Here’s my mid-September 2026 edition of News Notes and Nonsense — six items from this week, mostly the kind of stories that make you tilt your head.
- 🇮🇪 At the National Ploughing Championships in Offaly this week, the unofficial merchandising war was between sky-blue anti-snoring nasal strips (worn by wide-awake people as a look) and an entire tent of 2 Johnnies T-shirts and socks. Also on offer: welly throwing, tug-of-war, and sheep shearing.
- 🇫🇷 A French court awarded Kim Kardashian a symbolic €1, compensation related to the 2016 armed robbery at her Paris hotel. Eight people were convicted last year.
- 🇮🇪 A recent study had found that it is “Perfectly Okay To Disagree With Politician Without Assaulting Them.” — timely given the Healy-Rae punch in Dublin and the Ploughing public-order arrest in Offaly. (from my favourite Waterford Whispers News)
- 🏴 Piddington, a tiny English village in Oxfordshire (population ~350) held a symbolic referendum over plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby former military site. Result: 285–26 to secede and become the “Principality of Piddington.” Turnout was about 92%. It has no legal force; the government is not changing course.
- 🇺🇸 Five generations of one Iowa family share a single birthday.
Guinness recognized the Harlow/Bell family: Wilber (1907), Addie, Fred, Emma Bell, and baby Arthur — all born September 14, in boy-girl-boy-girl-boy order. Arthur’s on-time arrival last year broke the previous four-generation record. - 🇵🇸 After Macklemore was dropped as opener over onstage “Free Palestine” comments at MetLife Stadium, Finneas O’Connell withdrew. Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and touring band Beoga followed. Seems to me that Zionist influences refused venues to anyone who called out Israeli genocide in Palestine.
Return for more News, Notes & Nonsense next week.
P.
