Pope shuts down famous monastery that liked to party

Pope Benedict XVI has shut down a famous community in Rome that organised dances by a former nightclub dancer nun and hosted VIPs like Madonna, earning the disfavour of the Vatican.

The closure of the monastery of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which holds some of the Church's most prized relics, was reported by Italian dailies La Stampa and Il Foglio.

The reports said the community of Cistercian monks based at the church for more than five centuries was being transferred to other churches in Italy.

Contacted by AFP, the Vatican did not deny the reports.

The basilica had become a hub for the "Friends of Santa Croce", an aristocratic group, and had been criticised for some unorthodox practices including dances in which nuns pranced around the altar.

One of the nuns who performed at the church, a former disco dancer, can be seen in a YouTube video performing a modern dance with a crucifix.

The basilica's longtime abbot, Simone Fioraso, a flamboyant former Milan fashion designer, was already moved out of the basilica two years ago.

The ban was adopted in March by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life following an inquiry but has not yet been made public, the reports said.

Pope Benedict, the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, is also the bishop of Rome, so the basilica is part of his diocese.

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, built around a chapel dating to the fourth century, is one of Rome's oldest and most prestigious churches.

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Wanted US man helped officers find him after 'pocket dialing' police while doing yard work

Police say a man wanted for failing to pay fines accidentally helped officers find him when he repeatedly "pocket dialed" emergency services hotline 911 while doing yard work.

Police say 29-year-old James Green was using a backpack leaf blower in Bangor Saturday when he kept calling 911 without realizing it.

Police Lt. Jeff Millard says officers were able to determine where the calls were coming from by triangulating the signal from Green's phone.

The Bangor Daily News says there were two active warrants for Green's arrest for failure to pay fines.

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Cookies, potato chips, shirts help inmates to new life

A jail-based brand that includes crispy potato chips, crunchy cookies and formal shirts seems an unlikely route back to life in the outside world for inmates in South Asia's largest prison.

Yet efforts by the Tihar Jail complex in New Delhi to transform the lives of its inmates and prepare them for a fresh start through vocational training in diverse fields has created the successful TJ'S brand of goods.

Herbal products and school desks are also among the many products being manufactured and sold, well enough that prison authorities have set up a website to boost sales still further.

Sanjivan Rai, who is serving a term in Tihar Jail for marijuana trafficking, said the skills he was acquiring would help him find employment outside to earn a living with dignity.

"We can start our own business once we get out of here. We can maybe start a small snack-making unit," he told Reuters Television inside a bakery at Tihar Jail, as he took a break from frying potato chips.

"Even if we decide to seek work somewhere, whatever we learn here will only help us."

Life outside jail is still tough for former inmates, since they have to counter the stigma of having been in prison, which is seen as a place for social outcasts and hardcore criminals. This makes re-integration into society virtually impossible.

The idea behind the TJ'S label was to break these taboos and channel the inmates' energy constructively, while building their self-esteem, said Ram Niwas Sharma, Deputy Inspector General of the Tihar Jail complex.

"You are going to buy goods made by prisoners ...He is going to get wages, so in turn you are going to help a family out there. A few thousand people are working in prisons so this way their families are benefited," he said.

"They are getting gainful employment, they are passing their time instead of idling around in the jail and they will be learning some kind of a skill and getting out of the jail with some worth(y) living conditions ...It is something which is good for the humanity."

"Made in Tihar" products had a turnover of 110 million rupees ($2.45 million) last year, and this year it is expected to rise to 150 million, Sharma said.

AMBITIOUS TARGET

Next year's target is an ambitious 230 million, reflecting growing acceptance of the jail brand.

At first, the bakery began to help fulfill the jail's massive food demand from its 11,500 inmates, who live in 10 prison blocks. But gradually operations were expanded to keep the inmates busy and channel their energies.

Mohammad Sajid, an inmate serving a life sentence, said that his newfound skills would help him once outside.

"The advantage of doing all this work here is that once we get outside, we can start earning through honest means and leave the path of crime," he added.

Officials say vocational training is just one of the roles being fulfilled by the jail as it strives to play the role of a correctional institution. Inmates are also taught meditation and yoga for their overall growth.

