BURLINGTON, Iowa - In case the cops try to raid their place,
some drug dealers like to have special places to hide their
stash. In one case, a man even figured out a place to hide
himself if the police came calling. Unfortunately for him,
after only a short search, officers found Jerome Anthony
Dobbey hiding inside a refrigerator with the door shut. Thi-
nking, it was a good idea, Dobbey had stacked several items
in front of the refrigerator to make it seem inconspicuous.
However, few people will believe that a fridge is in use if
it's not plugged in. The crack dealer will be chilling out
for a while behind bars.

JAPAN - If deer could talk, they'd probably raise a fuss
over how many of them are getting hit by trains in western
Japan. Lucky for them, the Japanese were smart enough to
realize the problem and come up with the perfect solution:
lion crap. Deer, like most semi-intelligent beings on the
planet, don't really care for the smell of the king of the
jungle's feces. After several other failed attempts with
different options, railway officials decided to mix up a
lion dung paste and smear it along the tracks where most
of the accidents were occurring. In the last five months
since the deterrent was put into use, not a single deer
has been killed by a train. Deer must be pretty confident
animals, seeing as how such a delicate creature won't put
up with any crap from the lions.

La Spezia, Italy - Twelve years ago, under an arms embargo
imposed by the United Nations, Italy impounded two of Iraq's
most modern warships. Today, those warships sit docked at La
Spezia's naval base, and the Iraqi sailors sent to man them
sit docked at the local cafe, sipping espresso. "They started
the engines once for about 15 minutes about 12 years ago. Un-
til the embargo is lifted they are not leaving," said La Spe-
zia spokesman Francesco Pilato. At the time of the embargo
(following the Gulf war), an Italian firm had finished build-
ing the ships but did not get them delivered before the emba-
rgo came into force. Iraq's navy sends 12 sailors a year to
sit in the waterfront cafes...I mean, man the vessels.

ROMANIA - A would-be burglar proved to be a prime example
of how alcohol can get you in a lot of trouble. The crook
was arrested after he was found asleep in a pub he was raid-
ing after trying some expensive liqueurs. The 42-year-old
made his way in through the roof and proceeded to grab all
the cash in sight. However, his curiosity and taste buds did
him in, as he tried some whiskey and other drinks. Unable to
resist the temptation to get totally smashed, the man passed
out and was found by the bar owner the next morning.

LONDON - When recreating the scene of an accident, demonstrators aren't typically as graphic with their versions as the
originals. An English machine operator got a little too realistic for his own good as he attempted to show his bosses how he lost part of his thumb in a workplace accident. He ended up losing a chunk of a finger on his other hand. Talk about being "all thumbs." Thanks to this "handy" man, a new phrase is in the works.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. The US Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

On every continent there is a city called Rome.

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.

Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first.

Lightning strikes men about seven times more often than it does women.

Women make up 49% of the world population.

About 50% of Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. This is called propinquity.

From the Middle Ages until the 18th century the local barber's duties included dentistry, blood letting, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originates from when patients would grip the pole during an operation.

The US nickname Uncle Sam was derived from Uncle Sam Wilson,
a meat inspector in Troy, New York.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

Employees of the Washington State Grange arrived at work to find a man had chained himself to the front door of the Grange building to protest the war in Iraq. Jody Mason, who had been there for 18 hours, thought it was a federal building, but the Grange is a nonprofit organization that serves rural areas. Mason had orgotten to bring a key to his padlock, so police used a bolt cutter to free him and sent him on his way. But Mason was arrested the next day after he found the federal building and chained himself to its door. (The Olympian)
I wonder how many of the protestors would be able to find Iraq on an unmarked map?

In 1988, real estate agent Paul Aladdin Alarab, 44, was performing a social protest by hanging from a rope tied to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif., when he accidentally fell off. He survived. When the war against Iraq began, Alarab again headed to the bridge with his rope to protest. As police officers scrambled to get him off the bridge, he let go of the rope.
This time he didn't survive. Police are calling the result a suicide, but friends say Alarab wasn't suicidal because he just got custody of his young daughters, and probably thought he could survive the fall again. In 1988 Alarab said he "was praying for God to give me another chance" as he fell. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Character isn't defined by the chances you take, but by how you make use of the chances you get.

Leonard Garland and David DeCristofaro, both 20, saw a lot of cars parked on a street in Ashland, Mass. Figuring it was a party they "crashed" it. Indeed there was a party and, witnesses say, Garland asked one of the hosts if he wanted to "get high". The host asked if he had something to get high with, and Garland and DeCristofaro produced psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine. They also chatted about a local "jerk" narcotics cop, Matt Gutwill, who the duo didn't like because he was so effective at arresting drug dealers. It was about then that the host identified himself -- as narcotics officer Matt Gutwill -- and arrested them. "The look on their faces was like they saw death knocking on their door," said Gutwill, who was wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with "Burlington Police Academy" at the time. It wasn't difficult to detain the two men: most of the 20 people at the party were cops. "I've met a lot of dumb drug dealers," Gutwill said later, "but none this dumb." (Framingham Metrowest Daily News)
Then maybe you're not invited to the right parties.

Carl Wiley, 36, on trial in Lubbock, Texas, for aggravated assault, couldn't keep his mouth shut. Ignoring orders from the judge -- and his own mother -- to be quiet, Wiley ranted for at least 20 minutes. "The judge gave him lots of leeway," said the prosecutor, but "he continually bad-mouthed and mouthed off to the judge" and his own lawyer. Finally, District Judge Jim Bob Darnell had enough and ordered deputies to use duct tape to seal Wiley's mouth closed. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Finally: a good use for all the rolls of duct tape everyone bought.