Editorial: Casual Fridays 3/29/2013

Birds of a feather attack together

Newsworthy peregrine falcons are apparently not unique to Pitt. According to The Telegraph, at the University of Toledo in Ohio, a group of researchers went to the top of the campus’s clock tower to tag peregrine falcon chicks. They ventured to the nest with helmets and wooden shields to protect themselves from the parents, but the adult falcons approached to attack and did not back down until researchers returned the chicks to the nesting box. The researchers caught the near attack with helmet-mounted cameras. This news could inspire a new OCC activity: fending off Pitt’s beloved falcons might count for both the Pitt pride and wellness goal areas. Stop by the next Dean’s Hour for your free Pitt pride shield (and snacks).

The whiskey cycle

According to The Miami Herald, a former mansion caretaker denied drinking $100,000 worth of aged, rare whiskey. The owner of the mansion found the whiskey stored in its walls and stairwells before converting the mansion to a bed and breakfast and hired John Saunders, of Irwin, Pa., as the caretaker. Despite claiming that he didn’t think the whiskey would be safe to drink, Saunders was charged with theft when his DNA was found on the mouths of the empty bottles. Saunders also apparently claimed that the whiskey must have evaporated. In other news, an alarming number of underage Pitt dorm residents charged with possession of empty bottles have used the excuse that the contents evaporated.

Digital distractions

In Allentown, Pa., the Lehigh Valley IronPigs have contracted with a British company to install urinal games in the men’s bathrooms of their ballpark. The Lehigh Valley ballpark will be the first sporting venue in the world to have these games — and perhaps it’s easy to see why. The games consist of a video display mounted above each urinal, and users control the game by aiming left or right. Clearly, a woman designed this game system to teach men how to aim.

Luck of the draw

According to the Associated Press, the new mayor of the city of Helper, Utah, was chosen a little unconventionally. Both of the candidates, Ed Chavez Jr. and Councilman Kirk Mascaro, received two votes from the town council to fill the spot of mayor. When the council realized there was a tie, members wrote each candidate’s name on an equal number of paper slips and placed them into a basket. Chavez was chosen as the town’s new mayor when his name was pulled from the basket. Pitt should seek inspiration from this town and select the next Student Government Board president by choosing a random undergrad’s name from a hat — that way, maybe the majority of students will start paying attention to the annual election.