Thinker-type Quiz + June Postings Reprised

   1. Thinker-type Quiz

   What kind of thinker are you?
     < http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/thinker_quiz/index.shtml >

   My results:
   -You are a Logical-Mathematical Thinker
   -You are an Interpersonal Thinker


   2. June Postings Reprised

   [Celebrity News - Movie Stars]
   * "Gwyneth 'prefers Mozart to Coldplay' for Apple"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1000030.html >
   "Gwyneth Paltrow prefers playing Mozart to baby Apple than husband Chris
    Martin's Coldplay tracks"
   * "Sorry, Mr Farrell, but you'll have to queue"
      < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20040614112742807C995671 >
   "Hollywood heart throb Colin Farrell had to queue for a table at a Cape Town
    restaurant like other mere mortals, after staff failed to recognise him"
   * "Clueless cop clocks Clapton"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1002291.html >
   "A policeman reportedly didn't recognise Eric Clapton when he pulled him
    over for speeding"

   [Ten Ways to Stop Traffic II - Food Spills]
   * "Truck driver survives crash with moose, then ensuing fire"
      < http://www.wlbz2.com/newscenter/article.asp?id=14355 >
   "A Canadian truck driver who was hauling 35,000 pounds of fresh fish from
    Nova Scotia escaped serious injury when his rig collided with a moose along
    a remote stretch of Route 9 in Washington County"
   * "Truck carrying hams crashes"
      < http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=1959925&nav=1PuZO6XD >
   "Traffic was still backed up Tuesday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 70
    after a tractor-trailer carrying hams crashed early Tuesday morning"

   [Unusual Place Names]
   * "Lost village set to disappear"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3492672.stm >
   "The Scottish village of Lost is changing its name because souvenir hunters
    keep making its road signs disappear"

   [Get Educated]
   * "Czech students learn to play on university course"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_988844.html >
   "A university in the Czech Republic will show students how to play pool as
    part of a physics course"

   [Name-Givers and Name-Changers]
   * "Elvis couple's baby name dilemma"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1004586.html >
   "A Belgian couple whose 15 children's names are linked to Elvis Presley say
    they cannot think of a name for their 16th child"
   * "Boy named ESPN gets visit from sports network"
      < http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/weird/story/1458856p-8854813c.html >
   "ESPN (pronounced Espen) McCall is one of at least three youngsters in the
    United States known to be named for the sports network. A couple in Corpus
    Christi named their son Espn Curiel in 2000, the same year Espen Blondeel
    was born in Michigan"

Name-Givers and Name-Changers

   Some people are given unfortunate names, while others have only themselves
   to blame.

   A. Name-Givers

   1. "Cox, Arquette welcome baby Coco"
      < http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-06-13-cox-baby_x.htm >

   2. "Jackson will be couple's 15th J-name child"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_947206.html >
   "So far the couple have Jana, John, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah,
    Joanna, Jedadiah, Jeremia, Jason, James and Justin"
   [I think they missed one]

   3. "US father names son 'Version 2.0'"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3451207.stm >
   "A proud US father and self-confessed engineering 'geek' has named his son
    after a computer software term"

   4. "British girl named Diot Coke in 1379"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3840922,00.html >
   "Naming your child after a popular soft drink could be seen as a little bit
    faddish, but the parents of young Diot Coke might be forgiven - they gave
    their baby daughter the name way back in 1379"

   5. "Moniker's progress"
      < http://www.economist.co.uk/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2685710 >
   "The names that parents give their children illuminate cultural evolution"

   B. Name-Changers

   1. "Madonna talks about her new name"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_991727.html >
   "Madonna has revealed why she's changed her name to Esther"

   2. "Springfield man changes his name legally to Bubba Bubba Bubba"
      < http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/113003_ap_sn_bumba.html >

   3. "Karin No More: animal-rights activist changes name to GoVeg.com"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/31/150754-cp.html >
   "A young animal rights activist from Indiana once known as Karin Robertson
    has legally changed her name to that of a Web site run by her employer,
    the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals"

   4. "DotComGuy will take old name back"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_894787.html >
   "A Texas man who legally changed his name to DotComGuy, is to sell his
    trademark name"

Reality TV Update

   Enough already!  Reality TV has dominated our small screens for too long and
   needs a serious reality check of it's own.  Here are some news items about
   upcoming and/or recent show ideas.

