Lindsay tells all: Al and Bubba have my back
"Hollywood hellcat Lindsay Lohan blasted a Blackberry e-mail to her entire address book this week letting her nearest and dearest know she’s “willing to release a politically/morally correct, fully adequite (sic) letter to the press,” confronting the “illegal accusations” tabloids have made about her.
And she even has former veep Al Gore on her side, she said.
“Al Gore will help me he came up to me last night and said he would be very happy to have a conversation with me,” she wrote in a grammatically challenged text message that was forwarded mysteriously into the mailboxes of the New York Post and Slate.com. "

A children's Christmas tale by Pete and Kate
"Pete plays guitar, eats special sweets and falls over a lot. Pete met a famous girl called Kate and the pair went ballistic on Class A drugs.

The cautionary tale of Pete Doherty has been turned into an illustrated children’s book that is becoming a Christmas bestseller.

A Boy Called Pete details the rise to fame of the notorious rock singer who “sings songs and wears hats”. But his predilection for “mind-bending drugs” means that Pete and his friend Kate are “always getting into trouble”."

Man phoned teens repeatedly to ask about their feet
"A man accused of terrorizing three teenagers by repeatedly calling and asking them about their feet has been sentenced to nine months to almost two years in prison.

Scott Michael Kundar, 32, was also ordered on Tuesday by Lawrence County President Judge Dominick Motto to serve two years probation and to attend psychiatric counseling."

Fish pirates will be shot, says Australia
"The Royal Australian Navy has been given permission to shoot at pirate fishing boats plundering the country's rich tropical waters.

Warships and customs patrol boats operating off Australia's north coast have captured a record 357 illegal fishing boats this year, most of them Indonesian vessels hunting sharks for their fins. 'Our patrol boats will be allowed to fire directly to disable a vessel which is ignoring orders and which is seeking to escape apprehension,' said Brendan Nelson, the defence minister."

World Chess Champion Loses to Computer
"World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik lost his final game in a match against computer program Deep Fritz on Tuesday, ceding a hard-fought Man vs. Machine series 4-2.

Kramnik, seeking a final win to level the match, played an unbalanced opening with Black. He built up a good position and equalized. But he then went astray, losing a pawn from which he never recovered."

Doherty Chronicles Update: Kate Moss has apparently issued an ultimatum to lover Pete Doherty - it's me or the drugs.
"The supermodel, who is believed to be engaged to the drug addicted rocker, is sick of the Babyshambles frontman's wild antics and has told him he needs to decide what is more important to him - drugs or love."

Human Remains, T-Shirt Found In Crocodile
"Villagers found two human hands, a leg and a pair of shorts inside a half-ton crocodile they trapped and killed in eastern Indonesia, a conservationist said Wednesday.

At least five people have gone missing in recent months in the same area of East Nusa Tenggara province and are believed to have been eaten by a crocodile or crocodiles, said local conservationist Lorens Mbatu."

Drunken camel crashes Irish party
"Staff at an Irish riding school were forced to postpone festivities after Gus the camel chomped his way through 200 mince pies and several cans of Guinness intended for their Christmas party.

Gus, starring in the riding school’s Santa’s Magical Animal Kingdom show, helped himself to the feast while staff were getting changed for the party."

Hat tip to Kara

Serbian Basketball Game Riot
"A riot broke out in the stands at a Serbian basketball game, and the whole thing was caught on tape.

At least six people were injured when rival fans began fighting shortly before tipoff Tuesday night."

Be sure to watch the video of flare-wielding fans running amok.

Hat tip to Kara!

Cops: Wife shoots man dead over warm beer
"A St. Louis woman shot her husband to death after he gave her a can of warm beer, police said.

The shooting happened Sunday. Names have not been released. The woman was taken into custody.

The wife allegedly admitted shooting her husband, who was about 70 years old, in the kitchen of their home. The man was shot four or five times in the chest after giving his wife a can of warm Stag beer."

Hitler race car could fetch $12 million
"A rare 1939 German sports car commissioned by Adolf Hitler is expected to command the highest price ever paid for any automobile at auction, according to Christie's, which will conduct the auction in Paris in February 2007.

The car, one of five remaining 'Auto Union D-Types,' is expected to sell for as much as $12 million, said Rupert Banner, head of Christie's motor cars department."

Emperor Maxentius Insignia Found in Rome: "Archaeologists have unearthed what they say are the only existing imperial insignia belonging to Emperor Maxentius _ precious objects that were buried to preserve them and keep them from enemies when he was defeated by his rival Constantine.

Excavation under Rome's Palatine Hill near the Colosseum turned up items including three lances and four javelins that experts said are striking for their completeness _ digs usually turn up only fragments _ and the fact that they are the only known artifacts of their kind.
...

