October 30, 2007

Dog Shoots Man On Hunting Trip In Iowa: A man has been shot by his dog while on a hunting trip in the United States.

James Harris, 37, was hit in the leg after one of his dogs stepped on his gun.

He had put the shotgun on the ground in order to retrieve a pheasant that had just been shot....full story from Sky News
-Thanks Sasch

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Sleeping Man Dressed as Zombie Mistaken for Corpse on Train in Germany: A drunken Halloween reveller in Germany found his costume was a little too realistic when he fell asleep on a train and was mistaken for a corpse.

Fellow passengers thought the man, who was dressed as a gore-covered zombie, had been murdered and called the police....full story from Fox News

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US Navy bombs Virginia warehouse: The Navy said a small, inert training bomb fell Tuesday from an F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet that was heading to Oceana Naval Air Station. No one was hurt.

The Navy said in a statement that the bomb hit a wall adjacent to a warehouse in the resort city of Virginia Beach. Minimal damage was reported....full story from Fox News

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Scientists find oldest living animal, then kill it: British marine biologists have found what may be the oldest living animal - that is, until they killed it.

The team from Bangor University in Wales was dredging the waters north of Iceland as part of routine research when the unfortunate specimen, belonging to the clam species Arctica islandica, commonly known as the ocean quahog, was hauled up from waters 250 feet deep....full story from Fox News

October 29, 2007

Dad: Strip club bilked son of $53,000:A father wants investigators to pursue fraud and larceny charges against a Florida panhandle strip club after his son ran up a $53,000 bill in a single night while celebrating his college graduation.

The 52 year-old father, of Mary Esther, Forida, told investigators Club 10 employees took advantage of his 24-year-old son, Tommy. His son was at the club Aug. 18 to celebrate his graduation from Georgia Tech....full story from The Miami Herlad

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Indonesian president launches music album: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has released his first music album, a collection of love ballads and religious songs he wrote, state media said on Monday.

The album, entitled "My Longing for You", contains 10 songs written by Yudhoyono after he became president in 2004 and features some of the country's popular singers, Antara news agency said....full story from Reuters UK

October 28, 2007

How to get unhitched in Vienna: The Austrian capital hosts what's billed as the world's first fair focusing on all matters relating to divorce.

According to statisticians, 50 per cent of Austrian marriages end in divorce:

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Captain Underpants ruins Halloween on Long Island: Call it the Misadventure of Captain Underpants and the Peeved Principal.

A suburban Long Island, New York, high school has banned all Halloween costumes after three senior girls showed up last year dressed as the underwear-baring subject of a series of best-selling children's books....full story from TCV

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Movie sparks rat fad in UK: Rats have become popular pets in Britain thanks to the animated movie, "Ratatouille," about a Paris sewer rat with ambitions to be a great chef.

Pets at Home, a major chain, told the Independent demand for pet rats is up about 50 percent....full story from UPI

October 27, 2007

Dutch protesters make bid to save "magic mushrooms": Protesters turned out on Amsterdam's central Dam Square on Saturday, hoping to stop the government from banning magic mushrooms and asking to "save the 'shrooms".

Carrying banners reading "When will they ban bread?" and "Boss of your own brain", more than 100 people, some wearing hats resembling the bright red cap of the popular fly agaric variety, protested to keep hallucinogenic mushrooms legal....full story from Reuters UK

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Zombie walk could leave you dead tired: Here are three tips to help you survive an encounter with a horde of moaning, groaning flesh-eaters:

- Short hair and tight clothing is helpful because it makes it harder for them to grab you.

- A shovel is often a better weapon than a gun because it never jams or runs out of ammunition....full story from CNews

October 26, 2007

Free booze proviso vetoed in Wisconsin: Wisconsinites can forget about getting free shots of liquor at their local grocery store.

Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed that provision of the new state budget Friday before signing the new two-year spending plan at a ceremony at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's student union....full story from The Miami Herald

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Prison escapee caught 29 years later: A man who escaped from a state prison almost three decades ago while serving time for a robbery charge was caught Thursday, police said.

Michael Hess, 57, was serving a 65-year sentence when he disappeared.

