Pages

Showing posts with label candy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candy. Show all posts

Saturday, November 01, 2025

California Woman Hands out Potatoes Instead of Candy for Halloween & Kids Love it

A woman in Los Angeles County, California, decided to hand out potatoes at her house on Halloween, and received a very positive response from kids wanting to get potatoes in their candy bag. In fact, it was so popular, she ran out of potatoes "shockingly fast."

Nina Ries
Nina Ries of Los Angeles County

CBS LA reported that Nina Ries in La Cañada Flintridge of Los Angeles County handed out russet potatoes instead of candy for Halloween, and the kids kept coming. She didn't realize how fast she would run out of potatoes after discovering how popular it would be. Kids were running down the street to her house, while other children were giving each other high fives.

She said, "To say that I was surprised was an understatement."

View the CBS LA Facebook Post


The CBS LA Facebook post can be viewed below:


Happy Kids Yelling Out, "I Got a Potato" for Halloween


Handing out potatoes - while uncommon - isn't completely unheard of. Another Facebook post from 2024 can be seen below.

Potatoes at Halloween
credit: Matt Schultz on Facebook

Create Happy Memories by Handing out Russet Potatoes at Halloween 🥔


Halloween 2025
Kids Finding a Bowl of Potatoes on Halloween


Handing out russet potatoes instead of candy at Halloween is an unexpectedly delightful twist that turns an ordinary tradition into a memorable and fun event. While candy is the norm, a potato’s sheer novelty makes it stand out—kids are first puzzled, then amused, and often end up loving the surprise of receiving something so different. It sparks laughter, curiosity, and even a bit of friendly bragging as they show off their “Halloween potato” to friends. The idea breaks the monotony of sugar overload and adds a playful, wholesome sense of humor to the night—proving that sometimes, it’s the simplest and most unexpected gestures that create the best memories.





Saturday, February 24, 2024

Facial Recognition Application 'Error Message' Seen on an M&M Vending Machine in Waterloo Canada

Students at the University of Waterloo in Canada were surprised to find out when a smart vending machine displayed a computer error on a screen that indicated a facial recognition feature was not working correctly. This alarmed students because they didn't know their faces and likeness were being captured by facial recognition software on vending machines in the first place.

M&M Vending Machine
Facial Recognition Error Message credit: SquidKid47 on Reddit
CTV reported that "a set of smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo will be removed from campus after students raised privacy concerns about their software."

Facial Recognition Software Error Message Seen on a Smart Vending Machine


They were alerted to the facial recognition software after an error message displayed on the smart vending screen (seen above) that read: "The exception unknown software exception (0xe)434352) occurred in the application at location 0x00007FFAAC4F4C48."

In fact, if it wasn't for the error message, no one would have known about the built-in facial recognition software at all.

River Stanley, a student at the University of Waterloo said:

"We wouldn't have known if it weren't for the application error. There's no warning here."

Once the facial recognition error message started circulating online, students quickly began sharing it, and some students even tried to cover a hole on the machine where they thought the camera was located.

Student Dilpreet Sandhu questioned out of privacy concerns if there are other places where this technology is being used.

She said:

"[I’m] kind of shocked just because it's a vending machine, and I don't really think they need to be taking facial recognition. It is a university campus, so I feel like the general demographic is young adult. You know, late teens, early twenties."


The Smart Vending Machines on the University of Waterloo Campus are Being Removed

The smart vending machines with facial recognition software sold chocolates and other candy and had M&M artwork on them. At least one machine was located in the Modern Languages building and another in Hagey Hall. 

CTV reported that "a set of smart vending machines at the University of Waterloo will be removed from campus after students raised privacy concerns about their software."

The better question: 

Should these machines prominently display a message informing customers that they are being photographed?


Sources:

Wiens, Colton. "Facial recognition' error message on vending machine sparks concern at University of Waterloo." CTV. 22 Feb. 2024.

Saturday, November 04, 2023

Massachusetts Parents Share a Warning After Finding 2 Sewing Needles Inserted into Their 8-Year-old's Halloween Candy

A father and the local superintendent are warning other parents who took their children trick-or-treating in Sandwich, Massachusetts that two pieces of candy in his child's Halloween bag had puncture holes and contained sewing needles. Someone had malicious intent and came close to harming his child.

halloween candy
Trick or Treating; credit: Jill Wellington on Pexels

A parent's worst fear was realized after they found two pieces of Halloween candy containing sewing needles in their child's candy, and contacted the police.

These parents are now wanting to warn other parents to check any Halloween candy brought home, to make sure it has not been tampered with.

