etc...

MAY I? PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE.

Four separate times, Vince Harmer answered his phone to find an Australian government official on the other end of the line. Unusual for an apolitical resident of Canberra, the capital? Yes, but then so was the reason for the calls. You see, Harmer owns and has lovingly restored a 1980 Volvo 262 coupe. So? Well, it's one of only 1,100 that were built, and he happens to share a passion for them with visiting Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell, in town for high-level diplomatic meetings, could have been chauffeured to a state dinner in a limo, but he had heard of Harmer's car, and wondered if he could borrow it for the occasion, instead. Harmer handed over the keys.

OH, OK, SEND THE BILL TO ME

For richer or for poorer, Algirdas Brazauskas vowed when he and wife Julia were married. Now they're separated, but Lithuania's prime minister definitely will be (B) poorer, since he has agreed to pay for the fire damage that she caused to a neighbor's house due to careless disposal of smoking materials. The tab: $8,000.

The US economy may be near recession, but pet owners are spending more money than ever to pamper their cats and dogs - as much as $28.5 billion a year, reports of two new studies say. Marketing researcher Euro RSCG Worldwide found some owners admitting they treat pets more like their own children, replacing table scraps with premium foods, buying accessories such as Burberry coats and snow boots, and sending them to animal-vacation resorts. Another study, by the American Animal Hospital Association, found owners splurge on "adventurewear" for pets, such as life preservers and helmets, so they can take them on trips. Other findings:

84% consider pets as children.

77% prefer to buy luxury items for pets over practical ones.

75% feel bad leaving pets alone.

74% would go into debt to provide care for their pets.

28% spend more on Christmas gifts for pets than for spouses.

- PR Newswire