Photo: Anete Lusina

Why do agents touch their ear?

Why do they do that—are those earpieces uncomfortable? No, it's just so they can hear better. Pushing in an earpiece makes for a tighter seal, which could mean the difference between hearing or missing a Secret Service codename or another agent's message about the president's position while standing in a noisy room.

slate.com - Why Are Secret Service Agents Always Touching Their Ears?

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The Secret Service suspended 11 agents Thursday after allegations that some had solicited prostitutes in Colombia to bring back to their hotel. Among their other shifty behaviors, Secret Service agents seem to spend a lot of time reaching up with one hand to touch their ears. Why do they do that—are those earpieces uncomfortable?

No, it’s just so they can hear better. Pushing in an earpiece makes for a tighter seal, which could mean the difference between hearing or missing a Secret Service codename or another agent’s message about the president’s position while standing in a noisy room. While earpieces are not uncomfortable, they do sometimes come loose, requiring readjustment. Earpieces aren’t the only communication devices the Secret Service uses, and not all earpieces have the same design. Some devices, for example, look like iPod ear buds. The one-ear headphone often shown in the movies is standard and comes with a curly wire that runs down under their shirt to a hidden microphone worn in different locations depending on the circumstances of the assignment. One standard spot is just under the shirt sleeve. (That explains why agents are always lifting their wrists to their mouths.) Earpieces also come in different colors, and some agents choose a device that matches their skin or hair. Bonus Explainer: Why are Secret Service agents always wearing sunglasses? To keep the sun out of their eyes. While the Service has often cultivated a certain mystique, preferring to remain “cloaked in silence and mystery,” spokesmen insist they wear shades merely for their traditional purpose, and not, say, to keep would-be assassins from knowing which way they’re looking. The Secret Service has no set uniform, but agents say that wearing sunglasses on a sunny day helps them to scan a crowd for suspicious behavior.

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discoverwildlife.com - Are any animals bulletproof? | Discover Wildlife

Yes there are some animals that appear to be bulletproof. Armadillo ‘armour’ – composed of bony plates known as osteoderms – has been seen to deflect bullets. In one incident, a Texan man was hit in the face when his own bullet bounced back from an armadillo that he tried to shoot. In another, a bullet ricocheting off an armadillo penetrated a house, injuring an elderly lady. Accounts from early colonial times describe bullets glancing off the hides of saltwater crocodiles or being lodged in their robust skulls without penetrating the brain. The semi-bulletproof nature of crocodiles and other large animals, such as elephants and rhinos, gave rise to the ‘elephant gun’ in the late 1800s – this was a very heavy-duty weapon specifically designed for killing big game.

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