30/10/18: Sink or Schwimm, crime doesn't pay and Gotta Praise 'em All

Intro

Week 11. I came home this week. It's the first time in about a month or so and it's good to be back. Had a lovely takeout on my first night back. I mean, I can get takeout at uni but it's just not the same.

Crime

From Friends character to Blackpool's most wanted, David Schwimmer certainly gets around. However, it seems the actor has a doppelganger, and this time his name might not be Russ.

A thief was caught on CCTV running from a shop cradling a crate of lagers, in true Blackpool fashion, and as you can see, the pair bear a striking resemblance. Mr Schwimmer has since proved his alibi on twitter with a video, showing him spoofing his clone, stating "Officers I swear it wasn't me, as you can see I was in New York".

Both clips have since gone viral, and in an interesting turn of event, one Blackpool woman has suggested the culprit may be her son who went missing many years ago. If that's the case then it seems he's been on one hell of a break (sorry).

(Source: the Telegraph)

Gaming

Pokemon Go took the world by storm a few years ago, and still maintains a large fanbase. Since then, it seems the Vatican has tried to jump on the bandwagon with a augmented reality game of it's own.

Follow JC Go apparently took 2 years and $500,000 to develop and is currently only available in Italy and Spain. Pope Francis is reportedly a fan of the game, and while the pope hasn't watched TV in 28 years, he is very tech savvy, with an active social media.

The game works much like it's Pokemon themed counterpart, where the player walks around the world collecting various saints and biblical figure by answering various questions about them, as well as other items to top up hydration, nutrition and 'prayer count'.

This is in an effort by the Catholic Church to keep in touch with millennials, and if you take a look at most of the comments on the game's Google Play page, you'll know it doesn't seem to be going very well.
(Source: the Observer)


Business



Oh shrap(nel)! Imagine a relaxing trip to the loo when suddenly all hell breaks loose, and I'm not talking about the extra spicy burrito you had for lunch. Well, that's what has been happening to Americans recently as officials have recalled around 1.4 million flushing systems, following reports of exploding toilets.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission sent out a report regarding the Flushmate II 501-B system, which can apparently burst at or near vessel weld seams. When it does, it can do so with enough force to shatter the tank.

So far 1,500 of the systems have burst, causing $170,000 and some 23 injuries, one of which was serious enough to warrant foot surgery. This is why one should never skimp on bleach.
(Source: AJC)


Education



Hippity, hoppity, bipity, bee, this is one strange degree. A law school in India has offered prospective students a course which will take a look into the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Shouvik Kumar Gaha, of the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata, created the course which 'expects students to have read all of the books at least twice if not more'. It will also tackle more traditional law studies as well as social problems in India, such as discrimination, torture and slavery.

For example, the course will examine the way in which races such as elves, centaurs and giants are marginalised, and how the division between the country's Hindu majority and it's various minorities compares to the divide between wizards and muggles.
(Source: the Guardian)


Economy



The government has unveiled plans to create a commemorative Brexit 50p coin.

No design for the new coinage has been announced by the Treasury as of yet, however they have said it will be emblazoned with the slogan 'Friendship With All Nations', in either a fit of perfect satire or brilliant naivety (I'm not sure which is funnier).

But it seems the Treasury aren't the only ones having a laugh. Twitter has seen a variety of reactions, mocking the announcement and Brexit in general: "the only coin where no matter how many times you toss it, you always lose", "It will be due out in one year's time... Correction 2 years time... Hang on, my mistake it's a Euro."

With hopes that the new £50 will include a near naked Harry Maguire and this latest event, it seems the Treasury is trying to have some fun before the end.

10/09/18: Jamie the Jerk Jerk and It's Always Terrifying in Philadelphia

Intro

Week 4 of the blog. Hope you're still enjoying if you have been reading. If this is the first time, welcome, but try out the other posts, you might chuckle. Next week's post may be shorter than in the past because that's when I move in to my uni accommodation but there will definitely be one and I'll try to keep with the standard that I've set.

Food

So this week, celebrity chef and scourge of soft drinks, Jamie Oliver, has defended his new 'Punchy Jerk Rice' dish after it faced a vicious backlash from Jamaican food lovers and MPs upon it's release.

But why has the microwavable suffered so much hate in the first place? It is because of the use of 'Jerk' to describe it. Jerk is a traditional Jamaican style of cooking chicken that was originally developed by slaves who escaped into the wilds of the country when the British captured the country from Spain in 1655. The Slaves had to adapt to their surroundings, by using natural food sources, such as allspice and scotch bonnet peppers, to create the spicy sauce and different meats.

