December 31, 2009

Contest winner can blow up stadium: IRVING, Texas - Some lucky contest winner is going to get to blow up Texas Stadium.

The City of Irving and Kraft Foods provided details Thursday of their sponsorship deal for the building's implosion - including a national essay contest with the winner getting to pull the trigger that finishes off the iconic stadium....full story from CNews

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No New Year's toasts in sauna, Russians urged: MOSCOW - Russia has urged revellers celebrating the New Year in saunas Thursday night to refrain from popping open the champagne until they have left the steam houses, warning it could prove fatal.

"I would like to make the following recommendation: drink after being in the sauna, not when inside," Interfax news agency quoted Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying on New Year's Eve....full story from Reuters UK

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Artist buys house to watch it fall in sea: Kane Cunningham paid for the house which was worth over £160,000 two years ago on his credit card.

The house in Scarborough, Yorks, is just a few feet from the edge of the ongoing landslip and could fall into the sea at any time.

Mr Cunningham, who is head of the BA Fine Art degree course at Yorkshire Coast College's Westwood campus, now plans to rig the house with cameras and film the sunrise before the house falls....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Teenager fined for 'dancing like Michael Jackson' on police van: STROUD, Gloucester UK - Benjamin Webb, 18, stood in front of the police riot van and then climbed on top when officers disembarked to move him out of the way.

The court heard he then danced on the roof "like Michael Jackson" with many of his moves involving "pelvic thrusting".

His drunken performance dented the roof of the vehicle and he snapped a windscreen wiper clean off when he slid down the front window to dismount....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 30, 2009

Russia may send spacecraft to knock away asteroid: MOSCOW – Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.

Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project.

When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated its chances of smashing into Earth in its first flyby, in 2029, at 1-in-37....full story from Yahoo News

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Women think fitting into old jeans is 'better than sex': More than a quarter of British women believe fitting into an old pair of jeans again would feel better than sex, according to research.

More than a third (35 per cent) of those surveyed admitted owning a pair of ''trophy'' jeans they used to fit into and kept in the hope they would slim down enough to wear.

Asked how managing to put them back on would feel, 29.1 per cent said it would be better than sex, 28.9 per cent thought it would beat a promotion, 20.6 per cent believed it would top a best friend's wedding....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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'Dead' mother and baby revived after Christmas Eve birth: A woman has apparently come back to life after "dying" during childbirth while her newborn son was also miraculously revived by doctors.

Tracy Hermanstorfer went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing during labour, said Dr. Stephanie Martin, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"She had no signs of life. No heartbeat, no blood pressure, she wasn't breathing," said Dr Martin. "The baby was, it was basically limp, with a very slow heart rate."....full story w/pic from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 29, 2009

Facebook, Twitter top list of weird stories in 2009: BERLIN - From the German town that unwittingly advertised pornography on its website to the American who interrupted his wedding to update his Facebook and Twitter accounts, the world was full of weird stories in 2009.

"Standing at the alter with @TracyPage where just a second ago she became my wife! Gotta go, time to kiss the bride" is how Dana Hanna kept the world posted between "I do" and that kiss.

Cartoon character Marge Simpson made it on the cover of Playboy magazine, two White House gate-crashers celebrated their triumph on Facebook, and the world was fooled into believing a 6-year-old boy was caught in a runaway home-made helium balloon....full story from Reuters UK

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Push to bring Santa's bones home: A Turkish archaeologist is calling for the return of the bones of Saint Nicholas to their original resting place on the Turkish Mediterranean coast.

Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus, was buried in Myra in Turkey, but his bones were taken to Italy in the Middle Ages.

After his death he was canonised as Saint Nicolas and venerated in much of the Christian world, but after Myra was occupied by Arab forces in the 11th century, Italian sailors took his bones to the port of Bari, where they are interred today....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Reno couple stranded 3 days after GPS leads them into snow drifts: John Rhoads, 65, and his wife, Starry Bush-Rhoads, 67, became stranded on Christmas Day as they drove from Portland, Oregon, to their home in Reno, Nevada.

