Saturday, February 27, 2010

ODDLY ENOUGH

Ohio police officers get drunk — on purpose

DAYTON, Ohio – Law enforcement officers in southwest Ohio were chugging down alcoholic drinks this week as part of a training exercise on how to give field sobriety tests. Several police officers and deputy sheriffs in Montgomery County volunteered to drink so colleagues could practice conducting the tests given to suspected drunk drivers.
Dayton officer Will Wright says officials wanted officers to drink until they had slurred speech, glassy eyes and a lack of coordination.
One test required intoxicated officers to walk heel-to-toe down a line and then hold up one leg to demonstrate balance.
Wright says he hopes the exercise at the Dayton Police Academy helped officers gain a better understanding of how to deal with impaired drivers.

Woman accused of sending daughter to steal purse


INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis woman faces a theft charge for allegedly coaxing her 5-year-old daughter into stealing a woman's purse at a restaurant. According to a probable cause affidavit, a 24-year-old woman admitted asking her daughter to steal the purse Feb. 14 at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. The woman allegedly told officers she pointed out the purse she wanted her daughter to take and urged her to "Do it for Mommy" when the victim wasn't looking.
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for the woman, who faces charges of theft and contributing to delinquency of a minor.
Her 27-year-old boyfriend faces theft and assisting a criminal charges. Police said the woman's daughter brought the boyfriend the purse after taking it from a booth.

Air mail: Crews search wilderness for mail bags


KALISPELL, Mont. – A cargo plane door opened in flight over Montana and likely turned two bags into air mail. Crews are searching the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex for the two priority mail bags that might have fallen out of the plane last weekend.
Alpine Air reported that a cargo hatch on the twin-engine turboprop opened during the flight between Billings and Kalispell and the pilot was unable to close it. The plane carried about 3,000 pounds of mail.
Postal workers aren't sure any mail is missing, but if any is, they say it's likely two bags, or about 25 packages.
Weather hampered the search on Thursday for the bright orange mail bags.
Kalispell customers who believe they're missing priority mail packages are asked to call the Kalispell Post Office.
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Information from: KCFW-TV, http://www.kcfw.com

Tribes show best camels at beauty pageant

Camels are seen as spectators place their bids on them during the "Camel Beauty Contest and Camel Race Festival" in Ajman Reuters – Camels are seen as spectators place their bids on them during the "Camel Beauty Contest and Camel …
Ten golden-colored camels adorned with sparkling ornaments line up for the finale of a beauty contest in one of the UAE's northern emirates, awaiting the selection of two proud winners.
Gulf Arabs from across the region gather in a large sandy plot in Ajman to sit in for a four-hour competition, which will see the selection of the best out of 150 camels every day.
The three-day spectacle should end with the top two finalists bagging luxury cars, while a remaining eight win cash.
In an effort to preserve the Gulf Arab country's cultural legacy, the government encourages camel rearing through funding and festivals where the desert animal is paraded for beauty, and sold in auctions.
The festival also serves as a meeting point for the country's tribes, residing in the rural parts of the United Arab Emirates. Tribesmen are paid by the government to rear camels and preserve a pure lineage of the country's breeds.
"The UAE's heritage is linked to camels and this festival emphasizes this. Traditions and customs lie in maintaining our history," said Saeed al-Aameri, who owns a large camel farm and is a participant in the pageant.
The camels are judged on different criteria, depending on the breed. The body is divided into five sections, with 20 points each, to mark beauty and elegance.
After the prettiest camels are selected, based on the length of neck, curve of the humps, structure of the body, height and general appearance, the camels' owners are sworn in to vouch for purity of lineage and proprietorship.
"I swear that this camel is local, not hybrid...a pure breed and is fully owned by me," said one of the finalists, standing beside his camel.
At the auction, after the pageant, Gulf Arabs gather to place their bids or sell for the highest price on offer.
Some camels could be sold for as much as 16 million dirhams ($4.36 million), said one participant.
The festival takes place three times a year in Ajman and Abu Dhabi, said the event's executive director, Shalal Rzooqi al-Shimri, adding the event was popular in countries including Oman, the UAE and Qatar.
"With the festival, we want to encourage cultural tourism and preserve our heritage," said Shimri.


Women only: airline to have female toilets


 Women flying Japan's All Nippon Airways will have a toilet all to themselves from next month, with the airline designating one restroom on most international routes as female-only.
The airline said in a statement it was responding to "numerous requests for this service," adding that the toilet would be located in the rear of the plane and be available to women passengers from all classes.
An airline official told Kyodo news agency that ANA decided to designate women-only lavatories based on a 2007 online survey in which 90 percent of the women polled said they found the idea attractive.
The official also said women do not like using shared toilets as men sometimes leave the seat up. She said demand for women-only toilets was especially high among passengers taking long flights.
Men would be allowed to use the lavatory only in emergencies or when there were very few female passengers on the flight, the ANA statement said.
South Korea's Korean Air has been offering similar facilities and ANA rival Japan Airlines designates lavatories for priority use by women, the ANA official told Kyodo.
Toilet etiquette appears to be an important part of ANA's policy -- the airline had previously asked passengers to use the lavatories before they board flights so as to reduce the overall weight of the plane, which would ultimately be better for the environment as it would mean less fuel usage.

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