Prison authorities said the products were finding favor with buyers because of their good quality and competitive pricing, as profit is not their driving motive.

They are currently sold at prison outlets and shops situated in various Delhi courts, but officials plan to make them more widely available through tie-ups with retail stores.

"The people who make these products, they get some work and employment, which keeps them busy and benefits them," said Ruby Bagga, a customer at the Tihar shop.

"So instead of buying these products from somewhere else, why not buy them from here?"

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Sales staff snorted salt not drugs?

Munich Re unit Ergo said on Tuesday sales agents photographed snorting white powder at a company-sponsored party were inhaling salt rather than drugs, just as the insurer struggles to shake a tarnished image.

The unit was responding to a report in German tabloid Bild, that published photographs showing sales agents snorting white powder from a table-top at an employee motivation party held in the holiday resort of Mallorca last September.

"The pictures published in Bild show a drinking game with salt, Tequila and lemon juice," the company said in a statement

Tequila shots, slices of lime and a salt shaker were visible on the photographs, items used in a drinking maneuver known as "tequila suicide," which requires drinkers to snort salt, drink tequila and to squeeze lime into their eyes.

"The snorting of salt up the nose is part of the game. The activities of the persons shown in the pictures published by Bild do not deal with cocaine consumption," it added.

It said it has been provided with affidavits of the persons shown in the pictures.

Ergo last week sought to distance itself from revelations of a company-sponsored sex orgy for top sales agents held at a spa in Hungary in 2007.

Torsten Oletzky, the head of Ergo, told magazine Der Spiegel that the Budapest sex party arranged for high-achieving salesmen was "completely unacceptable" and "incredibly embarrassing."

He said the company had indications that 20 prostitutes had been hired for the evening, which resulted in a total bill for the event of 83,000 euros ($116,700).

($1=.7109 Euro)

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Victoria Day 2011 Long Weekend in Canada

Victoria Day celebrates Queen Victoria's birthday (May 24th). Canada is still a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which the Queen is head.

Victoria Day is always on a Monday, and thus the holiday is part of a long weekend, which is commonly referred to as the Victoria Day Weekend, the May Long Weekend, the May Long, or the May Two-Four (a case of beer there is called a "two-four" and many of these are consumed over the holiday). The weekend is also called the May 24th weekend, although it does not necessarily fall on May 24th.

The Victoria Day Weekend always falls on the weekend before Memorial Day in the U.S.

The Victoria Day Weekend is the first popular weekend for spring / summer travel. Lots of people open up their cottages, plant gardens, or just get away. Expect crowds at resorts and hotels and busy highways. Fireworks displays are common, especially on Monday night.

Banks, schools, many stores and restaurants are closed on the Monday. Call ahead to find out about other attractions and tourist spots. Public transportation will run on a holiday schedule.Source

Russia's Putin, Medvedev become cartoon superheroes

Russia's Vladimir Putin saves the day as a martial arts superhero in a comic strip spreading on the Russian Internet, where he teams up with bearskin-wearing sidekick Dmitry Medvedev.

The comic strip, apparently the first in a series about "Super Putin, Man Like Any Other" is available on www.superputin.ru and is set in Moscow "one year before the end of the world."

Russia will choose its next president in 2012 and observers have their eyes peeled for any indication of whether current President Medvedev or Prime Minister Putin will seek the six-year-term as head of the country.

Although one of the strip's creators said it was drawn by pro bono artists, some Internet users hinted darkly that it may be a part of a behind-the-scenes campaign or was even commissioned by the Kremlin.

With a plot line resembling the 1990s US action film "Speed", the strip shows a kimono-wearing Putin -- described as a man "with a Nordic character" -- save a busload of people from a bomb blast.

"I will go no slower than 80 km/h," Putin says, gritting his teeth.

As he speeds ahead, he receives help from "nano-human" Medvedev, who unzips a frightening bear costume and sends a crawling iPad to deactivate the explosive.

The strip pokes fun at Putin's judo hobby and Medvedev's penchant for technological gadgets.

The bus is then attacked by a crowd of zombies that scream "Let us elect governors!" and "Free Khodorkovsky!" with Putin facing them in the final act.

