11.   Piet Hein, a Dane known for his short philosophical poems and inventing a geometric figure that inspired the Olympic stadium in Mexico City, died Thursday.

12.   A short English poem in a traditional Japanese haiku form was seen by some commission members Thursday as hard for many potential visitors to understand.

13.   Akihito and Empress Michiko expressed these and other similar sentiments in a series of short poems commemorating the turn of the year.