Can you hold your beer? No, I am not asking if you can chug a brew and not throw up. I mean can you physically hold a full glass stein of beer with your arm fully extended in front of you? That's the task involved in the sport of steinholding. If you're good, then you can complete with the US Steinholding Association. The rules are rigorous. Takeout highlights the most important requirements:

If any amount of beer spills or drips off of the stein, the competitor is disqualified. (During outdoor competitions or humid conditions, judges should be sure to differentiate between dripping resulting from condensation or sweat, and dripping resulting from beer spillage.)

Athletic compression clothing is acceptable, however stiff or supportive clothing (such as a bench press shirt) may not be worn.

The thumb may not rest on top of the stein handle; it must rest on the other fingers.

Limited arching of the back is tolerable, however only minimal leaning is acceptable. In the vertical plane, the competitor’s elbow must never cross behind the front of the hips or the front of the ankle of either foot.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: US Steinholding Association

Taquille is a Peruvian island in Lake Titicaca. The 1,300 people who live there have some unique cultural traditions developed over centuries of semi-isolation from the mainland. One of those developed from knitting.

Both men and women knit, but men in particular knit woolen caps called chullos. The colors and patterns are codes that describe the wearer. Women evaluate potential mates based on the quality of their knitted chullos. BBC Travel interviewed residents about this practice:

According to Alejandro, the sign of good partner is one who can make a pin-tight chullo – one knitted so well that it is able to hold water over large distances when turned upside down. Would-be fathers-in-law often test the chullos of their daughters' potential husbands in this way. Alejandro proudly explained that his chullo could hold water for up to 30m without losing a single drop, and was impressive enough to attract his wife, Teodosia Marca Willy, 44 years ago.

"She saw good skills apparently in my chullo. I used to make a really good hat; I was a good knitter," he said.

The girls look for the best chullo. So if you're wearing a good hat, you've got more [chances] to get a girlfriend earlier and faster," added Juan, explaining that it's often a community spectacle when the father-in-law checks the knitting quality of would-be grooms. "[When] the father-in-law [pours] the water in the chullo, then the groom has to be able to show the water in the chullo to everyone that is gathering there. All the family gathered have to be able to see the water in the hat," he said.

-via Messy Nessy Chic | Photo: Inter-American Foundation

David Colhoun and a friend climbed a seemingly vertical slope on the Dark Shadows wall west of Las Vegas. They were using ropes and pitons and had reached about 275 feet above the ground when a free climber -- someone who uses just feet and hands -- asked if he could pass by. He had things to do and the slow-moving Colhoun was getting in his way.

Watch the nerve-wracking ascent of this incredibly brave and skilled man.

-via Twisted Sifter

Why do we men strive to accomplish great things? Why do we conquer obstacles and push ourselves to acts of daring-do?

To impress women, of course.

Bobby Sheldon, a single man in 1905 in the town of Skagway, Alaska, was no different. There were few ladies to go around, and so the competition was steep. Sheldon favored one lady who enjoyed rides in the horse-drawn buggy of a local doctor. Sheldon decided to outdo the doctor by building a car.

Sheldon had never seen a car in person before, but he had seen pictures in magazines. He assembled a functional car from locally available materials. Today, that car, pictured above, is in an antique car museum in Fairbanks. Sheldon accomplished much in his life, such as becoming Alaska's first road commissioner, but he never sufficiently impressed the object of his affections. Atlas Obscura shared the story:

“When he donated the car in 1931, one of the local reporters asked him ‘Mr. Sheldon, did you marry this girl?’ He said, ‘No, but three other fellows have since then,’” Vinton says, adding that the woman’s mother had told her to stay “‘away from Bobby. He’s a genius, but they’re only one step away from insanity’.”

Photo: Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

It's not just a clever gimmick. At Kuma no Te -- Bear Paw -- in Osaka, Japan, customers are never required to have face-to-face or skin-to-skin contact with an employee. For people who find such sensory stimulation unpleasant, that's a strong selling point. Sora News 24 explains:

As it turns out, this style of service, where customers collect their orders from a hole in the wall, is ideal for staff as well. And for those wanting to work but unable to, due to mental health challenges and sensitivities connected to face-to-face contact, contactless services like these can open up all sorts of new opportunities for employment. [...]

With face-to-face contact being a stress trigger for a number of their clients, Mental Health came up with the brilliant idea of setting up a cafe where staff don’t have to see or be seen by customers. And the problem of skin-to-skin contact was also solved with fluffy bear gloves, which staff use to hand out drinks and sweets through the small opening in the wall.

