A GLOBAL PUNKING

Denmark
In 1965, a Copenhagen newspaper reported that Parliament had passed a law that all dogs be painted white to improve road safety because they could then be seen clearly at night.
Canada
In 2008, WesUet airlines advertised its overhead cabin bins as "amongthe most spacious of any airline" and said it would charge passengers an extra $12 to use these "sleeper cabins.'
France

According to Le Parisien, in 1986, the Eiffel Tower was going to be dismantled

and rebuilt inside the new Euro Disney park.

Norway

In 1987, after reading that the government was planning to distribute 10,000 liters of wine confiscated from smugglers, hundreds of citizens turned up carrying empty bottles and buckets.

China

Claimingthat it would reduce the need for foreign experts, the China Youth Daily joked in 1993 that the government had decided to exempt PhDs from the nation's one-child-per-family policy. After foreign press picked up the hoax, the government condemned April Fools' Day as a Western tradition.

Taiwan
In 2009, the Taipei Times claimed that "Taiwan-China relations were dealt a severe setback yesterday when it was found that the Taipei Zoo's pandas are not what they seem." The paper reported that the pandas, a gift from the Chinese government, were brown forest bears dyed to resemble pandas. Amongthe complaints sent to the paper was one from the zoo's director.
Germany
In 2009, BMW ran an ad promoting its new magnetic tow technology." The invention enabled drivers to turn off their engine and get a "free ride" by locking onto the car ahead via a magnetic beam.
Jordan
Residents fled the desert town of Jahr in 2010 after a local newspaper reported that flying saucers piloted by ten-foot-high creatures had landed.

Quick Study

Whetheryou paste a Kick Me sign on some poor slob's back or pull off an elaborate corporate hoax, April 1 is a day when it's acceptable to play practical jokes on your family, neighbors, colleagues, friends, and enemies. What are you waiting for?
FISHY STORY
Although not all April Fools' experts agree (yes, they exist), some argue the day originated in 16th-century France, when Pope Gregory XIII mandated thatthe new year begin on January i
instead of the end of March. Those who failed to follow the ^H^l new calendar were dubbed April fish. Others claim it originated from ancient spring festivals that included mischief making.

SPAGHETTI HARVEST CAUSES A STIR
Arguably, the greatest prank ever perpetrated was pulled off a half-century ago by BBC TV. In ¹957> the news show Panorama reported that thanks to a mild winter, Swiss farmers enjoyed a bumper crop of spaghetti. To prove this, it broadcast a three-minute report of field hands carefully plucking, or "harvesting," strands of spaghetti from trees. Legions of viewers were duped, and many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their very own spaghetti trees. The BBC advised each caller: "Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce, and hope for the best."

THE IF-ONLY-I-HAD MYTH

If being rich made people happy, all rich people would be happy—yet we've all read stories about rich people who are abjectly miserable. It's not that having enough money to buy food and shelter and basic comforts doesn't make life easier. But when we begin ignoring what we do have, we miss the only place from which we can glean any kind of happiness or satisfaction or love—which is here, now.
Before my husband and I lost our money, I'd been complaining about our house. Built as a vacation home in 1960, it's drafty, and the plumbing doesn't always work. After Madoff confessed, I couldn't believe my good fortune to have a house, for that day and the day after.
Before Madoff confessed, I didn't
like the way Matt chewed his cereal, wore ankle socks, and was insistent on focusing on the positive. After Madoff confessed, it seemed miraculous that I'd ended up married for more than 20 years to a man I adored. I remembered again how much I liked his face, his laugh, his walk, the way he rolled his eyes.
Before Madoff confessed, I'd peer at my body from the holes in my psyche. After
watching a movie called Losing Everything and Getting It Back.
When we lost our savings, I couldn't believe how blind I had been or that I hadn't paid off my house, put aside funds for family and friends, and given away a quarter of what we had. From the perspective of losing everything, having anything seemed like winning the lottery.
But with this new turn of the wheel, I began receiving calls and letters from family members asking for money—and once again I felt like I didn't have enough.

