Written by Andrew Baugh, DM by Mikey Courtney.
[clear]Colombia
Ah, coffee—that wonderful beverage to which our country is addicted. The 1:1 ratio of Starbucks to U.S. citizens is proof enough. However, a recent action within a Colombian city might rival our caffeinated nation. Last Friday, October 4, a remarkable group of 13,800 people claimed to gather in a town square in Tunja to share a cup of joe. The event in question was organized by local authorities and the farmer-funded National Federation of Coffee Producersto endorse the consumption of the drink in the country itself. Despite the large amount of coffee Colombia produces, the citizens actually consume very little in comparison to other countries like the U.S. and Scandinavia. The organizers of the occasion have submitted proof of the accomplishment to Guinness World Records. This eclipses the previous “coffee party” record set in , Cologne, Germany in 2009, with 8,162 participants. Despite this feat, I believe many workers who see their decaffeinated boss angrily stomping about on a Monday morning, would agree that the U.S. still remains dependent of that liquid gold—even if we haven’t set any records.
[clear]Belgium
When you think of great video game heroes, what are some names that pop into your head? Master Chief? Ezio Auditore? The red bird from Angry Birds? Belgium game designer Michele Rocco Smeets would like to add a new name to this list—Vladimir Putin. What exactly does Putin do in this game? Why, fight zombies of course! Obviously. Taking inspiration from the popular Call of Duty Black Ops: Zombies game, Smeets tasks Putin, along with an American sidekick, with defeating hordes of zombies. The game titled “You Don’t Mess With Putin” is planned for release around Halloween. “I am a fan of Putin and I like his tough guy image,” Smeets said, “so he suits the role of a superhero.” In a market saturated with similar genres and ideas, it is wonderful to see a new concept like this emerge—especially if the concept is the President of Russia fighting the undead.
[clear]United States
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In what can only be described as a poor sequel to the hit 2006 film Snakes on a Plane, a 9-year-old boy sneaked onto a plane headed toward Las Vegas last Thursday, October 3. The boy was able to pass through airport security at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and board a Delta Air Lines plane. Crew members on the flight found him to be suspicious and contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who took him into custody shortly after the plane landed. “The story has a good ending because at least the flight crew took the appropriate actions and the child was returned safely,” said Minneapolis airport spokesman Pat Hogan. “Obviously the concern is how the child was able to go through the security screening process and board an airplane in the first place.” Authorities are uncertain what the motivations behind the boy’s actions were, but he appears to be returned safely to his family. Nevertheless, this rather bizarre incident has caused the airport to reexamine its procedures and security. Look on the bright side—at least it was one boy and not hundreds of angry snakes.