The couple followed their GPS as it directed them south on US Highway 97 to Oregon Highway 31, which goes through Silver Lake and Lakeview before connecting with US Highway 395 to Reno, Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said.

In the town of Silver Lake, the navigation system told them to turn right on Forest Service Road 28, and they followed that and some spur roads nearly 35 miles before getting stuck in about 1½ feet of snow near Thompson Reservoir, the sheriff said....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 28, 2009

Homeless man charged with stealing and crashing plane: A homeless man tried to flee a Maryland town in a stolen plane but crashed the single-engine aircraft on a municipal airport runway before he ever left the ground, police said.

Calvin Cox, 51, was due in court on Monday to face charges of felony theft, burglary and trespassing.

Lt. Clark Pennington said a Frederick County Sheriff's Office canine team found Mr Cox in the woods near the airport after an airport worker reported the crash of the Piper Super Cub at about 2:15 am on Monday....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Golf courses becoming cluttered with memorial seats: They are intended to serve as a long-standing reminder of a golfer's love of the game and their favourite spot on their most cherished course.

But golf courses are becoming increasingly cluttered with memorial seats for deceased members, leading to complaints from players about access around greens and problems taking shots on the fairway.

The seats are becoming so common that some course managers are trying to persuade relatives wanting to purchase a seat to sponsor trees on courses instead....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 27, 2009

Aussie plays real-life Santa: An Australian man has embraced the spirit of the season, taking on the role of a real-life Santa and giving away his possessions as gifts for the second Christmas in a row.

Last Christmas, Dennis Stevenson opened his home and gave away all his belongings. This year, he opened a makeshift shop in the Gold Coast in Queensland to again distribute seasonal cheer and invited others to donate as well....full story from Stuff.co.nz

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Hundreds get dirty for Maldon Mud Race: About 250 people braved the cold and stinking mud in Essex [UK] for one of the world's dirtiest sporting events.

Thousands of people watched the annual mud race at Maldon which challenges runners to race across the mouth of the River Blackwater at low tide....full story w/pic from the BBC

December 26, 2009

Italian toy store opens at 4 a.m. to help frantic mother: ROME (Reuters) - An Italian toy store opened at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning to help a frantic mother whose gifts for her children had been stolen from a basement.

After putting her two toddlers to bed on Christmas Eve, the mother went down to the basement storage room of the apartment block in northern Italy where she had hidden them, only to find that they had been stolen, according to Italian media reports....full story from Reuters UK

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The Robin Hood of Las Vegas: Robin Hood of Las Vegas takes from the rich casinos to give to the poor.

When Kurt and Megan Kegler's phone rang at their mobile home outside Detroit, the future looked grim.

But when they heard what the caller had to say, they broke down in tears, hardly able to believe their ears. He was a mysterious, high-rolling Las Vegas gambler who had been choosing needy families to give them his winnings....full story w/pic from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Brits brave weather for Christmas dip: The traditional British Christmas: a cosy fire, turkey, mince pies and sherry. Or, for some brave souls, stripping off in the bitter winter chill and charging headlong into the sea.

In Brighton on the southern English coast and at Porthcawl on the south Wales shore, hundreds of people, some in fancy dress, joined in the annual festive dips, to the bemusement of onlookers....full story from ABC News (AU)

December 25, 2009

Reindeer poop 'gems' raise $20K for zoo: BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - An Illinois zoo said its second annual fundraiser involving jewelry made from reindeer droppings raised $20,884 during the holiday season.

Susie Ohley, spokeswoman for the Miller Park Zoological Society in Bloomington, said the season's last two Christmas ornaments made from reindeer dung "gems" were sold Sunday, bringing the total from sales of ornaments and necklaces this year to more than four times the $5,000 total from 2008....full story from UPI

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Donkeys escape from live nativity scene VAIL, Colo. - A living nativity scene in near the Colorado ski resort of Vail almost had to go without two crucial actors when two donkeys escaped.

