May Contain Nuts

Cute rescued baby squirrel

2008-05-14T09:33:00.001+02:00

Americans have thick skulls -- official

2008-04-20T11:30:00.001+02:00

Police investigators would theorize that the man fired three shots from a gun that they believe was a .44-caliber handgun. One of the bullets struck Marie directly between the eyes.

It should have killed her. Instead, the bullet shattered into three pieces against her skull. The fragments ran under her skin, exited through her cheek on one side of her head and near her ear on the other.

TODAYshow.com

The Queen's well wicked English innit

2008-04-18T01:00:00.001+02:00

A 19-year-old Saaarf London girl has been advised to use the Queen's English on the phone after her hunt for a cab to whisk her to Bristol airport ended less than satisfactorily.

According to the Daily Mail, the unnamed teen rang directory enquiries two weeks ago and initially requested a number for a "Joe Baxi" firm. The nonplussed operator told her she couldn't find anyone by that name, to which the lass replied: “It ain’t a person, it’s a cab, innit.”

The enlightened operator duly put her through to Bishop’s Stortford-based retail display supplier Displaysense, where she "spoke to an equally bemused saleswoman" before thundering: “Look love, how hard is it? All I want is your cheapest cab, innit. I need it for 10am. How much is it?”

The answer was £180, and with the deal done by credit card, Displaysense obliged by delivering a display cabinet to her door the next morning.

Cue second phone chat with Displaysense. The company's marketing manager, Steve Whittle, recounted: "We thought it was a joke at first but the girl was absolutely livid. Because she spoke in 'Ali G' style slang, her order was mixed up somewhat. She was absolutely baffled as to why she had a big glass display cabinet delivered outside her house, when all she wanted was a taxi to take her on holiday.

"We apologised and gladly offered the young lady a refund on the display unit she received and suggested that maybe she should speak a bit clearer on the phone."

Whittle concluded: "We still don't know if she made it to the airport on time but she did ask our delivery driver if he could give her a lift." ®

London teen orders 'cab, innit' | The Register

Tiggywinkle Terminator

2008-04-08T09:08:00.001+02:00

A man accused of lobbing a hedgehog at a boy has been charged with assault.

Cops claim William Singalargh used the animal as a weapon in a bizarre attack on the 15-year-old in Whakatane, New Zealand, in February.

Senior police sergeant Bruce Jenkins said: "It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks."

Mirror.co.uk

My humps, my lovely lady lumps

2008-04-06T17:59:00.001+02:00

Ten thousand camels will be fluttering their long eyelashes in a unique international beauty pageant being held in the United Arab Emirates.

The contest in Abu Dhabi is one of the richest and biggest events of its kind, with more than $9m (£4.5m; 5.8m euros) and 100 cars in prizes up for grabs.

BBC NEWS

The high life

2008-04-06T14:49:00.001+02:00

A nine-year old boy has been returned to his home in Indonesia after a five-day spending spree that cost his parents $10,000 (£5,043).

Ahmad Legal Civiandi, known as Vian, disappeared from his home last Friday and spent the cash on toys and gadgets.

He later asked a rickshaw driver to book him into a hotel and it was the driver who told police where he was.

BBC NEWS

Newman!

2008-04-04T23:05:00.001+02:00

Funnyman Jerry Seinfeld cheated death in the Hamptons when the brakes on his vintage Fiat failed and the car flipped over, police said yesterday.

Miraculously, the comic walked away "without a scratch," wife Jessica told The Post.

New York Post

Don't let it happen again

2008-03-31T00:11:00.001+02:00

BATH, England, March 28 (UPI) -- A World War II-era German military pilot says Bath, England, officials have agreed to allow him to visit the city and apologize for Nazi air raids.

UPI.com

He just happened to be in the area

2008-03-31T00:10:00.001+02:00

A Star Wars fan got closer to his idols than he would perhaps have liked when he was attacked in his garden by Darth Vader.

Jedi Master Jonba Hehol - known to family and friends as Barney Jones, 36, of Holyhead - was giving a TV interview in his back garden for a documentary when a man, dressed in a black bin-bag and wearing Darth Vader's trademark shiny black helmet, leapt over his garden fence.

Wielding a metal crutch - his lightsaber presumably being in for repairs - the Sith Lord proceeded to lay about his opponent, whose Jedi powers proved inadequate for the task of defending himself.

After besting Master Hehol in single combat, Vader, who The Sun reports was under the influence of alcohol, went on to assault the camera crew and a hairdresser.

Telegraph

And even the definition was plagiarized

2008-03-31T00:07:00.001+02:00

It seemed like an honorable goal: Draft an honor code for University of Texas at San Antonio students to follow, exhorting them not to cheat or plagiarize.

But when students threw a draft of the new honor code onto the Internet for feedback, some noticed a problem: Parts of the code appeared to have been lifted word for word from another school's honor code, without attribution. Even the definition of plagiarism was, well, plagiarized.

MySA.com

Bad title of the year

2008-03-31T00:02:00.001+02:00

If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs was crowned the winner of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, after a record-breaking 8,500 votes online.

