“An Indian company has taken this bizarre self-hating obsession to a new level with a ‘feminine’ hygiene product that not only promises to keep a woman’s genitalia ‘fresh’ but also lighten the skin around the vagina… What is so repugnant about this product is that it is guilty of a double self-hatred – of race and gender. Indian women should be ashamed of their dark skin and, as women, should be ashamed of genitalia that is dark and, presumably, unappealing… Women’s groups have been outraged and vocal about the product. As one woman wrote online: ‘This is the ultimate insult – skin whitening for your vagina.’… It is really time for Indians to change their attitude towards their own skin. Just as African Americans launched a Black is Beautiful campaign in the US, so India needs a similar self-affirming movement. Fast.” w/ photos

“It’s a filthy job checking the sea for pollution, but someone’s got to do it. So imagine how much easier it would be to get it done by… a fish. The yellow lookalike is fitted with sensors to detect leakages from ships or undersea pipelines. And it can analyse a pollutant in seconds – a significant improvement on collecting samples and waiting weeks for a result. Using expertise from the universities of Essex and Strathclyde, the first of the 5ft ‘fish’ has been tested off northern Spain.” w/ photos

“The resident in British Columbian capital Victoria feared her neighbor was in trouble after hearing a lengthy period of loud yelling and shouting coming from the man’s basement suite at approximately 5am. Police rushed to the unidentified man’s apartment on Empress Avenue to investigate the call of nature. After banging on the door of the apartment for several minutes, the unharmed man finally came answered the door to the baffled officers. Writing on the Victoria Police Department’s official blog, Stories Beyond The Beat, deputy chief John Ducker explained: ‘When questioned about the amount of noise he was making, the man explained that he had been essentially (in his own different words) on the toilet having his morning constitutional but he was done now.” w/ photo

“A public display of anger over love gone wrong – or a celebration over a marriage ended – caused traffic delays on North 21st Street in Superior. Large signs reading ‘X-HUSBAND SALE’ and ‘FREE’ by a pile of discarded belongings in the front yard of 202 N. 21st St. caused passersby to slow down and check out what was there. But it was the once-green GMC Yukon SUV with flat tires and ‘cheater’ and obscenities spray-painted all over it that slowed traffic to a halt and got the cameras clicking. Police arrived at the house in mid-afternoon and talked to a woman inside, but no one answered the door after that when a News Tribune reporter knocked. The vandalized vehicle was towed from the driveway in front of the house a short time later to keep traffic flowing.” w/ photo

“An Austrian motorist felt a real silly-billy when he had to call police to report his car had been hijacked – by a goat. Gunther Hauser had been forced to brake as he drove trough the countryside in Radkersburg, Austria, when he came face to face with the escaped beast on a remote road. But as Mr Hauser, 45, tried to chase the goat away it doubled back, jumped into the car and refused to budge as it began eating his seats. Finally, he trudged off to a local farm only to be chased off as a suspected burglar.” w/ photos

“A second-grader at an elementary school in Colorado was told to remove blackface makeup he wore for a performance in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The project was a part of the second grade’s ‘Wax Museum Day’ assignment for a history class at Meridian Ranch Elementary School in Peyton, Colo. Sean King was assigned to portray Dr. King by his teacher. ‘All I heard was, ‘Wow, your costume is awesome,’ Sean said. However, when his parents, Michelle and Anthony, went to see their son’s presentation they were told there was a problem: the principal said the face paint had to go. ‘They wanted me to clean up immediately or leave,’ said Sean. Following further discussions with the principle and two school officials, the couple opted to pull their son out of school for the day. They were told at least one employee at the school took offense to the costume.” w/ photo

“Zombies invaded our local woods this weekend and it was up to a small group of survivors to fend them off using the skills they learned from a ‘Zombie Survival Training’ course. The rise of the living dead in a rural part of Sandy was part of a program put on by Trackers Earth, a local organization that runs outdoor programs for kids and adults. Now of course, they do realize that the chances of a zombie apocalypse are remote but that wasn’t the idea. The goal was to teach folks a thing or two about the outdoors and have a little fun while doing it. “You don’t have to be dour and boring,” said Tony Deis, founder of Trackers Earth. “You can be a bunch of geeks.” This wasn’t just playtime, though. The folks who camped out for the weekend (this was an adult-only program) learned important survival skills along the way – like how to build a fire without matches or a lighter, how to hunt and gather food and how to build a shelter to protect themselves from the elements.” w/ photos

“James Peterson set out Friday to do something pretty extraordinary. With his fist pounding in the air, Peterson made his way around the University of Akron campus en route to set a new Guinness World Record. Peterson, 34, said his goal is to create his own world record of the longest continuous fist-pumping motion around your body. The record would be a new one for Guinness — the keeper of such feats. The journey began at 11 a.m. on Friday at Manny’s Pub on Brown Street and if all went well — and his arm didn’t fall off — it was scheduled to end at 3 a.m. today on the pub’s upstairs patio. The unemployed electrician from Green said he did not want to take any chances. To ensure that he kept his fist clenched, Peterson said, he super-glued his hand shut.” w/ photo

“A nature lover has created a helmet with a nectar feeder meaning he can attract hummingbirds for an amazing face-to-face experience. Inventor Doyle Doss modified a professional face shield used by welders with feeding tubes and a colorful graphic of red rhododendrons to entice the delicate birds. Mr Doss, who sells the devices for $63 each, got the idea from an experience in the 1970s when a bird was attracted to his red beard. ‘One never forgets the first time a hummingbird suddenly arrives at the feeder right in front of your eyes,’ said the Californian. ‘It is truly an awesome experience.” w/ photos

“Julie Dumont is hoping to raise money for charity standing on her head. The Cardiff University PhD student has pledged to do a handstand a day for a year raising money to build a playground in Uganda after taking part in a similar initiative in February. It started when Julie joined a couple from Australia in doing a handstand a day throughout February. ‘Whilst I was doing them people would say, ‘That’s great you should do it for a year,’ said Julie, 26, who is studying to become a doctor in neuroscience. ‘My response was, ‘Are you insane?’ Then February ended and I was like, ‘Great, now what?’ so I decided to do them for a year and raise money for a cause.” w/ photos