Viceversa + Alessi

   Some strange-looking but functional home and office accessories from a couple
   of Italian design studios.

   A. Viceversa
      < http://www.viceversa.com/ >
   Selected products:
   1. 'Voodoo' knife holder with knives
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,34,intItemID,
          1447.html >
   2. 'Footprints' Bathroom scale
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,48,intItemID,
          741.html >
   3. Egg carton bathroom scale
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,48,intItemID,
          727.html >
   4. Rearview mirror for computer monitors
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,47.html >
   5. Pinocchio toilet brush
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,48.html >
   6. Soft alarm clock
      < http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,43.html >

   B. Alessi
      < http://www.alessi.it/ >
   Selected products:
   1. Anna G. 'Super' corkscrew
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Anna%20G./corkscrew/580 >
   2. Candito nail brush
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Candito/nail%20brush/1683/2711 >
   3. Dozi magnetic paper clip holder
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Dozi/magnetic%20paper%20clip%20holder/
          1682 >
   4. Handheld vacuum cleaner
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto//handheld%20vacuum%20cleaner/1701 >
   5. Match gas lighter
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Techno%20Tales%201%20-%20Match/
          gas%20lighter/1075 >
   6. Pino(cchio) funnel
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Pino/funnel/1104 >
   7. Bimboveloce cake stand
      < http://www.alessi.it/catalogo/oggetto/Bimboveloce/cake%20stand/889 >

A Guide to the Gentle Art of Diplomacy

   1. "Jordanian prince requests Bush brain viewing"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1211952.htm >
   "'We need respect, intellectual tolerance, Mr President of the United States,
    of a meeting of minds... and if you actually have one, I'd like to see it'"

   2. "No charges for Bush insult"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/13/346714-ap.html >
   "Sweden's former migration minister will not face charges for calling
    President Bush 'that damn old man from Texas'"

   3. "Brand's whiff of controversy"
      < http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/news/20040121.shtml >
   "The BBC has apologised to the Albanian ambassador after Jo Brand offered to
    break wind to the tune of their national anthem"

   4. "Anger over Zimbabwe anthem gaffe"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3429937.stm >
   "A Zimbabwean minister has accused the African Cup of Nations' organisers of
    trying to demoralise their team by playing the wrong national anthem"

   5. "Norwegian prince misplaces Portugal"
      < http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0204/123730.html >
   "Norway's Crown Prince Haakon caused a stir in his debut as royal host by
    placing Portugal on the Mediterranean Sea in a speech delivered in honor of
    that country's visiting president"

   6. "Snot flies in Taiwan-Singapore row"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3697244.stm >
   "Taiwan's foreign minister has sparked a diplomatic row by calling Singapore
    'the size of a piece of snot'"

   ----

   Poor Dubya, he just can't seem to get any respect...
   *  Google Maps search:
      < http://maps.google.com/maps?q=miserable%20failure%20in%20Washington%20DC
          &ll=38.900879%2C-77.040740&spn=0.029114%2C0.068500 >
   Ok, I expected #1 (A), but the Australian Embassy Library at #5 (E) is a
   surprise(?).  Perhaps that's where #1 spends his time reading his favourite
   book:
      < http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/PEHDEFP5JZ2S/
          104-2813286-8986344 >

   * Fuzzy Math
      < http://www.thebots.net/FuzzyMath.htm >
   (thanks Antonino)

Chocoholics Rejoice

   It's a bit early for Easter, but here are some chocolate-related links.

   1. "Celebrities immortalised in chocolate"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1257550.html >
   "Jonathan Ross is beating David Beckham in the race to be turned into chocolate"

   2. "Chocolate nativity leaves Italians' mouths watering"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1258081.htm >
   "Christmas has never tasted this good - 32 pastry chefs in Italy have unveiled
    what they say is the biggest ever nativity scene made entirely of chocolate"

   3. Other unusual chocolate items
   *  Chocolate Cellular Phone
      < http://www.creativechocolatesofvt.com/Products/Cell_Phone.php3 >
   *  Chocolate Handbags
      < http://www.chocochocohouse.com/ >
   *  Chocolate Solar System"
      < http://www.guianupcial.com/detalles/baylina/ >
   *  The Art of Sushi in Chocolate
      < http://www.kookisushi.com/ >

   In other, possibly related, news:
   *  "Fear of world chocolate shortage"
      < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/06/26/
          nchoc26.xml >
   "The price of chocolate bars could soar if diseases that have devastated South
    America's cocoa crops are allowed to spread to other parts of the world, a
    scientist has warned"
   *  "UK shopper drives a sweet deal"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1102215.htm >
   "A woman with an apparently insatiable sweet tooth stunned staff at a British
    shop when she bought more than 10,000 chocolate bars and had them loaded into
    her chauffeur-driven limousine"

