Unusual News
Idaho Teacher Sells Pizza Ads on High School Tests
President Barack Obama has vowed to spend more money on education, but the promised dollars have not yet trickled down to schools across the United States. In the meantime, one high school teacher in Pocatello, Idaho, has come up with a creative, ... read more
Replacing Government-Speak with Clear Words
Americans might like to take a cue from their British cousins in urging their government to replace technically correct government phraseology with words that normal people can understand. The Local Government Association (LGA) is a group that lob... read more
Junking Junk Mail to Help the Environment
Annoyed by the useless junk mail that arrives at your home? You’re not alone. About 44% of junk mail ends up in landfills without even being opened. It is hard to convince the senders of junk mail to stop because, although it may be bad for the en... read more
North Dakota Call Center Closes Because It Can’t Find Enough Workers
Tampa-based Sykes Enterprises, which provides customer support for corporations, opened a call center in Minot, North Dakota in 1996. Sykes hoped to expand the center this year from 200 employees to 450, but was unable to find takers for the new p... read more
Islamic Mortgages Approved in Minnesota
Because many Muslims interpret the Quran as forbidding taking or paying interest on loans, the Islamic world has developed a different system of mortgages. Last month, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency became the first government entity in the ... read more
Worst Freedom of Information Award Goes to...the FBI
Each year, the National Security Archive at George Washington University gives its Rosemary Award to the branch of government that is least responsive to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This year’s award goes to the FBI. During the pas... read more
Painting of Fish Banned in Clearwater, Florida
In a curious case of left and right coming together, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the city of Clearwater, Florida, on behalf of a bait and tackle shop that was ordered to cover up a painting of fish that the cit... read more
A Good CEO…Believe It or Not
As many companies are being forced to cut back on spending, including salaries and staff, employee satisfaction has not been a huge priority during these tough economic times. However, Steve Wulchin and Jonathan Sawyer, founders of FreeWave Techno... read more
Coen Brothers Ad Targets “Clean Coal” Myth
The Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, have joined the campaign against America’s coal industry by producing a television advertisement mocking the notion of clean coal.
The filmmaking brothers, popular for such films as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, a... read more
Saudi Scholar Warns that Using Ethanol Could be a Sin
A prominent Saudi scholar warned youths studying abroad that they could be committing a sin by using ethanol or other automobile fuel that contains alcohol, the Saudi newspaper Shams reported.
Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi, a member of the Saudi Is... read more
Pentagon Spent $1 Million for Two Washers Worth 38 Cents
In testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee, Gordon S. Heddell, the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense, listed numerous appalling examples of wasteful payments to defense contractors, mostly dealing with the wars... read more
D.C. Gains a Coin…and Maybe a Place in Congress
On February 24, the United States Mint released the District of Columbia quarter, featuring jazz great Duke Ellington on the tails side. This is the first time that an African-American has been featured on a general circulation (non-commemorative)... read more
Nuclear Test Site Applies for World Heritage Status
The United Nations World Heritage List honors 878 cultural and natural sites that have “outstanding universal value.” Examples include the Acropolis in Greece, the Taj Mahal in India, Stonehenge in England and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. So it ma... read more
75 Critically Endangered Languages in U.S.
Each year, UNESCO issues an atlas of the world’s endangered languages. Surprising as it may seem, in the United States, there are 75 languages that are considered “critically endangered,” including 40 that are spoken by fewer than 11 people. Among... read more
Bush’s Secret Society and Geronimo’s Skull
While they were at Yale, both Presidents Bush were members of the Skull and Bones secret society. (So was Sen. John Kerry, George W. Bush’s opponent in the 2004 presidential election.) According to legend, in 1918, Prescott Bush, father of George ... read more
Blackwater to Hide Behind New Name
Once powerful Blackwater has such a tarnished reputation that it is changing its name to Xe (pronounced “zee”). Founded as a private military company by Erik Prince in 1990, the company formerly known as Blackwater received more than $1 billion in... read more