10. Wii Fit women leave $20 million dollar toll of destruction to living rooms
It was meant to get the nation back in shape in the comfort of our own homes - but women working out on the Nintendo Wii Fit video game have helped cause £20 million of damage to their living rooms. Flower pots, television sets and even pets have been sent flying by the high kicks and hula hoop motions of increasingly vigorous home exercise routines, a study found.
(And I thought playing Wii Tennis was tough!)
9. Inexcusable Petrol Prices Cut (BBC)
A Devon petrol station which charged £1.99 a litre, drops its prices after coming under fire for cashing in on fuel shortages. That’s almost £9 ($17.00) a gallon charged during the 4-day lorry tank driver strike of earlier this week.
(He wanted to cut demand so he lowered the price then limited purchases to 10 litres or £20 out of spite. You do have to live in that community.)
8. Honda to become the 1st to lease hydrogen cars
Honda will become the first company to lease hydrogen powered cars to U.S. consumers. They will build and lease 300 cars in California, to specifically selected customers for $300 per month.
(Problem is there only 5 hydrogen filling stations in California. Chicken or egg Einstein?)
7. USA told to revamp size, texture and colour of its paper money (BBC)
A US federal appeals court upheld a ruling that having all dollar notes the same size and texture was unacceptable.
(So that’s why blind musician Ray Charles wanted to be paid in $1 notes…)
6. LA Hotel Sues Phil Spector Over Unpaid Hotel Bill (The LA Times)
The Westin Bonaventure is seeking $110,000 from the record producer for housing Phil Spector and his defense team during his six-month murder trial last year is suing the record producer for $110,000 in unpaid hotel bills. Spector stopped paying the bills for rooms four months into his stay, a few blocks from the Criminal Justice Center where his trial was held, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
(Phil would only pay if given a reduction on his four suite rental. The hotel said no, you’ve monopolised the facility, pay up.)
5. British food exports hit a high as Poles develop a taste for Twinings
A record amount of British food was exported last year, thanks to the growing appetite of Polish consumers for Kentish beer and Twinings tea.
(And we threw Twinings Tea into Boston Harbour. Go figure.)
4. Barbie Sues Bratz
The multimillion-dollar “custody battle” comes down to one question: Was the creator of the street-smart dolls working for Mattel when he sold his idea to MGA?
(To hell with the courts, I want to see Princess Barbie bitch-slap Yasmin!)
3. InBev makes offer for Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch said it received an unsolicited takeover offer from Belgian beer giant InBev for $65 a share, or about $46 billion. Anheuser said its board will carefully evaluate the proposal.
(The beer that made Antwerp famous? Will the announcer say “Anheuser Busch, Brussels” instead of St. Louis, Missouri? Heresy. Besides why would the Belgians want to dilute their brand?)
2. Sega creates robot girlfriend
She may not be tall and blonde, but she doesn’t complain about dirty socks - experts in Japan have finally created a robotic girlfriend.
(The idea was OK until the video segment where she was kissing her geeky inventor, had nightmares for a week…)
And the number one headline of the last week…
1. Court warns Italian TV prankster and condom advocate (BBC)
Prolific Gabriele Paolini faces a prison sentence unless he behaves. Mr Paolini has made a career of popping up uninvited behind unwitting on-air TV reporters promoting condom use. Guinness World Records says Mr Paolini is the world’s most successful TV hijacker, interrupting 20,000 link-ups. Italy’s Supreme Court has upheld a three-month suspended sentence on him for interrupting a report on the state broadcaster RAI.
(I say let’s team him up with the former stripper who used to run out onto sport fields in the US and kiss star athletes. They’d have a great future together.)
