Cautionary tale

Pop goes the weasel: The world’s largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, was shut down after a weasel invaded a transformer that powers the apparatus and caused an electrical outage. The weasel did not survive, and little remains of the small mammal.

The monkey, which unlike the weasel, did not stop to scratch its nose, was not harmed as it was being chased ‘round and ‘round the Large Hadron Mulberry Bush.

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It’s still a definite no on the bagpipes: American Airlines has apologized to a concert musician after she was told by a flight attendant and the plane’s captain that she would have to check her violin, risking damage to the rare 18th century instrument. FAA regulations allow small musical instruments as carry-on luggage.

The FAA only bars violins on flights when carried by 8-year-olds learning to play “Turkey in the Straw” or “It’s a Small World After All.”

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Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1958, the American Association of Retired Persons, which later simplified its name to AARP, was founded in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

We just thought those in the 50-and-older crowd would like to know who to thank for all those AARP membership offers that arrive in the mail each week.

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