Etc...

Leave the #%*! things alone

"It's a crime," grumped Pete Giacoma. "It would be prosecuted if we [found] out who did it." Then he hastened to add: "I think the worry of the public ... is that we're doing it. We're not." What is the director of the Davis County (Central Branch) Public Library in Layton, Utah, so exercised about? It seems someone has been going through the books in the facility and - in purple ink - crossing out swear words and changing them to "darn," "heck," and other nonprofane epithets. That's a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and jail time. But Giacoma says he'd probably settle for restitution, unless the vandal tires of the practice and stops on his, or her, own first.

Speaking of books, have you heard about the volume that Mazda Motors has produced to promote its new Verisa compact? It's 10 feet high, 11-1/4 feet wide, and, yes, a candidate for the Guinness Book of World Records.

In some circles, the term "secretary" has been superseded by the more politically correct and loftier-sounding "administrative assistant." Either way, if you work as one, you've got company - lots of it. The Census Bureau reports that 3.9 million Americans hold such jobs, making this the most common job category in the US. The top occupations, based on number of people employed in them (in millions), from the bureau's data:

Secretary/administrative assistant 3.9
Retail salesperson 3.6
Truck driver or driver-sales worker 3.3
Elementary/middle school teacher 3.1
Cashier 3.1
Supervisor/manager of retail sales staff 2.8
Registered nurse 2.3
Customer service representative 2.1
Janitor/building cleaner 2.0
Laborer or freight/stock/ materials mover 2.0