Thursday Flakes: GameStop, Sandwiches, and Fake Coronavirus Tests

Sandwiches have been around for a while…in fact since the 1st Century BC. It was in historical records that Hillel the Elder gathered chopped nuts, apples, spices and better herbs and placed them between two pieces of matzoh (unleavened bread). I have had this during Passover and I will admit it’s not as bad as it seems.

The word ‘sandwich’ first appeared in 1762 written in the journal of English author Edward Gibbons in which he was likely writing about the habits of John Matagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Matagu was known for being quite the gambler who often did so for extended periods of time without leaving the table. In order to counter this issue, he would order meat between two pieces of bread to satisfy his hunger. This meal gained popularity in London and quickly became known as a sandwich.

The sandwich was introduced in America by an English woman Leslie, which described a ham sandwich recipe in her cookbook (Directions for Cookery), which was published in 1840. By the early 1900s, the sandwich became a fixture in American life.

This blurb about the history of sandwiches was inspired by an article from ‘Food & Wine’ title The Best Sandwich in Every State. Go check it out in today’s Flakes and peruse it for your enjoyment.

There is a not of unique sandwiches to eat in Panama. However, Guadalajara, Mexico, is known for the Torta Ahogada, which is basically a meat sandwich completely drowned in sauce. It’s a very messy meal but most messy meals are pretty delicious. I definitely recommend trying for yourself the next time you are in Guadalajara.

Anyways onto Flakes…

Nebraska WBB vs Wisconsin Preview | Basketball | Corn Nation

The Huskers will host a Wisconsin team looking for their first Big Ten win. Just because the Badgers are not a good basketball team does not mean Husker fans should feel overly confident. Of late, Nebraska seems determined to play close games.

Brendan Jaimes Senior Bowl Day One Report | Football | Corn Nation

The 2021 Senior Bowl is officially off and running and we got to see Brenden Jaimes’ official measurements but also how he did in his first day of practice going through drills against the other NFL Draft prospects.

Julia Bond Wins PWBA Hall of Fame Classic | Bowling | Huskers.com

“I’m extremely proud of myself and how far I’ve come,” Bond told PWBA.com after her first title. “There’s naturally going to be some doubt when you go to the next level, but being able to push through in such a pressure situation and come away with my first title feels amazing.”

Huskers Announce Two TV Additions | Volleyball | Huskers.com

Nebraska’s match against Northwestern this Saturday, Jan. 30 will now be televised on NET in addition to being streamed on BTNPlus.com. Also, Nebraska’s match against Ohio State on Friday, March 12 will be televised on NET and streamed on BTNPlus.com.

Mailbag: Reacting to a Rush of Transfer Portal Entries for Nebraska | Sports | Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity staff members Mike Babcock, Jacob Padilla, Greg Smith, Erin Sorensen and Brandon Vogel tackle your questions about the latest news in Husker Nation.

Padding the Stats: Nebraska’s Troubling Trend of Attrition | Football | Hail Varsity

Just like every other departure to this point, none of these three transfers is too big of a blow to Nebraska’s short- or long-term outlook. With the way college football works these days, it was unlikely that all three of Adrian Martinez, Luke McCaffrey and Logan Smothers exhausted their eligibility in Lincoln.

Nebraska Recruiting: Options on the Table at Quarterback for Huskers | Football | Hail Varsity

Right now Martinez is the unquestioned starter heading into winter conditioning. I would have said that before the McCaffrey transfer. There is one difference now. Redshirt freshman Logan Smothers and freshman Heinrich Haarberg are the backups to Martinez. The fourth-year starter has had the injury bug going back to high school. Just playing the odds he will end up missing some time during the 2021 season. How comfortable would Frost be turning the offense over to someone who hasn’t taken a college snap yet?

Sipple: McCaffrey’s decision sparks serious discussions; and Georgia eyed Fisher | Football | Lincoln Journal Star

Frost perhaps should be somewhat concerned about at least one statistic that applies to this discussion. Of the 25 scholarship players who have left his program since Dec. 1, 2019, 17 were from the offensive side. The offense is Frost’s baby. He spends the majority of his time dealing with that side of the ball.

McKewon: Assessing Nebraska’s Wide Receivers Without Kade Warner and Wan’Dale Robinson | Football | Omaha World-Herald

NU also adds three from the 2021 recruiting class — Latrell Neville, Shawn Hardy and Kamonte Grimes — who are all at least 6-foot-2. So are Betts, Falck, Touré, Manning and Liewer. Nebraska will have one of the tallest receiving corps in the Big Ten and college football.