Two Sewing Needles Found in Halloween Candy

WCVB NewsCenter 5 News reported that a mother and father are concerned about the safety of local children who went trick-or-treating down Main Street in Sandwich, MA after finding his 8-year-old possessed candy that had been tampered with.

The parents wished to remain anonymous with speaking to the media, and NewsCenter 5 agreed to withhold their identities.

The father said "He [his son] had bit into a Twix bar and noticed there was something hard" and ended up finding it was a needle and came downstairs and told my wife, 'What the heck is this? I found this in my candy!'"

The mother then did a more thorough search of her son's candy. That's when she also found a needle in a Snickers "fun-sized" bar, which had a punctured wrapper.

The father said:

"This is a potential major injury and potentially life-threatening to a little kid. Think about others and don't be so malicious. If he swallowed this, there is a chance it could pierce into the esophagus or somewhere else in his G.I. tract and get pretty sick so I'm really happy he noticed it was in his mouth before he decided to swallow." -Concerned Father in Sandwich, Massachussetts

The parents recalled the places they took their child trick-or-treating, which included their neighborhood, the Sandwich Public Library, Main Street, and some side streets.

Sandwich Police Department Post Facebook Message to the Public

The Sandwich Police Department posted the following message on Facebook.

It read:

"Updated 11/2/2023 at 11 a.m.
The Sandwich Police Department is investigating the report of a sewing needle found inside a piece of Halloween Candy. Late in the evening on November 1, the Sandwich Police Department was called to a Sandwich residence for a sewing needle found in a piece of Halloween candy. The mother of an 8 year old child advised police that her son was checking his candy and noticed something poking out of it. The mother checked the candy, a small Snickers "fun size" bar. The wrapper had a puncture hole and a sewing needle was found inside the candy bar. She then checked her other children’s candy and discovered a Twix candy bar that also contained a sewing needle. It was reported that the family went trick or treating on the Main Street area of Sandwich. The police department is recommending that all trick-or-treat candy should be inspected. If your child was trick or treating in the downtown area of Sandwich, please be extra vigilant in checking your children’s candy. The police department has not received any other similar complaints.
Please contact the Sandwich Police Department if you suspect or find that your child’s candy has been tampered with. 508-888-1212."

The following images of the Snickers and Twix bars found with needles are seen below.

Tampered candy
Candy found with sewing needles
It's sad that there are people out there intentionally trying to harm children.

The Sandwich School Superintendent released a statement, asking parents to check their children's candy for safety.

He said:

"If your child was trick or treating in the downtown area of Sandwich, please be extra vigilant in checking your children's candy." -Dr. Joseph Maruszczak, Sandwich School Superintendent

Thoughts

Now it is time for the reader to share their thoughts on this story.

  • Have you ever heard of people tampering with candy on Halloween?
  • Have you ever heard of someone putting needles in candy bars?
  • What would you have done with your child's candy if you found it had been tampered with?
  • Do you think that more people are taking their children to "Trunk-or-Treat" because the candy from church and local events is safer?

Please share this article on social media so others can be informed about this story.

It is very important that parents know to check their child's candy to keep their little ones safe.

Sources

Richardson, Rhondella. "Massachusetts mom reports finding sewing needles in 8-year-old's Halloween candy." WCVB NewsCenter 5 News. 2 November 2023.

Sandwich Police Department profile on Facebook.

Sandwich School Superintendent website.

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Walgreens Printable Coupons with Barcodes for December 2020

 Walgreens Printable Coupons with Barcodes for December 2020


Walgreens Coupons December 2020


Walgreens Chocolate candy coupons 2020




Candy always makes great stocking stuffers! These coupons from Walgreens are perfect for last-minute candy gift ideas for Christmas.

Walgreens Printable Coupons pictured above:

1) Walgreens printable coupons for Godiva Chocolate 4.67 to 7.4 oz. Coupon offer valid 11/29/20 thru 12/25/20

2) Walgreens printable coupons for M&M's Holiday Candy 7.44 to 10.7 oz.. Coupon offer valid 11/29/20 thru 12/2/20

3) Walgreens printable coupons for Mars Minis Candy 8.9 or 9.7 oz.. Coupon offer valid 11/29/20 thru 12/26/20

4) Walgreens printable coupons for Godiva or DeMet's Chocolate 4.3 to 5 oz.. Coupon offer valid 11/29/20 thru 12/25/20

5) Walgreens printable coupons for Hershey's Chocolate Candy 18.5 or 21 oz.. Coupon offer valid 11/29/20 thru 12/25/20