View from the North 40: What is going on with the crazy news this month?

I try to stay positive, but there’s just a whole lot of nope in the paper this week, and I hate to say that it’s affecting me, but here we are and I’m starting things off with chicken feathers as food.

Nope.

In fact, I would describe that as a “hard nope with a full stop.”

I know what you’re thinking: I faked that news for dramatic affect, something punchy to open my column with. Sadly, I must inform you of another hard nope on that, too.

A few sources, including Reuters, reported this month that Sorawut Kittibanthorn of Thailand is looking for ways to market the lost protein potential from chicken feathers, which are normally considered waste products from the meat chicken industry to, at best, be used in animal feed after being ground into a meal.

Sorawut, though, has made chicken feather nuggets and chicken feather fake-steak.

He told Reuters this week that “chicken feather contains protein and if we are able to serve this protein to others in the world, the demand from everyone ... will help reduce waste.”

Before switching topics I would just like to reiterate one point Sorawut made here: “if we are able to serve this protein to others.” Others?

Eat your own gross chicken feather nuggets, dude.

Vatican City, as in the home of the pope, the heart of Catholicism, a country unto itself steeped in 2,000 years of tradition is displaying a nativity made with “Star Wars” characters.

“Star Wars” characters Pope Francis? I know I’m not a member of your flock, so you have no reason to listen to me, but I’m a nope on this one. I just don’t, y’know, feel it.

The blocky, futuristic ceramic nativity, a Reuters article said, was made by students and teachers from an Italian town once famous for ceramics. The article went on to say not only that “Mary, Joseph, the three kings and the shepherds look like cubic chess figures and the animals are squat and square,” but also that the nativity includes an astronaut and cube-shaped doppelganger of Darth Vader from “Star Wars.”

And I know what you readers are thinking: “What?! Noooo, that’s blasphemy! Clearly it should include ‘Star Trek’ figures.”

I couldn’t agree more. Spock as a wise man – that couldn’t be more obvious.

Thanks to former school teacher turned fashion designer Fredi Lugina Priadi, Indonesians are dressing up their cats in high fashion from superhero suits to fantasy cosplay to modest, traditional Islamic wear. He has more than 50,000 followers on TikTok.

Check it out if you want, but on behalf of Tony, my cat: Oh, H-E-double-hockey-sticks nope. Actually, he didn’t say it that nicely and, also, he does not care one blood-letting murder paw minute what you are thinking. Sorry, but it’s true.

However, I don’t want to be a negative nancy and leave you all bluesy just a week before Christmas, so I will say that I’m all in on the couple UPI reported about in Illinois who remodeled their white transit van (the kind you see in all serial-killer shows) into a lush, but intimate dining space. Now the couple can go downtown to eat, but not have fast food or eat inside the restaurant.

It’s pretty romantic really.

——

I know what you’re thinking. You’ll never look at a white unsub van the same again. No more wondering if the driver is trying to get away with dirty deeds, now you’ll be wondering how many people the cargo space will sit for Christmas dinner at http://www.facebook.viewfromthenorth40.com .