January 24, 2008
Paxman says M&S pants letting him down
LONDON (Reuters) - Millions of men buy their underpants from Marks and Spencer -- and one of them is not happy.
Jeremy Paxman, feared presenter of the BBC's Newsnight programme, has got his knickers in a twist over what he sees as falling standards and lack of gusset support.
Such was his frustration, the 57 year-old presenter, outlined his complaint in an email to M&S chief executive Stuart Rose.
Although the company refutes his claims, Rose responded and the pair will meet in the next few weeks to discuss the topic over lunch, a M&S spokeswoman confirmed.
"Like very large numbers of men in this country I have always bought my socks and pants at Marks & Sparks," Paxman said in the email -- leaked in the Mail on Sunday.
"I've noticed that something very troubling has happened. There's no other way to put this. Their pants no longer provide adequate support."
Paxman said he is not alone.
"When I've discussed this with friends and acquaintances it has revealed widespread gusset anxiety," he wrote.
Socks too are a cause for concern. Paxman said they are wearing out around the big toe quicker these days and fall down more easily because of the lack of ribbing at the top.
"These are matters of great concern to the men of Britain. I just felt it was time that somebody raised this with the only man who can sort it out, Stuart Rose."
M&S said in a statement that quality standards remain high and that customer complaints are at a record low.
"Our quality standards are second to none, they are as good as they have always been," the spokeswoman said.
She confirmed Rose and Paxman are to meet for lunch, although she could not say when.
"Stuart is very much looking forward to meeting with him and discussing it," she said.
Posted by ronnie at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2007
Video shows officer zapping man in groin
TENINO, Wash. - It was just a little stun gun fun, but a police officer who demonstrated his Taser by zapping a willing subject in the genitals has drawn a warning from his bosses.
Officer Randy Reynolds ran into trouble when video of the incident last spring was posted on YouTube.com. The unidentified man wasn't injured, and onlookers can be heard laughing in the background.
Interim Police Chief Larry Dickerson said Tuesday that Reynolds had been attending a social gathering, but was in uniform and on his way to work at the time. The man repeatedly asked Reynolds to use the weapon on him, and Reynolds eventually obliged — twice.
"He said he just wanted to know what it felt like. Randy didn't want to do it at first, but the guy kept asking," said Dickerson, who interviewed the man.
No uniformed officer should be demonstrating his stun gun outside of the line of duty except during training exercises, the chief said. "You don't just go around doing your own demonstrations."
Reynolds, 30, has been with the police department in the southwestern Washington town since December 2005. He will receive a formal reprimand in his personnel file and a warning not to misuse police equipment, Dickerson said. He also must review the department's Taser policy and go over them with an instructor.
Posted by ronnie at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2007
Hundreds line up for sheep testicles
VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. - Hundreds of people waited in lines for up to an hour for a chance to taste something different at the 16th annual Mountain Oyster Fry.
Servers at five booths dispensed about 130 pounds of "fried oysters," or sheep testicles, at the Saturday event in this historic mining town about 25 miles southeast of Reno.
Visitors gave mixed reviews to the tiny morsels, which can be fried, barbecued, stuffed, or ground up and sauteed.
"People think, `Oh sheep testicles, gross,' but it was pretty good," said Amanda Palmer, 21, of nearby Carson City.
Among other things, the versatile meat has been used in tacos and sloppy Joes.
"We try to get families from all over to try them, but they're all `nuh-uh,'" said Shauna Reese, 32, of Reno. "It's just another tender meat."
Posted by ronnie at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2007
Matador's chances of fatherhood hurt by goring
MADRID (Reuters) - If Spanish matador Fernando Cruz ever has children, he'll have doctors at the Valencia bullring to thank after he suffered a double goring.
Cruz, 25, is recovering in hospital after the second bull of Tuesday's corrida caught him in the upper thigh, throwing him into the air, and gored him in the groin once he hit the ground.
Newspapers reproduced the eye-watering bulletin issued by surgeons at the bullring after a two-hour operation and film of the incident was played on the main evening news.
