Miscellaneous

At least we can laugh as we hurtle toward Gommorah: > Torben Hansen, who has cerebral palsy, which severely affects his speech and mobility, believes his local authority should pay the extra charge he incurs when he hires a sex worker - because his disability means he cannot go to see

. . . when the wife stops yelling at you, your blood pressure drops: > Everyday around-the-house activities such as housecleaning, yard work and washing the car have been shown to significantly lower blood pressure in people with hypertension and prehypertension, Indiana University researchers have found. Link [http://healthnewsdigest.com/news/

With predictions of 100-150 million deaths resulting from the bird flu, this product will "fly" off the shelves: > A tissue that is claimed to kill 99.9 per cent of cold and flu viruses has been developed. > Makers Kleenex say that within 15 minutes of

Michigan actually passed a statute against this, making it a misdemeanor, if I recall correctly. Florida apparently has an even better law: > Two Florida men are facing felony obscenity charges after a Jacksonville cop spotted a pornographic movie playing in their car in full view of children in nearby

> A solar-powered handbag designed by a student from Brunel University promises to make finding keys and other items at the bottom of a bag easier. > The handbag, dubbed Sun Trap, uses a solar cell attached to the outside of the bag to trap energy from sunlight. >

Will Frist want federal funding for this, too? > Colombian police searching couriered packages for contraband made a chilling discovery on Wednesday: three human foetuses wrapped in plastic and concealed inside porcelain statues of Christian saints. > Anti-narcotics police chief General Jorge Baron said the four- to five-month-

As a youngster, I had a morbid fear of quicksand, even though I had never seen it, so I found this interesting: > Research has shown that it is impossible for people to sink into quicksand much beyond the waist – but it is equally impossible to pull someone out once

> A Dutch witch has won her battle to make the cost of her brooms and spell-making lessons tax-deductable. > Tax officials finally agreed that the un-named woman could declare the cost of her overheads against tax. Link [http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1552461.html]

You like that new-car smell? Smell again: > According to a recent study, that pleasurable scent has been linked to harmful chemicals--volatile organic compound or VOC--which releases chemicals from glues, paints, and vinyl. > The smell inside the cabin of the car can trigger headaches, sore throats,