Jon Bauer, Herald staff
No satisfaction
Out in a blaze of glory: Fireworks fans in San Diego saw a condensed version of the scheduled waterfront Fourth of July show when the planned 20-minute display was launched all at once, lasting only about 15 seconds. The pyrotechnic company said it was trying to determine what caused the “premature ignition.”
Disappointed Independence Day revelers consoled the show’s organizers by assuring them that it happens to all pyrotechnic companies at some point, and then turned on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
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Happy hookers: A Swedish government agency has ruled that prostitutes in the Nordic country can claim sick leave and related benefits as long as they’ve paid their taxes. Selling sex is legal in Sweden, although paying a prostitute is not.
Those caught soliciting prostitutes face punishment ranging from eating lutefisk to running naked from a sauna and jumping into an ice-covered lake.
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Ask Jonah: South Korea has informed the International Whaling Commission that it plans to resume whaling for research purposes so it can study the types and amounts of fish that whales consume.
The whales filed a counter proposal to the IWC, saying they would be happy to swallow a whaler or two to allow an accurate count.
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