News of the Weird - this just in!

[Nereus]

Only in Thailand:

Sensationalist news? we've just scratched the surface

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/fa ... he-surface


And in times of crisis, readers look to such mega-selling newspapers for advice and support.

Which is perhaps why Thai Rath, Thailand's biggest-selling newspaper, splashed a banner headline across its front page last Tuesday morning: WOMEN IN BANGKOK ARE WARNED: BEWARE OF THE THREAT OF ITCHY VAGINAS.....................................................

[STEVE G]

(Reuters) - Ukrainian police have detained three suspected thieves who they say stole goods from trucks as they drove on highways at night.

The three men, aged 32 to 37, are suspected of involvement in about 30 cases of theft in their home Poltava region and neighbouring areas, police said in a statement.

"A car with a specially reinforced hood would drive up behind a truck moving at 40-50 kilometres per hour," it said.

"Standing on the hood, one of the thieves would then open the locks with wire-cutters, get in and pass the loot over to his accomplice."

Police said the gang, which had at least seven cars, was the third of its kind to be busted in the last few years in the region.

[pharvey]

Perhaps should be in ''News of the Absurd''....... This beggars belief even for the dullards of Brussels. It'll be frightening to see what was spent during this 3 year ''study''

EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration

Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration.

EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.

Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.

Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ large.

“The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are: highly-paid, highly-pensioned officials worrying about the obvious qualities of water and trying to deny us the right to say what is patently true.

“If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project then this is it.”

Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ation.html

[hhfarang]

News of the weird or just duh, everybody knew this dude! The weird part is they felt they had to study this...

Study finds nudity gives the brain a tune-up

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/3 ... z1eA5i3ns1

[STEVE G]

(Reuters) - Welcoming the local authorities' move to the dark side, Darth Vader has asked for a land plot in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to park his space ship.

An Odessite dressed as the Star Wars villain visited the mayor's office this week to claim a free land plot citing Ukrainian legislation which grants every citizen the right to own 1,000 square metres of land.

His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media.

The mayor's office has since said the move was a mistake but has not yet cancelled it, according to local news website Dumskaya.net.

"I am Darth Vader, the right hand of Emperor Palpatine," the man introduced himself to amused policemen, as seen in a video posted on YouTube (here) and accompanied by the Imperial March music.

"...Knowing that many (local legislature) deputies and the mayor have switched to the dark side... I have come for a land plot... for my space cruiser."

Officials accepted the man's application after he showed his passport and removed the black helmet equipped with a voice-distorting device.

[pharvey]

An oldie, but one I hadn't seen before and brought a smile to my face..

Elephants march through hotel lobby after it was built on their migration trail

These amazing pictures show why you shouldn't get between an African elephant and its favourite food.

Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia happens to have been built next to a mango tree that one family of pachyderms have always visited when the fruit ripens.

When they returned one year and found the luxury accommodation in the way, they simply walked through reception.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1eg8feo6q

[Big Boy]

Nice story

[pharvey]

Now this truly is taking the p*ss!

The latest in Wii technology: video game urinals

Going to the loo has never been more fun, after the world's first urine-controlled video game is installed in a London bar.

Visitors at the The Exhibit Bar in Balham can play one of three games every time they use a urinal.

The video game has been trialled in a bar in Cambridge since mid-July and it has proved to be both popular and profitable.

One of the game's co-founders, Gordon MacSween, was not sure how the public would react to the game initially. But as soon he saw the game on trial at a bar in Cambridge he knew he was on to something good.

The game was designed to create a valuable media opportunity from the 55 seconds the average male spends while he pees just staring at a blank wall.

There is an advert played before and after the game promoting a drink you can buy at the bar.

At the end of the game, players are encouraged to post their scores via mobile to Twitter and to a live leader board so they can compete with their friends.

The units will be rolled-out in selected venues across the UK in early 2012.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... inals.html

[GLCQuantum]

Haaa.... what a way to stitch up your girl - hilarious!

Please take a look.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... ating.html

[STEVE G]

BEIJING (Reuters) - Five Chinese officials have been suspended from their jobs after they were observed sleeping or reading newspapers during a video conference on stamping out laziness at work, state media reported on Friday.

