Friday, February 16 in the news......
- A fisherman fueled by 'a fair few' vodkas caught a 1.3-meter (4-foot) shark and wrestled it onto a jetty in South Australia, suffering only small tear marks in his trousers, media reports said on Friday. "It's not something I'd recommend to do," the fisherman said. "When I sobered up I thought about it and I said, 'I'm a bit of an idiot doing it'." He went on: "But you know, you hit the drink and wrestling sharks is just a bit of fun."
- Singing soldiers and flower shows marked the birthday of the man dubbed North Korea's "invincible brilliant commander" by the state media there. One tribute speech noted how Kim's 'little man syndrome' will never be topped by anyone ever again.
- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore announced plans on Thursday for a worldwide string of pop concerts in July to promote awareness of global warming. Actress Cameron Diaz and rapper Pharrell Williams joined him at the press conference for the announcement. Gore, not known for his edgy personality, got caught up in the moment while Cameron Diaz was speaking, grabbing his dick and nodding smoothly while standing next to a baseball capped Pharrell.
- The Berlin film festival failed to reel in the critics this year, with many citing it as an 'average' festival. Critics argued that the competition didn't have a 'Michael Moore moment' like Cannes in 2004, or Michael Winterbottom's 'The Road to Guantanamo', about the US-led war in Afghanistan in Berlin in 2006. This year the buzz was on a film about Armenians who were slaughtered in 1915 by Ottoman Turks, but critics panned it, saying it needed to be blamed on the Americans for it to have the media boom effect.
- Two new British prisons are to open to help ease overcrowding, after watchdogs warned that the system is in crisis and could get worse. British authorities are worried the embarrasment could deepen if the convicts are taken offshore, saying they don't want to see 'another Australia', further noting how that would mean an upsurge in people wanting to be 'put away for life'.
