The Weekly Dose

Wasps Destroy Fruit Flies, Polar Bears Do Laundry & Smokers Get An Entire Month Off

STRANGE NEW WASP SPECIES THAT WOULD MAKE THE ALIEN PROUD _ A horrifying new wasp species has been discovered in the US. The insect inserts its eggs into living flies, with the larvae later bursting out of the host’s abdomen. The life cycle of the species — Syntretus perlmani — involves the female wasp depositing her eggs inside a fruit fly using a hypodermic-like ovipositor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovipositor]. The larva then develops within the host for about 18 days before gruesomely erupting from the fly, leaving it to suffer for hours. The wasp was first discovered in a Mississippi backyard. RAMPAGING MONKEY CAPTURED AFTER ATTACKING TOURISTS _ A monkey in India known for its aggressive behavior towards tourists has finally been captured. The simian, despite its cute appearance, had to be stopped after attacking a girl. In total, over 70 tourists were on the receiving end of the monkey’s aggressions. Forest Department officials in Rupnagar, India, set a trap to catch the monkey. The fate of the captured animal is unknown. STRAVA USERS ARE PAYING PEOPLE COMPLETE THEIR WORKOUTS _ Strava, the popular exercise app for tracking runs and bike rides, is facing a rise in “Strava mules” — people paid to complete workouts on behalf of others. Users hire these mules to record physical activities they didn’t do, allowing them to share the stats and win in-app rewards. A guy in the US on TikTok says he’s been a Strava mule for “over a year.” • VIDEO [https://www.tiktok.com/@velljko/video/7403814400823479594] … A Strava mule from Indonesia says he has 76 regular clients and completes runs for those who are too busy or injured to exercise. In the UK, an IT experts works as a Strava jockey, helping clients with long-distance rides. MAN STEALS 11-YEAR-OLD’S LEMONADE STAND _ In Ramona, California, one man has become the state’s most wanted after stealing an 11-year-old kid’s lemonade stand. The stand was placed at an intersection in the San Diego suburb and the boy had left his stand for two minutes to run home to grab more cups. Video from a nearby business shows a man in a pickup pull up and put the stand in the back of the truck. The boy, named Liam, had paid around $100 to build the stand. Liam’s been selling lemonade to save money for a new bike. POLAR BEARS ADAPTED TO THE ARCTIC JUST 70,000 YEARS AGO _ Researchers are uncovering the secrets of polar bear evolution, shedding light on when these powerful Arctic predators diverged from their closest relatives, brown bears. Recent genomic analysis suggests that significant genetic changes that set polar bears apart may have occurred as recently as 70,000 years ago. … Polar bears possess unique adaptations crucial for surviving extreme Arctic conditions. Their double-layered fur, consisting of downy insulation and guard hairs, acts like a built-in raincoat, while their white fur provides camouflage. These bears can efficiently digest high cholesterol from blubber, allowing them to thrive on fatty marine mammal diets. SMOKERS WORK LESS _ A study found that smokers work one month less a year that nonsmokers because of smoke breaks. The average smoker take four 10-minute breaks a day — that adds up to one month less work annually. DON’T MAKE BIG DECISIONS WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY _ Most people know that going grocery shopping on an empty stomach can only lead to heartache, when you realize you have nothing to show for your grocery run but potato chips and Kit Kats. But according to a study (University of Dundee), making any kind of decision while hungry can lead to poorer choices for the long-term.

