And Now for the News

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I haven't had time to keep up with one of my favorite sources for the oddball little news stories that I usually place at the bottom of posts--Dave Barry's Blog. But now I've caught up, so I'll devote this post to a bunch of those stories as well:

• I mentioned a few days ago that I finished submitting grades for the college. Here's a guide to grading exams (purely tongue-in-cheek, of course) from a law professor.


• Toy review: One of my favorite columnists, James Lileks (and his daughter Natalie) review a new toy: the Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes and Keyboard Experience.


• A chronically unemployed German man ran into an important politician in Berlin and proceeded to badger him about the apparent slowness of reforms aimed at lowering unemployment. The polltician took one look at the guy (unshaven, in need of a bath, punk haircut, nose rings) and said, "If you would just wash and shave, you'd find a job, too." So the guy did just that, and now he's gotten multiple job offers.


• Politically incorrect beer name of the season: Santa's Butt Winter Porter.


• Speaking of beer (and England, where Santa's Butt is brewed), British scientists have come up with a technical explanation for the "beer goggles" phenomenon.


• One more from England: the war on terror has now turned liquid-centered donuts into contraband on airplanes.


• And finally, the story of a parent who may have overreacted a bit: A 12-year-old kid in South Carolina opened one of his Christmas presents early, so his mother had him arrested.

I have just one more short morning of teaching left tomorrow, and after that, I'll definitely be able to get caught up on the posts that have been sitting unfinished for a few weeks.