Hats off to the Easter Island statues

EASTER ISLAND: Researchers studying the lost civilization of Easter Island believe they have settled the mystery of how the statues came to wear hats. Archaeologists Colin Richards and Sue Hamilton think the big red hats were rolled down a road and mounted on the famous statues. According to BBC News, they made the conclusion after finding evidence of an ancient cement road, a volcano and the remnants of an adze, a tool typically used to smooth rough-cut wood. They think the hats were carved from volcanic rock. The statues are found lined down the volcano, their numbers growing closer to the crater. The scientists’ findings will likely shed new light on Polynesian history.

Japanese centenarians exceed population of 40,000 and growing

TOKYO, Japan: Japan’s government reported their population of centenarians is now over 40,000. In a report conducted by the health and welfare ministry, it determined that the number of Japanese aged 100 or older has doubled in six years. Women account for more than 86 per cent of that figure. The Associated Press reported the country’s elderly population is rising steadily. By 2050, the government expects to have one million people over the age of 100.

Carrier pigeon is faster than Internet

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa:  In an effort to demonstrate the poor quality of South Africa’s leading Internet service, Telkom, an information technology company, used a carrier pigeon to transfer information between its offices. It took the pigeon one hour and eight minutes to transport a data card 80 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The Internet transfer took two hours and six minutes and only four per cent of the data was received. The Unlimited World IT group staged the pigeon event to display their frustration, Reuters reported. South African Internet service is supposed to improve in the next few months when a 17,000 kilometre fiber optic cable is installed. The underwater line aims to provide better communications and must be in place by the soccer World Cup in June 2010.

New World wine set record at Penfolds auction

SYDNEY, Australia: The annual Penfolds Wine Auction saw a bottle of 1957 Shiraz St. Henri sell for $8,110 AUD (roughly $7,537 CAD). This is the highest price ever paid for a St. Henri. Wine connoisseurs are shopping for vintage wines from the last century, attempting to purchase rare and acclaimed bottles from around the world. The St. Henri was typically consumed, while the Penfolds Grange was collected. Bottles of vintages 1955, 1959 and 1971 also sold at record prices, Reuters reported. St. Henri gained popularity in the 1990s as a collectible bottle. Its first commercial vintage was 1957.

Published in Volume 64, Number 3 of The Uniter (September 17, 2009)