These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 36-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past day.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
MLB UMPIRE ERIC COOPER DIES AT 52
“This is a very sad day across Major League Baseball,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Eric Cooper was a highly respected umpire, a hard worker on the field and a popular member of our staff. He also served as a key voice of the MLB Umpires Association on important issues in our game. Eric was a consistent presence in the Postseason throughout his career, including in this year’s Division Series between the Yankees and the Twins. He was known for his professionalism and his enthusiasm, including for our international events. A native of Iowa, Cooper became an MLB umpire in 1999 after spending nine years umpiring in the minors. He spent 21 years in the Majors, including this season, and most recently worked the ALDS between the Yankees and Twins. Cooper worked behind the plate for three no-hitters in his career, two from Mark Buehrle and one from Hideo Nomo. In the playoffs, Cooper worked three Wild Card Games, 10 Division Series, four League Championship Series and the 2014 World Series. He was also an umpire during the 2005 All-Star Game in Detroit.
[SOURCE: si.com]
AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST DEBORAH ORR DIES AGED 57
Orr, who is survived by her sons, Ivan and Luther, and her stepchildren, Alexis and Madeleine, was born in Motherwell in 1962. She joined the Guardian in 1990, becoming the first female editor of Weekend magazine before she was 30. She wrote for the Independent from 1999 until 2009 before returning to the Guardian as a columnist for almost a decade, then joining the i newspaper in 2018. In the same year she struck a deal to write her first book, a memoir, which is due to be published early next year. Orr, who was separated from the novelist Will Self, had first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She learned of its return in August – an experience that she relayed to friends with defiant detail and pitch-black humour. During her time as editor of Weekend, she became known for her unflinching approach. She published a regular column by Oscar Moore about living with Aids at a time when misinformation and fear were a commonplace media response to HIV. She later defended her publication of extracts of Gordon Burn’s investigation into the domestic lives of Fred and Rosemary West, Happy Like Murderers, emphasising the importance of writing that explored the bleakest corners of British experience.
[SOURCE: theguardian.com]
REUNION: VIETNAM VET REUNITED WITH BELOVED DOG IN HOSPICE CARE
When Vietnam War veteran John Vincent was admitted to hospice care with limited time left to live, he only had one request: to see his dog one final time. Vincent does not live near any other family in New Mexico, according to a Facebook post from Albuquerque Animal Welfare. So when he was admitted to the hospice center at Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center last week, he had to give up his 6-year-old dog Patch for adoption. But before Patch moved on to a new home, Vincent’s palliative care social worker Amy Neal contacted Albuquerque Animal Welfare about Patch getting a final moment with his previous owner, the center wrote. She told the animal center, according to a Facebook post, that Vincent “may not have much time left.” The shelter was able to make the request happen on October 17, when Patch took a trip down to the hospice center to be reunited with Vincent. Since the reunion, the dynamic duo’s story has gone viral. Despite being hooked up to medical equipment and being confined to the bed, Vincent had a whole lot of of love from Patch. In photos, the two can be seen cuddling between plenty of kisses and back scratches. The two have been together Patch’s entire life. Vincent adopted Patch from his neighbor, when their dog had a litter of puppies.
[SOURCE: cbsnews.com]
DENNIS QUAID, 65, CONFIRMS ENGAGEMENT TO LAURA SAVOIE, 26
The 65-year-old actor confirmed he’s engaged to 26-year-old Laura Savoie after proposing to her in Hawaii. While the timing was a “surprise,” the “Parent Trap” star admitted he had purchased the ring well in advance of popping the question. Typically millennial, Savoie was in the middle of snapping a selfie with Quaid when he pulled out the ring. Page Six confirmed Quaid was dating the University of Texas Ph.D. student in June after they were spotted out together. Quaid previously dated model Santa Auzins after his 16-year marriage to Kimberly Buffington ended in 2018. He was also married to Meg Ryan from 1991 to 2001 and P.J. Soles from 1978 to 1983.
