Birthdays
July 24
1802 – Alexandre Dumas (La Pailleterie)
playwright, novelist: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers; died Dec 5, 1870

1897 – Amelia Earhart
aviator: 1st woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; 1st woman to fly solo from Hawaii to California; disappeared July 2, 1937 near Howland Island in the Pacific during a round the world trip from Florida to California

1936 – Ruth Buzzi
comedienne, actress: Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, The Entertainers, The Steve Allen Comedy Hour, That Girl, Sesame Street, Finders Keepers, Freaky Friday

1947 – Robert Hays
actor: Airplane!, Airplane 2, Take This Job & Shove It, Starman, FM, Angie

1951 – Lynda Carter
actress: Wonder Woman, Partners in Crime, Hawkeye; Miss World-USA

1953 – Steve Grogan
football: New England Patriots quarterback: Super Bowl XX

1962 – Kevin Butler
football: Chicago Bears kicker: Super Bowl XX

1982 – Anna Paquin
actress: X-Men, The Piano, Jane Eyre, Amistad, Almost Famous, Finding Forrester, Buffalo Soldiers

Events
July 24
1956 – After a decade together as the country’s most popular comedy team, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis called it quits this night. They did their last show at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City. The duo ended their relationship exactly 10 years after they had started it.

1969 – Hoyt Wilhelm, pitching for the Chicago White Sox, set a major-league baseball record by pitching in game number 907 of his career. Wilhelm went on to lead all major-league hurlers (number of games pitched) with 1,070 in his career (1952-1972).

1987 – Hulda Crooks, at 91 years of age, climbed Mt. Fuji. Hulda became the oldest person to climb Japan’s highest peak. When she got to the top, she was heard to say, “Hey, dudes — how do I get down from here?”

1998 – “In the last great invasion of the last great war, the greatest danger for eight men … was saving
2001 – The city of Detroit, Michigan celebrated its 300th anniversary with a historical reenactment of city founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac landing on the shores of the Detroit River. Included in the tricentennial party, the unveiling of a statue of Cadillac: a gift of the French-American Chamber of Commerce to the city of Detroit. Happy birthday Motor City
On this day in 1983, Kansas City Royals slugger George Brett slammed a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Royals a 5-4 lead over New York. Or did he?
Seconds after Brett crossed home plate, New York Yankees Manager Billy Martin came out of the dugout to protest that the pine tar on Brett’s bat was more than 18 inches up the bat handle. The umpires measured Brett’s bat, using home plate as a measuring rod, and came to the conclusion that Martin was correct — and called Brett out — erasing the Royals lead. Or did they?

The president of the American League, Lee McPhail, later reversed the umpires’ decision on the pine tar and ruled that the game was suspended — with the Royals leading, 5-4. The game was completed 3 1/2 weeks later, on August 18, 1983, in Yankee Stadium. The outcome of the game? It only took 12 minutes to play the remainder of the contest with the Royals tarring the Yankees 5-4.
JUDGE RULES SCHOOL COULD SUSPEND STUDENT WHO HAD HOTS FOR TEACHER

DETROIT (AP) — A judge in Detroit has taken the side of an area university — in a beef with one of its students. The student — who is 57 — was suspended after writing he had a thing for one of his teachers. Federal Judge Patrick Duggan says Oakland University doesn’t have to put up with Joseph Corlett’s writings — and that suspending him didn’t violate his right to free speech. Corlett was suspended last year for going on about his writing instructor. He described her as “tall, blonde, stacked” — and compared her to “Ginger” on the old TV show “Gilligan’s Island. He even titled his essay: “Hot For Teacher” — the name of a Van Halen song. Corlett, who lives in Florida, sued the school. But the judge dismissed the lawsuit.

LIZARD SHOOTS BLOOD FROM EYES

REGINA, Canada (AP) — This is an animal that gives new meaning to the phrase “bloodshot eyes.” Those who visit a national park in Saskatchewan, Canada may get a glimpse of our northern neighbor’s version of the iguana. The Greater Short-Horned Lizard is on the list of “at-risk species.” But the lizard does have one trick that might make it less “at risk” when attacked. It spurts blood out of its eye at approaching enemies. Don’t expect to see that trick if you get close. A biologist says the lizard isn’t afraid of humans, so they save their blood squirting for when they are picked on by a predator like a coyote or fox. And the spurting isn’t just done to freak enemies out. Scientists believe there are chemicals in the lizard’s blood that might be noxious if predators taste it.

