Sideswipe

Making money out of tragedy is entrepreneurial No 1: Hours after the news of Peter Brock's death, a flurry of Peter Brock-related items like the one above were listed for sale on auction site eBay. To date, around 900 of the 933 total were listed after his death. Same with Steve Irwin. More than 2000 items have been put up for auction on the site since his death. Copies of newspapers which carried front-page tributes to Irwin have been selling for nearly $40 and a signed khaki shirt was priced at more than $6000. Some say it's tacky, but death is a profitable business.

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A reader from Howick writes: "Well, it seems that a disability does not stop these go-getters from being quick off the mark: The first Christmas items to appear in our letterbox are from the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. These busy little elves also have included two new items for Christmas 2006 - a jigsaw puzzle and unique gift wrap with matching tags."

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Some of Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's Works in Progress ...
* The Tax Code: Jesus gets audited; is cleared of all charges on the third day.
* The Source Code: Jesus tracks down software pirates among the Pharisees.
* The Bar Code: Jesus uses the self-checkout lane; has difficulty scanning.
* The Security Code: Jesus breaks into some houses; takes nothing, leaves love and understanding.
* The Penal Code: Jesus in jail, again.
* The Zip Code: Jesus mails a letter to the Pope; the Pope thinks it's junk mail and throws it out; history changes for ever.
* The Genetic Code: The alleged illegitimate child of Jesus sues for patrimony.
* The Enigma Code: The story of the Nazis' "unbreakable" code. (Jesus not involved.)
* The Health Code: Jesus gets mild food poisoning; is treated and released.
* The Ethics Code: Jesus retracts the line "And blessed are the lawyers".
* The Area Code: Jesus changes his cellphone company after too many dropped calls from His Dad.
* The Municipal Code: Jesus is told to get the broken-down car out of his yard, or else pay a fine.
(Source: by Vince Licata at www.mcsweeneys.net)