The Other Team Was Just Too Good

September 30, 2017

Four soccer refs in Malawi are banned for life from refereeing because they took bribes to fix a match.

Authorities found out about the situation when the team that paid the bribe complained because they still lost the match.

Balance of Power

September 23, 2017

The killing of a powerful leader has left a power vacuum, and the fight to take his place may pose a serious danger to people in the area he ruled.

Nope, not talking about world powers today…

The downed leader was the dominant saltwater crocodile in an area of Queensland, Australia. He was illegally shot last week. Now wildlife officials are expecting increased crocodile activity as the younger males struggle for control. People using the Fitzroy River are warned to be especially careful in the next few weeks, as the power struggle may make the males more aggressive.

At least they’re not using nukes.

As Long As You’re Spying On Us…

September 23, 2017

Those creepy “smart” billboards make me wonder: How long before they install them in bars, where they could measure a drinker’s body mass and other data and determine when a customer has had enough?

(Cue the Michael Jackson music: “I always feel like somebody’s watching me.”)

It’s Not THAT Old A Word, Is It?

September 22, 2017

I was surprised at how many people had to look up the word “dotard” (recently made famous by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un).

Maybe only old people know what it means.

And You Thought Traffic Cams Were Bad

September 20, 2017

People who thought that traffic cameras were an invasion of privacy are in for an unpleasant surprise:

These days billboards can snap your license plate, get an impression of the type of car you drive, pick up your cell signal, and assess your demographic —all to help businesses target their marketing to specific areas.

Probably the only people happy with this scenario, besides the businesses themselves, are the municipalities who will have a much easier time in traffic court dealing with Invasion of Privacy defenses. I mean, after these billboards, the traffic cams look tame!

Timing Is Everything

September 20, 2017

A robber walked into a Subway shop in San Diego and demanded all the cash. The cashier complied, and he left.

Five minutes later, another robber walked in and demanded money. All he got was some loose change.

Man-Made Fibers Only

September 20, 2017

A woman took Hobby Lobby to task because she felt that its sale of art pieces featuring raw cotton bolls was racist, cotton having been picked by slaves 150 years ago. She wanted them to stop selling the art at once.

One person who commented on her post wondered if she was wearing cotton clothing at the time she wrote it.