COPS ‘FIND’ RED BAllOON IN STEPHEN KING’S HOMETOWN
Police in the Maine city, that’s home to Stephen King, played a prank to coincide with the opening of the horror film It, based on King’s book. The police department said last Thursday on Facebook that a red balloon was “found” floating near the department’s stuffed duck, which has been its mascot over the years.
A red balloon is the calling card of Pennywise, the sewer-dwelling, homicidal clown in It. The book is set in Derry, Maine. King has said the fictionalised town is based on Bangor.
lt Tim Cotton joked in the Facebook post that the balloon’s discovery was “a little creepy”. He says King says he has “no idea” how the balloon ended up behind the secure doors of the police department.
(AP)
WASHINGTON GOlFERS FINISH ROUND AMID RAGING WIlDFIRE
A group of golfers in Washington showed their dedication to the game by completing a round in the midst of a raging wildfire. Beacon Rock Golf Course in Bonneville shared a photo of the determined golfers, as they casually finished their round despite the 31,000-acre Eagle Creek fire in the background last Wednesday. “Our golfers are committed to finishing the round!” the course said.
After praising the golfers for the commitment to their game, the golf course shared another post addressing the severity of the fire. “Viewing the magnitude of the fire and thinking of how many people will be affected and for a long time,” the course said. “So thankful no lives lost.”
Beacon Rock operations manager Mark Mayfield said the fire was “a mile and a half away” in Portland, Oregon across the Columbia River. He added that some locals were amazed by the sight, while others questioned the group’s decision-making. “Some people said, ‘Wow, it’s awesome,’ while others wondered, ‘How could they keep playing golfIJ’” Mayfield said.
(UPI)
ARKANSAS ElECTRIC WORKER FINDS TWO-HEADED SNAKE
An electrical worker discovered a two-headed rattlesnake while inspecting a home in Arkansas. Mark Young shared a photo of the rare two-headed snake, nicknamed Deuce, after it was discovered and caught by Woodruff Electric District 2 manager, Rodney Kelso. “It is absolutely real! But I don’t think it’s a sign from God that the end times are near,” Young said.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission confirmed with KARK that the snake was real, before it was donated to Crowley’s Ridge Arkansas Game and Fish Nature Center in Jonesboro. Kelso said he found the snake sunning itself while he was inspecting a home on on Arkansas 248. “Fifty years on the ridge and never have seen such,” he told Arkansas Online.
The snake is still alive, which Cody Walker of the Nature Center said was unusual considering its condition. “It does happen from time to time in nature,” he said of animals being born with multiple heads. “But usually they die from complications.” Deuce is being cared for by professionals at the Nature Center and will be put on display after settling into the new home.
(UPI)
MINNESOTA UNIVERSITY MIXES PHIlOSOPHY WITH POTTER!
Minnesota university is mixing the magical world of Harry Potter into philosophy teachings. St Cloud State University professor Carolyn Hartz is applying Aristotle’s work on friendship to character relationships in JK Rowling’s books about the boy wizard, the St. Cloud Times reported. The class discusses ethics, logic, love, the human soul and nature while examining the stories.
“These are fundamental human concerns,” Hartz said. “Philosophy is, in my view, critical thinking about fundamental areas of human concern.”
Rowling’s stories provide understandable examples of philosophy concepts that can be difficult to comprehend, said Miles Nelson, a second-year university student, who took the course last spring. He said the class also shows the depth in Rowling’s work that many people may not have realised if they read the Harry Potter books when they were children.
Nelson said he was inspired to minor in philosophy after taking the course.
“This class really solidified how much I love thinking about hard problems and questions with hard answers,” Nelson said.
Hartz’s office is full of Harry Potter references, including a time turner necklace, a logic puzzle from the first book, and red stones that resemble the sorcerer’s stone from the first book.
“Most of the students in the class are Harry Potter nerds. That’s why they sign up for it,” she said. “I tell them: ‘You can bring your wands, but you can’t use them on exams.’”
Hartz has considered teaching philosophy through other pieces of pop culture, such as video games or the HBO series, Game of Thrones. “Maybe next year it might help tide people over to the final season (of Game of Thrones),” she said.
(AP)