”BEAR”-ING THE COST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — We have all been told what wild bears do in the woods — especially when we ask a question that has an obvious “yes” answer. But do you know what bears might end up eating so they end up “going” in the woods? Quite a bit, if you go by information from Ohio officials who have to house wild animals that are confiscated or surrendered under the state’s exotic animal law. Officials kept two bears recently. And feeding logs show their meals included chicken breast, nuts, cookies and bagels. The other bear dined on hot dogs, lettuce, corn and fish. Before their state-imposed diets, their preferred meals included doughnuts, dog food and Gatorade, as well as pizza and Mountain Dew.

STINKY PLANT READY TO BLOOM IN CALIFORNIA

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — You’ve probably heard of the smelly plant that recently bloomed in Washington D.C. But did you know there’s a similar plant ready to burst out with funk at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The so-called corpse flower is due to bloom next week. Unlike other flowers that rely on bees for pollination, this one counts on flies. It attracts them with the smell of rotting flesh, and they in turn spread its sticky pollen. The plant gets its smell from sulfur-producing chemicals in its leaves.

BENTLEY AND LAMBORGHINI STOLEN IN PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Here are some thieves with an eye for high-end cars. Authorities say they have recovered a Bentley and a yellow Lamborghini that had been stolen from an apartment building garage. They say the thieves broke into an apartment, swiped the keys and left with the luxury cars. The Lamborghini had a Batman sticker on it — apparently to set off the yellow exterior. Besides the cars, the thieves made off with about $2,500 in cash and a pair of flat-screen TVs. Though the cars have been recovered, police say no one was in them when they were found — and they have no suspects.

MOVING THE ELEPHANTS

CALGARY (AP) — The Calgary Zoo is getting rid of its elephants. Zoo officials have announced they are moving a male Asian elephant named Ganesh. His new home will be Busch Gardens in Florida. That elephant had been on extended loan from the Miami Zoo after the area was hit by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Zoo officials say moving the elephants will be best for them — since other facilities have more full-time space and elephants prefer to be part of a large social group.

* Information on this site is from several other places I do not claim original content creator title.*

Here you go

Stew

sexy-in-shape-girls-17 : theCHIVE.

Word of the Day

Definition of CONSTERNATION

: amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion <the two … stared at each other in consternation, and neither knew what to do — Pearl Buck>

Examples of CONSTERNATION

The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.

Much to her parents’ consternation, she had decided to not go to college.

The fact that the exact depth was recorded on the bottles was the source of considerable consternation among the admirals presiding over the Navy inquiry last week. The depth an attack sub can reach is supposed to be classified… . —Karen Breslau et al., Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2001

Origin of CONSTERNATION

French or Latin; French, from Latin consternation-, consternatio, from consternare to throw into confusion, from com- + -sternare, probably from sternere to spread, strike down — more at strew

First Known Use: 1604

Bozo Criminal of the Day

Did I Say Twin? I Meant To Say Invisible Friend

Bozo criminal for today comes from Big Beaver, Pennsylvania, where bozo Jennifer Taylor checked out of the local Holiday Inn. Hotel employees called the cops when they discovered that in addition to checking herself out, she had checked out with $206 worth of items, including two comforters, two throw blankets, four pillows, an alarm clock, a coffeepot, a basket and a hair dryer. The police were able to track our bozo down at another nearby hotel. It was during questioning that she offered up the Bozo Excuse of the Week. She told the police that it was in fact her evil twin sister who had stolen the items. She was unable to explain why she was in possession of the stolen items and why birth records showed that she did not have a twin. She’s under arrest.

News Stories

Biblical theme park turns donkeys into Wi-Fi hot spots

By QMI Agency

 Share on facebook Share on stumbleupon Share on live Share on fark More Sharing Services

Sometimes it seems like your Wi-Fi network is powered by nothing more than a hamster on a wheel — and sometimes, as is the case at a biblical theme park in Israel, the Wi-Fi is powered by donkeys. For real.

