Perhaps you’ve wondered how someone could speed-eat wings. Birthday cake, waffles, hot dogs, cheesecake, or butter (common subjects of eating contests) seem like, well, pieces of cake in comparison.

The current record is 137 wings in 12 minutes, held by Eric ‘Badlands’ Booker. He will be competing tomorrow in Everett, Washington, along with Joey Chestnut, who once ate a 5-1/4 lb burrito in 4 min. 4 sec.

No, I don’t want to see a video of that. I don’t even think I want to see a 5 lb burrito.

In Helsinki, an elderly couple out for a hike were attacked by a reindeer. Apparently, they stepped into an area between the buck and its females, a highly dangerous situation similar to that of being between a mother bear and her cub.

Planted a few weeks ago, the cosmos didn’t do much, but finally, they’re taking off.

A raccoon has been spotted near the house. Perhaps it is living in a box of packing material in the garage. This looks like it was held with two paws and methodically eaten, doesn’t it. Not sure a rat could do this, since the sweet potato would roll around, I would think, unless it was gripped. A bit like bobbing for apples, but without the water.

Now a gnome is a much better possibility, probably sitting on one of the step stools out there, munching away while we sleep. Eating the odd morsel of cheese. Scraping off the last of the peanut butter, and laughing at the mousetrap. Ha ha, he goes. Having a pipe afterward. Coughs softly.

There are varieties in dark purple or pink, green, and white. One of the nurseries is having a big sale this weekend, so I plan to go look for more.

The squirrels are having fun digging up my still-blooming tuberous begonias, and I suspect this is on the agenda too. It’s in a smallish pot with a few rocks as deterrents. But rocks never stopped these squirrels - I don’t know how they manage. Do they grit their sharp little teeth, and grunt (these are big, heavy rocks) till their biceps bulge? Do their eyes bulge? I sure hope so.

The pinch of diesel fuel at the pump is driving some of the French to stock up on cooking oil to use in their cars. This is frowned upon by officials, who will fine anyone caught using it.

The perfect ratio is eight parts sand to one part water. Got that?

The physicists who performed the study admit the formula is not written in concrete, so to speak, and some flexibility either way will still work. The serious part of their work is of importance to builders of retaining walls, who are concerned with stability.

I gave a potted rosebush to my friend yesterday for her birthday.

A journalist feels it is not the government’s place to dictate what people should or should not eat.

This week in Britain, a decree has gone out against junk foods. In Ontario, junk is no longer available in school vending machines.

The bear was killed in Quebec by ten French hunters at the end of August. Some of it was cooked immediately and eaten. Some was taken back to France, and shared with relatives. So far, 14 have become ill with trichinellosis, and a few are still in the hospital.

The adult parasite, after entering the human body, produces larvae, which travel via the blood to the muscles. Treatment can eradicate the parasite in the intestines, but is not as effective in the muscles. The pain can go on for years.

Bear meat should be cooked to 71 C or 160° F.

Around here, it means that if you want to scoop out some peanut butter from the jar, you will have to use a fork, since all the spoons are dirty.

This morning, a bit of blood on the floor, but the bait cleaned off as usual. A rodent-sized Hav-a-Heart trap will be used.

Guesses within the family: gnome: 1, possum: 1. Two members abstaining, awaiting developments.

Scientists in Australia have discovered that a plant extract from the false sandalwood tree both repels and kills termites.

Here in California, houses periodically must be termited, that is, covered with a tent, and filled with poison. Our house is in need of this service. It is not cheap, and residents must vacate the premises for a couple of nights during tenting. Hapless, would-be burglars that decide to break in during a tenting die.

Imagine how much money would be saved if this extract could be injected into wood, as the article points out.

If you will recall, a sweet potato was violated. A large trap was set with a piece of cheese. The next morning, the cheese was neatly removed. Another attempt was made, this time with peanut butter. The next morning, the peanut butter was neatly removed.

Is it something other than a large, smart rat? could it be a raccoon? Is it a gnome? Do gnomes eat sweet potatoes?

I can’t make this bigger because the sidebar will distort it.

It has green marzipan on the outside, lots of custard on the inside. No, I didn’t finish it, even after my friend took part of it.

After her birthday dinner, we took a friend to the Flames in Cupertino for dessert.

Some people can keep their cosmos blooming through the winter. This is the short kind, Sonata, and I just put in the stock last weekend.

In a survey conducted by Sony Ericsson of 66 countries, Queen’s We are the Champions wins out.

Just when you thought it was safe to put away summery clothes, it’s Indian summer with temps back in the 90s, and all those UV rays beaming down. For those with sensitive skin, there are lines of protective clothing. And then there are ray sleeves.

There are very few left. One of their foes is the golden eagle, also a protected species.

The feral pig is another enemy, and one which is a danger to native plants and historic Chumash sites as well. Debate continues on the best ways to manage these animals.

Trashing designer clothing, chopping up the yacht, giving away the prized wine cellar contents, pouring paint over the Mercedes, the Lotus, the BMW, tossing all the Italian shoes in the pool - when love goes bad, it goes really, really bad.

One of tech’s finest moments.

Designed by Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT’s Media Lab, it will be unveiled in November. It is slated first for the children of Brazil, China, Egypt, South Africa, and Thailand.

It is encased in rubber, folds up, and will have a hand crank for situations when there is no power.

