Sideswipe: Fundamental truth

Happy next-year Xmas

As this year's Christmas looms, card company Hallmark is already hard at work on next year's seasonal greetings. There will be fewer cards with generic sayings such as "happy holidays" and "seasons greetings", continuing the shift away from a faith-neutral trend. Penguins will replace polar bears as the animal illustration of choice, reds will be more cherry than scarlet and greens more emerald than moss. Pet lovers will find a wider range of options, as will people who want to explain why they can't afford a gift.

Beware bouncing sharks

Life-sized rubber sharks will be anchored off Sydney's beaches to see how easily they can be spotted from the air. They are part of a world-first experiment to test the eyes of New South Wales' aerial shark-spotting teams and establish whether helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft are the best spotting platforms. An undisclosed number of the rubber sharks will be anchored to the bottom at various depths off several beaches. Officials do not expect the rubber shark experiment to cause alarm among beachgoers. "Local surf lifesavers will be notified of the timing and positioning of the replica sharks to avoid unwanted alarm," one said. "The replica sharks will also be in the shape of the relatively harmless hammerhead species."
(Source: News.com.au)

Rudolph's special trip

Scientists have discovered that reindeer in the wild often munch on magic mushrooms in what's thought to be a deliberate act to beat the monotony of dreary long winters. Writing in the Pharmaceutical Journal, scientist Andrew Haynes said: "They have a desire to experience altered states of consciousness. For humans, a common side-effect of mushrooms is the feeling of flying, so it's interesting the legend about Santa's reindeer is they can fly." He also said herdsmen drink the reindeer's urine to get high themselves.

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