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 Idaho town votes to rename itself Secretsanta.com On 2005-11-23 15:14 SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Officials in the northern Idaho town of Santa, Idaho, on Monday voted to rename the 115-person hamlet Secretsanta.com to hype an online gift exchange management service.Last-minute legal wrangling left unclear whether the water board for Santa, the town's only official body, had the authority to approve a new moniker. Even so, the board voted in favour of becoming Secretsanta.com in exchange for an undisclosed sum from a planned documentary on the name change. Santa is the latest in a lengthening list of rural communities to agree to bear the brand of a company or service. Clark, Texas last week changed its name to Dish to promote EchoStar Communications Corp.'s Dish Network. In 2000, Halfway, Oregon agreed to call itself Half.com after an Internet retailer later purchased by eBay Inc. The towns are following a tradition established in 1950 when Hot Springs, New Mexico changed its name to Truth or Consequences after a radio program that became a TV game show. Gidget McQueen, the Santa official spearheading the re-christening, said the deal with Secretsanta.com -- a Web site that group gift exchange planning -- is too good to pass up for a village that is otherwise not on the map.
The expected re-dubbing of Santa with ceremonies planned for December 9 is the brainchild of marketing guru Mark Hughes, chief executive of Buzzmarketing and the architect behind Halfway, Oregon's name change.Halfway, Oregon officials say being known for one year as Half.com brought the city $75,000 (44,000 pounds) and 20 computers for its schools. "Even to this day, we still have people come through and talk about Half.com," said Ralph Smead, member of the area's chamber of commerce. Police welcome drinkers to the "Lock 'Em Inn" On 2005-11-23 15:08 Tuesday November 22, 03:31 PM LONDON (Reuters) - Drunks are being offered a weekend break with a difference by police in eastern England -- "convenient accommodation with lots of bars" at the "Lock'Em Inn." A spoof brochure is being distributed by Ipswich police in an effort to remind revellers of the effects of drinking too much during the first festive season under new open-all-hours drinking laws. Police have produced more than 30,000 leaflets proclaiming the dubious attractions of the "Lock'em Inn", an establishment "conveniently located within easy reach of Ipswich pubs, clubs and criminal courts". "Built in the 1960s, the atmosphere is truly unique," the leaflet says of the local police station. The accommodation is "minimalist chic with economy in mind." A picture of a microwave meal promises: "Warm food lovingly reheated in seconds". Minimum stays are available of between four to six hours, but the leaflet suggests "Why not make it a long weekend? Get arrested on a Saturday and stay with us until court on Monday." New licensing laws come into effect across England and Wales on Thursday, which will allow pubs and bars to open for longer. Senior judges and police have warned the new rules could make the country's already serious drinking problems worse. Football fans... On 2005-11-21 17:18 I am myself a football fan but i can tell that when i hear the leader of the Bad Gones, Lyon's biggest fan group, say that this is a shame that there are only 40 people going to Toulouse to support the team, while there are 600 going to St. Etienne, i feel like football fans don't have a very high IQ. That guy doesn't see any difference between a game against a city that is 70 km from Lyon on a Saturday and a game against a city that is 700 km away on a Wednesday... This is not to improve the image of football fans that non football fans have of them.... Back from Japan On 2005-11-16 15:04 Two days after coming back from Japan, I still feel a bit weird, probably because of jet lag. I jeep waking up in the middle of the night and I am bloody tired in the evening and go to bed at 10 pm. Didn't do that since I was 10 ^^. Japan was great, we had so much fun, and enjoyed seeing our friends there so much. It was great to discover such a different atmosphere, culture, and food. We first went to Tokyo, then Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, and passed by Miyajima, Kimakura, Kobe, Nara, Himeji. All these places were so different from what we have here but also very different from each other. Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura, Miyajima, Himeji were mostly traditional cities with a lot of beautiful temples and shrines while Tokyo, Osaka were huge cities like you imagine them, with the big buildings covered by big lights. Hiroshima was more a city like Lyon, a bit more quiet where you could tell that everyone wasn't on such a rush as in Tokyo or Osaka. I really enjoyed all parts of the trip, especially the food. Fugu, Shabu shabu, Yakitori, Edamame, etc etc etc... Not even talking about the weird stuff we had like salmon testicules, Pig's phallopian tubes, and more.I think we are all (Pierre, Scott and I) very grateful to our friends Eiko, Yuko, Naomi, Vishwa, Tom, and the Miyasaka familly for the great time we had there. It wouldn't have been the same without them. I hope we'll be able to do it again soon or that they can find a random conference to attend in Europe so we can meet them here. A Great experience ! |