The self-help manual, by an American writer called Big Boom, won 2,870 votes (33%) since the shortlist was announced on 22nd February. The runner-up is I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen (20%) and in 3rd place is Cheese Problems Solved (19%).

theBookseller.com

This is a bust

2008-03-30T23:59:00.001+02:00

A woman who claims she was ordered by federal airport screeners to remove her nipple rings with pliers demanded an apology from the US Transportation Security Administration.

Stuff.co.nz

The family that plays together ...

2008-03-27T03:32:00.001+01:00

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A man who killed his 17 month-old daughter in a rage over a broken Xbox has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Philadelphia prosecutors say 27 year-old Tyrone Spellman killed Alayiah Turman in September 2006 with at least five blows to the head when she pulled down his Xbox console. The force of the blows cracked the toddler's skull.

Speak Up! Memphis

... slays together

2008-03-27T03:31:00.001+01:00

MESA, Ariz. -- A teenager who confessed to killing his father last month told police he hated his dad for taking away his Internet access, according to a police report released Wednesday.

KPHO Phoenix

House guest

2008-03-27T03:03:00.001+01:00

ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 26 (UPI) -- A Maryland woman discovered a large black python may have been secretly living in her apartment for two months, animal control officers said.

UPI.com

MCN points out: Many women live for years with snakes without ever realising. Until they break up, and their friends reveal what they thought of him all along.

Known in Hollywood as agents

2008-03-27T00:43:00.001+01:00

Actress Demi Moore has confessed to indulging in an unusual alternative therapy - blood-sucking leeches.

BBC NEWS

And one more for the road

2008-03-27T00:42:00.000+01:00

A tradesman from Kent who went online to pay the London congestion charge ended up being sent 3,000 receipts.

BBC NEWS

Where I've been going wrong

2008-03-27T00:41:00.001+01:00

A South American river dolphin uses branches, weeds and lumps of clay to woo the opposite sex and frighten off rivals, scientists have discovered.

BBC NEWS

Keep him away from Michelangelo's David

2008-03-27T00:36:00.001+01:00

A 25-year-old Finnish tourist faces possible jail time or a fine for breaking off part of the ear of an ancient statue on remote Easter Island to take home as a keepsake, police have said.

Stuff.co.nz

Going, going, gorsh

2008-03-27T00:31:00.001+01:00

A nude portrait of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni will go under the hammer in New York next month, according to auctioneers Christie's.

Stuff.co.nz

Just like Kelly Osborne

2008-03-27T00:26:00.001+01:00

Germany's celebrity polar bear Knut has become so addicted to the limelight that he throws tantrums when he's denied an audience, one of his keepers says.

Stuff.co.nz

Good thing he wasn't a pimp

2008-03-27T00:24:00.001+01:00

The musty smell of a man's money led to his arrest on possible drug charges. The 21-year-old Sturgeon Bay man tried to deposit money smelling of marijuana at a bank here last week, according to a Sturgeon Bay police report obtained by the Door County Advocate.

CBS News

Matlock?

2008-03-27T00:23:00.001+01:00

A 70-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a police officer after he allegedly pulled over a real officer while driving a black and white car equipped with flashing lights, authorities said.

CBS News

Majesty of the law

2008-03-27T00:13:00.001+01:00

LIMA (Reuters) - Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori apologized for not wearing socks to his trial on Wednesday and for falling asleep in the previous court session, when a frustrated judge rang a bell to wake him.

Reuters.com

At least he didn't waste his whole life

2008-03-25T00:33:00.001+01:00

MIAMI, March 23 (UPI) -- Alfred Kreisler, a 92-year-old South Florida lawyer who married for the first time in October, is single again now that his marriage has been annulled.

UPI.com

Must be well-coiffed and blow-dried

2008-03-25T00:29:00.001+01:00

Articulate, presentable, comfortable in your own skin? The latter is vital for New Zealand's independent TV channel Alt which plans to screen a naked news bulletin nightly from late April.

Alt is calling for applications for a news anchor.

Applicants should have "no inhibitions on reporting on the facts that matter, delivering hard hitting commentary and showing their 'assets' in front of a large news hungry audience," the channel said today.

Stuff.co.nz

She was getting too heavy to lift

2008-03-25T00:24:00.001+01:00

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russia's Mariinsky ballet has said farewell to one of its longest-serving artistes: a 21-year-old female donkey named Monika.

The animal is to be pensioned off after 19 years carrying the knight's overweight servant Sancho Panza around the stage in productions of the ballet Don Quixote. The Mariinsky, previously known as the Kirov, is one of Russia's foremost ballet troupes.

Reuters

Gophers one, humans nil

2008-03-25T00:22:00.001+01:00

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A war on gophers waged by two Canadian men went awry this weekend when a device used to blast the rodents in their holes sparked a massive grass fire in a rural area near Calgary, Alberta, causing more than C$200,000 (99,000 pounds) in damages.

Reuters.com

Baa-aad sports

2008-03-25T00:11:00.001+01:00

An animal welfare charity has condemned an incident in which a lamb's leg was thrown onto the pitch during trouble at a football game at the weekend.

The leg was one of several missiles thrown after a match between Ballymena United and Distillery on Saturday.

A USPCA spokesman said it "demonstrated general disregard for animal welfare".

"It also follows a recent incident in which a horse's head was left outside the home of a hockey player in Cookstown," he added.