Kfar Kedem, which re-enacts first- and second-century life, has outfitted donkeys with wireless routers so that visitors can post their photos and comments to Facebook and Twitter.

“We’re mixing this ancient vehicle and the newest gadget to provide (Internet) in the middle of nowhere,” park general manager Menachem Goldberg told Time magazine.

Visitors thresh wheat and press grapes and turn them into bread and wine. They also make cheese, olive oil and wool using ancient methods, all with the help of guides in period dress.

In addition to being mobile Wi-Fi hot spots, the donkeys also take guests on rides through the hills just a stone’s throw from Nazareth — “Abraham rode the original 4×4 — now it’s your turn,” the park’s website says.

“Galilee is very important to Jews and Christians, and people come here with very modern technology like iPads, cameras, and computers in order to find their roots. We are giving them an opportunity to connect with the past.

BIG BEAVER, Pa. (AP) — Police say a western Pennsylvania woman blamed her nonexistent twin sister for stealing items from a hotel room.

The Beaver County Times (http://bit.ly/Sm5XDv ) reports Wednesday that police charged 31-year-old Jennifer Brown, of Rochester, with false reports and theft.

State police say Brown took some bed clothes, an alarm clock, coffee pot, basket and a hair dryer — worth a total of $206 — from the Holiday Inn in Big Beaver on Aug. 5. Police say they found Brown in another hotel nearby and she claimed her twin sister had taken the items.

When police found no record of a sister, they say Brown claimed her sister had just returned the items, which police found in the other hotel room.

Brown doesn’t have an attorney. Police say relatives confirmed she doesn’t have a twin.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A hefty hippo chased away from his herd at a South African game reserve has found a refreshing place to relax: the lodge’s swimming pool. Now it’s stuck there.

The young hippopotamus plopped into the pool on Tuesday at the Monate Conservation Lodge north of Johannesburg. Isabel Wentzel of South Africa’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the pool has no steps. Wentzel says a game capture team will sedate the hippo and lift it out of the pool with a crane. Much of the water has been drained to make the extraction easier.

Because the hippo was chased away by his herd, it will be moved to a new location.

Information from: Beaver County Times, http://www.timesonline.com/

UNIONTOWN, Ind. (AP) — State police say a hit-and-run driver struck and killed a man who was working to change a tire alongside Interstate 64. Authorities say 64-year-old Kenneth Derr of Boonville died yesterday evening near the Perry County town of Uniontown. Derr’s brother was not injured in the crash.

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — Unilever will spend $800,000 to spruce up a soap plant in Hammond. The Times of Munster reports the Hammond Redevelopment Commission approved the project this week. City planning director Phil Taillon says the city expects more retailers to join a Walmart moving into the area.

OWENSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified an Indiana farm tied to a salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe. The FDA says Chamberlain Farms of Owensville has launched a formal recall of the melons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that of the 178 people infected in 21 states, two people have died.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The FBI says two of 40 people indicted in a drug ring allegedly run by two inmates in different Indiana prisons remain at large.

FBI Special Agent Wendy Osborne says 39-year-old John Smith and 35-year-old Jermaine Coleman were still being sought Thursday morning. She says two others listed on an FBI fugitive bulletin sent out Wednesday were apprehended that evening.

The four were among 40 people named in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. That 26-count indictment alleges that inmates Oscar Perez and Justin Addler ran a drug ring from behind bars in prisons in Pendleton and Westville.

Authorities say Perez and Addler arranged the purchase and sale of heroin, methamphetamines and other drugs using cellphones smuggled in by guards who also smuggled drugs into prison.

Word of the Day

FASTIDIOUS

1. archaic : scornful
2. a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please <critics … so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates — Granville Hicks>b : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care c : reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude <fastidious workmanship>
3. : having complex nutritional requirements <fastidious microorganisms>

Examples of FASTIDIOUS

He is fastidious about keeping the house clean.

She was too fastidious to do anything that might get her dirty.

