Sideswipe

House of Radiance may wish to re-word its advertisement.

The Ethnic Minority Games held in southwestern China descended into a farce of cross-dressing, cheating and mob violence, state media reported. Athletes representing China's 55 ethnic minorities assembled in Yunnan province last week to compete in blow-pipe darts, horse-riding events and other traditional sports. But blind pursuit of victory led to some unorthodox tactics, Xinhua news agency reported. Results of the women's dragon-boat racing event were reviewed after athletes complained of "big women with Adam's apples", Xinhua said. Referees subsequently found that several of the competitors were men wearing wigs. (Source: Reuters)

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Don Donovan of Albany was not impressed with ASB's new TV commercial, which shows a picture of the twin towers with Goldstein's boss threatening to take flying lessons.

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Following complaints from diners, the health department in Springfield, Missouri, notified restaurants that Debby Rose's "assistance monkey" could not be permitted to dine with her (in a high chair), even though Rose said she suffers from a disabling social phobia that she can accommodate only if Richard (a bonnet macaque monkey) is with her. Monkeys are generally permitted under the Americans with Disabilities Act if they have been trained to fetch groceries from shelves for wheelchair-using patrons. But animals that provide only emotional support fall into a grey area. (Source: News of the Weird)

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A reader writes: "In response to Ryan Fenny, who asserted yesterday that a BA degree is the running in-joke regarding numeracy, I suppose he would be surprised to find that mathematics is a BA major. Interestingly, numeracy is defined as skill with numbers and mathematics (dictionary.com), and Ryan's factoring of adding 5 + 5 = 10 does not take into account a slew of other factors that usually accompany real life, but you would probably need a BA to understand that."

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Bob Wilson says the pregnant woman who couldn't get a glass of water at Movenpick in Mission Bay should have called into Olivers Bakery next door. "There she would have been welcomed by sisters Khim and Lye from Cambodia with happy smiles and provided with a glass of water whether she had bought anything or not. These two girls are model immigrants. They start work at 6am and close at 5pm seven days a week and only take four to five days off each year. Both speak excellent English."