Tampa police found Hess after a tip from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement....full story from The Miami Herald

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Church on wheels: A Church over 700 years old is being moved by truck - to the next town.

The residents of Heuersdorf in eastern Germany have to leave their village to make way for open cast mining:

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That's the spirit: Belief in ghosts high: Those things that go bump in the night? About one-third of people believe they could be ghosts.

And nearly one out of four, 23 percent, say they've actually seen a ghost or felt its presence, finds a pre-Halloween poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos....full story from TCV

October 25, 2007

Australian barmaid fined for crushing beer cans between jubs: An Oz barmaid who splendidly "entertained customers" in a Western Australia hotel by "crushing beer cans between her bare breasts" has been fined A$1,000 dollars (£439) for a breach of the Liquor Control Act.

According to the Telegraph, 31-year-old Luana De Favari admitted flashing her chesticles twice at patrons of the Premier Hotel in Pinjarra, south of Perth. She also coughed to "hanging spoons from her nipples", and off-duty barmaid Tracey Leslie, 43, copped a fine of A$500 (£220) for assisting her in this crowd-pleasing stunt....full story from The Register

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Looking for an excuse? Company has many: Feeling like playing hooky, but nervous about getting caught? The Excused Absence Network has got your back.

For about $25, students and employees can buy excuse notes that appear to come from doctors or hospitals. Other options include a fake jury summons or an authentic-looking funeral service program complete with comforting poems and a list of pallbearers....full story from TCV

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Sex talks to raise Australian miner productivity: Australian coal miners are being taught to explore their wives and understand menopause in order to have a healthy sex life, which in turn will make them happy, productive workers.

The "Toolbox Talks" at the Bulga coal mine in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, have been such a success that the Xstrata mining company is considering running them at other mines....full story from Reuters UK

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Jobs available for condom testers: A U.S. condom maker is looking for volunteers to test the performance of its products and report back with first-hand results.

Durex said 1,000 volunteers will be selected, with one lucky tester receiving a $1,000 cash prize. The rest of the volunteers will receive free condoms and other products, along with the satisfaction of a job well done....full story from UPI

October 24, 2007

Flaming kamikaze squirrel torches car: A New Jersey woman's Toyota Camry last week suffered a sciurine kamikaze attack during which a flaming squirrel fell onto the vehicle, slid into the engine compartment and provoked an explosion which destroyed the parked vehicle, the Jersey Journal reports.

Lindsey Millar, 23, and bruv Tony, 22, were at home in Bayonne last Wednesday lunchtime when the incident occurred. The animal had apparently decided it was a really good move to chew through overhead powerlines directly above the motor, and was duly fried for its trouble....full story from The Register

October 23, 2007

Painting found in NYC trash could fetch up to $1 mln: The treasure that a New York City woman saved from the trash -- a stolen masterpiece by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo -- is expected to go for as much as $1 million at auction next month.

Elizabeth Gibson will get a $15,000 reward for returning "Tres Personajes" ("Three People") to its rightful owners, as well as an undisclosed percentage of the auction price....full story from Reuters UK

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UK gov advisor proposes 'licence to smoke': A government advisor has suggested that the problem of Brits continuing to smoke themselves to death might be tackled by requiring nicotine addicts to obtain a £200 annual licence, the Telegraph reports.

Professor Julian le Grand, a "former advisor to Tony Blair" who is a lecturer in social policy at the London School of Economics and "advises ministers through his chairmanship of Health England", made his proposal this week as a Department of Health report said that while "smoking prevalence is falling among both males and females", far too many of us are popping our clogs as a result of coronary disease and other smoking-related ailments....full story from The Register

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Simple test can catch smokers who fib: A simple device for detecting carbon monoxide in the blood may help doctors get an honest answer out of patients who smoke, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

The device, called a pulse cooximeter, is typically used to test for carbon monoxide levels in firefighters, but it can also detect carbon monoxide levels in people who smoke, offering a powerful tool for educating patients about the effects of smoking....full story from Reuters UK

October 22, 2007

There's JFK and ORD, and then there's SUX: SIOUX CITY, Iowa - City leaders have scrapped plans to do away with the Sioux Gateway Airport's unflattering three-letter identifier -- SUX -- and instead have made it the centerpiece of the airport's new marketing campaign.

