Interesting News of the Day...

It really pays to have an editor. I can proof read the blog entry several times and still miss errors. Wanda usually alerts me but yesterday she was out to lunch when I posted. No, really, she went out to lunch, in a restaurant. 

To anyone that noticed the title error yesterday, "I Am Man.....Hear Me Fush" I apologize. I don't know what Fush means. Globish maybe? The title is now corrected to "I Am Man....Hear Me FLUSH."

I don't make commitments over the phone. I don't want solar panels. I don't want a free vacation. I don't need health insurance. I'm not interested in attending a live Town Hall meeting and I only donate to causes and people I know. 

Some time ago I noticed an increase in phone solicitations and mentioned it to Wanda.

Me, "Didn't you put us on a do not call list?" 
Wanda, "Yes I did, but I can't remember if it needs to be updated. Why don't you check."

Because of my diligence and fluid time management a few months passed. Last night I finally got fed up and looked up the do-not-call website. 

"Do to the U. S. Government shutdown, we are unable to offer this website service or take your phone calls at this time. We will resume normal operations when funded."

You can't post to, or call, the do not call site. How ironic.

They call this "Bad Timing."

A German federal court has ruled that a divorced man must pay his ex-wife 242,500 euros ($328,000) out of his winnings from a lottery ticket because they weren't formally divorced at the time he won.

The Federal Court of Justice ended a lengthy legal battle between the pair, who had been separated for eight years when the man and his new partner won nearly 1 million euros in 2008.

The man only applied for and was granted a divorce in 2009.

The couple then battled their way through Germany's court system over the ex-wife's demand for half his share of the lottery winnings. She argued, ultimately successfully, that she was entitled to it because they were still married at the time.

Another example of political nonsense.

I'll try to explain the issue in Denver. It's legal to smoke pot in Colorado as long as it's not done in public. Now the Denver City Council is arguing about smoke.

The Denver City Council failed to reach a decision on proposed marijuana regulations that would make it illegal for the smell of smoke to come from a back yard.

The council's meeting featured a lengthy discussion of the proposed law, which seems to define "open and public use," which remained illegal under the state law legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Assistant City Attorney Donald Broadstret said the state Legislature and the governor's marijuana task force failed to define "open and public use."

Councilwoman Jeanne Cobb said the proposal, which would define "open" as being "in a manner that is unconcealed, undisguised or obvious, and is observable and perceptible through sight or smell to the public or to persons on neighboring properties," went too far.

The proposal would also ban marijuana possession in city parks and use on private property while visible from off the property.

City Attorney Broadstret said, "If we can get pot smoke banned, our next task is smoked meat smoke." Susan Wonderly, a Denver resident said, "It is just awful. One of my neighbors uses his barbecue every week-end, all year long. I'm sick to death smelling those pig and beef ribs." 

The London Fire Brigade is asking the public to use some "common sense" after firefighters assisted a man whose penis was stuck in a toaster.

The Fire Brigade said the 1,300 emergency calls involving people stuck or trapped since 2010 included a man with his penis stuck in a toaster, an adult stuck in a child's toy car and 79 people who were unable to free themselves from handcuffs donned for amorous purposes.

The calls also included nine men with rings stuck on their privates, four people with their hands stuck in blenders and five people with their hands stuck in paper shredders.

The London Fire Brigade also sent out this plea, "Please, avoid a larger charge then you anticipate. Before inserting your body part unplug the appliance."

Police in Indiana said they arrested a man accused of running through traffic nude and jumping onto vehicles while they were stopped at traffic lights.

Responding officers spotted Michael Kristo, 37, walking across the street "with his pants pulled down exposing his full buttocks." 

They saw Kristo throw a plastic baggie on the ground when they approached him. He told police it belonged to him and contained cocaine and marijuana. 

He was arrested on preliminary charges of public indecency, cocaine possession and marijuana possession.

Mr. Kristo said, "When I get out of jail I'm moving to Denver."

What's in a name?

Japan's Fukushima Industries Corp. said it is considering a spelling change for its corporate mascot, a cartoon character dubbed Fukuppy.

The company, which produces industrial freezers and refrigerators, said the mascot's spelling in Roman characters may be altered to better reflect its pronunciation, "Foo-koo-pee," to get away from jokes based on another pronunciation that can be interpreted as obscene in English.

The character, an egg with wings and red feet, was named as a combination of the "fuku" part of the company's name and the suffix "uppy."

"This time, the name of our corporate character, because of the way it's written, has been regarded as inappropriate, or has been misunderstood among English-speaking people," the company said Tuesday. "We sincerely apologize for the fact that we have caused misunderstandings and concerns among many people."

And no one thinks an egg with wings and red feet is odd?