China Building Database of Troublemaking Tourists

Chinese tourists have outspent their American and German counterparts to become the number-one spending travelers in the world—but not without some baggage. Disrespectful behavior from some Chinese tourists in foreign countries has prompted Chinese officials to start work on a database of offenders, ranked by severity of misdeed. Repeat offenders may have difficulty securing plane tickets and hotel reservations. Previously, the Chinese government attempted to teach etiquette by issuing a tourism guidebook that offered such advice as the appropriate portion to take at a buffet.

Canine Commuter Rides Bus Alone to Dog Park

A black Labrador retriever named Eclipse has recently turned heads by riding the bus—alone—to her local dog park in Seattle, Washington. Commuters and transit employees alike have reported seeing Eclipse board the bus in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood and then ride about four stops to the dog park. While dogs are allowed on Seattle buses, they usually have human companions. Eclipse's independent streak does not bother her owner, however, who says that he just meets up with her later at the dog park.

Swiss Government Slices International Pizza Delivery

Don't like your neighborhood pizzeria? Maybe it's time to consider international pizza delivery—a tactic used until recently by many Swiss citizens trying to stretch their francs by ordering pizza from nearby German border towns, where it's less expensive. An exception had allowed food delivery to avoid passing through customs, but it was rescinded by Swiss officials about a year ago. Although the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for the neighboring German region of Hochrhein-Bodensee lobbied for the exception to be reinstated, the Swiss customs office recently rejected the proposal.

Seismologists to Study Shakes at Seattle Stadium Today

Scientists from the University of Washington will be closely monitoring today's football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers using earthquake detection equipment to study the effects of the crowd's movement. The seismologists first took notice when Seahawks fans at a 2011 playoff game produced a low magnitude earthquake recorded by a nearby monitoring station. For Saturday's game, the research team has installed instruments in the stands and near the playing field as part of an experiment to develop an earthquake early warning system.