The code, used by pilots and airports worldwide and printed on tickets and luggage tags, will be used on T-shirts and caps sporting the airport's new slogan, "FLY SUX." It also forms the address of the airport's redesigned Web site -- http://www.flysux.com....full story from the Chicago Tribune

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A floating Dutchman in DC: A Dutch magician defies gravity and appears to levitate in front of the White House.

Ramana trained in India at the Academy of Magical Sciences and is known for feats challenging conventional notions about the forces of gravity:

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Port-o-potty chemical spill freshens, shuts I-95 in Florida: An overturned dump truck in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 spilled about 100 gallons of port-o-potty chemicals onto the roadway.

It freshened up the highway but also closed it....full story from the Miami Herald

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Malaysian Health Minister advises old folks to take up video games: Malaysian Health Ministry Secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon has advised senior citizens to take up video games as a way to help fend off Alzheimer's disease.

"Senior citizens should engage in mental activities," he said....full story from the New York Post

October 21, 2007

Town hangs onto pumpkin throwing contest: It seemed as though the Morton, Illinois, Punkin' Chuckin' Contest had met its demise last summer but local chucking enthusiasts have managed to save it.

About 4,000 people came to the 11th annual contest at a local farm Saturday, where pumpkins were thrown by contestants, catapults and air cannons, The Peoria Journal Star reported Sunday....full story from UPI

October 20, 2007

Wisconsin city bans archery in Archery Park: The city's Archery Park may need a name change. How about No-Archery Park?

Tom Draper was surprised recently when he found a sign that cited a city ordinance prohibiting bows and arrows.

"Several archers that I've talked to are kind of in disbelief," Draper said, who along with his bowhunting friends have practiced archery at the park for more than 20 years....full story from TCV

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WWII postcard reaches Japanese man: A postcard that a Japanese soldier mailed from a Southeast Asian battlefront during World War II has reached a recipient in Japan 64 years later, a university whose student helped deliver it said Saturday.

Shizuo Nagano, an 80-year-old retiree in Japan's southwestern state of Kochi, received the card Friday - by way of Nagasaki, Arizona and Hawaii - said a statement from Mukogawa Women's University....>full story from TCV

October 19, 2007

Women's panties threaten Burmese Junta: The Burmese military is facing an unexpected threat from female opponents to its regime - a deluge of panties dispatched to the country's embassies in a "culturally insulting gesture of protest" against its recent crackdown on protestors.

According to AP the Panties for Peace initiative is not merely symbolic, since the the group behind the campaign - Lanna Action for Burma - claims "superstitious generals, especially junta leader General Than Shwe... believe that contact with women's underwear saps them of power....full story from The Register

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Police decontaminated after flea attack: Four officers investigating a burglary in South Bend, Indiana, were attacked, not by a fleeing burglar, but a swarm of fleas in a filth-ridden vacant house. The tiny, biting attackers were so overwhelming that the South Bend patrolmen had to be decontaminated and ended up being sent home early from their shifts.

"They were all over the place - in our socks and even in our shorts. It was disgusting," said Cpl. Ken Stuart....full story from TCV

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Australia cemetery trains lifeguard gravediggers: An Australian cemetery is training gravediggers as lifesavers and has installed a defibrillator to jumpstart the hearts of grief-stricken mourners who regularly collapse at funerals.

"A lot of people who die are old, so the people who come to the services are frail and they are vulnerable anyway, and the additional stress of a funeral tips them over the edge," Vicki Pridmore, chief executive of Melbourne's Cheltenham cemeteries, told local newspapers on Friday....full story from Reuters UK

October 18, 2007

'Become a spy' ads target gamers in UK: Government intelligence organisation GCHQ is to run an ad campaign in online games, including Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, to tempt web-savvy graduates to become spies.

It is the first time Government Communications Headquarters, which reports to the foreign secretary and works with MI5 and MI6, has run a campaign tapping into online gaming....Full story from the Guardian

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75 year-old woman hammers Virginia Comcast office: In these dark days of war, pestilence and Paris Hilton, a new hero has arisen. She is none other than 75-year-old Mona "The Hammer" Shaw, who took the aforementioned implement to her local Comcast office in Manassas to settle a score, and boy, did she!

