1. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This U.S. federal holiday commemorates the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the chief spokesperson for non-violent activism in the Civil Rights Movement.
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.”
2. Norwegians didn’t seem to be particularly flattered after President Donald Trump expressed interest in having more of them move to America. “Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They’re s**thole countries,” Trump allegedly complained during a White House meeting last Thursday. “We should have more people from Norway.” Only 502 out of a population of 5.3 million people moved from Norway to the U.S. in 2016. “On behalf of Norway: Thanks, but no thanks,” tweeted a politician representing Norway’s Conservative Party. Another sarcastically commented, “Of course people from #Norway would love to move to a country where people are far more likely to be shot, live in poverty, get no healthcare because they’re poor, get no paid parental leave or subsidized daycare and see fewer women in political power. #S**thole.” Norway is one of the richest in the world by GDP per capita and was last year named the happiest nation on the planet. (Reuters)
3. A false alarm that warned of a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic Saturday, with people abandoning cars in a highway and preparing to flee their homes until officials said the cellphone alert was a mistake. Hawaii officials apologized repeatedly and said the alert was sent when someone hit the wrong button during a shift change. The emergency alert, which was sent to cellphones, said in all caps, ‘Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.’ About 10 minutes after the initial alert, Hawaii EMA tweeted there was no threat, but that didn’t reach people who aren’t on the social media platform. A revised alert informing of the “false alarm” didn’t reach cellphones until 38 minutes later, according to the time stamp on images people shared on social media. (WGME)
4. The Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans, 35-14, to advance to the AFC championship game for the seventh consecutive year on Saturday. They’ll play the surprising Jacksonville Jaguars at 3 p.m. Sunday at Gillette Stadium. If the Patriots win – they opened as 8.5-point favorites, according to Las Vegas bookmakers – they will play in the Super Bowl for the eighth time in 17 years. (Press Herald)
5. After several people have been treated by doctors for putting laundry pods in their mouth, detergent manufacturer Tide, the US government’s consumer safety commission, Patriots player Rob Gronkowski and even Dua Lipa have urged people not to put themselves at risk.
I’ve partnered with @Tide to make sure you know, Tide PODs are for doing laundry. Nothing else! https://t.co/Oo7n7ZZpbG
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) January 13, 2018
Made Hot by Jeweler’s Outlet, your neighborhood jewelry store, in the cheerful yellow building at 879 Main Street, Sanford!
