Favorite stories of the week

It’s Friday. Time to chill out and collect our favorite links from around the interwebs for a little weekend reading.

There’s no theme. Just stories that made me smile or made me think, and I thought you might like them too.

1. The U.S. government has found NO evidence that mermaids are real.

It’s a sad fact, but mermaids do not exist. Or, at least, there’s no evidence, despite the fact that some people got confused by a TV program and called the government to ask whether mermaids are real.

2. How did your state get its name?

Ever wondered? Me neither. But this blog post on how all 50 states got their names is awesome. I had no idea that California was a fictional island in European literature before the west coast was “discovered”.

3. My hometown screws up its 4th of July fireworks show…

One of San Diego’s biggest fireworks displays had a technical fault, which meant all of the fireworks went off at once. Well done, San Diego. Way to disprove the pothead surfer stereotype.

Tell me this sight wouldn’t make you crap your pants:

5. …and closes a beach because of a great white shark sighting.

Yep, bad week for San Diego. A lifeguard spotted a great white off La Jolla Shores – where great white mamas apparently leave their young. Also where my mama dropped me off when I was learning to scuba dive. Thank God I thought that “great white nursery” story was a myth at the time.

6. Don’t date these men!

Here are 25 online dating profiles that may have missed their mark. You don’t have to be a marketing expert to know that this is not the best first impression to make.

Have you found any great stories online this week? Please share!