Magpie News Collector

Watch: Photographer, model break record with photo shoot 163.38 feet underwater

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/15/2025 11:16 AM

A photographer and a model broke their own Guinness World Record with help from a diving expert by conducting a photo shoot at a depth of 163.38 feet underwater off the Florida coast. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Pensioner fights off launderette robber with pair of jeans

By Sky News | | 1/15/2025 4:27 AM

An 84-year-old used a pair of jeans to help repel a masked man who twice tried to rob him in a launderette. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Coyote makes 'a mistake,' winds up in Aldi refrigerated shelf

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/14/2025 3:42 PM

A confused coyote was removed from a refrigerated shelf at a Chicago-area Aldi grocery store on Monday. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Woman celebrates birthday with $110,000 Cash 5 jackpot

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/14/2025 1:15 PM

A North Carolina woman celebrated her birthday by cashing in $110,000 in jackpot winnings Monday. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Highly dangerous new species of spider found

By Sky News | | 1/14/2025 5:34 AM

A larger and more venomous species of one of the world's deadliest spiders has been confirmed by Australian scientists. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Swedish stunt rider performs handlebar wheelie at 125 mph

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 2:53 PM

A Swedish stunt rider broke a Guinness World Record when he reached a speed of 125.93 mph while leaning on his handlebars and doing a wheelie. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Woman gets $500,000 lottery ticket in white elephant gift exchange

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 2:18 PM

A woman who ended up with a Michigan Lottery scratch-off ticket in her family's white elephant gift exchange scored a $500,000 prize. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Deer with head stuck in plastic jar believed to have freed itself

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 12:56 PM

A deer that sparked a search in Chicago when it was spotted with a plastic jar stuck over its head was apparently able to free itself from the predicament, officials said. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Florida museum gathers 468 people in dinosaur costumes

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 12:55 PM

A Florida museum gathered 468 people in dinosaur costumes to break a Guinness World Record. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Zoo issues update on zebra which died in rhino 'incident'

By Sky News | | 1/13/2025 12:24 PM

The zebra that died in a zoo in Essex after an "incident" with a rhinoceros was killed after the larger animal unintentionally punctured its stomach. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: David Rush breaks 52 records in 52 weeks -- again

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 11:56 AM

Idaho man David Rush announced he broke 52 Guinness World Records in 52 weeks in 2024, marking the second year he's accomplished the feat. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Bear takes cold-weather night swim in California family's pool

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/13/2025 11:39 AM

A California family's home security camera captured footage of a bear that made a late-night visit to their back yard and took a swim in the pool. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Jenny Eclair says she 'can't compete' with 'terrible' AI Michael Parkinson podcast

By Sky News | | 1/13/2025 10:17 AM

The first episode of a podcast hosted by AI replicating Sir Michael Parkinson has been released - and comedian and podcaster Jenny Eclair has branded it a "terrible, terrible idea". ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Two lynx cats spotted loose in Scotland after two others captured

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/10/2025 12:55 PM

Police in Scotland said two lynx cats have been spotted on the loose in an area where two other felines of the species were rounded up one day earlier. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Diver walks 370 feet underwater on a single breath

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/10/2025 12:36 PM

An Australian freediver went for a 370-foot, 2-inch stroll at the bottom of a pool to break the Guinness World Record for the longest underwater walk with one breath (female). ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Maryland woman uses numbers from a dream to win $50,000 lottery prize

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/9/2025 3:46 PM

A Maryland woman who won $50,000 from a Pick 5 lottery drawing said her set of winning numbers came to her in a dream. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Struggling raccoon rescued from backyard pool in Houston

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/9/2025 2:27 PM

A Houston homeowner's security camera captured the moment a struggling raccoon was rescued from a backyard pool. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Snowstorm helps red pandas escape from zoo enclosure

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/9/2025 1:26 PM

A zoo in Switzerland said winter storms allowed two red pandas to escape their enclosure and one of the animals wandered all the way into nearby woodlands. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Belgian food safety authority: Do not eat Christmas trees

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/9/2025 11:47 AM

Belgium's food safety agency issued a warning to residents to not turn their Christmas trees into food after a city's recycling recommendations included using the needles in recipes. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Look: Overdue book returned to New York Public Library after 72 years

By United Press International, Inc. | | 1/8/2025 5:34 PM

The New York Public Library celebrated the return of a copy of Igor Stravinsky's 1936 autobiography 72 years after it was last checked out. ... Read full Story

art

Embellished Vodou Flags by Myrlande Constant Spotlight ‘The Spiritual World of Haiti’

by Colossal | Jan 28 2025

beauty

Sydney Sweeney's 5 Most Stunning Hair Transformations

by The List | Jun 01 2024

book

To Walk the Sky

by BookPage | Jan 28 2025

connecticut

REGISTER: CT Mirror’s 2025 Legislative Preview

by CT Mirror | Jan 28 2025

entertainment

Michelle Yeoh’s Hairstylist Renato Campora Shares Why the Actress Likes to ‘Play With Different Looks’

by ET Online | Jan 23 2025

fashion

Billy Crystal’s cozy ‘When Harry Met Sally’ sweater is the fashion world’s hottest garment — 36 years after rom-com’s release

by NY Post | Jan 28 2025

game

Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 Is Now Live, Will Test Cross-Play And Split-Screen Co-Op

