KEY POINTS:
Submitted to the failblog.org blog by Brice, this picture from a Cambodian bookstore shows Latin pop star Ricky Martin rubbing shoulders with other historically significant luminaries.
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Librarians don't always have all the answers: These are questions that have been asked of library reference desk workers in the United States and Canada. (Any local librarians who have any similar experiences at the public should email Sideswipe).
"Do you have books here?"
"Which outlets in the library are appropriate for my hairdryer?"
"I was here about three weeks ago looking at a cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which one it is?"
"Do you have any books with photographs of dinosaurs?"
"I'm looking for information on carpal tunnel syndrome. I think I'm having trouble with it in my neck."
"Is the basement upstairs?"
"I am looking for a list of laws I can break that would send me back to jail for a couple of months."
"I got a quote from a book I turned in last week but I forgot to write down the author and title. It's big and red, and I found it on the top shelf. Can you find it for me?"
"Do you have anything good to read?" - The response was, "No, ma'am. I'm afraid we have 75,000 books, and they're all duds."
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Grating cheese rather than slicing it could reduce risk of heart disease, says the British Food Standards Agency, which wants Britons to lower their intake of saturated fat and therefore cholesterol. Chief executive Tim Smith said people tend to use less cheese if they have grated it. Britons eat 20 per cent more than the recommended levels of saturated fat and overindulge in fatty foods at weekends.
(Source: Times Online)
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A reader writes: "Both my dogs were registered. When one died, I asked the council if they could update their records and organise the refund. After a couple of months no cheque was forthcoming so I dismissed it, until I received notification of registration due for our dead dog. I rang them again, they apologised and sent a refund cheque. Another month went by and I received another notice of overdue registration. I rang and told them the dog had died, and once again I was assured the record had been updated. A couple of weeks later, the dog ranger came to take the dog into 'custody' as I had failed to pay the registration. I told her the dog was dead, but she was welcome to take him from the garden."
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Today's Webpick: This is for anyone who chuckled at last week's huge viral hit - the sedated ramblings of a boy in the back of a car after a trip to the dentist. This time it's Chad Vader's turn. Go here.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
