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The Bananas Podcast The Strange news podcast hosted by Scotty Landes and Kurt Braunohler Lin the Exactly Right network!

News5CLEVELAND — It didn’t work out for those hoping for “KOKANE,” “HEROIN,” “DOG TURD,” or “IH8OH1O” as their personali...
31/12/2024

News5CLEVELAND — It didn’t work out for those hoping for “KOKANE,” “HEROIN,” “DOG TURD,” or “IH8OH1O” as their personalized Ohio license plate in 2024 (“IH8XICH” was rejected too).

As of Dec. 9, the Ohio BMV rejected 931 applications this year, which is up more than 20% compared to the same stretch in 2023.

Most requests are denied for including references to profanity, drugs, s*x, or other inappropriate combinations of letters and numbers.

Members of the “KIA GRLZ,” “MAFFIA,” or just a “SCAMMER” were rejected as well.

One way drivers tried to sneak some personalized plate requests by the Ohio BMV this year was by embracing some of the letters already used in one of Ohio’s 194 specialty plates.

For example, perhaps it was a University of Cincinnati fan who unsuccessfully tried to pair the iconic “C” with a plate request for “OCAINE” back in May.

Ohio BMV Registrar Charlie Norman previously told News 5 that only a fraction of a single percent are rejected each year.

Political references to current President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President-elect Donald Trump all made the rejected list as well.

See the full list of 2024’s rejected vanity plates from the Ohio BMV below.

31/12/2024
GUARDIAN - A Florida dog missing more than a week came home on Christmas Eve and rang its owner’s doorbell to announce i...
28/12/2024

GUARDIAN - A Florida dog missing more than a week came home on Christmas Eve and rang its owner’s doorbell to announce its return.

“It was about 2.30 am. She came pawing at the door, ringing the doorbell,” Brooke Comer told local television station KSBW, “which was Christmas Eve. And then that morning, I woke up to – she had made it on everybody’s [doorbell] camera.”

The dog, a four-year-old German shepherd named Athena, was lost on 15 December, which prompted a frantic search.

“People all the way from Jacksonville and Saint Augustine were like inboxing me,” Comer said.

Comer said Athena’s 2am return woke up her family.

“I tried not to wake up the kids, but the kids woke up anyways from the excitement,” Comer told the TV station.

Athena was not fitted with a microchip to help identify her. Comer said they would make sure to get that done over the holiday period to prevent further escapades.

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Popular Mechanics – On 5/10/2024, one of the most massive solar storms in decades (& the strongest aurora display in cen...
26/12/2024

Popular Mechanics – On 5/10/2024, one of the most massive solar storms in decades (& the strongest aurora display in centuries) crashed into Earth, making the northern lights not so northern—for a few nights, at least.

Now, details are still emerging about how the solar storm impacted the everyday goings-on here on Earth. One strange side effect, as reported by Spaceweather.com, is how this intense geomagnetic storm impacted farms knee-deep in May planting season. Because of this busy time of year, many farmers worked into the night with GPS-guided tractors doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

But then, things got weird.

“Our tractors acted like they were demon possessed,” Elaine Ramstad, an aurora chaser who’s family works a farm in northern Minnesota. “All my cousins called me during the May 10 storm to tell me that ‘my auroras’ were driving them crazy while they were planting.”

Ethan Schmidt, a service manager for John Deere, also told Spaceweather.com that more than 80% of farms use some basic form of GPS—these “smart” tractors can plant in perfect rows, apply just the right amount of fertilizer, & then harvest those crops later on. However, on the night of 5/10, things went haywire as the Sun’s rays impacted the Earth’s ionosphere.

On a good day, the ionosphere is a GPS obstacle because charged ions can interfere with GPS measurements. But during a once in a lifetime solar storm, that challenge can become insurmountable. Photos of crops planted on May 10 show crooked rows, as the tractor struggled to get a GPS lock.

Solar storms struck again in October, & one farmer reported that his John Deere’s Autosteer feature “jumped the line,” meaning it would make quick movements left or right. Eventually, the tractor would have to be reset.

“As the aurora activity began, my GPS was off by close to a foot. Twice while on Autosteer, the tractor danced a row to the left, to the right,” Randstad told Spaceweather.com, “& then the defoliator was off a row, so I had to loop around & start over. By nightfall, there was no controlling the Autosteer.”

Hopefully, by planting time next season, farmers will have plan B for when their machines become a bit Sun-addled.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT HOLIDAYS!We appreciate each an...
25/12/2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!
AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT HOLIDAYS!

We appreciate each and every Bananimal for being a gift to the world. Now put down your phones and hug your favorite person (or pet).

Thanks to .iguess for the art!

