Can't Make Up Stuff This Good

Some of today's headlines are eye catching. Oh, sure, everyone wants to read about Tom DeLay finally getting a brain cell and realizing he has less of a chance of re-election than a rape victim in South Dakota has of finding a doctor to terminate her pregnancy. That said, here are some interesting and thought provoking stories from around the globe:

• The Indian state of Rajasthan is defending a textbook for 14 year old students that vows "A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master". My suggestion? Indian boys need not worry about marrying a disloyal wife if they simply buy a donkey. Or a Golden Retriever.
• The same Indian state has found themselves in a bind. Many men are going to have to resort to buying a donkey since the practice of valuing male offspring over female has resulted in a serious decline of available women. The practice of providing a bridal dowry has all but disappeared as the grooms' families are now having to "buy the bride" in an ironic twist of tradition. My thoughts? If they'd taken a little more of a South Dakota approach to pregnancy upon hearing the gender of the fetus, there wouldn't be a shortage of women.
• An interesting story that hit the AP wire today addresses the oddity of rooms for rent in exchange for services. For instance, if you are extremely ticklish and a college student, you can get an almost 50% reduction in rent by living with a gay man in the San Francisco Bay area. What do I think? Hmmm...rooms for free or reduced rent if you provide sex or other services. That is called marriage, folks. What? These are strangers? So are most married people.
• You must have a license to dance in NYC's nightclubs. A 1926 law still on the books regulates dancing by requiring a social hotspot to apply for a cabaret license or risk the cops raiding the posh pad faster than you can say "Stonewall Riots". Yeah? While I do think some people's dancing should be illegal, I don't think a nightclub ought to have to pay the city to allow people to bust a move.
• If you happen to stay up tonight until three seconds after 1:02am and you shorten how you think of this year from 2006 to 06, it will be 01 02 03 04 05 06.

I always love a slow news day.