Some of the objects, which accompanied the emperor during his public appearances, are believed to be the base for the emperor's standards _ rectangular or triangular flags, officials said.

An imperial scepter with a carved flower and a globe, and a number of glass spheres, believed to be a symbolic representation of the earth, also were discovered."

Flatulence, not turbulence forces plane landing in Nashville
"Flatulence brought 99 passengers on an American Airlines flight to an unscheduled visit to Nashville early Monday morning.

American Flight 1053, from Washington Reagan National Airport and bound for Dallas/Fort Worth, made an emergency landing here after passengers reported smelling struck matches, said Lynne Lowrance, a spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority."

Pirate Update!
"22.11.06 0150 UTC: Off Port Harcourt, Nigeria – 10 robbers armed with guns boarded an offshore processing ship. They kidnapped seven workers and left the ship. Ship reported to Nigerian authorities and they intercepted the pirate boat. The Nigerian authorities engaged in a shoot-out with the robbers. They rescued five hostages. One hostage was killed and the other one was injured."

In gold mines of S. Africa, a duel with pirates
"More than a mile below the Earth's surface, South African police are waging a battle against a new breed of pirate: wildcat gold miners who live underground for months at a time in unused mine shafts, smuggling out ore worth millions and defending their turf with homemade grenades and booby traps.

In the past six months, in response to pleas from outgunned private mine-security squads, South African police have created a task force to ambush the thieves. The force has arrested 60 of the pirates in six perilous underground raids."

More fun with racism!
"Only two weeks after unleashing a racially offensive tirade at a West Hollywood comedy club, actor Michael Richards appeared in blackface at a celebrity roast for Whoopi Goldberg over the weekend, drawing gasps from the audience, according to WJZ-TV, Channel 13, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore.

Except that he didn't.

WJZ's story, broadcast at least twice yesterday afternoon in breaking-news style by anchor Sally Thorner, was attributed to DatelineHollywood.com. But WJZ's news department was apparently unaware that every story on the Web site satirizes Hollywood."

Dog tunnels through snow to save owners
"A seven year old German Shepherd - Timberwolf mixed dog named Shana is quite a canine hero in Alden as the story spreads of her efforts to save her owners during the October surprise storm."

BA passengers share first class cabin with dead traveller
"First Class travellers on a British Airways transatlantic flight were horrified when they were forced to sit next to a dead body for three hours.

The elderly passenger had died of a heart attack just minutes earlier and was carried into their cabin to continue the journey to America.

It followed a mid air drama in which a doctor and crew lost a 35 minute battle to resuscitate the man after he suffered a cardiac arrest in business class where he was travelling with his wife."

Hat tip to Kara!

Swedes guard Christmas goat from vandals
"For 40 years it has been torched, vandalized, had its legs cut off and even been run over by a car. But officials in the Swedish city of Gavle are guaranteeing that this year's giant straw Christmas goat - the victim of Sweden's most violent yule tradition - will survive unscathed.

The 43-foot-high goat - a centuries-old yule symbol that preceded Santa Claus as the bringer of gifts to Swedish homes - has been burned down 22 times since it was first set up in Gavle's square on Dec. 3, 1966.

But for its 40th anniversary Sunday, officials think they have finally outsmarted the resourceful vandals by dousing the battered ram with flame-resistant chemicals normally used on airplanes."

Ringmaster carries on - despite croc attack
"A circus ringmaster carried on with a performance - despite having his thumb bitten off by a crocodile.

German Daniel Renz, 39, was on tour with his Renz Universal Circus in Le Mans, France, when the accident happened.

The 4,000-strong audience clapped and cheered - believing it was part of the act."

109 Elvises take to the skies
"More than a hundred Elvises have taken part in a sponsored 'walk' on a plane.

The Elvises have also broke the world record for the largest number of Elvis impersonators gathered in one place."

NASA Says It Will Set Up Polar Moon Camp
"NASA announced Monday it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts return to the moon.

It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.

After consulting more than 1,000 experts from 14 different countries, NASA decided on what deputy NASA chief Shana Dale called a 'fundamental lunar approach' that is sharply different from its previous moon missions in nearly everything but the shape of the ship going there.

NASA chose a 'lunar outpost' over the short expeditions of the '60s. Apollo flights were all around the center of the moon, but NASA decided to go to the moon's poles because they are best for longer- term settlements. And this time NASA is welcoming other nations on its journey.

The more likely of the two lunar destinations is the moon's south pole because it's sunlit for three-quarters of the time, making solar power easier, and has possible resources to mine in dark areas nearby, said associate deputy administrator Doug Cooke."

X-Rated 'Pornament' Christmas Decorations Raise Eyebrows
"Several new holiday decorations considered X-rated are being sold in Florida at a store popular with young children, according to a report.