by GameSpot | Jan 28 2025

knowledge

Here’s the New Way Fliers Are Being Rude—And What You Can Do About It

by Reader's Digest | Jan 17 2025

nutrition

6 Best Vitamins & Supplements for Your Immune System, According to Experts

by thehealthy.com | Dec 04 2024

odd_fun

Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

by United Press International, Inc. | Jan 28 2025

opinion

John Fetterman’s clash with ‘The View’ over Trump’s NYC trial shows Dems still living in denial

by New York Post | Jan 28 2025

politics

Live updates: White House press briefing tries to add clarity to funding freeze

by The Hill | Jan 28 2025

real_estate

Beverly Hills mansion built for the late novelist Jackie Collins lists for a breathtaking $66M

by NY Post | Jan 28 2025

science

DeepSeek stuns tech industry with new AI image generator that beats OpenAI's DALL-E 3

by LIVE SCIENCE | Jan 28 2025

travel

11 nature finds to explore in New York State

by Wanderlust | Jan 28 2025

Word of the Day

sward

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2025 is:

sward • \SWORD\ • noun

Sward is a literary word that refers to an area of land covered with grass.

// The hikers emerged from the forest to find a green sward stretching out before them, and dotted with yellow and purple flowers.

See the entry >

Examples:

“A century or so ago, if you lived in the Boston area and were obsessed with trees, you were in good company. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which had united enthusiasts of rare apples and ornamental maples since 1832, had helped found Mount Auburn Cemetery and endowed it with an immense, exotic plant collection. ... Tree mania seems to have come late to Greenlawn, however. Photographs taken sometime before 1914 show a bleak, bare sward.” — Veronique Greenwood, The Boston Globe, 18 Dec. 2023

Did you know?

Sward sprouted from the Old English sweard or swearth, meaning “skin” or “rind.” It was originally used as a term for the skin of the body before being extended to another surface—that of the Earth. The word’s specific grassy sense dates to the 16th century, and lives on today mostly in novels from centuries past, such as Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles: “The sun was so near the ground, and the sward so flat, that the shadows of Clare and Tess would stretch a quarter of a mile ahead of them, like two long fingers pointing afar to where the green alluvial reaches abutted against the sloping sides of the vale.”

Watch: Photographer, model break record with photo shoot 163.38 feet underwater

Pensioner fights off launderette robber with pair of jeans

Coyote makes 'a mistake,' winds up in Aldi refrigerated shelf

Woman celebrates birthday with $110,000 Cash 5 jackpot

Highly dangerous new species of spider found

Watch: Swedish stunt rider performs handlebar wheelie at 125 mph

Woman gets $500,000 lottery ticket in white elephant gift exchange

Watch: Deer with head stuck in plastic jar believed to have freed itself

Watch: Florida museum gathers 468 people in dinosaur costumes

Zoo issues update on zebra which died in rhino 'incident'

Watch: David Rush breaks 52 records in 52 weeks -- again

Watch: Bear takes cold-weather night swim in California family's pool

Jenny Eclair says she 'can't compete' with 'terrible' AI Michael Parkinson podcast

Two lynx cats spotted loose in Scotland after two others captured

Watch: Diver walks 370 feet underwater on a single breath

Maryland woman uses numbers from a dream to win $50,000 lottery prize

Struggling raccoon rescued from backyard pool in Houston

Watch: Snowstorm helps red pandas escape from zoo enclosure

Belgian food safety authority: Do not eat Christmas trees

Look: Overdue book returned to New York Public Library after 72 years

Embellished Vodou Flags by Myrlande Constant Spotlight ‘The Spiritual World of Haiti’

Sydney Sweeney's 5 Most Stunning Hair Transformations

To Walk the Sky

REGISTER: CT Mirror’s 2025 Legislative Preview

Michelle Yeoh’s Hairstylist Renato Campora Shares Why the Actress Likes to ‘Play With Different Looks’

Billy Crystal’s cozy ‘When Harry Met Sally’ sweater is the fashion world’s hottest garment — 36 years after rom-com’s release

Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 Is Now Live, Will Test Cross-Play And Split-Screen Co-Op

Here’s the New Way Fliers Are Being Rude—And What You Can Do About It

6 Best Vitamins & Supplements for Your Immune System, According to Experts

Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

John Fetterman’s clash with ‘The View’ over Trump’s NYC trial shows Dems still living in denial

Live updates: White House press briefing tries to add clarity to funding freeze

Beverly Hills mansion built for the late novelist Jackie Collins lists for a breathtaking $66M

DeepSeek stuns tech industry with new AI image generator that beats OpenAI's DALL-E 3

11 nature finds to explore in New York State

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: Two daredevils walk slackline suspended between hot air balloons

2.N.C. man stops for gas, wins $200,000 lottery prize

3.Watch: London man visits 42 museums in 24 hours to break world record

4.Watch: Dog lost in Oklahoma reunited with owner after eight years

5.Watch: Firefighters rescue 600-pound donkey that fell through ice

6.Family of baby born in Krispy Kreme parking lot gets free doughnuts

7.Fraud suspect 'used wigs and disguises' to take citizenship tests for others

8.Watch: Martial artist breaks world record with custom-forged sword

9.Woman buys herself lottery ticket for Christmas, wins $1M

10.Watch: Idaho man covers head in shaving cream, catches table tennis balls