Archive: November 5, 2006 - November 11, 2006
This Week In OFF/beat Crime
What do golf cart DUIs and ostrich assassins have in common? There both a part of "This Week In OFF/beat Crime"
By Emil Steiner | November 10, 2006; 11:37 PM ET | Comments (4)
Re-Branding Church: Queer Eye For The Big Guy
What could Fabulous Five do for organized religion? (Craig Blankenhorn -- Bravo Via AP) From the color of the leaves, to the balance of power in Congress, the buzzword this season is "change," and it's not just politicians and Mother Nature who are jumping on the bandwagon. This week, Canada's largest Protestant church announced a $9.3 million image makeover that targets 30-45 year-olds with ads featuring suggestions of whipped cream sex and gay marriage. Though some may find it encouraging that The United Church of Canada is taking such an open stance on sexuality, it remains to be seen what kind of parishioners they'll attract with their bobble-head Jesus dolls or how many will stay when they discover there's no Jello wrestling in the pulpit. Still, they aren't the only religious group making some changes (Ted Haggard aside). In Britain the interdenominational Churches Advertising Network is attempting to fill...
By Emil Steiner | November 9, 2006; 3:03 PM ET | Comments (4)
Breakfast Bender
From an attack of giant ravenous snails to the cuddliest Ebola virus you've ever seen, here's your breakfast batch of OFF/beat news.
By Emil Steiner | November 9, 2006; 8:12 AM ET | Comments (2)
Sex Offender Fashion
Convicted sex offender gets modern day Scarlet Letter.
By Emil Steiner | November 8, 2006; 12:03 PM ET | Comments (2)
Breakfast Bender
These hips won't lie, under oath. (Luis Romero - AP) Congratulations, it's the second Wednesday after the first Tuesday in November, which means your TV airways will once again be filled with honest, high quality advertising! Here's what's happening outside of the election:Who says people should walk upright? A new PBS documentary called "The Family that Walks on All Fours" examines an impoverished and ostracized family of Kurdish "handwalkers" living in Turkey. You gotta love Public Television. A German woman's suicide attempt went terribly wrong, Tuesday, when spectators encouraging the 21-year-old to jump began brawling with a group of homeless people trying to protect her. Beyond the absurdity of the situation, what does this say about Germany's welfare state if transients are the ones discouraging suicide? Duct tape, what can't it do? Well, according to a new study, it can't cure Planter's warts. The age-old dermatologist trick was proved...
By Emil Steiner | November 8, 2006; 8:27 AM ET | Comments (2)
Breakfast Bender
From China's obesity to Imelda Marcos's new fashion line, here's your election day update of OFF/beat news!
By Emil Steiner | November 7, 2006; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (5)
Kerry "Joke" Bad For Elections Good For Education
Could this be America's future Secretary of Education (From Youtube.com) While strategists, pundits and comedians spent most of last week harping on how John Kerry committed the ultimate of political party fouls -- disparaging the troops -- they neglected to consider that his 10 second comment may do more to improve American education than nearly five years of No Child Left Behind. Since Pentagon figures suggest that our volunteer military is increasingly populated by lower income, rural Americans, with little education, it's possible his gaffe will actually motivate U.S. high schoolers to study, instead of say, watch him on YouTube. Yes, Kerry seems capable of starting a knock-knock joke with a doorbell but how many students cracked the books on Halloween rather than hitting the parties because of his attempted humor? John Kerry certainly didn't help his party's chances in Tuesday's elections, but his educational "Scared Straight" message may...
By Emil Steiner | November 6, 2006; 3:37 PM ET | Comments (25)
Breakfast Bender
Welcome to Monday, again... from pot-laced meatballs to Waffle House brawls here's what's happening in OFF/beat news. According to a new survey this is the closest thing to intimate contact most people will have on election night. (2003 Photo Don Wright -- AP) Leading off we have John Sheehan of Pittsburg, California, who was arrested while naked and charged with possessing a concealed weapon (think about it). The 33-year-old who had been paroled last week, was found masturbating beside a nature path, near a Bay Area Rapid Transit station. When asked whether he was carrying anything "police should know about," Sheehan removed a 6-inch metal awl wrapped in black electrical tape from his rectum.And while we're on the subject of nudity, a naked feuding couple (possibly inspired by Borat) spilled out of their Tennessee motel room and into an adjacent Waffle House restaurant, Friday. (Wasn't this covered in "Ladykillers"?)Speaking...
By Emil Steiner | November 6, 2006; 8:31 AM ET | Comments (2)
