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Bomb Shelter Redux

From an article in The Wall Street Journal datelined Zurich on modernized bomb shelters: "The newer houses in the neighborhood have bomb shelters with all the modern bomb-shelter conveniences: Bunk beds that double up as shelves. Dry toilets. Newfangled concussion absorbers for the walls and ceilings. And, best of all, motorized air-filtration systems.... People are using their shelters, particularly the bigger ones, for all sorts of post-Cold War pleasures. Like rock band practice and pistol shooting and wrestling competition and mushroom breeding and bowling alleys and saunas. There's even word of one man converting his shelter into a pizza oven."

Holiday in Kiev

From an article in the International Herald Tribune datelined Kiev: "Alaris, a private sector tourist outfit, has teamed up with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to offer the ultimate adventure holiday for the growing army of nouveaux riches tired of bungee jumping and safaris.... A six-kilometer (3.75-mile) jaunt in a T-80 tank through the picturesque woods of the Ukrainian steppe (civilian driver's license not required) will cost $350. But if the adventurer is feeling trigger-happy, he or she will have to shell out another $300 to fire the tank's gun. More expensive is an hour-long, hair-raising ride in the Mid-8 helicopter gunship, at $3,600 to $4,300.... Alaris is keen to stress that such adventure holidays are not designed to offer a training ground for thugs and criminals."

Graffiti Capitalism

From an Associated Press story on IBM: "Big Blue has officials in Chicago seeing red. IBM officials have confirmed that the company is behind a trail of black spray-painted stencils on sidewalks across the city's North Side. The computer giant says the streetside graffiti is part of its `Peace, Love, and Linux' advertising campaign. The stencils feature a peace symbol, a heart, and a smiling penguin--the logo for the Linux operating system. The city says it is considering fining IBM $50 for each of the 100 stencils and will also try to charge the company for cleanup costs of $67 an hour.... The computer maker says the symbols were supposed to be sketched in chalk and has discontinued the...