Dobbing Themselves In

   1. "Police nab drug dealer by SMS"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1247631.htm >
   "When Anthony Crown texted a methamphetamine offer, he did not know his
    client was sitting in a Wellington police station having just been arrested
    for burglary"

   2. "Burglar calls police on himself"
      < http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=1899072 >
   "The man was trying to rob a Dairy Mart when he placed a 911 emergency call
    claiming he was witnessing a burglary. He was apparently trying to divert
    attention from the scene"

   3. "Wrong number leads to woman's arrest"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1068932.htm >
   "US police say an Oklahoma woman dialed a wrong number and ended up under
    arrest after she tried to set up a drug deal with her former parole officer"

   4. "Robber tries to claim witness reward"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_901220.html >
   "A man who robbed a petrol station in Norway disguised as a ninja has been
    arrested after coming forward as a witness in a bid to claim a reward"

   5. "Spanish robbery suspect makes bad call"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1046493.htm >
   "Madrid police said on Monday they had arrested a 34-year-old man wanted in
    six robbery investigations around Spain after he blew his cover by making
    a crank call to a television crime program about an unrelated murder case"

   6. "Man nabbed after macabre Q&A"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/17/1076779955035.html >
   "A man who sought advice online about how to dispose of a corpse has been
    arrested in connection with a murder"

   7. "Faulty poison sparks complaint"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1240414.html >
   "A Romanian man complained to consumer protection officials after his
    attempt to poison his neighbour's dog failed"

   8. "Stuck, with stolen fire truck, man finishes binge in the mud"
      < http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/07/BAGVH9NFEC1.DTL >
   "He called for a tow truck on the engine's radio. The problem was, the
    intoxicated Gipson-Reynolds had just stolen the fire truck, crashing
    through the fire station door, to try to push his car out of the same mud"

   9. "Mistaken 911 call results in drug arrest"  [expired link]
      < http://www.local6.com/news/3841392/detail.html >
   "Investigators said the wrong number led them Wednesday to one the largest
    methamphetamine laboratories ever found in Bay County"

Mickey Mouse Courses

   1. "BA in surfing"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/28/1090694034017.html >
   "A college in Wales is offering a bachelor's degree in surfing, saying it
    will help Britain grab a bigger share of the world's multi-billion-dollar
    surfing industry"
      "Teachers attack 'hobby degrees'"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3926107.stm >
   "Hobbies such as surfing are being turned into 'Mickey Mouse' degree courses,
    a teachers' union conference is to be told"
      "'Surf' degree hits the rocks"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/3720956.stm >
   "A new course in surf and beach management has been dropped - because no-one
    would take it seriously"

   2. "School of rock opens in Buenos Aires"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1152027.html >
   "A real life school of rock has opened its doors in Argentina"

   3. "University offers course on American Idol"
      < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=qw1099052821991B225 >
   "The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will offer an academic course
    about the TV show American Idol, on which contestants try to sing their way
    to a recording contract"

   4. "Lil' Kim to visit college classroom"
      < http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6393081 >
   "Syracuse University students taking 'Hip-Hop Eshu: - The Life and Times of
    Lil' Kim' will have a guest speaker Wednesday - the multiplatinum recording
    artist herself"

   5. "Bra fitting course for students"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1218038.html >
   "School leavers are being offered the chance to study how to fit a bra"

   6. "Qualification in wheel clamping"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4055651.stm >
   "A UK exam board is offering a qualification in wheel clamping"

   7. "University offers UFOs course"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1227301.html >
   "Santiago University is offering a degree in UFOs"

   8. "Romanian Star Wars academy"
      < http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/weird/article.html?in_page_id=4&
          in_article_id=20018 >
   "Fancy learning how to handle a light sabre like Luke Skywalker or becoming
    fluent in Wookiee?"

Feats of Endurance

   1. "Ice hockey game makes record book"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1307055.htm >
   "A group of 40 Canadian players, who took to the ice on February 11, have
    shattered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest-ever ice hockey
    match by playing for 203 consecutive hours and have vowed to keep skating
    into Monday"

   2. "Comedian cracks gags - for 65 hours"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1202253.html >
   "A Colombian comedian has set a new world record by telling non-stop jokes
    for 65 hours"

   3. "Florida college DJ breaks record for longest continuous radio broadcast"
      < http://www.cp.org/english/online/full/oddities/050122/K012204AU.html >
   "Plotkin, 25, took to the airwaves at 9 a.m. Monday, and signed off at
    11:03 p.m. Friday, a 110-hour span"

