Etc...

IT MEANS WHAT IT SAYS

At a key intersection in Marinwood, Calif., stands a "No U-Turn" sign you'd do well to obey if you're driving there. That's even though it is unauthorized and no one will admit to putting it up – not the highway department and not the police. The best guess: a neighbor, weary of cars reversing direction at the intersection, did the deed. Regardless, the cops are enforcing it and have issued tickets to motorists caught ignoring the warning. Asked for comment, a Highway Patrol spokesman said: "It's assumed that if a sign was put up and it looks official, it is official."

On the island of Malta, where soccer fans bow to no one in their enthusiasm for the sport, somebody came up with the idea of making World Cup telecasts available via a big screen set up under a tent in downtown Valletta, the capital. Hundreds of appreciative people crowded in to watch. Until, that is, a TV cameraman showed up to record the scene. The tent emptied in a hurry. Conclusion: Most viewers had skipped work and didn't want their employers spotting them on the local news.

The names may or may not ring a bell if you're past high school, but Teen People magazine has named its "25 hottest stars under 25." The top 10 of these up-and-coming young celebrities, as identified by a poll on the Teen People website:

1. Orlando Bloom (Legolas in "Lord of the Rings")
2. Josh Hartnett (Eversmann in "Black Hawk Down")
3. Usher, R&B singer
4. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars – Attack of the Clones")
5. Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala in "Star Wars")
6. Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man")
7. Ludacris, hip-hop musician
8. Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang in TV series "Smallville")
9. Linkin Park, rock band
10. Alicia Keys, singer-songwriter