Radio Recap (Wednesday 02/26/20)

Bible Trivia Question:
Who was the mother of John the Baptist?
A. Ruth
B. Mary
C. Elizabeth
D. Hannah



In The News:

- Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of Lenten season for Christians. It takes place 46 days before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday.

- St. Patrick’s Day trees. Yes, they are evergreens… but some folks are putting up St. Patrick’s Day trees. But it makes me wonder. They’re just lazy from Christmas being two months ago.

- Cupboard snake. A London woman looking for a pair of shoes in a cupboard inside her apartment found something far more startling -- a snake.

Kasia Radochonska, who lives in the Southwark area of London, said she was going through the cupboard Feb. 16 when she spotted a snake slithering from under her vacuum cleaner. Radochonska alerted the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), which sent animal collection officer Joe Tambini to the scene. The corn snake, nicknamed Mavis, will be moved to an RSPCA rehoming center if no one comes forward to claim her as an escaped pet.

- Ice rescue. Firefighters in Chicago rescued a woman who fell through the ice into a frozen lagoon while trying to rescue her dog from the same situation.

The Chicago Fire Department said the 27-year-old woman had ventured out onto the ice of the lagoon in Jackson Park to attempt to reach her dog, which ran out and fell through the ice. The woman ended up falling into the water and firefighters were summoned by witnesses who heard her calling for help.Firefighters were able to throw a ring buoy to the woman and tow her back to shore. The dog was able to escape the water on its own.

Both the woman, who was in the water for about 15 minutes, and the dog are expected to recover fully from the experience.

- National Pistachio Day. Pistachios arrived in the United States sometime in the 1880s, but they have been cultivated in the Middle East since Biblical times. All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color. Some companies dye nuts red or green if nuts are inferior or for consumer demand. In the Middle East, people call the pistachio the smiling nut. In China, people call the pistachio the happy nut.

- Walnuts and healthy aging. We’re all looking for tried-and-true ways to boost our well-being, especially as we get older. Things like gut and brain health, as well as diet and exercise are all factors to take into consideration. And according to a new data (Nurses’ Health Study), there’s one kind of nut in particular that outshines the rest when it comes to healthy aging: walnuts. Even after accounting for all the other variables that affect aging, walnuts were the only nut linked with a greater chance of healthy aging… The four year long study included data from almost 34,000 women in their late 50s and early 60s, looking for links between nut consumption and healthy aging. Eating just two servings of walnuts a week was linked with a greater chance of being a “healthy ager” compared to a diet lacking walnuts.

- Hopeless men. Hopeless men may be at greater risk for high blood pressure than those with a more positive outlook. A Finnish study found that hopeless-feeling men risk raising their blood pressure by 16 percent for every one-point increase on a “hopelessness scale.” Hypertension, or high blood pressure, kills thousands of people every year… so cheer up guys.

- Brisket Bandit. The UK has a bandit on the loose, and he’s taking brisket and other goods from meat markets and restaurants. The “brisket bandit” has stolen smoked briskets, cases of beer, cans of tuna, and more.

- Dog reports himself missing. Last week, the Odessa Police Department received an unexpected visitor. The visitor, named Chico, put his paws on the counter and proceeded to report about a case of a missing dog. As it turns out, he was the missing dog… The dog was wearing a collar, but the ID tag had apparently fallen off, so animal control was dispatched to come check for a microchip. But before the animal control can arrive, Chico decided that he was missing long enough, and he “headed back to his family, all on his own.” The owner responded the next day to say that it was his dog and he had returned home. He lives about a mile from the station.

- The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo may be called off should the number of coronavirus cases around the world continue to rise, according to a senior member of the International Olympic Committee… While the sporting event is currently scheduled to start July 24, organizers have started to worry about the fate of the Games if the coronavirus outbreak cannot be contained by its opening date.

- Cheesiest Pizza. A pizzeria in France announced it broke a Guinness World Record by cooking up a pizza featuring 257 different varieties of cheese. Benoit Bruel, manager of Deliss Pizza in Lyon, unveiled a pizza Saturday featuring 257 different varieties of cheese. The pizza unofficially broke the Guinness World Record for most varieties of cheese on a pizza. The previous record, 154 varieties of cheese, was broken in September 2018 by pizza chef Johnny di Francesco the 400 Gradi restaurant in Melbourne, Australia.

Bruel said he is working on gathering the required evidence to have his pizza recognized by Guinness as the new record holder.




Fun Fact:
In the U.S., 75% of all firefighters have this one thing in common... They’re volunteers. #funfact




Matt's Musing:
I’m not a vegetarian, but I eat animals who are... #musing



Matt's Pick Song:
“You Are Loved” by Jeff & Sheri Easter



Bible Trivia Answer:
C. Elizabeth (Luke 1 57-60)