Aug 26, 2005

Need Sleep? Mall Of America Sells Naps For 70 Cents A Minute

Irresistible Headlines - Need Sleep? Mall Of America Sells Naps For 70 Cents A Minute: "The Mall of America has a 74-foot Ferris wheel, a shark tank and a dinosaur museum. And now, if all that tires you out, a nap store will sell you some shuteye for 70 cents a minute.

The new store will be called MinneNAPolis. It's just the thing for shoppers -- or their spouses -- who get worn out traversing the more than four miles of storefronts in the Minnesota mall.

Founded by PowerNap Sleep Centers of Boca Raton, Fla., the new store will include at least three themed rooms: Asian Mist, Tropical Isle and Deep Space. Each will have walls thick enough to drown out the sounds of squealing children at the indoor amusement park.
The fee of 70 cents per minute works out to $42 an hour. Some said it would be cheaper to buy an $8 movie ticket and spend two hours sleeping through a movie. "

Postal Worker Puts Urine In Office Coffee Pot

AKRON, Ohio -- An Ohio postal worker faces charges after being accused of putting urine in the coffee of his co-workers.

Authorities said the co-workers caught him by setting up a video camera in their break room after they became suspicious.

Thomas Shaheen, 49, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of adulteration of food or placing harmful objects in food. He's due in court on Monday.

Shaheen works as a mechanic for the U.S. Postal Service in Akron. Prosecutors said he was unhappy at work.

His co-workers believe he poured urine into a coffee pot in a break room on July 5 and July 6. Authorities said no one was harmed.

Shaheen has been a postal employee for 11 years, Cleveland TV station WEWS reported. He is due in court on Monday.

Aug 23, 2005

Turkman president bans recorded music

Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov has deemed recorded music a negative influence on society and banned it from public events, TV and weddings.
Niyazov has already banned opera and ballet from the former Soviet state, saying they were unnecessary, the BBC reported.
"Unfortunately, one can see on television old voiceless singers lip-synching their old songs, Niyazov told his cabinet regarding music on TV. "Don't kill talents by using lip-synching ... create our new culture."
In 2001, Niyazov, the country's president for life, banned gold tooth caps, long hair and beards on young men.
He has also banned car radios, closed all hospitals except those in the capital and renamed calendar months after his relatives, the BBC said.