Bev writes: "Some muppet parked in front of our line of blue bins. Consequently they could not be emptied. But revenge is sweet!"
On a wine and a prayer
The residents of Vatican City drink more wine per person than any other country, at least asof 2014 — 74 litres per year, or about 105 bottles, twice the amount drunk by the average person in France and three times that in the UK. The state's tiny size — just 800 people — means that such figures are easily skewed, and Vatican residents tend to be old, male, and highly educated and to eat in large groups, all of which can contribute to higher wine consumption. (So does the use of ceremonial communion wine.) An overlooked additional factor: Wine sold in the Vatican supermarket is subject to a lower tax than in Italy — which attracts customers from the broader vicinity and may drive up the numbers.
A pet food company chief executive ate nothing but dog tucker for a whole month, to show that if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for dogs. Mitch Felderhoff, president of Texas-based Muenster Milling, said that the first week was pretty tough, but by the third week he grew accustomed to the pet food palate to a point where the ancient grains, ocean fish, and meatballs became his favourite treats.
Good boy, Fido, good boy
Osaka Airport in Japan has introduced a canine toilet for travelling dogs, complete with a pole for them to cock a leg on. The bathroom, in a fenced-off yard outside the terminal, will also have a shower and water bowls, the operator said. "We hope it will lead to stress reduction by allowing dogs, along with their owners, to go to the toilet before boarding," said a spokesperson.
Did you know ...
1.
In 1934 Ole Kirk Kristiansen named his toy company, Lego, after the Danish phrase for "play well" (leg godt). He found out later that it also means "I put together" in Latin.
2.
Shakespeare mentions America only once, in Act 3, Scene 2 of The Comedy of Errors.
