Pigeons causing problems? Get them drunk!

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Alexei Movchan, drunk, pigeons, Suny, Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine

The city of Suny in North-Eastern Ukraine is considering an unorthodox method of ridding its pigeon problem by getting them drunk.

The radical measure was proposed amidst fears that City Day, an annual holiday celebrating the founding of Suny in 1652, would be ruined by the growing presence of the birds, Metro reports.

A statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko will be covered in bird droppings come City Day, officials fear.

Alexei Movchan, who heads the city branch of Ukraine’s ruling Party of Legions, came up with the idea: “Let’s give them wine-soaked bread and then deport them somewhere where they’ll wake up the next day.”

He dismissed accusations of animal cruelty by saying that deportation of intoxicated birds has been practised for years in a monastery in Western Ukraine.

It is unclear whether the city of Suny will utilise Movchan’s plan ahead of the City Day celebrations on September 2nd

Olympic volleyball court taken over by squirrels

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horse guards parade, london, olympics, squirrels, st james' park

The practice Olympic volleyball court has been taken over by squirrels.

The little critters have decided to use the court as a place to hide their acorns.

The animals collect the acorns in St James’ Park and then head over to the courts at Horse Guards Parade in Central London to bury them in the sand.

As volleyball teams get in some last-minute practice, they are discovering the squirrels’ hidden treasure beneath the sand.

On Friday (July 20), Olympic organisers arranged for a group to rake the sands of the court each morning to turf up any remaining acorns and then scare squirrels away from stowing their favourite snack there.

KFC launches University degree

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David Wilson, De Montfort University, KFC, Leicester

KFC has launched a university degree.

The fast food chain has teamed up with De Montfort University in Leicester, offering the course as a way to train its restaurant general managersKFC has launched a university degree.

The fast food chain has teamed up with De Montfort University in Leicester, offering the course as a way to train its restaurant general managers.

The degree will be described as ‘blended learning’, which means that the chosen 60 students will be able to continue earning money as restaurant managers while studying.

The university’s deputy vice-chancellor Professor David Wilson said of the launch: “This is an important new contract for De Montfort University and we’re delighted to have this opportunity of working with such a major player in the global restaurant market.”

The aim of the BA Hons management course is to enhance the skills of the managers so that they perform to their optimum abilities.

The course is set to begin in January 2013

 

Gherkin could become The Penguin

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gherkin, LOCOG, london, London Zoo, penguin

Plans to transform the City’s iconic Gherkin building to ‘The Penguin’ could see a giant bird towering over Londoners this summer.

Bosses at ZSL London Zoo commissioned a production team to draw up a dramatic redesign of the famed skyscraper to remind visitors to the capital not to miss their penguins in 2012.

They plan to approach city bigwigs with the bold concept of turning the prominent Swiss Re Building – more commonly known as The Gherkin – into a giant penguin.

The images, show London’s landmarks eclipsed by an enormous Humboldt penguin.

The Zoo’s Head of Comms, Emma Edwards said: “We don’t want anyone to miss our penguins, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to miss this one looming over the capital.

“We think ‘The Penguin’ would be a striking addition to the London skyline and serve as a perfect reminder to Londoners and tourists alike to visit ZSL London Zoo and Penguin Beach this summer.

“We know it’s audacious, but let’s be honest – penguins are a lot more interesting than gherkins!”

Earlier this year, LOCOG awarded the Zoo the coveted ‘Inspired by 2012′ mark for its Animal Athletes events – taking place all summer. Keepers celebrated the prestigious accolade by installing a diving board in the penguins’ pool.

This is hillarious. This better happen or I will be very dissapointed. Who doesn’t want a giant penguin to be towering over London skyline?!

Business man buys Texas town, renames it ‘bikinis’

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bikinis, dallas ovserver, doug guller, houston chronicle, texas

If you like ordering burgers and beer from women dressed in bikinis, there’s now a town just for you. Literally.

Self-described “breastaurateur” Doug Guller has purchased an unincorporated ghost town in Texas and renamed it “Bikinis” after his Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill franchise.

“Bikinis, TX will be a world class destination and I am thrilled to expand the Bikinis brand to include town ownership,” Guller says in a release on his company’s site. “There can’t be a better way to put Bikinis on the map…Literally.”

The Dallas Observer reports that Guller made the purchase after seeing an ad for the town, originally named BankerSmith, posted for sale on Craigslist.

The Houston Chronicle notes that Bikinis, Texas, is located just six miles from the “fabled” Luckenbach, another unincorporated community popularized in a 1977 song by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

Guller is reportedly planning an inaugural event in his new town this fall.

The announcement was made in conjunction with Guller’s declaration that Tuesday was “National Bikinis Day.”

lasagne burger launched in California!

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america, burger, california, lasagne, weird food

A deep-fried lasagne burger has been launched in California.

The super-sized snack is on sale at Grill ‘Em All – a heavy metal-inspired food outlet.

© Twitter / @GrillEmAllTruck

The burger contains a 7oz cheesy patty smothered with ricotta cheese spread, spinach, marinara sauce and the main feature – a deep-fried lasagne.

