An ounce of prevention…—University Place, Washington—A beeping briefcase that caught the attention of the Pierce County sheriff’s bomb squad yielded only condoms. Authorities said a robot X-rayed the case found underneath a counter in University Way, a suburb of Tacoma. Police said the inside looked suspicious so they blew up the case, scattering condoms everywhere.”—USA Today.

Simple, just hire bosses—“Recruitment of production line workers in a computer assembly line plant in Guadalajara, Mexico, obeys a perverse logic. The city’s employment agencies, which employ most of the 100,000 workers in the plants, rather than the large computer companies themselves, subject applicants to a day of tests designed to find the most imaginative and creative people, with the highest self-esteem. The catch is that these are the people who are rejected.”—Financial Times, London.

‘Freedom,’ not free—Four New Jersey banks banded together to offer Freedom Loans for National Guard members facing deployment to Iraq. Troops in need for mortgage payments, etc., can apply for loans with deferred payment. Including, we assume, Freedom interest rates.

Harsh numbers—The Times of London reports that nearly 2,000 workers a year exposed to asbestos die of lung destruction. Researchers say the number should peak in 2015.

Backward march—New Mexico teachers are grumbling about a new dress code, including “no blue jeans.” Our partner commented that when she went to school, women didn’t dream of wearing jeans to school. But, she underlined, that was 50 years ago.

Big Apple recipe—“New York—A Bronx neighborhood group is using bacon, peanut butter and cheese to lure 10,000 rats to their deaths. Fernando Matco, the group’s president, said residents can’t walk on the sidewalks because there are so many rats.

And lotsa popcorn—Perched atop the Los Angeles Pacific Palisades, a stately mansion plus a private movie theater is on the market. With padded walls (?), a full size screen, and a dozen seats on two levels. Yours for $12.4 million. A great venue for featuring reruns of the “Terminator” series.

Spring house cleaning— “Tackle the clutter, sift out clippings saved for this column and send them snail mail or e-mail” Pathfinder Books, 4229 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. 90027. laswp@earthlink.net  
 
 
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