WEIRD NEWS

Throw ‘The Book’ at him

A man in Singapore has been sentenced to
four months in jail for stealing a Bible. The
judge who sentenced him admonished him
with scripture before he was taken to his cell.
He apparently stole the book from a shop
last month to replace his old, tattered copy.
The judge gave him a new copy and told him
to check out Page 65, where it states, “Thou
shalt not steal.” The man has previous theft
convictions.

Smart-cart, diet enforcer

Shoppers at supermarkets might soon be
perusing the aisles with “intelligent” shopping
carts that warn them if they’re buying too
much junk food. Carts will be fitted with a
computer screen and barcode scanner. The
scanner will read a product’s code and then
give the customer information on its nutritional
value, calories, ethical sourcing and the
environment.

Technology experts at the U.S. company
EDS outlined the idea in a study published this
week. The company said the technology would
help stores tackle environmental concerns by
reducing the amount of packaging necessary.
Research carried out by a food industry body
found that a third of shoppers would want
barcode scanners fitted to their carts. According
to the survey of nearly 1,000 people, most
shoppers would prefer to get information
from labels on the food. Trials of touch-screen
computers on shopping carts are taking place
in some U.S. stores.

Wanted: rich single man

An online exchange between an unidentified
Wall Street banker and a woman seeking a husband
who earns more than $500,000 a year has
caused quite an Internet stir. The anonymous
25-year-old woman, who approached romance
as a business deal, recently posted an ad on
Craigslist.com asking for advice about how to
find a wealthy husband.

“I know how that sounds, but keep in mind
that a million a year is middle class in New York
City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all,” the
woman wrote. In the ad, she described herself
as “spectacularly beautiful” and “superficial.”

“I dated a businessman who makes average
around $200,000 – $250,000. But that’s where
I seem to hit a roadblock. $250,000 won’t get
me to Central Park West. Where do rich single
men hang out?” the woman wrote.
The banker responded to the ad and described
the woman’s predicament as a crappy business
deal.

“Your looks will fade, and my money will
likely continue into perpetuity … in fact, it is
very likely that my income increases, but it is an
absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any
more beautiful!” the banker wrote. “It doesn’t
make good business sense to ‘buy you’ (which
is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease.”

The woman has since removed the ad, but
it and the response have become a popular
e-mail joke.

Heart breaker

A study of 9,000 British civil servants has
established that it is possible to die of a “broken
heart.” The study, which was published in the
Archives of Internal Medicine, said the stress
and anxiety of an angry relationship can raise
the risk of developing heart disease. Chances of
a heart attack or chest pain rose by 34 percent
when compared with people on good terms
with their partner.

“A person’s heart condition seems to be
influenced by negative intimate relationships,”
researchers wrote. “We showed that the
negative aspects of close relationships … are
associated with coronary heart disease.”