Joaquin Phoenix, Post Malone & Barney

➠ A study found that just over 65% of adults drink alcohol to relax. ➠ A study has found that when you cry, it actually does make you feel better Researchers say they can predict a relationship’s success based on a couple’s speaking style. [If a couple speaks softly to one another, things are probably good — if a couple prefers to communicate via thrown shoes, there may be a problem.] WE WILL SPEND 47 DAYS OF OUR LIFE WAITING _ The average person will spend 47 days of their life waiting. Obviously the biggest culprit is traffic, which causes us to live life at a complete standstill for over two hours a month. I used to live in California and drove in Los Angeles a lot. I live in Florida now, and have not experienced traffic like that in 3 years and that includes driving in Orlando. ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - Joaquin Phoenix spoke about revisiting his controversial “Joker” diet for the film’s sequel while at Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. Phoenix made headlines in 2020 when he revealed he lost 52 pounds preparing for his role as ‘Arthur Fleck’ in the first film. Joaquin Phoenix is a vegan who also smokes. I always find a little bit of irony I that, I don’t know why. The animated ‘Barney’ reboot will premiere Oct. 14 on Max. This will mark the first time in 14 years that the iconic purple dinosaur is returning to TV. The new iteration, “Barney’s World” will be set in a playground where Barney is joined by his dino-friends ‘Billy’ and ‘Baby Bop’, as well as 3 kid best friends. The Oct. 14 debut will be followed by a premiere on Cartoon Network on Oct. 18. Some episodes will also be available right here on YouTube starting Oct. 11. MUSIC NEWS - Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s hit collab ‘I Had Some Help’ has been named Billboard’s 2024 Song of the Summer. Dwight Yoakam — will release his first album of new music in 9 years, “Brighter Days,” on Nov. 15. The single featuring Post Malone, ‘I Don’t Know How To Say Goodbye dropped on Friday. Yes Post Malone is on every song in the universe now. And, his country songs a pretty good, and they should be since each song a 20 thousand writers on it… Lionel Richie – is booked for New Year’s Eve. He’ll be performing in Dubai, headlining the “New Year’s Eve Under the Stars Gala” at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. Following his show, according to promotors, the audience will be treated to “the greatest fireworks show on earth.” Alright and last thing for the day, besides listening to this excellent podcast, Do you know What you will be doing at precisely 12:06pm today? That’s right, Nothing, probably, because according to new research, that’s exactly the time each Monday when procrastination kicks in. A poll conducted by Talker Research found that 71% of us are guilty of procrastination, and three-quarters of us feel guilty when doing so. The most popular things to do when we should be doing something else were found to be watching TV and movies (50%), scrolling on their phone (of course, 42%), and laying in bed (39%) What are you guilty of. Me? Scrolling on my phone… Been watching a series on amazon prime called Tin Star… Ugh Finished the first season, I don’t think I can continue, the main character is just a down right evil human.

