White House’s disgraceful ‘alien’ webpage, World Cup and other weird news | Walker
If the country isn’t weird enough for you already, remember: There used to be a syndicated column called “News of the Weird.” It was always a great way to spend a few moments reading ridiculous and funny news items. While the originator is no longer with us, his column still exists in a form, — and sometimes I do see columns that do similar things around the internet.
I’m not talking about The Onion, or other sites like it, which make up satirical posts that are not real.
This week, I saw three true stories that reminded me of “News of the Weird” — except one should never have been created. One even has a loose connection to Kansas City. Keep reading and see what you think. Weird enough?
Because they are all so different, I decided to categorize them into categories of “Disgraceful,” “Strange” and “So weird, it’s great.”
Disgraceful: White House alien page
When you go to whitehouse.gov/aliens … well, it’s hard to describe. You just have to see it for yourself. Let me point out that this appears to be an actual White House web page. And while I strongly place this in the category of weird news, it’s a disgraceful use of government resources.
The page is designed in the style of the 1990s television show “X-Files” — from its title, “They Walk Among Us,” to the use of the word “encounters” — and UFO conspiracy theorists that fill books, internet pages and even university theses.
But what makes this disgraceful is this is not about unidentified foreign objects, but rather about real people. Immigrants, most of whom are good neighbors and who make important contributions to our economy and society.
The page clearly seems to be an extension of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policy. Yes, foreign criminals have been rightly arrested and prosecuted, but this actual White House webpage is just so offensive. Look at the use of the word “it” to refer to immigrants, dehumanizing them:
“If you’ve witnessed an Alien abduction, do not be alarmed. The Alien is in good hands. We will take care of it… and return it safely to its place of origin.”
And, there’s the tip line button, with the following instructions:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigates more than 400 violations of criminal law, ranging from child exploitation to transnational gangs. Use this form to report suspected criminal activity.”
You can click a button to describe the type of suspected violation, and there is a vague non-promise of monetary gain. Just shaking my head, here.
Kind of strange: World Cup leave of absence
Brenden Aaronson, an American soccer player who plays for Leeds United and the United States national team, got a one-day leave from World Cup training last week.
It was for his own wedding. He married former Temple University soccer player Milana D’Ambra, daughter of Saint Joseph University’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra.
The Associated Press reported last week that he “left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday.”
Aaronson and the United States team aren’t coming to Kansas City, playing in Los Angeles and Seattle. I don’t know why the happy couple felt it necessary to marry in the middle of World Cup training, unless the date is somehow special to them. No word on the honeymoon.
So weird, it’s great: Rothko weather mood
Finnish designer Joonas Virtanen is a talented designer living in New York. He loves the American painter Mark Rothko, and, apparently, weather patterns. So he created a website that picks a Rothko painting that matches your city’s weather mood. Yes, I said weather mood.
Type in any city to get a Rothko painting that matches the city’s mood. Kansas City, both on the Missouri and the Kansas side, has been rather “somber” (says the website), eliciting browns and grays with some color thrown in. The New York Times reported on Virtanen’s work, and on Rothko’s, saying that the atmosphere seems to change while looking at the artwork. I’m not sure about that, but it’s a fun way to view art.
