle that her friend group is a bit smaller these days, mostly because she's cut out individuals who chose not to get vaccinated for the coronavirus. As she put it, "I've just lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [whether or not they had been vaccinated], and it was unfortunate. I feel it's your moral and professional obligation to inform, since we're not all podded up and being tested every single day." She admitted it's a "tricky" situation, as she understands "everyone is entitled to their own opinion." However, Aniston also said she believes, "A lot of opinions don't feel based in anything except fear or propaganda." Those comments sparked backlash, particularly from those who questioned why the 52-year-old star is concerned if she herself has been vaccinated. In response to one such question, "The Morning Show" star wrote on her Instagram Story, "Because if you have the [Delta] variant, you are still able to give it to me. I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital and or die." "BUT I CAN give it to someone else who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition), and therefore I would put their lives at risk." She added, "THAT is why I worry. We have to care about more than just ourselves here." Aniston confirmed she was fully vaccinated on May 7 by posting a celebratory photo of herself on Instagram.
Divorce Lawyers Shared Their Most Memorable Cases
Comments were flooded with wild stories when a Reddit user asked, "Divorce lawyers of Reddit, what are some of your most memorable cases?” Here are some of the wildest stories: “We once had a case where the husband and wife decided to start having a threesome with their friend. Then they both fell in love with her and started sleeping with her separately behind each other’s backs.” "One client filed for divorce because he owed his bookie $70,000. He didn't want to leave his wife, but he figured he would get half the house in the divorce, which was worth $700,000, which would help pay his debts.” "I had a husband and wife go toe to toe over an ashtray they got in Vegas. They spent nearly $5,000 for me and another attorney to duke it out in court over the silly thing. Prior to the proceeding, I explained what the cost would be to argue over something silly like this, and that he could give me $2,500 and I would fly to Vegas for the weekend and get him an identical ashtray instead. He said he didn't care about the costs because he intended to smash it on the courthouse steps in front of her if we won.” "I worked for a law firm while in college, and we had a client who had just come home from a two-week vacation with his wife only to be served with divorce papers and a temporary restraining order as soon as they pulled in the driveway.” "I once represented a husband divorcing his wife of 35+ years. At mediation, they divided up about a half-million in assets within 30 minutes. They spent 2.5 hours fighting over two hurricane glasses from Pat O'Brien's and a pitchfork.” "I had one client who looked through her husband's phone and found out he was hiring male escorts while he was on business trips.” "One of our clients thought his wife was having an affair. She would actually just go driving around for hours of the night playing Pokémon Go.” "A 46-year marriage ended because his old high school girlfriend was single again. I later learned that the guy married the old girlfriend the same day his divorce was finalized." "It took the couple two hours to decide who would get the groceries left in the fridge. They had an estimated value of about $40. Two hours of my time, the opposing counsel time, and the mediator's time added up to about $1,000." "I worked in a law firm, and we had a divorce case where the husband and wife were first cousins. They knew each other their whole lives and married late in life to each other. He then cheated on her with his stepdaughter from his first marriage.” "My mother is a family law lawyer. One of her clients wanted to surprise his wife with a threesome between them both and his guy best friend. The surprise goes fine. She loves it, and life goes on. Eventually, the wife and the best friend retain some sort of connection that they didn't have until the threesome happened. They decide to get together and ditch her husband in the equation. He got divorced by his wife so that she could continue to have sex with his best friend.”
Apple Plans to Scan Photos Stored on iPhones and iCloud for Child Abuse Imagery
Apple plans to scan photos stored on iPhones and iCloud for child abuse imagery. The system, called neuralMatch, will “proactively alert a team of human reviewers if it believes illegal imagery is detected, who would then contact law enforcement if the material can be verified.” NeuralMatch, which was trained using 200,000 images from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, will roll out first in the US. Photos will be hashed and compared with a database of known images of child sexual abuse. According to people briefed on the plans, every photo uploaded to iCloud in the US will be given a ‘safety voucher,’ saying whether it is suspect or not. Once a certain number of photos are marked as suspect, Apple will enable all the suspect photos to be decrypted and, if apparently illegal, passed on to the relevant authorities.
People Are Flocking To Applebee's. This Popular Country Song Is One Reason Why
Applebee's is doing better than it has in years since opening dining rooms back up after COVID lockdowns and the song "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes is the big reason why. Applebee's president said, "This song lyrically is all about date night at Applebee's, and it's gone viral in a big way on social media… TikTok, Instagram and YouTube providing great buzz for the Applebee's brand.” The song goes "We fancy like Applebee's on a date night, got that Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake."
NFL: Cowboys Top List Of League's Most Valuable Franchise Again
The Dallas Cowboys topped Forbes list of most valuable NFL teams for the 15th straight year. The Cowboys are worth $6.5 billion… which is an $800 million increase over their value in 2020. The New England Patriots came in second at $5 billion followed by the New York Giants at $4.85 billion,Los Angeles Rams at $4.8 billion and Washington Football Team at $4.2 billion. The Buffalo Bills have the lowest value at $2.27 billion.
"South Park" Creators Sign Massive $900M Deal
One of the richest deals in TV history has just been made. "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have signed a $900 million deal with ViacomCBS that renews the show on Comedy Central until 2027 and also calls for the pair to produce 14 "South Park" movies for the Paramount Plus streaming service. Parker and Stone released a statement, saying: "Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years.”
Thief Steals 9-Year-Old Twins' Lemonade Stand Tip Jar So Police And Community Step In
A woman in Iowa stole the tip jar from 9-year-old twins’ lemonade stand but cops and firefighters stepped up to help the kids. The boy and girl were running their lemonade stand in front of their home when a woman stopped her car and grabbed their tip jar before she fled the scene. Their mother called the local police department to report the crime. In less than 24 hours, several officers and firefighters stopped by the lemonade stand to order some fresh cups… raising money for the twins. Cops are still investigating and trying to find the woman.
95-Year-Old Grandma Cooks Up World's Biggest Oreo
A 95-year-old woman and her grandson in Ohio have broken a Guinness World Record by cooking up a giant Oreo cookie that weighs in at 175 pounds. The 175-pound cookie unofficially broke the record set by a 160-pound cookie made by Oreo manufacturer Mondelez International in 2018. The record attempt was timed to coincide the grandmother's August 1st birthday.