Etc...

I'm simply being honest

"If there's a one-tenth of 1 percent chance that somebody's going to claim it, they should have that opportunity," Larry Hoffman said. That was after the West Bend, Wis., retiree went to the police department earlier this month and turned over $2,000 in cash that had been in the pocket of a used shirt he bought at a Goodwill Industries bargain store (and after personnel there were able to turn up no record of its rightful owner). Whoever he or she is has been given 90 days to claim the cash by providing the cops with an accurate description of the shirt and the denominations of the bills. Meanwhile, as for Larry Hoffman, even though that money would have come in handy, he told journalists: "It belonged to somebody else, obviously. That person was certainly on my mind more than me."

Last week, the US Transportation Security Adminstration got around to adding cigarette lighters to its list of banned carry-on items for airline passengers. Safety matches still are permitted on board, but not the "strike anywhere" type that can be ignited using any abrasive surface. Lighters found at security checkpoints must be given to someone not boarding the flight, relinquished to security personnel (from whom they may not be reclaimed later), or otherwise parted with. But while lighters, other volatile materials, and weapons are logical no-nos, the TSA's complete list includes objects that aren't intended to be harmful, yet still are considered to pose one form of danger or another. Among the odder banned items:

Baseball and cricket bats
Hockey and lacrosse sticks
Pool cues
Ski poles
Cattle prods
Liquid bleach
Turpentine
Spray paint
Fire extinguishers
Brass knuckles
Replicas of firearms
Crowbars and other tools
- Transportation Security Administration