‘Defensive-Minded’ Huskers Keep Earning Wins, While Searching for Offensive Identity | Basketball | Omaha World-Herald

“Our team knows that that’s going to be our team’s best chance to try to have success and to get wins is to really commit to playing on (the defensive) side of the ball,” Williams said after the Ohio State game.

World Tourism Organization Calls for Vaccine Passports | Travel | The Guardian

The UNWTO secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “The rollout of vaccines is a step in the right direction, but the restart of tourism cannot wait. Vaccines must be part of a wider, coordinated approach that includes certificates and passes for safe cross-border travel.”

People Are Photoshopping Coronavirus Test Results In Order to Bypass Travel Restrictions | Travel | VICE

“I just fired up photoshop and changed the date,” wrote one man who had doctored results for an entire group of friends to Motherboard. “Fun fact, the document [test result] was in French whereas they were in Sweden the day it was supposedly made, but they didn’t see a problem in that.”

Creole Trail Rides Highlight Black Cowboy History | Travel | Lonely Planet

On any given weekend in towns across Louisiana and Texas, hooves click-clack on pavement and wagons blast infectious zydeco rhythms. Holding the horse’s reins in one hand, and a cold beer in the other, is a long line of cowboys. Not the John Wayne-type typically seen in Hollywood westerns, but African American men and women, celebrating their culture on a Creole trail ride.

Egypt Plans to Build a High-Speed Train from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean | Travel | Lonely Planet

The entire route will run for 1000 kilometers, and the first 460km-long section will link up El Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast and Ain Sokhna, two small but quickly developing towns. The train line will pass through 15 stations, including the as-yet-unnamed ‘new administrative capital.

Paris’s Champs-Élysées Is Undergoing Massive | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

This month, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo approved a $305 million project to overhaul the stretch by turning it into a green, pedestrian-friendly wonderland.

Amsterdam Wants to Ban Weed For Tourists | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema hopes it’ll stay this way: On January 8, she called for a ban on foreigners buying cannabis at the city’s famed coffee shops once the destination reopens to international travelers.

Rio de Janeiro Cancels its Already Delayed Carnival for 2021 | Travel | Travel + Leisure

As COVID-19 continues to ravage through Brazil, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro officially canceled Carnival, looking ahead to 2022, when the event can be celebrated with “all the intensity we deserve.”

Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas to Require Crew Get Vaccinated | Travel | Travel + Leisure

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. confirmed to Travel + Leisure that the company was “exploring all options regarding vaccinations for guests and crew and it is our intention that all crew members be vaccinated before boarding our vessels to begin their duties, subject to availability of the vaccine.”

New Orleans Architecture Uniquely Suited to Pandemic Living | Travel | National Geographic

New Orleanians are discovering their properties, many built in the 18th to early 20th centuries, are equipped with traditional features useful in keeping the virus at bay. Rambling porches serve as open-air living rooms and platforms on which to safely interact with neighbors.

Nigeria: The Country That Loves to Overachieve | Travel | BBC

Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and now has the continent’s biggest economy – earning us our famous sobriquet, “The Giant of Africa”. Glittering examples of Nigerian success can be seen in the literary world, international music charts and throughout the diaspora.

Kolomna: The Russian Town Built By Apple Sweets | Travel | BBC

The name of this town has become synonymous with an apple-based delicacy called “pastila”. And now the lost sweet is making a comeback thanks to some inventive and resourceful women.

The Best Sandwich In Every State | Food | Food & Wine

NEBRASKA: The sandwich is known as a Frenchee, possibly due to a passing resemblance to the Monte Cristo. You can do all kinds of things with the Frenchee, but we’ll take the classic—dipped, coated, and fried—at Don & Millie’s, a quirky local chainlet that any regional fast food connoisseur must visit before they die, possibly from eating too many Frenchees.

Which Sounds Are the Most Annoying to Humans? | Audio | Gizmodo

This is all to say that, when we are speaking about sounds, “annoying” is a subjective criteria. But there must be, one figures, some consensus on the subject. For this week’s Giz Asks we reached out to a number of sound-experts to find out what that might be.

Cats Are Getting Sick of Their Owners in Lockdown | Animals | VICE

In recent months, social media has been full of anecdotes from people whose cats seemed to have become “depressed” – or just unable to stand looking at them any longer. One owner of four cats told Vox that one of her pets had started “running into walls”, and that all four had begun “hissing and growling” during lockdown.

The Secrets of the White House Reflect Its History of Constancy and Change | History | Atlas Obscura

For more than two centuries, the White House has stood as a symbol of democracy and resilience in the face of change—a symbolism that carries particular poignance following the turmoil of the 2020 election and its aftermath. The stories embedded in its decor, artwork, hallways, and chambers capture colorful moments and occasional upheavals in American history.