Monday 11/15/10

Human Interest News — Posted on November 15, 2010

Way out there
If UFO conspiracy theorist Jeff Peckman had his way, Denver would become the central hub of all extraterrestrial research. Peckman was able to secure enough signatures to put an initiative on Denver’s Nov. 2 ballot asking citizens whether the Mile-High City should create an extraterrestrial affairs commission to listen to UFO stories and to make recommendations to Denver citizens in the event of an alien encounter. The measure went down to defeat, though, with Denver voters rejecting it by a four-to-one margin.

Lunar sniff
It may look like it’s made of cheese, but scientists and even astronauts all seem to agree: The moon smells like gunpowder. Former astronaut Charles Duke (Apollo 16) has teamed up with a printmaker and a flavorist to create what is believed to be the first scratch-and-sniff image of the moon. Flavorist Steven Pearce of Omega Ingredients worked with Duke to get the smell just right. Then the pair turned their work over to printer Sue Corke, who created the finished product. A UK printmaker has created about 300 scratch-and-sniff moon pictures for a sale price between $55 to $428.

Spell checked
Luckily for one Wisconsin 12-year-old boy, Kristine Flynn can’t spell. The 52-year-old inmate at Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Wisconsin recently attempted to forge documents setting up her guardianship of the boy-another inmate’s child-and his trust fund. According to authorities, Flynn forged court documents and faked the signature of Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge Steven Weinke. But when Flynn mailed the documents out of prison to set her plan in motion, authorities noticed she misspelled Judge Weinke’s last name as “Winkie.” Now she faces an additional 22 ½ years in prison for the attempted scam.

Single ceremony
A 30-year-old Taiwanese office worker has decided to marry the only person she knows who will have her: herself. Chen Wei-yih of Taipei has posed for wedding photographs, rented a reception hall, and plans to have a wedding and reception amongst 30 of her friends, but Chen doesn’t plan on having a groom anywhere near. “Age 30 is a prime period for me. My work and experience are in good shape, but I haven’t found a partner, so what can I do?” Chen asked reporters before noting that she’ll be taking a solo honeymoon to Australia.