New Taipei City offers to turn dog poo into gold

A city in northern Taiwan is trying the Midas touch to persuade reluctant residents to clean up after their canines: offering a chance to win gold bars to anyone handing in bags of doggy deposits. Starting from August 1, dog owners and other residents of New Taipei City, bordering the capital Taipei, can hand in waste to government cleaning teams in exchange for tickets to a lucky draw. The prizes: three gold ingots worth T$60,000 ($2,100), T$18,000 and T$12,000.

Hit UFO image was polystyrene, says forger

A Belgian UFO photograph that became a worldwide hit was faked with a piece of polystyrene, one of the people behind the picture has revealed more than 20 years later in a TV interview. "You can do a lot with a little, we managed to trick everyone with a piece of polystyrene," said one of the forgers, identified only as Patrick, who says he pulled it off at the age of 18 with some colleagues.

US man operates on himself with butter knife

A 63-year-old American man with a hernia plunged a butter knife into his abdomen to try to fix the problem, and later put a lit cigarette in the wound, according to police. Police found the man lying naked on the porch of his apartment in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale in California Sunday night after his wife called to report his attempt at surgery, Glendale police spokesman Sergeant Tom Lorenz said.

California will ask voters to microchip shelter pets

When Neil Dorame of Fullerton, Calif., got a German shepherd puppy named Bolto (above) last year, she and her kids decided to have a microchip implanted in the dog with an identification number that makes it easy to reunite lost pets with owners.

It paid off a day later when the rambunctious puppy bolted through an open door. Animal control officers found the dog, scanned him and knew immediately where he belonged, Dorame said.

In addition to avoiding the heartbreak of lost pets, some lawmakers believe that microchips can save money by cutting costs at shelters where lost cats and dogs are cared for and sometimes euthanized. California lawmakers will vote later this summer on a bill requiring microchips in every dog or cat adopted or claimed from a shelter.

Woman faces trial for flaunting fake testicles

The police chief of a small South Carolina town will ask a jury to decide if a woman broke the state's obscenity laws by driving a pickup truck with plastic testicles hanging from the back. Bonneau Police Chief Franco Fuda ticketed Virginia Tice, 65, in early July at a local convenience store after spying the adornment dangling from her truck.

Joe Pesci accuses Gotti producers of yanking role

Actor Joe Pesci has sued the makers of a movie about crime boss John Gotti and his son, accusing producers of reneging on a contract after he gained 30 pounds to play the notorious crime boss' right-hand man. Pesci's lawsuit could be an early roadblock for the film, Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father, that has gained widespread attention due to its subject matter and a cast that includes John Travolta, Al Pacino and Lindsay Lohan.

Playboy's Hefner says ex lies about sex life

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner says his former fiance is lying about their sex life, or lack of it. Crystal Harris, 25, who ditched Hefner, 85, five days before their June wedding, told radio show host Howard Stern last week that sex with the Playboy magazine mogul "lasted like two seconds" and that she had never seen him naked.

Man guilty of assault for spilling drink on Zuma

A South African man was found guilty of assault last week for spilling a whisky and water drink near President Jacob Zuma at the country's premier horse race last year, local media reported. Charges were laid against Daryl Peense, a betting agent, after an incident at the Durban July horse race a year ago in which he allegedly spilled his drink over Zuma from a balcony.

Half of men would ditch woman who gained weight?

Men are more concerned with their partner's body type than women but they also seem to value family more highly, according to a new survey released on Tuesday. Nearly half of men questioned in the poll of 70,000 people said they would ditch a partner who gained weight, compared to only 20 percent of women.

Reuters - Associated Press

(China Daily 07/31/2011 page4)