This was after the company had scheduled installation of its much ballyhooed "Triple Play" service, which combines phone, cable and Internet services, in Shaw's brick home in nearby Bristow....full story w/pic from The Washington Post

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Man, 70, stole 900 gallons of gas: A 70-year-old Florida man has been charged with grand theft after police watched him siphon off more than 900 gallons of gasoline from underground storage tanks at two gas stations, Polk County authorities said Wednesday.

Deputies witnessed Hobert Gibson steal gasoline from two stations Tuesday, but sheriff's department officials believe he did this on a daily basis since at least January. The two gas stations he hit that day were about 40 miles from his Winter Haven home, and police believe it was typical for Gibson to visit a few stations per day across a wide geographical area....full story from the Miami Herald

October 17, 2007

Chest support crisis in Australia: BRASSIERES, over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders, bras - all girls wear them every day, but two out of three women are wearing the wrong size.

Enter the big red bus that will travel the country showing off a massive set of hooters - and no we're not talking about its horn.

Bra brand Berlei is taking the chest support crisis so seriously it has embarked upon an "Uplifting Tour of Australia'', travelling around Oz with the purpose of re-educating women on the importance of bra size....full story w/pic from NEWS.com.au

October 16, 2007

Toilet tantrum triggers ticket: A Scranton, Pennsylvania, woman who allegedly shouted profanities at her overflowing toilet within earshot of a neighbor was cited for disorderly conduct, authorities said.

Dawn Herb could face up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300.

"It doesn't make any sense. I was in my house. It's not like I was outside or drunk," Herb told The Times-Tribune of Scranton....full story from CNN

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Forgetful doctor left body for 9 days in Vienna flat: The body of a 76-year-old woman found dead in her Vienna, Austria, flat was left there for nine days because a doctor who registered the death forgot to notify a removal service, officials said on Tuesday.

The oversight was noticed when neighbours of the deceased woman, who lived alone, complained of a worsening stench, said Andreas Flaschner, spokesman for the Austrian capital's disinfection department....full story from Reuters UK

October 15, 2007

Gossip more powerful than truth, researchers say: Gossip is more powerful than truth, a study showed on Monday, suggesting people believe what they hear through the grapevine even if they have evidence to the contrary.

Researchers, testing students using a computer game, also found gossip played an important role when people make decisions, said Ralf Sommerfeld, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, who led the study....full story from Reuters UK
Who'd a thought....

October 14, 2007

Frankfurt fair finds "most stolen book" good gauge: The Frankfurt Book Fair has an indicator to help publishers gauge public interest in the new offerings presented at the annual exhibition -- the unofficial "most stolen book" index.

Bild am Sonntag and Germany's ZDF television have come up with lists of titles most stolen from 15 leading German publishers' stands set up in the Frankfurt trade fair grounds....full story from Reuters UK

October 13, 2007

Anglers win Destin Fishing Rodeo with 844-lb shark: Six friends went to a fishing tournament in Florida looking to catch some grouper. They caught an 383-kilogram (844lb) shark instead.

The fight by Adlee Bruner and friends to pull the 3.3-metre (11ft) mako shark onto the boat from the Gulf of Mexico took more than an hour....full story from CNews

October 13, 2007

Pepsi vs Coke war spills into parking lot: Pepsi and Coke have been fighting the cola war for decades, but two sales representatives from the companies got into a real skirmish recently at a Wal-Mart in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.

State police aren't sure exactly what it was about, but Trooper Joy Goodyear said she plans to charge both with assault....full story from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette

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Elephants stampede village in India: About 100 wild elephants have converged on a river island in northeast India, demolishing homes, feasting on sugarcane and panicking residents, officials said Saturday.

Thousands of villagers were using firecrackers and bonfires to scare away the rampaging animals....full story from CNews

October 12, 2007

Dog saves owner from fire started by cat: Thumper, a black Labrador retriever, saved his owner from a fire - started by the family cat, Princess.