Screen Addictions

It is Tuesday July 14th. Let’s start the podcast! IT HAPPENED TODAY • 1881: The outlaw known as Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. • 1913: Gerald R. Ford Jr., the 38th president of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother’s second husband later adopted and renamed him. • 1969: The United States $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills were officially withdrawn from circulation. • 2003: The United States Government admitted to the existence of Area 51. • 2015: NASA’s New Horizons probe reestablished contact to transmit the first close photos of Pluto and its moons. The probe launched in 2006 and had traveled over 3 billion miles. SPECIAL EVENTS • Cow Appreciation Day • International Nude Day • Shark Awareness Day • Mac & Cheese Day NUMBER FOR THE DAY 12,200: Commercial parking facilities in the U.S., which take in around $9.8 billion a year in fees. NEWS ATTACK! - Doctors in Italy did remote surgery over a 5G network while nine miles away from a patient. - As COVID-19 cases climb, California is closing dine-in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, museums and other indoor businesses. - According to a study, human attention span has supposedly dropped from 12 seconds in 2002 to only eight seconds today, which is a second shorter than a goldfish. - A guy in China posted a note for help on social media after he was locked inside a convenience store overnight. - A review of major studies found that one-third of the things the studies said were good for you turned out to actually be bad for you. - A new streaming service, Peacock, debuts Wednesday. It will include a free version with commercials. - According to a survey (by AVG Technologies), many kids notice their parents’ screen addictions and it can profoundly affect their views on the subject. • 54% of children felt parents checked their devices too often • 32% of kids feel unimportant when parents get distracted by their phones • 52% of parents agreed that they check their devices too frequently • 25% of parents want their child to use their device less - According to a new survey, six in 10 Americans say their sleep routine during quarantine has them feeling more exhausted than they’ve ever felt in their life. The poll finds nearly 70 percent agree their sleeping habits have become inconsistent. Another 63 percent think their sleep schedules might be permanently ruined by the pandemic. - PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO WEAR A MASK HAVE LOWER COGNITIVE ABILITY. Following a survey of 850 Americans, a team discovered that those with more working memory capacity were more likely to comply with recommendations during the early stage of the outbreak. Those with a low capacity are unable to make effortful decisions. This memory also determines your intelligence and decision-making. - CORONAVIRUS IMMUNITY CAN START TO FADE AWAY WITHIN WEEKS. Researched found that the presence of antibodies peaked three weeks after symptoms appeared, before fading away. In some cases, the antibodies were undetectable three months afterward. - A STUDY SHOWS HUMANS ARE OPTIMISTS FOR MOST OF LIFE. The research found that even people with fairly bad circumstances, who have had tough things happen in their lives, look to their futures and life ahead and felt optimistic.” The optimism decline into older adulthood. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUMPSTER DIVING _ A drunk Ukrainian man ended up in the hospital after he tried to prove his bar boasting by climbing to the roof of the bar to do a belly flop into the dumpster. He made it but needed a few stitches. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MYSTERY SURROUNDS CAR WITH COVID 19 NUMBER PLATE _ A car with the number plate “COVID 19” has perplexed staff at an airport in Australia, who say it has been parked there for months. The grey BMW sedan has been left in the staff parking area at Adelaide Airport since before Australia’s coronavirus lockdowns began. Staff are speculating the car might belong to a pilot who had gone overseas and can’t get back. Water Cooler Question 26% of parents say they never make their kids wear this. (Sunscreen) https://www.lowtreestudios.com [https://www.lowtreestudios.com] https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose [https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose]