"Fernando Cruz is suffering from two horn wounds of 25 centimetres in length each. One involves the fibres of the abductor muscle and dissects the femoral artery, the other involves the scrotal area and eviscerates both testicles."
Cruz was sitting up in his hospital bed on Wednesday. Astonishingly, he is expected to be back in action in around three weeks.
Posted by ronnie at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2007
Man burns genitals in 'Jackass' stunt
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Attempts to do a movie stunt landed one man in the hospital with burned genitals and another facing criminal charges. The men were trying to do a stunt from one of the "Jackass" movies, in which a character lights his genitals on fire.
Jared W. Anderson, 20, suffered serious burns to his hands and genitals, according to the criminal complaint. Randell D. Peterson, 43, who sprayed lighter fluid on Anderson and lit him on fire, was charged with felony battery and first-degree reckless endangerment Tuesday in Eau Claire County Court.
Witnesses told police that Anderson, who was drunk, volunteered to do the stunt Sunday after watching the movie, the complaint said.
According to the complaint:
Anderson pulled down his pants and let Peterson spray him with lighter fluid. When the fire didn't catch, Peterson sprayed more lighter fluid on Anderson, splashing some on his clothing. He tried again to light the fire, catching Anderson's genitals, hands and clothes.
Anderson ran into the bathroom, jumped into the tub and put the flames out. Other guests took him to Luther Hospital, and eventually he was treated at the Regions Hospital Burn Unit in St. Paul, Minn., for second-degree burns.
Anderson told police who were called to the hospital that he didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of the stunt.
Peterson was freed on a $2,000 signature bond. He has a hearing scheduled April 16. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Posted by ronnie at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2007
Lawmaker comes down on plastic gonads
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Fake bull testicles and other anatomically explicit vehicle decorations would be banned from Maryland roads under a bill pending in the state legislature.
The measure was filed in the General Assembly Monday by Delegate LeRoy E. Myers Jr., R-Washingon, who says children shouldn't be exposed to giant plastic gonads dangling from pickup truck trailer hitches. The bill also would ban depictions of naked human breasts, buttocks or genitals, with offenses punishable by fines of up to $500.
"It's time to take a stand," Myers told The (Hagerstown) Herald-Mail.
The American Civil Liberties Union objected to Myers' bill.
"The legislation is overly broad, and would probably make it illegal to have a sticker on your car of the Venus de Milo from an art museum," ACLU of Maryland spokeswoman Meredith Curtis wrote in an e-mail.
Pamela Campbell whose Bullhead City, Ariz., business sells fake bull testicles, suggested that the swinging decorations can prompt healthy discussions about anatomy and reproduction.
"Do we have to neuter all dogs that walk by us?" she asked. "Where does it stop?"
Last week, Arizona's legislature rejected a measure that would have banned vehicle splash guards bearing racist terms or silhouettes of naked women.
Posted by ronnie at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 17, 2006
Turkey Testicle Festival can keep name
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - Organizers of fourth annual Turkey Testicle Festival can keep their name, despite concerns about the propriety of the word and the island's virtue.
The Fort Myers Beach Council voted 4-1 Monday to allow the Surf Club bar to use the Turkey Testicle Festival name after a laugh-out-loud discussion, according to the News-Press.
Councilman Charles Meador said this year's festival will the fourth annual, and went on to list more than 12 other cities that host annual events with the name "testicle."
"Who cares what the name is," Mayor Dennis Boback said. "Money is going for a worthy cause."
The festival has raised about $3,000 for the Harry Chapin Food Bank in each of its past three years. A change in policy that requires the town council to approve special events brought the issue of the name to the table two weeks ago.
Councilmen Bill Shenko and Garr Reynolds had said the name is inappropriate for a family island. They asked that the word testicle be removed from the name and all advertising.
Shenko reversed his position Monday and supported the name. Reynolds continued his opposition.
"We do have youngsters here," Reynolds said. "We're trying to uplift their thinking."
Posted by ronnie at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)