Time spent in the neonatal unit lying on her side resulted in a condition that alarmed both doctors and parents. A plastic surgeon embeds spring wires in the skin under her scalp. Over time, these will move her skull plates into the right position.

The road to good health can be filled with unnecessary travail, and you can wind up right where you started.

Hasn’t it been a long time since we’ve had a sea or lake monster/creature story? Much too long, if you ask me. I had to dig a little deeper for this one, which is dated July, but it’s a dandy.

It looks like a big fish, but it also looks human. Some refer to it as a merman. There are arms. There are fins. There is hair on the head.

Now that the giant squid has been filmed, perhaps some enterprising researchers can go after this hybrid being.

Some assembly required.

As in furniture - bed, desk, table, chair. Jose Avila took the suggestion of a friend (who is also into boxes), and furnished his new apartment with taped-together shipping boxes.

But FedEx, instead of being flattered, is upset, and says their trademark has been violated. But Avila has impressed others, and has an invitation to participate in a design market soon. This article also points to his website, which has pictures.

Some viruses that have been dormant for millenia might not survive the thawing process, but some might. A few possibilities include polio, smallpox, and flu. Flu that modern man has no resistance to.

And what if an old flu merges with a new flu into a kind of super-flu? Scientists are not overly concerned, but say there is no real way to protect against these unknowns.

At last, a cutting that succeeded.

When they emerge from hibernation, hungry grizzlies go after protein, and when wild sources are scarce, they choose calves. The bears were once able to feed at so-called boneyards, where ranchers tossed dead livestock.

A few years ago, state wildlife management decided to sanction the collection of these dead cattle and sheep, and transport them to wilderness feeding areas that are closed to the public.

The practice has been adopted by other regions, some using roadkill instead of livestock.

Maybe we should just get up and leave now, go home, have a nice glass of water and a piece of bread.

Here’s a discussion on how appetizers such as fried calamari, spring rolls, crabcakes or a bowl of clam chowder might wreck your calorie count for the day. Or week, for that matter.

It’s hard to be heard over the racket of a garbage truck when you’re in the wrong end.

In Moscow, it was announced that the patron saint of nuclear bombers is Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, who never lost a battle.

Trying to shake out enough for two hot dogs, I’ve only succeeded in making my desk look like the fresh site of a small animal sacrifice.

In Marathon, Ontario, residents see bears everywhere, and are arming themselves with air horns, bear spray, tranquilizer guns, and beanbag guns. One reason for the high numbers in populated areas might be that the unusually hot summer resulted in fewer blueberries, a favorite bear food. The debate arises over whether there should be culling.

After studying da Vinci’s complex drawings of the workings of the heart, a surgeon devises an improved approach to mitral valve operations.

A new drug based on bioflavonoids from oranges has been announced by an Australian company. It is said to be effective on HIV, AIDS, flu, SARS, and the common cold.

I keep potatoes and onions in baskets out in the garage. Never had a problem, except for dead potatoes now and then, liquified, goopy messes with a smell that you wouldn’t think could come from a vegetable.

Lately, there have been solvents used, and the need for airing out has been very apparent. Sometime, when the doors were open, something came in. This morning, I found a gnawed sweet potato on the floor. Picture a cartoon drumstick, the one with the giant bite taken out. That’s what it looked like, all bright orange where it was eaten. Not nibbled. Eaten.

I know we have rats. But never in the garage. Traps have been set. We shall await developments.

For the very first time, a 26-foot long squid has been filmed attacking prey 3,000 feet down. According to researchers, the squid was speedier than they thought it would be.

They generally don’t use echolocation like microbats do. Wikipedia also features a photo of groups of megabats in trees.

Sometimes I get them for roasting.

A writer encounters a foraging vegetarian who is not too choosy when it comes to what fortune tosses in his path.

In need of short-haul planes for domestic use, and eager to enter the overseas airline market, China expects to start production before the end of the year.

She survived an entire pregnancy outside her mother’s womb, in the abdomen, pressed up against the liver. There were excruciating pains for Mom as Emylea grew, and doctors did not discover her situation till 33 weeks had passed.

Today, she has a dislocated hip and two club feet as a result of her extraordinary quarters. Doctors agree that had they known the circumstances, they would have terminated the pregnancy because of the supreme danger to the mother.

So, for those who read the earlier story about man breasts, and who wish to bring a child into the world despite being the wrong gender, is there hope? One attending physician said Emylea was an example of ‘nature’s experimentation’, and that with the right hormones and conditions, anyone could conceive.

I will refrain from making some personal observations, but maybe later.

Faced with a 50% drop in computer science enrollment, professors admit that their methods of teaching might be a bit out of date and less than engrossing. Microsoft steps in with funding to universities in hopes that basing courses on gaming models will stimulate more interest.

The Chikyu weighs 57,500 tons, and stretches 689 feet, with a drill pipe 22 times the height of the Empire State Building. It expects to drill down at least 23,000 feet to reach the border between the earth’s crust and the mantle.

The subject has been discussed here before, but now there’s a different angle. More men are showing up in doctors’ offices for breast reduction. Due to factors such as estrogen in livestock feed and possible birth control pill residue in the water supply, these men are sporting unmanly chest protrusions.

The injuries indicate a crocodile attack. Russell Harris was snorkeling off an island in Australia with a companion. A 13-ft long crocodile was seen near where the body was found.

Maybe next year there won’t be as many amazing shots of wave action. I’m sure others hope so too.