Darting Iguana

It is Monday July 13th. Let’s start the podcast! IT HAPPENED TODAY • 1923: The Hollywood sign was dedicated. • 1985: Live Aid, an international rock concert in London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney, Australia, was held to raise money for Africa’s starving people. • 1994: Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, was sentenced in Portland, Oregon, to two years in prison for his role in the attack on Harding’s skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan. • 2008: Anheuser-Busch accepted a $52 billion cash offer from No. 2 brewer InBev. The new company would be called Anheuser-Busch-InBev. SPECIAL EVENTS • Embrace Your Geekness Day • Gruntled Workers Day • French Fries Day • World Cup Soccer Day • Barbershop Music Appreciation Day NUMBER FOR THE DAY 25,000: Bacteria on the average telephone. NEWS ATTACK! A restaurant in Upstate New York is telling customers to stop hitting on the staff. Saratoga, New York’s Broadway Deli wrote on Facebook: “This is a PSA for you thirsty bros out there: Stop asking out my staff while they’re trying to work. Owner Daniel Chessare said that customers flirting with employees has been an occasional issue since the Jewish-style deli opened two years ago, but says it has intensified in recent weeks — though he’s not sure why. Chessare said, “Staff come and go, so I’m not sure if it’s because my staff now are particularly attractive or if it’s because people aren’t traveling, so these thirsty bros aren’t on vacation somewhere else.” • LINK [https://www.facebook.com/SaratogaBD/photos/a.1790884924326376/3102523416495847/?type=3] The Facebook post includes this advice: “If you are going to ask a girl out at least tip. How’re you gonna look her in the eye, tap ‘no tip’ on the tablet, then follow it up with ‘Hey baby, let’s go out.’ Cuz nothing says attractive like treating service people poorly.” - Researchers in northern Botswana have come up with a unique way to protect farmers’ crops from elephants: disco lights. Lines of flashing multi-colored lights set up around farmers’ fields near Chobe National park have been shown to be highly effective at scaring off elephants. The park is home to 7,500 elephants. It’s the site of a floodplain whose nutrient-rich soils are a draw to farmers. - A Toronto woman spotted a cleaner at a grocery store spitting on a towel and then wiping down grocery baskets with it. She got video of the incident at a FreshCo location. In the video, the employee is seen using a small white towel to wipe down baskets. At one point, he appears to spit into the towel and continues wiping down the baskets. After the customer reached out to the company’s corporate office it said the employee works for a third-party service provider and that he is no longer working at the store. - A hair stylist in Virginia, who went above and beyond, was touched to receive a heartwarming letter from a widower. Sara Verkuilen received a personal note from the widower who said his wife, who had dementia, was delighted with her haircut. The letter writer, who didn’t leave his name, wrote: “This is a little bit awkward. But I’ve waited a really long time to pass this on to you. My wife and I came in for haircuts shortly before Christmas of last year. My wife was suffering from dementia, and you treated her as if you’d been working with dementia patients all your life. You let us sit next to each other, and when it came time for her cut you turned her chair towards me so I could watch her expression as you cut her hair. Sadly, she died in March. And that haircut was one of the last, best moments of her life. She felt so pretty. She visited the mirror in her bathroom several times during the day and would come out beaming. To see her so happy was priceless. … I hope you always realize the power of your profession.” … Sara was moved by the letter and shared it on her Facebook, saying “This is why I love what I do.” - UK-based newspaper The Guardian says the government will launch an “emergency” effort to get citizens to lose weight and reduce the incidence of conditions such as type 2 diabetes. The goal is the get UK residents to drop some pounds before an expected second wave of coronavirus. … The UK has experienced the highest death rate from coronavirus in Europe, and one potential factor may be high rates of obesity and associated lifestyle-linked conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which are strongly associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. In England, 64% of adults are classed as overweight or obese. - A report says the healthy properties of beer, when consumed in moderation, are a rich source of vitamins, fiber, minerals and antioxidants and that beer has a relatively low calorific value compared with many other alcoholic beverages. The report, commissioned by The Beer Academy — of course — aims to help people enjoy beer sensibly and says that when consumed in moderation, it’s one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PIZZA SHOP OWNER THREW PIZZA AT ATTEMPTED ROBBER _ The owner of a pizza shop in Delaware (Greenwood) stopped a would-be robber carrying a machete Friday night by throwing a pizza at him. The owner of Stargate Pizza was closing his restaurant around 10:30 Friday night when he was approached by a man who brandished a long knife and asked for money. The owner of Stargate told the man he did not have any money and then threw a pizza at him, causing the suspect to flee. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: IGUANA CAUGHT IN BICYCLE SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL _ A man was injured after an animal darted in front of his bicycle and got caught between the front tire and wheel fork, causing him to crash. The man lives in the Florida Keys. The animal was an iguana. The victim said he was riding along a bike path when the iguana darted in front of him and got lodged between the tire and wheel fork, causing the tire to lock. He was thrown over the handlebars and onto the asphalt. Water Cooler Question Allen and Wright are the guys this drink was named for. (A&W Root Beer. They launched the drink and the restaurant chain.) https://www.lowtreestudios.com [https://www.lowtreestudios.com] https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose [https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose]