   1. "INXS to star in reality TV show"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3805467.stm >
   "Rock group INXS are to search for a new lead singer on a reality TV show"

   2. "German TV show tests exactly how low people will go"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_876575.html >
   "A German TV station is offering people big-money prizes in return for acts of
    public shamelessness"

   3. "German reality show to help men get partners back"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_975219.html >
   "A German TV station wants men for a reality show in which they'd learn how to
    win estranged partners back"

   4. "Power Idol? Now politicians audition for votes"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/Observer/politics/story/0,6903,1115882,00.html >
   "The producer behind the reality TV hit Big Brother is in talks with broad-
    casters about a political version of Pop Idol - a nationwide show designed to
    choose a brand-new candidate for election"

   5. "Taxi show gives voters a lift"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3767607.stm >
   "The idea is simple: get the country's rulers to drive a cab around the capital
    Belgrade, pick up customers at random, and broadcast the results"

   6. "Reality TV show wants British family to head 'down under'"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1080865.htm >
   "Television producers are searching for a British family to emigrate to
    Australia and be transported back in time 200 years to recreate the lives of
    early settlers 'down under'"

   7. "Internet surfers will be able to watch paint dry"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_970522.html >
   "Viewers will be able to watch a different kind of paint dry on an empty wall
    each day. They'll also be able to vote for their favourite paint"

   8. "Amish reality show canned after protests"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1059926.htm >
   "The program, tentatively called Amish in the City, planned to show five young
    people from the religious group living with mainstream youth"

   9. "Baby conceived on Big Brother"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_841377.html >
   "It is believed to be the first conception in the history of the reality
    television show"

   10. "Reality shows set to dominate world TV scene"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200310/s968677.htm >
   "Analysts say the low-budget reality show formats are hugely attractive to
    program makers as the television business begins to show signs of coming
    out of its financial doldrums"

   ----

   RealityTVLinks.com
      < http://www.realitytvlinks.com/ >
   A Directory to Reality TV on the web

   Some notables:
   * "High School Reunion"
      < http://www.realitytvlinks.com/highschoolreunion.html >
   "Former classmates have the chance to pursue their secret high school crush,
    to get revenge on the bully who made high school unbearable, to show off a
    new and improved body, or maybe even to fall in love"
   * "Cheaters"
     < http://www.cheaters.com/ >
   * "Mad Mad House"
     < http://www.scifi.com/madmadhouse/ >
   * "Miss Dog Beauty Pageant"
   * "Pimp My Ride"

I Put A Spell On You

   1. "Wives claim husbands bewitched by barmaid"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_855905.html >

   2. "Swiss papers offer voodoo"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_989073.html >
   "Swiss newspapers are offering readers a cut-out voodoo doll of an England
    player to torture in the hope of putting a jinx on the team ahead of their
    Euro 2004 clash"

   3. "The Frome witch project"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3396457.stm >
   "An amateur football team who can't score at home have called in a white
    witch to try and improve their woeful form"

   4. "Romanian football chiefs may hire witch to put spell on Denmark"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_764727.html >

   5. "Witch gets state grant in Norway"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200310/s972086.htm >
   "A witch has won subsidies from the Norwegian state to run a business of
    potions, fortune telling and magic"

   (a John West post)

