Power cable diverted to avoid ‘Dobby’s grave’

As explained by The Guardian:

Harry Potter fans have forced a new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland to be relocated after complaining it would desecrate the “grave” of Dobby, a fictional elf.

The character was laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Fans of the wizard series come to leave stones reading “Here Lies Dobby” despite being asked not to by the land owner, the National Trust, because the beach is an ecologically sensitive site.

The £430m Greenlink interconnector, which links the National Grid to Ireland, was initially going to pass through the site of the “grave”, the project manager Simon Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast.

Ludlam said he did not know who Dobby was, and became confused by the calls the company received, saying a colleague told him: “Apparently we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave”.

“I said: ‘Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby?’ I said: ‘He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?’”

He said the colleague told him: “No it’s very, very serious.”

The firm then enlisted planners to find a new route that avoided the supposed grave. “A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby’s happy.”

Kids, clarified

Pizza Hut UK adds a dash of humour to its ‘Kids Eat Free’ promotion.

Link to video

There’s also this:

THE PIZZA HUT OFFICIAL GOAT POLICY

To ensure the comfort, safety, and dining experience of all guests, the following Goat Policy applies at all times.

The management welcomes customers from all walks of life. However, goats, whether domestic, wild, mountain, miniature, pygmy, dairy, cashmere, angora, boer, alpine, saanen, nubian, toggenburg, fainting or otherwise caprine in nature, are not permitted to participate in promotions intended for human customers unless expressly stated.

For the avoidance of doubt, a goat remains a goat regardless of size, age, hairstyle, confidence level or choice of accessories. The addition of a lead, collar, jumper, raincoat, school uniform, bow tie, spectacles, trainers, backpack, birthday hat or novelty moustache does not alter its taxonomic classification.

Customers must not:

• Register a goat as a child.
• Present a goat as a qualifying guest.
• Attempt to order from the children’s menu on behalf of a goat.
• Argue that a goat is ‘basically one of the family’.
• Claim that a goat has ‘excellent table manners’ as grounds for an exception.
• Introduce a goat through the main entrance, side entrance, emergency exit, kitchen window or ventilation system, or disguised inside an oversized coat. Goats found browsing decorative plants, sampling menus, investigating table legs, standing on furniture, attempting to negotiate with staff, chewing promotional materials or expressing unusually strong opinions regarding pizza toppings may be politely escorted from the premises.

Management accepts no responsibility for:

• Missing napkins subsequently discovered to have been eaten.
• Shoelaces that become unexpectedly shorter.
• Flower displays that become significantly less floral.
• Customers who insist they ‘only looked away for a second’.
• Any philosophical debate concerning whether goats would enjoy stuffed crust.

Exceptions to this policy may only be granted where required by applicable law. Such exceptions do not extend to emotional support goats, motivational goats, office goats, celebrity goats, influencer goats, pirate goats, detective goats, goats wearing fake glasses or goats that can allegedly ‘understand English’.

Any disputes concerning the species of an individual shall be determined solely by management.

Pizza Hut UK x

A philosophical take on marriage… by a court

Excerpts from a judgement by a court in India:

Marriage is the unification of minds and hearts of two individuals. Every marriage begins with the hope of  leading a  peaceful  and harmonious matrimonial  life.  Marriage  is  a  relationship  that  thrives  on  trust,  respect, understanding, and the willingness of two individuals to place the welfare of the family above their individual egos and its sustainability and  solemnity lies   in  the  countless  acts  of  patience,  forgiveness,  tolerance  and companionship.

Every  matrimonial  relationship  is  tested  by  differences.  Such differences are natural because no two individuals think alike or react alike. It is often said that a happy marriage is not one where differences never arise, but one where differences never become more important than the relationship itself. The true strength of a marriage lies in the ability of the spouses to bridge those differences with empathy rather than allowing them to widen into irreconcilable distances.  Misunderstandings  are  but  passing  clouds;  if  approached  with patience and compassion, they soon disperse.

