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Cosmetics in a prosthetic? How pathetic

By TIMES WIRES
Published November 15, 2006

The man entering the cosmetics store in Tallinn, Estonia, was familiar to the security officers, so they kept an eye on him as he filled his basket with 885 kroons ($73) worth of women's beauty products. Then he went into a changing room, and the basket was empty when he came out. They detained him, but couldn't find the merchandise on him. Until they asked him to detach his wooden leg. He had a hole carved into it that was just perfect for hiding stuff like stolen cosmetics. "His earlier thefts have been much more commonplace," Katrin Paas, spokesperson for the security company, told AFP. "The thief has not been caught misusing his wooden leg before."

For 12 cents, judge says he's a fool too

Here's a story that provides an extra bonus opportunity for a mini grammar lesson. China Daily reports that a court there rejected a schoolteacher's lawsuit against the principal of his school. Apparently, the principal called the teacher a "fool" in front of his colleagues and the teacher sued, seeking 1 yuan - 12 U.S. cents - in compensation. Clearly, with such a low request, he was suing the principal (-pal, a person of importance) on principle (-ple, a motivating force).

Pigsicles litter California highway

On Nov. 1, we brought you the story of a truck accident in Germany that left thousands of pounds of pig heads in the road. What happened to the pig bodies, we wondered. Technically, it has nothing to do with what follows, but it seemed ironic: Traffic on California's Golden State Freeway backed up when two trucks collided, spilling dozens of frozen pig carcasses all over the place on Monday. It was such a mess, officials weren't even immediately sure which truck had been carrying the pigs.

Chicago's cabbies about half bad

So, if you look at the news from an optimistic perspective, there are 17 percent fewer complaints against Chicago cab drivers this year. That's an improvement by any measure. But then you learn the hard numbers: That drop brought the total number of complaints "down" to 5,700, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago has more than 13,000 cabbies. For five drivers, the complaints were enough to cause the city to revoke their licenses. "If taxi drivers refuse to follow the rules that govern the industry, we will fine them, or suspend or revoke their licenses," said Consumer Services Commissioner Norma Reyes.

Compiled from Times wires and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster.

[Last modified November 15, 2006, 02:01:50]