MULLET OVER BY JAMES K. WHITE | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014
All octopuses are deaf
Towering mountains are majestic compositions of nature. Colorado has at least fifty-three mountains with elevations that surpass the 14,000 foot mark. Some say there are fifty-five 14K mountains in Colorado, but purists argue that two of the 55 are not eligible because they are the results of some mountains possessing double peaks. I modestly lay claim to having ascended Pike’s Peak (14,114 ft.). I rode most of the way in a mini-van.
Marine biologists aver that all octopuses are deaf.
A large metal food storage container filled with cabbage was buried 12 feet underground in Charkov, Ukraine. After nine weeks, “bad smells” emanated from the receptacle. Three workers were ordered to exhume the container and dump the awful vegetables in a distant landfill. All three laborers were overcome by the fumes as was one man who tried to rescue the excavators. The cabbages were eventually disintegrated from a tolerable distance by utilizing a mobile military flamethrower.
Apparently, the only animals on earth that can see both infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths of light are common goldfish and their close kin.
In 1974 a radio station in San Diego hired college student Ted Giannoulas for a one-day job wherein he was to don a chicken suit and pass out Easter eggs to children at the San Diego Zoo. Ted impressed someone because a few weeks later he was hired to wear the suit and run around prancing, dancing, squawking and generally entertaining folks at a San Diego Padres game. The birth of the San Diego Chicken had occurred. Ted has made a pretty good living performing at thousands of Padres games. He also inspired many of the other major league clubs to employ team mascots dressed in ridiculous garb while cavorting and leading cheers.
Being the vice president of the United States has not historically been an effective launching pad to the presidency. Martin Van Buren was successfully elected in 1836, but it was 1989 before the serving V.P. was once again elected president (George H.W. Bush).
In Da Vinci’s The Last Supper (circa 1496), the bowl near Judas Iscariot appears to have been knocked over and salt has been dumped onto the table. Some historians contend that this painting was the origin of the superstition that spilling salt can forebode bad luck. Well, do not waste a lot of time singing to an octopus – and have a great week.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
