News for Week Ending Friday, Mar 10, 2017

1.   MIT is offering a $250,000 prize for a “rule breaker” – an individual or group that has “taken a personal risk in order to affect a positive change for the greater society.”  ***  The first nominee was Kim Kardashian, who nominated herself for showing excessive cleavage.

2.   According to the Federal Trade Commission, the two states with the most identity theft are Michigan and Florida.  ***  Actually, in Florida it’s not really theft—seniors just borrow other people’s names until they can remember their own.

3.   A recent study found that public swimming pools in Canada contain up to 75 liters of urine.  ***   The news came as quite a shock to most Canadians, who had grown up believing that chlorine was yellow.

4.   A woman in Georgia said she slammed her car into a chicken vending truck because she’s a vegan.   ***  She later confessed that it was just a practice run for her ultimate target, the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile. 

5.   First lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to the Cornell Medical Center in New York City and read to children in the pediatrics unit.  ***   She read one of her favorite children’s books, “Dick and Jane Go to Paris Fashion Week.”

6.   On this date in history:  Mar 10, 1951 – FBI director J. Edgar Hoover declines the post of baseball commissioner.  ***  He really wanted the job until they told him the umpires couldn’t carry tommy guns.

7.   On this date in history:  Mar 9, 1791 – Dr. George Hayward, an American surgeon, is the first to use ether.  ***  It was the only anesthesia available at the time, so it wasn’t a matter of “ether or…”

8.   On this date in history:  Mar 8, 1862 – Confederate forces withdraw from the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern.   ***   They said the beer was too warm anyway.

9.   On this date in history:  Mar 7, 1857 – Baseball rules are changed to 9 innings for an official game.  ***   Under the original rules, the game was over when the beer ran out.

10.  On this date in history:  Mar 6, 1899 – Aspirin is patented by Felix Hoffmann  ***  Poor Felix just couldn’t understand why Mrs. Hoffman still kept saying, “Not tonight dear, I have a headache.”