Embarrassing Clangers

   1. Military clangers
   a. "Jet lands at U.S. air base by mistake"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/06/20/507646-ap.html >
      "Passengers on Northwest Flight 1152, an Airbus A-319 from St. Paul, expected
       to be welcomed to Rapid City Regional Airport on Saturday, but after about
       five minutes they were told to close their window shades and not look out"
   b. "US jet accidentally drops unarmed bomb in Britain"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1024405.htm >
      "The 11 kilogram practice bomb was dropped by a F-15E Strike Eagle on a
       routine training run from a base in eastern England"
   c. "British warships crash during Open Day"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1130536.htm >
      "Two British warships have crashed into each other a few kilometres off the
       coast of southern England while showing off manoeuvres to dignitaries"
   d. "Clouds ground British military choppers"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1083455.htm >
      "Britain has spent $US478 million on a fleet of unusable military helicopters
       that can not fly through clouds"

   2. Tailor-made clangers
   a. "Bush election bus: Made in Canada"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/05/05/448125.html >
      "U.S. President George W. Bush rode across Ohio yesterday in a bus
       emblazoned, 'Yes, America can.' It turns out the bus was made in Canada"
   b. "'Make it in Scotland' shirts made in Morocco"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_972998.html >
      "A Scottish employment quango is under fire after getting its staff to wear
       T-shirts saying 'Make it in Scotland' that were actually made in Morocco"

   3. "Police car used in bank heist"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200308/s920739.htm >
      "A former New Hampshire police officer has been arrested in connection with
       a bank heist in which the getaway vehicle turned out to be none other than
       one of the town's squad cars"

   4. "Firefighters' error sends Utahn's heirloom up in flames"
      < http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Jun/06122004/utah/174766.asp >
      "When members of the Minersville Volunteer Fire Department set out to clean
       up 83-year-old Eleanor Craw's yard, they didn't intend to burn down her
       house"

   5. Fire code violations
   a. "Fire wall, smoke detector problems force fire station to close"
      < http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1362574&nav=EQlpGvX9 >
      "A fire station in Scott County was shut down Tuesday for safety violations
       ...including improper firewalls and improper smoke alarms"
   b. "Fire hall catches own fire code problem"
      < http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=fireonfire040122 >
      "Melfort learned that its fire hall isn't up to standards, but not just any
       standards. The building doesn't meet the national fire code regulations"

   6. "Ministry of Construction poorly built"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200302/s792798.htm >
      "Germany's Ministry of Construction has been built with so many flaws it
       could cost millions of dollars to put the shoddy workmanship right"

   7. "Post Office petition lost in the post"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_976076.html >
      "A petition calling on the Post Office not to close a local branch was
       never received - because it got lost in the post"

Big Steals

   1. "Scrap metal thieves steal historic locomotive"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1056566.htm >
   "... a locomotive said to be the first ever built in Soviet Ukraine has been
    stolen from a museum"

   2. Bridges seem to be popular
   a. "Thieves steal bridge in Ukraine"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3514061.stm >
      "Thieves in western Ukraine have dismantled and stolen an 11m steel bridge
       over the river Svalyavka"
   b. "Thieves steal 'railway bridge'"  [Romania]
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_808404.html >
      "The pair had taken the 30 foot bridge, which crosses a small local river,
       apart piece by piece"
   c. "Penobscot bridge stolen"  [Maine, USA]
      < http://www.wabi.tv/story.asp?2325 >
      "Jane went for her usual walk this past Tuesday and found an empty space where
       the massive granite planks had rested for the past 150 years"

   3. "Burglar steals entire kitchen from house"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_847495.html >
   "A burglar has been jailed after stealing an entire kitchen, including the sink,
    from an unoccupied house and installing it in his own home"

   4. "Iowa thieves steal the kitchen sink"
      < http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2004/02/06/iowa_thieves_steal
          _the_kitchen_sink/ >
   "The police report said burglars took only a stainless steel sink with chrome
    faucet and the attached garbage disposal from a house under construction on
    the city's east side"

