The Burma-Shave craze reached its zenith during the 1950s, with more than 7,000 signs posted across the United States.

To market Burma-Shave, Allen Odell, an advertising wordsmith, devised the concept of sequential signs to sell his shaving cream. Typically, six signs were erected, with each of the first five containing a line of verse, and the sixth trumpeting the brand name.

Burma-Shave signs appeared in every state except Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The creative people at Burma-Shave, as well as customers who sent in jingles of their own, ultimately created more than 600 of the rhymes.

In the world of advertising, Burma-Shave stood as unique, creating signs that became a part of the popular culture.

Although the Burma-Shave company is no more, these fun little rhymes hold great nostalgic value for those of us who fondly remember them from our Sunday drives.

AK-47 in a Wild Why World is a collection of essays on political and socio-economic condition of the Modern Africa, humour and poetry with a nationalistic touch. The approach, very blunt and sometimes acerbic. The book argues about an unknown fear trapped in the heart of every black African with a vicious grip on 3 out of every 5; the thought of a life wasted under economic hardship, a scary and degenerating environmental nightmare, the scare from an imaginary superior powers chained in a grander fear of losing political and vain physical relevance, the fear of a hell, a hell of poverty and misery influenced by ignorance, greed and crass illiteracy. According to the author, to run away from this fear, a great conflict ensued, a conflict of the soul and self in the midst of a society gone wild with itself. In the madness of this self induced conflict emerges a great run that has set every black African on a race out of motherland to cold places of comfort - A spider web comfort. The book states categorically that unless the black African sit down and address the myriads of problems plaguing the entire continent, and build a positive cultural and economic system the great Africa will spiral into further darkness. The idea of humour laced into this frank discussion according to the author is only to remind us that we are living in a world that is getting hostile every minute of the day, unintelligent arguments, misunderstandings, strife and things that are insane to ever imagine we could do to each other. Humour is that idea that reminds us that all the struggles leads nowhere but more struggles and stress. The only way to prove that vanity of life is to find time to share some joy.

Comedian Ian Coburn relives his funniest dating failures in the best dating advice book geared toward both sexes. Ian shares lessons learned from his embarrassing escapades and tackles some of the biggest questions men and women have about each other: Do guys know they favor one breast over the other? Why do women like jerks? Why don't guys call? Why don't women call back? What's the best away to approach a woman at a bar? Why are men so bad at reading signals? He also admits that it's harder to be a woman than a man and tells why.

The first of its kind to explore the Nobel Prize experience

"Dad, some guy is calling from Sweden." It was 2:30am on October 13th, 1998, the youngest son in the Laughlin house had answered the phone. His dad had just become a recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics.

Frantic and funny events of the next two months are chronicled as the Laughlin's academic household morphs into a madcap staging area for the family and thirty guests who will be in attendance during Nobel week. From tickets to Stockholm to clothing measurements, Nobel lecture preparations, attach assistance and a quick trip to the White House for a formal reception with President and Mrs. Clinton, readers will laugh out loud while gasping in awe.

The glorious Nobel ceremony and elaborate banquet is held each winter with a viewing audience of tens of millions. An intimate dinner with King Gustaf in his royal palace follows the Nobel evening in which Anita Laughlin finds herself the King's dinner partner for what becomes an evening of hilarious surprises, and yes, reindeer.

This book is laced with cartoons drawn by Bob Laughlin that evoke collective feelings of surprise and bewilderment as he and his wife ascend the steep learning curve of Swedish protocol together.

Dr. Kuhn has written a book about her life and travels as a foreign language teacher. In essence, it is a book of memories, autobiographical in nature. She describes many of the 45 trips in detail, but she also groups many of the trips togeher. In 1973 when she began taking students to Europe, she had a good background of working with students and knowing how they think and act. (or so she thought) There is an interesting list of things to take, where to put the items, where they can be bought and the prices of the items. There is also a list of personal rules and regulations that were required of all students. They were called Mademoiselle's Rules or Mlle's Rules. Then there is a comprehensive list of Trip Procedures, giving all the do's and don't's of traveling. Students were allowed to "sample" beer and alcohol as long as their parents had signed a permission slip, but students will always try to outthink the teacher and circumvent the procedures. Dr. Kuhn describes many of the things that went wrong on both student trips and adult trips, along with things that didn't seem funny at the time, but in retrospect seem humorous today.

The Cleburne County Search and Rescue Team recently found and saved a man lost on Mt. Cheaha in Alabama. The man had set out with his wife and kids on the difficult Pinhoti Trail, but once the wife and kids headed back, the man continued on. When he didn't return, his wife panicked and called in the search squad-who eventually found a man in his fifties, weighing about three hundred pounds, wearing leg braces, and using crutches. This story just goes to show that if you're gonna be stupid, you've gotta be tough. Author Bob Cole knows all about it. He grew up on a farm in rural Georgia and used to have to chase cows before getting on the bus for school. Smelling like manure in front of the other kids certainly added a bit of toughness. Since those days, he has worked, married, and seen the world, but through it all, the old adage about toughness and stupidity still holds true. This collection of true short stories follows Bob as he travels along the bumpy road of life. Follow him through a midlife crisis, family hijinks, meeting a new son-in-law, and on a mission trip to foreign lands (after all, stupidity is worldwide). Despite some hard times-and some tough decisions-Bob Cole has never lost his sense of humor, and it's apparent in this collection that will keep readers laughing, crying, and actin' tough

