Cracker Barrel Fans Mourn the Loss of That Old-Timey Feeling
The chain won the hearts of many Americans with its old-timey country charm. Diners wolfed down pancakes and Southern fried chicken surrounded by vintage advertising signs, old bottles and mechanics' tools—all meant to evoke the feeling of being in your grandmother's house.
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Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
At 102, D-Day veteran looks forward to a long-delayed bar mitzvah
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Harold Terens fought in World War II. He's lived almost 102 years, celebrating his birthday a couple weeks early with family and friends in Florida. But he has something more to look forward to. His bar mitzvah. Terens said at his birthday celebration Saturday that his brother got the traditional Jewish ceremony marking the beginning of adulthood when they were kids living in New York, but he did not. 'My mother came from Poland. My father came from Russia. And my mother was a religious Jew. And my father was anti-religious. So they had two sons. And one son, they compromised. One son got bar mitzvahed, the other son didn't,' he said. Early next year, Terens said he will finally enjoy that ceremony. At the Pentagon outside Washington, no less. Terens said that came about when he was talking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on a TV panel and a rabbi overheard the conversation. 'I mentioned that I would like to be bar mitzvahed at 103 and he's the rabbi of the Pentagon so that's my next bucket list. I am going to be bar mitzvahed in the Pentagon,' Terens said. Terens turns 102 on Aug. 6. So Saturday's party was a little early. On D-Day — June 6, 1944 — Terens helped repair planes returning from France so they could rejoin the battle. He said half his company's pilots died that day. Terens went to France 12 days later, helping transport freshly captured Germans and just-freed American POWs back to England. Terens was honored in June 2024 by the French as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of their country's liberation from the Nazis. But that isn't all that happened on those Normandy beaches. He married Jeanne Swerlin, now 97. 'I thought my wedding in Normandy last year was the highlight of my life. Number one of all the moments of my life. You know, that's the saying, that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,' Terens said. He survived World War ll, was involved in a secret mission in Iran, another time barely escaping a German rocket after leaving a London pub just before it was destroyed. 'My life has been one huge fairy tale, especially with this new wife that I have. Who I love deeply and who I am going to spend the rest of my life till death do us part, as the mayor had us say in Normandy,' Terens said. After the German surrender in 1945, Terens helped transport freed Allied prisoners to England before he shipped back to the U.S. a month later. He married his wife Thelma in 1948 and they had two daughters and a son. He became a U.S. vice president for a British conglomerate. They moved from New York to Florida in 2006 after Thelma retired as a French teacher; she died in 2018 after 70 years of marriage. He has eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Terens gets asked a lot about his secret to longevity. 'I think if you can learn how to minimize stress, you'll go a long way. You'll add at least 10 years to your life. So that is number one. And 90% is luck,' he said.
News24
4 minutes ago
- News24
Grenade security breach sparks blame game between ACS and Airports Company South Africa
Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Show Comments ()
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
News about Bill Gates' absurd perks from McDonald's sparks outrage: 'I've never found one person who could give me a genuinely good reason'
A recent post about billionaires receiving free McDonald's for life brought up hard feelings on social media, with many questioning why the ultra-wealthy get special perks while food waste and hunger remain massive issues. The controversy began when an X user shared that Bill Gates holds one of McDonald's Gold Cards, which grants the owner free meals for life. They also noted that Warren Buffett has one of the cards. The post gained over 8.6 millions views — and sparked heated debates around inequality. One user responded with frustration: "They give billionaires free food for life but throw away good food that could feed the homeless ok bro." The message garnered 42,000 reposts and 376,000 likes. The Gold Card represents a striking contradiction in how society treats wealth and waste. While billionaires enjoy lifetime dining privileges, restaurants discard millions of pounds of perfectly edible food annually; those in the United States alone waste 11.4 million tons of food per year. Food waste can have serious environmental consequences. Food decomposing in landfills produces methane gas, a pollutant 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. Meanwhile, producing food that gets tossed wastes enormous amounts of water, energy, and land resources — let alone human time and labor — that could be used to support sustainable food systems. Over 47 million Americans experience food insecurity annually, including 1 in 5 children. Programs that redirect surplus food to those in need help to address both waste and hunger across the nation. Social media users voiced their frustrations. "I've never found one person who could give me a genuinely good reason as to why people who have amassed such a fortune deserve free food ever," one said. Another replied: "Of course they do. Giving a billionaire a Gold Card generates countless headlines for them, and by extension, millions of dollars worth of free advertisement." "Companies have to [throw] away food at the end of the day due to government health regulations," someone else noted. While it's true that some large corporations are doing more to reduce waste and support environmental health, real changes start with the choices we make every day. Reducing your own food waste and composting your scraps can help your home be part of the solution, and prioritizing businesses that align with your values brings attention to cleaner shopping options in your community. What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste? Not buying food I don't need Freezing my food before it goes bad Using my leftovers more effectively Composting my food scraps Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the the daily Crossword
