Oddly Enough

Boring the pants off us: Two college students and a high-school girl in Kansas entered a restaurant wearing veils over their faces, but nothing else. They proceeded to place popcorn on each of the tables before dancing around the stunned diners. A manager called the police, but the trio left before they arrived. Unfortunately for the pranksters, their car was parked in front of the restaurant and an employee wrote down the licence plate number. When police caught up with them nearby, they were partially clothed. The girl, 17, and two male University of Kansas students, aged 21 and 22, were cited on indecent exposure charges. What corrupted these young minds? "They were bored," Sgt George Wheeler explained.

Burger protest: Police surrounded a new McDonald's in northern Sweden last week to prevent an attack on the fast food restaurant. About 50 students, who were demonstrating outside the restaurant in the northern university town of Umea,carried placards which accused McDonald's trademark character, Ronald, of being an animal killer.

Pierce treaty: Michigan teenager Matthew Robey can dye his hair and get more body piercings if he wants, thanks to a judge who apparently became uneasy with the nationwide exposure he and the teenager received. Robey, 17, was sentenced by Lenawee County District Judge James Sheridan for soaking a High School teacher with a water pistol last May. Judge Sheridan ordered Robey to perform 80 hours of community service, placed him on two years probation and imposed an overnight curfew. He also told the boy he could not colour his hair, get any more piercings or wear clothing that might suggest gang activity. The judge has rescinded every part of the order except the curfew during an appeals hearing, saying he had not counted on the widespread media coverage. "The sentence has caused you to become an object of attention, the very thing I was trying to prevent," Judge Sheridan told Robey.

No No to Yo-Yos: Youngsters have been banned from taking yo-yos to school after headmaster Steve Wigley branded them as a safety hazard. "I banned the yo-yos from school at the beginning of term after seeing some children doing what they call `looping the loop'," he said. "I have nothing against the yo-yo personally, but when children are using them, they are not particularly concerned about who is around them." Safety is not the only thing on his mind: "I also believe the yo-yos can be socially divisive because they can cost up to pounds 8 or pounds 9 and some families might not be able to afford to buy them."