However, Mr Oliver's dish has a notable lack of these ingredients and many Jamaican food lovers have said that, as a result, Jerk's distinctive taste is absent. Another celebrity chef, Levi Roots, the man behind the famous jerk-infused Reggae-Reggae Sauce, has called Oliver's decision to launch the rice a mistake, adding that he himself had instructed Jamie on how to make an authentic jerk chicken dish in person years before.

The rice also attracted the ire of Labour Mp Dawn Butler, who accused the chef of 'cultural appropriation' in a tweet by asking if he 'actually knew what jerk was', and saying 'it's not just a word you put before stuff to sell products'. After all of this and more, Oliver has finally weighed in stating 'when I named my rice my intention was only to show where my inspiration came from', as well as citing his previous experience with 'flavors and spices from all over the world'.

I can't imagine that Mr Oliver intended to offend anyone with the naming of his rice but I do believe that he should have been more careful when he did, so as not to seem like... a jerk.
(Source: The Independent)


Crime



Now, I, like many people all over the world, HATE bugs and the this week I saw a story that, while a tad old, is straight out of a nightmare: approximately 7,000 insects and lizards worth around $40,000 were stolen from the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion... and they could be on the loose.

The CEO of the museum, John Cambridge, stated that 'the majority 80 to 90% of insects housed in the museum were taken', in an interview with Fox News. Both he and the police suspect that the theft was an inside job and among those taken are 80 rare, venomous or endangered species, such as the rhinoceros roach, the six-eyed sand spider, the red spot assassin bug, zebra tarantulas, and desert hairy scorpions.

It is believed the theft took place on the 22nd of August and 'maybe other days' as security cameras captured footage of staff carrying boxes of insects on multiple days starting on August 21st. Cambridge also stated that he 'knows exactly who the culprit are as all their stuff was missing and they didn't turn up for their shifts'. The perpetrators also apparently stabbed their employee shirts into the wall with knives and left them there. It is thought the animals were taken for the purpose of resale.

The institute has since set up a GoFundMe page in order to replenish it's stock of critters, and other collectors and groups have donated their own specimens in the meantime as both the 3rd and 4th floor of the museum have been closed. While I am glad the museum is starting to recover, I don't think i want to visit Philadelphia any time soon.. or ever, for that matter.
(Source: Viral Today)


Gaming



Red Dead Redemption 2 is arguably one of the most highly awaited games of this year, with it's predecessor selling around 15 million copies at last count and racking up a number of awards including game of the year in a number of different competitions.

However, last weekend at the 2018 GME conference, Rockstar studios treated a number of Gamestop employees to a 20 minute live demo for the upcoming western shooter, and apparently they found it... boring. Many of those who bore witness took to Reddit after the conference, calling it a 'horse riding simulator' for much of the demo and saying that they and their colleagues began to actually fall asleep during the showing.

They did go on to say that the action shown was good and many agreed that when it is finally released, it is going to be one of the greats, but what was shown should not have been put into the demo if Rockstar want people to be hyped. Also, this all apparently took place at the very end of the weekend and so many participant were likely very tired by that point so it's understandable as to why they'd want a quick nap.
(Source: Metro, IMBD, Forbes)


Music



This week, Paramore front-woman, Haley Williams announced that the group is axing fan-favourite song 'Misery Business' from their live set-list. She declared this at a one off concert the band held in their home town of Nashville on September 7th, that marked the end of touring for their 2017 album, 'After Laughter'.

The song itself has been the centre of a heated debate as to whether the lyrics are 'anti-feminist'. Before the group began to play the song, Williams stated 'this is a decision we've made because we feel that we should, we feel like it's time to move away from it for a little while'. The debate itself surrounds lyrics of the second verse: 'Once a whore, you're nothing more. I'm sorry, that will never change'.

According to Williams, she wrote the lyrics when she was 17 and has made a number of efforts to distance herself from her teenage emotions. She also refrained from singing the second line during the Nashville show.

Fans, however, have posted all over social media with talk of grief at the song's retirement but seeming to understand the band's decision to discontinue the hit. But, all in all, fans seem to be in misery dealing with this business.
(Source: NME)


Politics



On Thursday, India's Supreme court made a historic decision to overturn law and legalize homosexual relations.

The ruling overturns a 2013 judgement upholding a colonial era law, commonly known as section 377 that defines gay sex as an 'unnatural offence'. The court now holds that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a 'fundamental violation of human rights'. While majority opinion in major cities was in favour of the decriminalization, there is still strong opposition in the more rural areas of the country as well as religious groups.

The ruling itself was headed by Judge Dipak Misra and the result was unanimous, denoting a landmark victory for India's LGBT community. Misra labelled the older law as 'irrational and arbitrary' while another judge on the panel stated 'history owes an apology to LGBT people'.
(Source: BBC News, The Guardian)