It Happened So Fast

Today's title was a tossup between that and "Runaway" the old Del Shannon song,but I didn't want anyone to get that song stuck in their heads so I went with,"It Happened So Fast" only in reality it only could have happened half-fast at best and that would have been rushing things. You see a Tennessee woman lost her 150 lb. pet tortoise for 74 days,don't get me wrong I'm not trying to tortoise shame the woman but how does a 150 lb. creature,not known for their speed escape without someone noticing? Not to worry Solomon was found 1/8 of a mile from his home but not by any of the missing pet groups his owner had contacted,a construction worker spotted him and passed word around which finally came back to his owner. Solomon was able to forage on his own and seems no worse for wear from his adventure. The owner is looking into getting a GPS device for Solomon.

You Don't Say

I enjoy finding out how phrases originated though some of them don't make much sense once you know. Running amok had an early start in the 18th and 19th centuries as a medical term. Tribes in Malaysia began having bouts of erratic behavior and would go on violent killing sprees. When European visitors observed these fits they thought it was a mental affliction which they called "amok". Amok referred to a band of warriors known as Amuco who routinely went on violent rampages. Next time you feel the need to run amok make sure you time yourself,you never know when you might set a world record!

Heaven Sent or Scent

I love the smell of chocolate in the morning...or afternoon,or evening though I'm not sure how I would feel about it raining chocolate. My favorite chocolate company in Switzerland had a ventilation malfunction causing cocoa powder to rain down in the surrounding area. The company offered to pay for cleaning costs of vehicles or other property but stressed that the powder was not environmentally hazardous. So far no one has come forward with a claim.

Green Pees

Catchy title as it can be read as Green Peace,Green Peas or the way it is meant,Green Pees. Apparently men urinating outside is quite a common occurrence in the Netherlands,but rather than trying to curb this infraction with laws or fines they came up with a way to make it work for them. The Dutch company Green Pee came up with a sustainable way to deal with the problem known as "wild peeing",they positioned urinals topped with planters. Users urinate into the openings on the sides of the planter,the urine is collected in a tank filled with hemp fiber,once the tank is full it is collected and used as fertilizer for city parks,roof gardens and urban farms. It certainly makes more sense than catching and fining the culprits and for the bonus round it adds planters around the city.

Idling

Most people feel like they've been left idling during the pandemic,waiting to kick it back into gear and get on with life. Who would've guessed that the idling would give way to idleness grants? A German university is offering $1,900 to three people to be actively inactive. It is up to the applicants to choose both the inactivity and the time span. Strange as it may sound the point to the experiment is to find ways to make your life have fewer negative consequences on the lives of others. I know,it didn't make a lot of sense to me either,but it is as good as time as any to find constructive ways to waste time.

Retrograde

With our society seemingly engaged in retrograde motion,with most everything regressing toward the dark ages,except of course,the cost of living I thought it might be helpful to post some tips from the 1950s on how to snag a man. Yes,the days of living without a man will no longer be allowed,nor will the women's vote...oh and if you are gay you'd best get back into that closet. I won't be posting the entire list as it is long and weird enough to become tedious. Enjoy?

Transparency

Since Japan is often out front in several areas does this mean that transparent bathrooms are coming to a public area near you? The Tokyo Toilet Project have so far installed two public restrooms designed by a team of architects to have see-through walls allowing the potential user to both make sure of the cleanliness of the facility and to be sure it isn't already occupied,once you close and lock the door the walls become opaque. It all sounds good until you get to the part where the user can't tell if the walls are opaque or not once you're inside,I think that might be a bit of a problem for some folks.