August 31, 2005

Today, Wednesday, the annual tomato fight took place in Bunol, Spain. The yearly event, dubbed Tomatina, originated around 1940. The ammunition, five dump trucks worth, was provided by the town itself to the tune of 24,960 euros (US$30,803). Some of the participants, who numbered in the tens of thousands, stated the event was even better than the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Certainly a safer way to paint the town red. (Reuters: Link RIP)

Watchdogs may be edged out of a job by Guard Geese. Among the benefits of using the birds is instead of having to clean up after them, they actually mow the yard. The animals are very territorial and have a shriek that will curdle milk. Currently the craze in Australia, the animals also guard whisky distilleries in Scotland and Ireland. The big birds are also said to guard military installations in the U.S. (NEWS.com.au: The Sunday Mail)

August 20, 2005

The U.S. Military has starting using a low-tech method to transport supplies in mountainous Eastern Afghanistan: donkeys. The region is too rugged for Humvees, and using helicopters to ferry in supplies has proven hazardous due to ground fire. Before deployment some of the troops recieved training in handling donkeys at the Marines' Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Nevada. Bet they won't be showing donkey handling in their TV recruiting ads. (NEWS.com.au: Agence France-Presse)

A vitamin enriched beer that's good for you? It comes from India and is called Ladybird Bio Beer. Along with the regular barley malt and hops, it also contains aloe-vera extracts. The beer is now being sold in the southern Indian state of Kerala. A consignment has also been sent to Canada, with a few other nations expressing interest. One wonders what in the world it must taste like. (NEWS.com.au: Agence France-Presse)

August 11, 2005

The Australian High Court has ruled that retired warrant officer Jure Jack Roncevich can seek compensation from the military for an injury that occured while drunk. After attending a dinner in the officers' mess he went home to his second floor room, climbed out the window, leaned over to spit, lost his balance and fell (spitting can be a hazardous activity, see the July 31 story). Roncevich injured his knee in the fall. The High Court ruled that "evidence in the case showed a requirement and an expectation of attendance at the mess and the consumption of alcoholic drinks". The ruling ends a long legal battle which began in 1986. (NEWS.com.au)

August 9, 2005

Men now have a scientific excuse for not listening to their wives. Researchers at Sheffield University in northern England have determined that men hear female voices in the same manner as they hear music, whereas females tune in male speech on a much simpler level. Women evidently have a wider range of sound frequencies in their voice patterns, causing them to be melodic. This causes women's voices to be more difficult for men to listen to, which may help explain our next story. (The Australian)

A Macedonian man stopped for gasoline in Pesaro and did not notice that his wife had not gotten back into the car until six hours later in Milan. He told police that he had not noticed her missing because she always sat in the back seat with their four-year-old daughter. The 30-year-old woman was abondoned without any money or documents. Evidently the child is just as observant as her father. (The Australian)