Daily Dose of Absurdity

I am regularly skimming the newspapers here to get my daily shot of absurd information. Every single day there is something mindboggling in the paper, so I don't bother to take down notes. Sometimes, however, stuff is just too ridiculous to pass up.

"AB-InBev sells off theme parks for $2.7 billion

BRUSSELS (AP)

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, the world's largest brewer, said Thursday that it will raise $2.7 billion from selling its U.S. theme parks to the Blackstone Group. The sale of three SeaWorld parks, two Busch Gardens parks and five others is the largest of a string of AB InBev selloffs to help pay for the $52 billion takeover deal that formed it last year."

That's a beer brewery. Taken over for $52 billion.
Or here, another one:

"CBO: Budget deficit hit record $1.4T in 2009

By ANDREW TAYLOR (AP) – 21 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion for the 2009 fiscal year that ended last week, congressional analysts said Wednesday.

The Congressional Budget Office estimate, while expected, is bad news for the White House and its allies in Congress as they press ahead with health care overhaul legislation that could cost $900 billion over the next decade.

The unprecedented flood of red ink flows from several factors, including a big drop in tax revenues due to the recession, $245 billion in emergency spending on the Wall Street bailout and the takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Then there is almost $200 billion in costs from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill, as well as increases in programs such as unemployment benefits and food stamps.

The previous record deficit was $459 billion and was set just last year."

Just for the German readers, to get a grip on the scope: Das sind 1,4 Billionen Dollar Neuverschuldung, oder 1400 Milliarden, oder 1.400.000.000.000 $, gestiegen von fast vierhundertsechzig Milliarden im Vorjahr.

And finally, a not-so-new piece of news:

"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1985 -- A bomb dropped by a police helicopter burned down an entire block, some 60 homes destroyed, 11 dead, including several small children. The police, the mayor's office, and the FBI were all involved in this effort to evict a black organization called MOVE from the house they lived in."

The Police Commissioner, Gregore Sambor, said tonight that it was was his decision to drop the charge, a square package of explosives designed to destroy a bunker atop the house and drop it through to the second floor. He said the charge succeeded in eliminating the threat from the roof, but touched off the fire. Steve Harmon, a resident of the area, said: "Drop n bomb on it residential area? I never in my life heard of that. It's like Vietnam."