Homosexual Necrophilia in the Mallard Duck and other oddness

[fluffymark]

*amused* Just got back from seeing The Ig Nobel Tour - for those who don’t know, these are prizes given for discoveries or ideas that make you laugh, then think. Highly amusing. The Vatican has a prize for the fantastic idea of outsourcing prayers to India. Really. And a study into “The Effect of Country Music on Suicide”. All good stuff, I assure you.

Anyway, there were some short, sweet and silly presentations by some of the best of previous prize winners. However, the only discoveries they decided to make presentations of were of the more...ahem...rude kind. *rollseyes* So, I’ve had a whole delicious evening listening to a lesson about farting herrings, looking at photos and examples of scrotal asymmetry, a bizarre discussion on the hidden sexuality of the human yawn, watching actual videos of MRI scans of a couple having sex, and listening to the fascinating tale of The First Scientifically Recorded Case of Homosexual Necrophilia in the Mallard Duck. Shocking really. *amused*

Not to mention a real life performance of the Atkins Diet Opera which featured two women in cute cat ears singing meow a lot, and later doing a cancan about coffee. So cute! *squeee*

Comments

[devalmont.livejournal.com]

I've got the book listing the more entertaining entries from the past ten years. It's well worth picking up.

[fluffymark]

I don't have it, so am really tempted to buy it now. Sounds like it should be full of good stuff. :)

[davefish.livejournal.com]

Come to the pub tomorrow!

[fluffymark]

Going to see The Now Show being recorded for Radio 4 this evening with ixwin, so I don't think pub will be happening. Pity, I quite fancy a pint of Guinness with a shot of Tia Maria to celebrate today.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

They should have used positron emission tomography instead. They couldn't have missed the clitoral tissue then, and wouldn't have all this 'oh of course it's parallel to the spine' business. Ingrates.

[fluffymark]

Was men doing most of the research. Typical.

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

Then the author disturbed the scene and secured the dead duck.

So what was this, the first recorded case of homosexual cross-species necrophilia involving a mallard duck? Sorry, it just reminded me of that scene with Gene Wilder and the sheep in Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask).

What's more disturbing is that elfbystarlight and I had just been discussing homosexuality and necrophilia (though not both together) in relation to her essay on Victorian lit when I read this entry. Is everyone talking about homosexual necrophilia tonight or something?

I honestly can't remember where the necrophilia came in, by the way. Possibly something to do with Lady Bracknell. We're both trying to erase the image of St John Rivers cross-dressing, which came up in conversation too.

[fluffymark]

I thought I was odd, but you are quite something else entirely! :) :) :)

I'm glad necrophilia has its uses.

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

Ah! It sounds fantastic. :-)

[fluffymark]

Absoultely well worth it! :) :) :)

Hope you are coping, sweetie, and get to see the Doctor soon! Must be terrible for you! I must visit you.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Must try to catch the igNobel tour next year.

As for the Vatican outsourcing prayer to India... You should read the Financial Times more often. The 'Home' section in the Saturday edition now consults the same economist as the Agony Aunt column, and the ugly question of visas for nannies arose (again).

Essentially, The Other Papers are whining about immigration, the problems of childcare by Foreigners who speak funny lingo, Polish teenage au Pairs, Mexicans, Filipinas, cabbages and kings. The Financial Times pointed out that importing foreign labour makes no economic sense whatsoever; busy professional couples in the developed world should 'offshore' their children.

Obvious, when you think about it. Some countries - Italy in particular - have taken the next logical step: manufacturing has gone offshore. That is to say, the whole tedious business of childbirth and childrearing is carried out in low-cost third-world counties, with the finished product being imported to fill the labour shortages of their demographically-challenged society.

[neonchameleon.livejournal.com]

If the FT has only just caught onto offshoring children, they're about three months behind The Economist (http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3500296).

[neonchameleon.livejournal.com]

On reflection, it isn't such a daft idea - it simply tends to be called "Boarding School" and was a particular favourite of the Victorians.

[fluffymark]

*nods* makes perfect sense. Send the kiddies away. Good plan. The further away the better.

Now the real reason to colonise Mars becomes obvious.

[fluffymark]

But I'm all for an Polish invasion! Poles are so beautiful. They should all be encouraged to migrate over here, the younger the better. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Economics don't matter, I just want to fill the place with pretty people. Yes.

Pole Position

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

You want to fill the world with people who are pretty and can sort out the plumbing. Truly, you are a national treasure.

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

My ancestry's mostly Polish. *smiles hopefully*

I'm hopeless at the plumbing, though I'm good at chivvying plumbers into fixing the damn place before the bath ends up unusable.

[fluffymark]

oooooh! I didn't know you were mostly Polish. How wonderfully exciting!! :) :) :)

I should have guessed from seeing that adorably pretty photo of you being attacked by the gay hair fetishists (yes I did go back and find it). I don't know about Poles being good at plumbing, but all Poles I know create the most divine meals in the whole world. As well as being pretty.

I so want to go back to Poland now. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

Ancestry, darling, ancestry. I think we're talking great-great-grandparents.

Come on MSN and chat, pretty one?

[fluffymark]

oooh you're online!! I've been drinking wine and am a little tipsy, so this is probably not the best idea as my mind is full of stuff but...