BBC NEWS

In the midst of life we are in d'oh!

2008-03-24T12:26:00.001+01:00

Simpson, Homer, 72, Lacey, died Thursday, March 20, at home. Funeral Alternatives of Washington, Tumwater, 360-753-1065.

The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Son, we're gonna need a bigger oven

2008-03-23T22:02:00.001+01:00

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- A camouflaged hunter sitting in a tree was accidentally shot and killed Friday by another hunter trying to shoot a turkey, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said Michael Shane Hasting, 40, was hunting with his 6-year-old son at the River Ranch Acres Hunt Club Friday and spotted a turkey.

Hasting fired at the turkey and moved forward to see if he hit the bird. He then discovered that he accidentally shot Randall Williamson of Pompano Beach.

WKMG Orlando

God takes the day off

2008-03-23T22:00:00.001+01:00

Norwich's Anglican cathedral had to be evacuated midway through an Easter service as candles set off fire alarms.

The 400-strong congregation lit candles at the Saturday evening service to symbolise Jesus's resurrection but as the flames grew fire alarms sounded.

BBC NEWS

Mistake we've all made

2008-03-23T21:55:00.001+01:00

ROMFORD, England, March 22 (UPI) -- A 57-year-old British woman who feared she had ovarian cancer learned from a sonogram she was more than seven months pregnant with her first child.

UPI.com

Couldn't make it up (full)

2008-03-23T21:52:00.001+01:00

A man hoping to cheer up an ailing relative at Wilcox Memorial Hospital hadn't considered one of the visitation rules: No horses allowed.

The man thought the patient would enjoy seeing his stallion, said Lani Yukimura, a spokeswoman at the hospital. He and the horse entered the hospital earlier this month and rode an elevator up to the third floor, where they were met and stopped by security personnel.

Security managed to get the man and the horse out of the hospital, with "just a few scuff marks," she said.

The hospital has a pet visitation policy, but it's for dogs and cats, not horses.

"On Kauai, we have a very warm inviting atmosphere at Wilcox," Yukimura said. "We just hope people understand this is not a place for a horse."

The man's good intentions were further dashed when his relative was brought out to see the horse.

"That's not my horse," the patient said to hospital staff.

CBS News

For two outstanding reasons

2008-03-22T17:27:00.001+01:00

LONDON, March 21 (UPI) -- British clothing store Debenhams' survey of female customers has concluded the push-up bra is the greatest fashion invention of all time.

UPI.com

In my country there is problem no more

2008-03-22T17:23:00.001+01:00

Kazakhstan's first kosher restaurant has opened for business in what Jewish community leaders said was a symbol of their culture's revival in the mainly Muslim Central Asian state.

Stuff.co.nz

Dave's not here, man

2008-03-22T17:14:00.001+01:00

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man has found himself in trouble after calling police to report that his house had been broken into and some of his cannabis plants stolen.

Reuters.com

Fair enough, but Bat Out of Hell?

2008-03-22T17:09:00.001+01:00

RIYADH (Reuters) - A prominent Saudi Arabian cleric has issued a rare public attack on religious hardliners angry over a video showing him dancing at a wedding in the conservative Islamic state, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The video, posted on the Internet, showed Sheikh Abdul-Mohsen al-Obaikan dancing the Bedouin sword dance at a wedding. Similar dances are also performed by top royals at some national festivities.

Reuters

Carrion luggage

2008-03-22T15:27:00.001+01:00

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Two Italian women carrying luggage containing the remains of a man who died in Brazil 11 years ago were stopped by Munich airport police during a stopover on their journey from Sao Paulo to Naples.

"Airport security spotted the skull and bones when the suitcase was put through the x-ray machine," police spokesman Christian Maier said.

Reuters

Why men keep their socks on

2008-03-22T15:26:00.001+01:00

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese bride burned her new husband to death after he got into bed after a drunken argument without washing his feet, state media reported on Wednesday.

Reuters

Fleeing shoplifter forgets son

2008-03-22T15:20:00.001+01:00

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A shoplifter looking to make a quick getaway from a Dutch supermarket after stealing a packet of meat left police a crucial piece of evidence -- his 12-year-old son.

Reuters

Yo quiero a smack upside the head

2008-03-20T18:45:00.001+01:00

LOS ANGELES - A man who pretended to be a CEO complaining about his fast-food order in a taco scam was sentenced to 30 days in jail after authorities saw the prank in an online video.

Rialto police said it was an easy case to crack because the video, called "How to Scam Del Taco" and posted on YouTube.com, shows Robert Echeverria, 32, calling the restaurant about 50 miles east of Los Angeles on Feb. 19.

In a friendly tone he claims to be a CEO named "Robert Kennedy" who has already spoken to the store's manager and corporate office about some unwanted sour cream and the lack of a receipt in a previous order.

"I love your guys' tacos," he said.

One of his two 18-year-old co-stars is later shown walking into the restaurant and claiming the food. The video ends with the three men feasting and laughing.

Echeverria even provided a pair of personal phone numbers in the video, Rialto police Lt. Joe Cirilo said.