The nativity scene is an annual tradition for Eagle River Presbyterian Church in the Vail Valley. Pastor Rob Wilson says two borrowed donkeys were being held in a fenced-in pen for the event Wednesday night, but the animals pushed their way through it....full story from The New York Times

December 24, 2009

Squirrels eat town's Christmas lights - except the red ones: GREY squirrels are ruining Christmas in the US state of New Jersey by eating all the festive lights.

Well, not all of them - the red ones seem to be off-limits.

Officials in the town of Fredericton say the rodents have developed a taste for the lights that decorate their downtown Christmas tree and have implemented several measures to deter them without much success....full story from NEWS.com.au

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Traffic stop yields marijuana gifts: JOPLIN, Mo. - Some people won't be getting the Christmas presents they were expecting.

Police seized about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of marijuana from a car this week - some of it in luggage, and some in boxes wrapped as Christmas gifts....read more from CNews

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Man finds entire apartment wrapped: CHICAGO - A Chicago man could be unwrapping the hundreds of Christmas gifts spread around his apartment for days, even weeks.

Trouble is, they aren’t really presents. They’re his own belongings meticulously wrapped by friends as a prank while he was out of town....full story from CNews

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Queensland's most-remote Christmas party: Four Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) staff will celebrate Christmas on Queensland's most-remote occupied island tomorrow.

Three observers and a technician are on Willis Island more than 400 kilometres east of Cairns, in the Coral Sea off the coast of far north Queensland [Australia].

BOM observer Jenny Feast says it will be a routine working day spiced up with some festive activities....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Obese skunk diets after getting fat on bacon sandwiches: Mr Bumble has lost 4.4lb (2kg) on a gruelling weight loss regime involving eating more healthily and taking regular exercise.

The two-year-old skunk was given to Tropiquaria Zoo at Washford Cross, Somerset [UK], in September.

His previous owners could no longer care for him and handed him over to the RSPCA but admitted that they had fed him bacon sandwiches....full story w/pic from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 23, 2009

NZ policewoman allows naked cycling - with helmet: Two young men caught cycling with no clothes on have escaped charges of offensive behaviour, but received a warning to wear protective headgear.

Local policewoman Cathy Duder was unfazed when she came across the two nude men, both in their early 20s.

"They were more shocked than I was, trying to cover up their bits and pieces with their hands," she said....full story from the BBC

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Armed Santa Claus robs US bank: According to Metropolitan Nashville Police, a man wearing a Santa Claus suit - including hat, beard and moustache and dark sunglasses - robbed a SunTrust Bank, demanding money from a member of staff at gunpoint.

After the teller handed over the cash, the man fled in a grey car....full story w/pic from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Swedish Christmas goat burned down for 24th time: A Christmas goat made of straw has been burned down by vandals in a Swedish city in what has become a yuletide tradition.

Gävle city spokeswoman Anna Ostman said someone set fire to the 43ft figure around 3am and only a charred wooden skeleton remained....full story w/pic from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 22, 2009

Man with knife in chest orders coffee: WARREN, Mich. - Police in Michigan said a man with a 5-inch knife lodged in his chest walked into a restaurant, called 911, ordered coffee and sat down to wait for paramedics.

Warren police said the 52-year-old man told the 911 operator he had been stabbed in Warren and walked half a mile to Bray's Hamburgers in Hazel Park to use the telephone, WDIV-TV, Detroit, reported Tuesday....full story from UPI

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Monkey to be sent to Mars: A monkey may be sent to Mars, under plans unveiled by Russian scientists.

Although the ape will be looked after by a robot on the mission, the decision is expected to spark controversy with animal rights groups.

The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Driverless car stuns police: A moving car – but no driver – and a woman driving on the wrong side of the road were among the pre-Christmas surprises for Christchurch [New Zealand] police.

Road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said officers at a checkpoint early on Sunday were surprised to see a vehicle coming towards them with no-one in the driver's seat.

"It appears the male driver had seen police and jumped into the rear seat, while his female front-seat passenger tried to get hold of the wheel," he said....full story from The Press (NZ)

December 21, 2009

Christmas is here: quilted loo [toilet] paper sales jump: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? No, the true sign Christmas has arrived is quilted lavatory paper stocked in the bathroom.

