Nick's News

09/09/2026

The VoD is ready! If you missed Sunday's broadcast it is available now, as well as many of our previous episodes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYHhK-MsDs

09/09/2026

Can we get a cheer for kākāpō conservation? Happy to see numbers on the rise.

There are more of these wonderfully weird parrots in the world now 💚

New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō have just completed their most successful breeding season on record, which produced 90 new chicks. The flightless, nocturnal parrots only breed when certain native trees produce enough fruit — something that can happen just once every few years — so every breeding season is a major event for conservationists.

The new arrivals have helped push the total kākāpō population to more than 300 birds, a remarkable milestone for a species that fell to just 51 known individuals in the 1990s. Every living kākāpō is closely monitored, and conservation teams continue working to protect their predator-free habitat and help this famously chunky parrot keep making its comeback.

09/09/2026

Norwegian politicians have pledged to crackdown on smart glasses amid a growing global backlash against the “creepy” devices. The recent launch of Machine Learning -powered smart glasses, which can surreptitiously record video and audio, has raised concerns around privacy and surveillance. Those concerns prompted a criminal complaint against Meta and Ray-Ban, which developed the eyewear, in Germany. A petition calling for a ban on the devices has also launched in the UK and is open for signatures until December. Norway, however, looks set to be the first nation to crackdown on the devices after digitalization minister Karianne Tung pledged action this week. “We can see that people’s private lives and privacy are coming under pressure from new technology, and I therefore want to regulate smart glasses and similar devices more strictly than today,” she said.

09/08/2026

Exotic Flora & Fauna 09/08/2026

Welcome to the 36th post in a weekly series entitled "Exotic Flora & Fauna!" This is a dive into various exotic plants and animals you might not normally hear about, and each Tuesday we'll feature a different and potentially mind-boggling entry. If you’re interested in the incredible, the spooky, and the downright kooky, check out these posts!

WHY! WHY GOD WHY! What the hell has this world come to?! What is Nick complaining about? Well you see, he’s a big fan of tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and of course ketchup. If it’s a tomato product, Nick is probably a fan of it. But what happens when things take a turn for the WTF? What happens when that late 70’s legend “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” becomes a little closer to reality? What happens… when a tomato fights back? For your viewing displeasure, we introduce the Porcupine Tomato (Solanum pyracanthos).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_pyracanthos

Morphology:
Solanum is a big genus, with a lot of fun things like, as mentioned, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. But sometimes the fruit fights back. Or in this case, arms itself with terrifying thorns all over. These evergreen shrubs are typically 1 to 5 ft (0.30 – 1.52 m) tall, but they might grow taller if you listen to the ornamental growers. The leaves are shades of green, with horrific orange and red thorns running down their midlines. The stems are also similarly armed. The flowers are quite beautiful, and grow in clusters of star-shaped violet inflorescence. And then they become fruit, little marble-sized greenish-yellow tomatoes, which you can brave the thorns to eat, right? NOPE! POISONOUS! An unhealthy amount of tropane alkaloids builds up in every part of this plant, and it is considered dangerous to humans! DAMMIT!

Distribution & Habitat:
If you want to make an especially spicy ragu (please don’t do this, we don’t condone this), you can see the porcupine tomato in tropical Madagascar. They love the sun and the heat, and are not the most cold tolerant plants out there. They’re also grown ornamentally around the world because they look cool. But they’re not. They are a deceiver. A terrible, awful poisoner in the guise of a good fruit. Curse you porcupine tomato, curse you.

How Exotic?:
On a scale of 1 to 10, Nick’s News gives the porcupine tomato a 7 out of 10. It has thoroughly discouraged Nick from even picking the cherry tomatoes off the bushes out back, for fear that they will be his last tasty treat. The thorns are a pretty radical addition, and the flowers definitely upped the exotic look of this ne’er-do-well nightshade.

We hope you found this article informative and fun! Stay tuned for future installments, available on Tuesdays, as we continue to explore various exotic flora and fauna! If you have any questions or would like to submit an exotic flora and fauna suggestion, contact us here on Facebook or email us at [email protected]. As always, we love you all and have a great day!

09/07/2026

After receiving a phone call warning him that flash floods were headed toward his school, principal Rajendra Dawadi immediately stopped classes to evacuate the 900 students on campus to higher ground. Around 13 minutes later, water, mud, and debris swept through the area, destroying the school in seconds. Dawadi also called the bus drivers transporting more of his students to tell them to stay away from the area, likely saving even more lives. The latest reports say the flash floods in Nepal have now killed more than 1,000 people, and thousands more are still missing. Dawadi said rescuing his students didn’t make him a hero, it was his responsibility. He’s urging the government to now provide the students with counseling and get them back into school as soon as possible, even if it means relocating temporarily.

09/06/2026

See you tonight for an hour of Good Friends, Good Brew, and Good News!
https://www.youtube.com/-SBS

09/05/2026

Nick’s News would like to celebrate you, the Newsies! This week we're celebrating:

Alan Emery, Jeannie Mary Misenhimer Steele and Jules Briuce!

Thank you all so much for your support!

09/04/2026

France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a new law aimed at protecting consumers from intrusive sales pitches and shielding vulnerable people from fraudulent commercial practices. The law backed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government entered into force Tuesday. While several countries have tried opt-out systems, France is hoping more muscular obligatory opt-in rules will be more effective. Previously in France, people who wanted to avoid marketing calls had to register their number with a government-run service, but consumer groups said some call centers ignored the list. Now, “businesses are prohibited from contacting consumers without their prior consent,” said Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud. “That consent can be withdrawn at any time.” The government says the law is a response to years of consumer complaints. Authorities estimate that about three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more. In 2024, 11 consumer organizations issued a joint call for a ban, denouncing “relentless harassment of consumers through countless unwanted telemarketing calls to both landlines and mobile phones, an intrusion that has become a regular part of their daily lives.” Parliament approved the law last year.

09/03/2026

Tesla Tree Service and The Dodo
This time we share the story of Autumn

09/02/2026

The VoD is available if you missed the Live broadcast on Sunday. This week was a very special show. We let Nick think we were doing a regular episode then surprised him with a 10th Anniversary Chat N Chill. We thank every one who joined us that evening. Thank you to all of you who have recently started following us and those who have been with us from the start. We love you all.