Animals Are Beautiful People

It's a movie, from 1974. It's now just called Beautiful People, and it's a nature documentary filmed in South Africa.

There is a scene where many animals consume the overripe fruit of the marula tree. Since the fruit is fermented, the animals get intoxicated. Drunkenness in people i do not find funny, but in animals that don't know any better, well, they are rather amusing looking.

Some of this part of the movie was likely staged, as the smaller animals could become drunk from too much fruit, but not the elephants. They amount they would have to eat would be huge before they could feel any such effect, especially with the large quantities of water they drink.

Some of it was likely true, however, as can be seen from this story about a moose in Sweden. It seems the animal was eating overripe, fermented apples, and became so intoxicated it got stuck trying to climb into the tree after more fruit.

Thus if you ever think you see a 4-legged grazer in a tree, check to see who is drunk, you or the critter.


Today is

Battle of St. George's Caye Day -- Belize

Chadd's Ford Days -- Chadd's Ford, PA, US (Brandywine Valley traditional art celebration; through tomorrow)

Dia del Nino -- Honduras (Children's Day)

Flax Scutching Festival -- Stahlstown, PA, US (through tomorrow; demonstrations of the tradition of making linen out of flax)

Greater Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (one of the most sacred festivals; date approximate, but always a week before and after the time of the full moon)

Hang Around Victor Day -- Victor, NY, US

Harvest Home Nibbling Contest -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

International Drive Your Studebaker Day

Nanticoke Powwow -- Millsboro, DE, US (through the 11th; Native American gathering and celebration)

National Day -- Gibraltar

Sewing Machine Day

Sheriff's Ride Ceremony -- Lichfield, UK (dating back to 1553, the sheriff and his men ceremonially ride the circuit of the boundary of the city; originally on the 8th Sept. every year by order of Queen Mary, now held on the Saturday nearest)

Sodebuster Days - The Harvest -- Fort Ransom, ND, US (through tomorrow; experience life during harvest time on a 1920's farm)

Swap Ideas Day

St. Finian's Day

St. Nicholas of Tolentino's Day (patron of sick animals, mariners, holy souls, babies, mothers, and the dying -- talk about a busy Saint!)

Teacher's Day -- China

TV Dinner Day

Valparais Popcorn Festival -- Valparaiso, IN, US

Walker Cup -- Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, Aberdeen, Scotland (through tomorrow)

World Naked Gardening Day -- scare the neighbors! get rid of those pesky squirrels! experience nature (and sunburn, and mosquito bites, and chiggers) with your whole body!

World Suicide Prevention Day


Birthdays Today:

Amy Irving, 1953
Joe Perry, 1950
Jose Feliciano, 1945
Charles Kuralt, 1934
Roger Maris, 1934
Arnold Palmer, 1929
Rin Tin Tin, 1918
Fay Wray, 1907
Adele Astaire, 1896
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890
Ian Fleming, 1888
Isaac Kauffman Funk, 1839
Marie Laveau, 1801


Today in History:

The Battle of Marathon takes places between the forces of the Persian Empire and those of Athens, BC490*
An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Istanbul, 1509
John Smith is elected president of Jamestown, Va., Colony Council, 1608
Nathan Hale answers the call of George Washington for a volunteer spy, 1776
Simón Bolívar is named President of Peru, 1823
Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine, 1846
George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora, 1858
Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the US, opens, 1913
Austria and the Allies sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain recognizing the independence of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, 1919
20 African-American students enter public schools in Alabama, 1963
Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France, 1977
Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, joins the United Nations, 2002
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland, 2008

*date disputed, but it was the 9th day of the 9th moon on their calendar