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asking people to donate money so he could buy a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl, in which he would propose to his girlfriend. How much would he need? $2.5 million. Five weeks later he had $45,000. In six weeks it was over $70,000. By the time he had $75,000, all Super Bowl ad time was sold out. Out of luck, “JP” announced plans to donate the money to a children’s hospital. But so far, he hasn’t—he’s still hoping to find a sponsor. Will he? Stay tuned.
    WHO: Phil Hodson of Manchester, England
    PROPOSED TO: Katie Thornton
    HOW: By human lettering. Hodson and Thornton were childhood sweethearts. In 2006, he took her on a helicopter flight to celebrate their ten years together. The flight took them over Saddle-worth School, where they had met as teens. As they flew over the school, Katie looked down and saw 200 students standing in the sports field in the shape of the letters M-A-R-R-Y M-E. “I saw the words, turned around and Phil was on bended knee with a ring,” Katie said. “I burst into tears.” Of course, she said “yes.” And then the helicopter crashed. (We’re kidding.)
    WHO: Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor of Nakuru, Kenya
    PROPOSED TO: Chelsea Clinton
    HOW: By offering President Clinton farm animals. In 2000 the Clintons traveled to Kenya. In anticipation of the visit, Chepkurgor wrote them a letter, asking for Chelsea’s hand in marriage. He offered 20 cows and 40 goats for a dowry. Did he get his wish? No. But he did get a visit from National Security agents, who asked a lot of questions and did background checks on him, his family, and his friends. “Had I succeeded in wooing Chelsea,” said a disappointed Chepkurgor, “I would have had a grand wedding. I would have invited Archbishop Desmond Tutu to preside at the ceremony.” He’s still awaiting word from the Clintons.
    What do Bgug, Bra, and Rayon have in common? They’re all types of cheese.

OH NO! IT’S JELL-O!
    Wonderful Jell-O! Versatile, beloved standby of American cooking. Now behold the dark side in these forgotten (but real) Jell-O recipes from the 1950s and ’60s.
    C hicken Mousse.
    Bouillon cubes are dissolved in lemon Jell-O (while it’s still hot liquid), then added into a mixture of Cool Whip, mayonnaise, chicken, celery, and pimento. Then it coagulates.
    Soufflé salad. Partially hardened Jell-O is whipped and mixed with vegetables and beef—perfect for when you don’t have time to eat dinner and dessert separately.
    Artichoke Salad. Throwing artichokes into lime Jell-O will not get kids to eat them.
    Sequin Salad. It won’t work with cauliflower, either.
    Horseradish Relish. For those who prefer their gelatin spicy, this dish combines lemon Jell-O with green peppers, pimentos, and a half cup of horseradish.
    Summer salad. Tomato, celery, cucumber, green pepper, and radishes, seasoned with a dash of oregano, floating in a mold of lemon Jell-O, flipped onto a plate of lettuce.
    Florida Seacoast Salad. Grapefruit, cheese, avocado, shrimp, and lemon Jell-O, together at last.
    Barbecue Jell-O. Combine a bottle of barbecue sauce (any brand) with Jell-O (any flavor). Chill, cut into cubes, and serve on salad like croutons.
    Spanish Tuna Salad. It’s unclear what’s particularly Spanish about lemon Jell-O mixed with vinegar and tuna.
    Olive Relish. Eat your greens: lime Jell-O stuffed with olives, sweet pickles, and celery, served in slices.
    Shrimp Salad Surprise. Shrimp, garlic, onion, and sour cream in orange Jell-O, smothered in Italian dressing. Cut carefully into squares to ensure everybody gets some shrimp.
    Deviled Jell-O Eggs. Pour Jell-O into egg-shaped molds, then halve them and fill with deviled egg mixture.
    Green Sardine Cupcakes. Chopped sardines are suspended in tiny, individual “cakes” of lime Jell-O.
    A timbromaniac is someone obsessed with postage stamps.

WEIRD ROMANIA
    We have no idea why, but an unusually high amount of bizarre stuff seems to go down in this eastern European nation.
    D OG