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.

JULY

Oops, UPS
When a UPS cargo loader took a quick nap on the job, he should've gotten off the plane first. When he woke up, he was halfway to China.

Fired Alarm
A manager accidentally e-mailed a list of employee salaries to the entire company. So he created a diversion: He pulled the fire alarm.

Working Religiously
Hey, even a pope's gotta eat. The Vatican confirmed that Pope John Paul II does pull in a paycheck, but no one would say how big it is.

Techno-Suit Helps Nurses with Heavy Problems
Move over, Lindsay Wagner. Scientists invented a bionic uniform for nurses, designed to prevent injuries when they lift heavy patients.

Sleeping Around at Work
An Italian worker who lost his home had to find a convenient place to sleep, so he secretly lived in his office for a year, sleeping on his desk.

Winging It West
Looking for second careers, President Clinton's ex-aides flocked to Hollywood, hoping to be official consultants for "The West Wing."

Knife Thrower Can't Find Target
And you think your company has trouble recruiting? A circus knife thrower couldn't find a new assistant. His last one quit because of an "accident."

Office Gossip Illegal
Municipal employees in the city of Cascavel, Brazil, reportedly gossip so much that council members enacted a law banning rumors.

AUGUST

Special Delivery ... for Dad?
A FedEx worker delivered a package to a man with a familiar name, only to realize that it was his father ... who was supposed to be dead.

'Dilbert' Creator Invents Perfect Cubicle
Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert," has workers smiling again. He invented the "perfect cubicle," complete with fridge and hammock.

Prisoner Applies to Run Prisons
Sherman Hawkins applied to run the Montana Department of Corrections. He sure has the experience. He's been a "guest" there for 28 years.

Before You Master Management, Master Salesmanship
Want to become a better manager? Here's a book you may not want to buy: Mastering Management. This month, it was Amazon.com's worst-selling title, ranked 2,196,969.

The Cookie Monster Massacre, Chapter II:
A Tough Cookie: The Saga Continues
Update: A man stood trial for kicking a theme park worker dressed as Cookie Monster. Grover was a witness for the prosecution. Really.

SEPTEMBER

Weary Workers Play Hide and Seek
Workers at an IRS processing center fell drastically behind in their work last April. To catch up, they reportedly hid 40,000 tax returns.

Graffiti Company Creates Customers?
A graffiti removal business couldn't find customers. So they allegedly created demand -- by going on drunken, spray-painting rampages.

Married to Your Work
Think the flu is contagious in your office? What about divorce? When one worker gets a divorce, more tend to follow, found one Swedish survey.

Ask Jeeves and Ye Shall Receive
Microsoft's U.K. office believed that workers get distracted by personal chores. Microsoft's solution: Providing employees with personal butlers.

OCTOBER

What's Really in Santa's Sack? Cash
Even Santa needs to pay the bills. But to earn top Santa bucks -- up to $30,000 during the holiday season -- your beard had better be real.

Rubber Band Injuries Plague European Workers

Over 400 workers in Europe were injured by rubber bands last year. Other dangerous supplies: Hole punchers, staplers and ... calculators?