Dolphin rescues stranded whales 海豚拯救擱淺的鯨魚

A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales which had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

Conservation officer Malcolm Smith and volunteers had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, reports the BBC.

But then the dolphin appeared, communicated with the whales, and led them to safety.

The bottlenose dolphin, called Moko by local residents, is well known for playing with swimmers off Mahia beach on the east coast of the North Island.

Mr Smith said: "I don't speak whale and I don't speak dolphin but there was obviously something that went on because the two whales changed their attitude from being quite distressed to following the dolphin quite willingly and directly along the beach and straight out to sea."

Mr Smith said he felt fortunate to have witnessed the rescue, and was delighted for the whales, as in the past he has had to put down animals which have become beached.

The whales had not been seen since, but the dolphin had returned to its usual practice of playing with swimmers in the bay.

"I shouldn't do this I know, we are meant to remain scientific," Mr Smith said, "but I actually went into the water with the dolphin and gave it a pat afterwards because she really did save the day." (BBC)

Bangkok residents shop while dodging train 曼谷居民邊閃火車邊買菜

Fast food attack on go slow doctor 醫生車速太慢遭丟擲起司漢堡

An Austrian doctor lodged a complaint after a lorry driver threw a cheeseburger at him for driving too slowly.

But police told Hannes Kohl, from Vienna, that burger throwing was not an offence.

He was hit on the head by the cheese burger thrown by an overtaking lorry driver through his open car window.

Dr Kohl, who was on his way to a medical congress in the Czech Republic, said: "I was going slowly but that was no excuse for this outrageous attack.
"I complained to the police but they told me it was not an offence to throw a burger at someone, and my insurance company also refused to pay up even though there was melted cheese and ketchup on my suit and all over my car." (Ananova.com)

Balloon couture 氣球裝

Two US fashion designers have been attracting a lot of hot air over their new collections - made entirely out of balloons.

Katie Laibstain, 23, and Steven Jones, 39, create outfits from bikinis to party dresses out of nothing but modelling balloons twisted together.

Their exhibitions have been the talking point of the Kim Tom clown festival fashion show in Shanghai, China, where they are on show

And, even though each dress can be worn only once, they have sold some of their more elaborate designs for as much as £1,000.

Their clothes can consist of up to 300 modelling balloons. Most of the balloons are 60ins long and either one or two inches thick.

Katie, of Richmond, Virginia, said: "Balloon clothes are ultra chic. They are the finest couture available. My dresses contain 300 or more balloons, depending on the design.

"They may not always be easy to get into, but there are so many creative ways to take them off - pop, pop, pop!" (Ananova.com)

World's smallest mum 全世界最矮小的母親

A 28ins (約72公分) tall woman believes she has set the world record for the smallest person ever to give birth.

Stacey Herald was told by doctors that having a child could kill her, crushing her internal organs, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But the 33-year-old recently gave birth to her second daughter, Makya, who measured 18ins.

Guinness World Records is now investigating whether Mrs Herald, from Dry Ridge, Kentucky, US is officially the smallest mother on earth.

Makya, who her mum says is "growing like a weed", is expected to reach an average height. But her 16-month-old sister Kateri suffers from the same condition as her mother, osteogenesis imperfecta.

Mrs Herald and her husband - who is 5ft 9in tall - believe their children are gifts from God.

She said: "My whole life I've been told that I wasn't able to have children... And something inside me just didn't believe that."

Mrs Herald, who uses a wheelchair, added 20lb to her 52lb frame during the pregnancy.

"I had the biggest belly you've ever seen in your life. If I laid down, I looked like a snail. That's how big my belly was. I looked like an Idaho potato with arms and legs. And you couldn't see my feet," she added.

