Clipmarks | luckyduckangela's clips

Judge Dismisses Blonde's Lawsuit over Brown Dye

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:55:28 GMT

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A Connecticut judge has given the brush-off to a blonde woman's lawsuit claiming L'Oreal Inc. ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products.

Charlotte Feeney of Stratford says she can never return to her natural blonde hue, a shock that left her so traumatized she needed anti-depressants.

She says she suffered headaches and anxiety, missed the attention that blondes receive and had to stay home and wear hats most of the time.

A Superior Court judge dismissed Feeney's 2005 lawsuit Monday, saying she never proved her allegation that L'Oreal put brown hair dye in a box labeled as blonde. The company also had disputed the claim.

Feeney referred questions on Wednesday to her attorney, David Laudano, who has declined to comment.

Tags: blonde, brunette, l'oreal, dye, lawsuit, sue, depression

Hospital tells grandfather, 71, that he's pregnant

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:11:53 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A patient treated for agonizing abdominal pain received this surprising news in the hospital's paperwork: "Based on your visit today, we know you are pregnant." Surprising indeed for 71-year-old John Grady Pippen.

The staff at Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach gave the retired mechanic and logger the ridiculously happy news this month, along with some pain pills.

Hospital administrator William McMillan says an errant keystroke caused the hospital's computer to spit out the wrong discharge instructions for the grandfather.

Tags: mistake, hospital, pregnant, sick, funny

Man asks Court to change his name to 'in god we trust'

Sun, 04 May 2008 20:00:09 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

ZION, Ill. -- Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name. He wants to be known as "In God We Trust."

Kreuscher (CROY'-shir) says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times.

The 57-year-old man also told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.

He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy - by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.

The school bus driver and amateur artist in the northern Chicago suburb says he has filed a petition to change his name in Lake County Circuit Court.

Tags: religion, god, names

Don't Worry Darling, It's Only A Refueling Plane!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:53:41 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

LONDON (Reuters) - It may be the biggest honeymoon secret ever -- from 2011, newlyweds can start their dream trip on a Royal Air Force mid-air refueling plane, and the chances are they will be blissfully unaware of their luck.

The converted A330 passenger jets can carry 60 tonnes of fuel to refuel up to four fighters far away from base or else serve as transporters carrying 300 troops and their equipment.

Officials involved in the project say some of the jets will also double as charter planes for tourists to earn their keep whenever they are not needed to serve the front line.

Because new jetliners are more efficient than the decades-old VC-10s and Tristars they replace, there will be enough space for fuel for refueling in the aircraft's main tanks as well as a fully fitted cabin interior for passengers.

With a plain livery, most passengers should be unaware their ordinary looking charter jet may have seen action over Afghanistan or Iraq on -- hopefully -- separate missions.

Tags: airplane, honeymoon, troops, refueling

Blow-up doll stands in for groom

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:39:49 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

GROVE CITY, Ohio -- If one bride felt lighter than air in her wedding gown, her groom certainly felt like air itself as 19 couples renewed their vows near Columbus.

Sheila Smith's husband, Bob, had to go away on business and couldn't make the Valentine's Day recommitment service at Grove City United Methodist Church. So friends brought a life-size inflatable doll to serve as a stand-in.

They dressed Blow-up Bob in dress pants, a shirt and tie, and taped on a head-shot photo of the real Bob Smith.

His wife was blown away, because she thought she'd only be serving as matron of honor for four of her friends. After Sheila Smith phoned her husband to tell him about his air-filled alter ego, she wiped away tears as she told how he laughed so hard he couldn't speak.

Tags: wedding, inflatable, doll, bride, groom

Handshake Sends Attorney to Jail

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:56:22 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A lawyer has been charged with assault for shaking a federal prosecutor's hand so hard, authorities said, that it injured her shoulder.

After the hearing, Brewer Rentas asked to shake hands with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keene.

A court security officer reported that Brewer Rentas shook Keene's hand so forcefully that the prosecutor's arm was nearly ripped out of its socket.

"With Keene in hand, Brewer made an upward, then a quick downward motion and pulled Keene toward the ground moving her forward, almost causing Keene to fall to the ground," Deputy U.S. Marshall Robert Kremenik Jr. wrote in an arrest report.

Brewer Rentas spent a night in jail and was freed Friday on $100,000 bail. She was ordered to stay away from Keene and undergo a psychological evaluation to determine whether she needs counseling.

Tags: lawyer, handshake, assault

Couple gets no help for decapitated ram

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:48:59 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

CLYDE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A St. Clair County couple is having a hard time getting rid of a decapitated sheep from their property. Trudy and Mike Diller found the dead ram in a ditch near their Clyde Township home on Jan. 30. The next day, they discovered someone had cut off its head.

The Dillers called the sheriff's department to ask that it be disposed. Officials told them to call the county road commission, only to find out it couldn't help either.

The Times Herald of Port Huron reports the sheep is classified as a domestic animal, not the wildlife commonly found as road kill.

Jennifer Holton with the Michigan Department of Agriculture says the Dillers should bury the animal themselves, if they can't find the owner.

Tags: ram, decapitated, roadkill

Court: Mom can't sue over circumcision

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:48:03 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela
clipper's remarks: full article at link!

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that a mother who didn't like the way her baby's circumcision looked cannot sue a Fridley hospital for medical malpractice.

Nelson claimed the hospital had a duty to verify that the doctor obtained informed consent and she claimed the hospital had been deceptive or misleading in its informed consent policy.

A Hennepin County judge disagreed and dismissed the case. The appellate court affirmed the lower court decision.

As for the child, another surgeon "performed a revision for cosmetic purposes" shortly after the initial circumcision, the ruling said.

