Michael D. "Stew" Stewart

Holly Valance recreates famous pose by Sophia Loren in 1960 movie | Mail Online.

Statehouse capacity of 3,000 would limit protests | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com.

A US truck driver who won a Lamborghini supercar in a competition crashed it just six hours later.

David Dopp, 34, from Santaquin, near Salt Lake City, Utah, now plans to sell the £190,000 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster.

“Yeah, I got it on Saturday and I wrecked it on Saturday,” he told local reporters.

The father-of-six says he can’t afford the insurance or the taxes on the lime green convertible which he won in a contest run by a local chain of shops.

“That’s why rich people own them,” he said. “The poor people like me don’t. I have bills more important than a Lamborghini. I’ve got a family to support.”

Mr Dopp was taking a friend for a spin in the car when he hit black ice while taking a corner at about 45mph.

The car went through a fence and came to rest in a field about 75ft from the road with damage to both front and back ends of the car, plus a punctured oil pan and tyre.

His wife Annette admitted: “My heart pretty much fell out. They said they were OK. Then came, you know, that feeling when your heart drops and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh. What do we do now?'”

Police say the Lamborghini’s high-performance summer tires weren’t suited for icy conditions. Happily for Mr Dopp, he was insured.

via Man wins and crashes Lamborghini | Orange UK.

A church built entirely of ice and snow has opened in Bavaria – a hundred years after locals first built a snow church as an act of protest.

The church at Mitterfirmiansreut, near the border with the Czech Republic, is more than 20 metres long with an 8 metre steeple and took 1,400 cubic metres (49,000 cubic feet) of snow to complete.

The structure was lit up blue with a blessing from local Dean Kajetan Steinbeisser.

But when the ancestors of today’s villagers built the first snow church in 1911, they were protesting because they didn’t have their own church there

via One cool church | Orange UK.

‘What’s the plan if Santa crashes?’ | Orange UK.

A council has been asked to reveal its plans for dealing with a crash landing by Santa’s present-laden sleigh.

The request was one of several bizarre uses this year of the Freedom of Information Act, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The applicant asked Cheltenham Borough Council who would rescue Santa, who would be responsible for rounding up the reindeer and which staff would get the job of clearing the crash site.

The request made the second spot on the Local Government Association’s list of the top 10 most bizarre Freedom of Information Requests in 2011.

The winner was a request to West Devon District Council about its preparations for helping soldiers defend against invasion by Napoleon’s marauding hordes.

Both Bristol and Leicester city councils were quizzed about their readiness for a zombie invasion, while Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was asked about plans for alien attack.

Hampshire County Council was asked how many drawing pins it had – and what percentage were currently stuck in pin boards.

And Cornwall Council faced requests about privacy holes being found in public toilet cubicles and money paid to exorcists.

Peter Fleming, chairman of the LGA’s Improvement Board, said: “Councils are committed to transparency and accountability and put a lot of time and effort into ensuring that legitimate requests for information are met with full and comprehensive responses.

“However, as this list shows, some of the requests councils receive do not appear to relate very closely to the services they are focused on delivering every day of the year.”

AP Strange But True

Moved: 12/29/2011 04:35

GREAT DAY GREETING

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — It’s a great day in South Carolina.

Or is it? There seems to be a difference of opinion on that.

South Carolina’s governor wants state agencies to answer their phone by saying it’s a great day in the state.

But two state lawmakers say state workers shouldn’t have to do that, unless it really IS a great day.

They’ve introduced a bill saying no state agency can force its employees to answer the phone with that greeting as long as state unemployment is 5 percent or higher, and as long as there are people in South Carolina without health insurance.

A spokesman for the Republican governor says she stands by the greeting. She thinks it could help change the mood of state government.

SAMOA-DATELINE

APIA, Samoa (AP) — Tomorrow is Friday, December 30th. But not in Samoa.

The South Pacific nation is skipping that day, and jumping right ahead to the 31st.

The government of Samoa decided it wants to be west of the international date line, rather than east.

That’s where the new day begins. It’s the line that separates one calendar day from the next and runs roughly north-to-south through the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The move is designed to put Samoa on the same calendar as its trading partners throughout the region.

By goverment decree, anyone in Samoa who is scheduled to work tomorrow will get paid for it — even though tomorrow will never happen.

SPECTER THE COMEDIAN

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When he was in the U.S. Senate, Arlen Specter was known as a pretty funny guy.

And now that he’s out of politics, he has time to try out his material for a new audience.

Specter performed the other night at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia. He got laughs at the expense of former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and others. The targets of his jokes also included Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the crowd roared with approval at Specter’s jokes.

The longtime senator told the audience that he’s not exactly new at this. He said he’s “been in comedy now for 30 years.”

Thornton Fractional high schools debate shredding of decades worth of student transcripts.

Another step closer to the world of the elimination of hard evidence of one’s existence.

Brave Santa delivers treats for tigers | Orange UK.

Dozens brave cold in swimwear | Orange UK.

Fishers hedge fund manager charged with defrauding investors of $7M | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com.