Sorry, you're breaking up, I'm at the circus! ... No, it's rubbish!
A Romanian company has developed an 'audible alibi' for mobile phones. The program plays a background sound, such as 'roadworks' or 'dentist’s chair', to add electronic plausibility to an excuse. The 'traffic jam' soundtrack will supply engine noise and honking horns from the calm of your bedroom, while 'heavy machinery' can drown out the noise of the pub. Other tracks include 'at the park', 'thunderstorm' and even 'circus parade', plus a ringing phone to provide an excuse to cut short a call. It seems you can record your own tracks too, so if, for example, if you wanted to make your lover jealous you could play 'flagrante delecto' - consisting of pre-recorded moaning, groaning, panting, shrieking, bleating, or whatever.

and a decaff for Rover, no sugar ...
St Francis Episcopal Church in Stamford, Connecticut is giving Holy Communion to pets and offering them special worship services. The clergy are welcoming animals (but not, strangely enough, sheep) into the flock because of a fall in church attendances. Not all worshippers are happy. One pointed out that allowing dogs at the after-church coffee hour could lead to children being bitten. Not only that, they would eat all the biscuits. I just can't see a dog being satisfied with one of these.