Etc...

OK, hold the Cupid jokes

From Sandnes, Norway, comes news of the wedding of Eli Pihl and Vidar Bue, along with their announcement that the bride has decided to keep her own last name. So what, you ask? Well, only that his means "bow" and hers sounds almost identical to the Norwegian word for - yup - arrow. In fact, that's how he assumed she was introducing herself when they first met, at a party. "Mother always said I should find a man named Bow," she told journalists. "I never thought it would happen."

Are you happy with your smile? Do you like to flash it when your picture is being taken for a driver's license or passport? You wouldn't if you were Canadian. Under a policy that takes effect next month, passport applicants in Canada must strike only a "neutral" pose, with the mouth closed, to comply with the recommendation of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization. Why? So customs personnel around the world only have to look at standardized expressions from now on.

Spectator sports that pit animals and/or humans in brutal one-on-one matches - or appear to (pro wrestling) are the most disdained by Americans, according to results of a new poll by Atlanta's Sports Marketing Group. However, nonviolent pro golf also fared poorly in the telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults. On the other hand, pro football had the highest favorable rating, with 42.8 percent of respondents saying they love or like it a lot. Those rating highest in the "dislike a lot" and "hate" categories, by percentage:

1. dogfighting 81.4
2. pro wrestling 55.7
3. bullfighting 46.2
4. boxing 31.3
5. PGA Tour 30.4
6. PGA Seniors Tour 29.9
7. LPGA Tour 29.2
8. NASCAR auto racing 27.9
9. Major League Soccer 27.6
10. men's pro tennis 26.5 - Associated Press