Sand sculpture of a busty mermaid draws complaints
A busty mermaid sculpted from sand and placed outside a popular Cape Cod restaurant is raising eyebrows and triggering complaints. The town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and the local Chamber of Commerce say they fielded complaints from locals about the exaggerated proportions of the mermaid’s chest. Yarmouth’s police department took down photos of the sculpture from its Facebook page after residents said they found the work of art offensive.
The mermaid clad in a clamshell bikini is one of 41 sand sculptures placed around town as part of the annual Yarmouth Summer Celebration. Salty’s restaurant owner Raymond Roy told the Cape Cod Times he’s surprised at the fuss. Roy says the mermaid isn’t nude and shouldn’t be censored.
(AP)
ouch! Canadian man uses drone to wax his leg hair
A Quebec man found a way to work his aerial drone into his grooming routine by using the device to wax his leg hair. David Freiheit recorded himself applying a Nair wax strip to his leg after fitting the strip with some wire. Freiheit then launched his drone, which was connected to the wire in the wax strip with some rope. The drone gets a good headstart from the slack on the rope before successfully yanking the wax strip — and Freiheit’s leg hair. “For the first time in the history of humankind, someone has used a drone to wax their legs” he wrote. “I only did one strip, but the venture was a smashing success.”
(UPI)
Ruby Roman grapes sell for $11,000 at Japanese auction
A bunch of grapes sold for a record price of nearly $11,000 at an auction in Japan. The 30 Ruby Roman grapes sold for 1.1m yen ($10,938) or about $350 for each ping pong ball sized grape, according to The Guardian. “We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste,” auction-winner Takamaru Konishi told the BBC.
The grapes were grown in Ishikawa prefecture and confirmed to meet the qualifications necessary to be classified as a Ruby Roman, weighing .7 ounces and containing a sugar content of at least 18 per cent. “I am so happy and I am honoured,” Konishi said. “These are truly Ruby Roman gems.”
Fruit often sell at high prices in Japan and are considered high-ranking gifts similar to vintage wine. Melons can be particularly expensive, as a pair was sold for more than $12,000 at auction in 2015.
(UPI)
Identical twins give birth on same day, at same time
Identical twin sisters have given birth on the same day, at the same time, in their respective time zones. Today.com reports Sarah Mariuz and leah Rodgers delivered their babies at 1.18 am. last Thursday. Rodgers’ son, Reid Joseph, was born first, on Mountain time in Denver. An hour later, Mariuz delivered her daughter, Samantha lynne, on Pacific time in la Jolla, California. The 35-year-old sisters hadn’t planned to be pregnant at the same time but ended up with due dates just four days apart. The sisters and their babies are doing well. Today.com reports that the families are trying to work out a time to visit each other.
(Yahoo)
Man emerges from suitcase at Switzerland train station
A nearly 6-foot tall man was caught on a surveillance camera emerging from a suitcase at a train station in Switzerland. Video shot by a Swiss border guard and shared by AllNews247 shows the man’s hand sticking out from the suitcase before officers arrive to fully unzip the bag. CNN reports that the man was from Eritrea and had packed himself into the suitcase to cross the border from Italy into Switzerland. The man, who was one of about 3,400 migrants attempting to enter Switzerland’s Ticino region, was ultimately sent back to Italy.
(UPI)
record for most lasso Texas skips in a minute
A rodeo performer claimed the Guinness World Record for most lasso Texas skips in a minute. Javier Escamilla completed the feat by performing the difficult lasso technique, which involves jumping through a swinging lasso multiple times while keeping the rope in motion, 100 times in one minute while appearing on NBC’s Today show.
“The record right now is 80, and I want to do 100 if I can,” he said during the show’s Supreme Summer Week segment. “The Texas Skip is the hardest part of trick roping in Mexico.”
Escamilla began performing when he was four years old and has toured Mexico and Europe with his Trick Rope Show, Hermanos Escamilla. Based in Wisconsin, his fantastic rope skills have allowed him to participate in the Antonio Aguilar Equestrian Show, an NBA half-time show for the Timberwolves, as well as perform workshops for students eager to learn his talent.
(UPI)
mayor shuts offices after mass arrests
The Mayor of a small town outside Naples had to shut down most municipal offices after police arrested 23 of his staff in the latest revelations of absenteeism in Italy’s public sector. Police arrested around half of the employees in the town hall offices of Boscotrecase following weeks-long investigation which they said revealed 200 cases of absenteeism involving 30 people.
Staff were filmed clocking in and then leaving to go about their personal business or using multiple swipe cards to register absent colleagues, in scenes which have become familiar after numerous similar scandals.
(Reuters)