Magpie News Collector

Watch: Venomous snake rescued from backyard swimming pool

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/31/2025 6:56 PM

A pair of reptile wranglers in Australia came to the rescue of a yellow-tailed whip snake that found its way into a resident's backyard swimming pool. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Ohio man forgets winning lottery ticket at home, wins another $500,000

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/31/2025 6:51 PM

An Ohio man who forgot his $50 winning lottery ticket at home decided to buy another of the same Best of 7's scratch-off game and scored a $500,000 prize. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Lost dog found 5 years later, 520 miles from home

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/31/2025 5:41 PM

A dog who went missing from her family's Mississippi home about five years ago was reunited with her owners after turning up in Florida -- about 520 miles away. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Ozzy Osbourne pumpkin mosaic breaks Guinness World Record

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/31/2025 3:42 PM

A British farm celebrated legendary rock singer Ozzy Osbourne by breaking a Guinness World Record with a massive squash mosaic in the musician's image. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Deer rescued from between bars of metal fence in Virginia

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/30/2025 3:59 PM

A Virginia sheriff's sergeant came to the rescue of a deer he found with its body stuck between the bars of a metal fence in Williamsburg, York-Poquoson County. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Ohio State marks mascot's 60th by breaking a world record

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/30/2025 2:02 PM

Ohio State University marked the 60th birthday of mascot Brutus Buckeye by breaking the world record for the most conical party hats worn at a single event. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Utah man drops 1,917-pound pumpkin onto his Geo Metro

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/30/2025 1:59 PM

A Utah man said a final farewell to the 1991 Geo Metro he drove for 35 years by dropping a 1,917-pound pumpkin on it from a height of nearly 14 stories. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Dog rescued after fall from San Francisco cliff

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/30/2025 12:06 PM

A San Francisco Fire Department crew came to the rescue of a dog that fell about 40 feet over a cliff above Funston Beach in the Fort Funston area of the city. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Please, Please, Please Do Not Wear Any Of These Wildly Offensive Halloween Costumes This Year

By BuzzFeed, Inc. | | 10/30/2025 1:31 AM

If you have to ask, "Is this offensive?", it probably is.View Entire Post › ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Dog reunited with owner 7 years after burglary in Florida

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/29/2025 6:00 PM

A stray dog picked up by a Florida police officer on a Tampa road was reunited with his owner 7 years after going missing during an apartment burglary. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Dogs in Chernobyl exclusion zone mysteriously turn blue

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/29/2025 5:41 PM

A nonprofit taking care of dogs in Ukraine's Chernobyl exclusion zone are trying to solve the mystery of why some of the canines have turned "completely blue." ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Austrian surfer rides wave for 8 hours, 5 minutes and 44 seconds

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/29/2025 4:35 PM

An Austrian surfer spent 8 hours, 5 minutes and 44 seconds shredding on his board to break the Guinness World Record for the longest time spent surfing a wave. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Australian Students Won't Take History Exam After Being Taught The Wrong Roman Ruler

By HuffPost.com | | 10/29/2025 3:40 PM

Students at nine high schools in northeastern Australia were supposed to learn about Julius Caesar, but were taught about Augustus Caesar instead. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Monkey gets loose inside Spirit Halloween store in Texas

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/29/2025 3:38 PM

A pet monkey escaped from its owner at a Spirit Halloween store in Plano, Texas, and spent more than half an hour evading capture in the rafters and atop poles. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Look: New Jersey zoo announces birth of two capybara pups

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/28/2025 7:33 PM

A New Jersey zoo released the first photos of two baby capybaras born at the facility -- and a second female capybara is due to deliver in the coming days. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

N.C. man's haircut appointment ends with $100,000 lottery prize

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/28/2025 7:17 PM

A North Carolina man who stopped to get some cash to pay for a haircut ended up winning a $100,000 lottery prize during his brief visit to a convenience store. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

World War I soldiers' message in a bottle found on Australian beach

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/28/2025 6:22 PM

A message in a bottle found during a beach clean-up in Australia turned out to contain letters from two World War I soldiers authored 109 years earlier. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: 2,819-pound pumpkin grown by British brothers is world's largest

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/28/2025 5:17 PM

British brothers who have been growing gargantuan gourds for over 50 years finally broke a world record with a pumpkin weighing 2,819 pounds, 4 ounces. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Watch: Lost surfboard washes up nearly 1,500 miles away in New Zealand

By United Press International, Inc. | | 10/28/2025 4:05 PM

A kite surfer in New Zealand ended up losing his kite during a recent outing -- and found a surfboard that had drifted nearly 1,500 miles from Australia. ... Read full Story

odd_fun

Rush-hour delays after swan found on tracks at major UK railway station

By Sky News | | 10/27/2025 10:37 PM

Rail passengers in Scotland faced major delays and cancellations during Monday evening's rush hour after a swan was found on the line at the country's busiest railway station. ... Read full Story

animal

Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests

by Science News | Oct 29 2025

art

Rirkrit Tiravanija at Galerie Chantal Crousel

by Contemporary Art Daily | Nov 02 2025

connecticut

CT Democrats targeting open Republican municipal seats

by CT Mirror | Nov 02 2025

entertainment

Star Sightings: Addison Rae Performs in Armani Beauty Looks, Riley Keough Attends a Chanel Dinner in New York

by ET Online | Oct 31 2025

finance

U.S. stock futures rise as Wall Street looks to extend winning streak in November

by MarketWatch.com | Nov 03 2025

game

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Physical Edition Is Up For Preorder

by GameSpot | Nov 02 2025

golf

Ryder Cup: U.S. and European Golfers Face a Challenge at Bethpage Black

by NY Times | Sep 25 2025

how_to

Want a Freakishly Clean Bathroom? Use These 9 Tips From a Former Custodian

by CNET | Nov 02 2025

knowledge

New Study: Birds Are Most Likely to Poop on This One Type of Car (Yes, Really—This Was an Actual Study)

by Reader's Digest | Oct 31 2025

lifestyle

Dyan Cannon makes fresh comment on ex-husband Cary Grant who was 33 years her senior

by Hello! Magazine | Nov 03 2025

metro

NYC ‘bounty hunters’ score nearly million-dollar payouts reporting traffic ‘idling’

by New York Post | Nov 03 2025

new_jersey

Obama headlines for Sherrill, Ciattarelli boasts of campaign momentum

by NJ Spotlight | Nov 02 2025

shopping

15 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

by Gear Patrol | Nov 02 2025

travel

Up for some adventure in 2026? Find yours for every month of the year.

