Turk arrested for allegedly raping a duck

By Katerina Nikolas

A play set in a women's toilet is a surprise success

By Tim Sandle

A play called 'Sailing On', held in a women's toilet in the Theater Royal, Nottingham (UK), has been a surprise hit, drawing in a naturally small, but regular, audience.

A play by a small production company has proved to be a success in drawing theater-goers into a toilet in a theater in Nottingham in England. According to This is Nottingham, the play forms part of a series of arts events under the banner of the World Event Young Artists (WEYA), which are taking place across the historic English city. The BBC notes that, in the play 'Sailing On', two characters drawn from more notable works: Shakespeare's Ophelia and Virginia Woolf, interact with the small audience while trying to help another character called Romola (drawn from a George Elliot novel). The premise for the 50-minute long play is: "There must be something in the water… Virginia Woolf was missing for days before she was found drowned. We wondered where she was for all that time...but figured she was probably just in the ladies’ (with Ophelia of all people). Whilst occupying this time and space, somewhere between the ‘missing’ and the ‘drowned’, the two half-drowned literary heroines become obsessed with passing patron and regular girl, Romola. It appears that certain tragic incidents in Romola’s past are achingly familiar for the two women. Romola cannot face it, but can they coax her submerged memories from her?" The play has been produced by the Shady Jane Theatre Company, who won the Total Theater Award in 2011. The company describe themselves as: "ShadyJane is an award winning, all female performance collective walking between story and experience, to present original and exciting theatre. We experiment with different combinations of ensemble and solo work, aligning our own experiences with the stories of women from history, literature and the phone book." The actors are Charlotte Cassey, Deborah Lampard and Victoria Holloway.

Woman reported missing unknowingly joins search for herself

By Kevin Fitzgerald

Aug 30, 2012

A woman in Iceland was reported missing Saturday night after a tour group that she was with thought she went missing. The woman later joined a search party, not knowing that she was actually searching for herself.

According to Cnews, the tour group was traveling in a bus near Eldgja canyon when they made a stop. The woman decided to change her clothes during the stop and later rejoined the tour group. No one on the bus recognized her when she returned. The woman was later reported missing on Saturday night. Yahoo! News reports that a description of the woman was released stating that she was "Asian, about 160cm, in dark clothing and speaks English well." The woman initially did not recognize the description as being herself and later joined the search party. 9News reports that the search lasted throughout the weekend but to no avail. On Monday, the woman finally realized that she was the missing woman in question and notified local authorities of the confusion and told them that she was safe.

Deaf child must change his name sign as it resembles a gun

By Anne Sewell

Aug 29, 2012

Grand Island - Three-year-old Hunter Spanjer is deaf. He has been told by a Nebraska public school to change his name sign, as it resembles a gun, or face expulsion.

The school's policies have outraged both parents, right groups and ordinary citizens. Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer, told Nebraska Central News (NCN), “He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy." Hunter's grandmother, Janet Logue, told NBC News that he has used the name sign since he was 6-months-old, when the school district first started working with him. However, Hunter's parents have been informed by the Grand Island Public School that their son's name sign is a violation of the school's weapons policy. Hunter has slightly modified the SEE (Sign Exact English) sign by crossing his fingers, which his family claims makes it personal to him. Signing Exact English (SEE) is a manual communication system used by most deaf children and based on the American Sign Language (ASL). “It’s a symbol,” his father says. “It's an actual sign, a registered sign, through SEE.” Grand Island resident Fredda Bartenbach said: 'I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child's mind.' However, according to Grand Island Public School's board policy 8470, students are prohibited from possessing, handling or transmitting a “firearm, weapon” or anything that “looks like a weapon.” The document reads, “Such items will be considered weapons for the purposed (sic) of this policy. Students who are in possession of the aforementioned articles will be subject to mandatory suspension or expulsion procedures.” While the school has so far failed to provide an adequate explanation for how a three-year-old's crossed index and middle fingers could be grounds for expulsion from the school, a spokesperson has said it is trying to arrive at the “best possible solution” for the child. A number of civil rights groups have criticized the school’s policies, which effectively mean that the child would either have to change the way he signs his name or be deprived of the right to education. A letter was sent to the local school district by the American Civil Liberties Union, "politely asking them to rethink their position." Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, told The Huffington Post, “A name sign is the equivalent of a person's name, and to prohibit a name sign is to prohibit a person's name.” Brian Spanjer has started a Facebook page to seek support for his son to be able to keep his name sign. Most of the commenters were amazed by the school’s extreme policies. Among the many comments received, one user says, "I never realised that there were people who could be so ignorant about sign language and to treat a young child like that is unspeakable." Another reads, "Absolute madness and blatant disability discrimination." A petition against the school's decision can be signed here.

Israeli theme park turns donkeys into Wi-Fi hot spots

By Darren Weir

Aug 26, 2012

If you think your Wi-Fi router is powered by hamsters, an Israeli theme park has taken it one step further by turning their donkeys into Internet hot spots.

The Times of Israel is reporting that Kfar Kedem, or Village of Yore, is adding a 21st century twist to its biblical tour. The village is basically a flashback to Galilee 2,000 years ago, giving a glimpse into the day-to-day Judean life, teaching visitors how to press olives and grapes, milk a goat and cook traditional foods The Times of Israel says now the park manager has decided to offer wireless internet on its donkeys to answer visitor requests to upload photos and send emails about their experiences. Menachem Goldberg says, “Our village has 30 donkeys, and we’ve equipped the first five with wireless routers that are attached to the donkey’s body.” “In the future we’ll consider equipping all of the donkeys with the necessary apparatuses as necessary.” Techland says Goldberg has put a Wi-Fi router in the pocket of the donkey’s saddle, right on its nape, and each ass can now provide Internet to five to seven people, but "if you want to surf, be very close to this donkey.” He adds, “Galilee is very important to Jews and Christians, and people come here with very modern technology like iPads, cameras, and computers in order to find their roots. We are giving them an opportunity to connect with the past.” And Goldberg is hoping the unique idea will bring more visitors to the park, telling Techland, "If more people come to visit, then we’ll have more money to feed them (the donkeys).”