Oddlyenough

Naked Donald Trump statue going up for auction

A statue of a naked Donald Trump is going on the auction block. Julien’s Auction says the sculpture is the last statue remaining that was not vandalized or destroyed when it was displayed along with others in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Cleveland in the weeks before the Republican was elected president. The auction house estimates the statue, which was created by the West Coast anarchist collective INDECLINE, will sell for $20,000 to $30,000. The auction will take place on May 2 at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey.

(AP)

Drones deliver pizzas in the US

A fleet of drones were dispatched in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York to deliver pizzas as a promotion for HBO’s Silicon Valley. The promotion, which ties into the plot of last Sunday’s season premiere, saw the drones deliver 714 total pizzas in the three cities on Monday to Twitter users who tweeted out a pizza emoji with the hashtag “#sliceline,” the name of a fictional app from the show. A video captured in San Francisco shows one of the pizza deliveries being made to customers waiting outside. The customized pizza boxes bore Silicon Valley show branding. The promotion was executed by Fooji, a firm that specializes in promotional stunts for brands and TV shows.

(UPI)

Basra’s cats lap it up in their own hotel

A world away from Iraq’s battlegrounds, Basra’s cat-lovers have found a haven for their favorite pets. Veterinary student Ahmed Taher Maki has turned his home in the southern city into what he believes is Iraq’s first cat hotel. For as little as 5,000 Iraqi dinars ($4.20) a night — or half that for long stays — the guests can enjoy beds, regular meals, health checkups and a mini playground, all under the cooling purr of an air conditioner. Maki said he was hoping to encourage more people to adopt cats in the city and give them a place to leave their pets when they are away on a trip. Taking care of animals gives people a “merciful heart,” he said. “The hotel is a noble thing and unprecedented in the south of Iraq and Basra in particular.”

(Reuters)

Virginia teen trades Snapchat handle for Carnival cruise

A Virginia teenager agreed to surrender his Snapchat handle, @CarnivalCruise, in exchange for a $5,000 cruise for he and his family. Darian Lipscomb, 15, of Prospect, said he picked his Snapchat handle to show his love of Carnival Cruises, which he has taken four times previously with his family.

“When I was 9 years old, I went on a cruise and got really excited and wanted to share it with my friends,” Lipscomb told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Carnival officials decided they wanted the Snapchat handle for the company, so they made a plan that began with spreading posters around Prospect featuring a photo of the company’s “Chief Fun Officer,” retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, with the message, “Hey Prospect, does anyone know Darian?” The company visited Lipscomb’s home Tuesday with a difficult-to-refuse offer: A free trip for the teenager and his family on the company’s new ship, the Carnival Horizon. “I answered the door, walked outside and saw my name on a big truck. I was really surprised,” Lipscomb said. Lipscomb agreed to trade his Snapchat handle for the trip, which is valued at about $5,000. “We thought this would be a fun way to claim our handle and reward a ‘superfan’ at the same time,” Carnival spokeswoman Robyn Fink said.

(UPI)

City denies church proposed by ‘Jesus’

Even Father Jesus isn’t above the law of man. A Mississippi city has denied a proposal for a church by a man named Father Jesus, saying he failed to have a professional engineer draw up the plans. Jesus said the church he’s calling “Saints of the Most High” wouldn’t be very big — just 12-feet by 24-feet (27 sq. meters), and he’d begin with just three members. The Sun Herald of Biloxi reports that area residents questioned what Jesus stands for during a Gulfport Planning Commission meeting on Thursday. Jesus reportedly said he’s been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, and changed his name to Father Jesus after a revelation that he embodies the spirit of Jesus. Commissioners were more concerned about building code compliance.

(AP)

Netflix job openings for binge-watchers

Streaming content juggernaut Netflix is seeking applicants for what many might consider a dream job — paid binge watchers. Netflix announced it is seeking to fill “editorial analyst” jobs that include watching, rating and categorising original and imported programming.

The company said it requires someone “passionate about movies and TV with a deep knowledge of the entertainment industry” who can also work with “tight deadlines”. The listings are seeking analysts for original programming as well as Spanish and Japanese movies and TV shows.

(UPI)