- What the eff, German vandals? Defacing public property is
one thing, but stealing and using a children’s television icon as a scapegoat?
That is the definition of bush league. The theft in question took place outside
a Hannover factory belonging to cookie maker Bahlsen, which has had a 44-pound
metal cookie as part of a statue outside the facility since 1913. The ginormous
cookie was part of a display that has become something of a local landmark, but
it went missing on Jan. 21 and company officials and law enforcement were
baffled as to who would steal it and why until a clue finally emerged this
week. In a truly clichéd move straight out of a bad TV drama, the cookie
kidnapper sent a ransom note made up of letters cut from newspapers and signed by the
"Cookie Monster" to a local newspaper. As part of his or her
ransom demands, the cookie kidnapper demanded that a shipment of cookies be
sent to a local children’s hospital. "The ones with milk chocolate, not
the ones with dark chocolate or without chocolate," the letter read.
Right, because nothing less than the best is acceptable when hijacking a giant
metal cookie and using it to extort dessert foods for sick children. Should the
demand be ignored, the thief warned that, "The golden cookie would be sent
to the trash can of Oscar the Grouch.” A photo accompanied the ransom note,
showing someone dressed up as the famous "Sesame Street" character
taking a big bite from a golden cookie. Investigators still are not sure
whether it is the actual metal cookie missing from Bahlsen or just a hoax.
"The ransom note and the photo have been forwarded to criminalists for
investigation," a police spokesman in Hannover said. The only tip in the
case came from two witnesses who reported having seen two men with a ladder working
at the statue two weeks ago. Investigators suspect the theft could be linked d
to rising thefts of metal across Germany due to the value of bronze, iron and
other metals skyrocketing. Bahlsen has offered a reward of more than $1,300 for
any information leading to the recovery of the historic golden cookie, but this
case is just getting interesting so hopefully it isn’t found just yet……….
- Being David Beckham is still not too bad. You’re
internationally famous, you have a hot, famous wife and even though you’re well
past your prime and no longer a part of your national team or one of the
world’s best players, teams still line up to throw money at you when you become
a free agent. Beckham came free and clear last year after wasting, er, spending
the last six years playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
The 37-year-old former Manchester United star bolted MLS in December and
quickly began fielding offers from teams around the world. He has finally
chosen his new home and in typical Beckham fashion, he’s going to Paris. Of
course he’s going to the City of Lights, one of the most amazing cities in the
world and he goes there as one of the few people even more arrogant than
Parisians. Beckham has joined French Ligue 1 powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain
Thursday on a five-month contract after passing a physical and said he truly
believes in the direction the team is headed. "It's something I'm excited
about and now it has finally happened," Beckham said. "I am very
lucky because I got more offers than I had in my career. I chose Paris because
I can see what the club are trying to do. Now there is a club that is going to
have a lot of success over the next 10, 15, 20 years. To be part of something
with this growth is exciting to me." In joining PSG, Beckham becomes part
of a team that is already in the Champions League knockout stage, gift-wrapping
a chance for him to win a league title in a fourth country. Signing Beckham is
no shocker for the team, which has been the highest-spending club in Europe in
the past year. Along with Beckham, PSG has inked Swedish forward Zlatan
Ibrahimovic, Brazil's Thiago Silva and Lucas and Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Those four were signed last summer for a total of $140 million and not so
coincidentally, PSG currently leads French Ligue 1, in search of the club's
first league title in 19 years. Beckham is nowhere close to the
difference-maker he used to be, but he should still be able to help the
cause…….
- Want to go to the Grand Canyon but are too lazy to
actually travel there? That’s what the Internet was invented for, of course.
