Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Blackbox

Japan: Police baffled by Y360 million that disappeared from backyard

On Oct 10, 2007, an 83-year-old company owner in Saga Prefecture reported to police that 360 million yen, which he had buried in his yard, had disappeared. The money was never recovered and the man passed away last December. The police revealed details of the case on Jan 28.

Play

Flashback Recording Industry Calls Radio 'A Kind Of Piracy'

from the and-mocks-broadcasters dept

It would appear that the recording industry now likes to call any sort of business model it doesn't like "piracy." At least that's the only explanation I can come up with in its latest battle, where it has referred to traditional radio as "a form of piracy." It's almost too bizarre to be true, and that's before we even explain how this involves a (literal) can of herring.

It's difficult to pick a side to cheer for in a dispute between the RIAA and the NAB -- as we're talking about two organizations with a history of saying the most outrageously incorrect things in misguided attempts to "protect" the industries they represent (which almost always ends up backfiring and hurting the industry). However, in the latest battle between the two, it seems pretty clear that it's the RIAA that's being more ridiculous.

Smiley

Canadian Woman Offers Free Hugs

A 26-year-old Canadian woman says she offering free hugs for the third year in a row on the streets of Toronto.

"Some people will walk by smiling and other people will come running because they love the hugs," said Tanya Neumeyer, who took to the streets Sunday with her older brother Ian in tow.

The Neumeyers and a few friends carried large signs saying "Free Hugs," which startled some passersby and comforted others, The Toronto Star reported Monday.

Pistol

Freeze, Middle Class!

Geithner
© AFP - Yuri GripasThis is a stick-up!

Smiley

Software Glitch Leads to Cheap Gas in Dutch Town

Miniature oil rush in Dutch town after software glitch leads to cheap gas.

Friday night was the right time to get tanked in the Dutch town of Genderen. An unmanned gas station began offering customers gas for 1 cent per liter (around $0.05 per gallon) - a discount of more than 99 percent - thanks to a software glitch in the machine, local paper Brabants Dagblad reported Monday.

As word of the deal spread, business boomed literally overnight at the station, 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Amsterdam.

"At first we thought that the price board was broken, but when it got really busy, we alerted" the station's operator, the paper quoted owner Marijke Thur as saying.

Smiley

Floridian Man Robs Beer from Convenience Store, Sits Down on Bench Outside

A man who tried to rob a convenience store and made off with two bottles of beer didn't make it far -- sheriff's deputies found him sitting on the bench outside the store with the booze.

The suspect came into a Chevron in Deltona shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Saturday and tried to buy two beers, Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. The clerk told the man that liquor laws prohibit the sale of alcohol between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. but the suspect walked behind the counter, shoved the clerk and told him he would kill him if he didn't turn over all of the money, authorities said.

The suspect put his hand under his sweatshirt to imply he had a gun, but the clerk refused to give him money. The suspect shoved the clerk one more time, grabbed the beer and walked out of the store, the sheriff's office said.

Smiley

Intruder Cooks, Then Eats Steak While Resident Away

Peoria, Illinois - A man returned home Saturday to find someone had broken in, but nothing was missing - except a $6 steak that was apparently cooked and eaten while he was away.

An intruder broke a window to enter 1516 NE Perry Ave. sometime between 11 a.m. and 9:45 p.m.

The resident, returning home that night, discovered the broken window. After searching the house for any missing items, he went into his kitchen and found a large mess.

Smiley

Lemonade Shortage Prompts 911 Call

Boynton Beach, Florida - A 66-year-old man is facing charges for calling 911 to complain that a Florida fast-food restaurant was out of lemonade, police say.

Boynton Beach police charged Jean Fortune with misusing emergency services for his alleged phone call Saturday in which he complained about that lack of his preferred beverage at a local Burger King, The Palm Beach Post reported Sunday.

An arrest report alleges Fortune became upset upon learning the fast-food restaurant was out of lemonade.

Cult

A Horse of a Different Color Divides Denver

Denver_Mustang_02
Courtesy of Denver International Airport
Blue Mustang Sculpture Shocks Visitors, Perturbs Poets; 'Because of This Thing, People Think They Are in Hell'

The mustang rears on splayed hind legs -- his nostrils flaring, his eyes glowing red, his taut body a slick, sweaty sheen of blue. Anatomically correct -- eye-poppingly so -- the 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture makes quite a statement at the gateway to Denver International Airport.

But that begs the question: What kind of statement, exactly?

"It looks like it's possessed," says Denver resident Samantha Horoschak. "I have a huge fear of flying anyway, and to be greeted at the airport by a demon horse -- it's not a soothing experience."

Many people here agree, calling the muscular steed a terrifying welcome to the Mile High City.

Pumpkin

World's top 10 scariest airports

Gibraltar Airport_01
Nervous fliers, stop reading! Travel & Leisure has come up with a list of the world's scariest runways that can make even the most relaxed travellers grip their armrest.