However, in the present age, the relentless and unnecessary tendency to multiply one’s wants has often transformed homes into arenas of competing egos. Mahatma Gandhiji’s timeless reminder that  “it is sinful to multiply one’s wants unnecessarily” is not merely an economic ethic but a marital philosophy. Unbridled  and  unchecked  desire  breeds  possessiveness;  possessiveness nourishes ego; and ego, like an invisible termite,  silently consumes the very foundations  of  conjugal  happiness  by  eroding  mutual  trust,  affection,  and understanding, ultimately giving way to discord, matrimonial  litigation, and the painful disintegration of the marital bond.  Here again, it is relevant to note the Mahatma’s further reflection, that   “When the ego dies, the soul awakens. When the soul awakens, all sorrow vanishes.”  carries profound relevance to matrimonial jurisprudence. Ego is the silent adversary of matrimony. Ego is the unseen adversary of every happy home. When ego is allowed to eclipse reason, even the brightest relationship is plunged into darkness. Marriage is sustained not  by  the  infallibility  of  the  spouses  but  by  their  readiness  to  forgive,  to understand, and to conquer the ego that  silently destroys the sanctity of the marital bond.  It enters unnoticed, speaks in the language of self-righteousness, and  departs  only  after  leaving  behind  the  ruins  of  mutual  confidence. Unfortunately, many spouses fail to set aside their egos and embrace the spirit of mutual accommodation that is indispensable for a successful marriage. As a result,  serenity  of  mind  and  peace  of  heart  disappear,  and  the  matrimonial relationship gradually deteriorates.

Matrimonial litigation is seldom about one decisive incident; more often, it is the cumulative effect of unresolved grievances and wounded egos that gradually erodes the foundation of the relationship. The Court is, therefore, reminded  that  matrimonial  adjudication  is  not  an  exercise  in  measuring  the faults of one spouse against the virtues of the other.  The law does not compel love,  nor  can  a  decree  manufacture  affection.  Therefore,  the  court  can adjudicate rights and obligations, but it cannot restore the warmth and affection that only the parties themselves can nurture. When  they do not possess the alchemy to rekindle hearts estranged by distrust,  this court has no power even to  hold  the  relationship  has  suffered  an  irretrievable  erosion  of  trust  and companionship, making the continuance of the legal tie a mere shell without its living substance.

The real architect of marital peace is the willingness of each spouse to subordinate  the  “I”  in  favour  of  the  “We”.   “Ego  and  love  cannot  exist  together” At this juncture, it is apposite to recall the golden words of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul  Kalam:  ”When  nails  grow  long,  we  cut  the  nails,  not  the  fingers”.  Likewise,  when  misunderstandings  grow,  cut  the  ego,  not  the  relationship. Matrimonial litigation is  a battlefield where egos seek conquest. A spouse who insists  on  victory  in  every  disagreement  may  eventually  discover  that  the triumph has come at the cost of the marriage itself. In domestic life, the noblest victories  are  those  in  which  both  parties  willingly  surrender  a  part  of themselves to preserve the whole. Unfortunately, when ego takes the place of empathy, every disagreement becomes a battle to be won rather than a problem to  be  resolved,  and  spouses  become  prisoners  of  their  own  pride. Communication ceases, misunderstandings multiply, and affection slowly gives way to bitterness. Where ego enthrones itself, love abdicates; where sacrifice enters,  serenity follows. In those few words lies the enduring philosophy of matrimonial harmony. Regrettably, the parties before this Court failed to imbibe this  elementary  truth.  Their  relationship,  instead  of  being  rescued  by understanding,  became  a  casualty  of  unyielding  egos.  The  inevitable consequence  is  that  this  litigation  has  reached  its  judicial  terminus,  leaving behind  a  solemn  reminder  that,  where  understanding  departs,  even  the  law stands powerless to preserve the marriage.

Man arrested for train surfing… naked

To quote from a tongue-in-cheek post by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office in Colorado:

Greetings Sedgwick County,

For those of you who had the unfortunate experience of seeing this gentleman surfing naked on top of a moving locomotive yesterday, I want you to know that he was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges.

Daniel Ray Ballance of Quartzsite, AZ decided to visit our County yesterday via the Union Pacific Railroad after he broke a window on a locomotive and entered it. To some he blew the horn, to others he showed a little too much.

