Etc...

Road to riches?

It would appear that every other conceivable source of revenue in the quaint town of Ivad, Hungary, must be maxed out. We know this because last week the mayor announced a new plan for the cash-strapped community, which wants to build a sewage treatment plant and make other civic improvements. And it isn't a tax or a crackdown on overstaying at parking meters. Instead, Ivad is offering the naming rights to its streets, with the expectation that they'll be attractive to celebrities. "If, for example, Barbra Streisand, whom I like a lot, has no street named after her, she may decide to have one [here]," Mayor Gábor Ivády said. Potentially, that would put her in select company since Ivad has only eight streets. Furthermore, it's guaranteeing each buyer that his or her name will remain in place for 300 years. The fee: $511 per yard. There is, however, some fine print, which may be accessed in English under the heading, "Buy immortal in Hungary!" at the town's website: http://ivad.hu. Each applicant "must be, or have been, prominent in their sphere of life." Also, since Hungarian law forbids the naming of public thoroughfares after the living, a contract must be signed stipulating that the honor will be bestowed posthumously.