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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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prize, but no consolation
A US-wide competition to find the funniest number plate in the country has been won by a Kentucky man. Larry VanHooser won the $US5000 with his number plate D-WIFED. The 54-year-old purchased the tag after going through his third divorce. He says he plans to give some of the prize money to his two sons and the rest to charity. “The plate cost me $25 and the divorce $100,000,” he said.
microwaving
Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed a space-age ray gun that uses microwaves to bore through such impervious materials as concrete, rock and glass. The device contains no moving parts and makes no noise. But it does emit rather “hazardous radiation,” which requires safety measures and limits its operating conditions.
fit punishment
An Ohio chocolate thief was ordered to pass out Halloween treats after stealing trick-or-treat sweets from a 10-year-old. He was originally charged with assault and robbery, but the charges were dropped. While handing out the sweets he had to wear a sign saying, “I’m sorry. I will not steal from children.”
endurance
A new world endurance record for sheepshearing was set by an Adelaide man late last year. The 37-year-old sheared 1001 sheep in 37.5 hours. He also set a new Australian 24-hour record, shearing 659.
a yearn to learn
A 92-year-old Australian may be the world’s oldest university graduate. Ron Fitch, who was recently presented with his doctorate in engineering from the University of New South Wales, says “age shouldn’t be a barrier to scholarship.” He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in 1932 and completed his master’s degree in 1949. Some of Fitch’s achievements include an OBE and two books about life in the railways.
milking it
An American town may change its name to Got Milk? if councillors decide to adopt the name suggested by the California Milk Processor Board. It’s believed that the town of Biggs will be offered money in return for the name change. The Milk Board funds the “Got Milk?” advertising campaign, which celebrates its 10th birthday in 2003.
side effect
The Washington Beltway sniper of October last year was blamed for a marijuana shortage along the mid-east coast of the US. It appears that the increased police presence on the streets during the hunt for the sniper may have frightened dealers away. Some 150 patients in New York rely on the drug, which is legally administered, to relieve their pain.
a big spender
The US now spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined. It is the largest “employer” in the country, with 1.4 million active personnel in 2000. Since September 11, 2001, its budget has jumped $US46 billion to $US343 billion.
fools and
their money
Home theatre, a combination of player, projector or wide screen, and an expensive sound system, is the new way to spend your money fast, with some customers paying up to $300,000 and modifying their homes accordingly. Not untypical are installations that begin at around $A7000, and include room sound-proofing, speaker systems and a security interface.
new recruits
New recruits of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, an Indian Army regiment, take an oath of allegiance to the nation on their tradition’s religious books, carried by the heads of the county’s three principal religions—from right, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh—at a passing-out parade in Srinagar, India, in early 2003.—AP/AAP
The death rate in the world is 67, and the birth rate 70 a minute, and this seemingly light percentage of gain is sufficient to give a net increase in population each year of 1,200,000. More men have died and been buried on the Isthmus of Panama, along the line of the proposed canal, than on any equal amount of territory in the world.
Extract from Signs of the Times, March 2003.
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