Daniel expressed his love of vodka, beer, and playing the Banjo. Unfortunately, we had to separate him from those loves and the train ride. Instead Daniel is spending some time at an all expenses paid stay in jail, where he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RIP Gary Sobers

From a tribute on the AP News website:

Sobers held a slew of records. His unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958 — remarkably his first test century — was the record score for 36 years, before countryman Brian Lara bettered it. He also was the first player to reach 8,000 runs in test cricket and to hit six sixes in one over in a first-class game, for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in English county cricket in 1968.

All this achieved while maintaining a party lifestyle.

“Well, it’s an exaggeration to say I was partying every night. Just every other,” Sobers told The Guardian newspaper in 2002.

“The night before a test match, I’d always be out and about all night. Sometimes I didn’t sleep at all before a big game.”

A nutritional take on cannibalism

As reported by Reuters, quoting from a statement released about a study by scientists from Poland and the Czech Republic:

From a caloric perspective, a person turns out ​to be ‌an average meal ... The key problem, ‌however, lies elsewhere: the risk of infection. Pathogens have an easier task because they end up in ⁠an organism with almost identical physiology.

Woman pleads ignorance about drugs found in her butt

Well, there’s more.  She suggested that the drugs were planted in an “intimate encounter”.  As reported by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida:

You really just can’t make this stuff up…butt you sure can try as this one puts the ole… “those are not my pants” excuse to shame!!

Over the weekend, Deputies arrested Reagan Cox for resisting an officer without violence during a traffic stop. Of course she was transported to Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge and folks this is where things get interesting…

As Cox was being processed through the scanner, an abnormality was seen in the “lower region” of her person or “Jail Purse” area if you will. Our Corrections Deputies moved Cox to a change out room where she was observed trying to cover her buttocks area with her hand. After moving her hand, a baggie dropped to the floor containing approximately 3.8 grams of cocaine!!

Now here’s why we say you just can’t make this stuff up as when the baggie dropped to the floor, Cox spontaneously uttered that she knew nothing about the drugs and that someone must have put it in there during an “intimate encounter!!”

There’s just not much else to say about this one folks, other than Cox received an additional charge for Introduction of Contraband into a Detention Facility for bringing cocaine into the jail facility!!

Folks, if not realizing that someone left cocaine in your “Jail Purse,” is not a good enough reminder to not do drugs, then I don’t know what is!!

A giraffe is missing… in Texas

That, too, for two weeks now.  Adding to the strangeness, a local animal rescue shelter was particular about pointing out that the giraffe has “rounded ears.”  Also, the local sheriff was quoted saying this:

I’ve had wildebeests, I’ve had water buffalo, I’ve had monkeys, I’ve had zebras, all go missing. Sometimes we recover them, and sometimes we don’t.

Last but not the least, there have been isolated sparks of humour in the reporting.  To quote from the lead of an NBC News report:

She has a neck the size of an adult human, legs that are just as long and an unforgettable coat.

And she’s missing.

TSA’s Ranch Dressing Advisory

From a social media post by the US Transportation Security Administration:

If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event & you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here… pls pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home.

Thank you.

ok please avoid chugging your ranch outside security the airlines will check it for you

One World. One Ranch.

Who knew dip-lomacy could be achieved through addressing the obvious: ranch is the king of condiments. The world is slowly discovering ranch pairs perfectly with pizza, chicken wings, fries, onion rings, quesadillas, crackers, chips, vegetables, and the list just keeps growing.

Are you kicking around the idea of flying home with your favorite dip? If you’re traveling within the U.S., make sure to keep your carry-on sauces to 3.4oz or less and place any larger containers in your checked bags.

Some heroes wear capes. Others bring ranch.

Elephant surprise at Texas GOP convention

Excerpts from the reporting on the Chron website:

All day, visitors to the Texas Republican Party’s 2026 convention in Houston were teased of a big surprise. But it wasn’t a guest appearance from, say, President Donald Trump or another Republican luminary. It was bigger and messier than that, somehow.

At the Texas Republican Party’s 2026 convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, Gov. Greg Abbott spoke to a room full of the party faithful. After urging that the state Republican Party come together to defeat the Democrats in this fall’s midterm elections, Abbott did a little bit of Trumpian showmanship by bringing out a live elephant named Page.