Roland Cote was asleep in his Greenville, Maine, home when Thumper grabbed him by the arm to wake him, leaving just enough time to dial 911 before fleeing....full story from the New York Post

October 11, 2007

Drunk dozes as police steer his vehicle: A Minnesota man fell asleep at the wheel and stayed asleep all the while as police managed to steer him to a safe stop before arresting him for drunk driving.

Police in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park said Pedro Brito, 26, apparently fell asleep while driving down a street early Sunday morning, The Star Tribune reported Thursday. Officials caught up with slow-moving vehicle as it drifted into the wrong lane, stepped onto its running board and grabbed the wheel to steer it back into the right lane....full story from UPI

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Philippine police told to use whistles instead of guns: The Philippines is starting to give its 110,000 policemen a makeover, trying to make them more like friendly neighbours than their current hard man image, the new national police chief said on Thursday.

Avelino Razon also said he has ordered police officers to stop wearing expensive jewellery, such as gold necklaces, bracelets, and rings, to remove suspicions they were corrupt.

For a start, Razon, said he has ordered 500 police officers to patrol the streets of the capital Manila with a baton and whistle....full story from Reuters UK

October 10, 2007

Vodka drip saves poisoned Italian: SYDNEY - Australian doctors used an intravenous feed of vodka to keep an Italian tourist alive after he consumed large quantities of a poisonous substance.

The 24-year-old man, in an apparent bid at self-harm, had swallowed ethylene glycol, found in antifreeze, which can cause death. Doctors administered pure alcohol, the conventional antidote, but exhausted the hospital's supply....full story from Reuters UK

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Tattooed fish illegal in Oklahoma City; dye baths OK: Dyed fish, no more tattooed fish.

A controversy that began with "I love you" tattooed on a tropical fish ended Tuesday with a compromise that will keep a pet supplier in business as long as he keeps the needles away from his aquariums.

The Oklahoma City Council voted 7-1 to change a law barring the artificial coloring of fish....full story from NewsOK.com

October 9, 2007

Researchers call for toad-proof fences to protect Western Australia: Researchers are calling for toad-proof fencing to be urgently erected near the Northern Territory and Western Australia border.

Cane toads are within 100 kilometres of the Kimberley region, which is a national biodiversity hot spot.

But the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre says sensitive environments could be protected from the pest.....full story from ABC News AU

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Escaped vulture spotted near home: A vulture with an 8ft wingspan which escaped from a rescue centre in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK, has been spotted in a tree nearby.

The rare African white-backed vulture - known as Wee Man - broke free during a feeding session near Huntly....full story w/pic from the BBC

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October 8, 2007

Eat your food, get your money back in Norway: Norwegian food retailer Coop launched a new guarantee for its produce on Monday: "If you did not like the food, you will get your money back - no questions asked."

Coop, a consumer-owned cooperative and second biggest food chain in Norway, said competition among retailers was so fierce that in order to win new clients it had to become more creative....full story from Reuters UK

October 6, 2007

Orangutan looking for blondes: Sibu the orangutan has miffed his Dutch keepers by refusing to mate with females and showing sexual interest only in tattooed human blondes.

Apenheul Primate Park hoped Sibu would become its breeding male when he arrived two years ago, but orangutans aren't his type....full story from NEWS.com.au

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Guidebook issued for Muslims in space: Malaysia has come up with the world's first comprehensive guidebook for Muslims in space as its first astronaut prepares to go into orbit next week.

The book, entitled Guidelines for Performing Islamic Rites at the International Space Station, teaches the Muslim astronaut how to perform ablutions, determine the location of Mecca when praying, prayer times, and how to fast in space, the Star newspaper reported on Saturday.

"The reason we formulated guidelines for Muslims in space is because we wanted to ensure our astronaut could fully concentrate on his mission, without having to worry about how he should perform his religious obligations in space," Abdullah Md Zin, a minister for religious affairs, was quoted as saying....full story from Reuters UK

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Angry Australian race fans and a 'stolen' beer mountain: It is the secret stash of alcohol that has left the nation's motor racing fans outraged.

The Daily Telegraph has tracked down the controversial haul of beer and spirits confiscated from racegoers at the Bathurst 1000.

