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Bob Newhart, Iconic Comedian and TV Star, Dies at 94

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Bob Newhart, Iconic Comedian and TV Star, Dies at 94

Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who became one of the most popular TV personalities of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, died at 94.

Bob Newhart’s publicist, Jerry Digney, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles following a series of brief illnesses.

Bob Newhart, best known today as the star of two famous 1970s and 1980s television sitcoms bearing his name, began his career as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s.

He rose to national prominence when his routine was recorded on vinyl in 1960 as “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which won the Grammy Award for album of the year.

While other comedians of the day, such as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Alan King, Mike Nichols, and Elaine May, regularly garnered laughs with their forceful attacks on current norms, Bob Newhart was an exception.

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His attitude was modern, but he rarely spoke above a timid, even stammering tone. His only prop was a telephone, which he used to pretend to converse with someone on the other end of the line.

In one memorable skit, he played a Madison Avenue image-maker who urged Abraham Lincoln to stop tampering with the Gettysburg Address and stick to the script written by his speechwriters.

“You changed four scores and seven to 87?” Newhart asks in disbelief. “Abe, that’s supposed to be a grabber…” It’s like Mark Antony saying, ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, I’ve got something to tell you.'”

Another favorite was “Merchandising the Wright Brothers,” in which he attempted to persuade the aviation pioneers to launch an airline despite acknowledging that the distance of their first flight might limit them.

“Well, see, that’s going to hurt our time to the Coast if we’ve got to land every 105 feet.”

Bob Newhart initially hesitated to join a weekly television series, thinking it would overexpose his material. Nevertheless, he accepted an enticing offer from NBC, and “The Bob Newhart Show” debuted on October 11, 1961.

Despite receiving Emmy and Peabody awards, the half-hour variety program was canceled after one season, but it became a source of Newhart’s gags for decades afterward.

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He waited ten years before doing another “Bob Newhart Show” in 1972. This was a situation comedy starring Newhart as a Chicago psychotherapist who lives in a penthouse with his schoolteacher wife, Suzanne Pleshette.

Their neighbors and his patients, particularly Bill Daily, an airline navigator, were a crazy, neurotic group who provided an excellent backdrop to Newhart’s deadpan remarks.

The series, one of the most celebrated of the 1970s, ran until 1978.

Four years later, the comedian debuted another show, “Newhart.” This time, he was a successful New York writer who decided to reopen a Vermont inn that had been closed for many years. Again, Newhart stood out as the calm, rational man among strange locals. Again, the show was a big success, spanning eight seasons on CBS.

It ended unforgettably in 1990, with Newhart waking up in bed with Pleshette as his old Chicago psychologist character, wincing as he tells her about his bizarre dream: “I was an innkeeper in this insane tiny hamlet in Vermont. The handyman continued missing the point, and then there were three woodsmen, but only one spoke!”

The stunt was a parody of a “Dallas” episode in which a main character was killed off and then revived when it was discovered that the death was a dream.

Two subsequent series were comparative duds: “Bob,” 1992-93, and “George & Leo,” 1997-98. Despite multiple nominations, his only Emmy was for a cameo appearance on “The Big Bang Theory.” “I suppose they think I am not acting. That it’s simply Bob being Bob,” he moaned at not receiving television’s highest prize during his prime.

Newhart has also appeared in several films, most of which are comedies. Among them are “Catch 22,” “In and Out,” “Legally Blonde 2,” and “Elf,” as the small father of adoptive full-size son Will Ferrell. More recent work includes “Horrible Bosses,” the TV series “The Librarians,” and the “The Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Young Sheldon.”

After his fourth sitcom ended, Bob Newhart continued appearing on television occasionally and swore to work as long as possible in 2003.

“It’s been so much, 43 years of my life; (to quit) would be like something was missing,” remarked the actor.

Source: AP News

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Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

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Trudeau, Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

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Baby Gorilla, Calgary Zoo
The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M

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lotto max, Canada

Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

  1. Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
  2. Numbers cannot be repeated
  3. Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
  4. Each play buys 3 lines
  5. Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)

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