"I just saved a bunch of money by switching genders."

By Navigator84 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Excerpt:

A man in Alberta, Canada, tells the CBC that he wanted to buy a new Chevy Cruze, but being a male and in his early 20s, and with a less-than-perfect driving record, he was shocked at the cost of insurance — he was quoted $4,500 a year.

So he became a woman.

OK, biologically he remains a man. There were no surgeries and he doesn't literally identify as female. But the man, named by the broadcaster only as David, says he changed his gender to female on his government-issued identification. Wait, how's that? "I have taken advantage of a loophole," he says. More on that in a moment.

He got the idea when, stunned by that $4,500 quote, he asked the insurance agent what coverage would cost if he were a woman. The answer: $3,400.

"I was pretty angry about that. And I didn't feel like getting screwed over any more," he said. "So I asked them to change my gender on my auto policy, and she's like, we can't do that."

So he found another way. Alberta is one of several Canadian provinces where residents can legally change the sex on their birth certificates by just checking a different box. You simply need a note from a doctor or psychologist saying you identify as a different gender.

"It was pretty simple. I just basically asked for it and told (the doctor) that I identify as a woman, or I'd like to identify as a woman, and he wrote me the letter I wanted," David told CBC. It was a lie, of course, but once you've gotten your birth certificate amended, it's a snap to get your driver's license changed, and then bring on those sweet savings in that sweet, sweet Chevy Cruze. Worth it, right?

David thinks so. "I am now a woman ... I now pay $1,100 less for auto insurance. I won. The end," he wrote on Reddit.

Comment: 2nd image is screen grab from article.

Canadian man legally lists gender as female to get cheaper car insurance: report https://t.co/oU4BKPUaYp #FoxNews

— James Peet (@jrpeet) July 30, 2018

"Rigorous protocol" miscounts spelunkers - Indiana University student left behind for 2½ days

After photo

Before

IU freshman rescued after surviving three days in cave

Excerpt:

For three days, the IU freshman was trapped in the cave, wondering why the other students had left him behind in the darkness. He licked the moisture off the walls that surrounded him. He licked the wrappers of Clif bars and debated eating crickets. In the dim light of his iPhone, he tapped out goodbye letters to his family. After the battery died, he carried on imaginary conversations with the friends he thought he’d never see again. “I was very confused and pretty scared,” Lukas Cavar told the Indiana Daily Student. “It took me a little while to wrangle my emotions and sort of approach things analytically, sensibly, to come up with a game plan to survive.” Cavar, a 19-year-old physics major, was rescued late Tuesday night after the president of the Caving Club realized that the group had forgotten the freshman at the end of Sunday’s trip to Sullivan Cave in Southern Indiana. The club’s leaders raced to the cave and unlocked the entrance gate — the same gate one of them had locked on their way out, trapping Cavar.

Indiana man 'glad to be alive' after being forgotten and locked in cave for 60 hours

Excerpt:

A message posted by the Caving Club's president on a website for Indiana University student organizations says the club's "rigorous protocols" for accounting for members during cave excursions had failed. "We had a failure in our leadership to closely follow all these safety procedures," the message states.

Comment: Source of Lukas Cavar "before" photo. Source of cave entrance photo. Info on Sullivan Cave

That Giant Arrow that can be seen by Satellites

Arrow # 37 from space

Location

Looking for St. Paul? Look for the giant concrete arrow in Cottage Grove

Excerpt:

It was part of an elaborate navigation system built coast-to-coast early in the 20th century to help pilots deliver mail for the U.S. Post Office.

In the days before radar and GPS, pilots flying the air-mail route to the Twin Cities knew to look for the shining rotating beacon and the 70-foot-long bright-yellow directional arrow in Cottage Grove.

“It points northeast,” Jansen said. “That way they knew which way to go to get to Holman Field (in St. Paul). They used to keep it brightly painted, so it was easy to see. There were some big numbers painted on it, like, 3-7-9. The numbers were probably about 3-feet high; they meant something to the pilots, apparently.”

Jansen believes the arrow was installed in 1930, two years after his father, Ben, bought the 240-acre farm.

“They wanted to put it out in the field across the road (90th Street), and my dad says: ‘Why would you want to put it out in the field? You put it right behind the house,’ ” Jansen said. “It turned out to be a good thing because if it was out in the middle of a field, it would have been in our way, and we would have done away with it years ago. But behind the house, it never bothered us, so it’s just there.”

...Jansen’s arrow was known as No. 37 on the Milwaukee to St. Paul-Minneapolis route, indicating the site was 370 miles from the beginning of the route, Hawkins said. It’s believed to be the only arrow remaining in Minnesota.

Comment: List with links to other Giant Arrows

There's an arrow that no satellite can see but which the tender heart may.

