Want to Catcher Her Eye - Then Do Her Dishes or Her Laundry

This news article is particularly odd when you consider it in terms of 20th-21st century history. In the old days, say up to around the 1980s, women were interested in men for good looks, intelligence, personality, and the ability make a good living. A restaurant bus boy or dishwasher was not considered the "hot guy every girl wanted." According to this article, the times they are a changing or maybe have already changed. According to this article, what makes a woman lusty is a guy who does the dishes or to possibly a greater degree: a guy who does the laundry. And I had figured this "get in there and do the dishes, big boy" to be a ploy on the part of my wife to get me to do the dishes. Maybe one day a new group will arise, call themselves the "Dishwashing Daddies" or the "Lords of Laundry" and replace boy bands or even male dancers like the Chippendales. For a guy like me this is really mindboggling. Today's Odd News Award Winner!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23015839/

Scientist Put a Price on Happiness: It's About $90

For some of you this article is not going to seem odd at all. In fact, you may consider me somewhat naive for finding this news perculiar. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have measured brain activity and found that we are much happier, at least for a short while, when we believe that we are experiencing a luxury item. In the study the scientist gave subjects sips of wine and told the subject that the wine they were tasting came from bottles of wine that cost various prices between $5 and $90. It turns out that when the subjects believed they were sipping $90 wine, pleasure centers in the brain lit up. The study concludes that there is a measurable affect when someone believes they are experiencing a luxury. This seems odd to me because almost everyone I know seems to get all excited when they believe that they have found a bargin item or a practical way to save an extra dollar. This study does partly explain how many people get into financial problems by buying stuff they really cannot afford. Odd News worth mentioning and worth a closer look.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22614130/

Driver Abandons Busload of Prisoners at Convenience Store Because Her Shift was Over

It turns out that some greyhound bus drivers take their work hours very seriously. In this story a bus traveling through Texas was carrying 40 passengers from Huntsville to Dallas and about Corsicana the bus driver stopped at a convenience store and told her passengers that her day had ended. If that were not odd enough, these passengers were unique, all had just been released or paroled from the Texas State Prison. Wouldn't you love to have seen the expression on that convenience store clerk's face? The clerk did exactly what I would have done: she called the police. The Corsicana police thought it was the darndest thing they had seen - - ever. I am guessing that they have witnessed some strange stuff. On a good note, the police reported that all of the passengers behaved themselves. Gotta give this one an Odd News Award.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330753,00.html

Microfiber Created that Generates Electricity

This is a lot like the knee power article that I wrote about a few days ago but even more interesting. Using nanotechnology, scientists have created a microfiber that can generate electricity. A shirt made from this microfiber can generate enough electricity to power an mp3 player for life. Electricity is generated from very little movement in the shirt. I have a few questions about this shirt. First, will we one day buy apple ipod shirts? Second, how does this shirt react in a thunderstorm? Would a person wearing this shirt become a lightning magnet? Would a simple water spill shock the wearer? I sure would not want to be a winning football coach wearing this shirt when it came time for the gatorade bath. This development certainly has some odd possibilities. Today's co-winner of an Odd News Award.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1334900820080213

Harry Potter's Patronius Spotted in Scotland

A white stag has been spotted and even filmed roaming the Scottish Highlands. For Harry Potter fans this could mean only one thing - Harry Potter must be warding off dementors. If you are one of the few people on the planet not familiar Harry Potter, this article does say that a white stag is very rare and that ancient celts believed that the appearance of a white stag is a sign that a "momentous moment is near." This stag is not an albino and it is kind of cool. Hope you get to see the video in the link to this article and you have a momentous moment. This one is today's Odd News Award winner.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1223820220080212

Teacher Tapes Middle Schooler to Desk

A teacher in Jacksonville, Florida got a 10-day suspension for duct taping a middle school boy to his desk. This is not the first time I have heard of such a story and frankly I can see both sides of this one. As a parent, I would be really annoyed if someone duct taped my child to his desk. On the other hand, since my children are very much like there father, I can imagine a situation that might warrant such action. As a former teacher, I can definitely understand why a teacher may want to do this sort of thing. I taught high school for several years and all I can say as may God bless all of those who are called to teach middle schoolers. I think that one of those school board members that voted to suspend the teacher should step up and substitue teach the suspended teacher's classes. My suggestion would save the cost of a teacher and would provide invaluable insight for the selected board member. While this is an odd story, it is not odd enough for an award. Still, it is worth a chuckle.
http://www.local6.com/news/15287294/detail.html

California Teacher Admits To Being Illiterate

There is a guy who cheated his way through high school and college because he could not read or write! Upon graduation he became an illiterate teacher in El Paso, Texas and then later in Oceanside, California. I don't want to hear about illiterate Southerners. This guy is strictly a westerner. I bet his students knew what was going on. This kind of deception is really irritating, especially when you consider that this teacher took literacy classes when he was 48 and has since published two books on his life. Wonder if he had a ghost writer. This is my choice for today's Odd News Award.
http://www.10news.com/news/15274005/detail.html

Tragic and Joyful - Odd News Award Winner Today

For one mother it is the very worst of times and the very best of times all on the same day. In one hospital room a young girl died after being struck by a car. Her mother was not there for the little girl's last few moments on this Earth. Her mother was not there because in another hospital room very close by, the mother was giving birth to a son. The mother said that all she could do for the forseeable future was cry. I cannot imagine her overwhelming sorrow. When I read this article I wanted to cry and I said a little prayer for that family. If you are the praying sort, I hope you will say a little prayer too. The optimist in me says that the little baby boy will turn out to be a hero. Wouldn't that be great. This news is perculiarly sad for an Odd News Award winner, but if it were just the beginning of a story, I'm sure it would have a happy ending. Let's hope that 20 or more years from now we are reading about the wonderful things that this newborn boy does as a young man.
http://www.wftv.com/news/15268615/detail.html