BY HARRY RING
Weird these foreigners - "Don't touch Indian counterparts during business meetings or place your feet on a chair or table, as this is considered disrespectful." - Los Angeles Times advice for business travelers column.
Waste not, want not - According to AP, new Philip Morris documents disclose that the company removes nicotine from tobacco that is to be thrown away and adds it to other batches to help firm up the addiction.
The caring society-A California state commission voted to authorize Los Angeles County to make a 25 percent cut in the relief allotments for more than 90,000 poor and homeless people. It would slice their current $285 monthly check to $212.
Proud profession - "You learned quickly you couldn't trust any inmate and you couldn't be polite, or they'd take it as a sign of weakness.... Basically, my job was to make sure they didn't kill anyone or escape. That was it. But somehow it was a job you took pride in, though that's hard to explain to outsiders." - Josh White tour guide and ex-guard at the Moundsville, West Virginia, hellhole prison, now a tourist site.
Twinkle twinkle- As a public service, we continue to report on best buys in the mansions of bankrupt Orange County. This week's special, a $16.5 million home perched on a Laguna Beach cliff and featuring a rotating bed, enabling occupants to contemplate the stars through a domed ceiling.
It's all done with mirrors? - With Barney's flagship Beverly Hills store peddling such items as a suede bustier for $1,595, it seemed surprising when the chain went belly up. Particularly with a spokesperson explaining: "The Beverly Hills store has done incredibly well. We couldn't be more pleased. All our stores are doing great."
`A few bad apples' dep't - James Trimble was busted in Des Moines, Iowa, where police said they found $20,000 worth of amphetamines in a van he was driving. A member of the Urbandale police force, Trimble allegedly used his youth work in DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) to skim off drugs. The chief of police said he was "fairly confident" Trimble was the only cop stealing drugs.
It does give them a bad name - Quebec City police officials backed off on telling cops to stay away from Dunkin' Donuts where, apparently, they spend a good deal of their time. The police chief sent a letter to the doughnut chain expressing "deepest regret to see your corporate name associated with the bad image that stems from the visit of our members to your establishments."
And pump up the fat and cholesterol - An apology is not enough. We think Dunkin' Donuts should be commended for helping to keep the cops off the street.