WEIRD NEWS
Dumb Excuses Winner
A New Hampshire police department has issued a new public service announcement with a message that reminds citizens: "It is illegal to possess recreational marijuana in New Hampshire, even if you only "smoke it in Massachusetts." The idea for the somewhat humorous announcement came after the arrest of 27-year-old Selket Taylor who was initially pulled over for using his cellphone while driving. But then the officers saw a bag of marijuana in a cup holder. Taylor's excuse was that he only smoked it in Massachusetts (where recreational marijuana is now legal). Along with his creative excuse, he also gave police quite the mugshot where he appears to be laughing hysterically. The mugshot was used with the new public service announcement. Meanwhile, young Mr. Taylor has been charged with possession of a controlled drug, transporting a controlled drug in a motor vehicle, and use of an electronic mobile device. (WMUR-TV News)
North Korea Invents...the iPad
A North Korean company has launched a new tablet and they've come up with an interesting name for it - the iPad. No kidding. Of course this product, created by a partially state-owned company called Ryonghung, is very different from the Apple iPad we know. The Android operating system is far more limited and users have access to only 40 pre-installed apps - including a calculator, a health encyclopedia and an agricultural program. It will log in to the North Korean intranet and has 1GB of Ram, 8GB of a storage and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. Of course copyright lawyers will no doubt be interested in such a flagrant abuse of Apple trademarks, but it's hard to believe anyone in Pyongyang will care. In fact, North Korea has ripped off Western names and ideas several times before including their version of Netflix, which generally shows nothing but programs about Kim Jong-un. (TalkRadio.co)
Don't Mess With Malaysian Plane Passengers
A Malaysia Airlines plane returned to Australia after a mentally ill passenger threatened to detonate a bomb and attempted to enter the cockpit. That little plan came to an abrupt halt when he was tackled and tied up by some of his angry fellow passengers! The 25-year-old Sri Lankan man bought a ticket on the late-night flight to Kuala Lumpur after he was discharged from a Melbourne psychiatric hospital. Flight 128 was about 10 minutes into a flight from Melbourne when the man walked from his economy seat to the cockpit door clutching an electronic device and threatening to blow up the plane, creating panic among passengers. Passengers subdued him and tied him up with belts. The electronic device turned out to be nothing more than a portable music player. Police say the man has no terrorist links or associates. (ABC)
Dunkin' Donuts Be All Mad
A Massachusetts coffee shop owner says he received a cease-and-desist letter from Dunkin' Donuts claiming trademark infringement for using a play on the chain's catchphrase. Steve Copoulos says he added window art on his Mike's Coffee shop in North Attleborough which read: "North now runs on Mike's." While he expected a few laughs from customers, Steve says he was surprised to find the letter from the Canton, Massachusetts-based coffee shop chain claiming he was infringing on their "America Runs on Dunkin'" slogan and his variation implied an affiliation. So he took the sign down explaining he wants to be the "exact opposite" of a corporate coffee chain. Of course the bigger question is why does a guy named Steve have a coffee shop called "Mike's?" (Sun Chronicle)
We've Still Got Some Sick People in This Country
Museum director Lonnie Bunch III says it's a "painful reminder of the challenges that African-Americans continue to face." It seems somebody left a noose in a gallery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. this week. Visitors found the noose in front of a display called "Democracy Abroad. Injustice at Home" in the exhibition on segregation. The U.S. Park Police are investigating but no arrests have been made yet. The museum is part of the Smithsonian complex on the National Mall, where sadly, another noose was found hanging from a tree at the Hirshhorn art museum on Saturday. Bunch said, "The noose has long represented a deplorable act of cowardice and depravity - a symbol of extreme violence for African-Americans. We will continue to help breach the chasm of race that has divided this nation since its inception." (New York Times)
Now That's an Expensive Guitar!
A guitar that Jerry Garcia played everywhere from San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom to Egypt's Great Pyramids fetched over $1.9 million at an auction Wednesday night. The Grateful Dead frontman's guitar - named Wolf - was sold at the Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, restaurant, and music venue. The proceeds are earmarked for the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala. The guitar was owned by devoted Deadhead Daniel Pritzker, a philanthropist, musician, and film director who bought the instrument in 2002 for $790,000. He said, "I've been a fan of The Dead since I was a kid, and playing this iconic guitar over the past 15 years has been a privilege. But the time is right for Wolf to do some good." SPLC President Richard Cohen says the organization is grateful Pritzker "is willing to part with this piece of music history to support the SPLC's mission fighting hate and bigotry." The auctioneer says Wolf first appeared in a 1973 New York performance the Grateful Dead gave for the Hells Angels. The instrument bears a devilish looking, cartoon-like image of a wolf's face. The 1977 film The Grateful Dead Movie was directed by Garcia and features extensive footage of the instrument. (Newser)
What the What?