Don't worry

It is Thursday July 9th. Let’s start the podcast! IT HAPPENED TODAY • 1892: The first concrete road in America was completed in Bellefontaine, Ohio. The first asphalt road was laid down in July 1870 in Newark, New Jersey. • 1910: The first airplane to fly a mile in the air did so this day with W.R. Brookins of Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the controls. • 1985: Football great Joe Namath signed a five-year pact with ABC-TV to provide commentary for Monday Night Football. The former New York Jets quarterback reportedly earned one million dollars a year for the job. • 1997: Boxer Mike Tyson was banned from the ring and fined $3 million for biting opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear. • 2008: Prosecutors cleared JonBenet Ramsey’s parents and brother in the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old beauty queen in Boulder, Colorado. SPECIAL EVENTS • No Bra Day • World Body Painting Day • Sugar Cookie Day NUMBER FOR THE DAY 1804: Year the world’s population is thought to have reached one billion. NEWS ATTACK! PANDEMIC DELIVERS ROADKILL REPRIEVE _ A new report finds the pandemic has apparently spared one form of life — the animal kind, in the form of less roadkill. The report comes from the Road Ecology Center at the University of California at Davis. Data was taken from the departments of transportation in California, Idaho, and Maine dating to 2015 to determine that road traffic sagged by roughly 70 percent in those states from early March to mid-April due to pandemic-related shutdowns. Using roadkill data in those states, researchers reported that in the same period, Maine saw a 44% decrease in roadkill and Idaho saw a 38% drop. California saw a 21% drop, with a much bigger decrease — 58% — for mountain lions specifically.  - A 6-year-old girl fishing in a Maryland river reeled in a cellphone that was dropped into the water nearly a year ago — and it still works. Reagan Votaw’s mother, Emily, said they took the phone home and let it rest for a while in rice to absorb any moisture. They then plugged the phone in and were surprised to see it still functioned perfectly. The phone belonged to Preston Shapiro, an eighth-grader who said he dropped the phone into the water while kayaking nearly a year earlier. Luckily Preston had the phone in a waterproof case. - A Canadian man who won a lottery jackpot of nearly $75,000 said the winning ticket sat forgotten for months in the pocket of a jacket he had loaned to a friend. Jose Lima told Ontario Lottery officials he got his jacket back after loaning it out to a friend and discovered the pocket contained a forgotten ticket for the September 28, 2019, drawing. Lima took the ticket to a store and found he won $74,045.50 - A new survey finds women are spending the equivalent of almost an entire month of the year worrying. The survey found women spend an average of almost two hours a day feeling worried or stressed, with two thirds of this time spent feeling anxious about other people rather than themselves. In comparison, men spend about one-and-half hours worrying each day. Almost two thirds of women have periods where they feel constantly worried, with their biggest concerns being the pandemic, protests, and fears about the economy. The health of loved ones, their family’s safety, and needing to care for older parents is also causing women to feel stressed. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN DRUGS GIRLFRIEND TO KEEP PLAYING VIDEO GAMES _ A court fined a man in Germany after he admitted to giving his girlfriend a sedative so that he could keep playing video games with a friend. After ten hours at work, the girlfriend had been planning on a quiet evening rather than one interrupted by video game noises. After drinking some drugged tea the woman slept until midday the following day. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LAWYER CENSURED AFTER SHOWING UP DRUNK TO REPRESENT DUI SUSPECT _ Tennessee has taken action against a lawyer accused of showing up to court drunk to represent a DUI suspect. The incident happened back in 2017 but the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Responsibility censured the lawyer this week. The board says on that day back in September 2017, Kent Thomas Jones was late to court, smelled like alcohol, and acted erratic. He was removed from the courthouse and later charged with public intoxication, but that was later dropped. WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BRITISH POLICE: DO NOT CALL US FOR WRONG-ADDRESS DELIVERY _ A British police department took to social media with an important reminder: an appliance delivery to the wrong address is not a police emergency. The West Yorkshire Police said someone recently called their emergency number to report their new appliance — a freezer — had been delivered to the wrong address. The police department shared on Twitter: “If your freezer has been delivered to another address by accident, then this isn’t a police issue.” Water Cooler Question Nearly one in four airline passengers never does this. https://www.lowtreestudios.com [https://www.lowtreestudios.com] https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose [https://www.patreon.com/theweeklydose]