Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

The Weather:

Last night in International Falls, MN, the temperature hit zero. And that's a warming trend.
   Saturday's temps: 22 below
   Friday: 46 below
   So in the nation's icebox, International Falls, MN, zero is definitely considered balmy. (Maiman)

Bid'ness is Bid'ness:

New dress code for taxi drivers in New York City. The Big Apple's Taxi and Limousine Commission says they've updated the dress code that was written 20 years ago "for a different time."
   The new rules require drivers to "present a professional appearance," unlike the old rules, which banned tube tops, cutoff shorts, swimwear and other things.
   TLC Chairman DAVID YASSKY told the NY Daily News the Commission's "Fashion Police" would not be cracking down on drivers and also stressed that religious items --such as turbans-- are considered professional attire.
   Editor's note: Although at Christmas time, instead of wearing turbans, cabbies will be allowed to gift wrap their heads.
   --And if you find a cabbie whose turban doubles as a rice cooker, it just means he's brown-baggin' it. (Maiman)

Cab driver's nicknames for passengers (Maiman):

   --Vinyl jockeys
   --Curb monkeys
   --Suckers
   --Hail mary's
   --Casualties
   --Hostages
   --Dipsticks
   --Soap a holics
   --Americans

London tabloids:

How do you know when you have too much money?
   British soccer star JERMAINE PENNANT left his Porsche abandoned at a train station for nearly half a year and completely forgot about it.
   London's Metro says officials from the Spanish soccer club broke into the car, which has a novelty plate which reads "P33NNT," and discovered that the keys were on the seat. But when the officials called him up to tell him they'd located the car, he claimed it wasn't his --until they reminded him of the vanity plate.

Sucks to be you:

Hey ladies --do you ever get nervous right before serving guests at a dinner party? Imagine the anxiety if MARTHA STEWART was coming by! JENNIFER GARNER tells the San Francisco Chronicle's "Daily Dish" gossip column that she was preparing for a stint on the domestic diva's cooking show and didn't have time to eat beforehand. Producers kept handing her glasses of champagne and Mrs. BEN AFFLECK fessed up that she got drunk before they even started taping. To make matters worse, her Virginian drawl comes out after tossing a few back so she sounded really drunk --and southern! (Lee)

Designer Update:

The world's first L-Cup bra was unveiled yesterday.
   The London Daily Record reports lingerie firm Bravissimo, which caters to bigger-busted women, decided to launch a super-sized L cup bra for women who have been struggling to find a bra that fits comfortably.
   A spokesperson for the company claimed their research shows "up to 40 per cent of women should be wearing a D cup and above, even if they don't know it."
   A decade ago, the average bra size was 34B. Five years ago, it was 36C and today it's risen to 34E.