Village for sale; the recurring newspaper; a mosquito’s whine; and, a teabag collection
• Looking for a place to get away from it all? How about an entire village of your own, complete with pub and 40 inhabitants? The New Zealand village of Otira, on the South Island, has reportedly been put up for sale with an asking price of $NZ1 million. Current owners Bill and Christine Hennah bought the place in 1998 but say they now no longer have the energy to run it.
• They say that today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapping but that’s certainly not the case with one newspaper. It’s reportedly appeared in TV’s and films since the 1950s - everything from TV series like Dallas and Desperate Housewives to films like No Country For Old Men. Might be time to update the film prop, although some of the stories which appear in the paper - ‘UN Debates Mideast Crisis’ - are probably - and sadly - just as relevant as they were 50 years ago.
• Ever wondered what that horrible high pitched noise is when you’ve been outside in the UK? No, well you’re probably over the age of 25. The Council of Europe is reportedly looking at banning the use of ‘mosquito devices’ - which emit a high-pitched sound only those under the age of 25 can hear and are used to discourage young people from gathering in places authorities don’t want them to. Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty in the UK - where more of the devices are in use than anywhere else, told The Guardian newspaper the weapons contravene young people’s human rights. “What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children?” Good question.
• Collecting teabags would have to be one of the most unusual hobbies we at StrangeSights have come across - particularly used ones. But that’s what artist Patti Gaal-Holmes has reportedly been doing for the last 11 years, using the bags as a sort of diary and sometimes not only numbering them but writing on them who she drank the tea with and even what was talked about. The bags are apparently stored in suitcases. And yes, “they do smell a bit”, she concedes before adding that she finds it “a bit comforting”.