‘JOHN WAYNE DAY’ IN TEXAS FOR ACTOR’S 108TH BIRTHDAY
Wearing a brown plaid coat worn by John Wayne in 1945’s Flame of Barbary Coast, Republican lt Gov Dan Patrick has declared a day in honour of the quintessential screen cowboy. An avid collector of movie memorabilia, Patrick wore the coat as he presided over the Senate last week.
He declared it John Wayne Day in Texas to mark the Hollywood legend’s 108th birthday and named the actor an honorary Texan. There were proclamations from the House, Senate and Gov Greg Abbott. Senators told Wayne’s visiting children and grandchildren of their love for movies including True Grit, The Searchers, and Rio Bravo.
Sen Judith Zaffirini, whose district is near the set of Wayne’s 1960 movie The Alamo, quoted her favourite Wayne-ism: “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.”
(AP)
MYSTERY OF DISAPPEARING HOlES IN SWISS CHEESE SOlVED
The mystery of Swiss cheese and its disappearing holes has been solved: The milk’s too clean. A Swiss agricultural institute discovered that tiny specks of hay are responsible for the famous holes in cheeses like Emmentaler or Appenzeller. As milk matures into cheese, these ‘microscopically small hay particles’ help create the holes in the traditional Swiss cheese varieties.
The Government-funded Agroscope institute said in a statement that the transition from age-old milking methods in barns to fully-automated, industrial milking systems had caused holes to decline during the last 15 years.
In a series of tests, scientists added different amounts of hay dust to the milk and discovered it allowed them to regulate the number of holes.
(Yahoo)
MAN CAllED ‘GOD’ SETTlES WITH CREDIT RATING AGENCY
A New York City man whose first name is God has settled a lawsuit with a credit reporting agency that had refused to recognise his name as legitimate. Under the agreement reached in Brooklyn federal court last week, Equifax will enter God Gazarov’s name into its database. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Gazarov now has a robust 820 credit score. he says he was shocked by Equifax’s refusal to acknowledge his moniker. The Russian native is a Brooklyn jewellery store owner who is named after his grandfather. He says it’s a relatively common name in his native country.
He told the New York Post he’s relieved the matter has been settled and plans to buy a new BMW. lawyers for Equifax declined to comment.
(AP)
INVENTOR TAKES BUllET TO GROIN TO PROVE ATHlETIC CUP STRENGTH
The Missouri inventor of “the world’s strongest athletic cup” put his own genitals on the line and took a bullet to the groin to prove its effectiveness. Jeremiah Raber, 38, whose Nutshellz groin protectors were originally designed for UFC fighters, had business partner Matt Heck shoot a .22-caliber rifle at his groin while he was wearing one of the cups for a video promoting his Kickstarter campaign to launch a line of Nutshellz for kids.
“Don’t try this at home,” Raber warns in the video. “Our cup is not only strong enough to stop bullets, but it also has a unique design and contour that allows it to rest comfortably in position without restricting an athlete’s mobility no matter what the movement or sport,” Raber wrote on the Kickstarter page. He said his products have also caught the attention of the US military.
(UPI)
ENGlISH RESORT SEES CRIME FAll AFTER MANKINI ClAMPDOWN
It was one small ban for mankinis, one giant step for an English seaside resort town. Officials in Newquay say crime has fallen since they cracked down on stag parties with revelers wearing the revealing one-piece garments.
The town in southwest England is a haven for surfers and also attracts large numbers of young partygoers. After two teenagers fell from cliffs to their death in 2009, residents protested about the excessive partying.
Police clamped down on anti-social behaviour, including public drunkenness and the wearing of “inappropriate clothing,” including the sling-style men’s swimsuits made notorious by comic character Borat, which one senior police officer called “revolting”.
Police said last week that reported cases of anti-social behaviour had nearly halved since 2009-2010, and crime fell from 1,823 incidents in 2012-2013 to 1,624 incidents in 2014-2015. Police Inspector Dave Meredith said the town had seen “a miraculous improvement”.
Newquay Mayor David Sleeman said the town was unrecognisable from a few years ago, when “you couldn’t walk the streets on a Saturday without seeing someone wearing a mankini or what have you”.
“But now they’re not allowed in Newquay. The police will tell them to go home and get changed if they see them wearing one, and the guest houses and campsites are pretty good at warning their guests about what’s acceptable. “I think we have turned the corner here.”
(AP)