Curious
Times No. 374
November 9, 2006
BRIBING
POLITICIANS IS GOOD
If you want politicians to be less corrupt you may just have to
bribe them. That seems to be the thinking behind the creation
of a new $5 million prize which will be awarded every year to
Africa’s most effective leader. “The Mo Ibrahim Prize
For Achievement in African Leadership” will rate the governance
of 53 African nations and award the president of the best-run
country a $5 million dollar prize paid out over 10 years after
they leave office, plus an additional $200,000 a year for life
after their retirement. Mo Ibrahim told newspapers that much corruption
on that continent is due to the fact that African leaders are
left with nothing after they leave office. “Suddenly all
the mansions, cars, food, wine is withdrawn. Some find it difficult
to rent a house in the capital. That incites corruption; it incites
people to cling to power... the prize will offer essentially good
people, who may be wavering, the chance to opt for the good life
after office.” A group from Harvard University will be judging
the performance of Africa’s leaders based on who delivers
the best security, health, education and economic development.
The winner will also need to democratically transfer power to
his successor in order to be eligible for the prize. (BBC)
DO ME LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
Who would’ve guessed that the threat of nuclear annihilation
makes people horny? At least that’s true in South Korea,
where that country’s condom manufacturers report that sales
skyrocketed during the week after North Korea carried out their
nuclear test. The country’s “Love Motels” also
saw a sharp rise in business and the online reservations are booked
solid for the next month. “People tend to have urges to procreate
in times of extreme situations,” explained the head of Korea’s
Institute for Sex Education. “Stress is released through
sex ... it’s one of the top 10 reasons why sex is good for
the body.” (Associated
Press)
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE, OR MAYBE NOT
Astronomers from Russia’s Academy of Sciences have released
an absolutely pointless doomsday warning about an asteroid which
may or may not hit the Earth in the year 2035. Apparently we won’t
know for sure for another 20-something years. “We cannot
exclude the possibility that the asteroid which is now orbiting
the Sun will collide with the Earth in 2035,” said the observatory’s
spokesman. “But it will be only in 2028 that we will be able
to determine the danger level.” Hey, thanks for the penetrating
analysis... wake us up when you know something. (Mosnews.com)
STAY IN SCHOOL, KIDS
A group of math professors who began picking lottery numbers based
on mathematical probability theory four years ago won $13 million
in a British lottery last week. The team of 17 staff members from
Bradford University and College devised a formula which used all
49 numbers in their selections in order to increase their odds.
“We just thought that if all the numbers are in use, we must
have a good chance of winning and it has proved so,” said
one of the winners. (News.com.au)
EVERYDAY SHOULD BE A HOLIDAY
Okay, before you start hanging up those Christmas decorations
don’t forget to celebrate these special days: according to
unreliable sources Nov. 15 is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day,
Nov. 19 is Have A Bad Day Day, Nov. 22 is Start Your Own Country
Day and Nov. 30 is Stay At Home Because You're Well Day.
HOW CONVENIENT
Halloween may be over but spooky news never ends. Like this story
out of Amsterdam where a 65-year-old woman who had meticulously
planned her own funeral died next to her grave when she went to
visit the site. The widowed woman had made elaborate plans for
her own funeral after her husband died last year including engraving
her name onto the tombstone. Last week, while visiting the plot,
she died after suffering what doctors assume was a heart attack.
(Reuters)
WE
PROMISE YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO WALK MORE THAN 10 FEET FOR A
CUP OF COFFEE
We finally know who to blame for the fact there are now Starbucks
stores every half a block. And no, it isn’t Starbucks, of
course, but their consumers. According to Launi Skinner, vice-president
in charge of Starbucks’ store development, the coffee chain
is practically forced to sell coffee in every available retail
outlet because their customers don’t want to walk too far
to get a drink. “Going to the other side of the street can
be a barrier,” claimed Skinner, who reported that Starbucks
has plans for over 30,000 new stores worldwide to add to the 12,440
they already operate. Meanwhile, in other caffeinated news, Oxfam
has accused Starbucks of blocking Ethiopia’s attempt to trademark
the names of two of its types of coffee. While the name Yirgacheffe
now belongs to Ethiopia, the trademark applications for the names
Sidamo and Harar have been stalled in the US Patent and Trademark
Office. “We have heard from a number of sources that actually
Starbucks was involved in alerting the US coffee association to
block these applications,” claimed an Oxfam spokesperson.
Starbucks denies the charge. (AP
/ ITV.com)
I-READ-IT-ON-THE-INTERNET-SO-IT-MUST-BE-TRUE FACT OF THE WEEK
According to the Ayatollah Khomeini, it is acceptable to have
sex with a lamb, but a mortal sin to eat it afterwards.
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