   4. "A two day TV-a-thon has taken a Londoner into the record books"
      < http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/05/28/11528.shtml >
   "Allowed only a fifteen minute break every eight hours, Tom sat through
    forty-seven hours and eight minutes of telly, beating the previous record
    by seven minutes and forty-four seconds"

   5. "Nine day computer game exhausts boy"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_766075.html >
   "A 14-year-old Romanian boy has suffered a breakdown after reportedly
    playing a computer game for nine days and nights in a row"

   6. "Lecturer experiences ups and downs of setting records"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200307/s903080.htm >
   "An American lecturer in Germany has smashed the Guinness world record for
    non-stop roller coaster riding and is still going strong on day five of
    his amusement park marathon"

   7. "Nine-year-old claims world push-ups record"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1068773.html >
   "A nine-year-old Russian boy is claiming a new world record for the most
    push-ups in six and a half hours"

   8. "'Rolling saint' vows to get into Pakistan"
      < http://in.news.yahoo.com/040917/43/2g4wi.html >
   "The saint, who claims to have rolled over 25,000 km, said he would start
    rolling from this Sikh holy city to reach the Wagah border Saturday
    morning"

   9. "Holy man stays standing for 2 years"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1220463.html >
   "A holy man in northern India has become famous for remaining standing for
    the past two years"

   10. "Man kisses car for 54 hours"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1226607.html >
   "A Chilean man has won a competition after he kissed a car for 54 hours
    non-stop"

That's Entertainment!

   Some shows you may want to see (or avoid).

   1. "Theatre artist lets audience give him electric shock!"
      < http://news.newkerala.com/world-news/?action=fullnews&id=71139 >
   "In a unique one-man play in Brazil the performer gets an electric shock
    every time someone in the audience makes a noise, which could be anything
    like laughter, booing, applause or even coughing"

   2. "Fringe play has nothing to offer"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200308/s917764.htm >
   "Theatre-goers at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have a chance to sit back,
    relax and watch the play that offers absolutely nothing - no actors, no
    props, no sound and no plot"

   3. "Theater for one"  [expirted link]
      < http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/41516.htm >
   "For $20, she tells a five-minute story to a ticket holder who sits blind-
    folded in a throne-like rocking chair with hands restrained"

   4. "Balloon orchestra caresses Birmingham with sleep music"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1216531,00.html >
   "[S]pecially composed music played from a flight of hot air balloons
    drifting over the dozing city... This year's festival includes The
    Courtesan Tales [see previous story], where audience members will be
    strapped into a rocking chair and blindfolded, while a performer sits
    on their laps and whispers stories; and The Judas Cradle, based on
    'a torture device developed in the Middle Ages'"

   5. "New play invites audience to share giant bed"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1270832.html >
   "They are selected at random and have to wear blindfolds for the whole
    hour-long performance. The actors then perform different 'experiences'
    on the volunteers"

   6. "Now, Maradona enters the theatre!"
      < http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1148045,00110002.htm >
   "Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona's roller coaster life has been
    transformed into a theatre play"

   7. "No 'Springer' fever"
      < http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99012,00.html >
   "'Jerry Springer, the Opera' - critically acclaimed and much-hyped
    during its run at London's non-profit National Theatre - isn't faring
    nearly as well in the commercial West End"

   8. "Artist to screen video in Antarctica"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1276993.html >
   "An Argentine artist is to screen a spectacular month-long video
    installation - on Antarctic glaciers"

Five-Star Zoos

   1. "Dutch zoo brings in sunbed for rhinos"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1301338.htm >
   "A Dutch zoo is giving its rhinoceroses sunbed treatment to make up for
    the lack of sunlight during the cold gray winter months"

   2. "Moscow Zoo to have TV sets in cages"
      < http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/361/12050_zoo.html >
   "Gorillas in the Moscow zoo will soon watch TV programs... these programs
    are important for intellectual progress of anthropoids"

   3. "Zoo serves brandy to bears"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_852602.html >
   "Authorities in state-run Chatbir zoo, in Punjab state, are offering the
    alcoholic drink to keep the animals warm"

   4. "Zoo gives monkeys rum and hot massages during winter"
      < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20040106134453908C865585 >
   "Animals in a northern Indian zoo are warding off the bitter winter chill
    with hot oil massages, generous swigs of rum and heaters"

   5. "Alaska Zoo to build first elephant treadmill"
      < http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=92169 >
   "Alaska Zoo is to build what it believes to be the world's first elephant
    treadmill as part of plans to enrich its only elephant's life with better
    accommodation and activities"

   6. "Baby elephant enjoys paddling pool"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_933982.html >
   "Zookeepers in Austria set up a paddling pool to keep a baby elephant cool
    during an unexpected burst of warm weather"

