Unemployed German gets haircut, fame

Henrico Frank has become something of a media celebrity in Germany, all because of a haircut and a shave. Six years ago, Frank lost his job as a construction worker and has been unemployed ever since. Wearing grubby clothes, a pair of nose rings and "a thatch of partially bleached, punk-inspired hair," Frank met up with Kurt Beck, chairman of the Social Democrats. Frank argued about economic reforms and how they haven't actually improved Frank's life. Beck retorted: "If you would just wash and shave, you'd fine a job, too."

So two days later, Frank shaved his hair and beard, removed his nose rings, and organized a news conference. (Because, why not?) "I am ready to change," Frank told reporters. "I'll take any job." And as you'd expect, Beck is planning on presenting Frank with several job offers from various companies. This has worked great for Frank, but not for the other four million people who are left unemployed in Germany. This news conference was supposed to help draw more attention to that problem, but instead, would up proving Beck's point. He did get a haircut and a shave, and it looks like he's getting a job. Problem solved!
(Click here to read the full article written by the AP's Vanessa Gera)

NYC bans artery-clogging oils from restaurants

New York City has banned most artificial trans fats oils from restaurants. Restaurants will be required to eliminate these oils by July 2007, with a three-month grace period for those who haven't yet switched. Bakeries will have until July 2008 to find a suitable alternative. Artificial trans fats are created when food processors harden fat to make it more like butter in a process called hydrogenation. This is used to help extend product shelf life and enhance the texture of some foods. Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing levels of the "bad" cholesterol, while simultaneously reducing levels of the "good" cholesterol.

Many in the restaurant industry oppose the measure as costly, saying that it should be allowed to voluntarily eliminate trans fats. Lawsuits have been threatened already. Wendy's restaurants have already switched to a different cooking oil, with McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts already trying out different ways to make their cooking oils healthier for the public.
(Click here to read the rest of the story written by Daneil Trotta for Reuters.)

Church targeted by PETA never used any animals

Members at Anchorage First Free Methodist Church in Alaska were a little confused earlier this week when they received a e-mail from PETA, chastising them for subjecting animals to "cruel treatment and danger" by using them in their nativity scenes. Except, they don't. In fact, no animals are used at all in their nativity scenes. The people dress up, but the animals are usually done with puppets, or with people in costumes. PETA said that this mistake, this confusion was more or less their fault, citing that the church uses the words "living nativity" on their website, which to them, means animals. That church doesn't even use a real baby to play Jesus - they use a plastic doll. PETA, for their part, says that many animals have died in cruel and unusual ways as a direct result of having to be in a nativity scene.
(For more details on PETA's opinion, and to read the original article, click here.)

Tearoom Tyranny: Protected speech or anarchy?

Three members of the small Piecemakers religious sect were convicted this weeks of multiple misdemeanor counts for refusing to let health inspectors into their tearooom/craft shop. The leader of the group - a feisty 85-year-old camouflage-clad grandmother - says that the law of God is greater than any law of man. She says that the laws of man have "sucked the substance right out of our country." One Deputy D.A. who knows the case says that he thinks that this isn't necessarily a case of religious persecution, but of a group refusing health inspectors because they know they'd have to pay huge fines. While the Piecemakers group is hardly mainstream, it helps further the debate over what privileges religious groups should or should not have in contemporary society.

Are forest fire-fighting strategies changing?

There's a new strategy when it comes to fighting forest fighters: don't fight it at all. In Idaho, the Payette National Forest is just letting it's forest fire burn, instead of using labor and resources to put out the blaze. The idea is that fire is a "natural part of the landscape" that clears out underbrush and small trees and helps create forest openings in a "mosaic pattern." The Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management now routinely detail management plans that show when and where fires do not have to be fought. The U.S. Forest Service is hoping to increase their "use of wildland fire" over the next few years.
(Click here to read the rest of the article at USAToday.com)

LAPD's new hiring guidelines raise eyebrows

The LAPD has recently changed their hiring guidelines, which in the past were criticized for being too laz when it came to recruits who had experimented with hard drugs in the past. Under today's roles, if a recruit had a little bit of cocaine in the past, that's fine. Heroin, meth and other "harder" drugs are not, even if it was in the distant past. Critics say that it sends the wrong message to have police officers who have done drugs, while arrested people for doing drugs. LAPD officials say that it's wrong to penalize someone for a mistake they did in the past. KTLA's Eric Spillman has more in the link below.
(Click here to read more on the story.)

Russian wants War on (fake) Alcohol

More than 40,000 Russians die each year from poisonous alcohol substitutes. And one lawmaker has had enough, and he's asking his colleagues to take action. First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who's in charge of improving quality of life and social conditions, said that widespread alcohol abuse is threatening the nation. So to begin, he's asking for help to stop the selling of fake alcohol and fake vodka, which is sold for cheap but often times turns out to be exceedingly dangerous and in many cases, poisonous.
(Click here to read more about Russia's War on Alcohol...)

Principle resigns after shooting kittens

Wade Pilloud has resigned as principle of a school in Indus, Minnesota after shooting and killing two orphaned kittens on school property last month. Mr. Pilloud says that he shot the kittens to spare them from starving to death after their mother was killed in an animal trap. "I currently own two [cats] myself," he told a local newspaper. "I am not a cat hater. I did not want the animals to suffer." The former principle could face felony charges of possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm. The case is currently under review by a court.
(Click here for more details, info and insight on this story.)

Pink prison makes inmates blush

The Mason County, Texas jail is old of the oldest working jails in the state. It has a capacity of five inmates, but is currently exceeding that limit with eight total staying at the prison. And that jail gets a lot of repeat offenders and people looking for a free meal ticket. So what did the officers decide to do to help deter inmates? They made everything pink. The jumpsuits are pink. The slippers, sheets, bars, walls, everything is pink. The sheriff says that even if it helps deter one or two people from coming back, that this experiment has been a success.
(For inmate reaction to the pink jail, click here to read the full story)