Photos Of Pornaments Six controversial ornaments, which can be purchased for $9 at Spencer's stores in Jacksonville and other parts of Florida, include an X-rated snowman and reindeer.

A television station reported that the pornaments can be found on store shelves at the Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville in plain view of children and to anyone who walks into the Spencer's stores."

Hat tip to Kara!

Drunk 2-Month-Old Baby Dropped Off At Hospital
"A 2-month-old girl is expected to be OK despite having a blood alcohol content that was more than three times the legal limit for adults.

The baby girl and her mother were dropped off at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning by the mother's boyfriend. The man took off and now the Colorado Springs Police Department is searching for him.

The infant was brought in with blood alcohol level of 0.364."

Shops destroy Santas giving "Hitler salute"
"A German chain of shops has removed miniature wooden Santa Claus figures from its shelves and destroyed them after customers complained it looked like they were giving the stiff-armed Hitler salute that is outlawed"

Ariz. cop had black men rap away ticket
"City leaders have apologized after a program on Tempe's cable channel showed a white police officer telling two black men they could get out of a littering ticket by performing a rap.

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman and Police Chief Tom Ryff apologized for the show Thursday and suspended its future production after black community leaders voiced outrage and disappointment."

Cops: Driver kills egg-throwing teen
"A 14-year-old boy who was throwing eggs at cars along with two other teenagers was shot and killed by someone who had been in a sport utility vehicle that was hit, police said."

An Answer to the World's Energy Problems?
" The smallest creatures on the planet may help solve one of the world's biggest problems, according to a new report from a distinguished panel of scientists.

Microorganisms, better known as bacteria, could be used to convert various materials into fuel to run our cars, heat to warm our homes, and even electricity to power our toys.

Imagine that.

A cell phone that never loses power because its 'battery' consists of millions of tiny bugs chomping on lunch, cranking out electrons for a continuous flow of electrical current."

Ex-Wind Gap man says wife's bingo habit led him to molest two young girls
"A former Wind Gap man said he repeatedly sexually assaulted two young girls because his wife spent too much time playing bingo.

''I told her — she was going to bingo three, four times a week. I told her to cut down to once a week. She said if they had bingo every day, she'd go,'' Floyd Kinney Jr., 49, said.

''So, because your wife went to bingo, these children suffered?'' Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden asked Kinney on Friday.

''Yes,'' Kinney said."

Tool to circumvent internet censorship set to launch
"Researchers at University of Toronto plan to introduce a software tool on Friday that aims to help people in countries that censor the World Wide Web.

Psiphon (pronounced sigh-fawn), a web-based utility, lets individuals in a country that censors the internet sign on to a server that gives them secure access to web pages anywhere, bypassing government restrictions."

He was naked, on crack and in alligator's mouth
"Carlos Mayid couldn't see Adrian Apgar being attacked by an alligator early Wednesday, but he could hear him.

With his cellphone in hand and a sheriff's operator on the line, Mayid left his home near Lake Parker, Fla., and walked down his street in the predawn darkness toward the screams of a man who was fighting for his life in the water."

Authorities track shark after boy loses leg.
"A South Australian teenager has arrived at Royal Perth Hospital after being attacked by a shark on Western Australia's south coast.

Zak Golebiowski, 15, was air lifted to Perth this afternoon after his right leg was savaged by a white pointer this morning at Duke of Orleans Bay, east of Esperance."

Information Warfare: AP Gets Caught Working For The Enemy
"Two blogs, Gateway Pundit and Flopping Aces, have uncovered what appears to be a serious screw-up by the Associated Press in its coverage of Iraq. It appears that this American media outlet passed on terrorist propaganda, perhaps willingly. The mistake in question involves at least ten stories since April 27 in which a Captain Jemil Hussein was a source. Six of these stories involved alleged massacres of Sunni Arabs. Four others involved unknown victims. A second AP source in the Iraqi police, Lieutenant Maithem Abdul Rizzaq, is also proving to be nonexistent, according to Central Command and the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. This is not the first time the media has been caught with bad stories and invented sources, but this is the most serious."

Ambulance crew's sat-nav howler
"An ambulance crew’s blind faith in a satellite navigation system turned the routine 20-minute transfer of a patient between hospitals into a 400-mile odyssey.

The patient survived the epic journey but the paramedics have become the laughing stock of the London Ambulance Service, it was disclosed yesterday."

Snake king Ali Khan dies from cobra bite "Malaysia’s snake king Ali Khan Samsudin, 48, died as he had lived – handling the reptiles that he loved.

His eldest son Amjad Khan, 21, said his father had been performing at a show in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday when he was bitten by a King Cobra."