Singing the blues

A lot of famous musicians have come from England, but none of them have had a hit like this. A group of pig farmers in the United Kingdom recently recorded their first single, “Stand By Your Ham,” as a way to raise awareness about their business difficulties.

The song is a take off of Tammy Wynette’s classic, “Stand By Your Man.” It will be released along with a music video on the Web site pigsareworthit.com.

The song was recorded in response to increased feed prices due to rising wheat prices worldwide. Farmers are worried that if prices for pork don’t rise, they’ll face having to go out of business.

“It is a slightly tongue-in-cheek way of raising awareness of a serious issue,” said Stewart Houston, chairman of the National Pig Association in an article on the BBC news Web site.

“All they are asking for is a fair price,” he said. “If we do get a big response, we’ll look at selling the single and giving any profits to charity.”

Runaway bride has a price

A new law has been proposed by a Mexico City congressman that would make a bride or groom pay a large amount of money if she or he backs out on the wedding day.

Culturally, weddings in Mexico are big social events, gathering guests in numbers upward of 500.

Often the event is planned years in advance, complete with expensive dresses, food and entertainment. The law was written as a way to compensate the significant other for the financial loss caused by a canceled wedding day.

The proposal, written by city deputy Jose Antonio Zepeda states, “He or she who refuses to live up to a marriage commitment will pay for the expenses that the other party made in connection with the planned matrimony.”

Additionally, the law will give legal status to prenuptial agreements in case of divorce later on.

Divorces are increasing in Mexico and Zepeda is hoping that the law will help ease the costs of divorce settlements.

“We are looking to avoid emotional distress, cut divorce expenses and shorten the time that courts spend solving them,” Zepeda said in a Reuters article.

Marlins, mermaids and manatees

Manatees, commonly known as the sea cow, are large and usually ungraceful. They are also the new all male plus-size dance troupe soon to entertain Florida Marlins fans.

Manatee tryouts were hosted yesterday. The National League team is looking for seven to 10 large and coordinated men to entertain baseball fans during home games this upcoming year.

The men won’t be paid but will get free tickets to the games they perform in, as well as the honor of cheering alongside the Marlins’ more graceful and slender dance team, the Mermaids.

According to an Associated Press article, other sports teams have plus-size dance teams as well. The Chicago Bulls entertain with their all-male team, the Matadors, who have danced for fans since 2003.

[Reach columnist Erika Cederlind at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]