Curses, Foiled Again
After crashing his car into a utility pole in Albany, N.Y., Miguel Medina fled, according to police, who had already been alerted because the vehicle was equipped with OnStar. Officers arrived in time to nab Medina, and charged him with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. (Albany’s Times Union)
After Kevin Dalky, 23, crashed into a police car in Suffolk County, N.Y., injuring the driver, responding officers saw he was wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed, “I’m a drunk (Alcoholics go to meetings).” They tested him and charged him with DWI. (Associated Press)
Lasting Impression
Detailed photos of the moon’s surface, taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from an altitude of 13 to 15 miles, revealed that Apollo astronauts who visited the moon from 1969 to 1972 left behind buggy ruts in the surface and trash that included discarded backpacks, the bottom parts of three lunar landers, packing material and an insulation blanket. Arizona State University geology professor Mark Robinson, the orbiter’s chief scientist, predicted it would take 10 million to 100 million years for dust to cover signs of the astronauts’ landings. (Associated Press)
Extreme Makeovers
A promotion by Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal casino offered Trump One Card holders the chance to win $25,000 worth of Botox treatments, cheek implants, facelifts, breast augmentation, tummy tucks or liposuction. “Many people have something they want to change— a nip and tuck here, a lift there —but the cost of these procedures can be quite costly,” said Kathleen McSweeney, Trump Entertainment Resorts senior vice president of marketing. “We wanted to change the face of a typical casino promotion, and with this one we are literally doing it.” (Reuters)
A Tokyo dental clinic began offering a procedure aimed at giving men and women an “imperfect” look to make them more attractive to the opposite sex. The theory behind Dental Salon Plaisir’s Tsuke-yaeba—Stick-on Crooked Teeth— is that classic good looks intimidate suitors, whereas ordinary-looking people are more approachable. Tsuke-yaeba, which involves applying crooked false teeth over real teeth with glue, costs upward of $390. (CNN)
California inventor Gregg Homer announced the development of a 20-second procedure that turns brown eyes blue by using a computer-guided laser to break down the brown pigment. “People like the depth of a light eye,” he said, citing a poll conducted by his Stroma Medical firm that found 17.5 percent of those polled would have the procedure, which is irreversible and costs $5,000. (New York’s Daily News)
Suspicions Confirmed
Missing work to stay at home waiting for deliveries and service calls is costing American workers $37.7 billion this year, according to a survey by IBOPE-Zogby. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they spent more than four hours waiting. More than a quarter said they lost wages from waiting at home for appointments, and half used a sick day or vacation day. Most— 57 percent — said they spent the most time waiting for the cable guy. (CNN)
News and Blues is compiled from the nation’s press. To contribute, submit original
clippings, citing date and source, to Roland Sweet in care of The New Times.
