Samizdata

France has been attacked by an infestation of frogs! I know, the metaphors are even now exploding inside your head.

A campaign in France to exterminate frogs may sound like the beginning of a civil war, but these are no ordinary frogs.

The frogs are big, inedible, and Californian!

Since the frogs were first released, as a joke, on a private pond near Libourne in 1968, they have colonised ponds, lakes, marshes and gravel pits all over the département of the Gironde. They have been found in the Landes area to the south and in the Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne and Loir-et-Cher départements, further north.

Some joke.

It turns out that the only way to kill these fearsome and deeply un-French frogs is to shoot them.

Its enough to make you believe in parallel universes colliding, or something:

Doctors fear that the identity of a mysterious mute pianist found wandering on an English beach in April might never be known, a British newspaper reported on Monday.

[snip]

The so-called “Piano Man”, a tall blonde-haired stranger thought to be in his 20s or early 30s, was found on April 7 on the beach at Minster, on the south coast of England, soaking wet but fully dressed in a black suit and tie, with no clue as to his origin.

He has not spoken since and has not responded to written appeals while being kept under observation in the psychiatric hospital.

But he has fascinated social workers, the British media and the general public over his one means of communication: playing classical piano music.

When given a pencil and paper by hospital staff, he drew a grand piano — and then, when shown a piano at the hospital chapel, he impressed his carers with a remarkable virtuoso performance.

There are no leads.

Now, I am an imaginative guy, and I work with a major inner city hospital where all kinds of strange shit comes down, but I have a hard time coming up with any scenario at all that would explain this one.

I was cruising the net and saw an article titled Time magazine defuses CIA stoush. Sure, the story is interesting but… what the hell does ‘stoush’ mean?

Whilst in Zürich on business, I was puzzled to see large teddy bears everywhere on almost every street corner in the centre of town and a veritable platoon of them in the Bahnhoff … there seems to be literally hundreds of them scattered around the city. It is certainly interesting but I have no idea why they are there. Does anyone know?

Interesting but… a bit perplexing

Who says the Swiss have no sence of humour?

An assortment of cool web stuff* encountered in recent days:

Most excellent puppeteering in General Electric’s Facing That Void.

Fun CG animation ride. (warning:contains computer simulated amphibian genitalia)

I can’t remember a purer shot of joy than this Kokonono promo.

*Don’t even waste your time over a dial-up – this is all broadband stuff. Thanks to our rather disturbed friends at Screenhead, BTW.