Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


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Lemonade Shortage Prompts 911 Call

Boynton Beach, Florida - A 66-year-old man is facing charges for calling 911 to complain that a Florida fast-food restaurant was out of lemonade, police say.

Boynton Beach police charged Jean Fortune with misusing emergency services for his alleged phone call Saturday in which he complained about that lack of his preferred beverage at a local Burger King, The Palm Beach Post reported Sunday.

An arrest report alleges Fortune became upset upon learning the fast-food restaurant was out of lemonade.

Cult

A Horse of a Different Color Divides Denver

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Courtesy of Denver International Airport
Blue Mustang Sculpture Shocks Visitors, Perturbs Poets; 'Because of This Thing, People Think They Are in Hell'

The mustang rears on splayed hind legs -- his nostrils flaring, his eyes glowing red, his taut body a slick, sweaty sheen of blue. Anatomically correct -- eye-poppingly so -- the 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture makes quite a statement at the gateway to Denver International Airport.

But that begs the question: What kind of statement, exactly?

"It looks like it's possessed," says Denver resident Samantha Horoschak. "I have a huge fear of flying anyway, and to be greeted at the airport by a demon horse -- it's not a soothing experience."

Many people here agree, calling the muscular steed a terrifying welcome to the Mile High City.

Pumpkin

World's top 10 scariest airports

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Nervous fliers, stop reading! Travel & Leisure has come up with a list of the world's scariest runways that can make even the most relaxed travellers grip their armrest.

Top Secret

Putin denies dancing to Abba hits

Putin not
© AFPVladimir Putin and seven other guests were at the gig, Bjorn Again says
An Abba tribute band says it has performed a private concert for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Bjorn Again says it was paid £20,000 to play the gig 200 miles (320km) north of Moscow on 22 January.

Bjorn Again's manager Rod Stephen and other band members said Mr Putin danced to Abba hits and shouted "Bravo!"

The PM's spokesman denied the claim. Mr Putin - a former KGB spy who has a black belt in judo - is known in Russia and the West for his macho image.

Smiley

Escaped Prisoner Turns Up in Michigan Judge's Trunk

A Michigan judge says he's learned a lesson about locking his car after a 16-year-old prisoner who escaped from a courthouse cell was found hiding in the vehicle's trunk.

The Macomb Daily reports the teen had vanished Friday after appearing in juvenile court in Mount Clemens on a probation violation.

Sheriff's deputies searched for about an hour until a security officer became suspicious when he saw a picture that had fallen to the ground outside judge's car.

Smiley

Construction worker burglar allegedly leaves sledgehammer behind with his name

An officer in South San Francisco made quick work tracking down a San Bruno burglar Thursday, after he left a sledgehammer with his name on it in a vehicle he broke into, according to police.

Police Sgt. Mindy Lopez responded to 670 Gateway Blvd. at about 1:30 p.m. to investigate two vehicle burglaries that occurred overnight, according to the South San Francisco Police Department.

Construction worker Jerry O'Grady, 46, was identified as a suspect when Lopez located a sledgehammer in one of the burglarized vehicles with the name "Jerry O'Grady" written on it, according to police.

A review of the suspect's criminal record showed O'Grady was on active probation with San Mateo County law enforcement, allowing Lopez to conduct a probation search at his home, police reported. Stolen property from the burglarized vehicles was allegedly located throughout the residence.

O'Grady was arrested for burglary and possession of stolen property and booked at San Mateo County Jail, according to police.

Smiley

'Bin Laden' Applies for Island Job in Australia

Australian state Queensland's YouTube-based search for an island caretaker has yielded a video application from a man claiming to be Osama bin Laden.

Tourism Queensland is accepting applications via the video sharing Web site for the six-month position of Hamilton Island caretaker, which pays nearly $100,000, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Thursday.

The bin Laden application features video of the al-Qaida mastermind with subtitles citing the terrorist leader's familiarity with "sandy areas" and experience in "large scale event coordination" as reasons that he would be perfect for the job.

"I've got experience with videos and delegating tasks," the subtitles read. "My interests include arts and craft and renovating. I'm outgoing and fun-loving."

Roses

SKorean granny fails driving test 771 times

A dogged South Korean grandmother has failed her driving test 771 times, police said Thursday, but a local newspaper reported she will keep trying.

The 68-year-old, identified only by her last name Cha, has taken the test almost every working day since 2005 in the southwestern city of Jeonju. She failed again Monday for the 771st time.

"It was a record-breaking number here," Choi Yong-Cheol, a police sergeant supervising the test in the city's Deokjingu district, told AFP.

Smiley

Gordon Brown flies Union flag upside down at China ceremony

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been left red-faced after the national flag was displayed upside-down at a ceremony with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Even worse, observers note teasingly that the gaffe reflects his current political woes, since traditionally flying the flag upside-down on a ship signifies that it is in distress.

The red white and blue flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, was proudly in place at a ceremony to sign a business deal in Brown's Downing Street office on Monday. But eagle-eyed observers noted that the flag was mistakenly attached upside-down on the wooden stick, placed on the table in front of Business Secretary Peter Mandelson.

Light Sabers

Masked Man Robs Stores With Klingon Sword

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Colorado Springs police are looking for a man who hit two 7-Eleven convenience stores early Wednesday, armed with a Klingon sword.

The first robbery was reported at 1:50 a.m., at 145 N Spruce St. The clerk told police a white man in his 20s, wearing a black mask, black jacket, and blue jeans, entered the store with a weapon the clerk recognized from the Star Trek TV series.

The robber demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount.