Things That Make You Go “WTF?”

Today’s collection of news chum brings together a collection of articles that makes you go “WTF?”:

• A Zombie Playground. An enterprising entrepreneur, Mark Siwak, has come up with a way to revitalize Detroit, and make a buck in the process. Siwak is attempting to raise $145,000 to fuel his concept for Z World, a 200-acre theme park starring zombies. The plan is to turn 200 acres of abandoned factories and similar structures intothe theme park, which would be akin to an immersive camping trip or a video game sprung to life, set in an abandoned, walled-off sector of Detroit. Participants would be chased by a zombie horde through derelict factories, stores and homes. Humans and undead alike would wear tear-away patches, in the spirit of flag football. Once all their patches are gone, humans turn into zombies and zombies are eliminated from the game. The objective of the experience is to collect as many patches as possible.
• Cat Videos on Parade. On Aug. 30, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will host what may be the first Internet Cat Video Film Festival, an evening long exploration of the joys of viral cat videos. The film festival will start at dusk, and will last 45 minutes to an hour. The curator will collect cat video nominations from the general public — focusing especially on the local community. Then she’ll screen those nominations, and decide which videos will make the cut. The winning videos will be projected on a building wall near the art center.
• Taking It Home With You. Disneyland will soon be marketing air freshners that small like favorite park foods, such as turkey legs. Just the thing you need to get rid of that lingering odor of french fries from your recent visit to McDonalds.
• Doing What Comes Naturally. A woman is suing the FDA for the right to use the sperm of a man who she invited to sleep with her. To be more precise, this woman is part of a same-sex couple that wants kids, and she invited the man to “donate sperm” in a non-medical fashion. The FDA is trying to apply the rules for sperm donors. Under federal regulations, the donor must undergo procedures and verify his health in tests that the woman sees as expensive and time-consuming. A donor is required to have his blood and urine tested in a medical setting within a week of every body-tissue transfer. The FDA-required tests screen for infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis, and are intended to protect the recipient’s health. The woman is arguing that the rules are discriminatory for same-sex couples; after all, such requirements are not in place for heterosexual one-night-stands.
• How Is This One Different? The LA Times is writing up Hepp’s Salt Barrel, a purveyor at local farmer’s markets of many many different types of … salt. In fact, the man is a Certified Salt Advisor (CSA). Of course, he’s the only one. To earn the credential, he made up a list of 30 questions about salt… and guess what… he passed with a perfect score.