Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Grey Alien

Moon mistaken for UFO

Urmee Khan
Telegraph
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:20 UTC
Police in Wales were called to investigate a mysterious flying saucer, only to discover it was the moon.

The moon was mistaken for a "bright, stationary" UFO which had been loitering for at least half an hour, by a confused local in South Wales who made a 999 call to the police.

Comment: Damage control? With the spate of recent sightings across the UK one has to wonder. Nothing to see here, move along now.

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Black Cat

Crazy cat that frightened neighborhood mends ways


Associated Press
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:29 UTC
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - A combative cat named Lewis who frightened the neighbors and got his owner into legal trouble two years ago has done so well under house arrest that the case has now been scratched.

A judge dismissed a reckless endangerment charge against Lewis's owner, Ruth Cisero, on Thursday, concluding she had met terms of a special probation for first-time offenders. Lewis is now an indoor pet, allowed outside only in a cat carrier.

"Unlike most of us, Lewis has learned to live with his limitations," said Eugene Riccio, Cisero's attorney.

The scratch-happy black-and-white cat drew widespread attention in 2006 when Cisero opted for a trial on the criminal charge rather than euthanize or declaw him. It became a national claws celeb, and some pet lovers even sported "Save Lewis" shirts.

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Smiley

Germany the 'most miserable nation in the European Union'

Harry de Quetteville
The Daily Telegraph
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:35 UTC
The report, released by the European Commission this week, confirms what many Germans had themselves long suspected - ­ they are masters of moaning.

Asked if life would be better in 20 years time, just 20 per cent of Germans could bring themselves to agree. In happy-go-lucky Estonia, which topped the chart, 78 per cent of people look at the future through rose-tinted spectacles.

"Estonian citizens were the most optimistic," noted the report, which polled 25,000 people across the EU. "The Germans, on the other hand, were the least optimistic ­ - only one in five expected that life in Germany would improve in the long-term."

Britons were revealed as a touch more sceptical about future prospects than the average European, 49 per cent of whom think life will be worse in 20 years.

Comment: Maybe those polled just have a better understanding of what is happening.

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People

Australians making odd choices for funeral songs


Associated Press
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:33 UTC
ADELAIDE - Hymns are being replaced at funerals in one Australian city by popular rock classics like Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," a cemetery manager said Wednesday.
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Bizarro Earth

Terrorist spice: Curry grounds plane


Ananova
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:15 UTC
A BA jet diverted after passengers thought they smelt poison gas was really grounded by curry.

The flight from Belgrade to London made an emergency evacuation after passengers panicked, fearing a terrorist gas attack.

But an official investigation into the incident at the Nikola Tesla Airport in the Serbian capital has revealed the fumes had escaped from a giant container of curry spices in the plane's cargo hold.

"The smell spread from the package of an aromatic food spice," confirmed the Serbian Ministry for the Protection of Human Environment.
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Bug

China: Man sells 10,000 mosquito corpses


Ananova
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00 UTC
A Chinese man who set up an online business selling dead mosquitoes says he's received 10,000 orders in just two days.

Nin Nan, of Shanghai, came up with the idea of selling mosquitoes he killed to attract visitors to his online jewellery shop.

"I locked myself in the room, thinking hard of a promotion plan. With a 'pa' sound and a dead mosquito, I came up with this weird idea," he told Qianlong News.
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Video

Sarkozy TV rebuke becomes web hit: Nicolas Sarkozy gets angry with a TV technician


BBC
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:31 UTC
Click here to see the video.

Footage of French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressing irritation at a TV technician ahead of an interview has become an instant internet success.

The video shows the employee clipping a microphone to Mr Sarkozy's tie, and not responding to a presidential "hello".

"It's a question of manners," Mr Sarkozy is heard muttering. "When you're invited, you're entitled to have people say 'hello' to you".

The video, posted on the Dailymotion website, has drawn about 500,000 hits.
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Bandaid

Satire? President Bush decries supernova conspiracy theorists


Sir Satire's New World Order News Service
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:51 UTC
President Bush denounced what he called "solar conspiracy theories" after the sun appeared to explode today.
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Beer

Baby otters safe after excursion, stop at pub


Associated Press
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:49 UTC
PETALUMA, Calif. --Two baby river otters are safely in the care of a wildlife rescue group after a weekend excursion that took them through several Petaluma neighborhoods, including a stop at a local pub.

Residents began calling the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue hotline Friday night, reporting sightings of the pair slinking across porches and diving under fences.

The first otter was caught Saturday morning after a homeowner caught the animal sleeping between a garbage can and a flower pot. The second one, however, kept moving through town and was spotted by a man outside Mario & John's Tavern that night.

"He was afraid he'd sound crazy or we'd think he'd been drinking too much. But he said it hissed at him twice and then ran across the street into some bushes," said Donnie Figone, co-owner of the tavern.

Someone finally trapped the baby otter at an auto parts store Monday morning and called the rescue group.

Rescuers believe the mother of the 2-month old siblings, each about the size of a shoebox, may have been injured or died. Baby otters cannot survive long without their mother, spurring the weekend search for them.

Officials say a third otter also could be on the loose in town.
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Take 2

Venezuela TV punished for 'Simpsons' run


Associated Press
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:46 UTC
CARACAS --Venezuelan regulators are forcing a local TV station to show public service announcements as punishment for broadcasting "The Simpsons" during a time slot reserved for children's programs.

The Televen channel yanked the animated hit from its lineup in April after regulators said its 11 a.m. showing violated broadcast rules intended to protect young viewers. "The Simpsons" returned to the air at night, and was replaced in the morning with "Baywatch Hawaii."
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