FED: Oddities of the week
16 Jan 2009 1:41 PM
Subject: FED: Oddities of the week FED: Oddities of the week
SYDNEY, Jan 16 AAP - Oddities of the week:
+ Two-headed fish larvae have been found on a fish farm in Queensland, sparking fears of chemical contamination.
The two-headed larvae were found at a farm on the Noosa River, said Matt Landos, lecturer in aquatic animal health at the University of Sydney.
"It was several groups of (fish), all which came from the Noosa River, had batches of larvae that were severely deformed, the primary deformity being two heads," Mr Landos told ABC Radio.
The fish farm was located next to a macadamia nut farm, and it was possible chemical run-off had caused the deformities, he said.
"For the fish larvae, the most minute of doses can impact on their cells and cause damage."
+ A forklift based in Invercargill, on the southern tip New Zealand's southern island, has been booked for speeding at 119km/h on the Kapiti Coast, at the southern end of the northern island.
Police had identified the forklift belonging to Lindsay Carrying Co as the offending vehicle, despite it never having left Invercargill and having a top speed of 19km/h.
Assistant manager Shelley Kempton said she thought someone was "taking the piss" when she opened a letter from police.
They had requested the company provide the identity of the driver of a Toyota vehicle travelling south at 119km/h on State Highway 1, she told The Southland Times.
Kempton scanned a file containing details of the company's fleet of two trucks, three vans and two forklifts in search of the offending number plate.
"Then I realised ... I nearly wet myself laughing."
The forklift was bought new by the company in 2006 and the furthest it had travelled was probably a block and a half, Kempton said.
+ Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry says it has perfected the recipe for Oliver Twist's most famous meal - workhouse gruel.
Members of the society consulted historical sources and Charles Dickens' beloved novel to recreate the porridge, which is made from water, oats, milk and an onion.
They plan to ladle out bowls brimming with the gruel, which they describe as "barely palatable", in central London on Tuesday.
But the scientists are warning that requests for more - in homage to the famous line, "Please, sir, I want some more" - just won't be tolerated.
The society says it undertook the task of recreating the Dickensian gruel to highlight its work on food.
The tasting comes the week the musical Oliver! reopens in London's West End.
AAP pbc/goc/=0A
FED: Oddities of the week