According to supermarkets, sales of premium lavatory paper increase substantially in December as families try to impress their in-laws, parents and other guests they will welcome into their home this Christmas....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Mobile phone thief caught after answering call: A mobile phone thief was caught after he answered a call and gave the his victim his name and address, a court has heard.

At Lincoln Crown Court Gamblin, a former England under-16 billiard champion, from Lincoln, Lincolnshire [UK], denied the robbery, claiming he was at his sister's house.

But a jury took just 25 minutes to convict him....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 20, 2009

Black belt Putin offers to join Russian judo team: MOSCOW - Black belted Russian leader Vladimir Putin has offered to join the national judo team after showing off his martial arts skills to members of the squad.

The 57-year-old prime minister made the proposal at a special coaching session on Saturday aired on state television, adding to his carefully-crafted macho image....full story from Reuters UK

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Council apologises for 'illiterate binmen': One thousand homes in Oxon [UK] were left without bins for a month-and-a-half because drivers were unable to read addresses and street maps.

The slip-up emerged after an official report was released from waste contractors Verdant, who were contracted by South Oxfordshire district council in June....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

December 19, 2009

Hip-hop Christmas rap is unexpected web hit: DJ BC – also known as Bob Cronin of New England – has created the tune in time for Christmas, getting local rapper Black Element to add some lyrics to his remix of the Big D and the Kid's Table hit A Wicked Hip-Hop Christmas.

The video, directed by one Craig Shannon of Imagavision films, shows DJ BC and Black Element at a Christmas party. To viewers of a certain age, it is strongly reminiscent of an out-take from a Fresh Prince of Bel Air Christmas Special....full story w/video from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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'Christmas Pete' makes another donation: EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A long-running story of holiday goodwill has resumed in Evansville, Ind., where "Christmas Pete" has made another mysterious donation, officials say.

Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center spokeswoman Pam Kirk told CNN Friday she received another in a series of yearly Christmas season calls from an anonymous donor known only as "Christmas Pete," who told her to look between a pine tree and some Dumpsters on the facility's grounds.

There she found a miniature, tin Christmas tree with 30 $100 bills attached, the U.S. broadcaster said....full story from UPI

December 18, 2009

Drunk 4-year-old boy steals neighbour's Christmas presents: Hayden Wright was found wandering his neighborhood in Chatanooga, Tennessee in the middle of the night with a beer in his hand. He was wearing a little girl's dress taken from under his neighbor's tree.

His mother April Wright, 21, woke at 1.45am. and realised he was missing....full story from The Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Happy Christmas honey - here's a divorce voucher: LONDON - Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Is your marriage or a friend's going through a rocky patch? How about a divorce voucher?

In an unusual take on the season of giving, a London law firm is offering Christmas gift vouchers for divorce advice....full story from Reuters UK

December 17, 2009

Bookies take bets on Woods divorce settlement: LONDON - If Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife get divorced, Elin Nordegren won't be the only one collecting on the settlement.

British bookmaker William Hill is taking bets on just how much Nordegren will get if she decides to divorce the world's No. 1 golfer, who is taking an indefinite break from the sport after admitting to infidelities....full story from CNews

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Mary and Joseph poster sparks unholy row: A New Zealand church has sparked controversy by putting up a billboard featuring Mary and Joseph in bed.

St Matthews is a progressive Christian Church in the heart of Auckland and its Vicar Glynn Cardy wants people to discuss God.

Outside the church is a biblical bed scene; an unsatisfied Mary looking up to the heavens and Joseph in bed beside her looking deflated....full story w/pic from ABC News (AU)

December 16, 2009

NZ gal's Bulgarian airbags halt traffic: A New Zealand teenager whose mates dared her to flash her chesticles at passing motorists brought traffic to a standstill when an appreciative driver ran her over, the Southland Times reports.

