The Maui Examiner

Tickled Pink Kitty

DEVON, England– Philip and Joan Worth are trying to figure out how their nine-year-old white cat turned pink after a weekend of carousing.
The cat, Brumas, went out for a walk on Friday. When he returned, his white fur had turned bright pink.
The couple took Brumas to their vet where he was found to be in good health despite his new color.
"He was pink - Barbie pink,” said Mrs. Worth “His head, ears and right down his body, had gone a quite brilliant pink.”
The vet determined that Brumas’ new coloring wasn't toxic. Paint has been ruled out as the cause of the strange coloration.
The couple have five other cats but but all of their coloring has remained the same.

Brumas and owner Joan Worth. How humiliating for a male cat to be pink.

Bear Jailed For Begging

DIVNOGORSK, Siberia– A friendly female bear that had been begging food from drivers parked at a roadside café has been thrown in jail. A A police spokesman said that she was arrested and locked her up only because the local zoo refused to take her.
Police say the detention is temporary and insist that the friendly bear will be found a new home.
"We are treating her well and are feeding her honey and cake," the spokesman added.

What's in a name?

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– While police were investigating a burglary at Bandelier Elementary School in Albuquerque, they found a restaurant employee’s name tag near the portable school building that a computer monitor, two printers and other equipment was stolen from.
The tag, bearing the name ''Sam,'' was used to help authorities track down Samuel Wilson, 19.
Wilson was being held on burglary charges.

Woman Charged $1,133 to Clip Toenail

SEATTLE, Wash.– A class action lawsuit has been brought against a Seattle hospital after they charged a woman $1,133 to clip a toenail and run some tests.
The Seattle Times reports that the consumer protection case was brought by Lori Mill against Virginia Mason Medical Center after she received the whopping hospital bill, which included a $418 fee for "miscellaneous hospital charges."
Virginia Mason officials say that because Mill had her toenail clipped at Virginia Mason's downtown complex rather than at one of the medical center's satellite clinics, they can charge higher fees because the facility is licensed as a hospital. They say such fees are standard industry practice and approved by Medicare.
One unidentified doctor who had the same procedure done on his own toe at the Virginia Mason Hospital e-mailed a complaint to chief executive Dr. Gary Kaplan last year after being billed $1,200, including a facilities charge of $1,138.
A trial is set for July 3, 2006. If the hospital loses, the state Consumer Protection Act allows triple damages of up to $10,000 per patient who provides evidence of such billing.

Really Disgusting

BEIJING, China– A restaurant in Hailin City in Heilongjiang province was closed down for offering stir fried-tiger meat on its menu, a dish that turned out to be donkey meat dressed with tiger urine.
The China Daily reported Thursday that the 'Hufulou' restaurant, which is located near the Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park, was raided by police after a waiter reportedly told a diner that the owner of the restaurant had good connections within the tiger park and got the meat of dead tigers.
The owner confessed that the “tiger meat” was actually donkey meat dressed with tiger urine to give it a "special" flavor.
The Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park is China's largest breeding center for Siberian tigers. Director Wang Ligang claimed "It is impossible for the meat of dead tigers from the park to be smuggled outside."
The restaurant was shut down by Chinese authorities. It is unknown how many people unwittingly indulged in the consumption of urine-drenched donkey meat, nor where the restaurant obtained the tiger urine.

High-Tech Headstones

MIAMI, Fla.– A new product unveiled by a company called Vidstone has been creating quite a stir in the funeral industry.
In the information age we see video screens everywhere, and if Vidstone is successful, then tombstones will be no exception.
Aptly named the Serenity Panel, the high-tech headstone features an embedded, solar-powered video display that plays 5–7 minute video clips from a person’s life.
The headstone comes with two headphone jacks to visitors to their loved one’s grave can hear as well as see the video. The AP reports that a flip-up solar panel protects the shatter-resistant LCD screen, and once raised, the video will play.
The company hasn’t sold any Serenity Panels yet, but say that they have a few pre-orders.
The Serenity Panel is anticipated to be ready for sale in October and costs about $1,500.

You Want Fries With That?

CASPER, Wyo.– Two men were charged with burglary after allegedly breaking into a McDonald's restaurant and trying to steal food.
Michael Eugene Croley and Christopher Carl Walker, both 18, walked up to the restaurant's drive-through window early Saturday morning and asked for any unsold food the restaurant planned to throw away, Casper police Sgt. Brad Wnuk said Tuesday.
When McDonald's employees told them the restaurant was closed, one of the men allegedly pried open the window and climbed at least part of the way into the restaurant. Workers called 911 and fled into the kitchen.
The two were arrested shortly after the incident. According to court documents, both denied any involvement.

Squirrelly Situation

TOPEKA, Kan.— An overly-curious squirrel caused a power outage that left the Statehouse and other downtown Topeka buildings briefly without power last Thursday.
The Associated Press reported that Westar Energy spokeswoman Gina Penzig said the squirrel got into a power substation and was touching different parts of a circuit, causing electricity to flow through its body and overload the circuit.
The power went out about 8:30 a.m. and returned about a half-hour later. Besides the Statehouse, two state government office buildings were affected.