The officials, all high-level workers at tax bureaux in the northern province of Shanxi, were supposed to be participating in a meeting to push better work discipline, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

It did not say for how long they would be suspended.

The campaign is to remind officials they cannot leave their posts, play games, or "attend recreational activities" during office hours, Xinhua added.

Chinese officials frequently have to sit through long, tedious meetings and listen to turgid reports on the latest missives from Beijing on Communist theory or other dry subjects.

But sensitive to public opinion, especially stories of lazy or corrupt bureaucrats carried by massively popular microblogging sites, the government has also tried to instil a greater sense of duty into its officials.

[pharvey]

[dtaai-maai]

Brilliant!
A Welsh sheep joke would be sacrilege after that.

[pharvey]

Brilliant!
A Welsh sheep joke would be sacrilege after that.

Just trying to brighten up our sex lives over Christmas........

[Nereus]

Are you sure about that?

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2 ... -reshuffle

Poll: It’s time for cabinet reshuffle

Published: 18/12/2011 at 09:50 AM Online news:

More than half of people polled recently agreed that it was the right time for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to change cabinet members, Saun Dusit Poll said on Sunday.

The pollsters conducted a survey on the cabinet reshuffle from Dec 13 to 17, asking for opinions from 1,827 people in Bangkok and nearby provinces.

Suan Dusit Poll said 59.23 per cent of the respondents said it was the right time for cabinet reshuffle because many ministers had not performed duty well, 21.18 per cent of them were not sure and 19.59 per cent said it was too soon.

Asked which ministers they wanted to remove most, 29.23 per cent of the respondents said interior minister, followed by agriculture and cooperatives minister (20.12 per cent), transport minister (17.81 per cent), education minister (16.93 per cent) and justice minister (15.91 per cent).
............................................................................................
and:

Abac Poll: Reshuffle ‘not this time’

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/2 ... -this-time

Published: 18/12/2011 at 11:22 AM Online news:

A total of 62.5 per cent of the respondent disagreed with the cabinet reshuffle, saying it is not the right timing, too soon and could lead to more conflicts, Abac poll reported on Sunday.

They said cabinet ministers should be allowed to continue working to prove their capabilities, it added.

The Research Office at Assumption University, or Abac Poll, conducted a survey on cabinet reshuffle from Dec 12-17, involving 1,965 people in 17 provinces.

These provinces are Bangkok, Chanthaburi, Kanchanaburi, Samut Prakan, Chonburi, Nan, Pitsanulok, Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, Chaiyaphum, Si Sa Ket, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla.

Meanwhile, 37.5 per cent of the people polled said it is time for replacing incompetent cabinet ministers with the capable ones, according to Abac Poll.

Asked about political conflict among Thai people in the next three months, 47.3 per cent of the respondents expected the division to get worse, 38.9 per cent of them saw no change in the situation and 13.8 per cent said the situation would improve.

On the question about whether they were concerned about political violence during New Year Festivity, 52.9 per cent of them admitted they were worried and 47.1 per cent had no worry.

[PeteC]

'Nuckin Futs' snack gets go ahead in Australia

A snack called "Nuckin Futs" has got the green light to be sold in Australia after regulators accepted the profanity it parodies was part of everyday speech, according to a report.

The Trade Marks Examiner initially ruled that the name was inappropriate and rejected a trademark application, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported.

But lawyers for the unnamed Australian company that wants to market the product argued that the swear-word it parodies was a normal part of Australian speech and could not be deemed offensive under trademark rules.

"We submit that whilst there may be a mere sentimental objection or mere distaste to Nuckin Futs, this is not a sufficient ground for rejection of the trademark, particularly since a substantial number of people would not find the words shocking," a five-page legal submission said.

Almost a year after the application was rejected, the examiner agreed to accept the trademark on condition that the owner does not market the product to children, the newspaper said.

Lawyers for the company said the product, mostly comprising edible nuts, would only by sold in pubs, nightclubs and other entertainment venues.