“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

“Dogs are compelled to yawn if they hear their owners do the same, according to a new study. Researchers claimed that dogs responded to an audio cue such as a yawn even if they didn’t see the action taking place. The study found this was particularly noticeable when the dogs were listening to the yawns of people they knew. Scientists suggested the findings, presented at the National Ethology Congress in Lisbon, showed canines had empathy to human behaviors. “These results suggest that dogs have the capacity to empathize with humans,” said lead author Karine Silva, from the University of Porto, Portugal.” w/ photo

“Students at Maynard High School in Maynard, Mass. made good on an important promise: no tanning before this year’s prom. Many of the students signed a pledge in February that they would skip the tanning bed and sunbathing before prom this year in an effort to reduce their risk of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Allison Bosse, the high school senior who organized the pledge, said convincing everyone to flaunt their pale skin was no easy task. “Our school is known for a lot of people tanning. Kids start in March because they want to be tan in their dresses for prom,” she said. Bosse said the pressure for students to get a golden glow is so great that freshmen start visiting tanning beds even though they don’t go to the prom. Bosse said she wanted to educate her classmates about the dangers of tanning. She set up tables at lunch and started asking for people to sign the no-tanning pledge. Of the school’s 283 seniors, 209 signed the pledge.” w/ photo + video

“A collector has sold a Batman No. 1 comic to an investment partnership for $850,000. Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which arranged the private transaction, announced the sale. Ed Jaster, vice president of Heritage, says the collector had paid $315,000 for the comic about two years ago. The comic book cost 10 cents when it was published in 1940. Jaster says, ‘The market for high-quality, classic comic books has really skyrocketed over the past few years.’ The identities of the seller and investors were not revealed.” w/ photos

“Curmudgeons who are skeptical about whether such procedures amount to ‘painting,’ barely rate a shrug from Stone. ‘If people are skeptical,’ she said, ‘well then it’s their loss because they’re missing out on a beautiful thing.’ That beautiful thing emerges every time Piper hears a rustle or a crinkle from Stone’s studio. The dog rushes into the studio and won’t budge until Stone slips the handle of a freshly paint-doused brush into her mouth. A few minutes later, another colorful ‘painting’ is hung on a drying line. Along the way, Stone, on a whim, decided to post one of Piper’s pieces on Facebook. It sold within a week and a few months later, Stone quit counting Piper’s sales after they passed the fifty mark. ‘She has over, I think, 2,700 fans now on Facebook,’ Stone said. ‘She has her own business card, e-mail, website.’ Now Piper isn’t exactly getting rich. But she is making enough money to cover her own medical bills and to pay for things like her Web site and PayPal fees.” w/ photos + video

“From crispy California avocado tacos sprinkled with sesame seeds to coconut-raspberry cupcakes and espresso, the food-truck revolution has delightfully messed with American food and culture. Now, an indelicate, perhaps hilarious, line has been crossed. Are we ready for mobile hot dogs served from the final rest stop, the clutches of death, the lair of vampires? The ghoulish geniuses behind a bit of mobile madness, Dead Dogs Ltd, believe we are. So does Priscilla Garcia, who was innocently driving through north San Jose recently when she, like many others, spotted a long, shiny black Cadillac hearse. It was parked at a gritty intersection that looked more like West Texas than Silicon Valley. The funeral coach had flames painted on the side and seemed to have unloaded a coffin on the side of the road. Curious, Garcia pulled over, and to her surprise, what she saw was a hot dog cart masquerading as a coffin. The novelty made Garcia blurt, “Oh, I think I’ll have a hot dog today!” And gladly the vendor, Jevelyn Lincoln, served the cleaning company employee a steamed jalapeño dog and sent her back to work happy.” w/ photos + video

“Six leaders from South Korea’s largest Buddhist order have quit after a video surfaced showing several monks playing high-stakes poker, drinking and smoking, Reuters reports. “The stakes for 13 hours of gambling were more than $875,300 won,” Seongho, a senior monk who uses one name, told Reuters. “Basically, Buddhist rules say don’t steal. Look at what they did, they abused money from Buddhists for gambling.” In the video, which aired on South Korean TV networks, men from the Jogye order are seen sitting cross-legged on a floor playing cards, some smoking and drinking. The incident allegedly happened after a gathering at a luxury lakeside hotel in late April for a fellow monk’s memorial service.” w/ photos + video