FOX 13 - COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) – A funeral home in Ohio wants to serve mourners in a new way by providing alcohol.Evergr...
21/12/2024

FOX 13 - COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) – A funeral home in Ohio wants to serve mourners in a new way by providing alcohol.

Evergreen Funeral Cremation and Reception in Columbus recently applied for a liquor license, which would make it the first of its kind in the state.

Hunter Triplett, the funeral home’s owner, said he wants to be able to provide guests with a livelier vibe if that’s the way they want to celebrate their loved ones.

“My role in this position is to kind of be a party planner for dead people, you know, be more of a celebration of life [rather] than more of the multi-day traditional services, which costs a lot of money,” Triplett said.

The owner wants to shed the funeral business’ reputation of being dark and morbid by offering manageable prices and the opportunity to raise to toast to a lost loved one.

Triplett said adding a bar will allow people to make their services more personalized.

Evergreen Funeral Cremation and Reception is the largest full-service funeral home in central Ohio.

The building was once a chocolate factory. Triplett’s family bought the property in 2015.

With a cemetery right across the street, Triplett said he wants his services to be easy to manage as a “one-stop shop.”

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, some states don’t allow funeral homes to serve food or drinks.

Triplett says he plans to offer his bar services around the beginning of the new year.

AP NEWS - A Massachusetts man trying to escape from police shimmied down the chimney.And got stuck.The man fled onto a r...
15/12/2024

AP NEWS - A Massachusetts man trying to escape from police shimmied down the chimney.

And got stuck.

The man fled onto a rooftop, channeling what the Fall River Police Department described as “the essence of the seasonal icon,” but he ended up needing to be rescued by the detectives who were pursuing him after getting wedged inside a chimney Tuesday evening.

Body cam video from the Fall River Police Department shows a detective shouting, “Hey he’s on the roof. Get down here!” Detectives were alerted moments later by a bystander that a man was “screaming” inside a nearby chimney. Incredulous detectives climbed up the roof and peered down into the shaft with a flashlight to see the man stuck.

“You’re an idiot,” one of them said.

Detectives called in firefighters who had to carefully knock out bricks to free the man. “Due to his Santa-antics (the man) was transported to a local hospital out of caution,” police said.

The man remained in the lockup Thursday on drug charges and other charges from outstanding warrants. His court-appointed attorney didn’t immediately return an email message.

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SKY NEWS - A council in the US has asked its residents to stop sticking googly eyes on the city's art.The comedy eyes ha...
14/12/2024

SKY NEWS - A council in the US has asked its residents to stop sticking googly eyes on the city's art.

The comedy eyes have appeared on statues and murals around the city of Bend, Oregon, causing a viral sensation.

"While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art," the city said in posts on social media.

"It would cost $0 to leave them on," replied one Facebook user, while another praised the artworks' additions.

"My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh," she said, using a nickname for the "Phoenix Rising" sculpture. "We love the googly eyes. This town is getting to be so stuffy. Let's have fun!"

Another Facebook user wrote: "I think the googly eyes on the deer specifically are a great look, and they should stay that way."

Others said the city should focus on addressing more important issues, such as homelessness, instead of spending time and money on removing the googly eyes.

Bend's sculptures frequently get adorned with seasonal decorations like Santa hats and wreaths which the council does not remove The googly eyes, however, are being removed because of their adhesive, according to Bend's communications director, Rene Mitchell.

"We really encourage our community to engage with the art and have fun. We just need to make sure that we can protect it and that it doesn't get damaged," she said.

Bend has spent $1,500 (£1,188) on removing googly eyes from seven of the eight sculptures impacted, according to Ms Mitchell and has started treating some of the art pieces, which are made of different types of metal such as bronze and steel.

The "Phoenix Rising" sculpture may even need to be repainted entirely.

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AP - A pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz fetched an all-time auction record for ...
08/12/2024

AP - A pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz fetched an all-time auction record for entertainment memorabilia when they sold on Saturday afternoon for $28 million. The sale was handled by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. With the buyer’s premium, the total is $32.5 million, and the buyer currently remains anonymous.

“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” said Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, in a statement released following the sale. “The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors. It’s been a privilege for all of us at Heritage to be a part of the slippers’ epic journey over the rainbow and off to a new home.”

Three other pairs of ruby slippers are known to exist. One pair resides in the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., while in 2012 Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg led a consortium of buyers to purchase a pair of ruby slippers, for a reported $2 million, to reside in the permanent collection of the Academy Museum of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. A third pair is believed to be owned by a private collector.

The provenance of this fourth pair, listed in a pre-auction estimate by Heritage to sell “for $3 million and up,” also may have contributed to its final total. The slippers were on display in 2005 at the Judy Garland Museum in the star’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn., when they were stolen in a smash-and-grab job. They were finally recovered after the FBI received a tip in 2018 and later were authenticated by the Smithsonian before being consigned to auction.

