The Loony Bin
(
loonies@bloodaxe.com
)
Thu, 5 Apr 2001 03:51:30 +0100
The Loony Bin - http://loonies.net800.co.uk/ Hiya All... Folks in different places can do some funny things... Wishes & Dreams... - ANDREA xx *********THE LOONY BIN****loonies@bloodaxe.com********* *** *** *** Archive: http://loonies.net800.co.uk/ *** *** *** ************ANDROMEDA******Internet Goddess************ ------- Forwarded foolishness follows ------- SPANISH TOWN ABANDONS ANNUAL GOAT-TOSS January 11, 2000 MANGANESES DE LA POLVOROSA, Spain (AP) - Under pressure from animal rights activists, the north-western town of Manganeses de la Polvorosa will forgo the annual tradition of tossing a goat from a bell tower, officials said Tuesday. Tradition holds that the annual festival of St. Vincent - the town's patron saint - cannot begin unless a goat is thrown 15 meters (50 feet) from the bell tower and safely caught in a tarp. The event, which has attracted fierce protests from animal rights campaigners in the past, was scheduled for January 23 this year. The councillors of Manganeses, however, said the town will not take responsibility for the "behaviors of the participants in the spectacle," the state news agency EFE reported. According to EFE, the town was fined about 25,000 pesetas ($156/150 Euros) last year by the regional government after the National Association of Animal Welfare and Protection filed a complaint about the throw. In 1992, protests against the goat-launch persuaded the local governor to ban the toss, and villagers had to content themselves with using ropes to lower the goat. A year later the ropes were abandoned and the ban defied. The ban is still technically in place but is usually ignored. The origins of the ritual are unclear, but according to one legend, a priest's goat - whose milk fed the poor - accidentally fell from the bell tower and was saved by villagers holding a blanket. Source: Associated Press Please include this information if you forward this joke: ********************************************************* This joke and others like it, can be found in: The Loony Bin http://loonies.net800.co.uk/ ********************************************************* Get PAID for the emails you already send and receive! http://www.mailround.com/ Referrer: andrea@bloodaxe.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to loonies-unsubscribe@listbot.com