Did you know that in 1957, thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop?

Did you know that in 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell?

Did you know that in 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special supplement to honor of the tenth anniversary of a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semi-colon-shaped islands, named San Serriffe? Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica.

Did you know that in 1978 a boat appeared in Sydney Harbor towing a giant iceberg?

Did you know that 2002 the British supermarket chain Tesco published an advertisement in The Sun announcing the successful development of a genetically modified whistling carrot?

Did you know that in 1949 there was a mile-wide wasp swarm reported as being headed towards Auckland?

Did you know that in 1980 Big Ben, in order to keep up with the times, was going to be converted to a digital readout?

You didn't? I'm not really surprised.

These were all April Fool's jokes played on an unsuspecting public.

April Fools is a day of jokes and mirth, but it has its origins in a much more serious event - the adoption of a new calendar. Pope Gregory XIII ordered up a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) in 1582, to replace the Julian Calendar. This new calendar scheduled New Year's Day to be celebrated on January 1st instead of April 1st or March 25th (aka Feast of Annunciation) as had been traditionally done.

What a joke.

Almost as big a joke as the Swedes swapping the side of the road they drove on by staggering the days throughout the week - one day driving on the left, the next driving on the right. Only, that one isn't a joke, either.

Just goes to show you, truth really IS stranger than fiction.

Last year, the BOP Times ran a front page article that announced the removal of one of our fair city's most iconic trees - the Aspen in Willow Street. The article was so plausible; it came with photographic evidential proof. We should have known someone was pulling our tits - it would have saved a drive into town to settle the matter!

So, has someone jerked on YOUR mamaries today? Check out the Bay Times, there is sure to be something to laugh about in there. Look for any article about WINZ and IRD's Working for Families scheme being introduced. It came into force today.

Shame that one isn't funny.

And that's as close to political as I come these days, unless it's to mention how I saw our Venerated Leader Winnie Peters downtown one year, electioneering in a dark blue suit that matched his car, kissing hands and shaking babies.

All I could think of at the time was "You pretentious git".

Funny the things you remember at 4 oclock in the morning. I wish that was an April Fool's gag as well, then I might be asleep instead.

PS Yayyyyyy, Blogger servers just had a java applet memory melt down. I must be gettin' hot, baby ;-p

Oh, and don't forget - April 1st is also the day the Internet is shut down for a spring clean.