Also sold on Saturday: a witch’s hat worn by Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the Victor Fleming-directed film based on the beloved L. Frank Baum story. The black pointed hat, which was screen-matched to Hamilton’s first scene as the Wicked Witch in the film, sold for $2.93 million with buyer’s premium.

UPI) -- A British farmer was reunited with his Rolex watch 50 years after it was believed to have become a meal for a hu...
07/12/2024

UPI) -- A British farmer was reunited with his Rolex watch 50 years after it was believed to have become a meal for a hungry cow.

James Steele, 95, said he bought the Rolex shortly after his 21st birthday in 1950, but he lost it about 20 years later while working on his Shropshire, England, farm.

Steele said he searched the fields for the watch, but his only lead was a nearby cow.

"The cow could have eaten it with a mouthful of grass, the vet said," Steele told the BBC.

The watch has now resurfaced 50 years later, after Steele's son gave treasure hunter Liam King permission to use his metal detector to search for old coins on the property.

It was unclear whether the watch, which now has a green tint to its face, had indeed passed through a bovine's digestive tract.

"I was quite pleased because I never thought I would see the watch again," Steele said. "But I have got it now. I only have half the bracelet -- the other half must have disintegrated."

He said the watch is not in working order, but it did avoid rusting over the years. Steele said he does not plan to have the watch repaired, as it would be a costly endeavor, but he is glad to have it back as a keepsake.

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LAST "BONY" OF 2024! DM US! THANKS!
05/12/2024

LAST "BONY" OF 2024! DM US! THANKS!

London (CNN) — At first glance, Daisy looks like your stereotypical grandmother: She loves knitting and talking about he...
04/12/2024

London (CNN) — At first glance, Daisy looks like your stereotypical grandmother: She loves knitting and talking about her family, has a cat named Fluffy, is technologically inept and has plenty of time to shoot the breeze.

But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find her to be exceptionally tech-enabled, with a few cunning tricks up her sleeve.

That’s because Daisy is a conversational artificial intelligence chatbot created by British mobile phone company O2 to help combat fraud by tricking phone scammers into thinking they are speaking to a real person.

Her debut earlier this month highlights how AI is being used both positively and negatively when it comes to online scams.

Daisy’s mission, according to O2, “is to talk with fraudsters and waste as much of their time as possible with human-like rambling chat to keep them away from real people.” Her tactics have kept “numerous fraudsters on calls for 40 minutes at a time,” the company said in a statement unveiling Daisy earlier this month.

Last year, Virgin Media O2, the wider telecommunications group, blocked more than £250 million in suspected fraudulent transactions, which they say is equivalent to stopping one every two minutes.

“Whilst anyone can be a victim of a scam, criminal fraud gangs often target the elderly so we leaned into scammers’ own biases to create an AI granny based on a real relative of a VCCP employee,” the agency said in a separate statement.

“Over the course of many hours of scam calls she’s told meandering stories of her family, talked at length about her passion for knitting and provided false personal information including made-up bank details.”

In fact, she has so much time on her hands that in the video unveiling her character one exasperated scammer can be heard yelling, “It’s nearly been an hour!” over the phone.

Another fraudster tells her: “I think your profession is bothering people.”

Her response? “I’m just trying to have a little chat.”

Ophira Eisenberg is back on Bananas! She talks with Kurt and Scotty about the sport of extreme ironing, a man wonders if...
03/12/2024

Ophira Eisenberg is back on Bananas! She talks with Kurt and Scotty about the sport of extreme ironing, a man wonders if he’s the as***le for spraying a teenage boy with hose after he keeps walking on his lawn and a bridesmaid surprised to find out the bride had last minute change of groom on her wedding day!

THEGUARDIAN- If seeing a lone, desolate banana on a supermarket shelf leaves you feeling a little blue, you are not alon...
01/12/2024

THEGUARDIAN- If seeing a lone, desolate banana on a supermarket shelf leaves you feeling a little blue, you are not alone. Researchers have found that labelling unsold loose fruits as “sad singles” tugs on shoppers’ heartstrings and increases the likelihood that they’ll be sold.

Their study showed that customers are more likely to pick up an individual banana, often left as a result of people tearing others from the bunch if there is an appeal to empathy.

Academics from the University of Bath, RWTH Aachen and Goethe University Frankfurt placed a sign in front of the orphans in the fruit aisle. It showed a banana bearing a frown and the message “we are sad singles and want to be bought as well”.

This moved shoppers. On average, sales in single bananas went from 2.02 next to an emotionless sign to 3.19 with the sad sign – an increase of 58%. The non-empathetic sign simply labeled them as singles wanting to be bought.

