News for Week Ending Friday, Nov 24, 2017

1.   A man in Hampton, Virginia had his thumb bitten off while trying to fight off a carjacker.   ***  You know you’re having a bad day when someone steals your car and then you can’t even hitchhike home.

2.   Students in China say they have been forced to work 11 hours a day assembling Apple’s new iPhones.  ***  And here in the U.S., students spend about the same amount of time each day using them.

3.   Walmart plans to compete against online companies like Amazon by hosting 20,000 holiday parties at its Superstores across the country.  ***  The dress code will be “Walmart formal”:  Black sweatpants and high-heeled flip-flops.

4.   A study of retail stores shows that IKEA has one of the best return policies.  ***   In fact, after you assemble the furniture you can get a partial refund just for returning all the leftover pieces.

5.   On this date in history:  Nov 22, 1910 – Arthur Knight patents golf clubs with steel shafts.  ***  Not only were they straighter and stronger than the old wood shafts, but they were also more satisfying to wrap around a tree.

6.   On this date in history:  Nov 22, 1939 – Bugsy Siegel and three associates murder Harry "Big Greenie" Greenberg after Greenberg had threatened to become a police informant.  ***  To paraphrase Kermit, it’s not easy being Greenie.

7.   On this date in history:  Nov 21, 1871 – Emilio Onra becomes the first human cannonball.  ***   It wasn’t easy to find a man of his caliber.

8.   On this date in history:  Nov 21, 1877 – Tom Edison announces his "talking machine" invention, the phonograph.  ***  However, whenever people asked to see his “talking machine,” he would introduce his wife.

9.   On this date in history:  Nov 20, 1980 – United Artists withdraws the movie "Heaven's Gate" for re-editing.  ***  According to a studio spokesman, concerns arose after someone did some fact-checking with the Bible.

10.  On this date in history:  Nov 20, 1992 – Windsor Castle, the home of Queen Elizabeth, catches fire. ***  According to the royal spokesman, installing electrically heated seats on the throne had seemed like a good idea at the time.  (But not such a good idea in “hindsight.”)