Or Just Go Out

Where tofindthe perfect grilled cheese, already made:
• The grilled cheese bar at Artisanal in
New York City
• The Cheese Truck,
an offshoot of Caseus, a New Haven, Connecticut, cheese shop
• The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, San Francisco
• Chedd's Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• Hammontree's Take Home Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches,
Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Cafe Muse, Royal Oak, Michigan
• The Parker Pie Company, West Glover, Vermont
• Don & Millie's,
Omaha, Nebraska
• The Cheese Factory Restaurant,
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
• The Grilled Cheese Grill, Portland, Oregon

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Long before grilled cheese sandwiches were a trend and mobile trucks were selling them from L.A. to New Haven, we all knew they were the ultimate rainy-day comfort food, a baby boomer's answer to the madeleine. Here are the general principles, adapted from Grilled Cheese, Please!50 Scrumptiously Cheesy Recipes, by Laura Werlin

1）Gratethecheese.lt will melt more evenly and will more likely reach the desired consistency before the bread burns.
 2) Use the proper bread-to-cheese ratio: %-inch-thick slices of bread, roughly 4 by 5 inches, with i>2to 2 ounces of grated cheese per sandwich, depending on the recipe.
3) Melt the butter and spread it on the bread, not the pan.
4) Cook in a nonstick pan.
5) Use a spatula to flatten the sandwich slightly as it's grilling.
6) Go low and slow: Figure 18 to 20 minutes total cookingtime on medium-low heat for a golden-brown outside and a gooey inside.

Best of the Zest

Let these flavor boosters keep you and your family eating healthy, happy, and less. Plus, they're affordable.
Still trying to follow a diet of rabbit food and pablum? With a few simple spices and pantry items, you can turn listless dishes into lip-smacking ones. Nutrisystem's Tony Mantuano, featured on Bravo's Top Chef, offers tips on how to enhance flavor without breaking the bank. 
• ITALIAN RED WINE VINEGARSprinkle spices into a quality red wine and heat until simmering. Splash on vegetables or chicken for a taste that's high in flavor but low in calories. Mantuano recommends combining fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley with the vinegar. Price: $2 per bottle.
 • ORANGEZEST Try this "secret flavor weapon" with almost anything. Use a micro-plane grater, avoid the white pith, and enjoy the zing. Price: About $1 per orange.

• DRIED FIGS
They go great with cereal, pancakes, French toast, and muffins, as well as desserts. "Once you taste their rich nutrient-filled flavor, you'll love them," says Mantuano. Price: $6 to $10 per pound.
• PICKLED PEPPERONCINI Add them to chili, chicken salad, pasta, and meat for a touch of Italy. They vary from mild to spicy, so you can choose the amount of kick to add. Price: Cans start at $1.50.
• DRIED OREGANO The ultimate go-to spice adds taste to everything from sauces,soups, and meats to vegetables and eggs. Mantuano suggests buying imported Greek or Italian oregano that's still on the stem and storing it in a plastic container in the freezer: "Whenever I add this in cooking, it reminds me of my grandmother's food." Price: $6 and up per pack.
 • CAPERS These pickled buds go well with beef, pastas, and poultry.
"They're underutilized, yet they add a unique, intense saline flavor," says Mantuano. (Be sure to rinse them first.) Price: $5 per jar. 
• SUN-DRIED TOMATOESCook for five minutes in boiling water, then drain and chop. They're tastiest on pasta, frozen pizza, and soups. Avoid tomatoes packed in oil (and packed with Average tip percentage on a meal in a New Orleans restaurant, the highest tip average in the nation.

good design

  Anna had an old wooden table converted into a fresh-looking double vanity. She purchased the two mirrors from a local salvage store. "I stumbled across them and loved them and thought, 'Wouldn't they look great as my bathroom mirrors.' I like that they don't match.' The white subway wall tiles and hexagonal floor tiles are in keeping with the Art Deco era of the bungalow.
  TOP LEFT AND RIGHT: Anna's son, Harry, accompanies her on excursions to antique markets and chooses one item each trip, which are displayed on the plate rail running the perimeter of his room. The oversized galvanized pendant hits a slightly unexpected note, while striped cushions on the settee are a perfect choice for a young boy's room. The mouldings and ceiling medallion are original to the house. Artwork by David Bromley. ABOVE: Mismatched sorbet-coloured teacups and saucers, and a blue and white creamer link to the artwork. TOP RIGHT: A whitewashed table from a flea market is topped with antiques and statement art. LEFT: The vintage Italian toleware chandelier was purchased on eBay and punched up with black and white gingham shades with pink bobble trim. Hot pink stools provide an upbeat contrast to the kitchen's white Carrara marble island. BOTTOM LEFT: Trellis-print wallpaper by Kelly Wearstler in Anna's office makes it a cosy room in which to work. A flea-market lamp was updated with a custom shade. BOTTOM RIGHT: The carved-wood bird lamps were an inexpensive find. Their shades are pink and white gingham fabric with black bobble trim. The bedspread is a French matelasse from Anna's firm, Black & Spiro Interior Design. Artwork„ Baby Love 3 by Jane Cremorne.

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 Fantasty football obsessive?Compulsive bologna eater? Hand puppet molester? Pinpoint your most shameful habit and be rewarded by learning your corresponding New Year's resolution!