The elephant, one of God’s biggest and most majestic creations, is ripe for metaphor; the phrase “elephant in the room” felt apt after party chair Abraham George was ousted Friday by D’rinda Randall, his former running mate, over intra-party squabbles. But Page, perhaps incredibly aware of where she was, decided to take it another step further by, well, you know what? There’s not a family-friendly way to say it. Page the elephant took a big ole’ piss all over that convention center floor as soon as she walked past the press area.

No matter what political persuasion you belong to, this is incredible content. If you’re a Republican who thinks every member of the press is the devil incarnate, well isn’t that just great timing that Page peed by the journalists’ area? If you’re a Democrat looking at President Donald Trump and the national Republican Party’s bleak midterm prospects, what’s funnier than the literal, in-the-flesh symbol of the Grand Ole Party relieving itself on public infrastructure out of fear of being around hundreds of old white people? God truly does work in mysterious ways.

Biting Concerns

Estonia's police chief was quoted in a news report saying this:

Since the media reported about a judge biting a police officer, there have been incidents every week. I would like to hope that as adults we can solve problems without biting.

Teeth flash often. I have small children at home and I feel like society should re-explain, as I have told my children at home, that biting is not allowed.

A pursuit that was ‘not a pursuit’

Excerpts from a quaintly-worded report by a local police department in Florida, posted a couple of days back:

If you want to attempt to outrun the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office — a foolish idea no matter the situation — you’re going to need a well-thought-out plan, nerves of steel, and crucially a top-notch getaway vehicle. Early this morning, a motorcycle rider went 0 for 3 as he tried to give deputies the slip.

Around 2:23 a.m., a deputy spotted a blue motorcycle cruising along with no lights and no license plate. Well… she didn’t exactly spot it first, she heard its unmuffled backfiring well before she saw it. But this was no ordinary high-octane crotch rocket. This was a rusty parts bike with what sounded like a weed eater motor attached, which we will henceforth refer to as Blowby Betty. We went to say hello to the reckless dirt road nomad, later identified as Brian Swartz, 33 of, Bunnell; however, he decided he'd rather make a spirited bid for freedom than pull over for the cherries and berries.

Let's be clear, what followed was NOT a pursuit. A pursuit implies speed. This was more of a guided neighborhood tour, topping out at a brisk 40mph before settling into a relaxed 15mph through Hidden Trails Park as his sputtering steed begged for mercy.

Brian took a scenic meander on Mahogany, an amble on Almond, and cruised onto Cherry as deputies idled behind him. Tragedy struck our anti-hero when soft sand and a lack of torque toppled Blowby Betty pinning Swartz’s shin against the sandy streets he thought he owned.

Swartz was arrested without incident and charged with fleeing and eluding, operating without a driver's license, and no motorcycle endorsement. Blowby Betty was seized and towed to impound, where she can finally get some rest.

The takeaway: Fleeing from law enforcement is a dangerous, deadly and terrible idea at any speed. Don’t attempt the impossible, especially on a motorcycle that can be outrun by a brisk jog.

‘Win the most epic poo of your life’

To quote from a post from Bowel Cancer New Zealand:

Would you check your poo if it came with a view?

This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, we’re asking New Zealanders to get to the bottom of it with Poo with a View – a campaign encouraging people to pay attention to changes in their bowel habits, learn the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, and act early if something doesn’t feel right.

Take our online symptom checker and go in the draw to win the most epic poo of your life with one of the best views in New Zealand.

Because bowel cancer can affect anyone – and when found early, more than 90% of bowel cancer cases are curable.

Link to video

Exposure to videos disrupts brain development… in fish

As summarized in a news report:

Canadian and Swedish researchers say guppies that were shown a video stream ended up with smaller brains than guppies that were able to interact with other fish.

Also, of note, this was the headline under which the news was reported:

Hooked on reels: Fish raised on videos have smaller brains than those with friends

A public reminder to not discharge cannons

From a post on the official Facebook page of the town of Allegany in New York state, USA:

Town of Allegany officials would like to remind residents that the discharge of cannons and similar explosive devices is not permitted within the Town.

The use of cannons presents serious public safety concerns, including risks related to noise, fire, explosives, and potential injury or property damage. Residents are reminded that violations may result in enforcement action under local and state law.

We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping keep our community safe.