Cherelle May Dudfield, 18, stood in the middle of an Invercargill road with her assets exposed on 27 September. This turned out to be ill-advised, and despite her attempts to evade an oncoming vehicle, she "rolled over the bonnet, cracking the windscreen"....full story from The Register

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Library book returned 99-years overdue: NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - The book returned to the New Bedford Public Library in Massachusetts this week wasn't overdue by a week, a month or even a year. It was nearly a century overdue, and the fine came to $361.35.

"Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country" was supposed to have been returned by May 10, 1910....full story from CNews

December 15, 2009

'Tis the season to be giving ... to yourself: It's that time of year again: Shops. Crowds. Christmas carols. Presents. Spend. Spend. Spend.

You know the drill - In just over a week it will be December 25 and come Christmas morning, your friends and family will be waiting with anticipation to have gifts lavished upon them.

It's always an expensive time of year and recent research by the Westpac-Melbourne Institute found that many people will be cutting back on how much they spend on presents....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Brothers draw weapons over dispute about a stove: LONDON -- A dispute over a stove between two brothers has resulted in criminal charges in Grey County.

Ontario Provincial Police say a family member called a mediator on Sunday night to talk to two brothers on a farm in Southgate, south of Owen Sound. The brothers were having a dispute over the operation of the household appliance....full story from CNews

December 14, 2009

2 women plead guilty in penis-gluing case: CHILTON, Wis. — Two women accused of seeking revenge on a cheating lover by gluing his penis to his stomach have reached plea deals.

Forty-eight-year-old Therese Ziemann, was accused of doing the actual gluing. She pleaded no contest Monday to reduced charges of disorderly conduct and misdemeanour battery....full story from CNews

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German shoppers slug it out with salami: A couple of German shoppers ended up in hospital last Saturday after an argument over a trolley ended in a full-blown scrap involving fists, a salami and a fearsome 4lb wedge of parmesan used as an improvised dagger.

The action kicked off in an Aachen supermarket, as a 74-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman disputed possession of the vehicle. According to the Telegraph, when the old timer "wrestled the cart from the hands of his rival", her 24-year-old bruv weighed in and decked the pensioner with one punch....full story from The Register

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Pigs potty-trained to curb pollution: Farmers in southern Taiwan have started to potty-train their pigs in response to a planned water pollution fee, breeders and officials say.

To keep their livestock from defecating into nearby rivers, a growing number of farms have established special toilets smeared with faeces and urine to attract the pigs - and farmers say the results have been very encouraging....read more from ABC News (AU)

December 13, 2009

Santas get drunk, run amok: WINNIPEG - Who wants a Ho-Ho-Hoegaarden?

Yesterday evening dozens of people strapped on their Santa Claus suits and headed off to numerous nightclubs in the name of the holiday season.

For the eighth straight year, the social gathering known as Santacon fired up the sleigh and set a course for downtown Winnipeg. Adam Dudek, who helped organize this year's event, explains why....full story from CNews

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Woman smuggles monkey meat: NEW YORK - A Liberian woman who was caught smuggling monkey meat through customs has been sentenced to probation.

Mamie Manneh was arrested in 2006 after agents seized a shipment of dozens of primate parts hidden in a batch of smoked fish....full story from CNews

December 12, 2009

El Reg uncovers Tiger Woods tech angle: We at The Register would like to take a moment to formally denounce the media's despicable smear job of US golfer Tiger Woods over malicious and unproven claims that he cheated on his wife with — at last count — every single able-bodied cocktail waitress living in the Northern Hemisphere today.

What right does does the media have to drag Woods' near-spotless public reputation through the mud? And what right does the public have to humiliate this sterling golfer and prince of sport over deeply private "transgressions" that occur millions of times a day to non-celebrities....full story from The Register

December 11, 2009

The office Christmas party: dos and don'ts: It's a bar tab at the boss's expense - what could go wrong?

Quite a bit, according to body language and relationship consultant Estelle Pollard.

The number one mistake most people make is to drink too much....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Stolen totem pole found 200 miles away: SEATTLE - Police say an 18-foot-tall totem pole stolen from a West Seattle park has been found about 200 miles away in Oregon.

