Thursday, June 30, 2005

Places with Dubious Distinctions

1. "'Aliens choose Luton' as top town"
   <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/4630329.stm>
"A collection of 10 stories about Luton is being launched in an attempt
 to improve its image after it was voted 'crap town' of the year last year"

3. "Town celebrates being named the Armpit of America by reporter"
   [expired link]
   <http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/08/21/165833-ap.html>
"About 2,000 people turned out over the weekend for the community's second
 annual 'Festival in the Pit' - a takeoff from Battle Mountain being named
 the 'Armpit of America' by a Washington Post reporter in 2001"
   "Why not the worst?"  [original article]
   <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31628-2001Nov28?
       language=printer>
"We promised to find the armpit of America. Turns out it's only about five
 inches from the heart"

4. "Detroit named America's fattest city"
   <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1020001.htm>
"Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has committed something of a cardinal sin
 in the motor city by blaming cars and trucks for Detroiters' bulging
 waistlines"

5. "Baked bean capital dubbed Windy City"  [expired link]
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_870837.html>
"West Bromwich has been dubbed The Windy City after a survey found its
 inhabitants to be the UK's biggest fans of baked beans"

6. "Winnipeg still world Slurpee capital"  [expired link]
   <http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/07/08/531948.html>
"How sweet it is. For the fifth year in a row, Winnipeg can proudly call
 itself the Slurpee Capital of the World"