No medical leave?--A Duke University prof arbitrarily rejected lab-job applications by three Pakistani students. Then, responding to protests, he explained he was shook up by September 11 and "headed in a paranoid direction."

Dinosaur? No way!--"It is completely baffling to me why the Ontario government wants to support private religious schools with tax credits. I was principal of a private religious school for three years and learned a great deal about what could not be taught to their students. For example, since the existence of dinosaurs was not compatible with the school's religious beliefs regarding the age of the planet, any references to dinosaurs in science books or literature were blacked out with felt pen or otherwise obscured."--Letter to The Globe and Mail published in Toronto.

Snip, snip--In December, American Express acknowledged it would take a $280 million loss for the last quarter, and would chop 6,500 more workers from the payroll. The L.A. Times ran it as an "In Brief" item headlined: "American Express to Trim Payroll Further."

Dollars and scents--Some members of the Blockbuster chain will do a trial run on scented VCRs, like, maybe, gun smoke on action films. (Please, send further suggestions to Blockbuster.)

Easy living--"Road kill program helps feed the needy. Alaskan troopers salvage meat from moose killed by cars, trains each year."--AP headline from Anchorage, Alaska.

Unity building in Tennessee--In Memphis, a new sculpture at the downtown library features quotes from Shakespeare, the Constitution, the Bible, and, from the Communist Manifesto, "Workers of the World Unite!" The art commission is hunting for a substitute for the unity call.

A bit like a traffic ticket--Two British engineering firms admitted they had ignored safety precautions and, as a result, four workers plunged from a bridge to their deaths. Both firms were fined $375,000. In the Times of London, it was a two-inch news item.

Gee--A Denver cop was fined $500, plus costs, for clubbing a young curfew violator on the head with his flashlight. Also, the court ordered him to write a letter of apology.  
 
 
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