My mother had always been the most fastidious and organized of people—a wet ring left on her coffee table by a glass could drive her to distraction. —John B. Judis, New Republic, 14 Oct. 1996

Origin of FASTIDIOUS

Middle English, from Latin fastidiosus, from fastidium disgust, probably from fastus arrogance (probably akin to Latin fastigium top) + taedium irksomeness — more at tedium

First Known Use: 15th century

Bozo Criminal of the Day

He Should Have Taken an Ice Chest, Too

Bozo criminal for today comes from the International File in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, where our unidentified bozo stole a 14-pack of beer from a store. In a classic case of his eyes being bigger than his stomach, he drank 8 bottles and then returned to the store to give back the other 6 bottles that he no longer wanted. No word on whether he was planning to ask for a refund, as he was promptly placed under arrest.

no-sh-t-8 : theCHIVE.

Word of the Day

Ideophobia 

What It Is:

Fear or distrust of ideas or of reason

About the Word:

The Greek idea comes from the verb idein, meaning to see.

That connection between thought and vision also appears in a phrase used to express understanding: “I see.”

Bozo Criminal of the Day

Bozo criminal for today comes from Las Vegas, Nevada, where bozo Ryan Duncan broke into a residence and stole 22 items, worth more than $2000. And just when it looked like he might have committed the perfect crime, police noticed a small blue piece of paper underneath the kitchen window that had been pried open. And it was not just any old piece of paper, either. This particular blue piece of paper happened to be a warrant for our bozo’s arrest, complete with his name and home address on it. He’s busted!

News Items

Whoopi On Roman Polanski: It Wasn’t ‘Rape-Rape’.

Daycare staff charged with running toddler fight club – Weird News – Canoe.ca. 

This skull pushes back human occupation of Southeast Asia and Australia by 20,000 years. 

Passers-by Accidentally Help Robber by Holding Down Victim. 

Magazines show curvy girls some love | Fox News. 

8 mind-blowing bacon dishes | Fox News. 

 

Day in History

1878 – A group of 100 lawyers got together at Saratoga Springs, New York and formed the American Bar Association.

1912 – The first boy reached the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program. He was Arthur R. Eldred of Oceanside, NY.

1929 – The Chicago Cardinals became the first professional football team to go out of town for training camp. The team started practice in Coldwater, MI.

1992 – U.S. marshals moved onto the property of Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge, Idaho and began a shoot out. Weaver’s 14-year old son, Sammy, was killed, as was Marshall Bill Degan. Federal agents were then held at bay for 11 days and before it ended Weaver’s wife was shot dead. The battle began when officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Randy Weaver on weapons charges.

2000 – Rescue efforts to reach the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Kursk ended. Divers announced that none of the 118 sailors survived the massive explosion that sank the sub.

Birthdays

1904 – (William Allen) Count Basie bandleader: April in Paris, Open the Door Richard; composer: One O’Clock Jump, Jumpin’ at the Woodside; died Apr 26, 1984

1923 – Chris Schenkel sportscaster: CBS Sports; ABC Sports: host of Pro Bowlers Tour for 33 years; Lifetime Achievement Emmy [1993]; died Sep 11, 2005

1924 – Jack (John Francis) Buck Radio Hall of Fame sportscaster: St. Louis Cardinals, CBS, ABC, NBC; died June 18, 2002

1936 – Wilt (Wilton) Chamberlain Basketball Hall of Famer: NBA MVP Award: Philadelphia Warriors [1960], Philadelphia 76ers [1966, 1967, 1968]; died Oct 12, 1999

1938 – Kenny (Kenneth Donald) Rogers Grammy and CMA Award-winning singer: She Believes in Me, Lady, Lucille, Islands in the Stream [w/Dolly Parton], What are We Doin’ in Love [w/Dottie West], Through the Years, We’ve Got Tonight [w/Sheena Easton], You Decorated My Life, Coward of the County, The Gambler; groups: The Kirby Stone Four, The New Christy Minstrels, The First Edition; actor: The Gambler series

1951 – Glenn Hughes musician: bass guitar; singer: group: Deep Purple: Hush, Kentucky Woman, Black Night, Speed King, Child in Time, Strange Kind of Woman

