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• Position: Course in Rome, Italy offers armored combat with sword and shield; this and other items are discussed - Brief Article

From an article in The Times of London on what office workers in Rome do during their off-hours to relieve stress: For a little more than $100, "blood-thirsty Romans can now strap on some sandals, slip on a tunic, and join a course that teaches them the joys of hand-to-hand combat. Stressed-out office workers are flocking to the school.... Each student on the course is given blunted steel weapons, full body armor, and a name from Nero's eleventh Claudia legion. A typical combat involves two adversaries, each armed with two swords and a shield, hammering out a tinpan symphony on each other.... Women, or rather Amazons, are more than welcome to join in the melee so long as they wear costumes that are suitably risque."

Butt Out!

From the on-line edition of the Orlando Sentinel datelined Bratt, Florida, on an unusual fundraiser at Northview High School: "`I don't have a problem with fundraisers, but having to buy things for grades is a whole other thing,' said parent Lisa Emmons. She bought $203.75 worth of meat to ensure her daughter's A, she said. Secretary Pat Brown of the School Advisory Council was also angry that students had to sell pork to make the grade. `I was told if my daughter sold ten Boston butts, she made 100; nine of them, a 90, and so on,' Brown said. `That means Mama's going to be buying her grade. I don't have time to run around pushing Boston butts.' Principal Gayle Weaver denied the sales were linked to grades, but journalism teacher Vicki Baggett, whose father smoked the butts, admitted they counted for 10 percent of a student's grade and were an essential part of her class. Both defended the sales."

Saturday Night Special

From a Reuters on-line report datelined Powell, Tennessee, on used car dealer Greg "Lumpy" Lambert, the head of Advantage Auto Sales: "On what he has dubbed `Second Amendment Saturday'--a reference to the U.S. Constitution's arms-bearing provision--buyers will receive a voucher redeemable for a used, bolt action rifle at GunCraft Sports in nearby West Knoxville.... There's something for the kids, too--every child who comes to the lot gets a free squirt gun, even if their parents don't buy a car."

The CIA Plays It Safe

From an article in The Wall Street...