The strip's writer Sergei Kalenik said it took two weeks to create and was not a paid project.

"We wanted to stir Russia's depressing political scene and create some dialogue," he told AFP.

He said some media outlets had refused to publish the strip because it refers to Medvedev as a "gnome".

Putin, meanwhile, is a "man like any other, but suffers from it", torn apart by internal contradictions, Kalenik, a 25-year-old PR freelancer, explained.

Artists behind the strip have previously authored another series of ironic superhero comics about the dour speaker of the Russian lower parliament house, Boris Gryzlov.

Earlier this week Putin emerged as a commando-style protagonist of a computer game on Russia's main social networking site Vkontakte.

Some of Russia's sceptical Internet users have quickly branded the comic strip a public relations stunt setting Putin against dark zombie-like opposition forces.

"Elections are near, and we'll be looking at a whole lot of different comics," said one comment posted on the Moscow Echo radio station's website.

"I think this is a stupid stunt paid for by Surkov!" said another, referring to Kremlin adviser and ideologue Vladislav Surkov.

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Police allege Connecticut man called 911, asked emergency workers to buy him beer

Running out of beer may be a crisis, but it's no emergency.

Authorities in Bridgeport, Connecticut have charged 65-year-old Raymond Roberge after he allegedly called 911 three times Sunday.

Officials say when first responders arrived, Roberge offered them money to buy him some beer.

He's been charged with misusing the 911 system and freed on $500 bond.

Police tell the Connecticut Post since the beginning of this year, Roberge has called 911 nearly 80 times, but never for an emergency.

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Massive stone sacred to Alberta aboriginals mysteriously reappears

A massive stone that was stolen from the Fort Whoop-Up historical site in southern Alberta has mysteriously reappeared.

Staff at the site's interpretive centre told police that someone saw a backhoe returning the stone Friday night at about 8:30 p.m.

The Medicine Stone, as the rock is known to local aboriginals, vanished sometime between Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

Police said it weighs up to 450 kilograms.

Investigators say they don't have a description of the vehicle that brought the stone back.

The historic stone is a sacred site for the Blackfoot people.

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Brazil police say thief used blade to steal woman's long hair at a bus stop

Brazilian police say a thief cut off and stole a woman's long hair while she waited at a bus stop.

Police say the hair was virgin, meaning it had not been chemically treated, and will probably be sold for the production of wigs.

Inspector Jose Carlos Bezerra da Silva said Friday to Globo TV's G1 website that the woman was waiting for a bus in the central city of Goiania when the man used a knife-like weapon to cut the hair, which reached past her waist. She said she thought the man was going to steal her purse so she turned her back to him.

Silva said he'd never seen a theft like it in 20 years.

He said the 24-year-old woman reported the case to police because she is evangelical and had to explain to her pastor why her hair wasn't long anymore.

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Trump says he won't drive Indy 500 pace car, cites busy schedule and possible presidential bid

The Donald has dumped himself from the Indianapolis 500.

Donald Trump said Thursday that he will not be driving the celebrity pace car in the May 29 race. He says "he may be announcing shortly his intention" to run for president and therefore it would be "inappropriate" to drive the pace car. He also said it would be impossible to fulfil the required practice sessions with his busy schedule.

Race organizers selected real estate mogul as the celebrity pace car driver a month ago. He then created a stir by questioning whether President Obama was born outside the United States, drawing criticism from race fans and others who said he is too divisive.

Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief executive officer, says Trump's replacement will be announced later this month.

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"Zombie Apocalypse" campaign crashes website

A blog post by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that mentions a "zombie apocalypse" as a lighthearted way to get Americans to read about preparing for hurricanes drove so much traffic that it crashed the website, the agency said on Thursday.

The Zombie Apocalypse campaign is a social media effort by the CDC's Public Health and Preparedness center to spread the word about the June 1 start of hurricane season.

The CDC is a U.S. federal government health agency based in Atlanta.

"There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for," the blog post begins. "Take a zombie apocalypse for example. ... You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."

The blog appeared just days before May 21, when an evangelical broadcaster in California has predicted "Judgment Day" will mark the end of the world.

