thenerdguy
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http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071219/D8TKI76O0.html
ROME (AP) - What's in a name? If the name is Friday, shame and ridicule, according to Italian judges who forbade a couple from naming their child like the character in "Robinson Crusoe."
"They thought that it recalled the figure of a savage, thus creating a sense of inferiority and failing to guarantee the boy the necessary decorum," the couple's lawyer, Paola Rossi, said Wednesday.
The couple are considering appealing the decision to Italy's highest court, she said.
Mara and Roberto Germano, whose son was born on Sept. 3, 2006, had the boy named and baptized Venerdi, Italian for Friday.
Even though the boy was not born on a Friday - it was Sunday - his parents liked the name, said Rossi.
"They wanted an unusual name, something original, and it did not seem like a shameful name," Rossi said in a telephone interview. "We think it calls to mind the day of the week rather than the novel's character."
Since city hall officials are obliged by law to report odd names, the matter ended up before judges in Genoa, the northern Italian city where the couple live.
Last month, an appeals court stated that Friday falls into the category of the "ridiculous or shameful" names that are barred by law, as it recalled the native servant in Daniel Defoe's novel.
The judges wrote that naming somebody Friday would bar him from "serene interpersonal relationships" and would turn the boy into the "laughing stock of his group," according to a report in La Repubblica this week.
According to the daily, the judges also said that, as a day of the week, Friday raises a sentiment of sadness and penitence, when not being associated with bad luck outright.
Rossi said the court, which upheld a previous ruling made in June, also ordered the boy to be named Gregorio after the saint on whose day he was born.
Bride to Tie Knot in Toilet Paper Dress
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071219/D8TKGUU86.html
NEW YORK (AP) - Here comes the bride, all dressed in white ... two-ply, extra soft toilet paper. Lovebirds Jennifer Cannon and Doy Nichols of Lexington, Ky., plan to get hitched Wednesday in a public restroom. She'll be wearing a gown fashioned from glue, tape and Charmin Ultra Soft and Ultra Strong toilet tissue.
The intricately detailed dress was designed by Hanah Kim, winner of the 2007 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest, sponsored by Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com.
The wedding ceremony, to be attended by family and friends, will take place in Times Square at the Charmin Restrooms - temporary, free public restrooms, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.
New Zealand Robbers Return Christmas Goods
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071218/D8TJLV5G0.html
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - The Grinch who stole Christmas may have had a change of heart, unexpectedly returning Christmas goods stolen from the house of a New Zealand family, police said Tuesday.
But there was "not really a happy ending" to the saga, Senior Constable John Chambers told The Associated Press, with most of the stolen goods - which had been bought as Christmas gifts - likely to be thrown out because they had been badly damaged.
Stereo and DVD equipment, antiques and kitchen appliances were taken during a burglary late Saturday night at a property at Bannockburn, near the town of Cromwell on South Island.
Most of the $15,100 worth of goods were returned several hours later, wrapped in a sheet and left on the roadside outside the house.
The burglars returned again Monday to drop off two remote controls, which they left in the mailbox.
Trouble was, Chambers said, "90 percent of the goods are damaged," with a $3,800 LCD screen only fit for the local rubbish dump, along with most of the other returned items.
"It's a shame they didn't take more care of the equipment," Chambers said.
At the time of the burglary, the homeowner's 16-year-old son was the only person in the house, but had slept through it, Chambers said.
The teenager had left the front door unlocked and lights on as his father was due to arrive home early on Sunday. The family has insurance cover.
ROME (AP) - What's in a name? If the name is Friday, shame and ridicule, according to Italian judges who forbade a couple from naming their child like the character in "Robinson Crusoe."
"They thought that it recalled the figure of a savage, thus creating a sense of inferiority and failing to guarantee the boy the necessary decorum," the couple's lawyer, Paola Rossi, said Wednesday.
The couple are considering appealing the decision to Italy's highest court, she said.
Mara and Roberto Germano, whose son was born on Sept. 3, 2006, had the boy named and baptized Venerdi, Italian for Friday.
Even though the boy was not born on a Friday - it was Sunday - his parents liked the name, said Rossi.
"They wanted an unusual name, something original, and it did not seem like a shameful name," Rossi said in a telephone interview. "We think it calls to mind the day of the week rather than the novel's character."
Since city hall officials are obliged by law to report odd names, the matter ended up before judges in Genoa, the northern Italian city where the couple live.
Last month, an appeals court stated that Friday falls into the category of the "ridiculous or shameful" names that are barred by law, as it recalled the native servant in Daniel Defoe's novel.
The judges wrote that naming somebody Friday would bar him from "serene interpersonal relationships" and would turn the boy into the "laughing stock of his group," according to a report in La Repubblica this week.
According to the daily, the judges also said that, as a day of the week, Friday raises a sentiment of sadness and penitence, when not being associated with bad luck outright.
Rossi said the court, which upheld a previous ruling made in June, also ordered the boy to be named Gregorio after the saint on whose day he was born.
Bride to Tie Knot in Toilet Paper Dress
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071219/D8TKGUU86.html
NEW YORK (AP) - Here comes the bride, all dressed in white ... two-ply, extra soft toilet paper. Lovebirds Jennifer Cannon and Doy Nichols of Lexington, Ky., plan to get hitched Wednesday in a public restroom. She'll be wearing a gown fashioned from glue, tape and Charmin Ultra Soft and Ultra Strong toilet tissue.
The intricately detailed dress was designed by Hanah Kim, winner of the 2007 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest, sponsored by Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com.
The wedding ceremony, to be attended by family and friends, will take place in Times Square at the Charmin Restrooms - temporary, free public restrooms, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.
New Zealand Robbers Return Christmas Goods
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071218/D8TJLV5G0.html
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - The Grinch who stole Christmas may have had a change of heart, unexpectedly returning Christmas goods stolen from the house of a New Zealand family, police said Tuesday.
But there was "not really a happy ending" to the saga, Senior Constable John Chambers told The Associated Press, with most of the stolen goods - which had been bought as Christmas gifts - likely to be thrown out because they had been badly damaged.
Stereo and DVD equipment, antiques and kitchen appliances were taken during a burglary late Saturday night at a property at Bannockburn, near the town of Cromwell on South Island.
Most of the $15,100 worth of goods were returned several hours later, wrapped in a sheet and left on the roadside outside the house.
The burglars returned again Monday to drop off two remote controls, which they left in the mailbox.
Trouble was, Chambers said, "90 percent of the goods are damaged," with a $3,800 LCD screen only fit for the local rubbish dump, along with most of the other returned items.
"It's a shame they didn't take more care of the equipment," Chambers said.
At the time of the burglary, the homeowner's 16-year-old son was the only person in the house, but had slept through it, Chambers said.
The teenager had left the front door unlocked and lights on as his father was due to arrive home early on Sunday. The family has insurance cover.
