Taco Bell celebrates with Thanksgiving sweaters
Fast food chain Taco Bell is getting into the Thanksgiving spirit by riffing on the tradition of the ugly Christmas sweater. The chain teamed with ugly Christmas sweater company Tipsy Elves to create two sweaters and two varieties of leggings that celebrate both Taco Bell and the tradition of “Friendsgiving,” a Thanksgiving dinner shared with friends instead of family.
“This delicious sweater makes the perfect outfit for Friendsgiving festivities and will help you celebrate in style,” the product description for one of the sweaters reads. Taco Bell also posted a recipe from the company’s own annual Friendsgiving feast, a Fire Tortilla Chip Crusted Chicken that incorporates the eatery’s own brand of tortilla chips. “Every November at Taco Bell Headquarters, we host a Friendsgiving dinner to celebrate and give thanks to some of our best friends,” the company said in a blog post. “But we don’t serve our guests your typical, traditional Thanksgiving meal — we add a Taco Bell Twist to every dish.”
(UPI)
FBI re-creates decoy heads used by Alcatraz inmates
Half a century after a notorious prison escape from Alcatraz Island, the FBI has created replicas of decoy heads that inmates used to distract guards from a plan that still captivates researchers and tourists.
Authorities unveiled 3D-printed copies of the decoys that inmates Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin constructed with soap, plaster and human hair. Morris and the Anglin brothers placed the decoys in their beds and climbed through a wall to escape the island prison in San Francisco Bay. The men were never found. Inmate Clayton West also created a head but never made it out of the maximum-security prison that housed dangerous criminals like Al Capone and offenders with a history of escaping. Authorities said they made the replicas to share with the public because the original decoys are fragile and are evidence in the still-open investigation into the escape by the US Marshals Service. “We understand the original items can’t be out here — they’ve got to be archived,” said John F Bennett, FBI special agent in charge in San Francisco. “But we recognise that those items are also part of the rich and historic fabric and the landmark of this city.”
Bennett said a team from the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, traveled to San Francisco to scan the original decoys. Employees at the lab donated their own hair to accurately re-create the original masks, which included human hair that the inmates had collected from the prison barber shop.
“The hair and the paint on here is exactly what the prisoners did,” Bennett said, showing the replicas brought to the island in black, waterproof cases.
The FBI investigated the prison break — which was featured in the 1979 movie Escape from Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood — for 17 years before it was turned over to the Marshals Service.
Now, Alcatraz visitors can see models of the heads on display that were used in the movie. The FBI hopes the public will soon be able to view the agency’s replicas, which were unveiled to some media outlets along with “Wanted” signs for the long-escaped inmates. Authorities are investigating any and all credible leads, said Don O’Keefe, US marshal for the Northern District of California.
(AP)
Otter gives workers a surprise at grocery store
Surveillance cameras at an Irish grocery store captured the unusual scene when an otter ran loose through the store. The video, recorded by CCTV cameras at Mr. Price in Swinford, County Mayo, shows the otter run in through the open doors to the surprise of a cashier. The footage shows workers attempting to corner the animal as it runs loose through the shop. Store manager Cathy Nolan said rescuers from an animal charity took the otter to be treated for a chest infection and malnutrition.
(UPI)
‘Fred Flintstone’ caught speeding in Florida
Authorities in Florida said they pulled over “Fred Flintstone” for speeding in his “footmobile,” which was actually a disguised Smart car. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said “Fred Flintstone,” aka Don Swartz, was pulled over for speeding in the Meadow “Bedrock” Pointe Subdivision in Wesley Chapel. Photos released by the sheriff’s office show Swartz was driving a Smart car decked out to look like the Flintstones’ famous leg-powered “footmobile.” The sheriff’s office said “Fred Flintstone” was released with a notice to appear. The office thanked Swartz and his wife, Trina, for being “such great sports.”
(UPI)
Police capture ‘unruly’ runaway pig
Maine State Police say they helped corral a rather “unruly’ pig on the run along Interstate 95. State police say in a Facebook post they were alerted to the “uncooperative” pig along the interstate in Palmyra. Police say the pig was spotted several times over the past week, but had managed to elude capture. Authorities say Cpt Rick Moody and Trooper Jeremy Caron moved the pig off the highway with the help of a town animal control officer.
(AP)