   5. "Humpty Dumpty falls into hands of thieves"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/21/141806-ap.html >
   "Somebody took a 90-kilogram, 90-centimetre-tall statue of Humpty Dumpty from
    his perch on a downtown street"

   6. "Thief pulls giant pumpkin heist"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1065966.htm >
   "A thief has hit a giant pumpkin competition on the New South Wales north coast
    stealing a ute-load of vegetables due to go before the judges"

   7. "Thieves steal cold-blooded Mr Cranky Pants"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1085537.htm >
   "Management at the Australian Reptile Park on New South Wales central coast is
    concerned for the welfare of a 1.2 metre alligator, known as Mr Cranky Pants,
    that was stolen from the park over the weekend"

   8. "Man steals $729K Ferrari after test drive"
      < http://www.rednova.com/news/stories/5/2003/09/26/story108.html >
   "The thief, a nattily dressed man who claimed he had flown up from Atlanta and
    had a limo waiting nearby, took the test drive Sept. 16 without producing a
    license. The ID, he said, was in the wallet he had left at the airport"

Manhattan Timeformations + A Manhattan Sunset

   1. Manhattan Timeformations
      < http://skyscraper.org/timeformations/intro.html >

   "This project uses computer models and interactive animations to depict the
    dynamic relationship between Manhattan's skyscrapers and other layers of
    urban information, such as:
       geological formation, settlement patterns, landfill,
       transportation and communications infrastructure,
       zoning laws and real estate cycles."

   Requires Flash player.


   2. APOD: A Manhattan Sunset
      < http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040528.html >

The Things We Do For Love

   Today's post is NOT inspired by the insipid 10CC song of the same name.  However
   it may be partially inspired by watching a bit too much of "The Bold and the
   Beautiful" on my days off work.  Ridge loves Brooke so much he arranges to have
   their marriage annulled so that she can marry his half-brother (Nick), whose
   child she "may" be carrying.

   1. "Australian travels halfway around the world to collect wife's wedding dress"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_673207.html >

   2. "Lovesick waiter chops off finger"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/03/1072908946604.html >
   "A lovelorn 21-year-old waiter chopped off three of his fingers outside his
    ex-girlfriend's house in China to try to win her back"

   3. "Chinese Romeo writes 300,000-word love letter"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/31/1067566081696.html >
   "A lovesick Chinese man is to apply for a place in the Guinness Book of World
    Records after writing a 300,000 word love letter to his Russian girlfriend"

   5. "Swedish police help Romeo find his Juliet"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200308/s934482.htm >
   "The starry-eyed Italian was so infatuated with a 17-year-old Swedish girl he
    met in the United States earlier this summer that he left Milan to hitchhike
    the 2000 kilometres to the Stockholm suburb of Taeby"

   6. "Egyptian newlywed commits crime to join beloved in jail"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/13/1065917350759.html >
   "An Egyptian newlywed bought drugs in a last but failed bid to share the same
    cell as her husband who had been sentenced to six years in prison for drug
    trafficking"

   7. "Jilted man gives cash away for lost love"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_752014.html >

   8. "Man offers car and savings to get ex back"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_713042.html >

   9. "PA man robs bank ... He wanted to buy fiancé a car"
      < http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/052804_nw_bankrobbery.html >
   "Police say a Columbia County man robbed a bank of nearly eight-thousand dollars
    yesterday so he could buy a car for his fiancee"

   10. "The bride who stole her wedding"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9620825^421,00.html >
   "[She] stole her $1450 dress, a black suit, cutlery, wine glasses, candle holders
    and most of her other wedding paraphernalia"

   11. "Woman marries a month after being stabbed by husband"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_986699.html >
   "A Warwickshire woman married a man just a month after he stabbed her for having
    pre-wedding jitters"

   12. "Bride threatens self-immolation if groom not arrested"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/07/1065292599557.html >
   "An Indian bride has threatened to set herself on fire if police don't arrest her
    reluctant groom"

