This week on the east coast started out hot, damn hot, but it has finally settled down a bit. Meanwhile, we all have dry throats from the air conditioners, I have run out of sleeveless shirts appropriate for work, and the biggest office scandal of the week is all the women who saw fit to show up braless in tank tops, short skirts, and hooker heels. So the first category of the day is sort of appropriate:

“I got some iiiiiice cream, and you don’t haaaaaave none”: City officials in Dearborn MI are considering a ban on ice cream truck music due to noise complaints from uptight, fascist residents. On the sinister side, an ice cream truck driver was shot and killed by Nevada police after, well, if I can parse it out she was threatening her child with a knife after she was pulled over for running a stop sign. There was a suicide threat in there somewhere, too. I’m very confused, but it sounds like she was, too.

“First they came for the teddy bears…”: A number of things seemed to be banned this week, including stuffed animals tied to the front of garbage trucks in North London (because children are stupid), bongs for sale in Adelaide, Australia (which merely prompted one business to rename them water dispensers), and a high school in New Mexico banned facial hair on students (distracting).

Soon to be a spinoff series: Teachers always have something crazy going on, it seems. This week, a teacher was caught stealing cash from another teacher’s purse, and when she “retired,” her victim was asked to contribute to her goodbye gift. There’s some finger-pointing going on in Australia over whether or not teachers have the right to yell at their students, and Austin school officials are fighting a requirement that they give out statistical records of how many teachers have a criminal history.

Tying in with the blog’s spiritual theme, for once: I’ve got two divergent stories about God’s “role” in the workplace. Lasermonks, Inc is a for-profit company run by six monks–with all profits going towards charitable works. Also, they throw in a free blessing with every purchase–sweet! Meanwhile, a Missouri librarian claims she was fired because she refused to take part in Harry Potter night, which she considers evil.

Weird Workplace Studies: I almost considered a spin-off article but I’m lazy. Three different studies caught my eye in the past month.

• The worst breach of office manners, to bosses, is cursing in the workplace (this is because I was not surveyed, goddamnit!)
• Lack of access to Facebook is enough for 39% of 18-24 year-olds to consider quitting their job.
• And, 1 in 20 Americans have at one point wanted to kill their doctor.

Follow-up: Last week, I reported on a waitress who was fired for shaving her head for charity. This week, she got her apology. And, remember that workplace breakdown we were all suspicious about? Turns out it was a viral marketing hoax. We’re so smart!

Okay friends, enjoy your weekend and remember you can drop us a line at survivingtheworkday at gmail dot com.