If you like to speed, but don't want to get a ticket, I'd highly advise making a trip to Michigan this year... Why? Because most of the speed limit signs are wrong! Last fall, the state government upped the speed limit for cars on most highways from 65mph to 70mph and raised the speed limit for trucks from 55mph to 60mph... One caveat: they didn't include the funds to change any of the signs...

The change is already causing questions from the public, who are trying to figure out what signs mean what they say and which ones they can safely ignore... The Michigan State Police says most law enforcement agencies are aware of the change, and that people shouldn't get ticketed for going 70 in a 65... "If they were to be ticketed for that, it not would not be a legally defensible ticket, and the driver would have a valid defense, because the law says the speed limit is 70," Michigan State Police First Lt. Thad Peterson said... "It's just a question of catching the signs up to the law..."

Maybe the Monty Python had it right when the Knights Who Say Ni required those who would pass to "bring us a shubbery!" You may be laughing, thinking to yourself "Yeah, yeah, how hard can it be to take on a bush?"

Apparently, it depends on the bush... And the guy fighting it...

Police in Hilton Head, South Carolina, were responding to calls earlier this week that a man was trying to break into a car... When a deputy arrived, he found the man "in a physical confrontation with shrubs..." The deputy asked the man to step away from the plant... The man began walking to the officer, but then had to run back to kick the bush one last time before giving up... He's currently being held for public disorderly conduct...

(Personally, I've started planting guard bushes around my car...)

The World Association of Debt Management Offices (Wadmo) is a multinational group put together to allow debt management professionals from all over the world to discuss and share technical information... Its members come from governmental agencies and groups in over 40 different countries... And you have to pay to become a member - fees totaling $2000 (US)!

Which is why their web site going down this week is so funny - it was taken offline due to a failure to pay a $35 yearly fee for the domain registration!

Wadmo blamed the failure on the process of cutting ties with the United Nations' UNCTAD agency... "It's because we couldn't even withdraw money, because the new signatories are not yet authorized," spokeswoman Cecilia Mendoza said... Still, they worked with the registrar and the site is once again online this evening...

(Somehow, I don't think my credit card company would have bought this excuse...)

Monkton Road Stores in the Huntington area of York, UK, apparently has had some issues with troublesome youth... So they have instituted a "no hoods" policy for their customers that allows them to ban people who refuse to lower the hoods of their popular hoodie garments and coats... And they take this policy very seriously! Now they have banned a 2 year old from the store!

Jay Cowper was spending the evening with his grandparents last Friday, when Grandfather Cowper (51) decided to take his grandson to the local store... It was only a 5-minute walk, but since it is winter, and thus cold and windy, Jay was bundled up in a jacket with a furry hood... When they walked into the store, the shopkeeper asked, "Could you ask the little boy to remove his hood?"

"He's only two and a half," Mr Cowper responded, "I don't think he's going to rob you!" But the clerk insisted... And the Cowpers were forced to leave the store, walk home, and drive to a store farther away...

(When they call them the "terrible twos" I don't think they include larceny in the description...)

It is sometimes hard to get people to come out for local theatre these days... They see the special effects of movies, hear the studio polished music on the radio, and live action theatre by someone other than a major star just doesn't seem to get their attention... Take Romeo and Juliet, for example: Famous, but not enough to get people in the door... So make it a ballet - better, but not by much... Then add fire - OK, now people will come see it!

And that is exactly what happened when the Crucible, in West Oakland, California, staged the first ever Fire Ballet - Romeo and Juliet with a live orchestra, classical ballet, aerialists on the chandeliers, and flaming swords and other props! From what the audience said, it was really quite exciting and breathtaking to watch...

Until the fire extinguishers came on! Apparently one of the chandeliers got too close to the ceiling and set off the fire suppression system... The production was so out-of-the-ordinary for theatre, the audience didn't even know something had gone wrong until the aerialists on the chandelier started asking to help getting down!

Still, it wasn't so bad... Even with all the excitement, only 22 people asked for a refund after the fire trucks had left... The rest stayed until the water was wiped up and then enjoyed the rest of the performance!

The Connecticut State Appellate Court overturned the conviction in November... The state Supreme Court agreed to hear the case this month and the first briefs are due February 20th... "It's a question in an important area of law," said prosecutor John East III... "We want a pronouncement from the state's highest court..."

Is it a murder case? Kidnapping? Money Laundering?

Even better: Oversleeping!

Ayanna Khadijah of Norwalk showed up 43 minutes late for court in 2003 and was charged with skipping court... She had been out all night delivering newspapers the night before and accidentally fell asleep on her couch when she got home... She was awoken by her attorney when she missed her court date...

Prosecutors said she should have set an alarm, drank some coffee or - better yet - taken a night off of work to ensure she got to court on time... The defense says other cases of oversleeping have resulted in the accused being held in contempt, not charged of a crime... The court gets to decide if sleep counts as "willfully" avoiding court!

(I only hope the judges can stay awake while hearing the evidence!)

