Oddlyenough

Mummers parade goes on despite bone-chilling cold

Thousands of marchers have braved bone-chilling temperatures and wind chills to take part in Philadelphia’s annual Mummers Parade, the oldest continuous folk parade in the country. Organizers had considered postponing the event because of concerns over the brutal weather conditions. But they voted to go ahead with the New Year’s Day parade, which featured performers dressed in colorful costumes adorned with sequins and feathers marching down the city’s main north-south thoroughfare. Temperatures were in the single digits when the parade started. Concerns had been raised the frigid temperatures could be dangerous for parade participants and some instruments used by marching string bands. Heating tents and warm buses were set up along the route for the Mummers. Philadelphia has hosted the Mummers Parade since 1901.(AP)

Museum of Ice Cream fined $1,000 for plastic sprinkles

The City of Miami Beach fined the Museum of Ice Cream Thursday, claiming its plastic sprinkles present an environmental hazard. Guests at the pop-up museum can take photos in a pool filled with tiny plastic sprinkles, which environmental activists say can easily slip into storm drains, travel into waterways and harm marine life.

City officials issued the museum a $1,000 fine and have begun working with the Museum of Ice Cream to ensure the faux sprinkles stay inside the property after activists posted videos about the environmental threat on social media.

Miami Beach spokeswoman Melissa Berthier said the city installed mesh catchers in the storm drains near the museum and has begun conducting regular inspections of the area to check for plastic sprinkles.

Museum of Ice Cream spokeswoman Devan Pucci issued a statement to the Miami New Times Thursday, saying the attraction has taken “immense precautions” to be environmentally conscious including hiring cleaners to sweep around the building. “Our goal is to continue our sustainable efforts and amplify them to be even more efficient,” she said. “We appreciate the feedback we have received from visitors and the local Miami community and can assure our audience that we don’t take their suggestions lightly.” Pucci also said the museum is developing a biodegradable sprinkle and plans to install blowers at three different door entrances to ensure guests are free of sprinkles when they exit the building. The Museum of Ice Cream’s Miami location opened in early December and is scheduled to close January 22. (UPI)

Russian army’s Cuddly weapons

The Russian Armed Forces has unveiled its latest cutting-edge weapon in a New Year’s greetings video: cuddly puppies. After a year of showing off its military might in Syria, the Defense Ministry has taken a softer approach in a one-minute video showing dozens of puppies sharing food and cuddling with each other. Older dogs are shown playing with unidentified officers. In the Chinese calendar, 2018 is the year of the dog, so many Russians are using dogs in their holiday greetings this season. Over 3,000 dogs are employed in the Russian armed forces. Dogs from the 470th Dog Breeding Center outside Moscow are among the most decorated in Russia.(AP)

Astronaut sorry for ‘fake news’ of height increase

Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, on a mission to the International Space Station, apologized on Wednesday for saying he had grown 9 cm while in space and expressing concern about whether he’d be safe on his return to Earth. Most astronauts “grow” during protracted space missions because their spines extend in the absence of gravity, but the gains are usually limited to a couple of centimeters (inches) maximum and disappear once they are back on the ground.

The 41-year-old Kanai, who went to space last month for a nearly six-month mission, posted on Twitter on Monday that he had “a big announcement.” “My height’s been measured here in space and somehow, somehow, I’ve grown 9 cm! In only three weeks I’ve really shot up, something I haven’t seen since high school,” he tweeted. “This makes me a little worried that I might not be able to fit in the Soyuz seats for our return.” But a bit over a day later - and in the wake of a flurry of news stories - he apologized, saying that he’d measured himself after his captain raised questions about the apparent growth and he had stretched only 2 cm from his Earth-bound height. “This mismeasurement appears to have become a big deal, so I must apologise for this terrible fake news,” he tweeted. (Reuters)

Cops issue ‘arrest warrant’ for Elsa from film Frozen

A Louisiana police department is warning of winter conditions by issuing an “arrest warrant” for Queen Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen. The Slidell Police Department said in a Facebook post that an “arrest warrant” has been issued for the animated character. “As you can see by the weather, she is a very dangerous girl. Approach with caution!” the department said. The post included a wanted poster offering a $100 million reward for Elsa “dead or alive.” The department said it borrowed the idea for the post from the Harlan Police Department, which put out a similar “arrest warrant” in a previous year. (UPI)