A GROUP of US students from a private college in Lynchburg, Virginia, went on a field trip to a Nevada brothel as part of their American culture class.
Students from Randolph College (fees: $34,860 a year) went to the Chicken Ranch, a well-known Nevada brothel in Pahrump, a town some 60 miles outside Las Vegas.
While at the brothel, the students met sex workers including Alicia, who "wore a black-and-white gingham nightie and a tattoo on her left breast that read 'Famous'," they reported. Interviewing Alicia and some of her colleagues, the students asked questions such as: "Do you consider yourself a feminist?" and "Is there a certain look most men prefer?" They wondered: "Why aren't there brothels with male prostitutes?" and also asked: "Do you still give a military discount?" (Yes, apparently.)
The field trip began with a professor's interest in water rights and conservation, but that focus broadened to include the wedding, entertainment and prostitution industries.
Julio Rodriguez, director of the America culture programme, defended the brothel visit in the face of strong criticism. "We don't just study America - we live it," he said.
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A new type of children's shoes will save parents from rushing to the shops so often - because the shoes grow with them.
Inchworm shoes can extend by one full shoe size, say the makers.
All parents need to do is adjust the shoe to fit. This is done by pressing a button on the side of the shoes and extending the toe out to the correct length.
The shoes are on sale for £48 in Britain through Fat Shoes Day. Peter Craig, brand manager, said: "My son-in-law, who runs the company, went to America and came back very excited about Inchworm shoes.
"They are a fantastic idea that could make parents' lives a whole lot easier.
"Quite simply, they grow three half sizes - they can actually grow with your child's feet."
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Hungary's culture minister has unveiled plans for a tax on ties.
"Ties and bow ties are created by designers, who are artists, and therefore some of their earnings should support the arts and culture here in Hungary," said Maria Schneider.
"Good design is, after all, a sign of culture, so it is right that the culture ministry should benefit from it.
"People are just as keen on buying a Cavalli tie nowadays as they were more than a century ago on buying a Dickens book."
Ms Schneider now wants a 0.8 per cent tax on all sales of ties.
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Russia's super-rich love to flaunt their wealth. Soon they will have a magazine called Snob to help them.
Mikhail Prokhorov - whose wealth is estimated at about $22 billion - plans to spend $150 million setting up a magazine, website and television station called Snob, the general director of the new venture told Reuters on Wednesday.
"It's for people who are successful and those who want to be successful," said Andrei Shmarov, who will run Snob.
Prokhorov (42) made his fortune in the chaotic 1990s when businessmen bought up parts of former Soviet Union industries for a fraction of their real value.
The Forbes magazine Rich List ranked him as the 24th richest person in the world. He is one of the owners of Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest nickel producer, and Polyus Gold, Russia's biggest gold producer.
"Snob to us means a person who is a 'self-made man', a person who has gained a right to snobbishness," says Shamarov.
"It's not pleasant to boast about your wealth when you have inherited it, but when you have made it yourself, well, it is still not very nice, but it is justified."
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magpie@irish-times.ie