xxxNews Of The Weirdxxx
Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.
Toning up one’s body is apparently a need that unites diverse soldiers in America’s so-called culture war. In July, USA Today profiled the Lord’s Gym in the West Palm Beach suburb of Greenacres, catering to devout Christians (sales pitch: “Your body is a temple for Christ”), where mothers say they can bring their teenage daughters without men ogling them. But in April, Reuters profiled a “Slavercise” class in New York City, where dominatrix “Mistress Victoria” led her clients through punishing fitness and weight-loss routines while wielding an intimidating riding crop.
You Break It, You Bought It: Australia’s High Court ruled 4-3 in July that because Dr. Stephen Cattanach’s sterilization surgery on Ms. Kerry Melchior had failed, it was Cattanach’s (and the Queensland Health Department’s) responsibility to pay the cost of raising the Melchiors’ unwanted child until age 18. The decision stunned the medical profession and insurers in Australia, especially because Cattanach had relied on Melchior’s inaccurate statement that her right fallopian tube had been removed at age 15 (and so performed surgery only on the left tube).
The Salon Mexico restaurant in New York City introduced a $45 burrito in July, with a filling of filet mignon and truffles.
The founder of Paul Mitchell salon products recently launched John Paul Pets (shampoos for dogs), joining Estee Lauder’s Origins line in the so-far-uncrowded upscale pet hair-care field.
Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla. 33679 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2001 by Chuck Shepherd
NEWS OF THE WEIRD