Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Better Earth

Germany: Wild Boar Help Police Round up Car Thieves


Spiegel
Sat, 24 May 2008 13:19 UTC
A duo of young car thieves were thwarted in their attempt to evade police capture on Wednesday night when some wild boar got in their way. Police had to rescue one of the suspects from a herd of wild boar defending their young.

Wild boar have had some bad press recently in Germany with increasing numbers of the animals venturing into cities in search of food. However, late on Wednesday night the feral creatures made something of a contribution to law and order by helping police round up some crime suspects.
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Heart

13-Year-Old Twins Write Award-Winning Novel in the Face of Adversity


Earth Times
Tue, 13 May 2008 07:01 UTC


JBB Winner
©Unknown

Missile Rider Publishing announces the nationwide release of the award-winning novel, The Strand Prophecy, written by twins, Brittany and Brianna Winner, 13, and their father Jeff Winner. Appropriately dubbing themselves JBB Winner (Jeff, Brittany and Brianna), the twins collaborated with their father to pen this exciting science-fiction adventure even though, at first glance, the task seemed impossible.
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Smiley

Get a good night's kip...on the moon


Metro.co.uk
Thu, 22 May 2008 16:45 UTC
They are everywhere, popping up all over the country offering a decent night's sleep for a reasonable price.

But one budget hotel company has dec­ided to expand into the final frontier - and has bought a plot on the Moon.

Premier Inn claims it will welcome visitors fresh off the shuttle from Earth within 25 years. But first it has to work out how to carry materials for the 4,000 sq m (43,000 sq ft) building into space.
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USA

Obama, Clinton, McCain Join Forces To Form Nightmare Ticket

Satire
The Onion
Thu, 22 May 2008 15:17 UTC
WASHINGTON - Presidential hopefuls John McCain (R-AZ), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) announced Monday their plans to form what many Beltway observers have already dubbed the "2008 Nightmare Ticket," a calculated move that political analysts say offers voters the worst of both worlds.

Image
©Onion
Even without any opponent, the ticket intends to triple campaign ad spending.
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Bulb

High gas prices drive farmer to switch to mules


Associated Press
Thu, 22 May 2008 00:42 UTC
MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. - High gas prices have driven a Warren County farmer and his sons to hitch a tractor rake to a pair of mules to gather hay from their fields. T.R. Raymond bought Dolly and Molly at the Dixon mule sale last year. Son Danny Raymond trained them and also modified the tractor rake so the mules could pull it.
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Cult

Tokens of doom: Chinese Olympic mascots seen as signs of times


Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Wed, 21 May 2008 16:42 UTC
HONG KONG: Superstitious bloggers have linked China's earthquake disaster and other recent misfortunes to the five Olympic mascots, a Hong Kong newspaper reported yesterday.
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Eye 1

The Saudi woman who wants a divorce - because her husband tried to sneak one look at her face after 30 years of marriage


The Daily Mail
Wed, 21 May 2008 14:51 UTC
After 30 years of marriage, cynics might say most husbands and wives would have seen quite enough of each other, thank you very much.

But not in the case of one Saudi Arabian man who managed to live with his wife for three decades without setting eyes on her face.

Not that he had much choice about it. His 50-year-old wife followed the tradition of her native village near the south-western city of Khamis Mushayt and kept her features veiled at all times.

Until one night last month, that is, when the husband was finally overcome by curiosity and tried to lift his wife's veil as she slept to take a look at her face.
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Padlock

Mexican donkey jailed for ornery behavior


Associated Press
Tue, 20 May 2008 14:46 UTC
A donkey is doing time in southern Mexico for assault and battery.

The animal was locked up at a local jail that normally holds people for public drunkenness and other disturbances after it bit and kicked two men near a ranch in Chiapas state, police said Monday.

Officer Sinar Gomez said the donkey will remain behind bars until its owner agrees to pay the men's medical bills.

"Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed," Gomez said - "no matter who they are."
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Smiley

Japan: Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address


Associated Press
Wed, 21 May 2008 07:39 UTC
When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught - recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.

He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet.
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Wine

Naked pilot, flight attendant arrested in woods


Associated Press
Tue, 20 May 2008 23:35 UTC
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - An airline pilot was found hiding behind a shed wearing only flip-flops and a wristwatch as a nighttime romp in the woods with a flight attendant ended with both under arrest, police said.

Jeffrey Paul Bradford, 24, and Adrianna Grace Connor, 24, both employees of Pinnacle Airlines Inc., were at a diner on the outskirts of Harrisburg on Sunday night before they apparently decided to walk into the woods, police said.
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