Lest you be focusing just on the bigger stories in the financial press, such as Cisco's (NASDAQ:CSCO) earnings or Martha Stewart's trial, here's a brief recap of some recent and weird financial news:
- You may not have realized it, but the Playboy (NYSE:PLA) website, Playboy.com, has an editorial interest in the corporate world. It's currently seeking some "hotties" among Home Depot (NYSE:HD) employees to display in an upcoming feature, as it has done with employees of firms such as Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX).
- There's money in odors. The EsteeLauder (NYSE:EL) company knows this, and so did Fred Dale, who recently passed away. You may have experienced some of Dale's inventions during visits to theme parks and other tourist attractions. Dale invented many foul scents for them, such as "Dead Roman Soldier's Armpit," "Dragon Breath," and "Viking Loo." According to a Reuters story, the only smell he had trouble reproducing was a good one -- that of baking bread.
- While many in the world wring their hands about overpopulation, many nations are facing falling birth rates -- such as Italy and Australia. Australia has just come out with a new policy to try and counter this trend: paying new parents. It's offering the equivalent of $2,100 to women who do their "patriotic duty" and have children.
- Sports utility vehicle (SUV) makers might want to develop more robust models in the near future. It seems that in Maine, a turkey saw its reflection in a Ford (NYSE:F) Explorer and, thinking it was a rival for the affections of a nearby she-bird, proceeded to peck at it until it made itself bloody and dizzy. In the process, the SUV was rather damaged.
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Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian does not own shares of any companies mentioned in this article.