   ----

   10cc lyrics: "The Things We Do For Love"
      < http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/x-filesepisodes2/thingswedoforlove.htm >

Animals In The Workforce II

   1. "Mayor hires parrot to answer 'undesirable questions'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831528.html >
   His reason: "Some people only approach me with nonsense talk so the parrot will
   answer back in the same way because I need to use my time to work"

   2. "Firm hires parrot to answer phone complaints"  [broken?]
      < http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/news/index.cfm?instanceid=59621 >
   "A busy restaurant chain has found a novel way to field phone complaints from
    elderly customers: It's hired a parrot to answer the calls"

   3. "Cats stand guard over Russia's artistic treasures"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1022316.htm >
   "Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum is well known as home to some of the
    world's greatest artistic treasures. A lesser-known collection at the museum
    is an army of cats, its praetorian guard against rats."

   4. "Camel is appointed as Sheriff's deputy"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_768332.html >

   5. "Sew far, sew good for sewing bird"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1101826.htm >
   "Customers at a tailors in west England have been left in stitches after Baggio,
    the owner's pet cockatiel, showed he has picked up the knack of sewing by
    watching his master"

   6. "Puppy appointed classroom assistant"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_840424.html >

   7. "Bees, giant African rats used to sniff landmines"
      < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0210_040210_minerats.html >

   ----

   Worth1000.com Photoshop Contest: Animal Dayjobs
      < http://www.worth1000.com/cache/contest/contestcache.asp?contest_id=455 >

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

   Today's B-List post is inspired by the phrase:
      "Revenge is a dish best served cold"
   cited in the opening of "Kill Bill Volume 1" as a "Klingon proverb".

   Actually, the phrase was first used by French writer Pierre Ambroise Francois
   Choderios de LaClos (1741-1803). He originally said it in French in his 1782
   book Les Liasons Dangereuses:
      "La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid,"
      < http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/9/messages/813.html >

   1. "Revenge is a dish best served smelly"
      < http://xo.typepad.com/blog/2004/05/revenge_is_a_di.html >
   "A spurned wife took revenge on her cheating husband by feeding him a 'dog poo'
    pie"

   2. "Knickers says jilted woman"
      < http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=186932003 >
   "A jilted wife has taken revenge on her cheating husband by hanging his knicker
    collection in their front garden"

   3. "Man goes crazy with condiments in Ninth Avenue apartment"
      < http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/henson4.29.04.html >
   "A man upset his girlfriend filed a domestic battery report against him with
    police Tuesday poured ketchup and barbecue sauce throughout her apartment in
    the 1000 block of Ninth Avenue, breaking furniture and appliances and
    destroying her clothes"

   4. "Man drives flaming car into ex's house, cops say"
      < http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/02/28/BA95543.DTL >
   "Furious about being jilted, Novato police said, the 44-year-old Davis set his
    car on fire and drove the flaming vehicle into his estranged girlfriend's
    Novato home"

   5. "Jilted Italian woman 'vandalised 60 Alfa Romeos to get back at ex'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_747233.html >
   "An Italian woman has been arrested for allegedly vandalising 60 Alfa Romeo
    cars because they reminded her of her ex-lover"

   6. "Owner refused drink, bulldozes pub"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5792006%255E13762,00.html >
   "Customers said Tyrell had barged his way into the pub, demanded a drink and
    'went bananas' when staff refused"

   7. "Vengeful waiter vandalizes couple's home"
      < http://kcal9.com/siteSearch/localnewsla_story_160131053.html >
   "A family who angered a waiter at a Norco Sizzler restaurant later was served
    a few dishes they didn't order: a gallon of maple syrup, raw eggs, and rolls
    of toilet paper across their lawn and shrubs"

   8. "Raging fan chews off striker's ear - 19 years after match"  [archived at]
      < http://www.castlebar.ie/board/0103/59796.htm >
   "Forward George Reilly, who scored Watford's winning goal in the 1984 English
    FA Cup semi-final, has had his ear bitten off by a disgruntled Plymouth fan
    who had held a grudge over his team's defeat for 19 years"

   9. "Dentist 'drilled healthy tooth to punish patient'"
      < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/07/18/ndent18.xml >
   "A dentist drilled away almost half of a healthy tooth to punish a patient who
    owed him money"

   A site devoted to all-things revenge: ThePayback.com's
     < http://www.thepayback.com/ >
   "ThePayback.com is your home for all of your revenge needs"
   Provides revenge gift and features some more revenge stories:
     < http://www.thepayback.com/revengestories.html >

Playing With Time

   Playing With Time
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/ >

   "Here at the Playing With Time web site, unseen worlds of change will be
    revealed. You will see time sped up and slowed down, and behold the beauty
    of change. Time will be in your hands to witness, replay, and even create.
    You never know... you might not look at things quite the same way again."
   Requires QuickTime 5 or later.

   Gallery of Time
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerybrowser.pl?page=1
          &sort=clipName&searchCriteria= >
   Lists the currently available time lapse clips, with search and sort functions.

   A Selection:
   * Building Construction #5 (8 months in 10 seconds)
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerydisplay.pl?clipID=0106 >
   * Continental Plates
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerydisplay.pl?clipID=0138 >
   * Cape Beach (1 year in 16 seconds)
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerydisplay.pl?clipID=0112 >
   * Water Balloon Bounce (1/8th normal speed)
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerydisplay.pl?clipID=0014 >
   * Woman Age (69 years in 15 seconds, using 8 photos)
      < http://www.playingwithtime.org/cgi-bin/browser/gallerydisplay.pl?clipID=0126 >

Get Educated

   1. "Indiana U. offers class on reality TV"
      < http://www.wjactv.com/education/2550614/detail.html >

   2. "German college offers course on finding life partner"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_835252.html >

   3. "School teaches girls how to be perfect wives"  [Mexico]
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_903178.html >

   4. "University offers surfing diploma"
      < http://sport.iafrica.com/news/283847.htm >
   "Southern Cross University (SCU) is offering the diploma in Sports Management
    (Surfing Studies) at its Tweed Gold Coast campus, just metres from some of
    the best breaks in Australia and minutes down the highway from tourist hot
    spot Surfers Paradise"

   5. "Board approves surfing as high school sport"  [Hawaii]
      < http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=1885104 >

   6. "Spanish students' party polls top marks"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1077240.htm >
   "A Spanish school teacher will give his whole class top marks after a political
    party they formed to explore how democracy works won nearly 70,000 votes in
    the recent general election"

   7. "Canadians turn out for laughter classes"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/04/19/428721-cp.html >

   8. "Out there: a few unusual courses to consider"
      < http://education.independent.co.uk/clearing/story.jsp?story=432951 >

   9. "Offbeat ways to pay for college"
      < http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/24/pf/college/scholarships/index.htm?cnn=yes >
   "Scholarships offered for left-handed people, students named Zolp, and Trekkies
    who speak Klingon"

Unusual Place Names

   Warning: this post contains some colourful place names.

   Scroll down if you dare ...



















   1. "F*cking villagers vote against name change"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_981264.html >
   "Residents of an Austrian village called F*cking, have voted against changing
    the name"

   2. "German town's name will stay Puke"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_980154.html >
   "Officials in a German town named Kotzen, or Puke, have voted against changing
    its name"

   3. "Fed-up French contest cheeky town names"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/06/1065292531333.html >
   "Among the 15 or so villages joining the event in the south-western village of
    Mengesebes (Eat Onions in Occitan, an old language from the south of France)
    are: Saligos (which sounds like Filthy Swine), Montcuq (sounds like My Arse)
    and Trecon (Very Stupid)"

   4. "What's in a name? In Corleone, Sicily, a lot"
      < http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2524222.htm >
   "Local lawyer Antonio Di Lorenzo began a signature drive on Tuesday to change
    the name of the hill town south of Palermo made famous by 'The Godfather'
    books and films of the 1970s"

   5. "Animal rights group urges Hamburg name change"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_773410.html >
   "An animal rights group in the US has urged a town to change its name from
    Hamburg to Veggieburg"

   6. "Town names itself after cocktail"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_944432.html >
   "The Richland section of Buena Vista in New Jersey is already into the first
    week with its new name Mojito"

   7. "Cheers to village that never was"
      < http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=232742004 >
   "A mistake by council officials has led to an Aberdeenshire village being
    renamed after a malt whisky"

   8. "Cop to bike from 'Aa to Bee'"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/05/04/446845-ap.html >
   "British policeman Paul Perry plans to ride his bicycle from 'A' to 'B,'
    he said Tuesday, adding that this jaunt will carry him from Norway to
    Nebraska"

   9. "From Purgatory (Maine) to Hell (Michigan)"
      < http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/5569810.htm >
   "New book chronicles America's oddest town names"

   10. Related lists of unusual place names on the web:
   *  TheFreeDictionary.com: List of interesting or unusual place names
      < http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/List%20of%20interesting
          %20or%20unusual%20place%20names >
   *  Listology: 'Real' Weird Town Names
      < http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.10438 >
   *  Funny Town Names: USA & UK
      < http://s88932719.onlinehome.us/townname.htm >
   *  Strange and Daft Place Names
      < http://www.satiche.org.uk/satiche/sat-0332.htm >

Silk Purse or a Sow's Ear?

   1. "Sudsie the cleanest pig, carved out of soap"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/16/1063625030503.html >

   2. "Cheesy artist installs bed of ham"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/06/03/484894-ap.html >
   "An artist best known for decorative cheese has broadened his palette - or
    palate - to ham"

   3. "Edam to build church out of cheese"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_783892.html >

   4. "Woman makes Harley Davidson from butter"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_806844.html >

   5. "Jewelled cow fetches record price"
      < http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7960429%255E13762,00.html >
   "An exotic sculpture of a cow encrusted with 15,000 pieces of crystal glass
    has been sold for charity for the record sum of 150,000 euros"

   6. "Lingerie designer makes bra and knickers from human hair"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_725332.html >

   7. "Lodi woman creates fowl collectibles from foul substance"
      < http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2004/01/27/news/01_birds_040127.prt >

   8. "Scientists invent cardboard piano"
      < http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1086272453340_81681653 >
   "It's a mover's dream and sure to capture the fancy of anyone who tickles the
    ivories: a grand piano made only of cardboard that sounds almost like the
    real thing"

   9. "Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear - pigskin purses and decorations"
      < http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1204/is_n1_v96/ai_20463568 >

Ten Ways to Stop Traffic II - Food Spills

   1. "Sending them scrambling"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/01/1086058847920.html >
   "The spill of tons of eggs closed a Texan highway and rankled the nostrils of
    bystanders"

   2. "Crashes tie up Interstate 81: Traffic snarled in Pa. and Md."
      < http://www.publicopiniononline.com/news/stories/20031121/localnews/684161.html >
   "A collision of a tractor-trailer carrying beer and a dump truck loaded with
    loose-kernel corn closed the northbound lane of Interstate-81"

   3. "Caution: Beer crossing: Sliding load topples truck"
      < http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/804277.html >
   "The truck, hauling a cargo of Busch Light, overturned on the I-29 off-ramp by
    the Ameristar casino, sending the suds cascading through the median"

   4. "Truck loaded with hot dogs catches fire"
      < http://news.neilrogers.com/news/articles/2003110708.html >

   5. "Liver spill shuts down Pa. highway"
      < http://www.rednova.com/news/stories/5/2003/12/15/story107.html >

   6. "Wrong-turn turnip tractor stuns motorists"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_860521.html >

   7. "Two 18-wheelers crash, catch fire"
      < http://www.msnbc.com/local/kprc/A1888071.asp >
   "The fire gutted the 18-wheeler carrying chickens"

   8. "Truck load of pudding spills onto highway"
      < http://www.rednova.com/news/stories/5/2003/11/20/story105.html >

   9. "I-70 shutdown (Pork fat spilled on highway)"
      < http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1021977/posts >

   10. "Cajun sauce spill creates rush hour traffic jam"
      < http://www.nwaonline.net/pdfarchive/2003/november/20/11-20-03%20A9.pdf >

Payment in Kind

   Payment in Kind: "When a good or service is used as payment, as opposed to cash"
      < http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paymentinkind.asp >

   When I was young I worked as a cleaner for my godfather.  One week he didn't
   have any cash to pay me, so he offered me a secondhand racer bike as payment.
   I accepted because I didn't have a bike at the time and wanted one.

   Here are some news items which also illustrate the concept ...

   1. "Firm repays loan with earthworms"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_783649.html >

   2. "Man paid off more than $600 in outstanding fines ... in ramen noodles"
      < http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/6103558.htm >

   3. "Man pays for petrol with nephew"
      < http://www.in-sourced.com/article/articleprint/960/-1/13/ >

   4. "Workers to be paid in reject carpets instead of cash"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_715631.html >

   5. "Workers of bankrupt firm paid off in combs"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_704232.html >

   6. "Textile firm offered to pay workers in pullovers"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_786888.html >

   7. "Cash-strapped abattoir pays workers in dead chickens"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_837761.html >

   8. "Mordovian teachers' salary again paid in most covertible currency"
      < http://english.pravda.ru/economics/2001/06/08/7362.html >
      "The biggest part of teachers' salary was paid with vodka"

Celebrity News - Movie Stars

   1. "Paltrow gives birth to baby Apple"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/3717057.stm >
   "Gwyneth and her husband Chris Martin, front man in the band Coldplay, have
    named their daughter Apple Blythe Alison Martin"
      "Paltrow won't raise child in U.S."
      < http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36650 >
   "Oscar-winning actress fears 'weird, over-patriotic atmosphere'"

   2. "Halle's wind confession"
      < http://www.teenhollywood.com/d.asp?r=69902&cat=1055 >
   "Halle Berry has confessed she can't stop breaking wind"

   3. "Diaz furious over panty raid, report says"
      < http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0527diaz27-ON.html >
   "You know you're really famous when you have to hire someone to guard your
    underwear"

   4. "Penelope Cruz scared of the red carpet?"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_865229.html >

   5. "Kirsten has comfort blanket"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_939966.html >
   "Kirsten Dunst carries a comfort blanket with her wherever she goes"

   6. "Legally Blonde star wore 63 pairs of shoes"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_789550.html >
   "Reese Witherspoon has revealed she had 63 pairs of shoes specially made for
    her latest movie"

   7. "Sarah Jessica Parker uses horse shampoo on her hair"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_841626.html >

   8. "Colin's strange toilet habit"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_961788.html >
   "Festival goers at Cannes Film Festival have been surprised by Colin Farrell's
    toilet habit.  According to Sky onlookers saw the Irish star pulling down his
    trousers before using the toilet facilities"

   9. "George Clooney can't get a date in Italy"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_815528.html >
      "Clooney 'gets married' in Venice"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_816043.html >

   10. "'Scruffy' Brad and George not recognised"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_886209.html >
   "Brad Pitt and George Clooney were reportedly left standing in the rain when a
    doorman at an exclusive Italian hotel refused to let them in"
      "Brad creates his own sound effects on set"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_934710.html >
   "Brad Pitt was told off by the director of his new film for making shooting
    noises when he fired his gun"

   11. "Omar Sharif head-butts French cop"
      < http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/07/entertainment/main567109.shtml >