Man to Swim the Length of the Amazon - or 'Die Trying'

Known variously as "Big Man of the River" and "Fish Man," Martin Strel is attempting to swim the full length of the world's longest river - all 3,375 miles (5,400km) of it - or, in his own words, "die trying".

As a marathon swimmer, he is no stranger to staggering feats of endurance. After conquering the English Channel early in his career he has gone on to swim the length of the Danube, Mississippi and Yangtze rivers. None of them, however, compares with the terrors waiting for him in the Amazon: anacondas, crocodiles, poisonous freshwater stingrays and even the occasional bull shark that works its way upstream.

But Strel, 52, remains philosophical: "I'm concerned, of course, but if I think of that stuff I would never jump into the water," he told reporters. He even had a ready reply when asked about every man's greatest fear in the equatorial waters - the toothpick fish that can enter the body by swimming up the penis, and can only be removed by surgery. "I never urinate straight into the water, I always urinate straight into my wetsuit," he said.

Viagra-spiked wine nearly kills husband

An Italian man keeled over with a heart attack and almost died after his wife slipped Viagra pills into his wine hoping it would improve his performance in bed.

Fifty-five-year-old construction worker Di Angelino from Frosinone in central Italy said: "I had been under stress because of my job for quite a while and my 50-year-old wife felt a bit abandoned."

"She tried to secretly give me a bit of extra "motivation" in bed with two pills of Viagra in a glass of wine."

After suffering a massive heart attack Di Angelino added: "I'm not angry with her over it. In fact, the whole episode of having a heart attack has made me cut down the stress in my life and pull back at work. And because of that our sexual relationship has got better."

Wow...close call for the price of a boner.

Underpant rage burns down house

An angry husband who threw old clothes from his wardrobe in the garden and set fire to them because he could not find his clean underpants accidentally burnt his home down.

Ivo Jerbic, 55, from Prikraj close to the capital Zagreb told police he had flipped out after failing to find any clean underpants in the closet full of old clothes, and had thrown them all in the garden and set fire to them.

He told police: 'My wife never throws anything out, I just lost my temper.'

But the fire spread to the house which burned to the ground.

Local news agency Hina reported that Jerbic could end up in jail for up to 8 years because of putting other family members in danger, even though no one was injured in the incident.

"Dead Man" Testifies in Murder Trial

This is great. I don't think this has happened in the U.S., although I can't be positive. I would have to say, though, that if it did happen in the U.S. that I believe the court would throw out the case. An excerpt from the story below:

Five Indian men are on trial for murder despite the "dead" man having appeared in court and told the judge that the case was fabricated...

Read the full story here.

Deputy Finds Man Punching Shrub

A 23-year-old Hilton Head Island man was charged with public disorderly conduct after a deputy observed him "in a physical confrontation with shrubs" at 8:27 p.m. Saturday at Carolina First, 401 William Hilton Parkway, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Report.

Responding to a complaint that a man tried to get into a stranger's car, a deputy called over to the suspect, who was punching vegetation. The man then ran across the bank parking lot to kick one last bush before talking to police, reports said.

He reportedly smelled of alcohol and was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center, where he is being held for prosecution, according to the jail's online log.

Source: www.islandpacket.com

Tijuana Police Issued Slingshots

Hmmm. Good thing we passed the bill for the border fence, cause I don't think we're going to be getting to much help from south of the border. The Tijuana police force of about 2,000 officers have been without guns for half a month and finally they get armed...with slingshots and ballbearings. Look out pigeons, the Federales are coming!!