"If you prepare for the zombie apocalypse, you'll be prepared for all hazards," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle told Reuters on Thursday.

The word zombie comes from voodoo practice of spirit possession in which victims are stripped of consciousness.

Zombies became popular culture references after the success of George Romero's 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead" where flesh-eating zombies roam the eastern seaboard in the aftermath of radioactive contamination.

Daigle said that a typical CDC blog post might get between 1,000 and 3,000 hits. The most traffic on record had been a post that saw around 10,000 visits.

By the end of Wednesday, with servers down, the page had 60,000. By Thursday, it was a trending topic on Twitter.

The campaign was designed to reach a young, media-savvy demographic that the CDC had not been able to capture previously, Daigle said.

Increased traffic did not affect the main CDC website.

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Sioux Citians Brush Off Judgement Day Prediction

For the followers of Family Radio preacher Harold Camping, today is a big day, Judgment Day, but for the rest of us its just another spring Saturday.

People in Sioux City went grocery shopping, enjoyed the nice weather, and some even got married.

Not many people seemed concerned with the prediction that the world was coming to an end.

"I completely forgot about it until you said something to me," said Matt Max of Sioux City.

But Harold Camping and other believers certainly haven't forgotten.

Camping predicted today is Judgment Day. Millions of Christians will go to heaven while everyone else will suffer through misery for the next five months before the end of the world in October.

But people in Siouxland aren't buying the prediction.

"I cant believe this person is so confident that he feels he can predict this. I'm not going to worry about it at all."

"It's a beautiful day, I think we're going to wake up tomorrow and its going to be another good day."

Camping made this same prediction back in 1994, but apparently he was so sure about it this time he put 5,000 posters, fliers, and bus displays up all over the country about Judgment Day

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Long lines form when Los Angeles station mistakenly sells gas for quarter of the price

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Word spread quickly about a Los Angeles gas station selling gasoline for about a quarter of the going price, but it wasn't a promotion. The owner says the too-good-to-be-true price was a computer glitch that cost him $21,000.

Long lines snaked from the pumps at the Valero station in Wilmington on Sunday. Police were even called to control traffic.

The Torrance Daily Breeze reports that within four hours, about 7,000 gallons (26,000 litres) of the gas were pumped at the discounted rate of $1.10 per gallon (about 30 cents per litre). That's a cut of more than $3 a gallon (80 cents per litre) from the real price.

Station owner Kenny Nguyen says the attendant on duty was busy staffing the convenience store and register.

He says a price change didn't take, so the system defaulted to the $1.10 price.

Nguyen hopes motorists who got the break come back and pay the real price

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3-foot alligator captured by police on New York lawn; unknown where it came from

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. - A call of an alligator on the loose snapped police into action in New York state.

Police in the city of Jamestown say a resident called about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday to report an alligator in a side yard.

Officers and the city's animal control officer were able to round up the 3-foot (meter-long) creature without incident.

They don't know where it came from or how long it may have been wandering the city.

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"Macho Man" Randy Savage dies in a car crash.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage, a professional wrestler who became a fan favorite thanks to his outlandish outfits and trademark catchphrase, died Friday in a car wreck, as first reported by TMZ.

The 58-year-old Savage -- whose legal name was Randy Mario Poffo -- reportedly suffered a heart attack while driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler in Tampa, Fla., and careened across lanes of oncoming traffic before colliding head-on with a tree. He died later at a local hospital.

Savage's wife Lynn, who was riding in the passenger seat, escaped with only minor injuries. Both passengers were wearing seatbelts and the police do not believe alcohol was a factor.

[Related: Macho Man's lasting legacy]

The World Wrestling Federation favorite from Ohio burst onto the scene in 1985 and quickly drew attention with his flamboyant outfits and "ooh yeah!" catchphrase. His marriage to Elizabeth Hulette, Ms. Elizabeth to fans, was one of the first high-profile wrestler/valet relationships. They divorced in 1992. Savage remarried last year.

He won two WWF championships in his career. His match against Ricky Steamboat in 1987's Wrestlemania III is considered one of the best WWF bouts ever. Savage won the title late that year, setting the stage for memorable battles with Hulk Hogan, who would eventually dethrone him as champion.

