KEY POINTS:
Topping the dubious toys for children list... This CSI Forensic Facial Reconstruction Kit (see photo) stacked high at the red shed. Disappointing however for those who want to play serial killer, there are only "tools and materials for only one victim".
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The Scottish government is
funding research on birth control for grey squirrels because their ever expanding population is putting red squirrels at risk. The Scotsman.com reports scientists were experimenting with a "fertility control agent" and was now being tried on a range of species. The squirrels are caught in humane traps before being given the contraceptive. A spokesman said: "The materials are administered by injection, and recent formulations can render an animal sterile for a number of years with a single dose." The main problem with the idea is to work out how to make sure the contraceptives were not ingested by other species.
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Lookalikes: On Trade Me, filed under antiques and collectibles, a one 6 month-old McDonald's cheese burger and a one year-old McDonald's chicken burger, looking almost as good as the day the were processed (for photos, click on 'View Images'link on right).
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One person's verbosity is another's common usage: A number of readers felt the wording of the sign outside Victoria Park was neither pompous or illiterate, in fact saying the park was out of action for remediation was very appropriate. A reader says "site remediation is a common undertaking at our environmental firm (and certainly we aren't the only ones) and it is quite a reasonable thing to pop on a sign where such a process is taking place."
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Answering fan emails on Ain't IT Cool.com, Sly Stallone explains how he got Sharon Stone, his co-star in The Specialist, to do a nude scene. "I didn't want to do this scene because Sharon was not cooperating... she decides not to take her robe off. The director asks only a few of the crew to remain, and she still won't take it off. I promised her I wouldn't take any liberties, so what's the problem? She said, 'I'm just sick of nudity'. I asked her if she could get sick of it on someone else's film. She was having none of it, so I went down to my trailer, brought back a bottle of Black Death vodka that was given to me by Michael Douglas and after half-a-dozen shots we were wet and wild".
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Given the moderate success of yesterday's joke, here's another one about a letter written to an advice columnist: It reads: "I really need your advice on what could be a crucial decision. I've suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs... phone rings but if I answer, the caller hangs up. My wife has been going out with the girls a lot recently, although when I ask their names she always says, "Just some friends from work, you don't know them." I always stay awake to look out for her taxi coming home, but she always walks down the drive. I once picked her mobile phone up just to see what time it was and she went berserk and screamed that I should never touch her phone again and why was I checking up on her. Anyway, I have never approached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just didn't want to know the truth, but last night she went out again and I decided to really check on her. I decided I was going to park my 2006 Yamaha R1 motorcycle next to the garage and then hide behind it so I could get a good view of the whole street when she came home. It was at that moment, crouching behind my Yamaha R1, that I noticed that the valve covers on my engine seemed to be leaking a little oil. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the dealer?