Strange but true

CONTRIBUTED BY: SAMANTHA WEAVER

• It was beloved American author Mark Twain who made the following sage observation: “Always do right — this will gratify some and astonish the rest.”

• In September of 2007, a law was enacted in China that made it illegal for a living Buddha to reincarnate without permission from the government. So far there’s no word on what the punishment for breaking the law might be.

• Pretty much everyone has seen shellac on a piece of furniture or perhaps a guitar — it’s used to give wood that rich shine. You might be surprised to learn that shellac is derived from a substance that is excreted by a tiny red insect found almost exclusively in the forests of Thailand. You might be even more surprised to learn that shellac isn’t just found on wood; the next time you eat jelly beans or take a bite of a bright-red apple you bought in a grocery store, you can thank the Kerria lacca insect for that lovely shine.

• American novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs was the oldest war correspondent of World War II, flying with the 7th Air Force on bombing runs in the Pacific at the age of 66.

• Otters float while they sleep, and in order to keep from floating away from each other while dozing, they hold hands.

• It’s been reported that on his deathbed, noted French Enlightenment figure Voltaire was enjoined by a priest to renounce Satan. The philosopher is said to have admonished the priest, saying, “Now, now, my good man. This is no time for making enemies.”

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Thought for the Day: “Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don’t do that by sitting around.” — Katharine Hepburn

(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.