[Related: Randy Savage's brief pro baseball career]

World Wrestling Entertainment released an official statement on Friday afternoon.

"WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest Superstars of his time, Randy Poffo, aka Randy "Macho Man" Savage.

One of Macho Man's biggest rivals was Hulk Hogan. Hogan said he and Savage had just started talking again after 10 years.

"He had so much life in his eyes & in his spirit, I just pray that he's happy and in a better place and we miss him," Hogan wrote.

Savage also appeared in memorable ads for Slim Jim and played a wrestler in the 2002 hit film "Spider-Man."

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Bids soar for princess's "toilet seat" wedding hat

The much-mocked hat worn by Princess Beatrice to Britain's royal wedding last month -- widely described as looking like a "toilet seat" -- is up for sale on eBay where bids have reached 18,400 pounds ($29,940).

The tea rose, silk hat was "the most talked about hat of the whole occasion" Harold Tilman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, said on eBay.

The fuss over the hat worn to the royal wedding of her cousin Prince William to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton seems to have taken Beatrice -- who is the daughter of William's uncle Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -- by surprise too.

"I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," Beatrice said on the auction site. "I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."

Money raised by the sale of the hat will be equally split between two charities: UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

The hat, by milliner Philip Treacy, was given a starting price of 5,000 pounds and 32 bidders have placed 60 bids in the last six days.

The eBay site has linked the auction to Facebook where members of the public have celebrated the hat design.

Treacy said he was "delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess' Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity."

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What's not to Like? Baby named after Facebook button

Inspired by Facebook, a couple in central Israel have named their baby daughter "Like."

"It's short and sweet," Vardit Adler, Like's mother, told Reuters Tuesday. "It's very important to me and to my husband that the names we give our children are unique, creative and totally new," she said.

Six-day-old Like has two older sisters, 10-year-old Dvash, Hebrew for honey, and five-year-old Pie, "as in apple pie," Adler said.

"I'm not worried about other children teasing Like. Dvash and Pie don't seem to mind their special names and nobody teases them," Adler said.

Surprised by media attention her newborn daughter was getting in Israel, Adler noted that Like has already received hundreds of comments on her own Facebook page.

Man eats 25,000th Big Mac, 39 yrs. after his 1st

Don Gorske ate his 25,000th Big Mac during a ceremony at a Fond du Lac, Wis McDonald's. It's the 39th anniversary of him eating the first one in 1972. He says he truly enjoys eating them.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/odd-15749658/man-eats-25-000th-big-mac-39-yrs-after-his-1st-25261075

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Making wine at the end of the world

EW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Patagonia, the huge swath of land at the southern tip of South America, is known for its rugged mountains and glaciers but an innovative group of winemakers are hoping to add wine to the list.

Santiago Bernasconi, a 38-year-old winemaker at Bodega NQN in Neuquen, Argentina, and his colleagues are making wine on the edge of the earth.

"It makes you feel like you are the last boundary in the winemaking world," Bernasconi, said during a visit to the U.S. to introduce the wines from the newest area in Patagonia to host wineries.

"There are only like eight wineries in Patagonia and we all share our experience and work to improve the wines of the whole region."

NQN owns 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) on a wind-swept plateau. Two hundred hectares are planted with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. With cutting-edge irrigation and fertilization equipment NQN produces wines that are fruit driven and light in style from 11-year-old vines.

A couple of valleys to the east in Rio Negro, Augusto Ripoll, the 40-year-old owner of Patagonia Valley Bodegas, planted vines 12 years ago on 10 hectares (25 acres).

"I try not to be aggressive with the soil," he said of his organic vineyard. "It will last forever. Those plants that I planted have to last at least 100, 120 years. That's for my kids. How can I be destroying my soil by using some chemicals that will give me more of what I'm not looking for?"

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U.S. sues Starbucks for firing dwarf from barista job

AUSTIN, Tex (Reuters) – The U.S. government is suing Starbucks Coffee Company for firing a barista in El Paso because she is a dwarf.