Man gets 30 days' jail for taco theft - Yahoo! News

Not a ray of light then

2008-03-20T18:43:00.001+01:00

MARATHON, Florida -- A woman was killed by a ray off the Florida Keys today morning when the barb-tailed animal jumped out of the water into her boat, officials said.

The victim, a 55-year-old tourist from Michigan whom authorities have not yet named, was on a boat with her family off Marathon when the ray jumped out of the water. She died either from falling over and hitting her head or from a wound from the animal's barbed tail, said Jorge Pino, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Giant ray kills woman in boat - Los Angeles Times

Happy birthday to Jason

2008-03-19T21:25:00.001+01:00

Lucknow, Mar.19 (ANI): Lucknow Zoo authorities today celebrated the 16th birthday of a chimpanzee with a lot of zing.

With decorations adorning the wire fencing on the cage and a birthday cake in place, fans of Jason, the chimpanzee, rang in his birthday. The chimp regaled visitors with his antics during the event.

For many, the spectacle was unique and one of its kind as they had never witnessed such a birthday celebration before.

“We ate the birthday cake and everybody was very happy and it felt really good. It is for the first time I saw a chimpanzee’s birthday being celebrated. I was elated to witness the spectacle,” said Ranu, a young visitor.

Jason was brought to the zoo in August 2007 and is said to be immensely popular with the visitors, especially children, for his naughty antics. (ANI)

Thaindian News

Surgeons make an arse of operation

2008-03-19T18:06:00.001+01:00

A GERMAN pensioner is taking a hospital to court after she turned up for a leg operation - and got a new anus instead.

The woman woke up to find she had been mixed up with another patient suffering from incontinence who was to have surgery on her sphincter.

Daily Telegraph

Bear-faced vandal

2008-03-19T13:30:00.001+01:00

SKOPJE, Macedonia: A court in Bitola, a city in western Macedonia, has found a bear guilty on charges of ruining a local beekeeper's apiary. The court has ruled that the bear owes around $3,000 in damages.

International Herald Tribune

Cockatoo cosher sought

2008-03-17T23:52:00.001+01:00

COCKATIELS, budgies and a plum parakeet were stolen from a family's aviary in Roydon after thieves broke into their back garden.

Alison Richards from Parkfield Road in Roydon was shocked to discover all that was left in the cage were four dead birds and a parrot.

Her 14-year-old son went outside to feed the birds in the morning and found that 25 of them had been stolen and the fence leading out onto fields behind had been cut.

Mrs Richards, 38 said: "My sons look after them and they were very upset when they found them. Especially the fact that there were dead ones which we then had to clean up. I don't know what happened to them, they might have been knocked on the head."

Bishop's Stortford Citizen

The rat squad go in to bat for Tony

2008-03-17T23:49:00.001+01:00

SHOOTING NOT RIGHTEOUS, QUITE POSSIBLY, SAY AUTHORITIES

Trigger-happy rent-a-cop to be probed

BASTROP -- A University of Texas police officer is under investigation after shooting and killing an escaped chimpanzee in Bastrop.

MyFox Austin

Licence to lie

2008-03-16T10:14:00.001+01:00

Italy's highest appeal court has ruled that married Italian women who commit adultery are entitled to lie about it to protect their honour.

The court gave its landmark ruling after hearing the case of a 48-year-old woman, convicted of giving false testimony to police by denying she had lent her mobile phone to her lover.

The appeal court did not agree that she had broken the law.

It said bending the truth was justified to conceal extra-marital relationships.

BBC NEWS

Merry men

2008-03-16T10:13:00.001+01:00

The world record for getting dressed up as Robin Hood has been smashed in Nottingham by a group of enthusiasts.

Hundreds of volunteers, led by the modern-day Sheriff of Nottingham, gathered at the city's castle to try and pass the previous total of 607.

Participants had to meet minimum costume requirements of a hat with a feather, a green or brown tunic and trousers and leather footwear.

The official count, taken at midday, put the total at 1,119.

BBC NEWS

One small boot for a man, a giant leap for womankind

2008-03-16T10:11:00.001+01:00

South Korea says its first astronaut will now be a female engineer, after Russian officials rejected the initial candidate over a breach of rules.

BBC NEWS

Up, up and away

2008-03-15T12:26:00.001+01:00

A HOPELESS romantic saw his engagement plans vanish into thin air – after a balloon containing a £6,000 diamond ring was BLOWN AWAY.

Luckless Lefkos Hajji wanted to surprise girlfriend Leanne, 26 – so he told a florist to put the sparkler inside a helium balloon.

But as he left the shop a gust pulled it from his hand and the balloon soared into the sky.

Lefkos, 28, said: “I couldn’t believe it.

The Sun

Peanut Hysteria Zone

2008-03-14T22:54:00.001+01:00

Banterist

Hats off to bold, brave Tony

2008-03-14T22:28:00.001+01:00

AUSTIN — An 18-year-old research chimpanzee was shot and killed after he escaped from an enclosure at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center facility in Bastrop.

A team that specializes in safe animal capture tried to catch the chimp, named Tony, for 45 minutes after he escaped Wednesday. They used "at least one tranquilizer dart" before a police officer fatally shot the animal, said assistant Police Chief Thomas Engells with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

It was the second time in five months that a chimp has escaped from the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research.

