News In Brief

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU ...

It figures to be a huge wedding Wednesday when Pang Oi Jai and Phlai Bua Ban are joined in matrimony. And not just because of the hundreds of guests who are expected to attend. No, the ceremonies in Ayutthaya, Thailand, will be outsized because the bride and groom are ... adult elephants. (Translated, their names mean Blossoming Lotus and Sweetheart.) Organizers say the event will be kept as close as possible to a traditional wedding for humans. Alas, the honeymoon will be brief since Blossoming Lotus - er, Phlai Bua Ban - is on loan from a tourist park 90 miles away.

IT'S IRREPLACEABLE, HUH?

A cleaning company in Qufu, China, is in big trouble because its employees attacked their work too enthusiastically. In the process of vigorous wiping, scrubbing, and hosing, the contractor damaged numerous objects in - of all places - the 2,500-year-old home and temple of the sage Confucius.

AOL says Tampa has the most people looking for love

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, but that doesn't mean everyone is making plans with a significant other. Just check out the number of personal ads, for example, on America Online's user network. The Internet service provider tallied up those ads, in fact, to determine which cities had posted the most. The winner: Tampa, Fla. AOL's network, called Digital City, also invited users to weigh in on Feb. 14-related topics. Notable in the results: President Bush ranked No. 6 among male dream celebrity valentines; a lava lamp was the eighth most popular gift (a candlelight dinner at home was No. 1). The cities AOL says have the most people looking for love:

1. Tampa, Fla.

2. Philadelphia

3. Cleveland

4. Miami

5. Dallas

6. Cincinnati

7. Oklahoma City

8. Orlando, Fla.

9. Portland, Ore.

10. Indianapolis

Business Wire

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