Brazil man appears at own funeral

A 59-year-old Brazilian man has surprised his family by turning up at his own funeral, local media report. Relatives of Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a bricklayer, had identified him as the victim of a car crash in southern Parana state the previous day. Police told O Globo newspaper that relatives had trouble identifying the corpse because it was badly disfigured. It emerged that Mr Goncalves had spent the night drinking a rum-like liquor called "pinga" with his friends. He did not get word of his funeral until it was already happening on Monday morning, his niece Rosa Sampaio said. She said some family members - including herself and the man's mother - had doubts, but an aunt and four friends had positively identified the body. "What were we to do? We went ahead with the funeral," she told O Globo. A police spokesman welcomed the happy ending: "Before long, the walking dead appeared at the funeral. It was a relief," the unnamed officer told the paper. The body was correctly identified later, he said, and buried in another state.

Brazilian Wax Ban? NJ Considers It After Two Women Are Injured

In this June 21, 2002 file photo, visitors and residents spend the day on the beach in Belmar, N.J., on this first day of summer. New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing. The state Cosmetology and Hairstyling Board is moving toward a ban on genital waxing altogether after two women reported being injured. Both women were hospitalized for infections following so-called "Brazilian" waxes. The board will decide on April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Brian Branch-Price)

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing. The state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling is moving toward a ban on genital waxing after two women reported being injured in their quest for a smooth bikini line.
Both women were hospitalized for infections following so-called "Brazilian" bikini waxes; one of the women has filed a lawsuit, according to Jeff Lamm, a spokesman for New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the cosmetology board.
Technically, genital waxing has never been allowed _ only the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted _ but because bare-it-all "Brazilians" weren't specifically banned, state regulators haven't enforced the law.
"The genital area is not part of the abdomen or legs as some might assume," Lamm said.
Officials with the National Cosmetology Association and National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology said they were unaware of another state that has banned genital waxing.
Regular bikini waxes would still be allowed.
Genital waxing can be dangerous in that the hot wax can irritate or tear delicate skin in the bikini area, resulting in infections, ingrown hairs and rashes, according to skin care experts.
Despite such risks, millions of American women _ and some men _ choose to have the hair down there ripped away, and a majority of salons in New Jersey offer the procedure for between $50 to $60.
The state Board of Cosmetology meets next on April 14 and will decide whether to move forward with banning the procedure, made popular in Brazil to accommodate skimpy thong bikinis.
The earliest the ban could take effect would be sometime in May, Lamm said, and salons that continue to perform it could be fined.
For salon owners, discontinuing the popular service could mean a substantial drop in business, especially as summer swimsuit season nears.
Spa owner Linda Orsuto, who owns 800 West Salon & Spa in Cherry Hill, estimates that most of 1,800 bikini waxes performed at her business last year were Brazilian-style.
"It's huge," she said, adding that her customers don't think their bikini lines are anyone's business but their own. "It's just not right."
She said many customers would likely travel across state lines to get it and some might even try to wax themselves.