Rugby viewing rights

Tech giant Amazon.com briefly prompted an international stir when it told a Northern Ireland resident that he lived in Ireland and not the United Kingdom. Eager to watch a Nov. 14 rugby match between England and Georgia airing on Amazon Prime, Northern Ireland resident Chris Jones was disappointed to learn it was blocked. Frustrated, Jones reached out to Amazon on Twitter. An employee of Amazon responded, “We apologize but upon reviewing your location you’re in Northern Ireland. Rugby Autumn Nations Cup coverage is exclusively available to Prime members based in the UK. We don’t have the rights to other territories.” Tweets from other Northern Irish rugby fans piled up, excoriating the Seattle, Wa., firm for presumptively kicking the six counties of Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom. Eventually, representatives of Amazon acknowledged the error and restored appropriate access to the service.

Domestic deluge

Police in Richmond Heights, Ohio, say a domestic dispute between a woman and her boyfriend resulted in an oven full of cat food and a ceiling collapse due to standing water. An unnamed woman complained to local police on Nov. 5 that her boyfriend vandalized her apartment while she was away. According to the woman, the man left the water on in a stopped-up and overflowing bathtub, then left the oven on with cat food inside. The woman said she returned later to discover her apartment so waterlogged that the ceiling of the apartment below her collapsed. In a twist, the apartment complex’s management reported that neither the man nor the woman actually leased the property: It subsequently banned both from the premises.

My Covid-19 wish list

Not funny but sad: A postal office in southwest France that handles mail addressed to “Père Noël” (“Father Christmas”) says anxiety over the coronavirus this year has extended to children’s letters to Santa. “My mother is a care-giver and sometimes I am scared for her,” wrote one 10-year-old girl named Lola in her letter. “Take care of yourself Father Christmas, and of the Elves.” Another girl, Zoe, wrote that COVID-19 had made the year unusual and “that’s why I am not asking you for many thing[s] to avoid infection.” One card sent to Santa included a face mask in the envelope.

Highway robbery

The large metal pole roped to the roof of one Florida resident’s car might have looked suspicious enough, even before he tried to recycle it. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say they caught Douglas Allen Hatley in Tampa with a power pole strapped to the top of his maroon 1997 Toyota sedan. According to officers, Hatley, 71, tried to sell the pole to a metal recycling facility on Nov. 16, but the company grew suspicious when he couldn’t produce documentation to show that he owned the utility pole. Troopers stopped the conspicuous car the same day, charged Hatley with grand theft, and transported him to the Hills­borough County Jail.

Holiday, Fla., surprise

To their great consternation, several neighbors on a residential street in Holiday, Fla., have discovered they don’t own their own backyards. The group of neighbors recently received trespass notices from the anonymous owner of the land through an attorney representing the land trust. Public records indicate an entity known as (818) 239-2215 Land Trust acquired the land through a tax deed auction in 2008. The parcel, just 20 feet wide and valued at $937 by Pasco County appraisers, cuts through the backyards of nine homes and includes one resident’s above-ground pool. One homeowner, Niki Reschar, reached out to the attorney on record with the land trust and offered $2,000 to buy her section of the parcel. “He just said, ‘No, the landowner wants money, and it’s going to be more than you can do,’” Reschar told WFLA.

Cash and pepperoni

Police in Fullerton, Calif., say one burglar was in no rush to complete his robbery of a local pizza restaurant on Nov. 8. According to authorities, 25-year-old suspect Oscar Sanchez stole cash and computer tablets during the break-in. But police say security footage also shows Sanchez pilfering some dough, tossing it out, and making a pizza for himself during his robbery. While the pizza was baking, Sanchez allegedly went through the cash drawers. Police arrested Sanchez days later and charged him with grand theft and second-degree burglary. “Needless to say, jail doesn’t serve his favorite meal,” Fullerton police said in a Facebook post.

Uncultured kids

A startling number of American youth have never seen a cow in person, according to a newly released poll from a travel website. A survey conducted by the RV travel website Parked in Paradise asked Americans between 11 and 24 years old questions about their experiences while traveling. A full third of the 3,500 respondents claimed never to have seen a cow. The Nov. 3 report said 42 percent of respondents had never left the United States, while 15 percent said they had never left their home state. It isn’t clear whether the travel website’s survey results were scientifically valid.

Gutsy opposition

A fistfight broke out in Taiwan’s parliamentary body on Nov. 27 after tensions over meat imports boiled over. Arguments gave way to blows as lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan debated a policy to allow the importation of American pork and beef onto the island. While Premier Su Tseng-chang spoke, members of the opposition party dumped pig organs onto the floor of the legislature. If the goal was to shut down the premier’s speech, the gambit worked. While lawmakers threw punches, two members from opposing parties wrestled each other to the ground.

Grab ’n’ run

One deer in the Czech Republic has a clever idea for surviving hunting season. A Czech hunter said a deer stole his rifle after charging him and snagging the gun strap with its antlers. According to Czech police, a dog spooked the deer, causing it to charge the hunting party. After searching the nearby forest for the .22-caliber Hornet rifle, the hunter gave up and phoned police to report a missing gun. On Nov. 22, Czech police said anyone finding the rifle should contact them.