Fourteen-year-old Adam Fox offered his soul on eBay to the highest bidder. Only one person contacted him, and the deal was struck for $5.
He told USA Today he got the idea from watching a Simpsons episode, in which Bart sold his soul to the devil. Fox's transaction slipped through eBay's ban on such Faustian bargains, imposed, the internet auction site says, because there is no proof the "item" exists. The $5 check is in the mail from the lucky buyer, who might possibly be old scratch himself. If so, Fox doesn't care. "I don't believe in that stuff," he said.

It takes two hands to handle a blooper
Burger King has cancelled a radio advertisement that featured a character using the name "Rasheed" reading a poem that extolled the virtues of Burger King's bacon-cheddar Whopper sandwich. Islam forbids the consumption of pork.

Burger King spokesperson Robert Doughty said the commercial was designed to appeal to African-American customers and "was not meant to refer to any religion."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations objected to the commercial and another one in February by Total Sports Inc., a leading sports information provider, that showed a group of Muslims praying to a basketball.

There's an eye from on high watchin' you
Friends and family of the deceased who can't make it to a funeral can now experience virtual mourning at Fergerson Funeral Home of North Syracuse, N.Y. The funeral home has begun offering live streaming video of funerals. The idea was sparked by a high school friend of owner Fred Fergerson who was unable to make it to his father's funeral. Fergerson set up webcams for the absent loved ones. ''No matter where they are, they can watch it live,'' he told USA Today. ''They can feel virtually that they're there to be a part of the ceremony.'' If no funeral is in progress, the webcam sets its sights on the land of the living outside the building's entrance.

Name it and Claim it
Only four of the possible 66 domain names based on a book of the Bible have been claimed by religious groups, according to the British religious satire web site Ship of Fools. Five more--Habakkuk, Zechariah, Zephaniah, Philippians and Thessalonians--are still available at prices ranging from $500 and $5,000. The others are in use. Esther.com is the home page of an American model who will give out nude photos of herself for a monthly fee. Jude.com is a dating agency for "hot people interested in 'adult' activities. Hosea.com is a trucking firm in Cincinnati.