Houston Chronicle

Nuts and butts

2008-03-13T18:14:00.002+01:00

WICHITA, Kan. - A 35-year-old woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time he called police had a phobia about leaving the bathroom, the boyfriend said.

"She is an adult; she made her own decision," said her boyfriend, Kory McFarren. "I should have gotten help for her sooner; I admit that. But after a while, you kind of get used to it."

Woman lived in bathroom - Yahoo! News

I'm Goin' Down

2008-03-13T18:09:00.001+01:00

An Australian woman stabbed her de facto husband to death after he stopped her playing her favorite Bruce Springsteen CD.

Karen Lee Cooper told arresting police: "I couldn't even play Bruce Springsteen on my stereo -- can you believe that? Can you believe that?"

She later again told police: "I mean, who doesn't like Bruce Springsteen? I'm 49 years old and I want to play my own music."

Australian Woman Kills Boyfriend - FOX News

Bubbleboy, take 2

2008-03-13T18:02:00.002+01:00

The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana has become embroiled in controversy because bubble artist Fan Yang will attempt to set a world record on March 18 by briefly surrounding a 40-year-old Asian elephant named Tai in a large soapy bubble as part of Bubblefest." Hundreds of readers say the event is demeaning to Tai, the 8,800-pound Asian elephant that will be placed in the non-toxic bubble. Other readers disagree.

Fan Yang: I also blow bubbles with Elephants; they love it. People don’t know what is mean having an animal in a bubble; maybe they think I will soak an elephant in a bubble or else.

Putting elephant in bubble isn't demeaning - Orange County Register

IN-N-Out more like IN-N-Park

2008-03-13T17:47:00.002+01:00

Merchants near some Southern California In-N-Out Burger restaurants say their gripe is with growing traffic jams at drive-through lanes that are keeping customers from getting in and out of their stores.

Long lines of idling cars whose occupants are waiting for made-to-order double-doubles, fries and chocolate shakes sometimes spill into streets and block driveways and alleys, according to owners of adjacent businesses.

The traffic crunch has sent executives of the Irvine-based chain on a crash program to open new outlets to relieve pressure on existing In-N-Outs. The chain is also expanding its corps of young red-apron-clad workers with hand-held terminals outside to speed up drive-through lines.

Neighbors have a beef - Los Angeles Times

MCN congratulates the executives for brainstorming ways for Americans to get burgers, fries, and shakes more rapidly into their hands and mouths.

MCN also congratulates the LAT for getting its RDA of hyphens via a single story.

About three foot, medium build, hairy complexion

2008-03-12T23:00:00.001+01:00

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- The owner of the Monkey Island Sanctuary is offering a $3,000 reward for anyone who can help track down his stolen monkeys.

KCTV Kansas City

Write your own punchline

2008-03-12T22:57:00.001+01:00

ILLEGAL traders could be behind a scam in which bird lovers are duped into buying fake parrots that die days later.

RSPCA Inspectors are set to probe claims that common parakeets are being scared out of trees in London parks and sold as “rare” parrots to unsuspecting buyers.

An expert claims a Cardiff family are the latest victims of a scam where parakeets are plucked from their habitat, driven across the country and sold.

The shock and trauma causes them to die soon after.

icWales

No more nuts for Sunshine

2008-03-12T14:02:00.001+01:00

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Detroit Zoo family is mourning the loss of Sunshine, a 34-year-old male silverback gorilla, who died on Tuesday.

“Sunshine was especially impressive because of his size. He was loved by Detroit Zoo staff, docents and visitors, and we all feel a tremendous sense of loss,” said Scott Carter, Director of Conservation and Animal Welfare.

The 550-pound western lowland gorilla was being treated for a flu-like illness for the past few weeks and his condition rapidly worsened on Tuesday. A necropsy is scheduled to learn more about the cause of death.

Sunshine had been treated for heart disease for the past few years and received his most recent cardiac workup in December. Cardiovascular disease, similar to that in humans, is the leading cause of death in captive gorillas. Western lowland gorillas can live into their 30s in the wild and into their 40s in captivity.

Sunshine, who has called the Detroit Zoo home since 1996, was on loan from the Columbus Zoo and was scheduled to return to Columbus with his companion, Toni, a 36-year-old female western lowland gorilla. Toni is still scheduled to go to Columbus.

WXYZ.com

Pining for the fjords

2008-03-10T23:26:00.001+01:00

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., March 9 (UPI) -- Bobo, a prize-winning Congo African Grey parrot from Chicago, is mostly blue these days because her sidekick, Chomper, has gone missing, their owner says.

Bobo, whose photos placed both runner-up and third in a recent competition tied to the PBS television's "NATURE" series, normally loves rolling over on her back with her feet in the air while playing with toys. But since Chomper, a small, green-and-orange Jenday conure parrot flew off -- possibly became dinner for a hawk -- owner and photographer Philip Thistlethwaite says Bobo appears to miss her.

UPI.com

Monkey justice

2008-03-08T17:07:00.001+01:00

A Jackson County judge today found probable cause that a Kansas City woman should face criminal charges accusing her of stealing three monkeys.

kansascity.com

Pet Shop Boys

2008-03-07T22:56:00.001+01:00

Vietnam has banned the sale and possession of hamsters, whose popularity has been soaring.

