Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Bizarro Earth

Australia: Cops and robbers break into same house


Herald Sun
Wed, 28 May 2008 14:59 UTC
For a burglar, being chased by the police is one thing. But finding them already there when you jemmy open the window just doesn't seem fair.

That was the shock awaiting a couple of thieves who staged a midnight raid on a Melbourne house last week.

But the police weren't waiting for them - in fact, they were no less surprised.

The Melton property was allegedly being used for growing hydroponic cannabis, and the detectives were on a raid to arrest the resident, a man in his 20s.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

China: Man squirts milk from eyes


Ananova
Wed, 28 May 2008 14:05 UTC
A Chinese man has stunned onlookers by demonstrating his ability to squirt milk out if his eyes.

Zhang Yinming drank milk through his nose and then squirted it up to two metres with his eyes.

Zhang, from Shandong province, showed off his unusual skills in Nanjing city, the capital of Jiangsu Province.

Image
©Unknown
Read More...
Roses

Nebraska, US: Tree Split In Half After Neighbor Dispute


KETV
Wed, 28 May 2008 13:59 UTC
Much like Solomon's biblical court, an Omaha man said he was forced to split a tree down the middle to satisfy a neighbor.

A 20-year old pine tree sits in Steve Liston's front yard near 130th and Ellison streets. One side is green and lush and the other is shaved down to the middle of the tree.

Liston said he has lived in his home for 11 years. Last year, he got a certified letter from his neighbor asking him to cut the tree because it was damaging the grass.

Image
©KETV
Read More...
Display

Trans Atlantic 'tunnel' links London to New York


Agence France Presse
Wed, 28 May 2008 07:46 UTC
An arresting new artistic landmark is drawing crowds in London and New York, intrigued at being able to wave to each other through what is teasingly presented as a a huge Trans Atlantic tunnel.

From its London end next to City Hall on the south bank of the River Thames, tourists and locals can see people at the other end of the Telectroscope, by the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

New York - London Tunnel
©Matthew Andrews
Read More...
Fish

At last, a fish that doesn't get away... quite so often

Robin Turner
Western Mail
Wed, 21 May 2008 20:07 UTC
A Welsh river is being stocked with "genetically modified" trout whose biological alterations make them easier to catch.

The trout - known as triploids - are being introduced by the Environment Agency, which wants to prevent interbreeding between native trout and those bred on fish farms introduced to the country's waterways for anglers.

Because the modified fish are not naturally wild, it makes them easier to hook.
Read More...
Coffee

Briton plans to drive to Greece, on grease


eKathimerini
Tue, 27 May 2008 14:54 UTC
A 34-year-old Briton who drove a truck to Timbuktu on factory-reject chocolate is planning to lead 30 cars, powered only by cooking oil, on a two-week rally from London to Athens in August, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported yesterday.
Read More...
Briefcase

European Court agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights

Allan Hall
Mail Online
Wed, 21 May 2008 21:00 UTC
His name is Matthew, he is 26 years old, and his supporters hope to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

But he won't be able to give evidence on his own behalf - since he is a chimpanzee. Animal rights activists led by British teacher Paula Stibbe are fighting to have Matthew legally declared a 'person' so she can be appointed as his guardian if the bankrupt animal sanctuary where he lives in Vienna is forced to close.

An anonymous businessman has offered a substantial amount to cover his care, but under Austrian law only humans are entitled to have guardians.
Read More...
HAL9000

Tower Bridge Twitters, Fails to Titillate


Londonist
Mon, 26 May 2008 19:21 UTC
We mentioned this in passing last month, but it took until now for the sheer silliness of this "news" to truly sink into Londonist's brain. An anthropomorphized Tower Bridge has taken to Twittering - you know, that little micro-blogging tool whereby folks can share with family, friends and subscribers what it is they're doing, thinking and feeling every moment of the day. The Tower Bridge hasn't yet revealed to us what it's thinking or feeling, but it would like you to know what it's been up to lately:
I am opening...
I am closing...
I am opening...
I am closing...
Read More...
Fish

The psychology of beach towels

Vinay Menon
TheStar.com
Tue, 20 May 2008 16:15 UTC
Newsflash: people who drive black cars suffer from a lack of confidence while those in orange vehicles are more likely to experience mood swings.

Leaving aside the obvious - wouldn't you have to be unstable to buy an orange vehicle? - this invaluable data comes from a recent survey conducted by Oregon-based CNW Marketing Research.

The findings contribute new insights to the scientific field known as "What X Reveals About Your Personality."
Read More...
Black Cat

Cat helps debt-strapped Japanese train

Mari Yamaguchi
Associated Press
Mon, 26 May 2008 15:11 UTC
A money-losing Japanese train company has found the purr-fect mascot to draw crowds and bring back business - tabby Tama.

All the 9-year-old female cat has to do is sit by the entrance of western Japan's Kishi Station, wearing a black uniform cap and posing for photos for the tourists who are now flocking in from across the nation.

Her job makes cultural sense in Japan, where cats are considered good luck and are believed to bring in business.

Tama has done such a good job of raising revenue for the troubled Kishikawa train line that she was recently promoted to "super-station-master."

Image
©AFP
Read More...