In the UK, the early 1970's were a time of innocence. 'Punk' was what Clint Eastwood called a villain before he blew their head off, Maggie Thatcher was 'that nice lady with the funny hats' and young people were actually paid to go to college and get educated. However change was afoot. Hot pants and the 'maxi' had replaced the mini skirt, a guaranteed job after school was a thing of the past and the booming sixties had given way to the three day week and growing industrial unrest. The introduction of decimalisation had brought with it creeping inflation, household budgets were being stretched and one particular group of students, living in England's sprawling Metropolis, were finding it increasingly difficult to make their student grant cover the cost of their beer, records, clothes and food (in that order), never mind pay for their accommodation and the occasional course book. Desperate measures were needed if they were to make their money stretch to the end of term. This is their story of survival....... What others have to say about the book....... It'll never make the Richard and Judy Booklist. (The authors mum) Who are Richard and Judy? (His dad) His expansive use of the English vernacular puts the author in the same esteemed company as Shakespeare, Milton and Dickens. (His agent) B#ll#cks (Charles Dickens)

An interesting and often amusing collection of over 850 sayings and proverbs from the Southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Explanations include references to a bygone lifestyle and to the history of sayings that settlers brought with them from the British Isles. If you've ever wondered where phrases like these came from, this is the book for you: "It's raining cats and dogs," "As poor as a church mouse," "Letting the cat out of the bag," "Spilling the beans," "Saved by the bell," "Kicked the bucket," "Pulling the wool over someone's eyes," "A pig in a poke," "Knock on wood," "Between a rock and a hard place," "Not enough room to swing a cat," "Beyond the pale," "Son of a gun," "Getting someone's goat," "The whole ball of wax," "Saving face," "Get it by hook or crook," "Reading the riot act," and many, many more.

Providing a snapshot of the world scene, "Comments on the Human Condition" offers a collection of aphorisms, a series of wittily worded opinions, penned by author William J. Cone, a self-described unrepentant curmudgeon.

Providing views on an array of controversial subjects, Cone calls attention to the silliness in everyday life through his amusing, frustrating, and outrageous opinions on a range of subjects applicable to today's world. Topics include "Three Men in a Bar," "Women Reporters in Men's Locker Rooms," "Somali Pirates," "Messages on T-Shirts," "English Accents," What's Wrong with Profiling?" "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?" "Contemplating Pompeii," "More Political Stupidity," "Gay Speak in Sports" and "CornHole Tournaments."

An eclectic collection of rants and ravings, "Comments on the Human Condition" offers one man's thoughts and ideas, often humorous, on a host of topics facing humans today, and he's not afraid to tell you how he really feels.

Julian Barrie knows that it's hard for men to find the women of their dreams and then sometimes even harder to keep them. He's made keen observations over the years when it comes to women and engaging in serious relationships with them and has noted bits of wisdom to help any man about to embark upon such a journey. Do you ever wish you could go back in time to your teen years or early twenties and advise yourself on how to avoid life-changing mistakes involving women?

Barrie provides humorous insights, including eleven commandments, regarding how to find, attract, and keep the woman of your dreams. Learn how to make decisions that will create a happy and peaceful existence with the love of your life.

Let Chasing Women without Leaving Your Seat help you choose your life mate and guide you through the often tricky stages of friendship, courtship, relationship, nuptials, raising a family, and finally, retirement, while keeping the sparks of romance burning brightly.

The author has written a series of more than 90 humorous one and two page stories and essays based on his lifetime of being around cats. Most of the stories are about two of his cats, Krysla and Josey. Any cat owner can relate these stories to episodes of cat behavior in their own lives. The book works on the ability of the author to give the reader moment after moment of humorous cat and human interaction that reflects what happens in their own household, such as - Something so mundane as holding a door open for a cat to get out becomes a battle of wits. Why does an animal that's known for stealth be so willing to make the "crinkly" noise made by paws walking on paper and plastic bags? How he dealt with Krysla's catnip addiction. Is purring just a sign of affection, or does it have a deeper meaning that allows mother cats and kittens to keep track of each other without giving their presence away to predators? When a cat "pawdles" you, is she being affectionate or sizing you up as a potential meal? What's more Zen than a cat laying in a sunbeam? Why your cat doesn't make a good alarm clock (no snooze button for one thing). The various ways that cats express their territoriality; from peeing in your shoes, to hiding your girlfriend's underwear in their litter box, to rubbing up against you to mark you as theirs. Why your tabby isn't just a miniature version of a tiger.

Marc Abrahams, the mind behind the internationally renowned Ig Nobel Prizes, is on a mission: to gather the bizarre, the questionable, the brilliant, the downright funny, the profound - everything improbable - from the annals of science research. What's the best way to slice a ham sandwich, mathematically? What makes Bobs look especially Bob-like? Is the right or left ear better at discerning lies? Could mice be outfitted with parachutes to kill tree snakes?

The hectic, sad, ever so funny, you have to be kidding me life of a waiter and the day-to-day life of survival in the restaurant industry. Learn how to eat free and truly understand what the wait staff is thinking as they approach your table. Wait staff are a lot like first responders. We have to be at the tables no matter what is happening in our lives or even on the planet due to, as I like to call it, the "You're kidding me, right?" factor. Even in the midst of a global cataclysm, I do not even bother calling work to see if I need to go in today, as I know the answer is always going to be yes. It can be raining bricks and fireballs, deadly hoards of the living dead can be running the streets, killing at will. A nuclear holocaust of biblical proportions can be imminently poised to strike my city, and still I need to show up, uniform and all. Why, you ask me? Because some wicked stupid idiot and his family will show at the tables up to eat.