When a pink glow lit up the evening sky above an Australian town last week, local woman Tammy Szumowski wondered if the apocalypse had arrived. "I was just being a cool, calm mum, telling the kids: 'There's nothing to worry about'," she told theBBC. "But in my head I'm like, 'What the hell is that? Alien invasion? The end of the world?'" It turned out to be light emanating from a medicinal cannabis farm just outside the town of Mildura, in northern Victoria. Few growing facilities exist and their locations are top secret for security reasons. Reddish-tinged lights are used to help the crop grow. Usually, blackout blinds come down at dusk, but on this night they didn't work.
Made of Money
Lottery officials in the US raised the Mega Millions grand prize to $790 million, giving players a shot at what would be the nation's fourth-largest jackpot. The jackpot has grown so large because there hasn't been a winner in three months. Those 27 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers has allowed the jackpot to gradually grow from its $20 million starting point in April. The highlighted pre-tax $790 million prize can be paid out in 30 annual payments. Most players choose the cash option. Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
A reader writes: "On Thursday I made a grocery order which included Mainland Tasty cheese, price $18.49. I made changes to the order on Friday and the price is now $19.99! A whole year's CPI increase overnight, on top of the already large price increases for the product in the past year or so."
Carry on with your carry-on
Elyse Welles was travelling from Athens to Newark when she was pulled aside for an additional security screening. According to the New York Times, "after some time searching through Ms Welles's backpack, the agent eventually grabbed a bullet-shaped vibrator from the bag and brandished it in the air. 'Is this an e-cigarette?' the agent asked. 'No, it's a sex toy,' she responded with a smile, at which point her personal items were promptly returned to her and she was free to go." While sex toys are accepted carry-on luggage in most countries, including the United States, there are certain restrictions with e-cigarettes, because the devices could catch fire in transit.
