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SALT LAKE CITY — A novelty bathtub plug has families of victims of the Titanic disaster crying foul.
The plug, shaped like the Titanic and with "R.M.S. Tubtanic" on its side, retails for £4.99 — about $8 — and allows users to "feel like you're the king of the world" during a bath.
Some of the families of those who perished when the Titanic sunk 100 years ago have complained about the product.
"I think it's terrible people are trying to make money from something that killed so many," Ron Williams, 79, told The Sun.
Williams' uncle was one of the 1,514 people who perished in the 1912 disaster. Williams said the plug was "distasteful," but makers Paladone disagree. They say the product allows users to "re-enact the famous sinking-ship scene in the comfort of your own bathtub!"
A spokeswoman for Paladone said the product was not meant to be offensive.
"It's meant as a harmless novelty item," Fiona Parkinson said.
Japanese cafes: Would you like a bunny with that?
The latest cafes that are all the rage in Japan take "service with a smile" one step further: they provide a daily dose of cute with your caffè latte.
The "rabbit cafes," as they are called, allow customers to play with bunnies while eating and drinking. They are not new innovations — animal cafes have existed in Japan for years — but they have recently become more mainstream.
One such cafe — the Usagi Cafe Ohisama — is home to thirty bunnies. And the cafe's manager says the spate of recent tragedies in the country have made people more receptive to the idea of animal cafes.
"There are wounds that human beings can't treat but the rabbit can," Maria Fuwa told CNN. "Rabbits can comfort people without words."
Canada to create glow-in-the-dark quarters
Canada is no stranger to creating buzz about its money — polymer bills replaced paper ones in 2011, and the country recently announced it would soon get rid of the penny. The latest announcement is a new one for national currencies, though: a glow-in-the-dark quarter.
Featured on the new quarter will be the image of a dinosaur — a Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, a large herbivore — discovered in Alberta's Peace Country. The dinosaur's bones will glow in the dark with photo- luminescent technology that will not wear off, according to the Royal Canadian Mint.
The release will be limited to 25,000 coins worldwide and is "an ideal gift for dinosaur enthusiasts young and old, and a unique addition to any numismatic collection" according to the mint.
The mint plans to release the new design on April 16. It will be sold at Canadian post offices for $29.95 in an effort to generate revenue and decrease the government's deficit.