[SOURCE: pagesix.com]
AMBER HEARD SCORNS INSTAGRAM’S NUDITY RULES BY EDITING JASON MOMOA OVER HER BODY
Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram constantly struggle with defining what falls under acceptable nudity. While Facebook has vowed to become more flexible with its policing, it seems that more photos of females are being flagged than pictures of men. One recent instance was the takedown of a photo by Amber Heard, who had shared a snap from a magazine shoot in which she was styled in a black jacket with nothing beneath, baring one of her nipples. The photo was soon deleted by Instagram. To point out Instagram’s double standards, the actress later shared the same image, but replaced her face and torso with that of her Aquaman co-star Jason Momoa. “In honor of Instagram’s rigorous and equitable Community Guidelines against showing the female nipple,” Heard wrote. “And since mine enjoyed the brief privilege that’s afforded to my male counterparts, I decided to pay homage by replacing it with a picture that DID meet Instagram’s strict nudity guidelines and such careful gender policies.” She also posted an Instagram story comprising side-by-sides of her original photo and the photoshopped version with Jason Momoa.
[SOURCE: designtaxi.com]
TUPAC SHAKUR FOUND ALIVE, AND WHITE, AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH PULLING A KNIFE ON A COP IN TENNESSEE
The long, long, long search for Tupac Shakur may finally be over, folks! Because this past Saturday night, a 40-year-old white guy named Tupac Amaru Shakur was arrested in Johnson City, Tennessee after reportedly pulling a knife on a cop. Now, I know that Tupac Shakur was not a white guy, and he would be 48-years-old, but don’t you get it? This is the real reason why it has been unbelievably difficult for anyone to track down the truth! According to the Johnson City Press, when Shakur was approached by police to take him into custody on some outstanding warrants, Tupac reached into his waistband and pulled out a knife. Officers were reportedly able to subdue and cuff Shakur after a short scuffle. Tupac had a syringe and multiple baggies of methamphetamine on him at the time, according to police, and was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, simple possession of methamphetamine and having unlawful drug paraphernalia. Shakur, who currently lives in Elizabethton, Tennessee, was placed in the Washington County Detention Center under a $18,000 bond with his arraignment set for Monday. Mystery solved.
[SOURCE: brobible.com]
JAKE GYLLENHAAL STEPS INTO TRAFFIC TO SAVE GIANT DALMATION
We’re told that the “Sea Wall/A Life” actor was walking at Laight and Hudson streets at about 10:20 Thursday morning when he spotted an enormous Dalmatian standing terrified in the middle of the busy intersection. According to an eyewitness, the dog was on a leash, but had gotten away from its owner, who was too small to control the bulky beast, which the spy estimated to be about 3 feet tall. The star — who is well-known as a dog lover — left the woman he was walking with and stepped out into the flowing traffic, bringing cars to a standstill. We’re told he calmed the dog — who was unharmed — and led it by the head back to its owner. Gyllenhaal even took a moment to talk to the stricken dog owner about different types of leashes that might prevent the scary situation from happening again.
[SOURCE: pagesix.com]
‘COWBOY BEBOP’: NETFLIX SERIES SHUTS DOWN PRODUCTION FOR 7-9 MONTHS FOLLOWING STAR JOHN CHO ON-SET INJURY
Netflix’s upcoming live-action series Cowboy Bebop is going on a lengthy hiatus following a knee injury sustained by lead John Cho on the set of the show in New Zealand. Sources describe the injury as a freak accident that happened on the last take of a routine and well-rehearsed scene almost two weeks ago. It requires surgery, for which Cho has been flown back to Los Angeles, and an extensive rehabilitation. The production shutdown is expected to last seven to nine months. The new filming schedule will be set once Cho’s prognosis is clear. Cowboy Bebop, an adaptation of the cult Japanese animated series, was a few episodes into production on its 10-episode order when the accident happened. Being relatively early into filming would allow Netflix to recast the role, but I hear the streamer is fully committed to Cho in the title role, willing to wait until late spring/early summer to resume filming, along with the logistical challenges that presents. Following Deadline’s story, Cho posted a message on Instagram, quoting the great Bruce Lee, thanking fans for their well wishes, and vowing to be “back and flowing in no time”.
[SOURCE: deadline.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
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