Vampire bats share blood with sick bats too ill to get their own. Who would have thought? Rats laugh when tickled. Who would have thought? A biologist recounted how his dog followed a cart carrying the body of a mule who had been his companion for 12 years. When the mule was buried, the dog walked slowly over to the grave of his friend and wailed. Who would have thought?

Here is a short quiz: When does 202 equal 876? Think of telephone area codes, not mathematics. As the 876 area code (Jamaica, West Indies) is increasingly publicized as a red flag for scams on caller ID, schemers are responding by disguising their true locations with seemingly safe substitutes, such as 202 (Washington, D.C). This scam to shield an underlying scam is known as caller ID spoofing, which is no joke. A more accurate moniker would be caller ID cover-up.

At a first-class Vineyard seafood restaurant a diner asks the waitress: “What is the local Vineyard catch of the day?” The waitress responds: “I am sorry, we have no Vineyard fish on the menu today.” And the customer is surprised. “How can that be? I was down on the jetty this afternoon and I watched a fisherman land a beautiful large striped bass.”

From Gazette editions of March, 1937: Now the last resident of Christiantown is gone. No Indians have lived in that almost deserted village of old times for some years

From a February, 1952 edition of the Gazette: It is at this time of year when, traditionally, the earth is about as cheerless as to aspect as it ever is in New England, that the thoughts of the coastal folk turn to clams.

SLOW PROGRESS

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I wanted to thank Sara Brown and the Gazette for updating the public on the shameful progress the Providence VA is making in returning our VA outpatient clinic to the Island after over 12 years of successfully serving the Island veterans.