"Buddy Fox" calls into Ruby Tuesday earnings call

Ruby Tuesday's (RT) CEO JJ Buettgen on Q4 2016 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Excerpt:

Operator [Operator Instruction] Our next question comes from Buddy Fox with Geneva Roth Holding Corporation.

Buddy Fox I just have one question. Do you think your revenues are negatively impacted by Harambe’s death and if yes, do you have any plans to mitigate it?

JJ Buettgen Excuse me, can you repeat your question please? Impacted by what?

Buddy Fox By Harambe’s death and if yes, do you have plans to mitigate it?

JJ Buettgen I am sorry, I don’t know we have a bad connection, I couldn’t quite hear the question.

Operator He has lost connection. We will turn to Bryan Hunt with Wells Fargo.

Comment: Image sources: Ruby Tuesday, Harambe. See also Twitter link and related article.

[insert STUPID] Indiana University students mistake Priest in line for frozen yogurt for KKK member

Priest mistaken for KKK member while getting FroYo

Excerpt:

Panic ensued on a college campus last week when social media fueled rumors that a member of the Ku Klux Klan had been spotted. The man, as students later realized, wasn't a Klan member, but rather Father Jude McPeak, an ordained priest from Evergreen, in line for frozen yogurt while wearing his habit. Students from Indiana University took to Twitter to caution fellow students of a man "dressed in white robes" who was seen on campus "carrying a whip." A university dorm resident advisor subsequently sent out a cautionary email to students in his building, and campus-wide chaos ensued. While a mix-up between a Klansman and a priest seems unlikely, McPeak, who serves as the director of campus ministry at the Saint Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University, said he could understand the confusion.

Comment: The order responded with help identifying them

Slacker of the Year - "el funcionario fantasma"

Spanish civil servant off work unnoticed for six years


Excerpt:

A Spanish civil servant who failed to turn up for work for "at least" six years has been caught after becoming eligible for a long service award. Joaquin Garcia, 69, was fined €27,000 (£21,000; $30,000) after the award brought his long absence to light.

Mr Garcia, whose job was to supervise the building of a waste water treatment plant, has since retired. He denies the allegations and his lawyer says he has gone into hiding after suffering a media "lynching". Mr Garcia said he had been a victim of political bullying in the job and moved to a post where there was no work to do.

He was paid €37,000 a year before tax by a water company run by local authorities in the south-western city of Cadiz. A court found in the authority's favour and ordered him to pay the fine ,which is equivalent to one year's salary after tax and was the most that the company could legally reclaim.

He has written to the mayor asking not to have to pay the fine, and will ask for a review of the judgement.

Spanish newspapers have dubbed him "el funcionario fantasma" - the phantom official.

The court heard that the boss of the water company had not seen Mr Garcia for years despite occupying an office opposite his. The water company thought he was supervised by the local authorities and vice versa.

The deputy mayor noticed his absence when Mr Garcia became eligible to receive a plaque for 20 years' service.

Mr Garcia says he was bullied due to his family's politics, and was sent to the water company to be out of the way. He found there was no work to do there.

People close to him told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he was reluctant to report it as he had a family to provide for, and worried that at his age he would not get another job. They said he did go to the office, although not for full business hours every day, and that he dedicated himself to reading philosophy.

Comment: Picture source

Death Wish: "Do not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016"

Larry Upright Obituary
Excerpt:

Larry Darrell Upright, 81, passed away Monday, April 13, 2015, at CMC- NorthEast in Concord. Darrell was born Aug. 15, 1933, in Cab- arrus County to the late Arthur and Mary Ruth Upright. He was also preceded in death by his son, Joel Allen Upright. He is survived by his beloved wife and devoted caregiver, Colleen McDonald Upright; son Michael D. Upright; daughter Jill Upright McLain and husband Phil; granddaughters McKenzie Upright Brady and husband Logan, Lindsay McLain Leece and husband Jason and Laura McLain. He was a member and past Master of Allen-Graham 695 Masonic Lodge and a former Shriner of the Year at Cabarrus Shrine Club. He retired from the Building Automation Industry and in his retirement was an avid golfer and member of The Club at Irish Creek. Darrell's greatest joy was his family, and he will forever be remembered as a loving husband, father and Grandaddy. Arrangements: The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Whitley's Funeral Home. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 16 at Whitley's Funeral Home Chapel officiated by Mr. Bill Jolley. Burial will follow at Carolina Memorial Park with Masonic rites. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Shriners Hospital for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607. Also, the family respectfully asks that you do not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. R.I.P. Grandaddy.

Comment: HT: Article

Plate Tectonics and Oreos

Parents Must Sign Permission Slip Before Kids Can Eat Oreos

Comments: Permission slip image from the article. Plate Tectonics image source. Oreos from Wiki article. Interesting Oreo (but not plate tectonics) facts.