When the employee asked for a stool or small stepladder to perform her job, Starbucks denied the request and fired her that same day, claiming that she could be a danger to customers and workers, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The commission, which filed the lawsuit on Monday, said that Starbucks violated federal law by denying a reasonable accommodation to the employee, who was hired in July 2009 and was fired after three days of training.

"Starbucks has become a virtual icon of modern American culture, appealing to an incredibly diverse customer base," Robert Canino, a commission lawyer in Dallas, said in a statement. "We'd hope that when considering hiring a person with a disability, Starbucks would choose to enhance its brand with the mark of equal opportunity and access."

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

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Chicago Man Arrested For Keeping Pet Alligator In His Home, Said “Chicks Dig It”

A Chicago man kept a pet alligator at his home in a bizarre bid to impress the ladies, police revealed Friday.

Dewayne Yarbrough, 43, hoped the four-foot (1.2-meter) reptile would help him snap up a woman, according to The Chicago Tribune.

When cops arrested him for keeping it in a tiny tank in his kitchen, he apparently told them, “Chicks dig it.”

Yarbrough withheld food from the animal to keep it cute and small, Cook County Sheriff’s investigators said. And he kept it at home “because it attracted women,” they said in a statement.

Once a month Yarbrough would throw ten live mice into the tank, with the result being that the reptile was only half the size of typical healthy alligator, it is alleged.

The malnourished reptile was sent to the local animal welfare league to recover, while Yarbrough was charged with possession of a dangerous animal. He faces court July 5.

….

The only mistake Dewayne Yarbough made here was keeping his pet gator malnourished. Thats it. His instincts and gut were correct on every other part of this whole pet alligator thing. Chicks do in fact dig alligators. And they also dig when you keep the alligator in your kitchen. Those are undeniable scientific facts. Its like the sun will always rise, the sky will always be blue, and chicks will always get horny when you show them your pet alligator. No one disputes that. But come on Dewayne Yarbough no one keeps their gators tiny and cute anymore. That’s so last year. You want that thing as big and destructive as possible. I mean it lives in Chicago after all. What happens if it gets out? You want it to be able to defend itself no? Its careless and unsafe to keep your gator that small. Only a fool would do something like that.

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Prague Zoo starts selling containers of elephant dung, latest fad among Czech gardeners

PRAGUE - Prague Zoo has started selling what look like ice cream containers but are actually full of elephant dung.

It's the latest fad among Czech gardeners who are buying out the manure pails to use as fertilizer. The brain behind the project is zoo director Miroslav Bobek, whose surname literally means dung.

Zoo officials estimate they sell around 200 of the 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) containers of dung per weekend, at 70 koruna ($3.90) each. But sales have been so brisk they decided to expand to weekdays.

AP video showed handlers scooping up the manure Thursday and placing it in the white containers to the bemusement of visitors.

Brazilian tourist Ana Tolentino wouldn't buy it at any price, saying Thursday "My gosh, it is very unusual!"

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Cameras in Texas schools to keep eyes on fries

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The next time children in some elementary schools in Texas try to sneak extra french fries onto their tray in the cafeteria line, the eye in the sky will be watching them.

Using a $2 million grant from the Department of Agriculture, the schools in San Antonio are installing sophisticated cameras in the cafeteria line and trash area that read food bar codes embedded in the food trays.

"We're going to snap a picture of the food tray at the cashier and we will know what has been served," said Dr. Roberto Trevino of the San Antonio-based Social and Health Research Center, which is implementing the pilot program at five schools with high rates of childhood obesity and children living in poverty.

"When the child goes back to the disposal window, we're going to measure the leftover."

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The goal of the program is to cut down on childhood obesity by providing parents and school nutrition specialists with information on what types of food elementary students are eating.

They will then be able to design healthy meals based on students' real-life habits, the center's spokeswoman Denise Jones said. Parents will also be able to use the information to help them design healthier meals at home.

"We will be able to determine whether current programs that are aimed at preventing obesity work, and whether they are really changing students' behavior," Trevino said.

Officials will receive information on the nutrient and calorie counts of the food children have actually consumed.

The technology will identify the food, capture the nutrient levels and measure the food that children eat, according to Dr. Roger Echon of the center, who designed the program.

