It's a...Gas!

Maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy but it seems like the gender reveal train is off the tracks. When it comes to the point where things are accidentally getting lit on fire,not to mention all those pieces of balloons further mucking up the flora and fauna that people need to be exercising some judgement. That's why I found this comedians gender reveal humorous as it reveals how far out this idea has gone. It is even unknown whether or not this woman is even pregnant but farting out a puff of color for a gender reveal is a hard act to follow. Of course doctors had to warn against putting anything in body cavities,but they wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't.

A Little Tail

Mac's Mission in Missouri rescues special case dogs who have been abused,injured or have birth defects. They recently rescued a puppy and an older dog who had been left on their own in the cold. The puppy had an injured foot and a tail growing on its forehead,so they appropriately named him Narwhal. After examining and x-raying the puppy they determined  the tail wasn't attached to anything internally so unfortunately it doesn't wag but that also means there is no reason to remove the tail. Other than the unicorn like accessory he is a regular active, happy puppy and once he's ready for adoption there will be plenty of potential parents. Unlike the kitten with two faces this little guy will not have an uphill battle and should live a normal life.

A Really Crappy Drink

A South African couple learned from a safari park ranger about the elephants digestive system and how out of all the fruits,flowers and assorted foliage they ate only less than a third of it is digested. Armed with that knowledge they decided to collect elephant waste and make it into gin. It takes about five large bags of elephant dung (which they collect by hand) to make 3,000-4,000 bottles of gin. First the dung is dried and crumbled then washed to rid it of dirt and sand. The flavor which is described as "wooded,almost spicy,earthy" varies with the season and where the dung is collected from. They named the gin Indlovu which means elephant in Zulu. It sells for around $32 per bottle and is a popular item with tourists.

Flowering Her Nest

A patriotic pigeon in Australia's capital city of Canberra has been pilfering poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where people leave them to honor the veterans. The pigeon may have some artistic tendencies because not only did she choose flowers to build her nest she located the red nest below a stained glass window. Then again she may have birdie dementia since instinct should tell her to not attract attention to her nest. It also seems odd that she would use  only the poppies since without other materials the nest will be in bad shape once the flowers wilt and may not be able to hold the eggs. It is still a nice gesture on the bird's part.

Well Preserved

A school in Maine recently celebrated the 43rd anniversary of a Twinkie that was unwrapped for a science lesson in 1976. The teacher who unwrapped the elderly Twinkie retired in 2004 and passed it on to the dean of students who was in the class for the unveiling. The Twinkie is still the same size and shape as the day it was unwrapped though the color has turned grayish and the texture is rougher. Out of curiosity I looked up the recipe for Twinkies and the secret to their longevity isn't so much preservatives as it is that there isn't anything perishable in the ingredients. No real eggs,no butter or fat,no vanilla,everything is a petroleum derivative except for the sorbic acid which is the preservative that prevents it from molding.  Other than having no food value they would keep nearly forever in emergency rations!

Cruel or Kind?

I didn't realize Janus cats (diprosopus) aka cats with two heads were a fairly common occurrence but apparently they are. Duo was rejected by her mother at birth so her owner contacted a friend who happened to be a veterinarian to see if he thought the kitten could be saved.  There have been many problems with her eating as both mouths want to eat but they can't at the same time,she has had respiratory problems,a possible seizure,is smaller than a kitten her age should be but is otherwise surviving. Most cats born with this defect die within days other than Frank and Louie who lived to be 15. I'm just not sure if the quality of life is there in Duo's case.

Bam! Pow! Mobile

A 29 year old Batman fanatic in Australia with help from two friends built his own Batmobile complete with afterburner and adjustable suspension,but no grappling hooks or bombs in the tires. He was able to incorporate some of the parts from the original car and it is one of ten or so replicas but his is the only one that is street legal. In the true super hero fashion the man uses the car to visit dying children through the Make-a-Wish foundation.