1952 – Joe Strummer (John Mellors) musician: guitar, singer: group: The Clash: 1977, Capital Radio, Career Opportunities, I’m So Bored with the USA, Police and Thieves, Complete Control, [White Man] in Hammersmith Palais, English Civil War, Stay Free, Brand New Cadillac, Death or Glory, Jimmy Jazz; died Dec 22, 2002

1956 – Kim Cattrall actress: Breaking Point, Wild Palms, Police Academy, The Bastard, The Rebels, Mannequin, Live Nude Girls

1959 – Jim McMahon football: quarterback: Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears: Super Bowl XX

1967 – Carrie-Anne Moss actress: Mission: Impossible III, The Chumscrubber, Suspect Zero, The Matrix series, Sledge: The Untold Story, Chocolat

1975 – Alicia Witt actress; Cybill, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Four Rooms, Hotel Room, also singer.

1989 – Hayden Panettiere actress: Heroes, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, Scream 4, Remember the Titans

We talk Golf at 2:30pm with Pete Mandich of Golf Plus 

Pittsburgh man’s ashes to be kept in bowling ball urn | The Sideshow – Yahoo! News.

Great fall of China | Orange UK.

Pa. road crew paints yellow line over dead raccoon – Yahoo! News.

WORD of the Day

Glib

Definition: said or done too easily or carelessly; marked by ease in speaking to the point of being deceitful Words It Might Replace: careless; insincere Example: “A time may come when Tiger Woods will be glib and ebullient and full of witty observations about golf. But I doubt it.” – David Jones, pennlive.com, April 15, 2011

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-simple-but-intelligent-words-vol-1/glib.html#L4xhLGrSe1WX33aB.99

BOZO CRIMINAL

If Only He Had Selected a Character with Pants

Bozo criminal for today comes from the International File in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada where police arrested our bozo for public drunkenness. After placing him in a cell, the officers suspected that he had also been using drugs, so they ordered him to strip for a search. It was then that our bozo asked them if they had ever heard of Cyril Sneer, a cartoon character. Not waiting for an answer, our bozo tucked his genitals between his legs, bent over and began dancing like the cartoon pink aardvark does. Apparently our bozo had something that Cyril does not, a plastic baggie of drugs protruding from his bottom. It was found to contain four doses of a powerful painkiller. Busted!

WEIRD NEWS

Delaware pediatrician accused of waterboarding daughter

By QMI Agency

Pauline and Dr. Melvin Morse have been charged with waterboarding their 11-year-old daughter by Delaware police. (SUPPLIED)

Police have charged a Delaware pediatrician, who specializes in near-death experiences in children, for allegedly waterboarding his daughter.

The 11-year-old girl told police her father held her face under the tap for punishment and caused water to fill her nostrils at least four times in a two-year period while her mother did nothing, Delaware State Police said.

Dr. Melvin Morse is alleged to have told the girl “she could go five minutes without brain damage,” according to court documents obtained by Delaware’s The News Journal.

Her mother, Pauline Morse, 40, is accused of having witnessed the torture several times and not stepped in.

Melvin Morse, 58, a practising physician in Georgetown and head of the Institute for the Scientific Study of Consciousness, participated in a conference in Montreal last month to lecture about the near-death experiences of children, according to the organization’s website.

He has co-authored a book based on interviews with children who nearly died and has been a guest on Oprah and CNN’s Larry King.

Police were first called after Morse dragged the girl by her ankle across a gravel driveway at the family home on July 12, police said. In an interview this month, the girl told investigators her dad punished her in an act he called “waterboarding” at least four times between May 2009 and May 2011.

Melvin and Pauline Morse are charged with reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy, police said.

The girl and her five-year-old sister are in the care of the state.

Brides jilted by Valpo dress shop – Post-Tribune.

HowStuffWorks “10 Bizarre Olympic Events”.

Are you sick of the digital “self monitoring” movement? Then you need these..

Griffith, Munster varsity football players accept their female teammates : Preps.

As many as 30% of cats are stone cold killers.