“The 8-year-old twins love their iPad. They draw, play games and expand their vocabulary. Their family’s teenagers also like the hand-held computer tablets, too, but the clan’s elders show no interest. The orangutans at Miami’s Jungle Island apparently are just like people when it comes to technology. The park is one of several zoos experimenting with computers and apes, letting its six orangutans use an iPad to communicate and as part of a mental stimulus program. Linda Jacobs, who oversees the program, hopes the devices will eventually help bridge the gap between humans and the endangered apes. ‘Our young ones pick up on it. They understand it. It’s like, ‘Oh I get this,’ Jacobs said. ‘Our two older ones, they just are not interested. I think they just figure, ‘I’ve gotten along just fine in this world without this communication-skill here and the iPad, and I don’t need a computer.” w/ photo + video

“A Connecticut novelty company is selling a ‘tanorexic’ action figure based on a deeply tanned New Jersey mother accused of causing skin burns to her young daughter in a tanning booth. Patricia Krentcil has said she loves tanning but wouldn’t — and didn’t — take her then-5-year-old into a tanning booth. Krentcil pleaded not guilty last week to a child endangerment charge. She says her daughter got sunburned outdoors. The president of Oxford-based HeroBuilders says everyone has friends into heavy tanning. Emil Vicale says, ‘We thought it was a funny thing to do.” w/ photos

“A 13-year-old US schoolgirl has set up her own company after coming up with what she claims is a cure for hiccups. Mallory Kievman, from Manchester, Connecticut, says she got the idea after trying to tame a stubborn bout of hiccups two years ago. She tried every remedy she could think of, including drinking saltwater, sipping water out of an upside-down cup, eating spoonfuls of sugar, and slurping pickle juice. Miss Kievman eventually combined her three favorite cures – lollipops, apple cider vinegar and sugar – into a single cure which she says does the trick. ‘I’m still tweaking the taste,’ she says. “It triggers a set of nerves in your throat and mouth that are responsible for the hiccup reflex arc.” w/ photo

“Keithan Manuel is sitting inside the Dallas County Jail Tuesday night waiting for someone to believe him – it was a joke, he told investigators. He didn’t really want to rob that police station. Police, however, say the 18-year-old walked into the Wilmer Police Department Saturday evening with a white towel covering his hands. Police Chief Victor Kemp described the incident saying, ‘Yeah well, a young man walked into the lobby and approached the dispatch window there and told our Communications Officer ‘give me all your money.”… ‘This young man wasn’t using his head for sure,’ he said. ‘You hear of those World’s Dumbest Criminals every once in a while but you never think it’s gonna happen in your city.” w/ photo + video

“Disgruntled neighbors of joyrider Zbigniew Filo sought to put his driving days behind him when they somehow hoisted his souped-up vehicle atop a tree. Filo, 24, awoke to find his car missing, later locating it on top of a huge willow tree in Lubczyna, Poland. Locals have maintained a code of silence over who was responsible for the prank or how indeed the white Ford Escort ended up 20ft in the air, though one villager revealed that a crane had been borrowed for the night. Police spokesman Marta Pierko said: ‘We received a call from a man saying his car was stuck in a tree, and that his neighbours had put it there. ‘After inspecting the site we instructed him to remove it from the tree.” w/ photo

“A Hampshire car enthusiast couldn’t afford the classic Ferrari he’d always wanted – so he painted one on his garage door instead. Chris Smart, 32, spent two weeks sketching and painting the rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO with weather resistant paints. Now neighbors and passers-by could be forgiven for thinking the customer support worker has traded in his BMW 1 Series for a classic motor. Drivers even slam on their brakes to catch a glimpse as they pass the garage in Bishopstoke, near Eastleigh. Married Chris, who studied art at college, said: “I hated the garage door before because it was really dull. “I saw garage covers on the internet and wanted one unique to me. I have always loved this particular car and wanted to make it a bit of fun.” w/ photo

