The News You May Have Missed

A Brief History of Women in the Marines

Remedios Cruz, one of the first females to enter the Marine Corps infantry, is being discharged for having an intimate relationship with a subordinate — a fellow Marine whom she eventually married (New York Times, Sept. 12). Cruz, one of three women who joined the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines in January 2017, pleaded guilty to fraternization as part of a deal to avoid going to trial. She was also accused of adultery and being an accessory to larceny. She has since been reduced in rank from sergeant to corporal and now awaits discharge. Over the years, fraternization policies in the U.S. military have changed but broadly prohibit “unduly familiar” relationships among service members of differing ranks. “Corporal Cruz has been a courageous pioneer for women in the military and she has earned a place in Marine Corps history,” her lawyer said in a statement.

’Till Fortnite Do Us Part

At least 200 couples in the U.K. have filed for divorce this year citing addiction to the online survival game Fortnite as one of the reasons. There are more than 125 million registered Fortnite players around the world, roughly one-third of whom average between six and 10 hours per week playing the game, according to a recent survey, with more than 38 percent of respondents admitting to logging more than 11 hours per week. But apparently there’s a growing number of people who wish they’d spent a little less time playing it. The 200 couples who cited Fortnite when filing divorce petitions represent a fraction of the total number of divorce proceedings this year, roughly five percent of the 4,665 so far. Fortnite isn’t being blamed only for disintegrating relationships; it has also been blamed for anything from “extremely tired” students to violent behavior in children (CNBC.com, Sept. 18).

His Knickers in a Bunch

A New York Knicks fan disappointed by the basketball team’s five straight losing seasons has sold his fandom on eBay and will now shift his allegiance to the Los Angeles Lakers (Fox News, Aug. 29). Evan Perlmutter, 33, put his fandom up for grabs at the online auction site, and James Riedel, 23, a YouTube gamer from California, bought it for $3,500. A few parameters surround the deal. Perlmutter, who goes by “Infuriated Knicks Fan” on Twitter, must attend two Lakers games this season, buy two Lakers jerseys and a license plate holder, bet $500 on the team’s over/under, and get an NBA League Pass. Perlmutter must also burn three pieces of Knicks memorabilia, to be recorded and posted to Riedel’s YouTube channel, which boasts 348,000 subscribers. The Knicks released a statement on the matter: “We’re sure our millions of loyal Knicks fans won’t mind losing this attention-grabbing gentleman. We remain focused on the upcoming season — with a hard-working team that is proud to represent New York and its dedicated fans.”

All You Can’t Eat

Triathlete Jaroslav Bobrowski follows a special diet in which he fasts for 20-hour periods. So when he dines, he tries to make up for lost time. But after devouring a staggering 100 plates at the Running Sushi restaurant in Landshut, Germany, as part of its $26 buffet deal, the restaurant has banned him. “This is not normal, how much he eats,” said owner Tan Le. “He always took five or seven plates at a time…. For unlimited sushi, we only earn money on the drinks and he only consumed one tea the whole evening.” Depending on the serving, a piece of sushi contains an average of 40-50 calories. This means that Bobrowski, who weighs 174 pounds and has less than 10 percent body fat, could have consumed around 4,000 calories in the one sitting — as much as 18 pounds of sushi. The 30-year-old Iron Man competitor did go back to the restaurant to apologize but will now patronize a different buffet restaurant, China City. He says he has learned his lesson and will now modify his behavior. “The owner has asked me to drink more,” Bobrowski said. “I totally understand” (Newsweek, Sept, 17).