■ On-line to the throne
Flushing out the secrets of America's Web surfers, a new survey of Internet use has found that more and more people are logging on -- in the bathroom. The snapshot of how the Internet has changed American life, concluded that home wireless connections were allowing people to stay connected everywhere -- even in the smallest room in the house. "A significant number of Americans use the computer connection in the bathroom," said Jeffrey Cole, of the University of Southern California Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. Since people were unlikely to be surfing in the bath, or while brushing their teeth, Cole said he had concluded that many of them went off into cyberspace while on the throne. "Over half of those who used Wi-fi had used it in the bathroom," said Cole, remarking that he believed some people in busy homes retreated there for some privacy.
■ Cyprus counts cost of Viagra
The Cyprus government is proposing that condoms and the anti-impotency drug Viagra be included among a raft of new items being added to the monthly consumer price index that tracks inflation. The state statistics department is preparing a list of 153 more goods and services to be added in the first change to the cost of living index since 2000, according to the Greek-language Phileleftheros newspaper. The proposed list reflects the change in the eastern Mediterranean island's lifestyle trends by including the average price of hair waxing, contact lenses, hair gel, hands-free mobile phone accessories, vodka, pay-TV subscriptions, hunting licenses, blank CDs and a visit to the osteopath.
■ `12 days of Christmas' index up
One partridge in a pear tree: US$104.99, up 12.9 percent. Seven swans-a-swimming: US$4,200, up 20 percent. Overall, the cost of the items cited in the holiday song The Twelve Days of Christmas is US$18,348, up 6.1 percent over last year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index released this week by PNC Bank. "The Christmas Price Index reflects the economic trends that we have witnessed during the past year," said Jeff Kleintop, chief investment strategist for PNC Advisors. The bank said high energy costs and the impact of avian flu on imported bird prices was the main driver of Christmas inflation. Costs for domestic birds (four French hens and two turtledoves) were unchanged from a year ago.
■ Norway makes Santa its own
Norway will call in extra air traffic controllers for the Christmas rush as hundreds of thousands of tourists, primarily from Britain, take to the skies to visit Santa in Finland's far north, Norwegian officials said this week. Each year during the holiday season dozens of special daily flights link the European continent to the Arctic village of Rovaniemi, the official home of Father Christmas, creating headaches for air controllers in the countries the planes fly over, such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Some 400,000 tourists visit Rovaniemi each year, 90 percent of whom hail from Britain.
■ Seattle sound for literacy
Seattle, the west coast haven of coffee, culture and the Arts has been named America's most literate city. A study put Seattle directly ahead of Minneapolis, Washington, Atlanta and San Francisco in terms of literacy, which researchers said was critical to a city's long term economic and social success. Researchers at Central Connecticut State University surveyed the literacy of 69 of America's largest cities in terms of newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and Internet use.
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