Odd News

[Denny]

Deer loses fight with concrete elk lawn ornament

VIROQUA, Wis. - A love-struck buck ran out of luck a week ago. The seven-point buck was killed when it rammed a 640-pound concrete statue of an elk in the backyard of Mark and Carol Brye's home in rural Viroqua.

Bucks often fight during the breeding season, commonly called "the rut." Dominant bucks defend breeding territories and female deer by sparring with subordinate bucks. Antler battles sometimes result in the death of one or both deer, but usually end with the biggest buck winning and the smaller buck high-tailing it out the area.

[Denny]

Georgia police stumped by mystery of missing sheep: report

TBILISI (AFP) – Police in ex-Soviet Georgia have been left guessing by the mysterious disappearance of two shepherds with their entire flock of 600 sheep, the Rezonansi newspaper reported Thursday.

[Denny]

Joan Baez, '60s Singer, Hurt in Treehouse Fall

WOODSIDE, Calif. (CBS/AP) The 1960s songbird Joan Baez is "resting comfortably" at an undisclosed location after falling 20 feet to the ground from a treehouse - a treehouse she purposely had built without walls because she wanted to sleep among real birds at her home in Woodside, Calif.

[dwest]

One benefit of having a tree-house is the necessity of a zip line or a good pole for descents, she obviously wasn't thinking.

[Denny]

agreed

climb up, slide down...
down is dangerous

[Denny]

Dance Troupe Causes Terror Scare Running Through Lincoln Tunnel

A camouflage-clad Florida dance troupe desperate to make it to a live TV talent show set off a rush-hour terror scare when they ditched their cars in merciless Lincoln Tunnel traffic and tried to sprint through the tube.

The FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force was called in -- and a massive contingent of heavily armed cops surrounded the harmless performers, who stood teary-eyed in their showy costumes as hundreds of angry drivers were stuck in the snarl.

[Denny]

Google charges feds $25 a head for user surveillance

Microsoft does not charge for government surveillance of its users, whereas Google charges $25 per user, according to a US Drug Enforcement Admission document turned up by security and privacy guru Christopher Soghoian.

With a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Soghoian has exposed four years of DEA spending on wiretaps and pen registers. A wiretap grabs actual telephone or Internet conversations, whereas a pen register merely grabs numbers and addresses that show who's doing the communicating.

[Denny]

FAA Won't Punish Pilot In NJ Toilet Paper Drop

(AP) WESTWOOD, N.J. (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration won't take any action against a New Jersey pilot who tossed rolls of toilet paper from a small plane onto an athletic field as a test run for a streamer drop at an upcoming high school football game.

[s1m0n]

Google charges feds $25 a head for user surveillance

Microsoft does not charge for government surveillance of its users, whereas Google charges $25 per user, according to a US Drug Enforcement Admission document turned up by security and privacy guru Christopher Soghoian.

With a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Soghoian has exposed four years of DEA spending on wiretaps and pen registers. A wiretap grabs actual telephone or Internet conversations, whereas a pen register merely grabs numbers and addresses that show who's doing the communicating.

Good for Google; that's a excellent anti-fishing expedition measure.

[Denny]

The Really Strange Story Behind Sunday's Blue Moon

The full moon of November arrives on Sunday and will bring with it a cosmic addition: It will also be a so-called "blue moon."

"But wait a minute," you might ask. "Isn't a 'blue moon' defined as the second full moon that occurs during a calendar month? Sunday's full moon falls on Nov. 21 and it will be the only full moon in November 2010. So how can it be a 'blue' moon?"

Indeed, November's full moon is blue moon – but only if we follow a rule that's now somewhat obscure.

[Denny]

Earth at Night: Astronaut Shares Dazzling Photos From Space Station

Imagine looking out your window at night and seeing the lights of Paris blaze bright, while fog creeps toward London and the northern lights dance on the horizon.

Most of us regular Earthbound folks will never get such a spectacular view. But we can enjoy it second-hand, thanks to a NASA astronaut who's been sharing his dazzling photos from the International Space Station via Twitter.

[Denny]

Thanksgiving turkey no longer welcome in Disneyland

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The Thanksgiving turkey traditionally spared by the US president will no longer go to Disneyland, where it has been a star of the show in recent years, the theme park said Friday.

As the United States gears up for its annual feast next Thursday, a spokeswoman said the California resort had decided to end the custom of hosting the pardoned bird, which has been part of its Thanksgiving parade.

[Denny]

Pope, SpongeBob face off in cheeky Spanish tradition

BARCELONA (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI will be caught with his trousers down, competing with cartoon character SpongeBob and football star Lionel Messi this year in a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Catalonia, according to the makers of the "caganer" figurines.

The ceramic caganer statuettes show affectionate disrespect for famous personalities from home and abroad.

They have been sold in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region around Christmas since the 18th century, when they were placed in nativity scenes in the hope of bringing good luck and a rich harvest.

[Denny]

Kremlin plans 'Back in the USSR' New Year ball

MOSCOW (AFP) – The Kremlin is planning a New Year's ball under the theme of "Back in the USSR" that will feature a spoof double of ex-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

The eye-catching plan, outlined in detail on the official website for state expenditure, is for New Year celebrations at a sanatorium that is part of the Kremlin administration.

According to the detailed description of the expenditure posted on the website, 350 people are being invited to the party at the Klyazma sanatorium, which is part of the New Gorki leisure complex outside Moscow.

[Denny]

1,000 rescued rats up for adoption in California

SAN JOSE, Calif. – About a thousand rats are awaiting adoption in California after being rescued from a house featured on the A&E reality TV show "Hoarders."

The Humane Society trucked the rodents over the weekend from Los Angeles to San Jose, where more than 30 volunteers and nonprofit staff helped move the rats into Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose, which agreed to temporarily house them.