Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Arts

While seemingly foolish, some stories are surprisingly not fake! Here's a survey of some recent stories that could have passed as April Fools jokes, but weren't.

Associated Press, in South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "NESS CITY, Kan. - Authorities are considering charges in the bizarre case of a woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years -- so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time the boyfriend finally called police.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

``We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,'' Whipple said. ``The hospital removed it.''

Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend."



New York Post: "Now you can watch the dead live - live on a Web cam, that is.

A British company has unveiled a service to let far-off relatives view funeral services from around the globe via the Internet.

For about $150, mourners are allowed to watch their loved ones eulogized from the perspective of a camera placed in the back of the chapel." -HASANI GITTENS



Sky News, Sky.com: "The animal was convicted of theft by the court in Bitola, in Macedonia, following a year-long case. However, he was excused from attending court. The case came after a beekeeper reported the bear for stealing his honey. He told the court he had to protect his hives by playing thumping folk music. Beekeeper Zoran Kiseloski told the court: "I tried to distract the bear with lights and music because I heard bears are afraid of that." He said he bought a generator, lit up the area and played songs by the Serbian turbo-folk star Ceca. The court heard the bear stayed away for a few weeks but returned when the generator ran out of power and the music stopped. Mr. Kiseloski added: "It attacked the beehives again." The court found the bear guilty but since it had no owner and is a protected species it ordered the state to pay for the roughly $3400 damage it caused to the hives. There is no information on the bear's whereabouts."

Continued...

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