   7. "Shy moose given assertiveness training"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1015954.html >
   "A Dutch zoo has given a shy young moose assertiveness training to help
    him fit in with the herd"

Losing Their Cool

   1. "Man burns down home over no gifts"
      < http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=374396 >
   "A man angry that he got no presents for Christmas burned down his
    parents' house early the next morning"

   2. "Man goes berserk at Burger King"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/01/03/806406-ap.html >
   "A Burger King customer berated the employees and nearly hit one of them
    with his truck after the clerk at the drive-thru window told him they were
    out of french fries"

   3. "Man accused of ramming car ahead of him in fast food drive-through lane"
      < http://www.stardem.com/article.asp?paper=1&cat=1&article=1667 >
   "Easton police Tuesday arrested an Easton man accused of ramming his car
    into the van in front of him in the McDonald's drive-through lane because
    its occupants were taking too long to place their order"

   4. "Kapow! Bam! Superheroes in food fight frenzy"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1273918.htm >
   "Their fictional counterparts might be tireless battlers for truth and
    justice but when three British men dressed as Spiderman, Superman and
    Batman came to blows the reason was far more prosaic - a shortage of
    burgers"

   5. "Phone rage in Fargo"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/05/14/459750-ap.html >
   "A man who said he was fed up with his cellular phone service went to a
    Fargo mall and started hurling phones across a store, striking an
    employee and causing more than $2,000 in damage"

   6. "Feud leads to mini-demo derby"
      < http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13642025 >
   "The parking lot of C & W Auto Glass was the scene of a violent automotive
    encounter Monday, when two Godfrey men repeatedly rammed vehicles in a
    quarrel that broke out over the affections of a woman"

Unusual Payment Options

   1. "A pizza a week"
      < http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article960414.ece >
   "A Norwegian soccer player has been tempted to continue his career after a
    local club promised him a rather unusual salary"

   2. "German film fans get to watch first, pay later"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_753128.html >
   "Under the motto Pay Later, visitors to the Friedrichsbau cinema in Freiburg
    are able to decide for themselves how much they want to pay once they have
    seen the movie"

   3. "The economics of trust"
      < http://parossi.blogspot.com/2004/10/economics-of-trust.html >
   "[A] restaurant in the suburbs of London where there are no prices on the
    menu. Customers pay what they think the meal was worth"

   4. "'Pay what you want' airfare"  [expired link]
      < http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,249693,00.html >
   "Even as airlines in Asia slug it out with new low-cost rivals, a new
    European budget airline has come up with a new promotional gimmick to
    attract customers. It is telling passengers: pay what you want to pay"

   5. "Pay-What-You-Want ticket policy begins January 2004"
      < http://www.theaterproject.com/Tickets.html >

   6. "Bell Mobility clients hit by billing errors"
      < http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_bell20041104 >
   "Bell says, until the system is fixed, subscribers should pay only what
    they think they owe. Overpayments will be refunded, and interest will
    not be charged for late or underpayments"

   7. "Free parking for a song"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_864874.html >
   "Visitors to Leiden during the city's annual music festival gain free
    entrance to the main car park if they agree to sing"

This is a Stick-up

   1. "Man robs doughnut business with laser"
      < http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-7/
          110637885390220.xml >
   "The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office was looking Friday for a man who
    held up a Metairie doughnut shop wearing a pillowcase with eyeholes cut
    out and armed with a laser pointer"

   2. "Robbery plan falls apart with gun"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1225289.htm >
   "Two clumsy German thieves bungled their bank robbery after a customer
    caught up in the robbery yelled, 'it's a fake', when one of their guns
    fell apart after being dropped on the floor"

   3. "Man tries to rob gun shop with toy pistol"  [expired link]
      < http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews
          &storyID=3047457 >
   "Armed with a toy pistol, a would-be robber picked himself an unlikely
    target in central Paris -- a gun shop. Staff at the Armurerie Gare de
    l'Est in the French capital immediately identified the weapon as
    harmless"

   4. "Would-be robber points uncovered finger, not gun"  [expired link]
      < http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2292664/detail.html >
   "Man uses the old 'finger in pocket' trick during holdup, forgets the
    pocket part"

   5. "Robbery suspect uses finger as gun, police say"
      < http://www.greenvilleonline.com/news/2004/02/03/2004020324026.htm >
   "Greenville County Sheriff's deputies are looking for a man who tried
    robbing a West Parker Road liquor store with his pointed finger"

   6. "Bandits rob stores with cup of coffee"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/09/24/201505-ap.html >
   "A thief tossed piping hot coffee at cashiers working at three Grand
    Rapids stores robbed during a span of less than an hour, injuring at
    least one clerk"

   7. "Thief with sticks tries to rob stores"
      < http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=FBCAE58D
          -EDA8-42A2-A4BD-BD18103841B4 >
   "Employees and customers at the store did not think the man was serious,
    so they laughed at him. The man then left, police said"

   8. "Rusty pitchfork used by suspect in bank robbery"  [expired link]
      < http://www.wftv.com/news/3713173/detail.html >
   "A robber who used a rusty pitchfork to stick up a bank got away -- and
    so far, finding him has been like looking for a needle in a haystack"

   (a John West post)

Love is a Sickness

   Some people argue that love is a disease.  Here is a collection of
   recent news items which seems to support that theory.

