Basement Talk cartoonGhostly collections

An Italian municipality
struggling to find enough funds to enlarge its cemetery has turned
to leasing.

The council of Gessate, a
small town northwest of Milan, entered the unusual deal at the end
of last year.

The plan sparked much
consternation among local politicians and businesses, who claim the
arrangement is more costly than it need be.

More importantly, what would
become of the cemetery in the event of a default?

Basement Talk has
heard of graveyards being possessed, but repossessed?

 

Hirsutes you
sir!

A game group of Hilton-Baird
staffers, with courage high and hearts aglow, at the start of
November last year vowed to let their facial hair grow wild in aid
of The Prostate Cancer Charity.

They raised an impressive
£925 for the cause. But did their ‘taches live up to expectations?
You decide. . .Photograph of wine bottle

 

Tasty
investments

From graveyards (see
earlier story
) to vineyards.

Barringtons International, a
specialist in leasing South Africa vineyards since 2007, is
offering its customers short-term investments with potential
returns of 17% to 36% a year based entirely on sales of the wine
produced by the vineyards leased.

Annual profits from the
scheme can be taken either in cash or in bottles of new world
wine.

An investment strategy Basement Talk could really
develop a taste for.

 

Photograph of Hilton-Baird staff