And Now for Something Completely Different...

The BBC News site does a recurring bit each weekend called 10 Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Week, and this week they've come up with 100 of the best of the year. It's chock-full of fun stuff:

2. Mohammed is now one of the 20 most popular names for boys born in England and Wales.

8. Devout Orthodox Jews are three times as likely to jaywalk as other people, according to an Israeli survey reported in the New Scientist. The researchers say it's possibly because religious people have less fear of death.

11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed.

19. The = sign was invented by 16th Century Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, who was fed up with writing "is equal to" in his equations. He chose the two lines because "noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle".

28. The British buy the most compact discs in the world - an average of 3.2 per year, compared to 2.8 in the US and 2.1 in France.

33. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has only been in an English pub once, to buy his wife cigarettes.

39. Australians host barbecues at polling stations on general election days. More details [ed note - that sounds like a great idea for the US; make it a holiday and light up the barbie]

63. It takes less energy to import a tomato from Spain than to grow them in this country because of the artificial heat needed, according to Defra.

65. Actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, created the Klingon language that was used in the movies, and which Shakespeare plays were subsequently translated into.

78. One in 18 people has a third nipple. [ed note - Mrs. F was aghast at this]

83. Britain produces 700 regional cheeses, more even than France.

99. The Japanese word "chokuegambo" describes the wish that there were more designer-brand shops on a given street.

100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance".

Speaking of the UK, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Chelsea just escaped with a victory once again on Wednesday, with a 1-nil win over Manchester City (goal scored by Joe Cole). I know you've been waiting for this info, and I apologize for its delay.