Strange But True
By SAMANTHA WEAVER
• According to the Veterinary Pet Insurance Company, the most popular dog name in the United States is Max, followed by Bailey, Buddy, Molly and Maggie. Interestingly, the No. 1 cat name also is Max, with Tigger, Smokey, Tiger and Chloe rounding out the top five.

• A mere 10 hours after its birth, a baby giraffe is able to run with its mother.

• After this summer, which saw record-breaking high temperatures in many areas of the U.S., you might be interested to learn about a new development coming out of Japan: self-cooling clothes. Reuters reports that a company called Kuchou-fuku (which means "air-conditioned clothes" in Japanese) is producing shirts with two small fans sewn into the back. The fans, powered by a rechargeable battery pack, keep air moving across the skin, cooling the wearer. The $96 cost has not seemed to deter factory workers in Japan, who are dealing with record-breaking heat of their own. There is a downside, however: The fans inflate the garments, so they aren't likely to catch on among Tokyo's trendsetters anytime soon - no matter how hot it gets.

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.