Will Rogers reads from the newspaper in the 1920s

He could have been 'reading' the same things today!

'Caveman' thwarts store robber with step ladder

Police said a would-be robber got more than he bargained for when he tried to rob a Quik Thrift store in Acworth, Georgia with a knife.

A quick-thinking customer, known only as "Caveman," grabbed a step ladder and hit the suspect at least once Monday. The customer chased the suspect from the store using the ladder as protection.

Police said the suspect had threatened to cut the store clerk's neck if money wasn't handed over. Police said the suspect escaped with some money, but he dropped much of it when he was hit with the ladder.

Police are still searching for the suspect.

'Caveman' in action!

Man accused of ketchup theft says bottle was planted

From the "Yeah, he ain't all there" Department:

An eccentric former school board trustee known for espousing conspiracy theories has taken the witness stand in his own defense in a petty theft trial involving a bottle of ketchup. Steve Rocco is accused of stealing the 14-ounce bottle from a dining area outside the cafeteria at Chapman University.

He testified Tuesday that authorities planted the ketchup near his bicycle on the campus last year to make it look like a theft when he was actually recycling the bottle.

Prosecutors said they tried to settle the case by getting Rocco to agree to stay away from the university. but he declined and insisted on a trial.

The former Orange Unified School District trustee is widely known in political circles for his railings against an alleged conspiracy of Orange County leaders he calls the "partnership" and the dark glasses and cap he wore to nighttime school board meetings.

Rocco could face up to six months in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor petty theft charge, though prosecutors say they would likely ask for probation.

Boy used handgun to rob bank

A 13-year-old boy used a handgun to rob a Peoria, Illinois bank before police caught him hiding in a nearby garage after a foot chase.

Police said the teen used the gun to rob South Side Bank on Monday.

He fled the bank with the weapon and a bag of money wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a red bandanna on his face.

Police apprehended him 36 minutes after the robbery was reported - the money bag contained a red dye package that had exploded and the teen's sweatshirt was covered with red dye.

Authorities found the gun and money near where they arrested the boy.

Did you know ...

All Octopuses Are Venomous

Burger King yanks controversial ad

The fast food giant says it will change an ad campaign after receiving a Mexican ambassador's complaint.

Controversial ad

Also:

• Another BK ad sparks controversy
• KFC gambles on new game plan

Meals that melt pounds

These healthy dishes can help you burn off one pound a week.

5-minute meals that melt pounds

Also:

• Foods that promote gorgeous skin
• New ways to burn up to 600 calories

Revolution #9

The Beatles

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Not only is today The Black Day aka Tax Day.

It is also: Take A Wild Guess Day and That Sucks Day.

Sort of a themed day don't you think?

Apples explain why leaves change colour in autumn

A new study of thousands of breeds of apple trees bolsters a claim that red foliage evolved as a warning signal to insects in search of a winter home.

Why leaves change colour in autumn

String for everyone

String theory: A beginner's guide

It is one of the most famous ideas in modern physics, but string theory is also strange and difficult to understand. Our guide should help you get started

Inside the tangled world of string theory

Edward Witten, leading architect of string theory, tells how it feels to work in an area so rarefied that it's a problem conveying to other people what he does.

Spam tramples environment with huge carbon footprint

Finding ways to reduce the 62 trillion spam emails sent every year could help the environment as well as stressed computer users.

Spam tramples environment

Not only email spam but Spam does as well - let's rid ourselves of both!

Star crust is 10 billion times stronger than steel

Neutron stars boast crusts that are much stronger than thought, new simulations suggest – the work could be good news for gravitational wave searches.

Stronger than steel

Science News

From BBC-Science:

Bumper brood

World's rarest parrot is now not quite so rare.

And:

Ants inhabit 'world without sex'

A species of ant in the Amazon has abandoned sex and become female-only, say researchers - the first such species discovered.

Also:

African lark soon to be extinct

The Sidamo lark could soon be the first bird on mainland Africa to die out since modern records began.

Need a new Job or a Job for that matter?

Bill Farrand, the longstanding "wolfman" of Clark's Trading Post in Lincoln, NH, is retiring after fifteen years.

The company needs to find a new 'wolfman' to scream from the woods at passing steam trains for 48 hours a week:

The new Wolfie, as he is affectionately known, must be over 18, be willing to grow a beard and eschew soap, and work up to 48 hours a week for $12 an hour.

The Wolfman, for the uninitiated, is one of Clark's Trading Posts most unique attractions, aside from, of course, the trained bear shows, which celebrate their 60th anniversary this summer.

During the daily steam train rides aboard the White Mountain Central Railroad, it's the Wolfman's job to scare the beejeebees out of the passengers, whom he believes are trying to jump his precious Unobtainium claim. He bursts out of the woods driving an ancient automobile, sets off firecrackers and yells at passengers to go home.

On the return journey, passengers have learned that to send the Wolfman back into the woods, they have to shout back "Scram you old goat!"

Wanted: A new Wolfman at Clark's

Best cities for jobs

Or the "Least Worst", anyway ...

Texas may have lost a powerful advocate in the White House, but still boasts the best job markets in the country.

Jobs

Also:

• Tuition-free training
• How to handle a bad boss

International Crisis Group: Armenia should withdraw from Azerbaijani territories that it occupies

Turkey and Armenia should seize their best opportunity yet to normalize relations, work on a new approach to shared history and open a European border that for nearly a century has been hostage to conflict.

A separate but related issue, the stalemated Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, still risks undermining final agreement on the Turkey and Armenia normalization package.

Armenia, together with Azerbaijan, should ultimately adopt the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group basic principles for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of the OSCE, and Armenia should withdraw from Azerbaijani territories that it occupies.

Full Story

Taxman

The Beatles

Kenyan man bites python in struggle to survive

A Kenyan man bit a python that wrapped him in its coils and hauled him up a tree in a struggle that lasted hours, local media said on Wednesday.

Full Story

A Michigan farmer gets a shock with 5-lamb birth

A Michigan farmer whose ewe gave birth to twins found himself carefully counting sheep when he later discovered three more lambs.

Full Story

Deep doo wouldn't do for Texas cattle rancher

Mack Stark figures cattle raisers can appreciate the name of his west central Texas ranch and makes no apologies for the words in big black letters on the steel arch over the dirt and gravel driveway.

Full Story

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Wuhan, Hubei, China
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
Chongqing, Chongqing, China
Laoag, Laoag, Philippines
London, England, United Kingdom
Coventry, England, United Kingdom
Morayfield, Queensland, Australia
Alken, Limburg, Belgium
Tianjin, Tianjin, China
Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
Stein, Bayern, Germany
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Medan, Sumatra Utara, Indonesia
Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdsteselijk Gwest, Belgium
Kharkiv, Karkivs'ka, Ukraine

as well as France and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

All of your projects are humming along nicely at work, and your relationships are doing quite well, too.
Spinning plates is your specialty, so don't even flinch if a few more items will get added to your list unexpectedly.
You're in 'the Zone' and a few more projects won't make much difference to you!
Plus, accepting new tasks with a smile will go a long way toward impressing other people.
You make it look easy and people are amazed by how you keep that relaxed look on your face.

Ain't it the truth, though!