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 3-28-02

Thoughts, tools and friendly diversions for busy people

 

 


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Llamas Llose Jobs
A Chicago company has been using llamas as security guards for the past 10 years, and they've had no burglaries. But the llamas may soon get sacked. Humpf!

 

Government to 106 Year-Old: Get a Job!
On her 106th birthday, a London woman received two cards: One from the Queen Mum and one from the employment office telling her to get a job.

 

Barbie Gets a McJob
She already has a Ferrari and a dream house. Now she has a job at McDonald's -- replete with uniform and cash register.

 

1833016.jpg (26521 bytes)French Waiters: Snooty Will Get You the Boot
The French government, in an effort to boost tourism, asked waiters to sign contracts promising to be nice to foreign customers.

 

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Who Wants to Be a Legal Clerk?
Want a top-paying job? Consider working for Judge Boggs of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Kentucky. Three of his clerks have won at least $32,000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

 

 

1614577.jpg (67531 bytes)JUNE

Liquid Compensation
When workers at a Guinness plant got laid off, perhaps they threw a kegger. Their severance included a 10-year supply of free beer.

 

 

1728992.gif (8684 bytes)My Grandma, the Bouncer
Marta Aurenes signed up for a course to become a certified bouncer and started her first assignment in September -- just after her 91st birthday.

 

 

untitled.jpg (13216 bytes)The Cookie Monster Massacre, Chapter I:
Me Want Cookie ... and Lawyer
Brought to you by the letters O, U, C and H: A man was charged with assaulting a Sesame Place worker who was dressed as Cookie Monster.

 

 

2355312.GIF (3201 bytes)Just Ask His Chauffeur
The U.S. Surgeon General doesn't have to be a surgeon or a general. So should it matter that Britain's Minister of Transport can't drive?

 

 

link.jpg (25743 bytes)You Are the Sickest Link ... Goodbye!
A college lecturer was on sick leave for a stress-related illness. But his bosses became suspicious when they saw him on "The Weakest Link."

 

 

 

2914858.jpg (32975 bytes)Computer Glitch Results in Extra Severance
When a computer factory closed, workers got generous severance pay ... too generous. The company asked them to "kindly return" the money.

 

 

Source Site
Stranger Than Fiction...

Odd News
Articles
From the
Working World
(Part 1)
by Todd Anten and Christopher Jones

 

From a man who attacked Cookie Monster to Alan Greenspan's brief career as a jazz musician, from a knife thrower who lost one too many assistants, to a boss who forbade the use of the word "Christmas" in the office, here are some of our favorite Odd Job News articles.

 

 

JANUARY

 

1683791.jpg (47088 bytes)Even Rats Dream About Work
Scientists gave new meaning to the phrase "rat race," with their finding that even lab rats dream about their day-to-day work: Running through mazes.

 

Crime Does Pay
Did a hacker who broke into the Web site of the Bulgarian President get what he deserved? Well, he got a job offer -- as a computer expert.

 

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Sleeping on the Job
French researchers offered 75,000 francs ($10,700 U.S.) to volunteers who would stay in bed for three months as part of a study on how inactivity affects the body.

 

4147627.jpg (41596 bytes)Have Trunk, Will Travel
With a slowing U.S. economy and shrinking job market, Benny headed south of the border to find work. Unfortunately, he didn't have a work permit and was held by Mexican authorities. Did we mention that Benny was a circus elephant? (Editor's note: There was a happy ending to this story: Benny finally found his way to his destination. Today, he is hard at work, entertaining the children of Mexico City.)

 

Drunk Driver Crashes Car, Sues Boss and Wins
Woman drinks too much at company party. Woman crashes her car into truck. Judge finds the woman's company responsible and awards her $300,000.

 

It's Tough to Be the Queen Mum
Britain's Elizabeth II, also known as the Queen Mum, came under fire for napping on the job.

 

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Turkey Goes Postal
Mail carriers already have tough jobs, facing rain, sleet and gloom of night. But a mailman in Newton, Mass., added one more challenge to that list: A crazed turkey that wouldn't let him in the yard.

 

4142768.jpg (46650 bytes)Working to Death
The president of a Japanese company faced criminal charges after an employee died of "kiroshi," death from overwork.

 

The $7 Million Raise
One morning, a team of child development workers asked their supervisor for a raise. Later that day, when they won $7 million in the California lottery, they rescinded their request.

 

2921090.jpg (34037 bytes)Mirror, Mirror on the Filing Cabinet
A woman sued her employer for firing her, claiming it was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her disability: Obsessive- compulsive grooming.

 

Crowns Affect Crowns
A study from Iceland reported that blondes get the smallest paychecks, averaging 208,000 Icelandic crowns ($2,400 U.S.) per month, compared to their brown-haired co-workers who averaged 232,000 crowns ($2,700).

 

APRIL

Jack Frost vs. Jack Daniels
If a man has some drinks while on a business trip, passes out in the snow, gets frostbite and has his fingers amputated, who's to blame? The man's employer, apparently: He got worker's compensation.

 

1587181.jpg (66748 bytes)Some Jobs Don't Count
The U.S. Census Bureau tracks over 33,000 occupations. But some categories were tossed into the scrap heap during the latest count, including "rickshaw driver," "whale fisherman" and "tea ceremony teacher."

 

1856346.jpg (43172 bytes)Custard's Last Stand
Fearing an increasingly litigious audience, circus clowns began taking out "custard pie insurance" in case someone hit by a pie fails to see the humor.

 

 

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To Catch an Applicant
When a man robbed a bank of $6,904, he thought he got away clean. But, according to the San Francisco Gate, he left one incriminating piece of evidence at the scene: His resume.

 

516692.jpg (28132 bytes)A Very Tough Sale
When salespeople visit the office of a businessman in Tennessee, they have to make their pitch sitting down -- in an electric chair.

 

 

3051177.jpg (29174 bytes)A Grand Tip
A waitress had the flu, but went to work so she could buy her son a birthday present. A sympathetic customer left a big tip: $1,000.

 


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