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Once again, folks, the sun sets on yet another exciting month here at the Zone. Thrills, chills, spills – and that’s just what happened at MY desk! Just imagine what else has been going on out there…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!
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Dept. of Culinary Adventurism

Ever tried to do your best, but sometimes, your best sadly isn’t good enough? You know the feeling, right? That no matter how beneficial whatever you’re doing is, it seems there’s still a downside that somehow, well, steals your glory? Well, then you know just how the Chinese government must feel…

The massive Three Gorges Dam project in China is just one example of how something absolutely necessary to China’s growth still has a downside (I mean, other than flooding a humongous amount of land and drowning many cultural artifacts – but alas, you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, you know). One particularly loathsome and unexpected result of the project, now that the water level is really rising, is there are about 2 zillion displaced rats, er, flooding the surrounding Central Chinese countryside. Ew, yuck!

But never say the Chinese people don’t know how to take advantage of an opportunity! Local folks have discovered there’s a market for rats – as entrees! Yep, seems the rest of China is putting the little darlings on their dinner plates in huge numbers. Geez, some folks will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first! (Oh, wait…)

Unclear on the Concept Dept.

Talk about being, er, unclear on the concept. A Largo, Florida man called 911 while being told by police to “move on” during a ruckus in a bar. I mean, here he is, surrounded by police, so he calls 911 for help because he’s… “surrounded by police”?

Hey, What’s That Brown Streak? Dept.

I don’t know, this may more properly fall under the “things I really wish I didn’t know” department, but what the heck; we don’t make ‘em up here at the Zone, we just report ‘em…

Did you know that the development of Western literacy was helped along by the spread of, er, underwear? Seriously, folks; the proliferation of underpants (according to some) is what jump-started the book industry, since one of the prime ingredients in paper-making was… rags.

Yep, you read it right! Used underwear in the form of old rags were one of the materials used to make those very old books. So next time you bibliophiles think about purchasing that Middle Ages manuscript, you might want to think again about what it’s made from. Er, maybe that “old book smell” isn’t what you thought it was!

Dept. of Improbable Research

And finally, from our friends at Improbable Research (yes, Virginia, there really IS such a place) comes a paper with really, really impressive authorship credentials (I mean, ya gotta see this!) titled, The Effects of Peanut Butter on the Rotation of the Earth.

I’d say the report speaks for itself. That’s it, and that’s all. So, enough said. The end. Finis- (sound of blunt object hitting back of head)

Dept. of Self-Promotion

Did you know there’s a new installment of OOB every month? Yep, sho‘nuff! So if you’re interested in even more of the strange, the unusual, and stuff that is just plain whackola, you might want to check out previous editions.

Hey, it’s easy! Just go to the categories list over there on the left and click on “OOB” (or, you know, click on OOB). In fact, I double-dog dare you! (But don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

(NEW FEATURE! If you have any great suggestions for future editions of OOB, by all means drop me a line at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net. If I use yours, I’ll mention your name and link back to you.)

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