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Swedes shipped car to Detroit for parade

DETROIT, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Two car lovers said they shipped a 1968 Corvette from Sweden to Detroit so they could drive it in the Woodland Dream Cruise parade.

Sven-Erik Mattsson and Kenneth Rooslund said they had Mattsson's Corvette shipped so they could participate in the Saturday parade of classic cars on Woodward Avenue from the city of Pontiac to the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

"It's the biggest dream in the world to drive your own car on Woodward Avenue," Mattsson said. "I spent four years and 2,000 hours working on the car. I couldn't have imagined I'd ever get to drive it on Woodward."

The men were also part of a group of Corvette owners treated to a tour of General Motors' Heritage Center, which is not normally open to the public.

"I'd tried to get in six or seven times before but I couldn't," Rooslund said. "It's amazing to see the concept cars GM built in the '50s and '60s."

English changes reflected in 'chillax'

BANGOR, Wales, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A Welsh linguistics professor's list of 100 words representing changes to the English language included "Watergate," "chillax," "LOL" and "dude."

David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, said the words he chose for his list represent changes made to the English language since medieval times, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Crystal's list includes "mead," "street" and "lea" to represent the Anglo Saxon period and "pork," "royal" and "dame" for the medieval period.

The period between Shakespeare and the King James Bible is represented by "alphabet," "dialect," "shibboleth" and "potato."

The professor represented the modern age with "Watergate," referencing the scandal that ended U.S. President Richard Nixon's presidency; text messaging abbreviation "LOL;" slang term "dude;" and "chillax," a combination of the words "chill" and "relax."

Weather forecasters apologize for rain

LONDON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Weather forecasters for the BBC have apologized to the public for predicting sunshine when showers fell across southeastern England.

The forecasters apologized for predicting sunshine during the weekend despite computer models from the Met Office correctly predicting rains in the region, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"There are thunderstorms there which were not represented in our forecasts over the past couple of days or so," weather forecaster Philip Avery said. "I have to say we can't even blame the computers, the computers actually wanted to put those thunderstorms in there but forecasters thought that it wasn't supported by enough evidence and so we went for the dry, hot option. Having said that, apologies to anyone who has had their next few hours ruined."

Russian officials ban sex-doll race

PRIOZERSKY, Russia, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Organizers of a Russian river race involving inflatable sex dolls said authorities have forced them to cancel the event.

The organizers said officials in the Priozersky municipality told them the Bubble Baba Challenge-2012, which involves competitors floating down a river on blow-up dolls, would not be allowed due to high waters and road work on a bridge over the Vuoksa River, RIA Novosti reported Monday.

The organizers said on the race's Web site they suspect the decision may be linked to recent government crackdown on opposition-related events.

"There is a suspicion that at a time of rising opposition sentiment in society, the authorities will be fighting any mass events this way," they wrote.