MULLET OVER BY JAMES K. WHITE | JULY 29, 2015
Seahorses have no teeth
On most weekday mornings, divers employed by the City of Paris don wet suits and remove objects from predetermined sections of the Seine River bed. Typical troves include bicycles, cutlery, cell phones, keys and coins. Occasionally, discoveries include museum quality ancient artifacts, modern guns and gold/silver crucifixes. Near the Palace of Justice (where divorces are granted), discarded wedding bands have become almost commonplace.
Seahorses have no teeth and thusly cannot eat oats efficiently.
In 1975, the grizzly bear population in the Yellowstone region was reported to be 136. The 2013 grizz count for the same region was 741. Hooray or yikes – not sure which.
The obvious lack of wind erosion on Mars is the result of a thin atmosphere and dust that contains suspended particles similar in size to the particles floating in cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke drifting by a stone for a million years would cause negligible erosion and scientists claim these conditions would be analogous to situations on Mars.
Medical researchers report that humanity’s exposure to excessive noise levels (primarily in cities) annually result in at least 45,000 stress-related fatal heart failures.
Knowledgeable salespeople sometimes employ a concept known as The Decoy. When attempting to sell an item (blouse, house, car, etc.), an experienced merchant will sometimes offer a similar (but inferior) product for comparison. While anticipating that the prospective buyer will take note of the superior qualities of the merchandise targeted for unloading, the vendor will pretend that the better choice is a close call and requires the insight of an intelligent, experienced consumer. Marketing research indicates that the method has been shown to be a remarkably effective tool for “closing the deal.”
An unusual bird known as the Alpine Swift feeds mostly by consuming insects while flying. In fact, ornithologists (clean word) claim that this particular species often remains airborne months at a time and further assert the periods spent aloft could be even longer were it not for the Tachymarptis melba’s mating and nesting seasons.
Another winged flyer of note is the bar-headed goose (I am not making up these names). The BHG annually migrates over the Himalayas at altitudes exceeding 24,000 feet where temperatures hover around 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit).
A person can sometimes be fortunate enough to observe a “double rainbow.” Invariably, the secondary rainbow will display the same colors as the primary, but in exact reverse order. Well, be alert for inferior decoys – and enjoy a most pleasant week.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
