Saturday Grab Bag III

Will Global Warming reverse Europe's fertility drop:

LONDON (Reuters) - This month is set to be the warmest April in Britain since records began nearly 350 years ago and all over Europe tourists are slapping on the sun cream several weeks ahead of schedule.
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In Germany, one newspaper said soaring temperatures could inflame libidos.

"Skirts are getting shorter and there is more bare flesh flashing," Germany's biggest selling newspaper, Bild, wrote, warning Germans to keep a close eye on their partners.

"The heat excites the sex hormones much more strongly, disturbs the sleep and stimulates lust."

British book chain Waterstone's does poll of top 100 books since 1982. Now spends all their time apologizing for lack of women authors:

The company asked its 5,000 staff to name their favourite five books written since 1982, the date Waterstone’s opened its first store. The resulting list of the top 100 favourites is dominated by male authors.
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But the men outnumber women writers by a staggering 66 to 27.

The chain, which polled its sales staff to celebrate its 25th anniversary, denied suggestions yesterday that its book tills were manned by male chauvinists. But it said that it was at a loss to explain the heavy bias in favour of male authors. Company spokesman Jon Howells suggested, however, that the figures could be explained by what he believed were markedly different reading habits of men and women.