Odd News April 2011

[Bungleau]

Naked Man Shoots SWAT Robot With AK-47 The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said the robot was sent into the West Melbourne home last week because the homeowner had called his family and said he was going to take his own life and the life of anyone who tried to stop him. Deputies decided that the safest way to enter was with a robot mounted with cameras. The $65,000 robot had four cameras that recorded the whole encounter. When the robot entered the house, the man came out, naked, and first tried to break the robot, then shot it at least four times with an AK-47, according to deputies. The SWAT team evacuated the houses nearby, then set up a command post several houses away. Despite the man’s violent actions, no one was injured and the standoff ended peacefully. Deputies said the man walked out, fully clothed and with his hands up, ready to be taken into custody. The Sheriff’s Office didn’t release the man’s name because he was taken for a mental evaluation.

I'm not sure *how* drunk you need to be when shooting a police robot while naked sounds like a good idea, but I'm pretty sure I've never been there. And hope never to get there, too

[Bungleau]

Dutch woman's bra cure for cleavage wrinkles a hit By Roberta B. Cowan AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Rachel de Boer finally told some friends a secret she'd kept for years: She slept with stuffed socks sewn between the cups of an old bra to prevent cleavage wrinkles and smooth out her neckline. Three years later, a professionally designed and manufactured version of that same contraption is sold in 150 lingerie shops across the Netherlands and Belgium, approved by a research institute and getting interest from retail outlets in Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Britain and France. "It started out as my secret, I didn't want to talk about my wrinkles or the (first) bra I made, which was ugly," de Boer told Reuters on Thursday. "But I slept like that for seven years and then I turned 40, told my friends and they admitted they also had this problem." Sceptical but curious, her friends also wanted sock bras to smooth out their cleavage wrinkles. So De Boer made five more versions of what is now called "La Decollette." Her friends were so enthusiastic about the results, they encouraged the former real estate agent to stop selling houses and design an anti-wrinkle night bra that women would want to wear to bed. La Decollette, which has a soft, padded rectangular piece of material between the collar bone and the sternum and sits between the breasts, was born and to De Boer's amazement, has addressed a problem many women all over Europe seem to share. The cupless bra is worn at night and keeps the breasts "in place" to prevent the compressing of breasts together which De Boer says can create vertical wrinkles. "If you sleep on your back, then you will never have this problem," she says adding, "Le Decollette works because the breast are separated through the night." De Boer's anti-wrinkle bra has been a hit at lingerie shows around Europe and she said it also has the stamp of approval from the Parisian research institute CERCO or Center d'Etudes et de Recherches Cosmetologique. CERCO carried out research on women between 35 and 60 years old and declared that those who wear the bra can see cleavage wrinkles reduced significantly after 24 hours, she said. De Boer sold 12,000 of the 50-euro ($72) one-size fits all, anti-wrinkle bras last year, expects to sell 25,000 this year and 50,000 next year. Talks are also underway to ship the bras to the United States and Canada. (Editing by Paul Casciato)

I did not know this was an issue, but I'm happy to volunteer for field testing and research.

And no, it's not because I've got man-boobs...

[Kezardin]

Originally Posted by Bungleau I'm not sure *how* drunk you need to be when shooting a police robot while naked sounds like a good idea, but I'm pretty sure I've never been there. And hope never to get there, too

Maybe he was shooting blanks (in both senses of the word)

[Bungleau]

Woman freed from jaws of python by policeman By Kevin Murphy – Mon Apr 18, 11:01 am ET KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) – A Kansas woman faces a charge of harboring a vicious animal after her pet python grabbed onto her neck and would not let go until a police officer intervened. Chrystal Wilson of Lyons, Kan., took the eight-foot-long albino snake from its cage for feeding Tuesday when it clasped its jaws on the side of her neck, Police Chief Chris Detmer said Friday. Luckily, the snake has small teeth rather than sharp fangs, he said. A child in the house called police. Officer Max Bryant forced the jaws of the snake apart with his hands. Bryant will get a citation for bravery from the Lyons City Council, Detmer said. "There's not too many guys or women who would grab it by the end of the mouth like that," Detmer said. The snake was not wrapped around Wilson but she was reportedly visibly upset because she could not get it off her neck, Detmer said. Wilson is in her mid 20s and moved to Lyons about a year ago, Detmer said. She was ordered to remove the snake from the home because it poses a risk to children there, he said. She received a misdemeanor citation for harboring the snake. Neither Wilson nor Bryant could be reached for comment Friday. (Editing by Greg McCune)

But they're so *cute* when they're little...