Tags: circumcision, cosmetic, baby, sue

Beer gets seatbelt. Child doesn't.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:46:36 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Police have arrested a motorist they say had a 24-pack of beer strapped in with a seat belt but had a 16-month-old girl unrestrained in the back seat with the toddler's mother.

Tina D. Williams was pulled over in St. Augustine on Sunday for allegedly running a red light.

A 24-pack of Busch beer was strapped in with the passenger-side seat belt, according to an arrest report. The girl was in the back seat with 20-year-old Amber Tedrick, who is the toddler's mother.

Williams, 46, said she didn't know why the child wasn't restrained.

Williams refused to take a breath test and a deputy found two metal pipes commonly used to smoke drugs in her purse, authorities said.

Williams was charged with driving under the influence, child abuse, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license, a jail official said. She remained in the St. Johns County jail Tuesday after bail was set at $31,000.

Tags: beer, child, seatbelt, safety

David Horsey -- Super Tuesday

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:45:28 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Originally published on Thursday, February 07, 2008

Tags: david horsey, super tuesday, politics, elections

N.D. farmer forecasts via pig spleens

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:29:26 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela
clipper's remarks: Not the whole article .this is only about...1/3 of it? so yeah. go to the source to read the whole thing. :]

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

STEELE, N.D. -- Paul Smokov doesn't need radar or other high-tech equipment to forecast a major snowstorm on the prairie. He consults pig spleens.

"It looks like a normal year with no major storms," said the 84-year-old Smokov, peering at two of the brown, glistening, foot-long organs on his kitchen counter like a Gypsy gazing into a crystal ball. "That's what the spleens tell me."

Smokov and his wife, Betty, raise cattle on their 1,750-acre ranch north of this town of about 760 people. He is happy to share his forecast with his neighbors or anyone else willing to rely on the reading of animals' innards.

If the spleen is wide where it attaches to the pig's stomach and then narrows, it means winter weather will come early with a mild spring, Smokov said. A narrow-to-wider spleen usually means harsh weather in the spring, he said.

"The spleens are 85 percent correct, according to my figures," he said. As for the weathermen, "Those guys aren't any better."

Tags: weather, forecast, pig, innards

Donor drops $1,000 into red kettle

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:27:58 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela
clipper's remarks: that's so incredibly sweet.

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Salvation Army Major Richard Hathorn knew when and where it would happen, but he still doesn't know who slipped the $1,000 bill into one of the charity's Christmas kettles.

Each Christmas since 1978, someone has covertly stuffed one of the big bills into a kettle in this northern West Virginia university city.

This year, Hathorn says, the donor alerted the Salvation Army that the tradition would continue with a deposit between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Wal-Mart at University Town Center.

During the appointed period, Hathorn carefully scanned the faces of people dropping money into the kettle, but he didn't spot anyone with a bill bearing the likeness of President Grover Cleveland.

He found it later, wrapped inside a $1 bill.

Hathorn says he hopes to raise about $62,000 from the kettles this year to provide everything from toys and food to utility assistance.

Tags: goodwill, christmas, salvation army

Baby Jesus statue gets GPS for Christmas

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:25:20 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

BAL HARBOUR, Fla. -- A baby Jesus statue here is getting a Global Positioning System for Christmas. The statue, part of a nativity scene, will be equipped with the device after the previous statue went missing, even though it had been bolted down.

"I don't anticipate this will ever happen again," said Dina Cellini, who oversees the display, "but we may need to rely on technology to save our savior."

The Mary and Joseph statues will also be fitted with GPS devices, she said.

The devices are being bought using residents' contributions and Cellini's own money.

Cellini has also installed a Plexiglas screen in front of the display.

Tags: jesus, christmas, gps, thievery

Man pays for new truck with loose change

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:24:36 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

Brant, 70, used more than $25,000 in change to help buy a new Dodge Ram half-ton pickup truck Friday - 13 years after buying another truck with spare change.

Brant said he was raised to be thrifty. His father always paid in cash and saved up loose change to take vacations.

Brant has been storing his change for years, and estimated he had about $26,000 in coins for Friday's purchase. In 1994, he bought a Dodge pickup and a Dodge Neon using about $36,000 in quarters.

"As long as you don't put your hands back in the till, it really adds up," he said.

Brant stored his change in coffee cans, water jugs and piggy banks over the years, and was escorted by sheriff's deputies as he brought the rolled coins to the dealership.

A Mike Raisor Chrysler Dodge and Jeep employee who sold Brant the truck said the dealership called in an armored car to count and handle the coins.

"No bank wants to take them," Keith Gephart said.

Tags: change, thrifty, truck, dodge

Shower-ready suit to go on sale in Japan

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 18:56:10 GMT

clipped by: luckyduckangela
clipper's remarks: i cut out a paragraph in the middle...so if you want to read the whole article, go to the link. :]

Clip Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com

TOKYO -- No time to take your suit to a dry cleaner? Just turn on the shower to wash it at home.

Washable suits are already available, but Japanese clothing company Konaka says its "Shower Clean" line of business suits, which can be washed in a warm shower and require no ironing, is one-of-a-kind.

Konaka says the suits - made of a lightweight fabric easy to clean - will be available in February in Japan.

The firm's Web site shows how to clean them: Reverse the jacket and pants, put them on clothes hangers and douse with warm water for a few minutes to clean the inside. Repeat the process to clean the outside and drip-dry.

"They often don't have time to take their suit to a dry cleaner and it's difficult for them to iron a wool suit," he said. "Our suit can return to the original shape easily after a shower."

The suits, available for both men and women, will be priced between $260 and $492, according to the company, which has some 320 stores nationwide.

Tags: shower, suit, japan