Etc...

Tense? Me? Of course not

There are ballot initiatives, and then there's the question to be decided at the polls Nov. 4 in Denver: Should the city help in reducing stress? And, if so, how? Resident Jeff Peckman collected the required number of signatures on a petition for it to appear before the voters, and he offers such helpful suggestions as playing "soothing music" in public places. Perhaps City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez is one of those Peckman had in mind when he came up with the idea. At the meeting in which it won the council's OK to appear on the ballot, she said: "I'm getting stressed out over this bill."

Motorists on Germany's autobahns may never see a car with a dog at the wheel, but at least a canine there has passed with ease the same test that cost his master his driver's license. It seems a Koblenz resident made hash of a doctor-administered sobriety exam, failing to execute any of the commands. But his pet West Highlands terrier performed each of them perfectly. Wrote the physician, in recommending that the license be revoked: "Man, fail; dog, pass."

In what may be a mild upside to the slow economic recovery (at least for employed car owners), parking rates fell 7.4 percent nationally in the past year - to $140.52 a month, on average, for an unreserved space. That's according to Colliers International, a partnership of commercial realtors, which compiled data on 53 metropolitan areas in North America for its survey. The 10 markets where parking cost most per month:

1. New York (midtown) $425.00
2. Boston 390.00
3. New York (downtown) (tie) San Francisco 300.00
5. Chicago 238.00
6. Washington 225.00
7. Philadelphia 220.35
8. Seattle 220.00
9. Pittsburgh 214.00
10. Los Angeles 177.25 - PR Newswire