Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Film crew claims footage may be monster

OSTERSUND, Sweden, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- A Swedish TV station has captured footage that it claims might depict the country's legendary Storsjoodjuret sea monster in the north of the country.

Svergies Television said cameras set up at the Storsjon lake captured footage that shows a blurry, long and narrow silhouette that might belong to the Storsjoodjuret, or Great Lake Sea Monster, Swedish news agency TT reported.

"(The video) clearly shows that it's warm and is made up of cells, otherwise our cameras wouldn't indicate red, so it can be a sea snake or some other kind of sea animal," a member of the film crew said.

The TV station said 30 cameras will be set up to monitor the lake by 2009 to watch for signs of the beast, which was first mentioned in print in 1635, The Telegraph (Britain) reported. More than 200 sightings of the Storsjoodjuret have been reported in Sweden.

McCain Foods uses candidate to boost image

PHOENIX, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Canada's McCain Foods said it is using the presidential campaign of John McCain -- no relation to the company -- to boost its image in the United States.

McCain Foods took out a full page ad in USA Today that humorously tied the presumptive Republican nominee to its frozen potato products, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The ad, headlined "Why McCain Should Be In the White House," steers clear of endorsing or even mentioning the Arizona senator and instead lists reasons why consumers should embrace change and choose its spuds rather than settling for ordinary French fries.

The ad will be accompanied by on-the-street performances by comedian-impressionist Frank Caliendo in the McCain-friendly territory of Phoenix, McCain Foods said. Caliendo will be performing in character as John McCain while name-dropping the Canadian company's potatoes.

The performances will be taped and posted to YouTube and other Web sites in an attempt to help raise the profile of the company in its neighbor to the south.

Baggy pants trip up fleeing suspect

ATLANTA, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- An Atlanta man trying to escape from police tripped and fell as he tried to hold his baggy pants up, officers said.

Emmanuel Uzowihe, 21, allegedly pointed a gun at the police officers as he lay on the ground, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He was shot and wounded.

The incident near the Fulton County Courthouse began when police tried to pull Uzowihe over because of a traffic violation. He allegedly stopped his white Toyota sedan but jumped out and ran away.

Anthony Gentile, a police investigator, said an officer followed Uzowihe, ordering him several times to stop.

Darrell Jackson said he saw Uzowihe run past, cursing. Other witnesses and police said Uzowihe already allegedly had his gun out while he was running.

"He was running pretty fast," Jackson said. "The only thing that messed him up is he was trying to pull his pants up."

Chicago commuter trains cut back restrooms

CHICAGO, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Operators of the Chicago area's Metra commuter trains have announced they are reducing the number of bathrooms on the trains to make room for more seats.

Metra officials said they decided to scale back on restrooms from appearing in about 60 percent of passenger cars to about 50 percent after experiencing a third consecutive year of record ridership and failing to find money in the budget to buy more passenger cars, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The officials said every alternating passenger car should have a lavatory after the changes are implemented so those needing to use the facilities won't have to walk any further than "a car length" to empty their bladders and bowels.

"Frankly, I have the feeling the customer will hardly notice the difference," Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano told the Tribune. "What they are going to notice, though, is they they'll eventually have a heck of a lot more seats."

Officials estimated the added seats will generate $7.5 million in fares each year and save about $2 million annually in maintenance and cleaning costs for the nixed lavatories, the Tribune said.