Everybody’s Talking

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Trapped raccoon: It was a different kind of emergency, with staff from both the humane society and the fire department in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, coming to the rescue. When a delivery driver discovered a raccoon stuck in a sewer grate, he called the humane society. They responded and realized they’d need the help of the city’s fire department. Personnel worked together to extricate the animal. This wasn’t easy because the raccoon’s fur was covered in ice due to the extreme cold temperatures that day, and the animal was trapped head first, with three-quarters of its body below the sewer grate. After some care by the humane society, the raccoon recovered and was released into the wild.

Big building: An enormous, modern castle, built to look like a medieval gem, is the source of mystery in Poland. Called Stobnica Castle, it is located in the Notecka Forest nature reserve in the western part of the country. Building started in 2015, and in 2018 people started wondering what it was all about. No one knew who owned it or they acquired a building permit. The reserve is protected by the European Union’s Natura 2000 network. Since then, court battles ensued, along with revoked permits and arrests of individuals involved. But construction continued and the mystery remains. The huge building apparently is intended to be a private residence, with 14 floors and a 70-meter (230-ft.) tower. 

Smart birds: Scientists already knew that birds can be pretty ingenious. Now researchers in the Netherlands have found that corvids and magpies sometimes take materials that humans manufacture to keep feathered creatures away, and instead use the items to build nests. Called “evil architecture” by urban designers, structures like metal anti-bird spikes are designed and intended to repel birds from nesting on roofs. But some birds have outsmarted the designers. Instead of staying away, the birds are snatching the spikes and pointing them inward to form lattices for their nests. Magpies are known to build roofs over their nests, too, using things like spiky branches. The birds may even be using these human inventions to deter other birds. 

Convenient boogie: There is a big red button located in the washrooms of a chain of convenience stores in the U.S. state of Kentucky that has people dancing up a storm. It seems that the button transforms the bathroom into a disco dance party room. The big red buttons can be found inside Hop Shops and, when pushed, they activate colored lights, a disco ball, and music. Presto, the room becomes a miniature dance club! The company began with just one disco bathroom, but they were such a hit that now six Hop Shop locations in the north part of the state feature them, attracting disco dancers from far and wide.

Quoteable Quotes

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“Keep true to the dreams of thy youth.”   

—Friedrich Schiller 



“The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in 

the use we make of them.” 

 —Michel de Montaigne 

What’s Happening

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Trivia

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1. Which is not considered a Balkan State—Macedonia, Austria, or Serbia?

2. In what city is Capitoline Hill?

3. Algae blooms give this sea its name. 

4. The spice saffron is harvested from the tulip, lily, or crocus flower? 

5. About 1.3 million Earths could fit into the Sun—T/F?

Trivia answers at the bottom of the page!

Your Weekly Horoscope

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Lucky numbers this week:  This week’s odds favor Sagittarius winners with the luckiest number being 7.

Did You Know...

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Older and heavier: Research on aging in America shows older folks are becoming overweight. A study by the National Center for Health Statistics found that 40% of all Americans between ages 65 and 74 are overweight. 

Wooded land: Getting lost in the woods can be a bit too easy, and especially so in Canada. The North American country boasts almost 10% of the world’s total forest cover. What a lot of trees! 

American money: In the U.S., paper currency is comprised of up to 75% cotton and 25% linen. The cotton, and especially the linen, increases the durability, flexibility, and distinctive look and feel of the bills. 

What’s the difference? Alpacas and llamas are two very similar creatures, but alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas and were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used to make a wide range of knitted items. 

Pickle power: Who knows what power pickles hold? Julius Caesar and other Roman emperors must have thought they held a lot, because they fed pickles to their legions, believing the crunchy food increased their strength.

On the Lighter Side

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Why didn’t the monocles get together? They didn’t want to cause a spectacle.

I’m competing in the stair climbing competition. Guess I better step up my game.

Did you hear about the King Arthur stamp? It’s for over knight delivery.

Bell: “Are you a toe dancer?”

Bill: “Why, no.”

Bell: “Then please get off my toes!”



Knock! Knock! Who’s there? Radio. Radio who? Radio or not, here I come!