Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Light Saber

Greek island of Icaria turns down public holiday

A small group of civil servants on the Aegean island of Icaria decided not follow their colleagues in the rest of Greece and take the leave the government had offered for the funeral of Archbishop Christodoulos on Thursday, it emerged yesterday.

The vast majority of public services in Greece were shut for the funeral but the public officials on Icaria, an island known for doing things its own way, took a stand against the decision to give bureaucrats the day off.

Star

Man Jailed For Making Crosswalk, Plans More

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Whitney Stump didn't like watching drivers ignore the stop signs at the intersection outside his home, so he asked the city to paint crosswalks there.

When the city said no, he made one himself, and the city didn't appreciate it, WRTV in Indianapolis reported.

Stump, a 27-year-old Ball State University graduate student and father, said he was arrested once on a charge of criminal mischief for creating the crosswalk. He was arrested a second time when he went back to touch up the paint.

Mail

What a Nasty Letter for Only $16.96!

Buffalo, New York - A collection agency tried to collect a $16.96 debt with an letter that addressed its recipient with a four-letter word for excrement. "Dear S---," began the letter attempting to collect from an old record club membership. The word was spelled out in the letter, which arrived in an envelope addressed to "S--- Face."

Butterfly

Vietnam moms rush deliveries as Year of Golden Pig comes to an end

Expectant mothers are asking doctors to deliver their babies prematurely, via Caesarean section, so they can be born before the end of the lucky "Year of the Golden Pig," Vietnamese doctors said Thursday. Vietnam, which traditionally follows the Chinese lunar calendar, will celebrate its New Year, known as "Tet," on February 7.

Bizarro Earth

Mexican hen lays green eggs

A chicken named Rabanita from the central Mexican village of Huecatitla became a local celebrity after her owner said she lays green eggs, the Televisa TV channel said on Thursday.

The owner Elvira Romero said that she was given Rabanita as part of governmental aid for villagers. At first the ordinary-looking brown hen was no different to her other 13 birds, but suddenly on December 5 she began laying green eggs.

Crusader

Some 100 poisonous snakes guard drug stash in Italy

Italian police had to call for reptile specialists to help open a drug stash in a villa in Rome, a police source said on Thursday.

Padlock

Japan: Man arrested over 2,600 prank calls made to NTT directory service

A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of making about 2,600 prank calls to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp's phone number directory service, obstructing its business, police said Wednesday. Takahiro Fujinuma, an unemployed man from Ota Ward, Tokyo, admitted to the allegations. He was quoted as telling the police, "Being single, I did it as a distraction from my loneliness."

Bulb

Man Sets Station on Fire Over Playlist

Austin, Texas - A volunteer at a community radio station set fire to the station because he was upset that his song selections for an overnight Internet broadcast were changed, police said.

Video

SOTT Focus: SOTT Exclusive! Our Correspondent in Israel tracks down and interviews the Elusive Penn Guinn!

Date: 11th January, 2008 - Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Ms. Maigret, special SOTT corespondent, reports on a successful attempt to track down and initiate contact with a mysterious Penguin apparition. The following text is a transcript of the answers given to the corespondent, including commentary and exclusive pictures of the sacred city tour.






There are times when we are faced with an undeniable reality, with something we can't really shove under the rug or stick into the dusty closet with the rest of the skeletons. As a rule, such events usually lead to cataclysms of a personal or global nature, when the way we choose to deal with them may actually determine the outcome. And because evidently we are approaching such a period, there is a need to take steps that were inadvisable otherwise. Like a decision to share with you, dear SOTT readers, my true identity and mission on this third rock from the Sun.

Smiley

New Zealand: Borat swimsuit ban sparks debate in Wellington

The ban on Borat swimsuit costumes in the name of decency at the Sevens tournament this weekend has got Wellington talking.

The leader of the Borats that attended last year's event says the fashion police are ruining the spirit of the event.

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