March 30, 2020
Everybody’s Talking
Big tip: Servers in restaurants are always grateful to receive generous tips. One waitress in Clearwater Beach, Florida (U.S.), was happily overwhelmed by an enormous tip left by a customer who was, evidently, quite wealthy. However, the giver of the $5,000 tip on a small restaurant bill turned out to be a vindictive thief who was out for revenge against her boyfriend. Serina Wolfe, the customer, had gotten into an argument with her beau and decided to get back at him by using his credit card to give the big tip. Wolfe was arrested for theft.
Long slide: When complete, a water slide in Escape Theme Park in Penang, Malaysia, might be the longest in the world. It will be a whopper of a slide, taking adventurers on a fourminute, 1,140-metre (3,740-ft.) ride down a hillside through the jungle. At the bottom, sliders will be dumped into a big swimming pool. Builders of the slide are concerned about the environment, so they decided to use the natural hill, rather than build a tower. They are working around the trees to avoid cutting them down and are manually transporting materials, instead of using heavy machinery.
Jail birds: Twin brothers in Turkey did something unexplainable. One of the bothers agreed to secretly switch places with the other brother, a convict in the E Tipi Kapasi Prison in Mersin. They managed to make the switch during a visit. Later, prison guards realized that something wasn’t quite right with their charge. Upon investigation, police found the real inmate in his brother’s home. Now, both brothers are in jail, and authorities are at a loss to explain why the free brother would agree to take the criminal brother’s place in jail.
Loyal friend: A golden retriever in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is extremely loyal to her owner. The dog, named Sheila, has been waiting patiently for more than a year at a police station where her owner was arrested. The police think she managed to follow the police car in which her owner was transported after his crime. The officers at the station are taking good care of the loyal canine, feeding her and taking her to the vet when necessary. They have even allowed her to spend a bit of time with her owner in his cell. Everyone expects that, when the man is released, Sheila will go home with him to be by his side.
Quoteable Quotes
—Eugène Ionesco
—Karen Horney
Trivia
1. Astigmatism is a medical condition affecting what part of the body?
2. The term “nouveau riche” means what?
New Rich
3. What is a facade?
Building front or false effect
4. Sisters Serena and Venus Williams are champions of which Sport?
Tennis
5. A clementine is a cross between a sweet orange and what?
Mandarin Orange
Did You Know?
Japanese fame: Maynard Plant is a member of a band called Money Majik, which is famous in Japan. Plant was raised in Canada. Blaise, his brother, is also a band member, along with two Japanese musicians.
Giant egg: The town of Vegreville, Alberta (Canada), has a unique sculpture of a giant Pysanka, a Ukrainian-style Easter egg. It was erected in 1975 in honour of the Ukrainian settlements in the area.
Garden beauty: The Kingsbrae Garden in St. Andrews, New Brunswick (Canada), is home to over 50,000 perennial plants, as well the wollemi pine, one of the oldest trees in the world
Made a mark: Tim Bergling (1989-2017) was a Swedish musician and DJ from Stockholm known by his stage name, Avicii. He was known for mixing electronic music with other types of musical genres.
Canyon hiking: Near the Dead Sea in Jordan are canyons through which water flows. When the water is low and slow in the summer and fall, hiking is possible in these canyons, such as the Wadi Mujib, Wadi Zarqa Ma’in, and Wadi Himara.
On the Lighter Side
My email password has been hacked. That’s the third time I’ve had to rename the cat.
What’s the best thing about Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus
How many sheep does it take to make one sweater? Depends how well they can knit.
I called a temp agency looking for work, and they asked if I had any phone skills. I said, “I called you, didn’t I?”
How many telemarketers does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but he has to do it while you’re eating dinner.