The Ministry of Agriculture says anyone caught with a hamster will be fined up to 30m dong ($1,900) - almost double the average annual wage in Vietnam.

The authorities say the creatures are a potential source of disease.

BBC NEWS

Grave matters

2008-03-07T04:38:00.002+01:00

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - The mayor of a village in southwest France has threatened residents with severe punishment if they die, because there is no room left in the overcrowded cemetery to bury them.

In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish."

It added: "Offenders will be severely punished."

Cemetery full, mayor tells locals not to die - Yahoo! News

Method actor

2008-03-06T23:31:00.000+01:00

A central Kentucky judge had a suspicious mind when an Elvis Presley impersonator showed up for court apparently drunk and sporting sunglasses and a rhinestone-studded shirt with a scarf draped around his neck.

County Attorney Brian Goettl said that as a result, the judge had David Blaisdell, 64, tested for intoxication and sentenced him to three days in jail for contempt of court when it was determined that the man's blood-alcohol level was nearly twice that at which a person in Kentucky is considered legally drunk.

CBS News

Giving it your all

2008-03-05T20:45:00.001+01:00

Two German air force sergeants are facing a court martial after trying to mass produce sausages made with the blood of their comrades.

The receipe included onions, bacon and spices

The two men, who are based at Fürstenfeldbruck, a fighter squadron headquarters, near Munich had already trialed a traditional receipe using their own blood.

Telegraph

Dave's not here, man

2008-03-05T20:41:00.001+01:00

A species of millipede which originated in the West Indies but has recently appeared in parts of South Florida seems to have a hallucinogenic effect on Monkeys. The monkeys "bite the millipedes, then reach behind their backs and rub it on their fur."

"Their eyes glaze over and they're completely focused on what they're doing" said the head of the primate conservation group based at the Monkey Jungle, a Miami-Dade tourist attraction. He likens it to the way that cats react to catnip.

Monkeys even pass the bugs around, five members of a monkey family shared a millipede and they turned into a "writhing mass." So now when they see primates rolling around at the bottom of their cage caretakers know they are just under the influence.

Link

All the top news, 21 years out of date

2008-03-05T02:15:00.001+01:00

Mar 4 2008 by Tony Woolway, Western Mail

HOLLYWOOD star Danny Kaye, who starred on screen, stage and television for more than 40 years, died yesterday at the age of 74.

Kaye, who entered Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, died of heart failure brought on by intestinal bleeding and hepatitis.

Danny Kaye dies aged 74 - icWales

UPDATE:

Overview

Date of Birth:
18 January 1913, Brooklyn, New York, USA more
Date of Death:

3 March 1987, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart attack) more

From IMDB

Inside information

2008-03-04T22:32:00.001+01:00

DALLAS, March 3 (UPI) -- A former Texas narcotics officer advises people on how to buy and sell marijuana without getting busted, in his book, "Never Get Raided."

UPI.com

Once is an accident, but twice is just carelessness

2008-03-04T22:31:00.001+01:00

ALBUQUERQUE, March 3 (UPI) -- Police are investigating whether an Albuquerque man fatally shot himself twice by mistake, it was reported.

UPI.com

Tear down some of this wall

2008-03-04T22:29:00.001+01:00

BERLIN, March 4 (UPI) -- Tourists riveted by the dramatic history of the Berlin Wall say they are disappointed so little of it survived its tearing down in 1989.

UPI.com

Otherwise engaged

2008-03-04T22:28:00.001+01:00

ROME, March 4 (UPI) -- Of 40,000 Romanians living in Rome and eligible to vote in coming administrative elections, only eight have registered to do so, election officials said.

UPI.com

Maybe he ran out of gas

2008-03-03T18:28:00.001+01:00

THESSALONIKI, Greece, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Greek police said they captured an ostrich that had been spotted walking on a highway outside the city of Thessaloniki.

UPI.com

And all I got was this lousy cheese-mould

2008-03-03T18:26:00.001+01:00

JANESVILLE, Wis., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Janesville, Wis., police say a cash bundle discovered by a couple in their refrigerator -- an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 -- has not been linked to a crime.

UPI.com

Tough old bird

2008-03-03T18:18:00.001+01:00

CHICO, Calif., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Police in Chico, Calif., were called Thursday to subdue a cantankerous goose which terrorized a neighborhood and briefly trapped one woman in her home.

UPI.com

Reserved for young folks

2008-03-03T18:17:00.001+01:00

LONDON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- British health officials are reviewing the case of a 61-year-old grandmother who was denied heart surgery because of her age, based on an out-of-date guideline.

UPI.com

Paging Batman

2008-03-03T18:08:00.001+01:00

STUTTGART, Germany, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Officials at a zoo in Stuttgart, Germany, say police believe a penguin that has gone missing from her enclosure was abducted.

Stuttgart zoo officials said the penguin, a female named Babe, was taken from the enclosure she shares with 54 other African penguins at some point between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Der Spiegel reported Friday.

UPI.com

Woman of your dreams

2008-03-03T18:06:00.001+01:00

GOLDEN HILL, Md., March 1 (UPI) -- One contestant in this year's Miss Outdoors pageant on the Eastern Shore of Maryland demonstrated her talent for skinning muskrats.

