Souvenirs -Pisa Bans Penis-themed Leaning Tower trinkets (video)

More than a million people visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa each year. Some climb it. Others get their picture taken "propping up" the 800-year old slumping building. And, according to Pisa’s mayor, far too many shops around the Tuscan treasure sell erotic-themed souvenirs featuring the tower, Michelangelo’s "David" and other attractions. The novelty items show up everywhere. In an episode of this season's "Jersey Shore," for example, Deena Cortese was featured wearing an apron showing all of Michelangelo's David. Now, vendors in Pisa caught selling erotic souvenirs such as underwear with the famous tower posed as a penis and aprons highlighting David's genitalia can face fines of up to $700, the Daily Mail reports. Mayor Marco Filippeschi calls the souvenirs "trashy" and "not the image of the city we want to cultivate," he said, adding: "This material is offensive to public decorum and should be banned from souvenir stalls — people with young families should not have to see these shocking items."

Scary-Teenager discovers he's been juggling with bombs

A boy of 13 had a lucky escape yesterday when his juggling clubs turned out to be World War Two BOMbS. ben Stannard, who found the 12-in cylinders in a field, had no idea they could have exploded if dropped. An Army bomb squad later destroyed them in a controlled explosion in Margaretting, Essex.His mum Molly said: "ben is a curious, clever boy but he'll be cautious in future."

LOL-Forklift truck wedding parade

That's what one couple in China opted for in a bid to celebrate their shared love for each other and the humble warehouse workhorse. Newlyweds Kong Qingyang and Shen Likun first met when when groom Kong was working as a forklift driver and bride Shen was working as a forklift salesperson. To commemorate their special connection they chose to commandeer a forklift parade in their home town of Xintai, Hebei Province. Starting at 8am the brightly decorated forklifts motored from the groom's house and then broke with tradition to pick up the bride-to-be. While en-route to the wedding the pair also stood in the front basket and threw lollies to thrilled onlookers.

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Why-Illegally strip-searched strippers awarded $195,000

The city of Daytona Beach Shores will pay a $195,000 settlement to four strippers who were illegally strip-searched. The federal lawsuit arose from a September 2009 raid on Biggins Gentlemen's Club, the Florida bar where the women worked, reports the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. Undercover cops who were investigating the club obtained an "all-persons search warrant" and used it to search everyone on the premises, including four dancers and two female bartenders. The lawyer representing the six employees, Brett Hartley, told the Sentinel the women were strip-searched in front of 20 male officers.That violates state law that stipulates strip searches must be conducted (and observed) only by people of the same gender as the detained person, said Judge Mary E. Scriven.he judge agreed such a warrant is illegal and called it "unconstitutionally overboard."

Lawyer Hartley said most of the settlement money will go to paying his fees, and the women will receive $5,000 each.


Why-National Park visitors urged not to pee near trails




PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Olympic National Park in Washington state is urging hikers not to urinate along backcountry trails to avoid attracting mountain goats who lick urine deposits for salt. The advice is part of a plan to avoid aggressive goats like the one that gored a Port Angeles, Wash., man to death in October.The Peninsula Daily News reports the popular park also may close trails where goats follow people or enter camp sites.

LOL-Man in SpongeBob PJs robs store


Cops are searching for an armed man clad in SpongeBob SquarePants pyjamas and another thief who robbed a Texas dollar store. Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators said Wednesday that two men entered a Houston dollar store before 10 a.m. Sunday and demanded cash.One of the men wore a light blue McDonald's work shirt with yellow SpongeBob SquarePants pajama bottoms, and was armed with a high-powered assault rifle.


Wow-Rare orange lobster saved



A one-in-a-million orange lobster has been saved from becoming a seafood lover's dinner and is destined for a nature centre. The rare lobster, named Youppi, has become a celebrity among shoppers at a Trois-Rivieres, Que., grocery store since it was delivered in a routine shipment three weeks ago. "A lot of people come to see it and take pictures," said assistant fish department manager France Dauphin, of the crustacean that already looks boiled. Despite many offers to buy Youppi, the store has refused to sell the three-pound shellfish - which is still being housed with the other normal lobsters. Dauphin said Youppi will be moved to a nearby nature centre next week.
Youppi, meaning "Yippee!" in French, was named after the orange mascot of the Montreal Canadiens and former Montreal Expos.


Strange-Star-crossed simian lovers buck taboos, secretly marry in Indian ceremony




TALWAS, India — the tale, set in the forests of northwestern India, had all the ingredients of a perfect Bollywood love story: emotion, celebration, star-crossed lovers and a nail-biting climax. The only difference was that the lovers were monkeys, taking part in India's first simian wedding — with the whole unfolding drama a classic clash between age-old village belief and the demands of modern life skeptical of that way of thought. Hindu belief includes worship of animals as avatars of the gods. Monkeys have an especially significant role in Hindu mythology where they are worshipped as avatars of Hanuman, the mighty ape that aided Rama in his fight against evil. So when plans for the wedding of "Raju" and "Chinki" were laid in the small village of Talwas, deep in the forests of Rajasthan, villagers responded with excitement.


Bad-Teen handed ban for drink-driving on a lawnmower




A SOZZLED boy racer was yesterday banned from getting behind the wheel – for drink-driving on a ride-on lawnmower. Sixth-former Joel Maunder, 18, was more than twice the legal limit when he was stopped driving his parents’ 15mph mower on his way to meet pals.He had riden the 125bhp £1,700 machine nearly a mile from his £500,000 family home before being stopped.

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