You're not alone in wondering about the God Hates Shrimp signs in medians and right-of-ways around Annapolis, particularly on Route 2. The signs look so professional you could almost take them seriously ... until you see the stipulation "without butter" in tiny print.

Googling centerpoint.org leads you to a fledgling Annapolis congregation based near the Annapolis Harbour Center and promoted a July 6 lecture. But the shrimpy slogan is cribbed from a four-year-old parody site. Godhatesshrimp.com is "meant to poke fun at people like Fred Phelps [who oversees the notorious godhatesfags.com] and at people who protest against gay people and gay marriage." The reference to shrimp is a now-classic argument against religious conservatives who say homosexuality is against Mosaic law, but who fail to take seriously other aspects of the law, such as eating shellfish.

Though their message is meant to convey tolerance, the God Hates Shrimp roadway signs are illegal and are removed by both Anne Arundel and state highway department, both fed up with litter and fearful of distracted motorists. "With more than 600 fatal crashes every year, we are unwavering in our quest to keep people safe," said state highway spokesman David Buck.

Unless collectors of oddities get there first ...

Gas prices won't be the only force leaving Americans feeling the burn this summer. Popular sunscreens such as Coppertone, Neutrogena and Banana Boat provide poor protection against the Sun's UVA and UVB radiation, according to the Environmental Working Group. Four out of five commercial brands of sunscreen tested had inadequate protection or contained nano-scale zinc oxide and titanium dioxide - toxic chemicals that can be absorbed into the blood after repeated exposure. The news isn't all scorched skin and toxic warnings if you try one of the group's top five brands for proven fun in the sun protection: Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock; Trukid Sunny Days; California Baby Sunblock; Badger Sunscreen; Marie Veronique. If it's too late to avoid the burn, remember to keep your damaged skin coated with aloe and covered with clothes until the burn heels. For more sunscreen screening: http://cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/ ...

Latrines aren't luxurious enough for today's Girl Scouts. Roughing it at camp isn't so bad this summer with six new flush toilets installed at Annapolis's Camp Woodlands and Pasadena's Camp Whippoorwill. The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland note, While the rustic nature of the camps keeps girls coming back, in recent years campers have asked for more modern facilities ...

Fifteen Maryland partners in the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network share $711,000 to help you get closer to the Bay. To sweeten your experience, they'll match the federal grants with cash and labor.

In Eastport, the Annapolis Maritime Museum gets $75,000 to develop an Oyster on the Half Shell interactive Bay experience exhibit in the McNasby Oyster Company building, now being restored after Isabel damage, overlooking Back Creek.

In St. Mary's County, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park gets $43,500 to build a small pier and floating dock for kayakers at Piney Point Creek. Kayakers will learn about the creek's natural environment from a kiosk on the dock and from waterproof cards they can carry along, also funded by the grant.

The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network is coordinated by National Park Service media specialists from Eastport ...

This week's Creature Feature comes to us from Amsterdam, where police say two zebras, 15 camels and an "undetermined number of llamas and potbellied swine" escaped from a traveling circus "after a giraffe kicked a hole in their cage." The animals "wandered in a group through a nearby neighborhood for several hours" following their "5:30am breakout." Police spokesperson Arnout Aben said "neighbors fed some of the animals," which "was a bad idea - but they were tame and nobody got hurt" ...