Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Health

Shocking! Doctors untangle the strange case of the giant hairball

It may not be the most appetizing reading before a hearty holiday meal, but the New England Journal of Medicine is devoting part of its Thanksgiving issue to a giant hairball -- and not the feline kind.

The prestigious journal details the case of a previously healthy 18-year-old woman who consulted a team of gastrointestinal specialists.

©the New England Journal of Medicine
Doctors say this hairball removed from a woman's stomach weighed 10 pounds.

She complained of a five-month history of pain and swelling in her abdomen, vomiting after eating and a 40-pound weight loss.

Magnify

Disingenuous department: Man says he shot cow after mistaking it for coyote

COLFAX TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A man says he shot and killed a neighbour's cow after mistaking it for a coyote.

©Unknown
Friesian/Holstein cow

Ark

Parody: End of Mayan Calendar Coincides with Impact of Shock Wave from Comet Holmes

Scientists at the Mount Palomar Observatory in California and Caltech have confirmed that the "blast front" from Comet 17P/Holmes will hit the Earth on Dec 21, 2012. By odd coincidence, this is the day that the Mayan Calendar ends, and is predicted by some to correlate with the end of the world.

UFO

Shirley MacLaine Talks with Bill O'Reilly About UFOs

LAURA INGRAHAM, GUEST HOST: And in the "Personal Story" segment tonight, Academy Award winning actress Shirley MacLaine frequently raises eyebrows with her out of this world views, like her claim that she's had close encounters with aliens, and out of body experiences. She spoke to Bill last week about UFOs while promoting her new book, "Saging While Aging."


Bizarro Earth

Cannibal turns vegetarian after joining Green group

The world's most infamous cannibal has become a vegetarian.

Armin Meiwes - he killed, filleted, froze and ate a man he met in an internet chatroom in Germany - is also the recently elected leader of an environmentalist group in the prison where he is serving life for his crime.

Smiley

Nuts! U.S. officials demanding halt to indirect Israel imports of Iranian pistachio nuts

It's not just Iran's nuclear program that's causing problems for Israel and the U.S. - it's also Iran's pistachio nuts.

The reddish nuts are landing in Israeli shops after funneling through Turkey, violating Israeli law that bans all Iranian imports and angering American officials who are urging Israel to crack down as part of their attempt to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Keenum said in a meeting with Israeli officials in Rome on Monday that the pistachio imports must stop, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday. Both the U.S. and Israel have been pushing for new U.N. sanctions to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Iran insists its ambitions are peaceful.

Comment: No, it's not satire ;-)


Vader

Yes, but which is the better actor?

U.S. presidential candidate or mutant lizard?

Black Cat

The real face of Rudy Guiliani

By daylight and by the light of a full moon...

Wine

Dog owners go barking mad for fancy dress

Darth Labrador. Dogzilla. Elvis the hound dog. No outfit is too outrageous for man's best friend.

©REUTERS/Angels Fancy Dress/Handout
A dog wears a witch costume in this undated photograph released in London November 20, 2007.

Smiley

Stowaway piglet survives toilet roll ordeal

London - A piglet nicknamed Andrex is recovering after being found in the back of a truck full of toilet paper at a supermarket.

©Reuters/Tesco/RSPCA
An injured piglet found among a delivery at Tesco in Ilkeston, Derbyshire and nicknamed "Andrex" is shown in this handout photo, November 20, 2007.

The animal, thought to be two or three weeks old, was discovered in a delivery at a Tesco store in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.