   1. "Pizza robbery turns into a fateful attraction"
      < http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/01/
          22pizzarobberytur.html >
   "Just when you think you've heard every pickup line: Two men were charged
    with robbing a Domino's Pizza deliverywoman after one of them called the
    victim back on his cell phone to apologize - and ask her out on a date"

   2. "Lovesick man's police gaffe"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1052046.html >
   "A lovesick German man made a false report to police in the hope he'd be
    arrested by a female officer he fancied"

   3. "Breaking the law for love"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/15/1089694494574.html >
   "A Romanian who was suing his employers for unfair dismissal fell in love
    with the judge hearing the case and decided to sue again dozens of times
    just to get to see her"

   4. "Lovelorn Japanese gangster offers severed pinkie"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1228409.htm >
   "An unemployed ex-gangster in Japan in love with a 15-year-old girl has
    chopped off his little finger and mailed it to her father twice in an
    unsuccessful bid to prove his commitment, police have said"

   5. "Man staged break-in to look like hero to wife"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1123484.html >
   "A man who tried to impress his wife by setting up a break-in at their
    home in Oklahoma, has been arrested"

   6. "Man plans own kidnapping to test wife's love"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1022097.htm >
   "[He] said that by planning for his own kidnapping he was trying to test
    whether his wife loved him"

   7. "Woman stays indoors for 14 years"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1145031.html >
   "A Romanian woman hasn't left her house for 14 years in a bid to prove
    to her jailed husband that she's being faithful"


   "Love is a Sickness", by Samuel Daniel
      < http://www.englishverse.com/poems/love_is_a_sickness >
   A 400+ year-old poem on the subject.

Examples of Punishment by Shaming

   1. "Bus of shame for bad behaviour"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/dorset/3037999.stm >
   "The threat of arriving at school on a pink 'punishment bus' is acting as
    a deterrent to badly behaved youngsters"

   2. "Shoplifting causes a dilemma"
      < http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-10/27/content_275932.htm >
   "An unidentified woman was caught red-handed stealing fish and yogurt at a
    supermarket in Shenzhen near Hong Kong. She was forced to parade outside
    holding a poster reading 'I am a shameless thief.'"

   3. "Mail thief to wear sign: 'I have stolen mail'"
      < http://www.nbc11.com/news/2006061/detail.html >
   "[He] must spend 100 hours in front of a post office with a sign saying
    'I have stolen mail. This is my punishment.' He'll also serve two months
    in prison"

   4. "Teen to wear blindfold for stealing adult videos"
      < http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3031293/detail.html >
   "A teen caught stealing adult videos from Popular and Adult Videos in Paine-
    sville will have to stand in front of the store wearing a blindfold for
    four hours"

   5. "Man sentenced to ring bell for false alarm"
      < http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2789200/detail.html >
   "[He was] sentenced to ring a bell at several fire stations, and apologize
    in person to firefighters for wasting their time"

   6. "Shaming the drunk drivers"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/25/1064083127648.html >
   "Judge William White, from Pensacola, Florida, routinely requires those
    convicted of driving under the influence to attach a red and yellow bumper
    sticker that reads: 'How is my driving? Call Toll-Free 1-866-I-SAW-YOU The
    Judge wants to know!!!'"

   7. "Traffic offenders hopping to get back on board"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1156153.htm >
   "Police in the crime-ridden Colombian city of Medellin are making miscreant
    motorcyclists play hopscotch on a mat displaying traffic signs"

   8. "Drivers made to hop like frogs"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1270801.html >
   "Truck drivers who are caught speeding in an Indian state are being made to
    hop like frogs"

   9. "Bank posts details of bad debtors on website"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1079264.html >
   "A spokesman for the Meridian Bank said they'd been forced to take the
    measure because public prosecutors failed to take legal action against
    clients who hadn't paid their debts"

Let's Get Quizzical

   Here are some interesting personality quizzes.  My results are listed
   under the links.  I'll let those who know me decide on their accuracy :)

   1. "What kind of Sixties Person are you?"
      < http://quizilla.com/users/shanachie/quizzes/What%20kind%20of%20Sixties
          %20Person%20are%20you%3F/ >
   -> You are a Radical. Right on!
      