Photo: PR Times

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Brodie Moss is an adventurer who enjoys kayaking on the open ocean. He's Australian, and is thus unafraid of any snake smaller than a telephone pole.

There really is nothing to worry about. The snake is trying to mate with him, not eat him. So it's okay.

-via Dave Barry

Does it sound like a suspiciously too Irish thing to do? The technique was actually pioneered by the ancient Romans. Trails paved with layers of wool erode slower than other materials and are more environmentally friendly than synthetics. The Irish Times talked to Bryan Fennell, a recreation official in northern (lower-case n) Ireland:

The process involves a layer of fleeces being placed under four layers of stone.

“Over the last few years, walking has exploded as a sport in Ireland,” explained Mr Fennell. He said some walkers instinctively avoid muddy areas and spread out over blanket bog, not realising the damage they do as a result.

“What we want to do is create defined tracks,” he added. [...]

“The beauty of this technique is that you can shear sheep on the side of a hill and put the fleece directly into the track because the wool needs no treatment.”

-via Marilyn Terrell | Photo: Bryan Fennell

Storm the dog is interested in both the weather and treats. He strolled across the set while Anthony Farnell of Global News reported on the weather in the Toronto area. Farnell kept on this game, though.

Don't be alarmed by the seemingly low temperatures. The broadcast is using Celsius, not Freedom Units. 20°C is quite comfortable.

-via Amanda Brennan

Some of the video from this afternoon's goings on in Little Albro Lake #dartmouth @chronicleherald pic.twitter.com/wvluxC9EMa

— Halifax NewsP.J. (@HNewspj) August 27, 2021

Content warning: foul language

Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia responded to a report of a robbery at a restaurant. They soon found that the suspect was attempting to flee by swimming across Little Albro Lake. Look at a map to see what an ingenious escape plan this might have been.

An official police boat soon arrived on the scene. But additional naval assets were necessary to trap the suspect. Police improvised with a paddleboat, a canoe, and a paddleboard that were at hand. They soon surrounded and captured the amphibious suspect.

-via Super Punch

I can't find any concrete information about them, but internet rumor says that a notary's office in St. Petersburg, Russia has three chairs that look like huge cans of caviar or sardines. They look both expensive and comfortable.

It's a classic prank some people refer to as "pulling a Bart Simpson", as that cartoon character similarly pranked Moe Szyslak.

Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia held a board meeting and invited public comment. Many people signed up, but did not show up to speak. The first was Phil McCracken, followed by other names that are racy when read out loud.

-via David Burge

食べたスイカの種を発芽させて、ここまで来たけど、身が割れてしまったので収穫。
直径は5センチ弱。
味はしっかり甘くて美味しかった👍
そして種までちゃんとあることに感動。
また、来年やってみよう。 pic.twitter.com/kGmtVfEWEZ

— サンノジ（sannoji） (@sannoji30) August 30, 2021

Twitter user @sannoji30 nurtured some watermelon seeds to life and produced an impressive pair of melons. Although they measure only 2 inches across, they are at least sweet.

TikTok user spacecaptainz should prepare his pet rat for a life of fame and fortune. With his tiny harmonica, this rat can entertain millions, drawing in ticket and MP3 sales. All he needs is a bass as accompaniment.

-via Nag on the Lake

Sometimes, when you have two problems, they cancel each other out. This is not an endorsement of the Molotov cocktail solution by Jason from The Good Place. It is unusual for two problems to eliminate each other, but surfer Shannon Ainslie experienced just that.

Ainslie writes in The Guardian about a surfing trip in South Africa. A Great White Shark bit him in the hand and dragged him under. Then a different shark tried to bite him:

Under the water, another shark swiped for my head and my shoulders, but missed, because the other had got me first.

That second shark ended up saving my life. Perhaps startled by the competition, the first shark lost its grip on me. I thought I was dreaming; everything seemed to slow down. I started to feel pain and the next thing I knew I was staring a shark straight in the face. I think the shark was confused because it stared back at me for a few moments as if in awe. Its mouth was wide open; I could see a huge set of teeth and a dark black eye. It bolted past me and I felt a shove from behind – it must have brushed along my back, but thankfully it had not bitten me. After it passed, I swam to the surface as fast as I could.

-via Nag on the Lake | Photo: Hermanus Backpackers

Each one of Marisa Stratton's classmates appears in oil paint on panels measuring 1 by 2 inches. It's part of a series of painting collections inspired by the pandemic-induced Zoom lifestyle, including a virtual infant baptism and an online birthday party.

Stratton comments that after she painted the set, she invited her classmates to critique her portraits of them.

-via Super Punch