New York - A New York concert promoter is offering young bands an unusual chance to perform in the Big Apple. Joe Ahearn organizes so-called "guerrilla gigs" in concrete basements, on rooftops and in other unusual places such as tortilla factories. He recently organized a concert in New York's underground rail system featuring The Escalators, a 15-member band. All acts perform without special equipment. Neither light and sound systems nor fog machines are available to enhance any of the shows.
"I can't offer bands fancy sound equipment, but I give them freedom, which is more elusive," Ahearn said in New York magazine. "A venue shouldn't be just a conveyor belt for acts."
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Stinking comic figures take over Italian classrooms
Turin, Italy - Stinking comic figure collection cards are enjoying great popularity in elementary classrooms in Italy.
The series, Skifidol Puzz, a name derived from the Italian word schifo, meaning disgusting and puzza, meaning stink, features comic heroes who give off the smell of fish, vomit and rotten eggs through images of debris surrounding them.
The 150 especially crude figures are shown vomiting, peeing and farting on the picture cards. Children apparently like them: In less than three months 1 million of the collectors' cards have been sold in Italy.
But it appears the fun is not entirely harmless. Sixteen elementary school children in Turin were taken to hospital recently with respiratory problems, according to media reports. The smelly picture cards could have caused symptoms of poisoning. The makers of the images deny any responsibility, saying mass hysteria is probably to blame for the complaints.
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Colourful adhesive covers for cell phones make them distinctive
Mainz, Germany - Photos of pop stars or pictures with mom: Whatever the image, individualized adhesive covers can jazz up a cell phone and make it distinctive at the same time.
The mini covers, which cost 10 to 13 euros, are cut to fit each cell phone and cover both the front and the back. There are at least three companies in Germany selling the covers: YOUNiiK in Mainz, DeinDesign GmbH in Bad Kreuznach and tortoise design GmbH in Berlin.
There's no limit to the images that can be incorporated on them, according to the retailers. In addition to numerous motifs available, customers can upload their own personal photos, which are then made into a cover. The adhesive covers are also available for laptops, MP3-players and game consoles.
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Spring brings out Paris' gardeners
Paris - As the first rays of spring sunshine break through, Parisians are discovering a new pastime: city garden plots.
Instead of visiting museums or exhibits, more and more residents of the French capital are spending their evenings and weekends in gardening gloves and rubber boots. The number of community gardens has grown to 50 in the city, and whenever a member of the community is on the plot, it is open to visitors.
The gardening groups aim to make their plots ecological models. They collect rainwater and dispose of organic waste on compost heaps. In a metropolis like Paris, with relatively few parks, the small gardens have become welcome spaces for relaxation.