Here's a pro tip - entering a contest called "Who Can Drink More Vodka" is never a wise move. But such a contest was organized in the city of Volgodonsk, Russia, by a local supermarket called Saveliy. A total of 40 men took part and downed vodka which had been put in buckets. Five participants had to be rushed to intensive care, and the "winner" died from alcohol poisoning after downing an estimated three quarts. Police have started a criminal case against the store for causing death by negligence as well as violating an advertising law which prohibits any action that stimulates the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Salami and bread were offered to line the stomachs of the contestants, with the winner promised 10 bottles of vodka as a prize. (Mirror)
A New Hampshire police department has issued a new public service announcement with a message that reminds citizens: "It is illegal to possess recreational marijuana in New Hampshire, even if you only "smoke it in Massachusetts." The idea for the somewhat humorous announcement came after the arrest of 27-year-old Selket Taylor who was initially pulled over for using his cellphone while driving. But then the officers saw a bag of marijuana in a cup holder. Taylor's excuse was that he only smoked it in Massachusetts (where recreational marijuana is now legal). Along with his creative excuse, he also gave police quite the mugshot where he appears to be laughing hysterically. The mugshot was used with the new public service announcement. Meanwhile, young Mr. Taylor has been charged with possession of a controlled drug, transporting a controlled drug in a motor vehicle, and use of an electronic mobile device. (WMUR-TV News)
North Korea Invents...the iPad
A North Korean company has launched a new tablet and they've come up with an interesting name for it - the iPad. No kidding. Of course this product, created by a partially state-owned company called Ryonghung, is very different from the Apple iPad we know. The Android operating system is far more limited and users have access to only 40 pre-installed apps - including a calculator, a health encyclopedia and an agricultural program. It will log in to the North Korean intranet and has 1GB of Ram, 8GB of a storage and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. Of course copyright lawyers will no doubt be interested in such a flagrant abuse of Apple trademarks, but it's hard to believe anyone in Pyongyang will care. In fact, North Korea has ripped off Western names and ideas several times before including their version of Netflix, which generally shows nothing but programs about Kim Jong-un. (TalkRadio.co)
Don't Mess With Malaysian Plane Passengers
A Malaysia Airlines plane returned to Australia after a mentally ill passenger threatened to detonate a bomb and attempted to enter the cockpit. That little plan came to an abrupt halt when he was tackled and tied up by some of his angry fellow passengers! The 25-year-old Sri Lankan man bought a ticket on the late-night flight to Kuala Lumpur after he was discharged from a Melbourne psychiatric hospital. Flight 128 was about 10 minutes into a flight from Melbourne when the man walked from his economy seat to the cockpit door clutching an electronic device and threatening to blow up the plane, creating panic among passengers. Passengers subdued him and tied him up with belts. The electronic device turned out to be nothing more than a portable music player. Police say the man has no terrorist links or associates. (ABC)
Dunkin' Donuts Be All Mad
A Massachusetts coffee shop owner says he received a cease-and-desist letter from Dunkin' Donuts claiming trademark infringement for using a play on the chain's catchphrase. Steve Copoulos says he added window art on his Mike's Coffee shop in North Attleborough which read: "North now runs on Mike's." While he expected a few laughs from customers, Steve says he was surprised to find the letter from the Canton, Massachusetts-based coffee shop chain claiming he was infringing on their "America Runs on Dunkin'" slogan and his variation implied an affiliation. So he took the sign down explaining he wants to be the "exact opposite" of a corporate coffee chain. Of course the bigger question is why does a guy named Steve have a coffee shop called "Mike's?" (Sun Chronicle)
We've Still Got Some Sick People in This Country
Museum director Lonnie Bunch III says it's a "painful reminder of the challenges that African-Americans continue to face." It seems somebody left a noose in a gallery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. this week. Visitors found the noose in front of a display called "Democracy Abroad. Injustice at Home" in the exhibition on segregation. The U.S. Park Police are investigating but no arrests have been made yet. The museum is part of the Smithsonian complex on the National Mall, where sadly, another noose was found hanging from a tree at the Hirshhorn art museum on Saturday. Bunch said, "The noose has long represented a deplorable act of cowardice and depravity - a symbol of extreme violence for African-Americans. We will continue to help breach the chasm of race that has divided this nation since its inception." (New York Times)
Now That's an Expensive Guitar!
A guitar that Jerry Garcia played everywhere from San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom to Egypt's Great Pyramids fetched over $1.9 million at an auction Wednesday night. The Grateful Dead frontman's guitar - named Wolf - was sold at the Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, restaurant, and music venue. The proceeds are earmarked for the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala. The guitar was owned by devoted Deadhead Daniel Pritzker, a philanthropist, musician, and film director who bought the instrument in 2002 for $790,000. He said, "I've been a fan of The Dead since I was a kid, and playing this iconic guitar over the past 15 years has been a privilege. But the time is right for Wolf to do some good." SPLC President Richard Cohen says the organization is grateful Pritzker "is willing to part with this piece of music history to support the SPLC's mission fighting hate and bigotry." The auctioneer says Wolf first appeared in a 1973 New York performance the Grateful Dead gave for the Hells Angels. The instrument bears a devilish looking, cartoon-like image of a wolf's face. The 1977 film The Grateful Dead Movie was directed by Garcia and features extensive footage of the instrument. (Newser)
What the What?
Here's a pro tip - entering a contest called "Who Can Drink More Vodka" is never a wise move. But such a contest was organized in the city of Volgodonsk, Russia, by a local supermarket called Saveliy. A total of 40 men took part and downed vodka which had been put in buckets. Five participants had to be rushed to intensive care, and the "winner" died from alcohol poisoning after downing an estimated three quarts. Police have started a criminal case against the store for causing death by negligence as well as violating an advertising law which prohibits any action that stimulates the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Salami and bread were offered to line the stomachs of the contestants, with the winner promised 10 bottles of vodka as a prize. (Mirror)
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