Friday Snippets and Soundbites

It's hard to believe that October is already drawing to a close! We hope you have fun, safe weekends planned—and we at ec are here to help you get the weekend kicked off right with today's online edition of "Snippets and Soundbites."

Ready? Let's go!

Farewell, Fluffy.
Fluffy is such a perfect name for a cat, dog, and even a random guinea pig or rabbit? But a snake? Alas, Fluffy was the name of the longest snake living in captivity, and he passed away this week in the Ohio zoo where he lived. Fluffy held the Guinness world record for the longest snake living in captivity, measuring in at 24-feet long. Fluffy was 18 years old, about as long as a moving van, as thick as a telephone pole, and weighed 300 pounds. Zoo officials think the python died as a result of a tumor. To learn more about Fluffy, go here.

The sleepwalking shooter.
The story sounds like an episode of an crime procedural TV show: man is asleep in his house, wakes up when he hears a bang, and discovers he's been shot in the knee. Investigators would then search for the culprit and solve the mystery, right? Well, it appears the mystery police investigators in Colorado solved this week when a man called in with that story wasn't quite that simple. Police think the 63-year-old Colorado man shot himself while sleepwalking. After making his initial report, the man told police he had no clear recollection of the events early Tuesday morning and no one else was in his home at the time. The Boulder Colorado police did say that the man slept with a 9 mm handgun near his bed and takes prescription pain medication, which could have played a role in the shooting. He was treated at a local hospital and appears to be just fine. To learn more, go here.

"Weed dating"? 'Nuff said.
While this news story didn't happen this week, it's just off-kilter enough to be included in this week's edition of "Snippets and Soundbites." You've heard of speed dating, right? The phenomenon where couples meet and chat for a few minutes, trying to see who they connect with in the least amount of time? Well, in Vermont, local farmers have taken it a little further: weed dating. In weed dating, singles come to a farm where the event is being held and get to work weeding a row and chatting until a goat bell is sounded at 7 minute intervals. Then, it's on to the next person and the next conversation. Organizers say they came up with the idea after noticing that young, single farmers seem to have trouble meeting people to date due to their unusual work schedules and outdoor lifestyles. It's a plus for the single farmers who get to meet other people who share common interests. And it's a definite plus for the farmers who host the event. Who wouldn't want to get their field weeded for free?! To learn more about the concept, go here.

And if today's tales of world record-holding snakes, sleepwalkers, and weed dating weren't enough strange news for you, check out page 38 in this month's issue (and every month's issue) of ec!