Etc...

WE COULD USE ONE EVERY YEAR

How much of an impact does soccer's World Cup have on life outside the US? Besides the widely publicized rioting in countries whose teams lose games they were expected to win, that is. Well, consider South Korea. The National Police Agency (NPA) in Seoul reports that compared with the 10 days prior to the opening day of the tournament – when 13,939 felony crimes were logged – murders are down by 67 percent, rapes by 35 percent, and armed robberies by 21 percent. It appears, NPA Lt. Park Kwang-ki said, that "criminals have contracted World Cup fever too."

You've heard of "carrying coals to Newcastle" – meaning the futility of shipping fuel to the city that once was a center of England's mining industry. Still, Peter Seidel is making a buck at the 21st century equivalent. The Darwin, Australia, exporter won a contract to ship camels to ... Saudi Arabia. His camels, whose ancestors were brought to Australia between 1840 and 1907 as beasts of burden, fetch $285 a head. Disease and political instability have caused Saudi camel buyers who once shopped in north Africa to look elsewhere.

New York's civic and business leaders have been urging travelers to visit, counting on tourism to help their city rebuild from last fall's terrorist attacks. In a boost to that effort, New York has been named the No. 1 arts destination by AmericanStyle magazine. Its annual poll asked readers to rate cities on the richness, variety, and diversity of arts offerings. The top 10 on AmericanStyle's list:

1. New York
2. Santa Fe/Taos, N.M.
3. San Francisco/Berkeley, Calif.
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago
6. Seattle
7. Washington
8. Boston
9. Buffalo, N.Y.
10. Philadelphia