Trivia

It was reported that human babies with normal eyesight are born farsighted and then they adjust. Client asks: When, if ever, do children get perfect eyesight? That comes by the first grade, if it is to be. From then on, about 50 grow nearsighted by the time they go to high school, specialists say.

The index finger of the Statue of Liberty is 8 feet long.

The elder Alexandre Dumas knew a thing or two about the old French triangle of man, wife and mistress. Said he: “The chains of marriage are so heavy it takes two to carry them, and sometimes three.”

Somalia’s camels outnumber Somalia’s people by almost 3 to 1.

Q. Do the wolves in one pack ever fight and kill each another?

A. Fight, frequently. Kill, almost never.

Q. Where’d the first roses grow?

A. Somewhere in the ancient Middle East, it’s now thought.

That flightless South American bird called the rhea reverses the nesting roles. The male incubates the eggs and brings up the young.

Do universities stifle writers? When the late author Flannery O’Connor was so queried, she said, “Not enough of them.”

“Zoanthropy” is the mental disorder that afflicts people who think they’re beasts. It’s rare, but not so rare that it hasn’t spawned wild legends about witches, werewolves and the like.

Cooks who know their mushrooms say, “Don’t wash them. Wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. Mushrooms soak up water, then release it when they cook. That ruins the sauce.”

Tradition of the Niger’s Wodaabe holds that those West African tribespeople don’t look each other directly in the eyes when they meet. It’s a strong taboo. Correspondents say it’s still in force.