“A Nebraska man has changed his name to Tyrannosaurus Rex Joseph Gold. Why? Because it’s ‘cooler’ than his birth name. Tyler Gold, 23, of York, Neb., appeared in district court. In his filing, he wrote he wanted the name change because it’s ‘cooler’ and more appealing than his birth name, the York News-Times reported. “Also, as an entrepreneur, name recognition is important and the new name is more recognizable,” Gold told the Times. Judge Alan Gless asked Gold if he was avoiding debt collectors or law enforcement, but he told the judge no and that his request was innocent, the Christian Science Monitor reported. His request was approved, and Gold is now legally Tyrannosaurus Rex Joseph Gold.” w/ photo

“He’s too good, and that’s too bad. A 13-year-old New York boy who played field hockey growing up in Ireland has been told that after two years as a member of the Southampton High School girls’ team, he is now too skilled to qualify for an exemption allowing him to compete with — and against — girls next season. Keeling Pilaro, whose 10 goals and eight assists earned him all-conference honors on suburban Long Island — he was the only boy in any league — is appealing the decision by the governing body for high school sports in Suffolk County, and a lawyer for his family suggests a court battle could ensue if the ball doesn’t bounce Keeling’s way. An appeals committee said it looked only at his skills, not size or strength, when upholding the decision to keep him off the field. That raises a question of discrimination.” w/ photo

“An attempt to break the world record for the biggest costumed Chihuahua parade has ended in disappointment after not enough dogs and their owners showed up. Organizer Mark Valentine of United Entertainment said around 500 dogs took part in the inaugural Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua parade in Kansas City, Missouri, about 200 fewer than was needed to break the Guinness World Record. But Mr Valentine, who said the event raised $2,500 for the local animal shelter The Pet Connection, was undeterred, vowing to repeat the parade next year. ‘We are going to keep doing this until we run out of dogs in Kansas City and have to start shipping them in,’ he said.” w/ photos

“Russians prefer their Lay’s potato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk. Americans might get squeamish at the thought of their favorite snacks being tweaked. But what works in the U.S. doesn’t always work everywhere… Food makers long have tinkered with their products to appeal to regional tastes, but getting the recipe just right is becoming more important than ever. That’s partly because people in developing nations such as China and India are gaining more of an appetite for American-style ‘on-the-go’ foods as they work longer hours and have less time to cook. But it’s mostly because snack makers increasingly are looking for growth in other parts of the world as sales slow at home.” w/ photo

“Numerous people in Central Texas awoke to vibrations in the neighborhood, stumping local law enforcement for some time. Several KXAN News viewers in Austin called Sunday morning after vibrations in a Northeast Austin neighborhood awoke people. A flare that burns off residual methane gas, which is a by-product of the landfill, may have been damaged by overnight storms seen in the area. Authorities said the flare never posed any threat… At least one person said she experienced the odd vibrations when her husband awoke to vibrations coming from the window. Elaine Perkins said she was awakened again, this time by vibrating doors in her home.” w/ photos + video

“Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree is hoping to ride into the record books using a speed machine made from an old saucepan. The unique bicycle has been handcrafted by Obree – whose previous speed achievements earned him the nickname The Flying Scotsman – and may be capable of up to 100mph. Speaking to the Sunday Mail, the 46-year-old said the pan was integral to the bike’s design. ‘I used an old pot that I had burned so I won’t miss it – it was ideal for what I needed,’ Obree explained. ‘I wanted a light, flat surface for my shoulder supports and it was just sitting under my sink.” w/ photos

“This unusual flock of sheep are doing their best to stand out from the crowd after being spotted in Germany painted head-to-toe in dark blue paint. It’s in a sheep’s DNA to follow the crowd but it appears this collection of colourful characters, seen here outside Schwerin Castle, want to break the mould. While the true legend of the Golden Fleece has been shrouded in mystery for thousands of years, this tale may have a slightly more simpler explanation.” w/ photos

“Chinese students have shown their love for Transformers by building a gargantuan one of their own. The creative designers made the imposing Transformer from discarded car parts, and erected it at Hangzhou University Students’ Innovation Park yesterday. Standing at ten meters tall, the unique structure is certainly an eye-catching tribute. The students appear to have been inspired by the Transformers films’ hero Optimus Prime, with the sculpture showing off red and blue colors similar to those worn by the robot. It is clutching a red car in its giant hand, demonstrating the innovative design of Transformers, which turn into alien robots from seemingly normal automobiles.” w/ photo