   2. "What color are you?"
      < http://quizilla.com/users/Aliteinthesky/quizzes/What%20color%20are%20you
          %3F%20(Amazingly%20detailed%20&%20accurate--with%20pics!)/ >
   -> You're the color blue
      
You're the color blue.  You have the three c's in
life--you're cool, caring and confident.
Trustworthy and honest, people are naturally
attracted to you.  You're unusually optimistic,
but that makes life all the better.  You're an
imaginative person who loves sleeping and
dreaming.  Hard-working and determined, you
excell in school.  You're everybody's favorite,
and this is because you have this undefined
richness in your personality and attitude.
Mild-tempered and stable.  Not to mention very
intelligent.  Along with the fact that you're
conservative, you're worried about the
environment.  So basically, you're a generous,
dependable and devoted--just the kind of person
everybody needs.  Wouldn't it be great if
everybody in the world were like you?

   3. "Which annoying B-list celebrity are you?"
      < http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/tests/celebrity/ >
   -> Regis Philbin
      

   4. "What type of villain are you?"
      < http://www.mutedfaith.com/quiz/vq.htm >
   -> You are the... Evil Genius
      

   5. "Which file extension are you?"
      < http://www.bbspot.com/News/2004/10/extension_quiz.php >
   -> You are .rpm
      

   6. "Which OS are you?"
      < http://www.bbspot.com/News/2003/01/os_quiz.php >
   -> You are Slackware Linux
      
   [I'm very disappointed that I'm not Mac OS X, but at least I'm not Windows]

   7. "Which random image are you?"
      < http://www.kwiz.biz/showquiz.php?quizid=34 >
   -> "Made With A Mac" icon [honestly!]
      

   8. "What kind of geek are you?"
      < http://www.kwiz.biz/showquiz.php?quizid=10411 >
   Your IQ is: quite high
   You are a: computer geek
   Your strength is: you never need to sleep
   Your weakness is: electrons
   You think normal people are: strange
   Normal people think that you are: disturbed

Rags to Riches

   1. "From down and out to filthy rich"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/11/1071125595213.html >
   "Three weeks ago, the unemployed 44-year-old was eating beef stew out of
    a can, and scraping by on food and cash donations from neighbours and
    charities. His water and power supply had long been cut off, he hadn't
    worked since August when he was laid off from his job as a cab driver,
    and he hadn't bathed in months... A gamble on the Illinois state lottery
    changed all that, turning the down-at-heel Gatzke into a multi-
    millionaire overnight when he netted $US5.5 million ($A7.46 million)"

   2. "Bankrupt man wins lottery"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1187256.html >
   "A car park attendant with just 53p in the bank bought a lottery ticket
    on the day he was declared bankrupt - and won £47 million"

   3. "Street criminal becomes top athlete in Brazil"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_811618.html >
   "One day Ana Luiza said she was watching TV on a shop window and she saw
    the movie Chariots of Fire and felt inspired to run as an athlete"

   4. "Homeless man offering Titanic plate on e-Bay"
      < http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=2644897 >
   "Now Sherman -- who reportedly has been sleeping under a freeway bridge
    near downtown Dallas -- is offering the small plate for auction. It's
    listed on e-Bay with an opening bid of just under 50-thousand dollars"

   5. "Faulty Fortis ATM allows homeless to withdraw EUR100,000"
      < http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=13175 >
   "A faulty cash machine owned by Fortis Bank in Rotterdam allowed 20
    homeless social security recipients to withdraw EUR100,000"

   ----

   At work we have a "social" mailing list where people share links to funny
   sites and jokes.  Last week someone posted a list of links which looked
   rather familiar: it was in fact a forward of my "Audacious Heists" B-List
   post from mid-December.  I'd like to know how many individual forwards it
   took to get back to me in that time (about 40 days).

Just the Ticket + Atom

   1. "German radar police stumped by parking ticket"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1294842.htm >
   "An over-zealous policeman has slapped a parking ticket on the windshield
    of a fellow officer's squad car while his colleagues were setting a radar
    trap to catch speeding motorists in a town in eastern Germany"

   2. "Warden gives bus parking ticket"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2808771.stm >
   "A bus driver was issued with a parking ticket after stopping to pick up
    passengers"

   3. "Traffic police investigated after driverless car charge"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1252114.htm >
   "Driving in the bus lane without a driver is perhaps the most bizarre
    charge levelled at bemused motorists by Rome's over-zealous traffic
    police"

   4. "Car ticketed after yellow lines appear"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_773260.html >
   "A teenager has been given a parking ticket after double-yellow lines were
    painted on either side of his car"

