The Maui Examiner

Petty Thief Reaches Milestone

HYDERABAD, India– An illicit liquor peddler and petty thief has found himself in contention for a rather unglamorous record – his 100th prison sentence.
Reuters reported Monday that 25-year-old Gopal Singh has been jailed for one month by the local court in Hyderabad, the capitol of Andhra Pradesh.
More than half of Singh’s convictions have been for peddling liquor, which is banned in Andhra Pradesh.

The Human Zoo

LONDON, England– There is a new exhibit at the London Zoo – humans. The zoo’s unusual exhibition features eight humans clad in fig leaf loincloths and prowling around in a prehistoric fashion.
In a recent report from the Associated Foreign Press, a London Zoo spokesperson explained the premise of the exhibit. "We have set up this exhibit to highlight the spread of man as a plague species and to communicate the importance of man's place in the planet's ecosystem," he said.
The scantily-clad exhibit volunteers will be treated as animals and kept amused with games and music.

The human exhibit is the latest feauture of the London Zoo.Eight humans clad in fig leaves will be on display daily.

The volunteers were selected through an Internet competition.
Volunteer Simon Spiro, a 19-year-old veterinary student, couldn’t be more thrilled.
"I actually think the fig leaves will be enough to cover us up, it's no worse than a swimming pool," he said. "I'm a veterinary student so the idea of working for a zoo was something that appealed to me. I thought it would be fun and interesting because I'm an outdoorsy kind of person."

Injured Elephant Gets Prosthesis

LAMPANG, Thailand — A Thai elephant that had stepped on a land mine and had to have her foot amputated has been fitted with a temporary prosthesis.
The AP reported Sunday that Soraida Salwala, founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in northern Thailand said Motola, the 44-year-old female elephant, is expected to wear the lightweight prosthetic device for five to eight months until her leg strengthens enough to carry a heavier, permanent one.
Motola was injured in 1999 while working at a logging camp near the Myanmar border. After a half-century of insurgency, the region remains littered with landmines.
The sawdust-filled prosthesis has been attached to Motola daily since Aug. 10 as a therapeutic measure to help prepare her for a permanent prosthesis made from fiberglass and silicone.
Veterinarians anticipate replacing the current prosthesis with a heavier one filled with sand in order to further strengthen the pachyderm’s leg in preperation for the permanent prosthetic device.

Thai elephant Motola, who was injured by a land mine six years ago, shows off her temporary prosthetic limb.

Gas Theif Uses Lighter To See

HASTINGS, New Zealand– Local police were dispathched to a farm around 2 a.m. to investigate a report of a burning car.
As it turned out, the car burst into flames after a would-be thief man attempted to steal gasoline from the vehicle, NewsTalkZB reported.
Police say the 19-year-old petrol thief was lucky not to blow himself up, as he was using a cigarette lighter to see what he was doing. The vehicle ignited when the thief held the flame too close to the gas fumes.
The man was arrested and charged with theft.

Unusual Music

N.Y., New York– Performer Natalia Paruz plays a very unusual instrument – a 32-inch hand saw. Paruz has been earning a living playing her saw in concerts, for commercials and movies and for passengers on the New York subway.
The Associated Press reports that Paruz uses a violin bow on her saw to create music. She says that her favorite place to perform is on the New York City subway.
Once, Paruz was ticketed for playing her saw in the Times Square subway station when police thought her instrument was a weapon. The saw she plays now is toothless, but her music still sounds the same.