News for Week Ending Friday, Oct 9, 2015

1.        A man in India divorced his wife by using WhatsApp to text a “triple talaq,” which is stating three times that he is divorcing her.  Experts are now reviewing the case to see if the use of texting was valid.  ***  They’re not sure if the man needed to actually type the divorce statement three times, or if it was OK to just copy and paste.

2.        Lawsuits have been filed against Hershey’s, Nestle and Mars, accusing them of using slave child labor to harvest the cocoa used to make chocolate.  ***  A lawsuit was also filed against a Mr. Willy Wonka, who claims that despite their short stature, his workers--the Oompa Loompas--are all adults.

3.        Investigators from several countries are trying to determine why the terror group ISIS has so many Toyotas that have been converted for military use.   ***  Darn it--If they had Volkswagens then all their vehicles could be recalled because of the emissions problem.

4.        According to Orbiz, today is the cheapest day to buy tickets for Thanksgiving air travel.  ***   However, most people don’t know this far in advance if they’ll still be on good terms with their relatives.

5.        Hilary Clinton says she loves being on Saturday Night Live because it’s such a creative process and they’re constantly rewriting her lines right up to show time.  ***   She says it’s just like testifying at a Benghazi hearing.

6.        On this date in history:  1000 - Leif Ericson reputedly becomes the first European to reach North America by landing in Canada. ***  His buddies give him the nickname “Maple Leif.”

7.        On this date in history:  876 – In the Battle of Andernach at the Rhine River, “Louis the Younger” defeats “Charles the Bald.”  *** Millennials 1, Seniors 0.

8.        On this date in history:  1818 - Two English boxers are the first to use padded gloves.   ***   It was also the first documented use of the term “Wuss!”

9.        On this date in history:  1856 - Cyrus Chambers Jr. patents a machine that folds newspapers.  ***  Of course, these days many newspapers are folding all by themselves.

10.     On this date in history:  1956 - "The Ten Commandments," directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, opens in the U.S.  ***  It’s kind of like church, but with popcorn.