The alcohol has been taken to a secure storage shed by police as part of a major crackdown on "hooligans" at the famous race....full story from NEWS.com.au

October 5, 2007

Millions of bugs disrupt Yankees-Indians game in late innings: CLEVELAND - This will forever be known as the Bug Game.

A swarm of insects descended on Jacobs Field in the eighth inning of the Cleveland Indians' 2-1 playoff victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night, leading to a bizarre scene featuring players waving their arms and gloves in an attempt to keep the pesky bugs away.

The teams kept playing into extra innings as millions of bugs nagged players on the field and in the dugouts....full story from CNews

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Confused moose thinks he's a cow: When Beverly and Ernie Fischer gathered up their cattle this fall in Morton County, North Dakota, they rounded up a little more than they expected. We were moving some cattle, and we got a moose," Ernie Fischer said. "He thinks he is a cow," said his wife.....full story from TCV

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Florida garbage employee turns in bag stuffed with $65,000: A St. Petersburg, Florida, county garbage operations employee found a plastic bag on the road stuffed with $65,000 Thursday - and immediately turned it in to authorities.

It turned out the money had fallen off a Loomis armored car half an hour before Debbie Cole found it near the Pinellas County solid waste operations facility where she works. First she thought it was a turtle in the road....full story from CNews

October 4, 2007

West Virginia man flees police on lawnmower: West Virginia police arrested a man accused of drunken driving, but not before he tried to outrun them - on his lawnmower.

As Michael Ginevan pulled away, an officer gave chase on foot, and eventually yanked him off the riding mower....full story from the New York Post and The News&Observer

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Bar gossip leads to nasty surprise for parents in Czech Republic: A Czech couple who took a DNA test to squash persistent pub gossip about the parentage of their 10-month-old baby got a nasty surprise when it was found neither of them were.

The couple, from the southeastern town of Trebic, had some doubts about the child as her hair was blonde and they both had dark hair....full story from NEWS.com.au

Follow-up story 4 Oct: Parents to exchange babies mixed up in Czech hospital (CeskeNoviny.cz)
And another follow-up story 13 Oct: Mums stick with swapped babies (NEWS.com.au)

October 3, 2007

US men wrangle over three-year-old amputed leg: Two U.S. men are fighting over an amputated leg that was stowed in a barbecue smoker. One man says he purchased the leg when the smoker was auctioned off by a storage facility in Maiden, North Carolina. The other says the leg was once attached to his body....full story from The Register

Follow-up story 5 Oct: U.S. amputee to recover leg auctioned in barbecue (Reuters UK)

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Restaurant's chili causes London chemical scare: A Thai restaurant's potent homemade chili sauce caused a chemical scare in central London, with police shutting streets and firefighters forced to smash down the door.

Streets were cordoned off outside the Thai Cottage restaurant in London's Soho theatre and nightlife district.

"It was initially thought to be a chemical problem. Somebody smelled what they thought was chemicals....full story from Reuters UK

October 2, 2007

Stone head mystery puzzles northern England: They've been left on unsuspecting doorsteps and outside post offices in the dead of night, but no one knows what to make of the mystery of the stone heads.

As many as 20 artfully carved faces, miniature versions of the Easter Island sculptures, have been deposited in sleepy villages across northern England in recent weeks, leaving the recipients intrigued and confused in equal measure....full story from Reuters UK

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'Nazi bedspreads' taken off shelves in India: BOMBAY A home furnishings company agreed to withdraw the name "The Nazi Collection" from a line of bedspreads after protests from India's Jewish community.

The company had sparked anger by using swastikas in promotional material and refusing to scrap the name, which it insisted stood for "New Arrival Zone for India". But in a statement yesterday it apologised for offending the country's Jews and said that all advertising and publicity material bearing the name The Nazi Collection would be withdrawn....full story from The Times
-Marketing genius at work....

October 1, 2007

Japanese banks now offering divorce loans: Japan's first-ever divorce loan caters to those who fell head over heels in love only to find themselves up to their necks in debt.

Named "Re" for those re-starting their lives, the loan helps divorcees cover the cost of compensation and legal payments and offers a lower interest rate than credit cards loans, on which Japan's growing number of divorce-seekers have depended in the past....full story from Reuters UK