What Caught My Eye Today - Japan, Iran, Barbie

Fred's Note: Even by my standards, these stories take "bizarre" to a whole new level.

Japan - A Japanese company has designed a Bluetooth-enabled bra that can only be unhooked when sensors built into the bra detect "true love." This should be good. The sensors measure a woman's heart rate and detect the presence of a group of hormones called catecholamines, which the designers claim are only secreted when you are in love. That's what they claim.  So here's the deal my friends. Catecholamines are a class of amino acids that all human possess. You are probably familiar with the most abundant catecholamine, better known as adrenaline. Besides, "true love" is it possible (yes) that any other emotion (lust) or action (sex) could trigger the release of adrenaline? The bra sends the data to a phone app, which calculates a "True Love Rate;" only if the rating is high enough can the bra be unlocked. I'm all for the advancement of technology but this seems a bit extreme. Ladies, let's say you have found that "true love" with that some one special but you happen to be in a dead zone. Sorry, "true love" will just have to wait until you get some bars.  And gentlemen, let's be honest, shall we?  It's hard enough to figure out those clasps already. Do we really need a phone app to complicate matters even further?

Iran - Players in Iran's burgeoning professional women's football league will now be subjected to mandatory gender tests, after it has been revealed that four national team players were found guilty of not being women. Trying not to laugh...failing miserable. I kid you not, this is a legitimate story. The country's football governing body is bringing in the random checks after it was revealed that several leading players - including four in the national women's team - were either men who had not completed sex change operations, or were suffering from sexual development disorders. Still laughing.  Furthermore, clubs will now be obliged to perform gender tests before signing new players to contracts. Show of hands, please. Who wants to apply for the job of administering that test? Those unable to prove they are female would be barred from taking part in the league "until they underwent medical treatment." So far, a total of seven players have been barred from the league after failing gender tests. Clearly, I grew up in a simpler time when boys had boy parts and girls had girl parts. When we needed a reminder of what parts we had, all we needed to do was take a peek downstairs. 

Barbie - Barbie, the doll made by Mattel, will appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 50th anniversary issue alongside supermodels like Christie Brinkley and Brooklyn Decker. Umm...why? The 55-year old doll has faced scrutiny for everything from her chiseled facial features and disproportionately small waist to her "life choices." Life choices? Barbie is a piece of plastic made in China. She's not real, dude. Mattel has tried to change Barbie with the times. The doll has gone through several reinventions, including 150 careers, from architect to lifeguard, and a brief publicity-stunt breakup with her boyfriend Ken. Okay, maybe it bears repeating. Barbie is a toy, not a person. This latest move comes as Mattel tries to revive interest in the doll icon. Barbie is worth an estimated $1.3 billion in sales for the toy-maker and she's the No. 1 toy brand. Sports Illustrated said Barbie fits in with the swimsuit issues' "message of empowerment" for women. Yeah, I'm not getting that vibe.  I'm thinking if I'm an actual model (you know, the human kind), sharing a layout with a doll is sort of demeaning. Luckily, I read Sports Illustrated for the articles.