These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 84-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past weekend.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
BUCS QB JAMEIS WINSTON SETS SINGLE-SEASON NFL RECORD FOR PICK-SIXES
In a 28-22 season-finale loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Winston, the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, broke the single-season record for interceptions returned for a touchdown with seven. The play happened in overtime in what eventually became the final play of Tampa Bay’s season, a 27-yard return from Falcons linebacker Deion Jones. With the interception, Winston also became the first player in NFL history to throw for 30 or more touchdowns and 30 or more interceptions in a single season. He finished the year with 33 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions and 5,109 passing yards, marking just the 12th time in NFL history that a player has surpassed 5,000 passing yards. The performance was yet another chapter in the up-and-down performance Winston has experienced in his five seasons in the league. He now has thrown 121 touchdowns but has also tossed 88 interceptions. His 30 picks this season set a career worst, shattering his previous mark of 18 interceptions in 2016.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
JOHN LEWIS: GEORGIA LAWMAKER DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 PANCREATIC CANCER
Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, according to a press release from his office. Lewis, who represents the 5th Congressional District of Georgia, says in the statement that he plans to continue serving during treatment. He said the cancer was discovered during tests following a routine medical visit. “I have been in some kind of fight – for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life,” he said. “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now.” Lewis, 79, asked for prayers in his statement and said he has a “fighting chance.”
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
REMAINS FOUND OF SIX OF SEVEN PEOPLE WHO WERE ON A TOUR HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED IN HAWAII
The remains of six people on board a tour helicopter that crashed Thursday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai have been found, officials said Friday afternoon. Kauai Fire Department Battalion Chief Solomon Kanoho said it appears there were no survivors and the search for the seventh person on board has been suspended due to fog. It will resume tomorrow, he said. The identities of the victims have not been released as authorities are still notifying relatives. The debris was found in a remote area of a state park on the island’s northwest side, police said in a news release. Kanoho said the passengers were from two families and one family was a group of four. Two of the passengers were children, officials have said. The crash occurred along the usual route that the tour helicopters fly, Kanoho said. The helicopter went down about 13 miles north of the city of Hanapepe, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
RUSSIA CLAIMS NEW HYPERSONIC WEAPON AVANGARD IS READY FOR WAR
Russia’s defense minister on Friday declared a new hypersonic weapon, which is said to be capable of striking the United States, ready for war. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a conference call with Russian military leaders that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty. Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces chief, Gen. Sergei Karakayev, added that Avangard was put on duty with a unit in the Orenburg region in the southern Ural Mountains. Avangard can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or about one mile per second. It was one of the six new weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled in March 2018. At the time, the Russian leader claimed the hypersonic weapon was capable of reaching targets at 20 times the speed of sound and that it could strike “like a fireball.” He also said that the device had already entered serial production.
[SOURCE: cnbc.com]
BANKS SET FOR BIGGEST JOB CULL SINCE 2015 AS MORGAN STANLEY CUTS
Banks around the world are unveiling the biggest round of job cuts in four years as they slash costs to weather a slowing economy and adapt to digital technology. This year, more than 50 lenders have announced plans to cut a combined 77,780 jobs, the most since 91,448 in 2015, according to filings by the companies and labor unions. Banks in Europe, which face the added burden of negative interest rates for years to come, account for almost 82% of the total. The 2019 cuts bring the total for the last six years to more than 425,000. In fact, the actual amount is probably higher because many banks eliminate staff without disclosing their plans. Morgan Stanley is the latest firm to make a year-end efficiency push, cutting about 1,500 jobs, according to people familiar with the matter. Chief Executive Officer James Gorman has said the cuts account for about 2% of the bank’s workforce.
[SOURCE: economictimes.indiatimes.com]
MCDONALD’S STAFF ASSIST WOMAN AFTER SHE MOUTHS ‘HELP ME’ IN DRIVE-THRU
A woman was able to escape from a frightening situation on Christmas Eve thanks to the quick thinking of McDonald’s employees. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office shared an account of the dramatic incident on Facebook on Friday, detailing how the woman alerted staff at the McDonald’s in Lodi, California, that she needed help after the man she was traveling with allegedly threatened her life. Deputies from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and McDonald’s employees helped a woman escape from a disturbing situation on Christmas Eve. Shortly after 2 p.m., the woman entered the McDonald’s restaurant and told an employee at the counter to call 911, police said. She also provided the license plate of the car she was traveling in and asked them to hide her. “After the woman used the restroom, she attempted to place an order at the counter, but the suspect, Eduardo Valenzuela, was nearby and demanded she use the drive-thru,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post. When the woman entered the drive-thru, she mouthed “help me” to an employee. An unidentified McDonald’s worker told CBS13 that the restaurant’s manager told employees to hold up the drive-thru line so that the police had time to get to the scene.
[SOURCE: huffpost.com]
DISNEY CHARACTERS FILE POLICE REPORTS ALLEGING THEY WERE GROPED, HARASSED BY TOURISTS
Walt Disney World employees who portray Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck all filed police reports claiming they were touched inappropriately by tourists this month. The woman who plays Mickey Mouse had to seek medical care at a hospital after a grandmother visiting the park patted the character’s head, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, The Associated Press reported. The employees wearing the Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck costumes alleged that tourists groped them. The woman who plays Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom told authorities that a woman patted her head five times on Dec. 4, causing the costume to slide down and strain her neck. She said she did not believe the woman intentionally hurt her, and the sheriff’s office categorized the incident as a civil matter, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The tourist’s family said they did not know the employee was taken to a hospital until they were contacted Tuesday by the newspaper. A man named Boone Scheer said his mother-in-law was patting Mickey to show her young grandson that he shouldn’t be afraid of the character. Scheer said the family did not know if Disney has a no-touching rule for the characters in costume, since they can give high-fives and hugs to visitors. He said no one told them about the incident until they tried to check into their hotel in the park and his wife was interviewed by Disney employees.
[SOURCE: thehill.com]
GEORGE MICHAEL’S SISTER DIES ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Exactly three years after George Michael‘s death on Christmas Day 2016, his sister Melanie Panayiotou was found dead in her London home. According to the Evening Standard, Melanie, 55, was found at her home by older sister Yioda Panayiotou. Although a cause of death has yet to be announced police said that “the death is not being treated as suspicious by police,” and noted that a “report will be compiled for the Coroner into the circumstances.” Panayiotou’s death was also confirmed by her family. “We can confirm that very tragically Melanie has passed away suddenly,” her family said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “We would simply ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this very sad time. There will be no further comment.” In March 2017, the coroner revealed that the singer died of natural causes and suffered a dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver. Just days before her death, Melanie and her sister Yioda, as well as the singer’s father Jack and longtime manager David Austin, thanked fans for their support as the three-year anniversary of the singer’s death approached.
[SOURCE: people.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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