Split Personality At Work?

Police, including SWAT officers, were called to an apartment in Mesa, Ariz., in June after neighbors reported a fight between a man and woman that included yelling and breaking things inside. When they arrived, they found only a 21-year-old man, conducting the fight by himself, alternating a high-pitched voice with a low-pitched one. He was referred for a medical exam. [Arizona Republic, 7-1-08]

And Half The World Goes Hungry!

The European Union allows fruits and vegetables to be sold only in prescribed sizes and colors (such as its 35 pages of regulations governing 250 varieties of the apple, or rules that cucumbers must be straight and bananas curved). In June, British marketer Tim Down complained that he was forced to discard 5,000 kiwi fruit because they were 1 millimeter in diameter too small and one-fourth ounce too light. (It is illegal even to give them away, as that would undermine the market price.) "Improvements" in the EU system continue, according to a July Washington Post dispatch from Brussels: Despite 10 pages of standards on the onion and 19 amendments, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture recently issued a report urging further refinements, using 29 pages and 43 photographs. [Washington Post, 7-8-08; Daily Mail (London), 6-27-08]

Another "Toilet Lady" Update

NESS CITY, Kan. - A man whose girlfriend sat on a toilet for so long that the seat adhered to her body will spend six months on probation.
Kory McFarren pleaded no contest last month to a misdemeanor count of mistreatment of a dependent adult. A judge sentenced him Tuesday to six months in jail but granted the probation after the victim, Pam Babcock, asked for leniency.
"She didn't believe that her circumstances were his fault," Ness County Attorney Craig Crosswhite said. Babcock's plight became known in February when McFarren called the Ness County sheriff, expressing concern about his live-in girlfriend. When authorities arrived, they found Babcock physically stuck to the toilet.
McFarren told police Babcock had refused to come out of the bathroom for two years. Medical personnel estimated she'd been sitting on the toilet for at least a month and said the seat had adhered to sores on her body.
She is now under the protection of a guardian who was appointed through the legal department at the hospital where she received treatment.
Also Tuesday, McFarren was sentenced to six months in jail for an unrelated charge of lewd and lascivious behavior for exposing himself to a teenage neighbor in March.

Missing Priest Flying On Baloons Update

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- DNA tests confirmed that a body found off the coast of Brazil is that of a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic buoyed by hundreds of brightly colored party balloons, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a rest stop and worship center for truckers.

Weirdest Monument To Date!

I have voiced my opinions on weird ass monuments in the past. However, when News Of The Weird wrote about this one, I had to post my thoughts. First thing that came to mind was "no they DIDN'T". Second was what is next - a monument to the urinary catheter?

Dozens of spas operate in Russia's Caucasus Mountains region, exploiting the mineral springs in the area, and apparently colonic treatment is a specialty. In fact, in June, the Mashuk-Akva Term spa in Zheleznovodsk unveiled a large monument to the enema (an 800-pound brass syringe bulb held aloft by three angels). "Let's beat constipation," read one banner. Said the sculptor: "This device is eternal; it will never change. We could promote this brand, turn it into a franchise with souvenirs and awards for medical doctors." [CNN-AP, 6-19-08]

Man Accused of Walking Down Interstate Wearing Thong, Fake Breasts

A Connecticut man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly strolled along a busy interstate wearing nothing but a thong, fake breasts and a wig.
Authorities received several calls over the weekend from motorists reporting that a man was walking alongside I-291 in the unusual attire, the Hartford Courant reported.
An hour-long search turned up David Gebhardt, 42, who was arrested by police fully clothed after they found him collecting cans behind a business in Manchester. Police said they also found a wig and fake breasts in his car.
Gebhardt is charged with disorderly conduct and simple trespass. He's free after posting $2,500 bail.

Company Markets Obama, McCain-Themed Condoms

NEW YORK (AP) ― The presidential race is in full swing -- but not the way you might think. A young New York City entrepreneur has decided to "have fun" with the campaign by marketing condoms featuring images of Barack Obama and John McCain. Benjamin Sherman, who created the company Practice Safe Policy, says the Obama condom carries the slogan "Use With Good Judgment." The McCain version says "OLD BUT Not Expired." According to the Web site, McCain condoms "are battle tested, strong and durable, for those occasions when you just need to switch your position!" While the company can't guarantee the condoms are 100 percent effective, it says it's certain "that without wearing one, there's likely to be an Obama-Mama in your future."