IT MUST BE TRUE…

I read it in the tabloids

A former US airman has been celebrating his 2,000th consecutive visit to Disneyland – having been there every day for the past five-and-a-half years. Jeff Reitz was given an annual pass to the California theme park when he lost his job in 2012 – and enjoyed it so much, he kept going back even after he returned to work. “It’s been a positive, it’s been a motivator, it’s been my workout gym,” he said. “This past year I have lost about 40lb.” A famous cocktail garnish has been returned after being stolen from a bar in Canada. Since the 1970s, visitors to the Downtown Hotel in remote Dawson City have been invited to enjoy a “Sourtoe Cocktail” – a shot of whisky, with a mummified toe bobbing about in it. The original toe (believed to have been chopped off a frostbitten foot in the 1920s) was swallowed by a punter in 1980. The hotel now owns a few toes, donated by well-wishers; even so, the discovery that one had been stolen caused considerable anguish. “This was our new toe,” said the manager. “It was a really good one.” A $2,000 reward was offered for its safe return – and this week, the thief sent it back, with a note of apology.

The Chinese authorities are trying to abolish “Chinglish” – the use of comically bad English on public signs. Much cited examples include “deformed man toilet”, for a disabled WC, and “Racist Park”, on a sign directing people to the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park during the Beijing Olympics. To avoid future embarrassment, translations for signs will be scrutinised by a special government body.