Everybody’s Talking

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Monkey business: A sneaky little Patas monkey found a way to escape from his enclosure at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. Known as Nan Dao, the male primate was minding his own business when a zookeeper came into the enclosure to do some cleaning. A younger monkey managed to slip by the keeper, who took a few minutes to round him up and direct him back to the abode. In the meantime, Nan Dao, the smart little creature, opened the cage door and ran off. Luckily, zookeepers are smart, too. They set a trap filled with apples, which lured Nan Dao. He was safely captured and found to be in good condition after a couple of days in a nearby forest.

Adrenalin rush: A roller coaster in the vacation destination of Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England is called The Big One. While other roller coasters around the world have been built taller and steeper since this one was constructed in 1994, The Big One is still gigantic at 65 meters (213 feet) high. So when it broke down near the top, the riders on board had quite a long – and scary – walk down a steel staircase to the solid ground below. The visitors did not have to do it by themselves. Park staff members climbed up to meet them and escort them, step by step, along the steep stairs. Whether riding up or walking down, The Big One is quite an adrenaline rush!

Lizard interloper: When swimming in the sea, people might not be too surprised to see a few small fish sharing the water. On a Thailand beach, however, those frolicking in the surf were shocked to find a monitor lizard swimming among the humans. But there was nothing to fear: monitor lizards are big and look scary, but they are not a threat to humans. Southeast Asia is home to many of these shy reptiles, which can grow to be 2.5 meters (8 feet) long. So, while a video of the reptilian beach visitor caused alarm for the tourists, the area’s wildlife officials knew about this particular male specimen, who often visits the beach looking for food leftovers.

Border conundrum: Who knew it could be so easy to change the border between two countries? A Belgium farmer did just that between Belgium and France, but unfortunately, the boundary change is not acknowledged by authorities. The farmer moved the stone border marker that had been sitting in place for over two centuries because it was in the path of his tractor. A local historian noticed that the stone had been moved 2.29 meters (7.5 feet), making Belgium a tiny bit bigger and France a wee bit smaller. The situation caused a few laughs between area politicians, who said that as long as the stone is moved back to its rightful place, no problems should arise.

Quoteable Quotes

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“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can

be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things

differently from everyone else.”

—Sara Blakely

“We must conquer war, or war will conquer us.”

—Ely Culbertson

What’s Happening

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