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Bomb Shelter Redux 

From an article in The Wall Street Journal datelined Zurich on modernized bomb shelters: "The newer houses in the neighborhood have bomb shelters with all the modern bomb-shelter conveniences: Bunk beds that double up as shelves. Dry toilets. Newfangled concussion absorbers for the walls and ceilings. And, best of all, motorized air-filtration systems.... People are using their shelters, particularly the bigger ones, for all sorts of post-Cold War pleasures. Like rock band practice and pistol shooting and wrestling competition and mushroom breeding and bowling alleys and saunas. There's even word of one man converting his shelter into a pizza oven."

Holiday in Kiev

From an article in the International Herald Tribune datelined Kiev: "Alaris, a private sector tourist outfit, has teamed up with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to offer the ultimate adventure holiday for the growing army of nouveaux riches tired of bungee jumping and safaris.... A six-kilometer (3.75-mile) jaunt in a T-80 tank through the picturesque woods of the Ukrainian steppe (civilian driver's license not required) will cost $350. But if the adventurer is feeling trigger-happy, he or she will have to shell out another $300 to fire the tank's gun. More expensive is an hour-long, hair-raising ride in the Mid-8 helicopter gunship, at $3,600 to $4,300.... Alaris is keen to stress that such adventure holidays are not designed to offer a training ground for thugs and criminals."

Graffiti Capitalism

From an Associated Press story on IBM: "Big Blue has officials in Chicago seeing red. IBM officials have confirmed that the company is behind a trail of black spray-painted stencils on sidewalks across the city's North Side. The computer giant says the streetside graffiti is part of its `Peace, Love, and Linux' advertising campaign. The stencils feature a peace symbol, a heart, and a smiling penguin--the logo for the Linux operating system. The city says it is considering fining IBM $50 for each of the 100 stencils and will also try to charge the company for cleanup costs of $67 an hour.... The computer maker says the symbols were supposed to be sketched in chalk and has discontinued the promotion."

Road Kill: It's What's for Dinner

From the on-line edition of the Denver Post on complaints that no beef is served at the Moffat County Jail: "Instead, prisoners in Moffat County Sheriff Buddy Grinstead's hoosegow in Craig are served deer and elk donated by the owner of a local meat processing plant who also is the jail administrator.... Prisoners have been grousing that they believe what they are being served is `road kill.' The complaints have riled many people, including Grinstead, who says crime should not pay with tasty menu selections. `This is not a (expletive) Burger King,' Grinstead said. `If you don't like the taste of wild game, don't do something wrong and come to my jail.'"

Chocolate Stamps

From a Reuters on-line story on Switzerland's new chocolate-scented stamps (worth fifty-two cents each) that mark the centenary of Chocosuisse, the association of chocolate makers and importers: "Besides smelling like chocolates, the new brown stamps look like they are made from the confection. Sold in blocks of four or fifteen, they come on paper designed to look like a foil candy wrapping."

Judicial Temperament

From an Associated Press story in The New York Times: "A justice of the peace in Conroe, Texas, approved a foster parent's plan to paddle an unruly child by ordering the boy to bend over a courtroom table for three swats. `He doesn't understand any other punishment,' said John Kleimann, a Montgomery County justice of the peace. The boy, whose age was not available, appeared before Mr. Kleimann after causing discipline problems at school by his use of profanities."

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