Quick Links: Q-Ray, MIT, and Stupid Criminals


Q-Ray Made To Pay
Remember the Q-Ray bracelet? There was a thread about it in the old forum. This "miracle bracelet" could do everything from curing arthritis to helping you win a marathon. Now a judge has slapped its inventor with a $22.5 million fine for false advertising. Turns out it couldn't do any of that stuff after all. Who would have thought?

Woman Robs Bank With Toy Gun
Another Stupid Criminal. Or perhaps a criminal suffering from senile dementia. A 79-year-old woman "walked into the Bank of America branch Tuesday morning and told a teller that she'd just come from the dentist and could only speak quietly... As the teller leaned in, Cooke whispered a demand for $30,000 and brandished a gun that turned out to be a toy, the affidavit says. Instead of handing over any money, however, the teller triggered a silent alarm and walked away. Cooke left empty-handed after several minutes and then ducked into a nearby store, where she was arrested. Officials said Cooke was dressed for the attempted heist in a black trench coat, sunglasses and a white "Princess" visor."

image Fire Truck Tops Dome
MIT students commemmorated 9/11 by placing a fake fire truck on top of the university's Great Dome. I have a short list of other things that have topped the dome here.

Attacked By Naked Men
"Dallas - A former city official who is under investigation in an FBI corruption probe was arrested for public intoxication after claiming he was robbed by naked and scantily clad attackers at a male strip club... Police said he told them he was attacked by three men, one naked and another in only a towel." Big Gary comments: "Who says Dallas doesn't have class?"

Con Artists Law/Police/Crime Pranks

Posted on Wed Sep 13, 2006


Comments

Hmmm... A cure-all product doesn't do any of the bajillion things it promises, and the 'inventors' get sued?

Run for it, Harmony Singh, your days are numbered...
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  01:20 AM
Oh, and much kudos to the gents at MIT.. *applause*
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  01:22 AM
The link to the Q-Ray article requires registration, here is a link to an article on the Reuters site with the same information.

sorry about the length of the URL but it should work

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-09-11T133444Z_01_N08399239_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-BRACELET.xml&archived=False
Posted by Chuck  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  06:49 AM
Thanks, Chuck. I replaced my link with yours. Didn't realize it required registration. I must have registered in the past, so that it now came up automatically for me.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  09:45 AM
"after claiming he was robbed by naked and scantily clad attackers at a male strip club"

Yes, I was once mugged by a half naked woman in a lap-dancing club. I even had photographic evidence of me valiantly trying to keep hold of a fist full of money while she sat on me to keep me from escaping and muffled my cries for help with her ample bosom.

My wife still seemed to be upset, though, even after I explained this to her!
😖
Posted by David B.  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  10:17 AM
I was interested in Mr. Lee's explanation of what he was doing at an all-male strip club after midnight: He "said he was there picking up women."
I admit to being pretty naive, but is a male strip club really a good place to pick up women?
Posted by Big Gary  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  04:26 PM
Big Gary, I have a homosexual friend who will sometimes go to strip clubs, the "normal" ones. Maybe Mr. Lee thought some straight women would be at the all-male strip club enjoying naked men who wouldn't attack them. Yeah, right.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  06:10 PM
Gotta love their argument.. 'It works because we say it works, no really'.
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Wed Sep 13, 2006  at  10:03 PM
I understand if you wear a Q-Ray bracelet and clap really loud, Tinkerbell lives.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Thu Sep 14, 2006  at  02:42 AM
Does MIT lift these things in by chopper or what? Hats off.
Posted by Egret Narcosa  on  Fri Sep 15, 2006  at  02:06 PM
Actually, if you look carefully, the front end of the truck is modular. Notice how the front fender is a little askew.

The rest of it is likely fabric on a wooden frame. You'd need maybe six guys to put something like that together quickly..
Posted by Robin Bobcat  on  Fri Sep 15, 2006  at  08:40 PM
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