BDC Now: This Canadian Weatherman Has a Serious Dog Problem

By Doug Saffir

October 20, 2014

4 minutes to read

Being a TV meteorologist is hard enough. You basically have to predict the future perfectly or face the rage of thousands of viewers. Add in a Mastiff puppy and it’s pretty much hopeless. See exactly how hopeless in today’s BDC Now, and read more about how terrible soda is, a modern-day superhero, why no one will shop at Target this holiday season, and an assault on the set of Letterman.

It’s Raining One Very Large Dog

We genuinely feel bad for Global Edmonton’s Mike Sobel. He’s just up there trying to do the weather and help a big pooch named Ripple find a loving home, but the dog isn’t letting him do either! For almost two minutes, the oversized furball yanks our local weatherman back and forth across the green screen, interrupting the forecast and generally looking like a malcontent. Of course, it’s not Ripple’s fault – he couldn’t care less what the weather will be like later. He’s the kind of dog that lives in “the now,’’ and right now, all he wants to do is play tug of war with Sobel. Hopefully someone can see through Ripple’s tough guy facade, adopt the pup, and spend the rest the dog’s days playing tug of war, if only so that Sobel can get back to doing his actual job.

A Soda Per Day Keeps Good Health Away

We’re well aware that there are plenty of arguments against drinking soda. It has a ton of sugar. It rots your teeth. It has basically no nutritional value. That all makes sense. But what does it all mean? Yes, soda is bad in lots of little ways, but what does it all add up to when we’re looking at the big picture? The answer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, is that it means losing about 4.6 years of your life. The study found that drinking 20 ounces of soda each day would actually alter your DNA in a way that is often associated with “chronic aging diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.’’ And if that isn’t clear enough for you, the researchers added that the effect they saw in daily soda drinkers is comparable to the effect seen in smokers. So if you still feel like twisting the cap off a soda every day at lunch, you may as well light up, too. You’re probably killing yourself, either way.

Always Tip Your Cue-Card Holder

Tony Mendez was there has been working under David Letterman for more than two decades, but he will not be there when the television icon retires at the end of this year. Mendez, who is responsible for holding Letterman’s cue cards and sometimes appears on camera, was fired after assaulting a staff writer during an argument. Maybe tensions are high at the Ed Sullivan Theater as “The Late Show with David Letterman’’ enters its final few months, or maybe this is just the kind of thing that happens after you work the same job for 21 years and your title is still “cue card guy,’’ but either way, Mendez is actually making out with a pretty great deal. He’s getting full salary and benefits through the end of the show’s final run. Unfortunately, his reputation for being a bit assault-y will probably keep him from getting a job when Stephen Colbert takes over in 2015.

We Found the Real-Life Batman

This footage from a fire in Fresno, California has plenty of smoke, small explosions, and even a true act of heroism. No, we’re not talking about someone actually recording mobile video in landscape, for once (though we were pleasantly surprised). We’re talking about the guy who ran into all the smoke and explosions and came out with an elderly man who was trapped inside. According to The Fresno Bee, his feat of bravery was forever preserved on film when Beth Lederach saw the smoke, pulled her car over, and whipped out her phone. Just after the explosion at the 1:10 mark, he comes running out, puts the elderly man down, then disappears forever. We’re not sure what we’re more sad about: That we’ll never get to know our hero’s true identity or that this woman’s first instinct during a small natural disaster was to hit the record button.

Shop-pocalypse 2014 Begins

We’ve officially reached the third week in October which, by modern standards, means it’s basically already Christmas. But don’t worry if you haven’t done all your gift shopping yet, the crowds at some stores might be a little smaller than in previous years – so long as you can tolerate the risk of identity theft, that is. That’s based on a new survey from CreditCards.com that found nearly half of its respondents are unlikely to shop at stores that suffered data breaches that exposed consumers’ credit card information. So if you’re a big fan of Target and Home Depot, your odds of being stampeded may be marginally smaller this holiday season! It’s a Christmas miracle!