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EDITION #1305 This issue 5ยข
This is day 143 of 2026

The Largest Rodent Ever

Used News Wildlife

Friday September 19, 2003

The largest rodent ever was a giant guinea pig as big as a buffalo, which lived in South America eight million years ago, researchers say this week in the journal Science.

More than twice as heavy as the previous record holder, it was more than 10 times the size of today's largest living rodent, the South American Capybara. This giant rodent grazed on grasses, which it must have eaten in large ...

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Did You Know

  • A dime has 118 ridges around the edge, a quarter has 119.

  • Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both epileptic.

  • Before toilet paper was invented, French royalty wiped their bottoms with fine linen.

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Latest Posts

Thursday February 28, 2008

Visitors to the UK's Metropolitan Police recruitment website saw a cuddly monster on the weekend, after a hacker broke into the site.

The cheeky hackers broke into London's Metropolitan Police recruitment website, and posted a picture of a cuddly toy on its front page. Beneath the picture of the green stripy animal they added taunting comments. ...

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Saturday February 25, 2017

A good news newspaper called Good News was founded because its American proprietors believed people were tired of reading bad news. The bi-weekly paper refused to publish any bad news and only printed the good news.

After just 16 months in operation the paper closed down. But it stuck to its guns of publishing only good news to the bitter end and refused to announce its own failure - this would ...

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  • A one ounce milk chocolate bar has 6 mg of caffeine.

  • Airports that are at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.

  • A volcano has enough power to shoot ash as high as 50 km into the atmosphere.

Quips

The Vicar is on vacation. Massages can be given to the Church Secretary.

Filed Under: Church Notices


Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and the deterioration of some of the older ones.

Filed Under: Church Notices


At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?".
Come early and listen to the choir practice.

Filed Under: Church Notices


Fun Book Titles

  • Peek-a-Boo!
    - by I. C. Hugh

  • How to Feed Elephants
    - by P. Nutts

  • School Meals
    - by R. E. Volting

  • Falling from a Window
    - by Eileen Dowt

  • The Barber of Seville
    - by Aaron Floor

View More: Book Titles

Good Question

  • Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

  • Does killing time damage eternity?

  • How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

Filed Under: Good Question

World Firsts

  • "Stars & Stripes Weekly", the United States Armed Forces newspaper is first published.

    Friday February 8, 1918

  • Filed Under: → War


  • Edward of Caernarion, later Edward II, becomes the 1st Prince of Wales.

    Monday February 7, 1301

  • Filed Under: → Miscellaneous


  • The 1st recorded race meet in England happens at Roodee Fields, Chester.

    Friday February 9, 1540

  • Filed Under: → Sports


Events

  • A father and son in Alabama were killed when they crashed into each other in a head-on collision. Jeffrey Morris Brasher and his son Austin Blaine Brasher of Bankston, Alabama, died early Saturday morning.

    Jeffrey Brasher was driving a 2006 Ford pickup and his son was driving a 2004 Chevrolet truck when they collided on a highway head-on, said Alabama State Trooper Jonathon Appling.

    Saturday February 18, 2017

  • Filed Under: → Deaths


  • The man known as the 'Crocodile Hunter' died after his chest was punctured by a stingray barb while diving off Australia's northeast coast. The 44 year-old colourful personality was filming a documentary about the Great Barrier Reef when tragedy struck.

    According to friend and colleague, John Stainton, Steve Irwin swam too close to the ray while he was diving off his boat "Croc One" near Batt Reef, northeast of Port Douglas.

    Monday September 4, 2006

  • Filed Under: → Deaths


  • Relatives of a 91-year-old Ohio woman who died this week are giving her the last word with a sassy, occasionally profane obituary that starts with the basics, "I was born. I lived. I died.", and instructs people to "Wait the appropriate amount of time" before trying to claim her stuff.

    They wrote it in Jean Oddi's perspective, recapping the people important to her, adventures she had and her favorite activities, including playing cards and teaching her granddaughter "dirty songs".

    Thursday February 23, 2017

  • Filed Under: → Deaths


  • Indecision is like a stepchild. If he does not wash his hands, he is called dirty, if he does, he is wasting water.
    - African Proverb

  • When you have given nothing, ask for nothing.
    - Albanian Proverb

  • Until lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
    - African Proverb

World Firsts

  • Joe DiMaggio becomes the 1st $100,000 a year baseball player. He plays for the New York Yankees.

    Monday February 7, 1949

  • Filed Under: → Sports


  • John Ames Sherman of Massachusetts, United States, patents the 1st envelope folding and gumming machine.

    Tuesday February 8, 1898

  • Filed Under: → Business & Industry


  • "Stars & Stripes Weekly", the United States Armed Forces newspaper is first published.

    Friday February 8, 1918

  • Filed Under: → War


View More: → World Firsts

Wise Words

  • When you have given nothing, ask for nothing.
    - Albanian Proverb

  • Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
    - African Proverb

  • When elephants fight, it is the grass who suffers.
    - African Proverb

Filed Under: Wise Words

Good Question

  • Can you repeat the part after "Listen very carefully"?

  • If love is blind, why is Lingerie so popular?

  • How long will a floating point operation float?

Filed Under: → Good Question