The Seattle Times reports a 69-year-old West Seattle man led investigators to the pole. Police say he apparently had a crew with a crane help move the totem, but it’s unclear if the crew knew the man didn’t have permission to take the landmark....full story from CNews

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'Fake witch' to face court on Christmas Eve: A Canadian woman is to appear in court on Christmas Eve for posing as a witch in order to defraud a grieving Toronto lawyer, in a case that invokes a century-old law, police said.

Vishwantee Persaud was charged under a rarely used section of Canada's criminal code for allegedly pretending to practice witchcraft to convince a man that she was the embodied spirit of his deceased sister.

She did so, police say, in order to defraud him of tens of thousands of dollars....full story from ABC News (AU)

December 10, 2009

Samoan MP in outburst balls-up: In a country more at home with colourful shirts than colourful language, a politician has sparked a furore across deeply conservative and religious Samoa by calling the parliamentary speaker a testicle.

The MP, as yet unidentified, upset hundreds of Samoans when he uttered the abuse in the Samoan language live on radio from parliament this week, apparently unaware his microphone was switched on.

In a country with a motto "Samoa is founded on God" and where more than 97 per cent of the population identifies with a religion, the backlash is not surprising....full story from ABC News

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Dutch police investigate alleged ecstasy pill theft: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A man who says he spent two decades collecting Ecstasy pills of all colours and shapes as a hobby has turned to police for help after they were stolen - because he says some of them are poisonous.

Police say the 46-year-old man, who was not identified, decided to report the theft despite the illegal nature of the collection because he was worried about the possible consequences if anybody were to swallow one of the poisoned pills....full story from CNews

December 9, 2009

Contestants take crack at best butt title: The Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival runs Australia's Best Butt Competition every year in April.

But the first heat of the contest is being held in Longreach tonight.

Organiser Margie Ryder says it is not necessarily the smallest or best shape that will win....full story from ABC News

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Prince Charles taps police for loan: Britain's Prince Charles borrowed 3,000 pounds ($5,380) from his protection officers after the royal found himself short of cash and needing to fork out for "travel expenses", reports say.

The heir to the throne repaid the loan to his officers after they stumped up the money, thought to be for flights abroad....full story from ABC News

December 8, 2009

Firefighters rescue boy with tongue stuck to metal: BOISE, Idaho - It's become an annual winter tale: A young boy gets his tongue stuck to a metal pole, perhaps as the result of a dare.

This year, the scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story" unfolded Tuesday morning in Boise with a boy of about 10....full story from CNews

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Surgery fools Japan's fingerprint checks: A Chinese woman arrested in Japan had surgery on her fingers to fool biometric border checks when entering the country.

The 27-year old woman, Lin Ring, who was deported from Japan in 2007, paid for surgery to remove and switch the fingerprints from her left to right hands, and presumably vice versa. Japan uses fingerprint scanners to check travellers entering the country....full story from The Register

December 7, 2009

Sex, swearing in kiddies' Christmas play: Some New Zealand foster children got far more than just Christmas cheer during a theatre outing over the weekend.

About 130 foster children went along to see a performance of An Adagio Christmas put on specially for the young group.

Most of the children in the group were under 10, and some were as young as six....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Cows lick, damage man's house: ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. - A man's homeowners insurance apparently doesn't cover "acts of cow."

Jerry Lynn Davis called the Hawkins County Sheriff's office in Tennessee on Thursday, complaining that a neighbour's cows had been licking his house. In the process, Davis says the curious bovines did about $100 in damage by ripping off a screen window, cracking the glass and pulling down a gutter....full story from CNews

December 6, 2009

Man keeps wife's bones in bed: A Vietnamese man has admitted to sharing a bed with the bones of his late wife for the last five years.

The man told local media that he dug up his wife's body and encased the bones in a wax replica of her....full story from ABC News (AU)

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Cooking a rat lands TV show in hot water: SYDNEY, Australia - Two stars of the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming.

Chef Gino D'Acampo who won the viewer-feedback contest series, and actor Stuart Manning were charged after animal welfare activists lodged a complaint about a segment for the British TV program, which was filmed in Australia, the activists and British media reported Sunday....full story from CNews

December 5, 2009

Plug pulled on UFO hotline: Britain's military has closed a phone hotline which took reports of UFOs.

