Odds & Ends

Bean could prevent baldness

Treating hair with caffeine might be able to stop men from going bald, according to a new study done in Germany. Professor Peter Elsner, part of a team of researchers at Jena University, said the stimulant has the most effect on men whose hair roots are very sensitive to testosterone, one of the causes of hair loss. However, that does not mean those who consume large amounts of caffeine will be spared bald heads later in life – only those who put it directly on their scalp. Adolf Klenk of Kurt Wolff cosmetic research said an individual would have to drink 60 to 80 cups of coffee a day for the necessary amount of caffeine to reach the roots. He said that men afraid of going bald should start treating their scalps with caffeine while they’re still young.

Disposable shoes

A student has invented disposable shoes for high-heeled clubbers who need relief after a night of dancing. Adele Hopper invented Solemates after walking home barefoot following a night on the dance floor. Hopper said one day she came to school complaining about her feet because she’d been out the night before and she and her friends decided that a cheap, portable pair of shoes should be made available to the public. The shoes are made of foam and cost about $4.

Money problems for princess

A woman who claimed to be a princess is suing American Express for $2.3 million because the company allowed her to spend $1.14 million. Antoinette Millard, a Wall Street worker, cannot afford to pay the debt and said the credit card company should have spotted her irrational spending. Millard claimed to be a Saudi princess on her application and currently faces trial on fraud charges.

Prettiest woman on cellblock D

Prison authorities in Sao Paulo are hosting a beauty contest for female prisoners. Contestants will be judged on physical beauty, personality and poetry writing. They will compete for cash prizes of up to $100, which they can either bank or give to their families. All female prisoners in the state can compete except the badly behaved and the severely ill.

Police apologize for sending child porn

Australian police apologized after inadvertently sending Internet images of child pornography to 1,800 schools while trying to warn principals about children at risk of abuse. The mistake came during a police crackdown on child porn that has resulted in more than 200 arrests including police, teachers, clergy and the owner of a child-care center. Police assistant commissioner Graeme Morgan said human error resulted in partial images of child pornography being sent to the schools, calling it a very unfortunate incident. Morgan said the images of three young girls had been sent to the Department of Education in an effort to find them. The pictures were cropped to show only the faces, but inadequate software was used and the full images remained embedded in some files, which were then distributed to the principals. Morgan said about 80 percent of the e-mails have already been opened and police made a request for all unopened files to be deleted and printed images to be destroyed. Unfortunately, the police have so far been unable to locate the girls in the pictures.

Sergeant arrested for toy gun attack

A Spanish army sergeant has been arrested for staging a fake attack in a Madrid bar using a plastic toy gun Defense Minister Jose Bono apologized afterward. The sergeant, an instructor who was teaching a group of soldiers how to protect threatened individuals, took it upon himself to simulate a shootout at La Amarilla, a corner bar in the center of Madrid. Bono said the initiative could have ended in tragedy if any of the patrons had been armed, as they might have felt obliged to intervene.

Rifle raffle

To raise money for a local school project, residents in Lampasas, Texas, have decided to raffle two rifles. Lampasas wants to raise about $15,000 to build a fence around part of Hanna Springs Intermediate School, where a known sexual predator has been seen near campus. Officials said it is easier to raise money with guns than with sweets in that area because it’s a popular hunting spot. The winner must be more than 18 years of age and is subject to local, state and federal regulations regarding the transfer of firearms.