See why people are finding love in the swine flu hotel and check out our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.
- Hundreds of guests quarantined at the Metropark hotel in Hong Kong in an effort to stem the spread of swine flu spent a few difficult days in lockdown. But the guests managed to make lasting friendships -- and a few even made love connections. At least two couples came together during the ordeal. On the final night of lockdown, guests removed their surgical masks and decided to party hardy.
- The army in Australia is hoping to shoot 6,000 kangaroos on a military training ground to protect endangered plants and insects in the area. Government-contracted marksmen began gunning down the defenseless marsupials at night earlier this week in an area where about 9,000 of them live. The slaughter is meant to answer the kangaroo overpopulation problem that has led to similar programs in the past.
- Manure, cat food and ice cube trays were among the bizarre items expensed by British lawmakers, a newspaper inquiry revealed. One wealthy British pol tried to claim a chocolate Santa Claus ($0.88) and a tape measure ($0.64). Another expensed a $15 bag of horse manure for his country estate.
- Scientists have named a new Venezuelan beetle after Stephen Colbert. The brown "Agaporomorphus colberti" beetle took the name of the comedian after he "shamelessly" campaigned to have his name ascribed to "something cooler" than a spider, according to the official proclamation.
