A new low for CNN

'Someone's swiping toilet paper', screams the CNN.com headline in the 'Latest News' section today. Even at first glance, this looks trashier than the lowest form of journalism one can imagine. Having a few minutes to kill in the torpor of a muggy afternoon, my computer mouse willingly swallowed the cheesy bait. After all, I needed something to write about :-) So here is the piece in all its nine-sentence glory. Even the authorities do not care all that much. However, CNN does, so all is well with the world. I can take that nap now.

FOND DU LAC, Wisconsin (AP) -- Someone is either too cheap to buy his own toilet paper or planning a big prank.

Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel said someone has been repeatedly stealing toilet paper from the men's public bathrooms at the Fond du Lac City County Government Center since June.

Buechel suspects the person comes in once or twice a week around midday and gets about six rolls a week from dispensers. Some rolls weren't even full, he said.

The thefts haven't been a big loss.

"We don't buy the best toilet paper," Buechel said.

He expects the thief to get caught. "Someone is going to walk in on him when he's doing it and we'll catch him," he said.

Courthouse officials are on the lookout for suspicious activity.

County sheriff Capt. Dean Will didn't return a call for comment Friday.

Six sixes

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh recently thrashed England's Stuart Broad for six huge sixes in a single over. This got me thinking about the three previous such instances.

Perhaps the most famous is the effort by Sir Gary Sobers of West Indies in an English county game in 1968. While almost everyone knows about this episode, few are aware of the circumstances. I fell in this category as well, so I did some digging. Taking nothing away from Sobers, the fact remains that (a) the bowler was Malcolm Nash, a fast-bowler who was experimenting with spin that day, (b) the ground was rather small, and (c) Sobers hit everything to the leg side.

Ravi Shastri of India then replicated the feat in a Ranji domestic game in 1985, hitting the Baroda left-arm spinner Tilak Raj out of the park six consecutive times.

Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa thrashed the hapless Daan van Bunge of the Netherlands during the recent 2007 World Cup. Clueless opposition, and a batsman well-known for the big hitting.

Yuvraj's feat, however, came against a decent team and an international fast bowler with some experience. He also hit the ball all over the park, on both sides of the wicket. Just a few thoughts to keep the mind occupied...

Hard-working CNN

I salute CNN and its reporters for working hard to bring me the latest top stories in the country. Sometimes, these stories are even tops on the world stage. This day, in honor of CNN, I will present the leading headlines of global importance, as they are put up on the website:

1. Air guitarists battle for glory
2. Laura Bush to undergo neck surgery
3. Expert analyzes bin Laden's body language
4. Hilton fumes over 'hot' cards (more Paris Hilton nonsense)
5. Chihuahua adopts baby squirrels
6. 'Brokeback', "Office' stars entering splitsville (America's love affair with celebrity divorces)

Where would I be if I remained unaware of these earth-shaking developments? Kudos to CNN for putting them above the real issues plaguing this world.

Kathmandu, anyone?

Bring a couple of goats along. Just for luck. Or just in case!

[From BBC News]

Goats sacrificed to fix Nepal jet

Nepal's state-run airline has confirmed that it sacrificed two goats to appease a Hindu god, following technical problems with one of its aircraft.

Nepal Airlines said the animals were slaughtered in front of the plane - a Boeing 757 - at Kathmandu airport.

The offering was made to Akash Bhairab, the Hindu god of sky protection, whose symbol is seen on the company's planes.

The airline said that after Sunday's ceremony the plane successfully completed a flight to Hong Kong.

"The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," senior airline official Raju KC was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Nepal Airlines has two Boeing aircraft in its fleet.

The persistent faults with one of the planes had led to the postponement of a number of flights in recent weeks.

The company has not said what the problem was, but reports in local media have blamed an electrical fault.

Courting fashion (part 2)

So, here I was, complaining about the Williams sisters not giving credit to their opponents (see previous post, Courting fashion). Even as I was typing, Serena's lips were moving:

From Williams’s perspective, she beat herself. “I think she made a lot of lucky shots and I made a lot of errors,” Williams, the eighth seed, said sourly during her postmatch news conference. [New York Times]

I saw the match in its entirety. The truth is that Serena was almost never in control during the encounter. In fact, Justine was serving for the first set when the score was just 5-3, and the match could have been a lot shorter if she could have held serve. The second set, in which Serena was blown away at 6-1, showed just how much Serena lacks on the court: muscle cannot always overcome consistent strategy and execution.

But yes, the world is indeed a simple place. At least, it makes it easy to predict the Williams' press conferences.

Courting fashion

There was a time, not too long ago, when the ladies tennis circuit was populated by graceful players. And then, in the blink of an eye, the scene was quickly altered so that the court became some sort of fashion parade. Gone are the days of pure white; today, many players seem to employ stylists rather than coaches to prep them for their games. One of them, this year's defending champion at the US Open, inserts real gold into her shoes (I am told)! The glitter couldn't save her though, as she was handed an early exit ticket.

Last night at the US Open was quite a study in contrasts. Justine Henin, thin as a rail, dressed in relatively sober attire. Her opponent, Serena Williams, sported elaborate hair plaits, shoulder-length glitter swinging from her ears, and a long chain to match. The focus of one was solely on the tennis. The other seemed to go to pieces in the span of just a few games, trying to muscle her way out against a player who had a lot more than just power. Thankfully, the tennis won out, and Serena now has all the time in the world to devote to her new fashion apparel label.

When the Williams sisters arrived on the scene, they just blew the rest away with their focus on raw power. Games were unbelievably short (and perhaps a tad ugly, even). But the field seems to have adjusted beautifully to match that power. Grace and strategy to the fore again! And no more sobbing Mr. Williams, scared of attending a Grand Slam lest he has to see one of his daughters lose to the other. The Williams sisters, of course, never learn. They continue to be sore losers, always crediting their own injuries/fitness/errors rather than a superior opponent.

But for now, all seems to be well. Let the games continue!

Tennis 101: think baseball!

I am appalled by the television commentary at the on-going US Open championship. And I am thinking 'tennis', not 'golf'! The commentators are so used to baseball that they are routinely running with terms borrowed from that 'sport'.

In slightly over a single set between Roddick and Berdych, my
ears were subjected to the following gems:

1. Scouting reports
2. Change-ups
3. Checked swing
4. He is oh-for-two out there

The glut of baseball-speak would doubtless have continued, but for Berdych giving up and retiring quickly in the second set. A small mercy! Maybe he heard the TV feed and gave up in disgust.