A gentleman bought two puppies from a man who claimed they were good watchdogs. Upon seeing a wildlife exhibition two years later, the man discovered that his dogs were really endangered black bears.

Karate Experts Collect Bus Fares: Faced with a growing number of unruly passengers, one town in Ukraine adopted a unique solution: Karate-trained fare collectors.

In Ireland, a cat made it into the local newspapers when she decided the best place to give birth to her four baby kittens would be in a nearby bird’s nest.

A British newspaper highlighted a new invention: the Poweriser. Essentially, it is a pair of springy stilts that strap on to your calves and, once you’ve got the hang of the correct rocking motion, allow you to leap forward 17 feet.

Vodka Bars: A Russian beverage company announced a new product designed to appeal more specifically to Russian tastes: chewy vodka bars. The vodka bars will be available in lemon, coconut, and salted cucumber flavors.

A man dressed as a tree decided to stand in the middle of a busy intersection in Portland, Maine, as an act of performance art. Local police responded to the scene and asked the man to leave the intersection, but he was eventually arrested.

The Pepsi-Cola company sponsored teenagers to tattoo themselves with its logo. In return, the teenagers received a 10 percent lifetime discount on the company’s products. Teenagers were said to have enthusiastically responded.

A Whopper of a Whopper: Burger King published a full-page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million lefthanded Americans.

Chicken Manure-Powered Electrical Plant: The Mitsubishi Bank contacted venture capitalists about an exciting new investment opportunity: Fibropower, a 14-megawatt-generating plant fueled entirely by chicken poop.

Crustless Bread: For those who just can’t stand the taste of crust and are too lazy to cut it off, Sara Lee introduced the ultimate convenience: crustless bread. Available in stores everywhere!

Purple Carrots: A British supermarket announced it would soon be selling purple carrots to appeal to picky children..

Prehistoric Penguin Murals: In 1991, prehistoric murals were discovered on the walls of an underwater cave in eastern France. The murals revealed that penguins and man once lived side by side in that region.