Word of the Day

Lipogram

Definition: a writing composed of words not having a certain letter About the Word: Lipo– means “lacking; without,” and gram comes from gramma, meaning “letter.” The most challenging lipogram – a decidedly constrained form of writing – excludes E, the most common letter in English. In 1939, Ernest Vincent Wright published Gadsby: A Story of Over 50,000 words without using the letter “E.” Below is a lipogram version of “Mary Had A Little Lamb” lacking the letter O (from Peter Blinn, curiousnotions.com): Mary had a little lamb The bleached and chalky kind. And everywhere she went, the lamb Was rarely left behind.

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-words-with-bizarre-meanings/lipogram.html#74PdszGFXXbVRv3W.99

Bozo Criminal of the Day

This Always Worked For MacGyver

Weird News

http://news.yahoo.com/odd/

Wendy’s offers lobster, caviar burgers in Japan

Wendy’s is upping the burger ante in Japan with the release of a new lobster and caviar burger.

The fast food giant will offer specialty seafood burgers beginning at the end of this month for a limited time, spokesman Bob Bertini said.

One of the burgers features lobster claw meat, lobster salad and caviar, while the other has a beef patty with lobster claw meat.

They cost about $16 to $20 each.

Wendy’s has one location in Japan and will open a second restaurant this month.

“Japan is a very competitive market in terms of restaurant chains and this is another way for Wendy’s to differentiate itself from competitors,” Bertini said.

No plans are in the works to offer the sandwiches here, although reports say the lobster is imported from Canada

WORD of the Day

Tintinnabulation

Definition: the ringing or sounding of bells About the word: This word’s Latin source,tintinnabulum, means “bell” and evokes the sound of one. The word was popularized in the mid 1800s by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Bells”: “Keeping time, time, time, / In a sort of Runic rhyme, / To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells / from the bells, bells, bells, bells, / Bells, bells, bells….”

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-unusually-long-words-vol-1/tintinnabulation.html#4cCYtttZBlmfHH0m.99

Bozo Criminal of the Day

It Would Have Been So Much Simpler To Have Sexted Him

Bozo criminal for today comes from Marion County, Florida, where cops pulled over a 35-year-old woman for speeding. Or at least they attempted to pull her over. When she saw the police, she sped up and attempted to flee before running a stop sign and crashing into a tree. She wasn’t injured in the accident and when the officer noticed she was topless, it was then that she offered up the Bozo Excuse of the Week. She said she had removed her top and was en route to surprise her boyfriend. She couldn’t explain why she had to remove her top before she got to his house. She’s been charged with fleeing and eluding law enforcement.

STRANGE NEWS

 South Koreans face heat wave by dining on dog meat

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Some South Koreans are easing the “Dog Days of Summer” by embracing a tradition of eating dog meat to help survive a heat wave gripping the country.

Animal rights activists, meanwhile, packed themselves into wire cages to protest the eating of dogs.

Tuesday is the day South Koreans traditionally eat dog meat and other foods that they believe will help ease the heat by increasing their stamina.

The Yonhap news agency says Seoul is currently undergoing the longest period of time with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) since 1994.

Dog meat restaurants in Seoul say they served more customers than usual on Tuesday.

August 3, 2012

Karina Bolanos speaks to the media after a meeting at the presidential house in San Jose in this 2011 file photo. (REUTERS)

SAN JOSE – Costa Rica said on Tuesday it had dismissed a junior-level minister after she appeared in a video posted online wearing only her underwear and delivering flirtatious messages.

Deputy Minister for Youth Karina Bolanos lost her job after a video showed her lying in bed, pointing at her breasts and inviting a man she refers to as “little one” to join her.

Bolanos told cable TV network CNN en Espanol the video was made years ago and was put onto the Internet by a computer engineer who stole it and was trying to extort her. Uploaded onto YouTube over the weekend, the clip quickly went viral.

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Culture and Youth said in a statement on Tuesday the video and related legal issues made her position untenable.

The incident is an embarrassment to President Laura Chinchilla, whose Cabinet has suffered a string of resignations since she took power two years ago.

“I will not address the issue. Any more questions?”, newspaper La Nacion reported her saying after a public event