Samantha Phillips was not the first pageant contestant to double dip by competing in the World Championship Muskrat Skinning Contest, The Washington Post reported. Both are features of the National Outdoor Show, held last weekend in Golden Hill.

Phillips was the first to bring muskrat skinning right into the pageant.
"I'll be honest," she told the Post. "I can't sing, I can't dance and I don't play any musical instruments."

UPI.com

Overcoming Masturbation

2008-03-03T17:45:00.001+01:00

Masturbation is a quickly-forming habit that can adversely affect both men and women of all ages. Despite what some might tell you, masturbation is not harmless. If you are trying to overcome masturbation, be assured that it is possible (even though, like any habit, it may take some work). If you are determined to do it, you will be able to. This page will give you some tips that can help you along the way.

Overcoming Masturbation

Don't even ask about the duck

2008-03-02T22:35:00.001+01:00

A convenience store chain's billboard advertising its fried chicken sandwich is ruffling the feathers of some residents. Sheetz unveiled the "Crispy Frickin' Chicken" billboards at the beginning of February.

CBS News

Too sexy for her shirt

2008-03-02T22:33:00.001+01:00

Victoria's Secret, the lingerie company that introduced the Very Sexy bra, the Fantasy Bra, and the Internet server-crashing fashion show, has become "too sexy" for its own good, its top executive said.

"We've so much gotten off our heritage ... too sexy, and we use the word sexy a lot and really have forgotten the ultra feminine," said Sharen Turney, Victoria's Secret's chief executive, in a call with industry analysts.

CBS News

Hard-working shirker

2008-03-02T22:31:00.001+01:00

What happened to faking a cough? Sheriff's detectives in Franklin County said a man had his friend shoot him in the shoulder so he wouldn't have to go to work.

When he first spoke with deputies, Daniel Kuch, of Pasco, told them he'd been the victim of a drive-by shooting while he was out jogging Thursday. But detectives told KONA radio that Kuch later acknowledged that he asked his friend to shoot him so he could get some time off work and avoid an upcoming drug test.

CBS News

Hands up or I'll shpritz

2008-03-02T22:29:00.001+01:00

Akron police say a robbery attempt had more than a whiff of failure. They accuse a man of trying to stick two people up outside a video store with a bottle of cologne that had been colored black with a marking pen and resembled a gun.

Police Lt. Rick Edwards says there was a scuffle, and the bottle broke, so the suspect stank of cologne when officers arrived on the scene early Wednesday evening.

CBS News

The hard stuff

2008-03-02T22:27:00.001+01:00

A drugs bust in Hamilton yesterday turned out to be a fizzer when officers discovered it was a ginger beer brewing set-up.

Stuff.co.nz

Hands off the merchandise

2008-03-02T22:19:00.001+01:00

Italy's Court of Appeal has issued a new hands-off landmark ruling - outlawing men from scratching their crotches in public.

The ruling says that blatant scratching or holding is "an act contrary to decorum and public decency".

Sky News

My mum can beat up your mum

2008-03-02T22:14:00.001+01:00

TOKYO (Reuters) - A 44-year-old mother of two has become Japan's oldest professional boxer after passing the Japanese board's license test.

Reuters.com

Masterminds of crime

2008-03-02T22:12:00.001+01:00

Two armed robbers who targeted a Sydney bar that was hosting a bikers' meeting must have "failed robber school", said the club's chairman.

The men stormed the bar brandishing machetes and wearing balaclavas - unaware that 50 bikers were holding a meeting in an adjoining room.

BBC NEWS

This is a spritz-up!

2008-03-01T20:34:00.002+01:00

AKRON, Ohio — Akron police say a robbery attempt had more than a whiff of failure.

They accuse a man of trying to stick two people up outside a video store with a bottle of cologne that had been colored black with a marking pen and resembled a gun.

Police Lt. Rick Edwards says there was a scuffle, and the bottle broke, so the suspect stank of cologne when officers arrived on the scene early Wednesday evening.

Smell of Failure - FOX News

Chicken comes home to roost

2008-03-01T17:05:00.001+01:00

He set off on the first leg of his epic journey with a fanfare of publicity, not to mention an appropriately alternative farewell pre-dawn party on Bristol docks featuring drummers and someone playing a conch shell.

Mark Boyle's idea was to walk to Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace without a penny in his pocket, relying on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter to prove that a better world without money really was possible.

Boyle got as far as Calais before he realised that, unable to speak French to explain his mission and unable, frankly, to get much vegan food in this part of northern Europe, he faced starvation.

He was forced to turn round, recross the Channel and yesterday was to be found in genteel Eastbourne, East Sussex, explaining why a two-and-half-year pilgrimage had turned into a month-long jaunt to France and back.

The Guardian

May Contain Monkeys

2008-03-01T16:38:00.001+01:00

TITUS Lucretius Carus, a first century philosopher said oneman's meat may be another's poison. But Dr Emmanuel Otaala and Mr Joseph Matte could not remember this when they met to celebrate the end of the Ebola outbreak at Boma grounds in Bundibugyo last Wednesday.