The lasagne is then coated in Funyuns, an onion-flavoured crisp snack made from corn.

The burger is made from ground beef and Italian sausage meat which, along with all the additional ‘toppings’ is stuffed into a freshly baked Italian loaf.

 

I need this in my life! lasagne is one of my all time favourite foods and to have it in a handy burger sized portion seems amazing. Not too sure it is overly healthy though…

Border control stop men over kinder eggs

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bomb, border control, chocolate, hinder eggs, united states

Two men who had been on a trip to Canada were seized and held in a detention centre at the American border after being caught with six Kinder Eggs.

Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney from Seattle were returning from a trip to Vancouver and had bought some sweets for their friends and family, Komo News reports.

The men were unaware that Kinder Eggs are illegal in America because of the “non-nutritive object” embedded inside of them.

Loo and Sweeney were stopped by officials and had their car searched when the officers found the six eggs.

“He said, ‘Are you aware Kinder Eggs are illegal in the United States and carry a $2,500 (£1,600) fine per egg?’ And I actually laughed,” Sweeney said.

Who woud have thought such an innocent sweet could cause so much trouble. Apparently they are suspicious of them because you could potentially hid!e a bomb inside…though i’m sure it would be easy to put together with a little diagram for easy use

Farmer uses moo-bile technology to get kids interested

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cows, dairy, farmer, farming, QR code, quirky, smart phones

 

A dairy farmer’s use of the latest moo-bile technology is proving a huge hit at teaching teenagers about her job – after she painted her cow with a QR code.

Jane Barnes, 46, is encouraging people to “zap” her eight-year-old Friesian cow ‘Lady Shamrock’ with their smartphones.

When they scan the cow’s code, visitors are directed to a blog of Lady Shamrock’s daily routine and the challenges facing dairy farmers.

Traffic to Lady Shamrock’s site has soared by 150 per cent since she was turned into a wacky walking weblink.

Visitors learn that Lady Shamrock likes a good back scratch and grazes outdoors in summer but stays indoors in winter.

She produces up to 40 litres of milk a day at the farm Mrs Barnes runs with her husband Mark in Somerby, Leicestershire.

 

I think this is a hillarious, yet brilliant idea! It engages young tech savvy kids, who normally spend their lives indoors behind a computer screen, to go out and learn about where our food comes from. Janes Brnes is a revolutionary thinker!

6ft lizard on the loose!

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6ft lizard, america, reptar, reptiles

A sheriff has warned residents in a tourist town northwest of Colorado Springs that a strong, aggressive 6-foot lizard that eats small animals — including dogs and cats — is on the loose in the area. Teller County Sheriff Mike Ensinger said Tuesday that a 25-pound pet Nile monitor lizard has gone missing after breaking a mesh leash and crawling away. Ensinger said about 400 homes in the Woodland Park area were warned. He added that the animal, which escaped Monday and is known as Dino, has not bitten any humans — yet. “We have a 6-foot reptile out and about,” Ensinger said. “If it gets hungry enough, we don’t know what it will do.” Ensinger said his animal control division is searching for the animal. Area resident Rick Stasi said the sheriff’s advisory was unsettling, warning “pet owners and parents are urged to use caution while pets and children are outdoors.” Stasi said he plans to keep his two small dogs indoors. Bradley Bundy, a veterinarian at Dublin Animal Hospital in Colorado Springs, said the lizard could inflict a nasty bite if cornered. “This kiddo could hurt someone if they don’t know how to restrain it,” Bundy said. He added that the lizards are sold in area pet stores and look cute when they’re only 8 inches long, but they can grow to reach 9 feet when they get older. Ensinger said officers may use a tracking dog if Dino isn’t located by Tuesday afternoon. “I’m not going after it,” Ensinger said. “I don’t do reptiles.”

I have to admit, when I read the headline my first reaction was “REPTAR? IS THAT YOU?!”…(for those of you who arn’t familiar with the name, Reptar is a character from 90’s tv show Rugrats. He is a giant dinosaur lizard thing)..the rational side of my brain the worked out that 1. Reptar was a cartoon so can’t possibly exist. 2.6ft lizards are nowhere near as big as a t-rex and it would be impossible for it to go around stomping on buildings and eating people. Still it made for an amusing read though, especially the quote at the end by Ensinger. I agree with him, best not to get involved. I’m sure it will go away on its own…

Stubbs enjoying 15th year as mayor

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alaska, cat, feline, mayor, talkeetna, weird

Mayor Stubbs is celebrating his 15th year as the mayor of the sleepy town of Talkeetna, Alaska. Not that amazing, you might think – until you realise Stubbs is a cat.

Residents thought the candidates running for mayor weren’t up to scratch so campaigned to get the 15-year-old part-Manx the honorary position with a write-in campaign after he was born.

The feline has now become one of the longest-serving mayors in America.

The moggy is a celebrity in Talkeetna – where he’s also the cat’s pyjamas at promoting tourism – and has around 1,000 friends on Facebook, which is more people than the population of the town (900).

Oh America, you are a very varied country. I wonder what Stubbs policies are? I hope that one of them is to insist upon ‘cat naps’ during the day. Could you imagine this kind of thing happening in the UK?