Google has done the hard work for you since you’re too lazy to book the ticket
or rent the car and make the drive to the middle of nowhere (Arizona) and see
one of the world’s greatest natural wonders for yourself. Delivering on a
promise it made some time ago, the tech titan has added more than 9,500 panoramic images
of the Grand Canyon to its Maps service, with the images covering more than 75
miles of trails and surrounding roads. "Take a walk down the narrow trails
and exposed paths of the Grand Canyon: hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail,
gaze out at the mighty Colorado River, and explore scenic overlooks in full
360-degrees," Google Maps product manager, Ryan Falor, wrote in a blog
post. Using the new images, users can view the steep inclines of the South
Kaibab Trail or virtually travel a few hours away to explore the amazing Meteor
Crater. To compile the pictures, the Google Street View team used Trekker, a
40-pound wearable backpack with a 15-camera system on top, to snap 360-degree
views of the expansive national monument. Team members used an Android phone to
control the Trekker, which automatically snapped photos as wearers walked the
narrow ridges and steep trails of the famed Canyon by foot. "So no matter
where you are, you don't have to travel far or wait for warmer weather to
explore Grand Canyon National Park," Falor wrote. Along with the Grand
Canyon project, Google launched a project last fall that represented the
biggest-ever Street View update, adding 250,000 miles of roads worldwide and
providing expanded coverage in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom,
Macau, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Denmark and Norway………
- Beware the cows. These grazing, mooing menaces may seem
slow and stupid (and they are), but they can also inflict some serious damage
even if they aren’t in a Chick-Fil-A commercial assaulting people for eating
beef. Just ask officials at Southampton (Mass.) Cemetery how much harm cows can cause after several
bovines got loose in their cemetery and destroyed more than
three dozen flags and grave markers. Cemetery commission members are still
working to come up with an estimate of the damage, but a storm front and foggy
conditions have made it difficult to see well enough to make an accurate assessment.
Right now, officials know only that the attack took place Monday morning, when
resident Christopher Clark witnessed a herd of at least seven cows escape from
the pasture across the street from his house on High Street. “I'm on my
way to my first appointment, and I see the cows over there by my mailbox and
they were walking down the street,” Clark recalled. “I happened to know the
owner of the cows, his name is Henry. And I gave him a call and I told
him they were on their way down to Cedarherst.” After their jailbreak, the
renegade cattle traveled less than a mile to the Southampton Center Cemetery
and began wreaking havoc on the property, leaving hoof marks all over the
ground in addition to the aforementioned destruction. They chowed down on plantings,
damaged 40 American flags and just as many bronze markers. Passersby worked to
corral the animals before police arrived and the cows are now back in their
pasture, clearly unconcerned with the damage they’ve done. Southampton
Police say that roaming cows looking for greener pastures is an "ongoing
problem,” but so far they haven’t offered any concrete solutions. Cemetery
Commissioner Robert Floyd said he plans on asking the owner of the cows to pay
for the damaged property once an estimate is compiled………
- This season, it’s “The Office.” Next year, it will be CBS’
long-running sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” Both are long-running and successful sitcoms
and both will come to an end after nine seasons on the air. “Thr Office” is
winding down its ninth and final season with its final run of episodes
currently airing. “How I Met Your Mother” will go through the same experience next year
after CBS announces Thursday that it has officially renewed the show for a ninth season. Unlike “The Office,”
which lost Steve Carrell after its seventh season, “How I Met Your
Mother” will return all of its series
regulars — Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and
Alyson Hannigan — for its last run, along with series creators Carter Bays and
Craig Thomas. “Through eight years, How
I Met Your Mother has mastered the art of leading-edge comedy, emotional
water-cooler moments and pop culture catch-phrases,” said Nina Tassler,
President, CBS Entertainment. “We are excited for Carter, Craig, Pam
Fryman and this amazing cast to tell the final chapter and reveal television’s
most mysterious mother to some of TV’s most passionate fans.” Fans had been nervous about the show’s fate because the cast’s contracts expire at the end of
the current eighth season. Segel was reportedly reluctant to return, but a
mountain of cash being dropped in your lap can change those feelings quickly.
When it does end in 2014, “How I Met Your Mother” will conclude a run that saw
it break through CBS’ usual
sitcom formula of family-based comedies with younger, more contemporary format
that felt more like the “single-camera” show that “The Office” received so much
credit for being. It has also enjoyed its success in the always-difficult
opening slot of CBS’ Monday comedy block and is currently averaging 7.8 million
viewers and a 4.0 rating among adults 18-49………
No comments:
Post a Comment