Mr Matte, the MP for Bughendera County, used the occassion to remind the public not to heed calls to abandon their delicacy - monkey meat or enkende as the Batooro love to call it.

Bundibugyo was the epicentre of Ebola that hit Uganda late last year.

In an attempt to establish the origin of the deadly Ebola virus, the government has pointed a finger at the Bundibugyo resident's insatiable hunger for monkey meat.

President Museveni went further when he ordered an investigation to establish the cause of Ebola and warned the people of Bundibugyo to desist from eating monkey meat - their delicacy.

This and the numerous reports seem to have angered Mr Matte who wasted no time in telling off the government , represented by Dr Otaala, the state minister for Primary healthcare to get off their tasty monkey.

"I am a Mukonzo from the mountains and time immemorial, people here have been eating monkeys and other animals including those bitten by snakes but they are still living," asserted the MP.

"My great, great grand parents were eating monkeys and I also eat monkeys but I have never contracted Ebola."

He signed off with a piece of advice for the government.

They should look for the root cause of Ebola elsewhere but keep off the monkey. "It was imperative for the Ministry of Health to work with other investigators to find the root cause of Ebola," Mr Matte said.

allAfrica.com

Meow mein

2008-03-01T01:09:00.003+01:00

A Chinese restaurant diner has been paid compensation after a fat cat fell through the roof and landed on him. The man, named Bi, from Beijing city, was enjoying a meal when the overweight cat dropped on him from the roof.

Fat cat falls on diner - Daily Times

Sofa King Chicken

2008-02-29T01:11:00.002+01:00

A Pennsylvania convenience-store chain is taking heat from critics who say its new billboard campaign promoting a fried chicken sandwich contains foul language.

Sheetz unveiled the "Crispy Frickin' Chicken" billboards at the beginning of this month. Spokeswoman Monica Jones says about one-third of the company's 346 stores carry the sandwich, and the campaign consists of 100 billboards placed near those locations.

Jones says the campaign is aimed at young adults, and the company didn't intend to offend anyone.

Altoona-based Sheetz recently removed one billboard in Hazle Township, near Hazleton, after local officials fielded complaints.

Jones says the remaning billboards will come down next Wednesday, when the campaign is scheduled to end.

Sheetz operates stores in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

Fowl Language - FOX News

More nutty burglars

2008-02-28T23:12:00.001+01:00

Over the past week, burglars have run rampant in one East Lake neighborhood, but now they have gone too far.

"I'm just so sick of it and tired of it," said William Roper. "I'm not gonna take it anymore."

The bad guys got his house on 34th Street Sunday night. They took guns, money, jewelry, even the lighted top off a fish tank. But,that is not all. "My underwear. They stole my underwear," he admits.

It gets worse. Crooks also took Rainbow, Roper's Amazon parrot. "The shotguns, the change, the jewelry, I don't want any of that back. I want my bird back," said Roper. "That bird we've had for 12 years. It's like a member of the family and it's just crazy that anyone would want to steal that."

WRCB TV

Who's a really pretty boy?

2008-02-28T23:10:00.001+01:00

MONTREAL–Slick thieves have been targeting parrots, stealing them from Quebec homes with surgical precision while leaving behind valuable jewellery, electronics and even cash.

The thefts are aimed at a global black market in rare exotic birds.

This winter, thieves crawled through windows to get into two households in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. They used pillowcases to bag birds in lightning-quick break-ins.

"It's clearly part of a big racket," said Yvon Girard, who lost a $4,000 Amazon parrot named Tommy and a macaw named Sonny, along with three purebred chihuahuas.

"It's unbelievable. They could have cleaned out the house, but they didn't even bother searching."

TheStar.com

Be prepared

2008-02-27T21:32:00.001+01:00

A school near Bridgend has sparked outrage after pupils were ordered to write imaginary suicide notes in class, it emerged today.

Students aged just 13 were told to carry out the exercise in an English lesson in order to "get into the mind of a troubled teenager".

The school is situated just a few miles from the South Wales borough of Bridgend, an area which has been struck by a string of apparent hangings by young people.

Daily Mail

Say hello to Hagar the Fashionable

2008-02-27T21:28:00.001+01:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Vikings were much snappier dressers than thought, according to new evidence unearthed by a Swedish researcher.

The men were especially vain while the women dressed provocatively, adorning themselves in vivid colours, silk ribbons and glittering bits of mirrors, said Annika Larsson, a textile researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Reuters.com

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

2008-02-27T21:25:00.001+01:00

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six people have been killed in three days by icicles falling from buildings in a central Russian region, ITAR-TASS news agency reported Tuesday.

Plummeting chunks of ice is an annual hazard for pedestrians in Russia during the spring when the sun finally melts thick layers of ice and snow which build up on roofs over months of freezing temperatures and darkness.

Reuters

Criminal mastermind

2008-02-27T21:21:00.001+01:00

An elderly German who hid a stolen suit under his clothes was caught because he forgot to take it off the hanger, police said.

A sales assistant at a men's outfitter in the western city of Aachen noticed the hanger bulging out when the man told her he had decided against buying anything.

Stuff.co.nz

Down, boy

2008-02-27T21:19:00.001+01:00

A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday.

The boy and girl, ages 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

CBS News