FLAT EARTH

Hungary for fame

The biggest fuss in Hungary over the married couple who planned simultaneous sex-change operations - the husband becoming a woman and the wife a man - was behind the scenes.

Sensing another first for the nation which gave the world Vitamin C, the carburettor, the Rubik cube, and the ballpoint pen, senior doctors at St George's Hospital in Szekesfehervar, 50 miles from Budapest, demanded to be included. Some of those left out complained, and the director, Dr Antal Csingar, called a halt after only one operation had been performed, on the woman seeking to become a man.

Dr Csingar says he wants to clarify "moral and ethical questions" surrounding the operations, but the main issue seems to be good, old-fashioned medical jealousy.

Get laid on the Net

Who says cyberspace is only for techies, sex freaks, and sad people who have nothing better to do with their time? In Finland you can use the internet to find out where the eggs on your breakfast table come from!

Finns have one of the world's highest rates of heart disease, so a while ago they introduced Omega eggs. These are produced by hens fed with linseed oil, which contain fatty acids shown to fight coronary blockages.

As of last week, Omega eaters can log on to identify the farm from which their eggs came. To the disappointment of real fanatics, you cannot find out which hen produced them, but you can get information on its breed, as well as a picture of its owners. I can't think of any further reason to delay getting wired up.

Brutish airways

It's late, you're tired, the flight's crowded and the little boy in the seat in front of you just will not stop fidgeting, pushing the tray table into your stomach and generally making a bad situation worse. At time like these most of us have been tempted to give the seat in front a hefty kick.

Don't. Celeste Keenan, in the words of a witness, "donkey kicked" her troublesome neighbour. She claimed she was trying to free her foot. In any case, the seat broke, the 12-year-old hit his head, and she was convicted of assault. Ms Keenan could be going to prison for up to six months, and if she thought the food was bad and the accommodation crowded on Spirit Airlines, she ain't seen nothing yet.