By now, you either have a car with a satellite navigation system or else you have seen a car with a satellite navigation system... And you probably think having one would be helpful if you are lost or trying to get somewhere you've never been... But you probably also think you are smarter than the machine...

But not everyone thinks that way... Especially not the German driver police had to help earlier today... He was driving towards the German city of Bremen "when the friendly voice from his satnav told him to turn left," a police spokesman said... "He did what he was ordered to do and turned his Audi left up over the curb and onto the track of a local streetcar line... He tried to back up off the track but got completely stuck..."

And if that isn't bad enough, this isn't the first time this has happened... Police have reported several crashes over the last few months from people who say they are just doing what their navigation system tells them!

Arrr, matey! Have ye heard of The Pirate Bay? It bills itself as the world's largest bittorrent tracker - and it's probably right... Naturally, this gets Pirate Bay on the wrong side of any number of companies, countries, and any number of other groups that want to restrict the distribution of music, movies, etc... They've already had to change countries twice to avoid problems, and their current residence in Sweden may not last forever... So what's a pirate to do?

Buy their own island! In this case, they are attempting to raise funds to buy the island nation of Sealand... Located 6 miles off the east coast of Britain in the North Sea, Sealand is the world's smallest island nation... And it is for sale! Prince Roy Bates, ruler of Sealand since 1967 when it was founded, has decided to sell the country...

And the Pirates want it... They are funding the purchase through donations taken at their web site... If they succeed, they'll guarantee no copyright laws so the site can operate as a government entity...

(If nothing else, this should be interesting!)

It all started when the Royal Oak Pub in Southampton, England, reported one of their urinals missing last week... Not part of the urinal - the whole urinal!!! Luckily, the theft was captured on close circuit television... The thief carefully removed the urinal, put it in his rucksack, and carried it out... So the police released images to the public to help track down the culprit...

Pictures of a man stealing a urinal... Naturally this went global on all the interesting news sites in a matter of hours!

Which is how they solved the crime... The man responsible turned himself in because everywhere he looked his story was in the news! So he returned the urinal and threw himself on the mercy of the police saying he had taken it as a "souvenir..."

Ever apply for a credit card, car loan, mortgage or other line of credit and get turned down? Ouch! But, you figure there's probably some pretty strict criteria behind the denial... They don't just give out credit to anyone, right?

Well, maybe they do... Or at least the Bank of Queensland does... In this case, they gave a credit card with a $4,200 AU ($3,300 US) credit limit to a cat! Katherine Campbell decided to test her bank's identity security by applying for an additional Visa card in the name of her cat, Messiah... No one was more surprised than she was when the credit card showed up in the mail... "I just couldn't believe it," she said, "People need to be aware of this and banks need to have better security..."

But you know how banks are... First the pleasant apology: "We have investigated the issue and it appears the bank has made an error," a Bank of Queensland spokeswoman said, "We apologize as this should not have happened..." And then they canceled Messiah's credit card!

Warning: Just because it's a warning label doesn't mean you won't laugh when you read it... That's pretty much what Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW) points out when they hold their Wacky Warning Label (WWL) contest each year to highlight how lawsuits prompt manufacturers to issue warnings against the oddest things...

This year's winners include:

• "Do not put any person in this washer" on a washing machine at a laundromat...
• "Never use a lit match or open flame to check fuel level" on a personal watercraft...
• "Do not iron" on a Super Lotto ticket...
• "Don’t try to dry your phone in a microwave oven" on a cell phone...
• "Please do not use this directory while operating a moving vehicle" on the front of a local yellow pages...

Don't believe it? You can pictures of the winners at the WWL site!

Ah January, when every American's mind begins to turn to the upcoming tax season... Every year, the IRS reminds people that there have been changes to the tax code and that they should read the information they provide carefully and fully before filing... Well, a careful read of 2006 tax law may not save you any money, but it will definitely give you a good laugh!

According to Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax, specifically Chapter 12 (Other Income) and Chapter 7 (Interest Income):

• Bribes are considered taxable income...
• Illegal income, such as money from dealing illegal drugs, must be included in your income on Form 1040, line 21, or on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity...
• You must include kickbacks, side commissions, push money, or similar payments you receive in your income on Form 1040, line 21, or on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040), if from your self-employment activity...
• If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless in the same year, you return it to its rightful owner...
• Usurious interest is interest charged at an illegal rate... This is taxable as interest unless state law automatically changes it to a payment on the principal...

So remember, if you are going to deal drugs, get kickbacks, etc, be sure you report the income properly or they might put you in jail!

Sometimes, it seems that the French make a name for themselves by disagreeing with someone - or anyone - else... But this time they seem to have picked a subject they are sure to lose on: Some of the French decided to protest Time itself! A group of about 600 protestors paraded down through Nantes on New Year's Eve chanting "No to 2007" and "Now is better!" The organizers said, "The world will come to understand that it must stop this mad course towards the future and we demand the governments of the world and the United Nations declare a moratorium to stop the future..."

Well, the new year came anyway... And the protestors immediately adapted to reality as they began chanting "No to 2008!"

(Oh well, better luck next time...)