And now the news…

Regular News Cut readers know — hopefully — by now that there are times to dissect the very weighty issues of our day, burdening ourselves with the sheer importance of these matters in the future of our planet. And there are times to step back and simply marvel at the serendipity of the news.

This is one of those times. For example:

  • Man sheds 80 pounds on McDonald’s diet

    OK, the guy wasn’t eating french fries and Big Macs every day, but who knew you could lose weight eating every meal there? Get marketing on line 1!

  • Alligator found in Chicago River.

    Say, have I ever told you the story about the man with the claw who attacked young couples making out on a dark overlook?

  • Ice discovered on Mars

    To have life, you have to have water. Ice is water. So does this mean there is — or was — life on Mars? Good question. Better question: On the day they discover life on Mars, is there any hope at all it’ll lead a newscast?

  • This strange thing called prom

    Could there be a sweeter story? Never mind that there was no translation for “prom” in 28 of the languages spoken at a high school in Brooklyn. They organized one anyone. Leave it to the New York Times, though, to end the story with a tear.

  • Kids go out on the town

    I know it’s only two pictures and you can make a joke about Crookston if you want, but this week, driving around the region, I saw about a half dozen of those groups of daycare kids — the ones where they all hold onto a rope — heading for the local fire station or the ilibrary or wherever. It’s the one stage of life where kids are as cute as the baby geese trailing mom and dad we’re seeing at this time of the year.

    It’s also a good reminder that sometimes, the big news in someone’s day is they went to the candy store.