THE MAGPIE:A CHINESE aquarium has staged a wedding for two penguins. Wuhan East Lake Ocean World planned the mating season wedding for the two black-footed penguins, according to Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency.
The groom, called Little Brat, and his bride, Little Beauty, were dressed up by aquarium staff for the ceremony.
The groom wore a tie and the bride was dressed in a red blouse as they stepped into their icy wedding room to the music of the Wedding March.
For their reception, the love birds enjoyed their favourite dish – spring fish.
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THAT DREAM scam – sorry temporary career – on a beach in Queensland mentioned in last week’s Magpie has, not surprisingly, aroused a lot of interest.
The website, Islandreefjob.com, has had 2.3 million hits in two weeks. Tourism Queensland is offering the lucky applicant a €74,000 salary for feeding turtles, watch whales and collecting post for six months on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef.
So far 10,666 have applied; you have until February 22nd.
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IT WILL be recalled that when George Bush vacated the White House, one of the very few valedictory bits of praise that had even a hint of truth about it was the assertion that since 9/11, there hadn’t been a terrorist attack on the US. Okay – you gotta give the guy something.
Wrong.
As is confirmed by the accompanying photographic evidence, it was an al-Qaeda flying squad from Canada that caused that passenger aircraft to ditch in the Hudson river.
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SEVEN DINERS in a Tokyo restaurant were rushed to hospital after consuming blowfish testicles prepared by an unauthorised chef.
The owner of the restaurant in Tsuruoka city, who is also the chef, had no licence to serve blowfish, and was being questioned on suspicion of professional negligence.
Blowfish, while extremely poisonous if not prepared properly, is considered a delicacy in Japan and is consumed by thrill-seeking gourmets.
Police official Yoshihito Iwase said the seven men ordered sashimi and grilled blowfish testicles at the restaurant on Monday night.
Shortly after, they developed limb paralysis and breathing trouble and started to lose consciousness – typical signs of blowfish poisoning – and were rushed to a hospital for treatment.
One 68-year-old diner remained hospitalised in critical condition with respiratory failure and two others, aged 55 and 69, were in serious condition, said Iwase.
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FROST NIXON, the film recreating of the famous post-Watergate resignation encounter between the disgraced Richard Nixon and David Frost, will remind viewers of Tricky Dicky's extraordinary decision to make secret tape recordings of all conversations in the White House while he was president.
Well, it’s happening again, as Magpie can reveal from this conversation between Barack and Michelle recorded when they finally got to bed after all those inauguration balls.
“What a day!”
“Phew, yeah . . . what a day!”
“I’m exhausted. Could you get the light, Barack?”
“Yes I can! I will not only get the light, I will shine the light for all Americans and show them the way through the darkness!
“It is a light that arises from the hopes and dreams of the old and the young, the black and white and yellow and red and brown, the gay and the straight, the rich and the poor!
“It is a light on whose rays the promise of hope . . . and opportunity . . . and achievement . . . all soar to a distant, brighter future!
“But it will take all of us, working together in a spirit of shared sacrifice and commitment, to make that light a beacon of progress.
“And I say to you tonight: This is our moment! This is our bedtime! This . . .”
“Oh fer god’s sake never mind, I’ll do it myself . . .”
[CLICK!]