   5. "Yellow lines painted under driver's parked car"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_938219.html >
   "Driver Steve Tether received a parking ticket after workmen painted yellow
    lines under his car"

   6. "Swedish man bewildered over British parking ticket"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1193390.htm >
   "A Swedish man says he has received a ticket for illegally parking his
    snowmobile in Great Britain - even though the vehicle has never left
    Sweden"

   7. "Man clamped while buying ticket"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1193169.html >
   "A chauffeur was clamped while buying a parking permit"

   8. "Mother fined while getting ticket"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_955007.html >
   "A young mother has reportedly been given a parking fine because she took
    too long to get a car park ticket"

   9. "Parking attendant 'books bunny'"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3051447.stm >
   "A pet shop owner was left in a stew when a traffic warden gave one of
    ticket on the rabbit's hutch in his shop in Eccles, Greater Manchester"

   10. "Small cars get ticketed in SUV land"
      < http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/12/07/BAGRFA7H1I1.DTL >
   "The city parking lot where he had found a spot has two rows of slots
    reserved for vehicles 6-foot-5 inches or taller, according to sign posted
    in the garage. Wainwright, with his Acura, was too short to park there"

   ----

   If you know what an Atom feed is, you might be interested to know I've enabled
   this technology on my blogs.  So if you like using news reader software, you
   can subscribe to the following feeds:
   * B-List
      < http://b-list.blogspot.com/atom.xml >
   * L'orto di Bruno (my vegetable garden blog)
      < http://bruno-orto.blogspot.com/atom.xml >

   If you don't know what Atom is but are curious, visit the following link:
      < http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=697&topic=36 >

If At First You Don't Succeed...

   1. Drivers testing their patience
   a. "Driver passes after 21 tests"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2847547.stm >
   "After 350 lessons and 20 failed tests over five years Belinda Harrell
    has finally heard the words 'You've passed'"
   b. "Driving test quest passed"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3118773.stm >
   "A supermarket worker has passed her driving test at the 20th attempt
    after taking more than 300 lessons. Sue Mcllwraith, of Hill Top, West
    Bromwich, West Midlands, said she was delighted to have made the break-
    through after spending £7,000 on tuition since 1996"
   c. "Woman takes nine years to pass her driving test"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1179148.html >
   "A woman has finally passed her driving test on her 10th attempt. Dawn
    Forster has had 1,300 driving lessons costing £7,000 over a nine year
    period"

   2. "Man, 56, to attempt school exams for 38th time"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_884660.html >
   "An Indian man who vowed he would not marry until he passed his school
    exams is about to take them for a record 38th time"

   3. "Fla. teacher failed Math test 6 times"  [expired link]
      < http://www.local6.com/news/2064097/detail.html >
   "Cougill, 36, acknowledges she has a 'math block'"

   4. "Church solves 65-year-old political mystery"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1076134.htm >
   "A Speaker's chair that went missing from Tasmania's House of Assembly
    nearly 65 years ago has been found"

   5. "Red Sox clinch World Series"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3960577.stm >
   "The Boston Red Sox ended 86 years of hurt by beating St Louis Cardinals
    to win the World Series"

   6. "Team ends 113-game losing streak"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/02/03/919683-ap.html >
   "Daleville won its first girls basketball game in six years Thursday
    night, ending the longest losing streak in Indiana high school basketball
    history at 113 games"

   7. "130-year-old Chinese fire put out"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3978329.stm >
   "A fire that broke out more than 100 years ago at a Chinese coalfield has
    finally been extinguished"

   This reminds me of a story I read in Bill Bryson's "Lost Continent", about
   a coal seam fire in America that is slowly eating up a town:
   "Centralia's Mine Fire History"
      < http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia-history.htm >
   "The fire was started in a garbage dump over an open coal seam in May of
    1962... In 1983, there was fire under about 350 surface acres... [it
    still is burning to this day, and there] were no further plans to
    fight the fire"

Human Billboards

   1. "Man rents out forehead"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/01/25/910031-ap.html >
   "A web-page designer who auctioned off the use of his forehead for
    advertising space is letting it go to his head"

   2. "Bald man's head auctioned for ad space"
      < http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/3659752/detail.html >
   "Jeremy Martin, 21, says he will tattoo the name and logo of the highest
    bidder on his bald head for a price"

   3. "Pregnant woman sells bump as billboard"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1268518.html >
   "A single mum-to-be is auctioning off her bump as advertising space on eBay"

   4. "Woman rents cleavage in eBay auction"
      < http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/cleavage_ebay/ >
   "Says Angel in her eBay listing for ample 42GG breasts: 'No longer
    restricted to USA based advertising, you can now rent my cleavage for
    a period of 15 days, during which I will display your company logo,
    slogan or web-site address in the form of a temporary tattoo you will
    supply to me"

