Monkey Trouble!
In September, the health department in Springfield, Mo., notified restaurants that Debby Rose's ""assistance monkey"" is no longer permitted to dine with her. Rose said she suffers from a social phobia that she can adapt to only if ""Richard,"" a bonnet macaque monkey, is with her. Monkeys are generally permitted to serve as aids, under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For example, capuchin monkeys have been trained to fetch groceries from shelves for wheelchair-using patrons. However, animals that only provide emotional support fall under a gray area, according to a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson.
— ABC News
Full-time engineer, part-time chief
Most of the year, civil aviation engineer Joseph Ngoupou and his wife live the life of a suburban Washington, D.C. couple. But two or three times a year, Ngoupou travels to Cameroon, where he is, by heredity, a village chief.
Ngoupou is responsible for resolving disputes among his 3,500 subjects. His impoverished village has no electrical service or running water and lies five miles of barely passable road from the nearest town. The isolated villagers are eager to cede Ngoupou authority as the ultimate wise man, to decide, for instance, the fair price of a bride's dowry or the proper restitution for the theft of plums.
—The Wall Street Journal
A flavored shot
If all goes well, Bret Holm of Chaska, Minn., will begin selling his Season Shot sometime next year. This is an improvement over current shotgun shells because its pellets dissolve on contact in the game meat and, more important, automatically flavor it for cooking. In an August interview, Holm said he will initially offer lemon pepper, mesquite, Mexican and Creole flavors, but chemists are at work right now to expand the selection.
—Chanhassen Villager