Echon on Wednesday showed reporters a printout of the reading from one student's tray at W.W. White Elementary School. It listed the size of the serving, and its calorie, fiber, sugar, and proteincount.

He said the program can break down the data into total monounsaturated fatty acids, soluble dietary fiber, and more than 100 other specific measures.

Trevino said the children will not be photographed, and only children who have the permission of their parents or guardians will be allowed to participate.

He said that if the effort is successful in San Antonio, the plan is to implement similar programs in elementary schools nationwide.

Yo... I'm a climate scientist' preaches Aussie rap

Australian climate scientists have made an irreverent, expletive-laden rap defending their work against those who deny climate change is real and poking fun at politicians and sceptics.

Wearing white lab coats and sunglasses, scientists from universities and research units shelved their painstaking environmental work to make the video, hitting back at climate change deniers without a background in science.

"Yo! We're climate scientists. And there's no denying this: climate change is REEEEALL," raps Dr. Jason Evans from the Climate Change Research Centre at Sydney's University of New South Wales.

The two-minute video, shown on ABC's edgy current affairs program "Hungry Beast", has attracted more than 56,000 hits on YouTube since it was broadcast on Wednesday.

The song contains lines such as: "climate change is caused by people, Earth unlike Alien has no sequel" and "I said Burn! it's hot in here, 32 percent more carbon in the atmosphere".

It uses obscene language to describe global climate change talks inCopenhagen and warns sceptics to "deny this in your dreams, coz climate change means greater extremes".

Evans, whose work centres on looking at the global climate projections and working out what this will mean for particular locations, said he made the video after being approached by Hungry Beast.

"I'm a closet rap fan from way back," the 38-year-old told AFP, adding that he agreed that there was more media attention on climate change deniers than previously.

"I'm not entirely sure that there's mounting scepticism about it (climate change), but there's definitely a lot more media given to the sceptics," he said.

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10-year-old Bolivian seeking mom ends up in Chile

A 10-year-old Bolivian boy who hid on a truck in an effort to visit his mother who had just been released from prison ended up in Chile after an unexpected 500-kilometer (300-mile) trek throughthe Andes mountains, officials said.

The boy, identified as Franklin Vilca, ended up Saturday in the Chilean city of Iquique, some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) north of Santiago, after a three-day journey without food or water in the compartment of a truck carrying minerals.

"I just wanted to see my mother," the boy told Chilean television TVN.

The boy got on the truck in the Bolivian town of Oruro thinking it would take him to Cochabamba, where his mother had been incarcerated.

He ended up going in the wrong direction, on a route over mountains 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above level sea.

Franklin got off the truck and wandered the streets of the Chilean town of Alto Hospicio, on the outskirts of Iquique, where a woman named Margarita Flores took him home.

"I am a mother, and maybe his mother is suffering," she told local media.

The child was turned over to police but a court in Iquique decided to allow him to stay with the woman's family until he can be returned to Bolivian authorities.

Even though the boy's mother had been released from prison she was under a court order not to leave the country. Bolivian diplomats said they will send an official to Iquique to deliver documents confirming the mother's identity, the first step to having Chile return him.

The boy's mother however managed to talk to her son on the telephone.

"I want to see you," Franlin told her, in an exchange broadcast on the Bolivian television network ATB. "I just wanted to go to Cochabamba -- hurry up and come pick me up, mommy!"

"I was in jail but I'm out now," his mother replied, choking on tears. "You won't be left with your father or your brothers any more, you'll be with me, by dear son."

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Italian ham slice dispute lands four in hospital

Four people were on Saturday hospitalised in Italy after a dispute over the thickness of a supermarket's ham slices turned violent, theANSA news agency said in a report.

The row broke out when a 50-year-old woman shopping in the Tuscany town of Livorno in central Italy protested that the ham slices being cut by a counter assistant were too thick.

A scuffle unfolded involving the shop assistant's father as well as the woman's husband and two sons.

Police were called and three ambulances were also sent to the scene.

The shop assistant, the disgruntled ham shopper and her husband all suffered bruises and were treated in hospital.

The shopkeeper's father was also hospitalised after feeling ill, the news agency said.

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