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Humor

"It is the right hemisphere that understands the emotional or the humorous aspect of a narrative; it is also better able to appreciate irony and sarcasm – all that is not explicit but radically alters meaning. . . . There is a large literature showing that the right hemisphere is crucial for appreciation of cartoons, jokes and humour of every kind." Iain McGilchrist, The Matter with Things

Drunk Guys Throwing Heavy Objects

> A game to see who could throw an empty half-barrel of beer the farthest injured two bystanders at a party in the town of Ahnapee early Monday. > During the contest, a 20-year-old man threw the half-barrel and hit several bystanders, injuring two of them, according to the Kewaunee

Insuring Against Attacks by Our Underwater Ally

> One of the world's most famous fables faces a serious financial test in two weeks' time when 100 international athletes plunge into Loch Ness - each insured for Â£1m against monster bites. > A hefty but undisclosed premium has been paid by organisers of Scotland&

Fodder for the Anarchists

> For motorists wondering whether police are working on a quota system, an answer can be found in Montana. > A new policy requires state troopers to stop at least one vehicle an hour, whether the driver has done anything wrong or not. But the driver doesn't have

Pictures? Have Mercy on the Rest of Us

We're torn. On the one hand, we favor public humiliation of criminal offenders (assuming society recognizes any behavior that's shameful). On the other hand, we're fans of moderate outdoor urination: > Officials at the waterfall VÃ¸ringfossen, on the road between Bergen and Oslo,

Divorced Tarzan

> A Romanian man ended up in hospital after he tried to swing from tree to tree to escape his wife and go drinking. > Stefan Trisca, 66, had been locked in the bedroom by his wife who was fed up with him going drinking with his friends. Link [http:

Wait Until PETA Gets Ahold of This

Evidence, in the PETA world, that animals are people, too? > Animal experts in Croatia say a bear has learned how to trick people to let him in by knocking at the door. > They believe the 35-stone brown bear probably learned the trick while nudging a door to get

More than Fried Chicken and NASCAR

> Bobbing for pig feet, the mudpit belly-flop, the armpit serenade - they're all part of the Redneck Games [ http://redneckgames.tripod.com ], a series of good ole'ympic events for the ain't-so-athletic celebrating their 10th year in middle Georgia. > Started as a Southern-fried

An Ecumenical Moment

For rock-n-roll fans out there with a penchant for things Jewish, you may want to check out Jews Rock [http://jewsrock.org/]. We can't say we're highly impressed with their assortment of Semitic rockers, though. One article refers to the "Holy Trinity of Brooklyn Rock&

Dog Funeral

We rarely offer straight jokes on this site, but this one cracked us up: Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and asked, "Father, me dog is dead. Could ya&

The Oneness of Vice

> A woman shoplifter in Germany abandoned her three-month-old baby after being caught stealing from a supermarket, authorities said Friday. > "When the security man told the woman to enter his office so he could check her identification, the perpetrator took off, leaving behind the baby and the pram,