Abracadabra! Dutch court fines magician over act
A magician has been fined euro12,205 ($16,725) by a Dutch court for putting a rival's trick up his sleeve and trying to pass it off as his own.
Hans Klok was sued for copyright infringement over a routine in which he fights with a stubborn butler, first apparently reaching through his body to grab a glass of water off a tray, then smacking off his head momentarily.
Magician Rafael van Herck, Klok's former sidekick, said he developed the bit and took the case to court.
Klok argued the tricks are no secret in Las Vegas - one was even used by Siegfried & Roy. But the court ruled Van Herck's combination is unique.
Klok, whose long blond hair is constantly swept by a wind that seems to arise from nowhere, said he will reshuffle his act after Wednesday's ruling.
Number one priority for some Korean mums is "111111"
Expecting mothers in South Korea have inundated hospitals with requests for a Caesarean section delivery on November 11 to secure the unique life-long identity number of "111111" for their children, media reported on Wednesday.
The Korean Resident Registration Number, an identification number for all residents in Korea, is composed of 13 numbers with the first six numbers corresponding to the date of birth.
The number of appointments for c-section births on November 11 was 20 percent higher this year than previous years. Expecting mothers who are due even a week after the date have scheduled to give birth on November 11, Seoul Newspaper said.
"There's always people with due dates in January who want to deliver on the first of the month, but this seems more unusual -- trying to set delivery so they can have the ID number 111111," a staffer at a maternity clinic was quoted as saying.
November 11 is known as Pepero Day, or Sweetest Day, in South Korea and is similar to Valentine's Day. It was named after the Korean snack Pepero, because the date 11/11 resembles five sticks of Pepero.