French town builds UFO landing pad

The operation has been dubbed: “‘Allo Arès, ici UFO.” Arès built the pad in 1976 after a local airport electrician and UFO nut complained to local authorities that France had no alien craft strips.

The local mayor liked the idea and decreed that extraterrestrial visitors would be exempt from airport tax and could take part in any local boules or mud-skating competitions.

Mud-skaters are attached to the feet and used to stay on the surface of mudflats while looking for cockles – a local pastime in the seaside town, situated next to the Arcachon basin. read more…

Earth ‘facing mass extinction’

Major marine extinction in process – studyOrganisms not coping with environmentHumans to blame

THE world is facing a mass extinction event that could be greater than that of the dinosaurs, new Australian research shows.

Macquarie University palaeobiologist Dr John Alroy used fossils to track the fate of major groups of marine animals throughout the Earth’s history.

He compiled data from almost 100,000 fossil collections worldwide, tracking the fate of marine animals during extreme extinction events some 250 million years ago. read more…

Meet the fish that looks like Shrek

The creature, with its large chin and lumpy head, makes a good case for being the ugliest fish in the world, a title that’s currently held by the famous Blobfish.

The ‘Shrek’ fish, which scuba divers likened to the famous animated ogre, is actually quite common in Japanese waters.

It’s a type of Asian sheepshead wrasse that feeds on shellfish and crustaceans.

This particular specimen is thought to be around 30 years old and has certainly made a splash with animal lovers.

It’s thought that water-dwelling ‘Shrek’ has never been caught on camera before, so take a look at the video below to see him in action.

Sea-ing is believing!

43-yr-old virgin wraps barbed wire around her leg so she will not have sex

A cilice: Wearing one will make you feel all warm inside, apparently (Corbis)

Sarah Cassidy, a Manchester University physics graduate, is a senior female figure in Opus Dei, the controversial Catholic group that is depicted in the Dan Brown bestseller The Da Vinci Code and stands accused of everything from misogyny to elitism. read more…

Tippex YouTube advert is ‘insanely phenomenal’

Following in the footsteps of Burger King’s Subservient Chicken comes a clever advert from the team at Tippex. Just as you could control the willing-to-please chicken, you can control a hunter and a gormless grizzly in the latest campaign for the correction fluid company.

Viewers of the 30-second long YouTube clip titled ‘NSFW. A Hunter shoots a bear!’ are given a choice at the end of the video – they can either make the hunter shoot the bear or let him go.

After making your choice, you are then commanded to type in anything you want, and the servile duo will follow your every command. read more…

Lover suffocates in chimney trying to break into house

Bakersfield police Sgt Mary DeGeare stated the two were in an “on-again, off-again” relationship.

The man’s identity was not disclosed by police, but the man who resides in the home is William Moodie, 58.

“She made an unbelievable error in judgment and nobody comprehends why, and unfortunately she is passed away,” Mr Moodie said. “She had her issues — she had her demons — but I never lost my respect for her.”

Dr Kotarac apparently died in the chimney, but her body was not discovered until a house-sitter noticed a stench and fluids coming from the fireplace three days later, according to a police statement. read more…

Airline hosts first mile-high gay wedding

Airline wants mile-high gay wedding”Wedding cake and dancing in aisles”Calling for entries

SCANDINAVIAN airline SAS stated it plans to host the first-ever in-flight gay wedding in December, and is searching for a suitable couple to walk down the aeroplane aisle.

"It will be a very traditional wedding,” SAS spokesman Anders Lindstroem said.

"There will be wedding cake and dancing in the aisles.”

SAS is accepting entries from gay couples who wanted to celebrate their nuptials mid-flight from Stockholm to New York on December 6, with the winning entry will be chosen by an on-line vote. read more…

After man almost blows up bathroom chasing spider: More bizarre accidents

It’s a funny old world, and not least because of the plethora of bizarre accidents that crop up day in, day out, such as the man who almost blew up his bathroom while chasing a spider. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some more that register high scores on the weird-o-meter.

Plum role
An 81-year-old man fell out of a plum tree in Biasca, Switzerland, a few years ago and spent four days in a coma. Not nice. However, when Angelo De Luca regained consciousness, his sex drive improved dramatically. read more…

Hiker shoots himself in left bum cheek by accident

A hiker accidentally shot himself in the bum after putting a handgun in his back pocket… because he thought it would be more comfortable there than in its holster.

Darrel Elam, from Washington’s colourfully named Snohomish County, fired a bullet from the .40-caliber weapon down his left buttock and left leg before it came to rest just above his knee.

The 52-year-old thought moving the gun before setting off on his hike would make the trek more comfortable, according to the Chelan County sheriff’s office.

After the incident last weekend, Elam was treated at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee before being released.

Man’s new mobile phone is the one that was stolen from him

A man who purchased a shiny new mobile phone online, choosing it because it looked just like his old one, realised afterwards it was actually the very one that had been stolen from him.

The California resident was browsing for a new model on classifieds site Craigslist when he happened upon the strangely familiar handset, according to the sheriff’s office.

When his buy arrived, he saw that his numbers were still stored so he tipped off officials.

They promptly arrested 28-year-old Neil Hefner and recovered 163 stolen phones, along with computers, wallets, gift cards and rare coins, concluding he must have broken into dozens of vehicles to accumulate his small mountain of loot.