Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.
Batman could fly, but he’d crash and die
LONDON (Reuters) – Holy crash landing Batman! The
crime-fighting caped crusader could fly but if he did, he would
smash into the ground and probably die, a group of British
physics students have calculated. Dashing the dreams of comic
fans across the world, four students from the University of
Leicester said that while Batman could glide using his cape as
he does in the 2005 film ”Batman Begins,” his landing would
almost certainly prove fatal.
EU farmers deliver moo-ving ”milk lake” protest
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Dairy farmers sprayed thousands of
liters of milk outside the European Parliament in Brussels on
Tuesday, creating a ”milk lake” to protest against low prices.
Protesters from around Europe, including Italy, Germany,
Ireland and France blocked off a square with tractors and
statues of cows brightly painted in the national colors of EU
member states.
New app rescues people from bad dates
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Most people have been there, trapped
on an awkward date that is going nowhere. But relief could be
on the way with a new app that provides an incoming rescue
call. The Bad Date Rescue app, which was launched by the dating
website eHarmony.com this week, lets users arrange for a call
to appear on their iPhone to graciously allow them to bow out
if a date isn’t going well.
Fed-up Lebanese protest against protests
BEIRUT (Reuters) – If you can’t beat them, join them.
Dozens of Lebanese, exasperated by rampant tire-burning
protests across the country, rolled out tires and stopped
traffic in the capital Beirut on Thursday.
Korean shamanism finds new life in modern era
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA (Reuters) – Colorful flags snapped in
the sea breeze as more than a dozen Korean shamans, dressed in
bright colors, danced and chanted prayers in front of a huge
cow’s head stuck to a trident. The ceremony on a ship was
designed to exorcise demons that threaten fishermen and bring
good luck to everybody on board. The presence of several
hundred spectators underlined how the ages-old trance rituals
were going strong again, having been shunned as recently as 30
years ago.
Wandering Cape Cod bear captured in Boston suburb
BOSTON (Reuters) – He’s baaack: A male black bear captured
on Cape Cod earlier this month, where it was tranquilized and
moved to central Massachusetts, showed up again on Tuesday just
six miles from downtown Boston. State officials said they had
captured the bear in a tree in the Chestnut Hill area of
Brookline, just west of Boston, and confirmed it was the same
bear which roamed the Cape for about two weeks before being
captured and relocated on June 12.
