KEY POINTS:
Let there be light: This "miraculous" Jesus nightlight appears to watch you wherever you walk in the room. Lil's Crafts & Creations website says: "Your children will love this nightlight, as Jesus appears to be watching over them wherever they are. Your children may receive comfort, security, and relief from those sleepless and scary nights."
* * *
Peter Allen adds his shaggy eel story to the pile: "Years ago, I was in charge of some kids on a tramping trip on Great Barrier Island. We stopped for the night next to a stream. After a while some of the girls complained to me that they'd been washing their socks and underwear in the stream and some items had disappeared. They blamed the boys. Later, some of the boys hauled a very large eel out and knocked it on the head. When the eel was cut open, the girls' socks and underwear were found."
* * *
A new marketing idea from McDonald's in Britain - - a website on which people can ask anything about the fast food giant's "food, business, people and practices". Some exchanges between the public and corporate McDonald's are hilarious:
Q: Why is Ronald McDonald such a sinister character for McDonald's?
A: McDonald's doesn't think Ronald is sinister. Ronald is McDonald's Chief Happiness Officer and has been the face of the company since 1963. He is a recognised character around the world, and advocates a balanced diet and the importance of an active lifestyle.
Q: I have heard there are reindeer burgers available at McDonald's restaurants in Finland. Is it true?
A: No, this is not true. McDonald's sandwiches are made from beef, chicken and pork. Occasionally promotional burgers will be made from other meats such as lamb, but never reindeer.
Q: Is it true that McDonald's has given money to the IRA?
A: McDonald's does not, and never has, funded the IRA. This story is based on an urban myth that dates back to the 1970s when McDonald's first opened shop in the UK. The pay slips used for UK staff at that time were imported from the USA, and included printed reference to the American equivalent to pension contributions - the "individual retirement account" - or "IRA" for short. The rumour that McDonald's donated to the IRA terrorist group arises from this misunderstanding.
Q: Have you (as a company) studied the documentary/film Super Size Me and have you learned anything from it?
A: Some of McDonald's employees have watched the film but neither they nor the company learned anything new.
* * *
In June 1957, a new Plymouth Belvedere car was buried as a "time capsule" to mark Oklahoma's 50 years of statehood. Last week, 50 years on, it was dug up. The car was in a concrete vault supposedly strong enough to withstand nuclear attack. But damp is stronger than nukes, and the car was rusty and waterlogged when it was lifted out of the vault and deposited on the lawn of the courthouse in Tulsa in front of thousands of spectators. Organisers were able to inflate the tyres, but hotrod builder Boyd Coddington could not get the engine going as planned. "She's a mess" was his diagnosis.
