If this article is to be believed a dairy farmer in Somerset has introduced waterbeds for his cows because it helps improve the quality of the milk. Cows at Brue Valley Farms not only have specially designed rubber beds filled with water but are also able to listen to classical music in the milking shed. The farm concentrates on what is best for the cows treating them as individuals and it appears the end result is a better quality dairy product, their Farmhouse Cheddar which is made with the creamy milk.

Researchers have discovered a new species of frog in Borneo. The frog which has been named Microhyla nepenthicola is only one centimetre long making it Asia’s smallest. It lives in the Nepenthes ampullaria plant which it uses as a habitat. The plant lives off decomposing organic matter which collects in its pitcher shaped cavity, and it is this cavity that the tiny frog uses to lay its eggs and hatch its tadpoles.

This is interesting its a new take on the idea of a shark tank but as you see includes crocodiles instead. It’s a new attraction which has opened in   Crocosaurus Cove park in Darwin, Australia. Visitors are able to get a close look at the crocodiles from inside a five inch thick Perspex box. The 10ft box in lowered into the water and chunks of meat are attached to the bottom to attract the crocodiles. The cage has undergone extensive safety testing but the fact that is has been nicknamed the Cage of Death would put me off a little bit.

According to this article this is the worlds largest barbecue. It is big enough to cook seven whole lambs, three pigs or two cows at the same time or alternatively 1,00 sausages or 500 burgers. It has been designed by Jack Henriques who spent three months creating it. It requires 14 bags of coal to light it. The BBQ which was commissioned by a wedding venue takes three chefs to run it.

I was interested to read that four of the major energy companies are to be investigated for mis-selling contracts to customers. I have experienced the tactic many times in the past with door to door sales people. Often they pretend to be from your current energy provider and will ask to see a recent energy bill to see if they can save you money. They may also admit to being from a rival company but once again the emphasis is put upon changing your current provider to get a better deal.

I have long been wise to the various tactics they employ and tend to rather effective at getting rid of the sales people rather quickly. It does, however, surprise me how long this has been going on. I have certainly had a constant stream of these sales people arriving at my door over the past ten years. It seems that Ofgem is now prepared to take “strong action” if the companies in questions are found to be in the wrong. I do wonder, however, whether banning door to door selling altogether might be the best way to resolve the problem. When it emerges that 40% of people who are persuaded to switch in this way actually end up paying more than they did previously I hope stricter rules and regulations are the result of this investigation. I also feel fairly justified in my rather abrupt attitude when confronted by one of these sales people at my front door.

You know cats are friends when they have the whole garden to sit in and they choose to do this.

Airport officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand were surprised when they found a drugged tiger cub inside a suitcase. The cub which as first glance looks like a stuffed toy was found in a woman's suitcase. It is thought she was trying to smuggle the animal into Iran. The tiger was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration after its ordeal but it appears to be recovering well. The woman is likely to face up to four years in prison and a large fine for wildlife smuggling charges.

This article suggests that increases in food prices are leading to people buying less food. According to the article food prices rose by 1% between June and July this year, the biggest increase in recent months. With other household bills also rising and salary increases failing to keep up, it seems many people are simply having to buy less food. I have certainly noticed my shopping bill going up despite the fact that I only buy basic items. I have been purchasing cheaper cuts of meat to try and cut costs. I am also more concerned about food waste and try to make sure that everything is used even if it means making it into cat food. I have also been splitting food, particularly meat down into smaller portions and growing more fruit and vegetables to supplement our diet. All of these things mean that the food budget does stretch but it doesn’t get away from the fact that I am paying a lot more each month for our basic household shop.

If this article is to be believed then you can tell whether a wasp is angry or not by looking at its face. Apparently the more aggressive wasps have black markings on their faces. The more black markings a wasp has the more aggressive it is likely to be. Dr Tibbetts from the University of Michigan made the discovery whilst she was looking at why wasps have highly patterned faces. She found that other wasps are less likely to approach those wasps with the most painted faces and likened the wasps markings to the animal version of a karate belt. I’m not entirely sure it is an effective method of finding out whether a wasp is likely sting you, I don’t think I would fancy getting close enough to be looking at its face.

This is unusual its an incident where a swarm of bees covered a police car. The policeman was trapped inside as the 50,000 bees covered the car. The policeman had arrived at a truck crash to find it contained 60 boxes of honey bees. He called in a swat team of beekeepers who managed to calm the bees using smoke and collect them.