Her husband Wil, who is studying to become a priest, said: "I'm proud to have her as my wife. It's just a blessing that we have two wonderful children. She's a great mum. She's a terrific mum." (Daily Telegraph)

'Wife's nagging left me impotent' 「太太的嘮叨使我性無能」

An Italian man is demanding ￡140,000 in compensation after claiming his wife's constant nagging left him impotent.

Sergio Vinucci, from Parma, has produced medical evidence in court that backs up his claims that his wife's nagging caused him so much stress that he has been left impotent.

He said: "All she ever does is complain. It is extremely stressful and it has left me unable to be a man. I want some compensation." (Ananova.com)

Student gets rich staying in bed 荷蘭學生窩在床上就能賺錢

A Dutch student has come up with the ultimate way of making easy money - by staying in bed.

Yde Van Deutekom, 22, from Zoetermeer, is selling advertising on a website featuring a webcam showing him in bed.

So far, he has been in bed for 21 days and has had more than £3,500 paid into his bank account, reports GVA.

Mr Van Deutekom said: "Sleeping is just a hobby of me, and it is the only thing I'm very good at. Everyone is asking what I want to do with me life, but what I really want to do is sleep.

"I stay in bed all day, except for taking a shower, going to the bathroom and making something to eat. That's all I want to do. And I want to stay in bed until I'm very rich."

More than 450,000 people have visited his website - www.slapendrijk.nl. (GVA)

I need a day off - so shoot me 我需要休假一天，所以開槍射我吧!

A 21-year-old US man reportedly asked his friend to shoot him so he could skip work.

Sheriff's detectives say Daniel Kuch, of Pasco, Washington state, took a bullet in the shoulder to avoid taking a drug test at work.

Mr Kuch claimed he'd been the victim of a drive-by shooting while jogging with a friend, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But his story unravelled when detectives were called to the medical centre where Mr Kuch sought treatment for his bullet wound.

Detectives told KONA radio that Mr Kuch later acknowledged that he asked his friend to shoot him so he could get some time off work and avoid the drug test.

Pasco detective Jason Nunez said: "It's extremely concerning that someone would come up with a story like this. It presents such a serious situation, when someone makes up a false story just to help themselves."

Mr Kuch is expected to be charged with false reporting, while his friend has been arrested for reckless endangerment.

Police declined to say where he worked or if he still had a job. (Daily Telegraph)

Man saves father and son - 20 years apart 大陸男子在同一地點拯救一對父子 – 先後相隔20年

A Chinese man has rescued a seven-year-old boy from a pond - 20 years after rescuing the boy's father from the same place.

Wang Weiqing, 58, of Beicheng village, Danyang city, is being hailed as a hero, reports the Yangtse Evening News.

"I was walking along the pool with my own grandson, then spotted a boy struggling in the water," he said.

When the grandfather of the rescued boy arrived, he was amazed to see the rescuer was the same man who saved his son, the boy's father, from the same pool 20 years ago.

"I can hardly believe it, and don't know how to express my gratitude," said the grandfather, Wang Huajian.

The grandfather later made a silk banner to thank Wang for saving two generations of his family. (Yangtse Evening News)

Romanian police officers to take ballet classes 為優雅地執勤 羅馬尼亞交警學芭蕾

Regulating traffic can be difficult but police officers in western Romania have found a solution to their pains and are taking ballet classes to help them do their work more gracefully.

"The aim is to develop an ability to regulate traffic and achieve elegance in their movements, which will not only be agreeable to the eyes but could also help drivers waiting at a red light get rid of their stress or sadness," the head of the community police in the town of Timisoara, Dorel Cojan, told AFP.

Some 20 members of the local community police are already attending classes under two former dancers of the Timisoara Opera Ballet.

Classes, which have just begun, will initially take place twice a week for a month.

"We started by filming our pupils' awkwardness and I'm sure we will already see some progress in a month's time," Cojan said.

The classes are exclusively for members of the community police. Unlike the local police, they do not conduct investigations but are mainly responsible for road safety and can be called up to regulate traffic. (AFP)