What makes monks blow their tops
TRAPPIST monks are getting angry. A , dated 24 April 2012, bewails: 鈥淐ommercial breweries in the US鈥� use the word 鈥楾rappist鈥�, or some variant thereof, to name or describe certain beers that they produce. This worries the Trappist monasteries that brew beer, as Trappist is not a style of beer. It is an appellation, and a guarantee of provenance!鈥�
The newsletter explains the conditions necessary to be certified as Trappist beer: 鈥淢ost importantly, the beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist Abbey, under the control of the monks.鈥�
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Another issue is brewery and home brew supply companies listing yeasts as 鈥淭rappist鈥� in their catalogues. Fran莽ois de Harenne, commercial director of the Orval Trappist brewery in Belgium, asserts that 鈥渢here is no such thing as a 鈥楾rappist鈥� yeast鈥�.
The newsletter concludes with a plea from the for breweries to refrain from using the name with non-Trappist products. If you, reader, brew something similar at home鈥� take a vow of silence about it.
Howard Manwaring sends us a photo of a sign in the window of a shoe shop in Wistow, Leicestershire. It says: 鈥淏uy one, get one free鈥�
Supersonic plane does its thing
ANOTHER statement of the blindingly self-evident. On 17 March we reported on Science Daily breaking the news that proteins called 鈥渆xtremely long-lived proteins鈥� have a 鈥渞emarkably long lifespan鈥�. Now Bill Miller directs us to a that tells us: 鈥淣ext gen supersonic biplane to break sound barrier鈥�.
International conference in a pub?
UNEXPLAINED instinct led Feedback to peruse the contents of our junk email folder while waiting for the page-proof of last week鈥檚 item on a dubious 鈥淐limate Change International Conference鈥� (9 June). Normally, we delete such messages after only a cursory glance, especially since they are increasingly in scripts we don鈥檛 read (10 March).
This time we were delighted to find a personal invitation to submit a paper for a 鈥淲ater Resources, Climate & Energy Conference鈥� to be held in London on 23 to 27 July. Four exclamation marks in the subject line gave us pause for thought!!!! So did the promise, 鈥渞egistration is free of charge for delegates from developing countries鈥�, which was identical to that for last week鈥檚 featured 鈥渟camference鈥�. As was the alleged organisers鈥� claim to be based at an address in Leytonstone, East London, that is in fact occupied by Property Services.
We telephoned. A negotiator for this lettings agency, Simon Friedman, sounded confused. We resorted, for the first time in a long career, to a journalist鈥檚 standby: 鈥淲ould you say,鈥� we asked, 鈥渢hat you were 鈥榗ompletely astonished鈥� at this?鈥� 鈥淵es,鈥� he said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first I鈥檝e heard of it.鈥�
The name for the alleged conference鈥檚 website, , was, of course, registered anonymously. It bills the event to take place at the 鈥淪ky Blue Garden Hotel, 124 Kentish Town Road, London NW1 9QB鈥�. Consulting a famous web street-view engine, we
Check the venue before booking
THE alleged organisers of the above scamference have not bothered, yet, to create a phony website for their 鈥渉otel鈥�. We are puzzled how they plan to collect money from the gullible. They put some care into making their 鈥渃onference鈥� seem scientifically relevant, for example by stealing wording from the , Climate and Energy, which took place in Ireland鈥檚 capital on 14 to 16 May. (By now we are so sceptical that it was a relief to find .)
But how do they imagine they can get away with picking random addresses in London? Surely scientists will have internet connections and peek to see the venue of a conference?
If any reader doesn鈥檛 do this before booking: do.
SEVERAL readers commented on Alex Saragosa鈥檚 puzzlement over 鈥渟atellites as small as 10脳10脳10 cm3鈥� (12 May). Brian Darvell, , says this 鈥渋s a style I use regularly in my journal papers鈥�. But if we were editing those papers, Brian, we鈥檇 still find it left a yawning-void taste in the mouth. John Severn reassures us that it implies that the satellite is merely nine-dimensional and suggests that 鈥渢he idea of the satellite working properly in the 27th dimension is quite ridiculous鈥�. We鈥檒l leave that to the topologists.
Now John Le Page points us to the concerns that 鈥�200 million cubic liters of water gushed out into the Baker river鈥� from Patagonia鈥檚 glacial Lake Cachet II. We鈥檙e worried too, but in more dimensions.
FINALLY, Bob and Susanne Barton, stopping at a cafe in Edmonton, Canada, noticed a menu extolling the advantages of the cafe鈥檚 鈥済elato鈥� over competitors鈥� 鈥渋ce cream鈥�. Whereas their gelato contained only 25 per cent air, the ice cream apparently contained 125 per cent to 160 per cent air.
Bob and Susanne wonder who would want to pay for such ice cream. We鈥檙e wondering whether to market it as a wonder diet.