Surreptitious Saturday

Bananas, Subs, Bats + Teen Depression + Nike + Building

There is no place like . . . Texas

Norfolk Daily News (9/25):  Authorities says bananas donated to a Texas prison turned out to have nearly $18 million worth of cocaine hidden inside the boxes.

. . . Maine

Ditto:  "This was a sub worth diving into. Eleven sandwich shops in Maine combined forces to create a 160-ft-long Italian sandwich. The ginormous sandwich disappeared as quickly as it was created THU, devoured by hungry passersby in Portland's Monument Square.

. . . Austria

Ditto:  Birds are a well-known hazard for airport operators, but Vienna airport officials have had to deal with different winged intruders:  a swarm of bats. Airport spokesman Peter Kleemann told the . Austria Press agency . . . that the dense swarm of bats descended on one runway for about 45 minutes . . . " COMMENT:  I had a "bat encounter" about 20 years ago, something for which my kids still enjoy reminding me. Ask them.

Mental Health MON - Special SAT Edition

NDN (9/26):  "Moodiness may be serious issue. It's no secret that teenagers can be moody, but research shows that ongoing moodiness often is far more serious. Dr. Janna Gewirtz O'Brien, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician, said teen depression 'affects teenagers of all walks of life, of all backgrounds, & ages. She said parents also should look for these 5 signs that their teen is depressed.

• Excessive irritability or generally depressed mood.
• Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping.
• Sudden severe weight gain or weight loss.
• A sudden drop in grades in school.
• Sudden loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy.

"If an adolescent says: 'I'm worried. Or I'm thinking about harming myself,' that is something to be taken seriously,' O'Brien said.

Political Potpourri

Omaha World Herald (9/26):  Nike's marketing strikes a chord; business unhurt. Furor over ad featuring former NFL quarterback Kaepernick has calmed. Nike caused an uproar earlier this month with its ad featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that debuted just as the FB season was about to begin. But the shoe maker's stock is up & sales have been steady. The furor seems to have largely died down & the company reported an earnings beat on TUE. Comment:  There is obviously a market for these products, which is a sad commentary on our culture.

Christians Like to Build

Source: The Lutheran Layman:  "We know that Christians like to build, too Together we build church buildings, schools, playgrounds, homeless shelters, food pantries, hospital, retirement homes, & university & seminary campuses. Some of these things we build to last, & some serve a purpose for a time & then go away. We tend to focus on these projects because we can see in brick & mortar what has been accomplished & gain satisfaction from a job well-done."

Dept.  of Shameless Joke-Stealing

Source:  Reader's Digest (July/Aug 2018):  "My friends asked me to go camping, so I made a list of the things I would need:  '#1. New friends.'"