by The Travel Magazine | Nov 01 2025

upstate

Festival of Nations marks 54 years of celebrating diversity in the Capital Region

by NEWS10 ABC | Nov 02 2025

Word of the Day

arbitrary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 2, 2025 is:

arbitrary • \AHR-buh-trair-ee\ • adjective

Arbitrary describes something that is not planned or chosen for a particular reason, is not based on reason or evidence, or is done without concern for what is fair or right.

// Because the committee wasn’t transparent about the selection process, the results of the process appeared to be wholly arbitrary.

// An arbitrary number will be assigned to each participant.

See the entry >

Examples:

“The authority of the crown, contemporaries believed, was instituted by God to rule the kingdom and its people. England’s sovereign was required to be both a warrior and a judge, to protect the realm from external attack and internal anarchy. To depose the king, therefore, was to risk everything—worldly security and immortal soul—by challenging the order of God’s creation. Such devastatingly radical action could never be justified unless kingship became tyranny: rule by arbitrary will rather than law, threatening the interests of kingdom and people instead of defending them.” — Helen Castor, The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, 2024

Did you know?

Donning black robes and a powdered wig to learn about arbitrary might seem to be an arbitrary—that is, random or capricious—choice, but it would in fact jibe with the word’s etymology. Arbitrary comes from the Latin noun arbiter, which means “judge” and is the source of the English word arbiter, also meaning “judge.” In English, arbitrary first meant “depending upon choice or discretion” and was specifically used to indicate the sort of decision (as for punishment) left up to the expert determination of a judge rather than defined by law. Today, it can also be used for anything determined by or as if by chance or whim.

Watch: Venomous snake rescued from backyard swimming pool

Ohio man forgets winning lottery ticket at home, wins another $500,000

Watch: Lost dog found 5 years later, 520 miles from home

Ozzy Osbourne pumpkin mosaic breaks Guinness World Record

Watch: Deer rescued from between bars of metal fence in Virginia

Ohio State marks mascot's 60th by breaking a world record

Watch: Utah man drops 1,917-pound pumpkin onto his Geo Metro

Watch: Dog rescued after fall from San Francisco cliff

Please, Please, Please Do Not Wear Any Of These Wildly Offensive Halloween Costumes This Year

Watch: Dog reunited with owner 7 years after burglary in Florida

Watch: Dogs in Chernobyl exclusion zone mysteriously turn blue

Watch: Austrian surfer rides wave for 8 hours, 5 minutes and 44 seconds

Australian Students Won't Take History Exam After Being Taught The Wrong Roman Ruler

Watch: Monkey gets loose inside Spirit Halloween store in Texas

Look: New Jersey zoo announces birth of two capybara pups

N.C. man's haircut appointment ends with $100,000 lottery prize

World War I soldiers' message in a bottle found on Australian beach

Watch: 2,819-pound pumpkin grown by British brothers is world's largest

Watch: Lost surfboard washes up nearly 1,500 miles away in New Zealand

Rush-hour delays after swan found on tracks at major UK railway station

Deep Antarctic waters hold geometric communities of fish nests

Rirkrit Tiravanija at Galerie Chantal Crousel

CT Democrats targeting open Republican municipal seats

Star Sightings: Addison Rae Performs in Armani Beauty Looks, Riley Keough Attends a Chanel Dinner in New York

U.S. stock futures rise as Wall Street looks to extend winning streak in November

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Physical Edition Is Up For Preorder

Ryder Cup: U.S. and European Golfers Face a Challenge at Bethpage Black

Want a Freakishly Clean Bathroom? Use These 9 Tips From a Former Custodian

New Study: Birds Are Most Likely to Poop on This One Type of Car (Yes, Really—This Was an Actual Study)

Dyan Cannon makes fresh comment on ex-husband Cary Grant who was 33 years her senior

NYC ‘bounty hunters’ score nearly million-dollar payouts reporting traffic ‘idling’

Obama headlines for Sherrill, Ciattarelli boasts of campaign momentum

15 Awesome New Motorcycles Rolling Out Right Now

Up for some adventure in 2026? Find yours for every month of the year.

Festival of Nations marks 54 years of celebrating diversity in the Capital Region

Word of the Day

10 Odd & Fun

1.Watch: Venomous snake rescued from backyard swimming pool

2.Ohio man forgets winning lottery ticket at home, wins another $500,000

3.Watch: Lost dog found 5 years later, 520 miles from home

4.Ozzy Osbourne pumpkin mosaic breaks Guinness World Record

5.Watch: Deer rescued from between bars of metal fence in Virginia

6.Ohio State marks mascot's 60th by breaking a world record

7.Watch: Utah man drops 1,917-pound pumpkin onto his Geo Metro

8.Watch: Dog rescued after fall from San Francisco cliff

9.Please, Please, Please Do Not Wear Any Of These Wildly Offensive Halloween Costumes This Year

10.Watch: Dog reunited with owner 7 years after burglary in Florida