As to what may have led to this ‘reminder’, one news report offered this insight:

Town Supervisor Chris McPherson tells 2 On Your Side they've received several complaints over the past 2-3 weeks about a cannon-like explosion being set off. He believes it's coming from just outside the village on the west end of town, in a neighborhood of roughly 20 to 30 homes. He added that no one is in danger, but the noise has been disturbing to residents.

Chief of Police Paul Griffith says nothing has ever been reported to his department. However, he and a few officers did hear what sounded like a cannon a few days ago. Officers were not able to pinpoint where it was coming from. They believe it could be someone shooting the explosive Tannerite in the Town of Allegany.

Firing squad welcome

From Mississippi: the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office has put out this Facebook post showcasing one of its billboards:

DA Barton welcomes you to Mississippi.

‘The Devil may wear Prada but the Pope wears Nike’

No, that’s not a slogan for Nike.  Not yet, anyway.  Rather, it’s the headline for a report on a website that tracks brands and campaigns, and which took note of the Pope’s sneakers, as seen in the trailer of a forthcoming documentary.

To quote from the report:

Nike’s most unexpected brand ambassador wears a cassock

A trailer released by Vatican News for Leone a Roma — a documentary marking the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate — has gone viral for a reason its makers almost certainly didn’t anticipate.

In a brief clip from the two-minute video, the Pope is seen wearing a pair of box-fresh white Nike sneakers, the black Swoosh clearly visible beneath his official vestments.

As for what may have led to the Pope’s choice, the report had this to say:

Leo, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, has form as a sports fan: he’s a documented White Sox supporter and a city native who came of age during the Jordan-era Bulls.

The Nike loyalty, in that context, feels less surprising than it perhaps should.

Adidas unveils World Cup jerseys for dogs

To quote from the press release:

adidas today unveils the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Home Jerseys Pet Collection, bringing the iconic tournament looks to four selected federations for the first time – and ensuring that fans’ most loyal companions can now join the matchday lineup.

Launching across North America, Latin America and selected markets in Asia, the new collection allows football fans to kit out their favourite furry companions in matching federation colours and celebrate their love for the game together. The range features pet jerseys inspired by the home kits of Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Japan.

This is how ESPN headlined its reporting of this news:

Dress your dog like Messi with 2026 World Cup kits for pets!

This is how SportsLogos.net headlined its coverage:

Adidas Goes to the Dogs With Launch of World Cup Kits for Pets

Also of note is this comment by a co-founder of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, as quoted by The Daily Star:

We are really disappointed that there is no Scotland kits for dogs.

We have rich history of dogs following many of our teams and feel that Adidas should maybe rethink things before the World Cup kicks off.

Sam Peckinpah, as immortalised on IMDb

IMDb biographies can be expected to be formally worded and loaded (or overloaded) with praise.  Consider, then, the bio of Sam Peckinpah, which starts with this unconventional introduction:

“If they move”, commands stern-eyed William Holden, “kill ’em”. So begins The Wild Bunch (1969), Sam Peckinpah’s bloody, high-body-count eulogy to the mythologized Old West. “Pouring new wine into the bottle of the Western, Peckinpah explodes the bottle”, observed critic Pauline Kael. That exploding bottle also christened the director with the nickname that would forever define his films and reputation: “Bloody Sam”.

And this is how it concludes:

Peckinpah lived life to its fullest. He drank hard and abused drugs, producers and collaborators. At the end of his life he was considering a number of projects including the Stephen King-scripted “The Shotgunners”. He was returning from Mexico in December 1984 when he died from heart failure in a hospital in Inglewood, California, at age 59. At a standing-room-only gathering that held at the Directors Guild the following month, [James] Coburn remembered the director as a man “who pushed me over the abyss and then jumped in after me. He took me on some great adventures”. To which Robert Culp added that what is surprising is not that Sam only made fourteen pictures, but that given the way he went about it, he managed to make any at all.

‘Naturalists… not Naturists’

To quote a post by the Cumbria Nature Festival:

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION

After a recent enquiry we need to clarify - Cumbria Nature Festival is primarily aimed at NATURALISTS… not NATURISTS. Whilst we aim to be as inclusive as possible, and certainly do not judge anyone, we are aiming the event at wildlife enthusiasts. Please do dress appropriately.

And if anyone else has booked in error, please contact us immediately for a full refund.

To quote one of the comments posted:

Both look at tits but for different reasons