SNIPPETS

JUNE 6,  2010

JUNE 5,  2010

(Reuters) - An Australian kookaburra bird is undergoing personal training after growing too fat to fly because she ate too many sausages.

Do you think there's a cause for Al Gore in bird obesity?

JUNE 4,  2010

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 3 (UPI) -- Funeral directors in New Zealand say they are keeping an eye out for a man spotted crashing multiple funerals for the free food.  Danny Langstraat, a director of Harbour City Funeral Home in Wellington, said a picture of the man, dubbed the "Grim Eater," was distributed to the company's branch offices with a warning that he was spotted at several funerals, up to four events a week, attempting to take food home from the ceremonies, The Wellington Dominion Post reported Thursday.

Are they sure of this?  Maybe the guy just had a lot of friends, and is paying his respects.  You can always use more mourners.

JUNE 3,  2010

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's bus drivers and ticket sellers have been urged to leave communism behind, with a new training manual instructing them to call travelers "sir" or "madam" instead of "comrade," state media reported on Monday.

Now if they'd only let the travelers vote and speak freely, we might have an encouraging start.

JUNE 2,  2010

WORTHING, England, June 1 (UPI) -- A doctor at a British hospital said a new rule requiring doctors to write "please" on blood test request forms could put patients at risk.  Administrators at England's Worthing Hospital confirmed the new policy of refusing blood tests during weekends if doctors have not written "please" on the form, The Sun reported Tuesday.The managers said the move is aimed at easing pressure on hospital workers charged with performing blood tests by making doctors consider whether the tests are essential.

I wonder if, under Obamacare, American patients will have to write "please" if they're in the middle of a heart attack.