[Bungleau]

German circus families in shootout over tent space BERLIN (Reuters) – A shootout between two German circus families competing over tent space has left six people injured, police said on Tuesday. The disagreement came to a head on Monday evening as the families fired guns, used knives and attacked each other with batons, police in the Bavarian city of Regensburg said. Three people from each family were injured, including a 48-year-old man who was shot in the leg. None were seriously injured, police said. (Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Paul Casciato)

It all started when one of the clowns hollered out, "No one try any funny business!"....

[VulcanRider]

German circus families in shootout over tent space

Having just read the Trolls thread, I have an idea -- let's get the circus people to attack the Trolls. They could charge people to watch and make enough to afford a bigger tent...

[Bungleau]

I like that idea...

[Bungleau]

Wine for "mommy" sets off trademark fight NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters Legal) – Rival wine sellers targeting overworked mothers are fighting over use of the word "Mommy" on their wine labels, according to a lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court. In the suit, filed on Monday, California-based winery Clos Lachance Wines asked the court to declare that its "Mommyjuice" does not violate the trademark of "Mommy's Time Out," which is marketed by a New Jersey distributor. "Mommy is a generic word that they don't have a monopoly on," said KC Branch, an attorney who represents Clos Lachance. The owner of "Mommy's Time Out" declined to comment on the lawsuit. To succeed in a trademark violation case, a brand owner must show it is likely that a rival's mark will create confusion in the minds of consumers. The front label of Mommyjuice features a drawing of a woman juggling a house, teddy bear and computer. The back label advises moms to "tuck your kids into bed, sit down and have a glass of Mommyjuice. Because you deserve it." The wine is available in a white Chardonnay and a red mixed blend. The front label of "Mommy's Time Out," an Italian wine sold in red and white, shows an empty chair facing a corner. A wine bottle and glass sit on a table next to the chair. Trademark conflicts between winemakers are relatively common, said Richard Mendelson, a California vintner who teaches a course on wine law at Boalt Hall School of Law in Berkeley. "For a wine coming out to market, it's hard to find a name that's not in use," he said. Mendelson also noted that wines with "fanciful" names have proliferated as marketers try to reach new categories of customers. In recent years, vintners have launched wines like "Fat bastard," "Cleavage Creek" and a red wine featuring a rooster called "Big Red Pecker." (Reporting by Jeff Roberts; Editing by Greg McCune)

I guess "Mother's Little Helper" was already taken...

[Bungleau]

Kyrgyz MPs sacrifice rams to banish "evil spirits" By Olga Dzyubenko – Thu Apr 21, 11:59 am ET BISHKEK (Reuters) – Members of Kyrgyzstan's divided parliament slaughtered seven rams before their morning session on Thursday, in a sacrifice they hope will banish "evil spirits" disrupting their work. Kyrgyzstan elected a new legislature in October in a bid to build the first parliamentary democracy in former Soviet Central Asia, a region otherwise run by authoritarian presidents. But the fragile governing coalition has come under threat after weeks of bitter recriminations and disputes in parliament, leading a senior government member to resign temporarily. Kyrgyzstan, which lies on a drug trafficking route out of Afghanistan and hosts both Russian and U.S. military air bases, saw its president toppled by a violent revolt last April. More than 400 people were killed in ethnic riots in June. "We decided to resort to popular customs, in order for this building not to see bloodshed anymore," member of parliament Myktybek Abdyldayev told Reuters after the rams were sacrificed on a green lawn in front of the government headquarters. Besides hosting the legislature, the Soviet-era white-marble building in the center of the Kyrgyz capital is the official seat of the president and government. Two presidents fled this building to escape violent popular uprisings in 2005 and 2010. "We acted like those who light candles or fumigate their homes in order to banish an evil spirit from their conscience," Abdyldayev said. The ritual of making a sacrifice is widespread in the impoverished, predominantly Muslim nation of 5.4 million. It is practiced mainly during funeral repasts and at solemn ceremonies of reconciliation. "This is a popular ancient tradition, carried out in order to avoid a repeat of last year's tragic events and for peace and harmony to triumph," said parliamentarian Kurmanbek Osmonov. But Ondorush Toktonasyrov, one of those who led last year's protests that toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, scoffed at the ritual as "a sign of backward mentality." "Deputies have no idea about parliamentary culture," he told Reuters. "This is an official building where the president works, and the parliament slaughters rams!" (Reporting by Olga Dzyubenko; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov, editing by Paul Casciato)

And here I thought you were supposed to sacrifice Macintoshes...

[Kezardin]

Originally Posted by Bungleau I guess "Mother's Little Helper" was already taken...

Mommyjuice is a possibly not a good choice for the name of a drink, since it could cover other things ranging from breast milk to amniotic fluid