Short Takes Short Takes (September 28, 2005)

No such thing as a bad acronym?

Menlo Park's Swift Water Rescue Team, which recently returned from a 16-day rescue mission in New Orleans, has a mutual aid agreement with a similar team, according to the fire protection district's Web site.

It reads: "Other water rescue resources that are available through normal mutual aid requests are: Farm Animal Rescue Teams (F.A.R.T.). They are out of the University of California Davis Veterinary School and have extensive experience and specialized equipment needed to support the rescue of large animals commonly encountered in rural settings."

And, as humor columnist Dave Barry used to say, I am not making this up.
The older, the better

The Woodside Community museum is looking for old horse stuff -- bits, saddles, trophies, that sort of thing -- for an exhibit on the town's equestrian heritage that will coincide with the Day of the Horse festivities on October 8. Call Town Hall at 851-6790 if you've got something to lend.
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there

There's a new spot for swapping news and dishing dirt in Woodside -- the Citizens of Woodside Web site at citizensofWoodside.com.

Taking the COW acronym and running with it, the site has a forum, "The Barn," an archive called "Moo-sings" and an invitation to join and become "part of the herd." Current fodder for discussion centers on a consultant's recent analysis of the town's engineering department.

It positions itself as a government watchdog -- or, watch-bovine, as it were. One thing you won't find on the site is any indication of who is doing all of the online ruminating. The COWpoke in charge did not respond to an Almanac e-mail inquiry. Considering all the links to Almanac news stories, you'd think he or she would have been a bit more forthcoming.

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