'Twould be nobler to talk like the bard

Hark!

'Twould be nobler to talk like the bard

Shouldst thou be in the fair city of Chicago on Thursday, fear not when the vernacular takes on the mark of William Shakespeare. His highness, nay, Mayor Richard Daley, as it were, hath declared that such day to be "Talk Like Shakespeare Day." And thus, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater summoned an Internet location dubbed TalkLikeShakespeare.org to help the citizenry evoke the speech pattern of said bard, on the date of his birth, 445 years hence. Now get thee to your library to study on it, because, alas, it shan't be learnt from listening to young minstrel Taylor Swift's popular recounting of the great tale of woe of young Juliet, and her Romeo.

Whoops

Four corners is close to there

Have you ever been to that spot where you can simultaneously be in four states — New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado — at the same time? Not to mess up your vacation scrapbook, but it looks like you really haven't been. Turns out, the marker showing the spot where the four states come together is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be, according to officials at the National Geodetic Survey. That's the bad news. The good news is that summer is coming up soon, and gas is supposed to stay relatively cheap. Road trip!

Turn it off

Police station still allows humming

Don't go to a police station in Trowbridge, England, expecting to get entertained. Officials there have banned the public playing of music by any means — radio, Web sites, TV or MP3. It's not to increase productivity, or even out of fear of offending anyone. Turns out it is budgetary. The Daily Telegraph reports that the Performing Rights Society for Music demanded the police force pay a $34,000 license fee for the right to have a soundtrack to the workday. "I know that many of you will feel that this is a ridiculous situation," Wiltshire Chief Constable Brian Moore said in a letter to officers. "I agree."

Compiled from Times wire services and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster, who can be reached at jwebster@sptimes.com.