Ducks clear bugs from rice paddies

A drone video, recorded on a farm in Nakhon Province, Thailand, shows 10,000 khaki Campbell ducks being released from their pens to stream onto the flooded rice fields to remove insects, snails and other pests that could harm the plants during the off-season.

Farmers said the ducks will be allowed to roam free for about five months to keep the rice paddies bug-free and will then be rounded up to lay their eggs.

Duck breeder Apiwat Chalermklin said the arrangement is mutually beneficial for the rice farmers, who keep their costs down and are able to get rid of pests without harmful chemicals, and the duck breeders, who save money for feed.

Flying paramedic

Emergency responders in Britain tested out a new ‘jet suit’ that could soon be used by paramedics and search and rescue workers covering difficult terrain.

Richard Browning, founder of Gravity Industries and the inventor of the jet suit, took on piloting duties for the test carried out in partnership with the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

Browning took the suit to heights of 10 to 20 feet in a simulated search for a party of walkers lost on the Langdale Pikes. The inventor was able to find the walkers within minutes, a feat official said would have taken more than an hour on foot.

The test is part of a programme that officials said could see “jet suit paramedics” donning similar equipment as early as next summer.

Guinness record of 1,622 lip balms

A Texas woman was awarded a Guinness World Record when she amassed a collection of 1,622 different varieties of lip balm.

Chelsea Jerabek of Lubbock said her actual collection of lip balm includes more than 1,800 pieces, but Guinness does not count duplicates, so the record was established at 1,622.

Jerabek has been collecting lip balm since she was 11 years old and had to install special cabinets to house and display her collection.

Be ‘Mayor of Hell’ for a day

A resident of Hell, Mich., is offering the chance to be ‘Mayor of Hell’ for one day by renting out a specially outfitted ‘lair’ on Airbnb.

John Colone, the self-proclaimed ‘mayor’ of the town, which has no official mayor, said his ‘Mayor’s Lair’ tiny house will be available for three one-night stays that come with his unofficial title for 24 hours.

“I am the biggest Halloween fan in the world (and the underworld), so I hope that our little slice of paradise can fill fellow Halloween lovers with all of the frightful chills and spooky sensations of the season,” Colone told.

The “Mayor’s Lair” includes a queen-sized bed, gothic-style sitting area, fire pit, outdoor movie screen and supply of locally grown pumpkins to carve.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 17th, 2020