Etc...

Hey, don't do what I did

If you're in San Francisco and see a fellow who appears to be loitering outside a post office, he's probably Shawn Gemen-tera. And if he's still there the next day, and the day after that, it's for good reason: He'll be serving part of a criminal sentence. The 20-something was caught - and confessed to - raiding other people's letterboxes. That's a federal crime, and so the judge in his case ordered him to stand for 100 hours near the entrance to one of the city's post offices wearing a sandwich board on which are the words: "I have stolen mail. This is my punishment."

Speaking of getting what's coming to him, an Orange, Texas, resident may soon find himself in the doghouse - literally. That would be part of the penalty he'll pay for pleading guilty to abuse of his stepson, including a report (since disputed) that he forced the boy to spend his nights in Fido's shelter. In addition to a fine and eight years' probation, prosecutors offered him a choice: 30 days in jail or 30 nights you-know-where. The deal still requires a judge's OK.

The biggest company in the US and indeed, the world, is now America's most admired as well. Discount retailer Wal-Mart jumped from third place in 2002 to the top spot in the latest annual survey by Fortune magazine of 10,000 business leaders and analysts in 66 industries. Five-time No. 1 General Electric fell to fifth place, and there were three new arrivals. Fortune's 10 most admired firms in 2003, and their ranks last year (in parentheses if applicable):

1. Wal-Mart Stores (3)
2. Southwest Airlines (2)
3. Berkshire Hathaway (5)
4. Dell Computer n/a
5. General Electric (1)
6. Johnson & Johnson (7)
7. Microsoft (4)
8. FedEx (8)
9. Starbucks n/a
10. Procter & Gamble n/a