Unraveling the Mystery of the Punching Bag Filled With Dirty Laundry
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Where is Nancy Drew when you need her?
A Cincinnati-area family is trying to solve the mystery of how a hamper-size bundle of dirty underwear happened to find its way into their brand-new punching bag, WLWT.com reports.
"[There were] thongs, women's underwear, men's underwear — some used, bathing suits and bras," said Joe Heckel, who bought the bag for Christmas. "We could not believe there were clothes inside instead of sand."
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And the smell left no doubt that the undies were used and abused before they made their way into the TKO brand punching bag.
"It stunk to high heaven so I zipped it up real quick," Heckel said.
Technical Knockout Inc., which makes the bags, dodged Heckel's claims until local news organizations came calling. The company admitted that there may be others out there with punching bags filled with stinky underwear.
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A representative told Heckel that the underwear in the bag was a "quality problem" and that those responsible for deciding to fill TKO bags with dirty laundry had been fired, WLWT.com reported.
Heckel opened the bag in the first place to see what kind of sand or plastic pellet might leak out when it was punched. Technical Knockout Inc. promised Heckel a new, non-undie-filled replacement.
Thanks to Out There reader Becky S., of Wilder, Ky.
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Behold the Power of the Adjustable High-Heel Shoe
Lauren Handel really has a heel up on the competition.
The Philadelphia inventor has created the Camileon, a shoe with what may be the world's first adjustable high heel, WCBS-TV reports.
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With just the push of a button, women can go from a stiletto heel to a kitten heel in seconds and trade the pain of 3.25 inches for a more managable 1.5 inches.
"You simply would just pull down on the lower half of the heel, you push straight under and then push straight back,” Handel told WCBS-TV. "People have been trying to do this for a very long time, but it's such a difficult thing to do."
Thus far, the adjustable shoe comes in nine styles and a small selection of conservative colors, such as black and navy.
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"It takes a half a second to get used to the fact that you're in the same shoe but at a different height," Handel said.
The price of comfort, though, doesn't come cheap. Prices range from $280 to $305.
Those Missing Honeybees? They're at the Cancer Fundraiser
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LIGONIER, Ind. (AP) — A swarm of honeybees temporarily disrupted a charity fundraising event, but no one reported being stung.
Authorities evacuated the area Saturday after the swarm of about 3,000 bees emerged from the woods around the West Noble High School football field, where 700 people were participating in a fundraising walk for the American Cancer Society.
The bees landed on a large umbrella shading the campsite of one of the more than 60 teams taking part in the 24-hour event in the town, 40 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.
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A local beekeeper, Matt Green, used a smoke machine to calm the bees and coax them into a beehive he brought to the field. The event was delayed about 45 minutes.
New Zealand Town Takes a Year to Think of Insult Comeback
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand city has unofficially renamed the local garbage tip after John Cleese following the British actor's remark during a visit last year that he hated the place.
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A sign bearing the title "Mt. Cleese" appeared recently at the Awapuni Landfill in Palmerston North after a local satirist suggested it be renamed "John Cleese Memorial Tip," with the tag line: "All manner of crap happily recycled."
Cleese, famous for being a member of the Monty Python comedy group as well as the 1970s TV comedy "Fawlty Towers" and Hollywood hit "A Fish Called Wanda," drew local ire during a show last year when he called Palmerston North the "suicide capital of New Zealand" and that he hated it.
Council waste manager Chris Pepper said officials did not erect the sign and the renaming was not official.
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But they are in no hurry to take it down.
"Somebody had the sign made up as a joke," Pepper said. "Nobody has said ... pull it down. People just smile."
There's Big Love and Then There's Bigger Love
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ATLANTA (AP) — A traveling Georgia minister who served two years in prison on bigamy charges for having eight wives has been jailed again on accusations of trying to marry even more.
At least four women claim Bishop Anthony Owens, 35, proposed to them after being released from prison in November 2005. Officials say there is no evidence he divorced the eight previous wives.
A judge will decide whether he should go back to prison.
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Owens, who turned himself in April 30, had no comment. But his new fiancees are not keeping quiet.
Betty Dixon, 38, met him last March. "He was a slick talker," she said. "He told me God had sent him to me and I needed help."
Cheryl Selmon, 48, says Owens proposed to her last October. A month later, he proposed to Darlene Keeler, 42. Then he met 43-year-old Karen Ward and proposed to her.
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"He said God gave him a message that he was going to move my family to California for a better life," Ward said. "I gave up my apartment. I took my children out of school. He said he is a real man of the Lord. But he is just a mess. I hate the day that I met him."
According to police reports, Owens' first marriage was in 1990. He said a misunderstanding of Mormon teachings led him to marry again in 1992, even though he was still married to his first wife. The he married again in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 (twice) and 2002.
Owens has said he did divorce some of the wives, but he cannot remember which ones.
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Compiled by FOXNews.com's Sara Bonisteel.
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