Etc...

Check 'em at the door

Since their city has a Dutch heritage and holds a tulip festival each spring, you'd think officials in Holland, Mich., wouldn't hesitate when confronted with a choice between banning cellphones or wooden shoes from the public library. It would be the phones, right? Ah, no. Said a spokesman, "The cellphones aren't the problem; it's the people using them." As for the shoes: "We do get a lot of traffic coming through here, but it's only at Tulip Time." Such visitors have had to be asked to remove the clogs because of the noise they make.

From London comes news that researchers have found records showing a baby born in Yorkshire's West Riding, England, in 1379 was named by her parents ... Diet Coke. Well, OK, Diet was spelled with an "o" rather than an "e" and appears to have been a diminutive of "Dionisia." And Coke could have been a variation of "Cook." Still, it makes a good story, and at last word, the Coca-Cola Co. had issued no comment on the report.

If you didn't know, this year is the 50th anniversary of the automated car wash. In celebration, the International Car Wash Association reports survey results showing that more than half of all car owners clean their vehicles once a month, if that - and 16 percent never do. So is it any wonder that 32 million Americans say they've found "Wash Me" traced on their vehicles at least once? On the other hand, using a car wash can have its risks, too, the survey found. The following are blunders admitted to by patrons (and the percentage of respondents who cited each):

1. Left radio antenna up 29%
2. Failed to put gear shift in neutral 11%
3. Missed tire track (tie) Didn't close at least one window 9%
5. Didn't shut door completely 5%
6. Forgot to close sun roof (tie) Opened windows to see what would happen 2%