Weird World
PIG-HEARTED
Contestants in a charity competition in Georgia are vying for the opportunity to kiss a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. The 11 entrants in Atlanta each have to raise at least $3,500 for the American Diabetes Association to be eligible to kiss the snout of Jessie the pig.
The kiss-a-pig fundraiser has been successful elsewhere in Georgia, according to the organisation's district manager. Contestants like Piggy Houser MD, aka surgeon Jason Moore, are aiming to raise about $35,000 (about £24,400).
SHUT THE **** UP
A Canadian teenager, Samantha Robinson, has asked her school to ensure students don't have to read out swear words in literary classics, such as Of Mice and Men. Robinson also persuaded 40 fellow students to sign a petition supporting her cause.
She said she noticed "vulnerable" immigrant students were uncomfortable when told to read aloud portions of Of Mice and Men where they encountered swear words and other racially charged phrases.
TRACKED DOWN
Dutch police have caught two washing machine thieves by following a wheelbarrow tyre track to their house. Their victim, from Winschoten, noticed the barrow and a washing machine were missing from a garden shed. She informed police who followed the tracks to the thieves' home, where they found the already installed washing machine. Police also found the wheelbarrow in their barn.
CAGED COWBOYS
Siberian police say a businessman built a private prison in his office and held builders hostage because of their shoddy work. Officers say they were not surprised to find a grenade, guns and ammunition when they raided the office.
But they were shocked to discover a four-metre square cage. The businessman is now being held in a public prison.
DANCEMAN
A Chesterfield night club has told partiers to bring their own personal stereos. The manager said, "We couldn't get the right mix in one night, so told customers to bring their own music."
26th Apr 2001