Comm-oddities

Chinese county revokes rule requiring officials to smoke local cigarettes

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:56:56 -0500

A county in rural China has backtracked on an edict that government employees must smoke only locally made cigarettes after the order was reported in a newspaper.

Brits set to nosh on squirrel-flavoured potato chips

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:34:43 -0500

British tastebuds will never be the same, as a gaggle of outlandish potato chip varieties – including Cajun squirrel – hit store shelves across the country on Friday.

Will a green phone ring up sales?

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:52:36 -0500

In the hotly competitive cellphone market, a small marketing edge can really help. A green edge is even better, with consumers worried about the state of the environment.

Ozark cave owner turns to eBay in search of a bidder

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:10:16 -0500

Calling Batman: cave owner Steve Rush has a deal for you

Rush, 49, is auctioning off the Mystic Caverns in the hills of Ozark Mountains on eBay. The 28-acre property in Arkansas includes a gift shop and three caves, two of which are safe enough for
visitors.

'No god' campaign to be carried on British buses

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:08:31 -0500

London buses have God on their side — but not for long, if atheists have their way.

Belly bruising 9 kg burger eaten in under five hours

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:08:20 -0500

In four hours and 39 minutes, a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man became the first person ever to finish a seven-kilogram hamburger at a local pub.

U.S. drivers see windfall over fuel price mistake

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:01:33 -0500

Sure, gasoline prices have come down lately. But to 10.9 cents a litre?

Eating champ delivers top pizza performance in N.Y.

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:57:07 -0500

Chow-down champ Joey Chestnut has done it again, this time proving he's a pizza powerhouse.

What stock market crash?

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:01:37 -0500

Got $1,500 for a Karl Lagerfeld teddy bear for your little one? How about a cool million for a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, or $10 million for a thoroughbred racing stable package, including up to 15 horses trained and raced for four years.

Search launched for Scotland's oldest TV

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:19:52 -0500

A search to find Scotland's oldest working television was announced on Friday.

Billions of possibilities

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:29:16 -0500

The Associated Press

If the $700-billion US price tag attached to the failed Wall Street bailout plan sounds like a lot, well, it is.

Jigsaw enthusiasts piece together Guinness record bid

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:21:52 -0500

Some 15,000 enthusiasts have assembled the world's largest jigsaw puzzle in the southern German town of Ravensburg, Europe's biggest puzzle maker said.

Booming market spurs diaper fashion show

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:31:19 -0500

One after the other, the models strutted across the stage to bouncy '80s dance tunes, all showing off designs of the same article of clothing — adult diapers.

Chef offers free diner to right customer

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:21:24 -0500

Pennsylvania-based Jerry Grubb cares so deeply about the future of his former diner that he is offering to give away the 1950s-style restaurant for free.

Mature Canadians making cruise-ship waves, survey suggests

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:33:37 -0500

Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians over 45 who have taken a cruise ship holiday have had sex while aboard, according to a poll conducted for a Canadian cruise planning website.