   5. "The human billboards"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/22/1069027386749.html >
   "Two young Sydney entrepreneurs and best mates have come up with an
    innovative marketing scheme: canvas vests with built-in mini tele-
    visions that show moving advertisements"

   6. "'Billboards' that walk, talk, and even flirt a little"
      < http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0708/p11s01-wmgn.html >
   "Eleven-inch, flat television screens adorn the fronts of T-shirts worn
    by winsome women deployed to be, in the words of the product's developer,
    'aggressively friendly'"

   7. "Advertising spreads - to beggars' coats"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1188680.html >
   "Homeless people in Holland are being given free winter coats - on the
    condition they allow firms to advertise on them"


   [B-List Flashback]
      < Living Billboards (Tue, 09 Sep 2003) >

Animals Hogging the Road

   1. "Shepherds drive flock through central Madrid"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1248558.htm >
   "Visitors to Madrid could have been forgiven for thinking they had
    stepped back into the Middle Ages when shepherds drove 1,200 sheep
    through Spain's bustling capital, laying claim to ancient migration
    routes"

   2. "Elephant escapes, blocks traffic in Manila"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/05/08/82613-ap.html >
   "An elephant escaped from a circus Thursday and ran among pedestrians
    and motorists on a busy Philippine highway before a truck driver
    blocked its escape"

   3. "Pigs cause chaos on Austrian motorway"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1038974.html >
   "Nearly 200 pigs escaped onto a busy motorway in Austria after the
    lorry carrying them turned over"

   4. "Moose loose on city streets"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/09/26/210157-ap.html >
   "A wild moose wandered in from the forest surrounding Norway's capital
    Friday, startling early risers who spotted it ambling through downtown
    streets"

   5. "Deer on the loose in Sydney streets"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200312/s1002988.htm >
   "Residents of Sydney's inner-west are being asked to report sightings
    of a stray deer that evaded capture yesterday"

   6. "Road closed: Snake traffic"
      < http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/weird_news/7084877.htm >
   "Twice a year, during migration season, a government-owned road here
    closes to vehicle traffic in order to protect reptiles and amphibians"

   7. "15,000 caribou stop the traffic in Labrador"  [expired link]
      < http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id=FFE1B773-E47C-
          4F82-8670-3B29E82E069B >
   "The world's largest herd of caribou is using a major highway for its
    annual migration this year, causing unprecedented traffic tie-ups in
    Labrador that may last well into next spring"

   8. "Wayward koala eludes police"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1067780.htm >
   "Police from Churchill, in Victoria's south-east, have spent a busy
    morning trying to apprehend a wayward koala which was disrupting
    traffic at the town's main intersection"

   9. "Emu on the run in northern suburbs"
      < http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/112204_ns_emu.html >
   "Three emu were spotted roaming the northern suburbs. One was found in
    a forest preserve near the Chicago Botanic Garden"

Using Music to Drive Away Undesirables + January Postings Reprised

   A. Using Music to Drive Away Undesirables

   1. "Music to drive away tube louts"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,1389137,00.html >
   "Tube bosses intend to use recordings of Pavarotti recitals, Vivaldi and
    Mozart in a battle against anti-social behaviour at 35 stations on the
    District, East London, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines"

   2. "Cliff helps to clear pubs"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1205258.html >
   "Landlords have found the best way to get rid of drinkers at closing time
    at Christmas is to play a Cliff Richard song"

   3. "Meatloaf sees off wild boars"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1135129.html >
   "Serbian villagers are blaring out rock music 24 hours a day in a bid to
    stop wild boars destroying their crops"

   4. "Noises drive flying foxes batty"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1239120.htm >
   "Lawn mowers and stock whips have frightened off nuisance fruit bats at
    one of the Northern Territory's premier tourist spots"


   B. January Postings Reprised

   [S. American Art Collection]
   * "Artist glues 2,000 snails to church"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1242012.html >
   "A Chilean artist has glued 2,000 plastic snails to a church to promote
    her new exhibition"
   * "Artist covers herself with raw meat"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1253657.html >
   "A Chilean performance artist is causing controversy by covering her naked
    body with raw meat"

   [Cruel Baby Names]
   * "Yahoo! baby revealed as hoax"
      < http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/68700/yahoo-baby-revealed-as-hoax.html >
   "An off-beat news story that did the rounds recently was a Romanian couple
    naming their child 'Yahoo!' to express their joy at having first met over
    the Internet"

   [Strange But True]
   * "Twins make same mistake on test"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1256791.html >
   "Identical twin brothers have passed their driving tests after making the
    same mistake with the same examiner"