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Compass

SOTT Focus: Agent Penn Guinn's Adventures in Divided Nicosia

PG in Nicosia 1
© SOTT.netThe ever stylish Mr PG arrives in Cyprus
My name is Guinn. Penn Guinn. Upon leaving my familiar environment of ice-cold Antarctica, I was determined to travel around the Earth in search of clues of the miraculous: that, as yet unidentifiable but eternally present spirit of the creative universe that resides above and below, within and without, permeates and penetrates all, but alas! is invisible to the untrained eye. But such a task is not difficult for one of Aptenodytes Forsteri genus such as I, who in the aforementioned inhospitable surroundings learned to distinguish, from an early age, the thousand different shades of white.

And so my seeking has led me to awareness enhancing journeys through the coastal Tel Aviv, the Italian Apennines, the French Riviera and Hendaye, the English Countryside. It was while spending some time with elderly British folks in my last travels that I heard about the island of Cyprus: a small troubled place shrouded in mystery, intimately connected with the birth of the Greek Goddess of Love and the birth of the Christian Orthodox church. Following some preliminary research, it dawned on me that both Aphrodite and graceful Mary would need to be dressed à la mode in order to fit in in modern day Cyprus. Not that I care too much for appearances you see. But wishing to blend in with the crowds, I spent the winter at my chilly home awaiting the unappealing molting of my pelage to take its course before setting off for the sunny island. Come springtime, all dapper in my new velvety plumage, I was ready for my next adventure!

Footprints

Perry Mason accused of soliciting legal clients

Perry Mason_01
A Perry Mason in Houston who's not an attorney is accused of trying to attract clients for one who is. A man with the same legal name as the lead character in the 1960s TV law show "Perry Mason" is charged with barratry, soliciting for a licensed attorney.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office said Thursday that a tip led to 44-year-old Perry Mason. He allegedly tried to solicit former jail inmates for legal services.

DA's spokeswoman Donna Hawkins told The Associated Press that Mason, who is not an attorney, was arrested Tuesday.

Smiley

Sewing machine frenzy in red mercury hoax

Singer sewing machine old
Saudi police are investigating the origins of a hoax that had hundreds of people believing that old sewing machines may bring fortune because they contained an elusive, and probably mythical, substance known as red mercury.

Saudi newspapers on Tuesday published pictures of Saudis proudly posing next to old sewing machines awaiting prospective buyers at traditional markets.

The English-language Saudi Gazette newspaper said some buyers were willing to pay up to 200,000 riyals ($50,000) for an old Singer sewing machine proven to contain red mercury.

Mr. Potato

Wedding 'strangers' split after one week

TWO strangers who tied the knot in a bizarre wedding experiment have split up after just one week together.

The couple, who exchanged vows just minutes after setting eyes on each other, split after a short honeymoon in Portugal.

Bebhinn O'Keeffe (25) and Alan Healy (31) arrived back in Waterford yesterday evening and went their very separate ways.

Radar

Police nab Norwegian pair during high-speed sex

Oslo -- A Norwegian man faces a heavy fine and a driving ban after police caught him having sex with his girlfriend while speeding on the motorway, police said Monday.

Mr. Potato

Oregon Bomb Squad Called in to Defuse ... Prosthetic Leg

Hillsboro - A scary situation turned into a strange one when a bomb squad determined that a suspicious package left outside the Washington County Sheriff's Office contained a prosthetic leg.

Heart

UK: Talented Susan Boyle looks to have the last laugh

She lives alone with her ten-year-old cat, has never been kissed, and is teased by children in the street. But 48-year-old Susan Boyle could just be the UK's next singing sensation.

Devout Catholic Miss Boyle has been at the centre of a media storm since news emerged of how she wowed Britain's Got Talent judges Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan with her amazing opera voice.

She has now been tipped to win the hit show and the chance to perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance later this year.

Sheeple

Nazarene processions in Spain marred by lack of Christian goodwill

Processions of hooded Nazarenes through the streets of Spanish cities have been marred this year by a distinct absence of Christian goodwill.

A mother took her ex-husband to court to force him to allow their 10-year-old son to attend the children's Nazarene procession in Elche, southeast Spain, today.

During the first part of the Easter holidays the father had custody over the boy, but his mother wanted to ensure that her son attended the procession of the Brotherhood of the Denial of St Paul. The father had agreed to swap custody and let his ex-wife look after their son - then changed his mind at the last minute. The infuriated mother launched legal action to make sure she got her way.

Cookie

Dog who eats clothes

Ever heard of a canine living on clothes? Meet Bailey. Appears weird, but the golden retriever has been eating garments for years.

Bailey's peculiar eating habits were revealed when vets who operated on the dog expecting to find a tumour pulled out enough clothes to fill a washing line- two golf gloves, two rugby gloves, one mitten, one stocking and nine socks.

"It is amazing that he was not more unwell or sick but was still eating his food. This huge mass in his abdomen was picked up on a routine check-up for his epilepsy.

"Vets obviously do a fair number of foreign object removals but I doubt I will ever see anything like this again in my career. Even for us, from a vet's point of view, it was pretty amazing.

Smiley

Swedish parishioners unveil statue of Jesus, built out of Lego blocks

Lego Jesus
© Associated Press/Jonas EkstromerA statue of Jesus Christ made entirely out of Lego construction bricks stands in a church at Vasteras, Sweden.
Parishioners at a church in Sweden celebrated Easter on Sunday by unveiling a 1.8-metre-tall statue of Jesus that they had built out of 30,000 Lego blocks.

It took the 40 volunteers about 18 months to put all the tiny plastic blocks together, and their creation shows a standing Jesus facing forward with his arms outstretched.

The Protestant church was filled to capacity with about 400 worshippers Sunday when the statue went on display behind the altar, and some of the children in the congregation couldn't help but touch the white art work.