Asheville –
Robinson raises $1.5 million for governor campaign
With campaign finance reports coming later this month, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign announced that he has raised more than $1.5 million. The donations come from 12,691 donors, according to his latest campaign finance report. Semi-annual reports for all candidates for office in N.C. are due Jan. 31.
“I want to thank every patriot that donated to our campaign this year,” Robinson said in a statement. “I am humbled by the support and proud to show such strong numbers. In 2020 we won with a message that people believed in, and a strong grassroots movement. It is encouraging to see this movement continuing to grow.”
A summary of the report for the campaign, called “Friends of Mark Robinson,” shows the campaign has raised more than $2 million over the past year.
Robinson gained attention this year for his commission focused on what he calls “indoctrination” in public schools and stopping Critical Race Theory from shaping the curriculum. Robinson was also the target of calls for his resignation after he fought to remove books, which he described as “filth” because they depict sexually explicit content on gay and transgender people, out of elementary school libraries.
“They want me to resign. I am going to resign myself to keep kicking them in the teeth, keep delivering the message of truth to the people of North Carolina, to continue to keep standing up for the constitutional rights of every citizen of this state, regardless of how they identify,” he said at the time.
(By Donna King, Carolina Journal)
‘We say goodbye’: Another nation ends COVID restrictions
The latest country to announce it is eliminating most of its COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, is Denmark. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday that beginning Feb. 1, mask restrictions on public transportation, in restaurants, in shops and other indoor facilities will be lifted, the Associated Press reported. “We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before,” Frederiksen said. “As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open.”Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said that while the European nation recently has had 46,000 new cases daily on average, only 40 people are in hospital intensive care units. “We continue with a strong epidemic surveillance,” Heunicke said, according to the AP. “Then we … can react quickly if necessary.”Frederiksen acknowledged it “may seem strange that we want to remove restrictions given the high infection rates. But fewer people become seriously ill,” he explained. Britain and Ireland last Saturday eliminated nearly all COVID restrictions. The Netherlands has relaxed some restrictions, and Sweden, Norway and Finland announced this week they likely will ease restrictions in the coming days and weeks.
MEANWHILE, Austria on Feb. 1 will become the first nation in the world to make it illegal to be unvaccinated. The government has ordered bars, cafes and restaurants to close at 11 p.m. And workers are advised to work from home when possible, the Associated Press reported. ABC News reported Austrian police will begin doing routine checks of vaccination status and issue fines of up to 600 euros ($685) to people who cannot produce proof of vaccination.
(World Net Daily)
History of popcorn: Fun facts about the movie theater snack
Last Wednesday was National Popcorn Day, and what better way to celebrate than by learning about the history of the delicious snack? According to The Popcorn Board, the oldest-known ears of corn that were popped are from about 4,000 years ago and were discovered in current-day New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Meanwhile, History.com reported in 2018 that there were traces of popcorn in 1,000-year-old Peruvian tombs.
Popcorn was also significant to the Aztec people for eating, ceremonies and decorations, according to The Popcorn Board. The snack became a common food in American households by the mid-1800s, according to History.com. Popcorn was popular for late-night snacks by the fire and at picnics, the website reported. In the 1890s, Charles Cretors created the first popcorn-popping machine, and by 1900, he created a horse-drawn popcorn wagon, which led to mass consumption of the snack, History.com reported. Popcorn didn’t hit movie theaters until the Great Depression, according to Smithsonian Magazine. In fact, the movie theaters that started selling popcorn were able to survive the Great Depression, while other movie theaters had to close because of poor sales. The first microwave popcorn bag was patented by General Mills in 1981, according to History.com. Today, Americans consume 15 billion quarts of popcorn per year, according to The Popcorn Board.
(Fox News)