5 minute read
That’s Odd
Yemeni men on a terror watchlist as they crossed the border with Mexico illegally, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Monday.
The men, arrested in January and March near a port of entry in California, were on a U.S. government watchlist for terrorism suspects and a “no-fly” list.
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A CBP spokesman said in a written statement that it is “very uncommon” for border agents to encounter people suspected of terrorism at U.S. borders and that the arrests underscore the agency’s “critical” vetting efforts.
The watchlist is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Terrorism Screening Center. The list contains “the identities of those who are known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities,” according to the FBI.
You Have Not Reached Your Destination
Fasten your seatbelts, folks, you are in for a wild ride.
This week, an Ethiopian Airlines plane headed for Ndola, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport in Zambia did not make it to its intended destination. Instead, the cargo plane landed in Copperbelt International Airport. Unfortunately, Copperbelt is not yet open and still under construction.
Although the airport is not yet open for use, the pilot, who got there by “error,” made a smooth landing.
Transport ministry’s permanent secretary Misheck Lungu explained, “When he was about to land, he was communicating with the radar and they told him, ‘We can’t see you.’
The new airport was due for completion in October 2020, according to Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL), which manages the country’s international airports. But construction was delayed because of the pandemic, with the facility due for completion this year.
The new airport that the plane landed at has a runway that is fully complete, ZACL added, and, as of last month, the rest of the facility is at least 88% complete.
Sounds like he landed the aircraft with flying colors.
3, 2, 1 Baby
Carter Kerr is a lucky baby, as he was born at 3:21 p.m. on March 21 in the 321 area code of Florida, according to Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital.
The newborn baby, weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, is a first for the new parents, Charish and Justin.
“Carter being born in the 321 (area code) on March 21, 2021, at 3:21 p.m. is unexpected and also amazing,” Charish said.
The newborn baby’s room looks out over Florida’s Space Coast, where people can view rocket launches after the “3-2-1” countdown.
Blast off!
Crime Watch
It’s true that crime doesn’t sleep. This company is hoping to keep people up at night by offering $2,400 each to three people willing to watch 24 hours of true crime documentaries and post about the experience on social media.
MagellanTV, which made a similar offer for a single person who was paid $1,000 in 2020, said the second version of the promotion will choose three candidates who will each be paid $100 an hour for their true crime binges.
And we thought that crime doesn’t pay.
Fooled You
In an effort to show consumers their fun side, several companies came out with gag products on April 1.
Velveeta, famous for its cheese, offered “V by Velveeta” skincare products including cheese-based moisturizer, renewal serum, and nourishing night cream. But it sounded cheesy to most customers.
Siggi’s, famous for its line of Icelandic yogurt, announced two other Icelandic delicacies would soon be joining its line of products: Fish jerky products known as harofiskur. If it sounds fishy, you’re not wrong. The haddock and cod-flavored jerkies will not be coming to a store near you anytime soon.
Vegetable company Green Giant announced it was partnering with Peeps to bring cauliflower-flavored marshmallow candy to market. The company admitted the product was merely a gag, but asked Twitter followers: “Who still would’ve tried it out?”
We’ll pass on that one.
Chosen Foods, a company known best for its avocado-based products, announced the creation of “GuacPaste” – guacamole-flavored toothpaste. The company said the toothpaste is “guaranteed to brighten your smile, enlighten your tastebuds and freshen your breath with aromatic savory flavors.”
Oh, and turn your teeth green.
The Farmer’s Dog, a company that creates pet food from fresh ingredients, unveiled Candle No. 2, a candle bearing a “fresh, subtly stool-scented fragrance from The Farmer’s Dog.” The candle is listed as a product on the company’s website, but is marked as “not yet available.” Don’t hold your breath.
Jumping on the sourdough bandwagon, fast food chain Burger King tweeted photos of a fictional line of sourdough sandwiches containing fillings such as Hershey Pie, cheesy tots, mini-shakes, chicken fries, chocolate chip cookies, French fries and onion rings.
We’d rather eat matzah and cream cheese.
Toy company Lego marked the day with the announcement of a product every parent might wish was real: “SmartBricks” that, when left on the floor, will scatter away from the unprotected feet of a person walking through the plastic minefield. Oh, how we wish this product was real!
Bud Light, which released a line of hard seltzers in 2020, tweeted a hoax ad for a new line of pizza seltzers in flavors including pepperoni, anchovies, veggie, and extra cheese. The company later tweeted that it was “scary how many of you actually wanted to try these.”
Language-learning app Duolingo unveiled a product to help users learn new languages while using the bathroom: Duolingo Roll toilet paper. The company joked the tissue-based language lessons would turn “your bathroom into a classroom.”
Sounds like they’re on a roll.
