Author: kumbhorg

Above, we have the menu for an 1899 Thanks­giv­ing din­ner at the Plaza Hotel in New York. If you were a turkey, you had it rel­a­tive­ly easy. But the ducks? Not so much. On the menu, you’ll find Mal­lard duck and Rud­dy duck. But also Red-head duck, Long Island duck­ling, Teal duck and Can­vas-back duck, too. A duck in NYC was not a good place to be. And, oh, those prices!  Not one item above a few dol­lars. But let’s account for infla­tion, shall we? In 2021, one Red­di­tor not­ed: “I found a cal­cu­la­tor and it turns out that $.30…

Last year, the celebrated New Yorker writer David Grann spoke with Nieman Storyboard about his book, The Wager. The interviewer asked Grann how he manages to keep coming across the kind of stories that most writers would dream of finding, even once in their lives. Here’s how Grann responded: “Coming up with the right idea is the hardest part. First, you try to find a story that grips you and has subjects that are fascinating. Then, you ask: Are there underlying materials to tell that story?… The third level of interrogation is: Does the story have another dimension, richer themes,…

NEED TO KNOW Stefanie Pieper was found dead in a forest in Slovenia after her ex-boyfriend allegedly admitted to strangling her and led investigators to her body, according to Austrian newspaper Kronen ZeitungThe beauty influencer, 32, went missing after arriving at her apartment following a Christmas party on Nov. 23, the Styrian State Police saidPieper’s ex-boyfriend and two of his family members have been arrested in connection with her disappearance Stefanie Pieper has been found dead, nearly a week after she went missing after returning home from a Christmas party.  According to Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, the beauty influencer, 32,…

A year-long wish of mine was granted this past weekend, and in the most thrilling of ways. Throughout the month of November, the fiftieth anniversary of “Siskel & Ebert” has been celebrated at the Chicago Cultural Center with special free programming held in its Claudia Cassidy Theatre. Most of them have been screenings of films beloved by the critics, followed by a conversation with key people involved in the show. What made the “Siskel & Ebert” anniversary event held last Saturday, November 22nd, particularly special was the fact that it was a live performance. Local actors Stephan Winchell and Zack…

The Trump administration is making good on its promise to shrink the bloated federal bureaucracy, starting with the Department of Education. Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently announced that her department has signed six interagency agreements with four other federal departments – Health and Human Services, Interior, Labor, and State – to shift major functions away from the Education Department.   These agreements will redistribute responsibilities like managing elementary and secondary education programs, including Title I funding for low-income schools, to the Department of Labor; Indian Education programs to the Interior Department; postsecondary education grants to Labor; foreign medical accreditation and child…

India will be up against South Africa in the first of the three-match ODI series. This article provides details about South Africa’s Playing 11 vs India for the first match of the series. South Africa Playing XI vs India- 1st ODI, South Africa Tour of India 2025: Openers: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (wk) South Africa would be high on confidence after their historic Test series win against India, and would like to take that same confidence in the three-match ODI series against them, and put on a strong performance in the first match. Having said that, the visitors will…

NHL: Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal will be out for two to three weeks with an upper-body injury. Dan Arritt: Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling returned after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. Conor Ryan: Boston Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha missed yesterday’s game and are day-to-day. Joe McDonald: Bruins forward Matej Blumel was placed on the LTIR with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Wednesday. NHL News: Montreal Canadiens Extend Mike Matheson Heather Engel: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left yesterday’s game with about 8 minutes to go. Coach Lindy Ruff said he went into…

NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThousands of Airbus planes are being returned to normal service, officials say, after being grounded for hours due to a warning that solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers.The aerospace giant – based in France – said around 6,000 of its A320 planes had been affected with most requiring a quick software update. Some 900 older planes need a replacement computer.French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the updates “went very smoothly” for more than 5,000 planes.”Fewer than 100 aircraft” still needed the update, Airbus had told him, according to local media.”Software updates were already rolled…

Simple Proof, the bitcoin-based document timestamping company, recently announced official partnerships with El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Environment to protect government records using the Bitcoin blockchain technology. The announcement was made during the Bitcoin Histórico conference at the National Theatre in San Salvador, where CEO Carlos Toriello presented alongside OpenTimestamps creator and Bitcoin Core Contributor Peter Todd. The collaboration marks El Salvador’s continued leadership in applying Bitcoin technology beyond financial applications. Both ministries have begun registering official documents on the Bitcoin blockchain, with verified records now publicly accessible through dedicated government portals. “Bitcoin is not just…

Naomi Clarke,BBC NewsbeatandGeorgia Levy-Collins,BBC NewsbeatBBCThe Drag Race UK finalists were put through their paces one last timeRuPaul’s Drag Race UK series seven winner has said she will be celebrating by spending some of the prize money on a trip for her and the show’s runner-up.Elle Vosque, Catrin Feelings, Bones and Silllexa Diction were put through their paces one last time during the series finale. Warning: This article contains spoilers for Drag Race UK’s series seven finale.The four finalists sat down with judges RuPaul and Michelle Visage to reflect on their time on the reality show and served up some dazzling…