Odd Making Up for Lost Time

Remote Control - I call this funny because you have to have the headset on for it to work. What would be the pretext for world domination? "A free headset in every home?"

A special headset was placed on my cranium by my hosts during a recent demonstration at an NTT research center. It sent a very low voltage electric current from the back of my ears through my head _ either from left to right or right to left, depending on which way the joystick on a remote-control was moved. The technology is called galvanic vestibular stimulation — essentially, electricity messes with the delicate nerves inside the ear that help maintain balance.

Rome Promoting Pet Responsibility

In July 2004, parliament passed a law setting big fines and jail terms for people who abandon pets and since then local governments have added their own animal welfare rules many of which will be difficult to police.

Cut Grass patentable, but not Strawberry

As the court puts it: “There is no generally accepted international classification of smells which would make it possible to identify an olfactory sign.” One scent has been granted trademark protection by the European Union: the smell of freshly cut grass. A Dutch perfume company uses it for tennis balls.

And finally, the most interesting article of all:
Dutch Witches get Tax-Cuts

Dutch witches were guaranteed a financial treat when the Leeuwarden District Court reaffirmed their legal right to write off the costs of schooling — including in witchcraft — against their tax bills. Those costs run to thousands of dollars. The court found on Sept. 23 that a witch can declare schooling costs if it increases the likelihood of employment and personal income.