What some people do in their kitchen

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said he was only doing it as a hobby.

Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

Amusing. Though I remember a story about an American performing fusion in his house.

So he has second thoughts and asks advice from Sweden's Radiation Authority. Couldn't an answer suffice, rather than calling the police?

Avian nutrition police

The health police have their eyes on what you feed wildlife. Despite grandma's example, one must be careful about feeding bread to birds,

“We had about five slices of bread and we all threw bits of it towards them. The ducks fought a little over it but they seemed to enjoy it.

“Then a man in a fluorescent waistcoat who was holding a litter pick-up stick came over to me and said ‘I know you mean well but giving them white bread is not good for them’.”

A visit to the local organic market ought to solve the problem.

Lisa Taplin, 34, was told to bring granary or wholemeal bread next time.

The fluorescent vest-clad official said giving ducks white bread was like Mrs Taplin feeding her two sons chips with every meal.

The Manifesto Club's response was amusing

It is amazing that health fascism extends to the digestive system of ducks.

Personally I would be tempted to return with bags of lard, sugar and salt for the birds.

Come to think of it, our botanical gardens asks us not to feed bread to the ducks, though I believe that is to help keep the seagulls away, and they do supply free duck food.

Tutankhamen disregards US traffic authorities

Is dismissal warranted on grounds of utter cluelessness?

King Tut's chariot has arrived in New York City and has finally been unveiled. Prior to being shown this morning, the chariot was almost not allowed off its own chartered plane. The transit authorities required the chariot to get its own VIN [vehicle inspection] number. The reason for this delay was that this ancient chariot was classified as a vehicle.

Tutankhamen's mummy will not be included in the exhibit, he wasn't allowed in because he didn't have a passport.

Another source confirming this idiocy.

Santa comes to our house

Yesterday we had 3 families opening Christmas presents. One parcel under the tree had no gift tag so the intended recipient was unknown. No one there claimed giver status. Of course this did not prevent us opening it. But even when the contents of the gift were revealed, British confectionery and a gift voucher, no person remembered buying the gift, let alone who it was intended for.

Despite his absence from our house since we had children, one suspects the jolly, hoary elf finally decided to pay us a visit.

Dumb inventions

Life magazine ran an article on some of the dumbest inventions in the 20th century.

I found the caption to this one amusing.

Honegar, 1959

Inventor of a honey and vinegar mixture, called Honegar, Dr. DeForest C. Jarvis. Honegar was said to be a folk remedy for aches and pains, though it mainly sounds like a cure for lack of nausea.

Cannibal frog

Unless it is a bizarre mating ritual.

I am aware of cannibalism in the natural world. For example, I believe lions have been known to eat other big cats. But for some reason I find this picture mildly distressing.