These stories qualify as the "Strange but True" articles of the day...
I am not posting this to fan flames but found the two stories interesting and both raised an eyebrow but in different ways...
A Gift Worth A Foot In The Mouth
This is one gift the city of Detroit may never be able to live down. Back in 1980, when times were much different than they are now and the U.S. was on a completely different footing with a certain despotic Middle Eastern leader, Saddam Hussein was given the key to the Motor City. The presentation was made by a priest on behalf on Mayor Coleman Young, during a visit by a group of Chaldeans to Baghdad. In turn, Saddam donated $200,000 to a Chaldean Catholic church in Detroit. At the time, America – as the entire nation may also want to forget – was giving covert aid to Iraq in its war with Iran. Twenty-three years later, there’s nothing covert about the U.S.’ aim in Iraq. Maybe when they find Saddam, U.S. troops may also want to hunt down that gift key and have it returned to the U.S. – to be tossed in the Detroit River, for posterity’s sake.
For Their Viewing Pleasure
Don’t say the publisher of a couple of the top men’s magazines isn’t supportive of the troops in Iraq. Dennis Publishing is shipping 15,000 free copies of Maxim and Stuff over to the American soldiers in the Gulf, with the intention that the scantily clad models covering their pages will boost morale. It’s not a new idea by any means, as pin-ups of lovely ladies were all the rage in World War II. Not wanting to be left out of the mix, Time Magazine is also making arrangements to send copies of its two latest issues on college basketball (re. March Madness stuff) to sites housing U.S. military personnel. Word is People magazine could soon hit the desert too. Wondering where Playboy is in this time of need? While the legendary girly glossy isn’t delivering any of its skin mags to the front, it hopes to make a contribution by setting up an e-mail address where the fighting faithful can sign up to receive non-nude pics (shucks) and messages from the playmates. And the women involved in the war haven’t been forgotten either. Long before the hostilities began, someone from the front wrote Hearst Corp. asking for some quality reading material. In reply, the publisher sent issues of its Marie Claire magazine along with skin care products to dozens of female soldiers. The publisher said it will soon also deliver copies of its Good Housekeeping title – maybe because even on the front, no one deserves a tent that isn’t aesthetically pleasing.