Alongside the sad and neutral signage, the academics also placed a “happy single” notice. But while the more cheerful version was more effective than no emotion at all, it seems customers prefer their fruit more maudlin.

The happy banana signage increased hourly sales of single bananas from 2.02 to 2.13 (5.4%), making the sad banana signage almost 50% more effective than the happy banana. A later online study also showed promising results with tomatoes.

Dr Lisa Eckmann, a researcher from the Bath Retail Lab, said that appealing to people’s emotions to sell bananas was an “easy, low cost, effective” way to cut food waste and promote sustainability.

She added: “The plight of the single bananas is really relatable, and the findings have very practical applications for boosting sales and reducing food waste from our supermarkets.

“We don’t know whether consumers might get emotionally numb to sad bananas in the long term, but it’s an idea that certainly draws people in and is easy to act on. I wasn’t aware of how single bananas accumulate to such a big food-waste problem, and now I always look out for loose, single bananas when I’m shopping.”

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BBC - A man who caused an online storm when he found a Mars bar without its signature ripple has received £2 in compensa...
01/12/2024

BBC - A man who caused an online storm when he found a Mars bar without its signature ripple has received £2 in compensation.

Harry Seager’s picture of the confectionery generated interest from thousands of members on the Dull Men’s Club page, with one labeling it “hideous”.

The 34-year-old said while Mars Wrigley UK would not give him a reason for the imperfection, group members said the bar had escaped being blown by air.

Mars Wrigley UK said earlier this month the bar "slipped" through its production line and confirmed the swirl was being kept.

Mr Seager, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was on the way to a classic car show in Birmingham with friends and picked up the chocolate bar at a service station in Thame, Oxfordshire.

“The only reason I emailed [Mars] was because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen. That is all I wanted to know, and they kept side-lining that question,” he said.

“I think £2 is great. It will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more, but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher.”

Mars bars were first made by hand in Slough, Berkshire, in 1932, and are still made in the town.

“A few people who used to work at Mars’ factories commented [on Facebook] and they said it goes through a machine called an enrober, which is like the waterfall the bars go through," Mr Seager said.

“Apparently they get blown with air along the top as it comes out of that waterfall. Apparently there’s meant to be somebody at the end who removes the ones which haven’t been hit by the air.

“I don’t know what happens to them then. I suppose they got put into products that have Mars bars in, like cakes and things.”

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Happy Thanksgiving to the Bananimals in the USA! And Happy Regular Thursday Without Gravy to our international Bananimal...
28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to the Bananimals in the USA!

And Happy Regular Thursday Without Gravy to our international Bananimals!

We have so much to be thankful for!

And if your family drives you nuts, just start mentioning all the strange news stories you heard from "my friends Kurt and Scotty." That oughta clear the room.

Fortune – Wine and pizza are a natural pairing. But Pizza Hut’s new offering in the wine space might test the palates of...
25/11/2024

Fortune – Wine and pizza are a natural pairing. But Pizza Hut’s new offering in the wine space might test the palates of lovers of both products.

The chain is getting into the wine business with Tomato Wine by Pizza Hut, a limited-edition offering that the company says “captures the essence of Pizza Hut’s signature flavors in every sip.”

The red (because of course it would be a red) spirit is made not from grapes, but…yes…from tomatoes, which are infused with natural basil to give it that pairing note. Kansas-based Just Beyond Paradise Winery is working with Pizza Hut to make the beverage.

Tomato Wine, for those with discerning palates, is said to offer “an aromatic blend of fresh herbs and spices with rich, sun-ripened tomato notes and a subtle hint of toasted oak—reminiscent of a perfectly baked pizza crust.”

People hoping to get a bottle will also have the chance to get a gift set, which includes not only a bottle of Tomato Wine, but two branded wine glasses and a wine opener.

Pizza Hut has been increasingly relying on…unusual promotions to increase awareness of its brand. In September, the brand offered to print people’s résumé on a pizza box and deliver it to prospective employers; and in February, it launched a campaign called Goodbye Pies that let people send a pizza to the address of an ex (or soon-to-be ex).

ANNOUNCING! BANANAS LIVE! With the BOB BAKER MARIONETTES! January 25th!Join the Banana Boys, Kurt Braunohler and Scotty ...
25/11/2024

ANNOUNCING! BANANAS LIVE! With the BOB BAKER MARIONETTES! January 25th!
Join the Banana Boys, Kurt Braunohler and Scotty Landes, as they host a live Bananas unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard! Come watch as the strange news and stranger stories get acted out by marionettes in this once in a lifetime show! And of course one adorable fan guy named Charlie Fromage.

Come in your favorite potassium-inspired outfit and hang with the BBoys and the marionettes! Link in stories and profile!

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