The phone service and an associated email address have been taken offline, with the Ministry of Defence saying that more than 50 years of UFO sightings have not revealed any evidence of alien life, or threats to the UK....full story from ABC News (AU)

December 4, 2009

Georgia cops cuff terrorist elf: Georgia cops earlier this week cuffed a man in an elf suit on the not unreasonable grounds that he told a shopping mall Santa he was packing dynamite.

William C Caldwell III, 45, reportedly "got in line Wednesday evening to get his picture taken with Santa Claus" at the Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta. When he finally got to the front of the queue, he informed Saint Nick he was carrying explosives, prompting an evacuation of the area....full story from The Register

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Pig plague alert: Avoid missionary position: Cosmpolitan has done its bit to fight the terrifying advance of the H1N1 pig plague by advising its readers to avoid the missionary position during sex and instead adopt the reverse cowgirl.

According to the handy guide (spotted by Gawker, which has a grab here) explaining how not to die as a result of human contact, gals should mount their partner from above, facing his feet, because "the farther apart your mouths and noses are, the less likely you'll be to breathe in viral particles"....full story from The Register

December 3, 2009

Irish pilgrims blinded by the light: Catholic pilgrims have suffered eye damage after staring at the sun in the hope of witnessing an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

On one occasion in October, around 10,000 people gathered at the Knock shrine in north-west Ireland hoping to see Mary, despite pleas from an archbishop to ignore invitations to the event by a self-proclaimed spiritual healer.

Some of those present said they had seen Mary, venerated by Christians as the mother of Jesus, and attributed her presence to the sun suddenly breaking through the clouds, changing colour, appearing to come closer or spinning in the sky....full story from ABC News

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Groom beaten in parking lot by ex-wife: LIMA, Peru - Edwin Ortiz was just about to utter "I do," but the mother of his two children and her relatives had a different message: "Oh, no you don't."

One moment, the 27-year-old Peruvian was sitting happily in a large wedding hall with 17 other couples, declaring his love for his wife-to-be to TV cameramen in the southern town of Miraflores....full story from CNews

December 2, 2009

Sex with Taoist truck driver leaves woman fully satisfied: The Hong Kong truck driver who persuaded an aspiring model he was a Taoist Mao Shan master, with the power to grant her career success in return for sex, really was able to boost his clients' careers, according to a satisfied customer.

Au Yeung Kwok-fu, 55, is in court on nine counts of "procuring unlawful sexual acts by false pretences" after he had his evil way with the 19-year-old wannabe clotheshorse between April and December 2007. The only reported result of the guru's attentions was an unwanted pregnancy, which the aspiring mannequin subsequently aborted....full story from The Register

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Space alien search costs man his job: MESA, Ariz. - A former Arizona school district employee is accused of using school computers in an experiment to find space aliens, costing the worker his job and the district more than $1 million.

Schools officials say Brad Niesluchowski, who was Higley Unified School District's information technology director, downloaded free software on district computers in 2000....full story from CNews

December 1, 2009

Space firm to send Christmas Day tweets to dead people: Bereaved Brits desperate to send a message to their departed loved ones this Christmas could instead simply alert hostile aliens to our tenuous Earthly existence.

The Bereavement Register - a useful service to help bereaved families avoid being deluged with junk mail and cold calls targeted at their dead relatives - is offering the chance to beam into space "a personal message in remembrance of someone who has died".

The Bereavement Register will forward the messages to "Our broadcast service provider, Deep Space Communications Network (DSCN)....full story from The Register

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Cowboy motorist rounds up cows on highway: SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Two cows escaped from a trailer onto a busy Massachusetts highway, but a cowboy stuck in the traffic jam came to the rescue.

State police say a man wearing a Western hat and boots lassoed the 500-pound (225-kilogram) heifers Tuesday morning as they wandered on Interstate 91 South in Springfield, one of the state's biggest cities....full story from CNews

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