News for Week Ending Friday, Dec 9, 2016

1.   Delta Airlines has begun serving complimentary meals in the main cabin on selected flights on a trial basis.  ***   They hope the results will be better than their previous program, Passenger Potluck.  (The concept was good, but everyone just brought a big bag of chips.)

2.   In Glendale, Arizona, police are searching for a gunman who injured two people inside a Wal-Mart and then escaped.  ***  Several Wal-Mart shoppers ran after the guy but were unable to catch him, since they were all wearing flip-flops.

3.   According to a recent survey by the Red Cross, 46% of Americans feel that under certain circumstances torture is morally acceptable.  ***   The other 54% disagree and say they shouldn’t be forced to watch all those Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. 

4.   2,300 scientists, including 22 Nobel Prize winners, wrote a letter to Donald Trump urging him to formulate policies based on solid scientific facts.  ***  Mr. Trump agreed and said he will only consider findings that have been documented in respected scientific journals, such as “Twitter.”

5.   A photo of Donald Trump in a stiff breeze revealed that the short end of his tie was secured to the back of the tie with a couple strips of Scotch tape.  ***   A Trump spokesman later said the president-elect was embarrassed by the revelation and had promised to immediately switch to American tape.

6.   On this date in history:  Dec 9, 1878 Joseph Pulitzer buys the St. Louis Dispatch for $2,500.  ***  Of course, in today’s Internet world, people have a hard time believing that newspapers were once worth that much. 

7.   On this date in history:  Dec 8, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln announces his plan for Reconstruction of the South.  ***  It included a wide variety of retirement communities, theme parks and golf courses. 

8.   On this date in history:  Dec 7, 1965 – The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches formally reconcile themselves by reversing a mutual excommunication of each other, dating back to the year 1054.   ***   Afterwards, there was a huge celebration when they learned that 911 years was a new world record for holding a grudge. 

9.   On this date in history:  Dec 6, 1990 – Shoeless Joe Jackson's signature is sold for $23,100.  ***  Sadly, with that money he could have bought some really nice shoes.

10.  On this date in history:  Dec 5, 1932 – German physicist Albert Einstein is granted a U.S. visa.  ***   On the application form he entered his occupation as “Genius.”