DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
• A Venezuelan woman who threw a mango at the head of the country’s president to get his attention (recorded in a video that has gone viral) has been rewarded with the promise of a new home. Marleny Olivo had housing problem and was looking for help, so she tossed a mango at President Nicolas Maduro while he was driving a bus (he’s a former bus driver who apparently likes to connect with constituents by getting behind the wheel every now and again). The fruit had her name and phone number written on it asking him to call her. Officials did and notified her that he had agreed with her request for a flat as part of what he called the “Great Housing Mission of Venezuela”. The president said he would eat the fruit.
• Students are being asked to have a crack at designing Australia’s next national park – using the computer game Minecraft. Upper primary school students in South Australia are being asked enter a contest in which they design their own national park complete with hiking and mountain bike trails and camp sites as well as spots from where the enjoy the scenic vistas (bearing in mind that the park’s features need to complement the natural environment – in particular the plants and animals that live there). The State Government has set aside $10.4 million for park projects meaning some of the ideas created online might just end up being brought to life in the real world. The competition closes on 12th June.
• Tired of eating your ice-cream in a boring old cone? Ben & Jerry’s in the US has unveiled what it hopes will be the next big thing in edible ice-cream containers – the ice-cream burrito. The waffle-like wrap was unveiled at the same time as the ice-cream experts announced another new release – an ice-cream flavoured beer called Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale developed in conjunction with New Belgium Brewing. Hmmmm.
