You couldn't make it up dept no.38: This makes me feel slightly better about Italy

We may have a former terrorist and murder convict for a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. But I do not know of any Italian politician who has reached quite this level of lunacy: http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2005/04/top_green_polit.html

You couldn't make it up dept. no.39: High theology

The American Episcopal Church is currently holding a convention which is, by all appearances, being used to lay the bases of a schism from the worldwide Anglican Communion. So it must have been with considerable surprise that the delgates heard that the first vote would be: “The Cucumber Sandwich is the official food of The Episcopal Church.” Incidentally, according to journalist Ruth Gledhill, there was nothing like a cucumber shandwich available. The vote was to test out the new electronic voting system which is coming soon to a General Synod near you. It was lost, 335 or 41.9 per cent for and 464 or 58.1 per cent against.