“A California man was stunned to see what a previous owner of his minivan apparently left behind: $500,000 worth of cocaine jammed in the door panels. San Jose psychologist Charles Preston says the cellophane-wrapped cocaine was found when he took the van to a mechanic. Police were immediately notified. Preston says he noticed the driver’s side window wouldn’t go down all the way, but he figured he would live with it because the Town and Country van had a good air conditioning system. The San Jose Mercury News says Preston paid $14,000 to Thrifty Car Sales in Santa Clara for the 2008 white van in May 2010.” w/ photo

“The unnamed hound’s feat was so bizarre that an X-ray of its stomach has scooped top prize in a competition to find the strangest veterinary scans of animals. Vets across America took part in a contest called America’s Wackiest X-rays to show the weird things gobbled down by people’s pets. But nothing could match the X-ray sent in by Bayshore Animal Hospital in Oregon after they encountered a dog who had wolfed down almost a full set of pool balls. He was brought in by his owners after they noticed him going lame. But vets soon stumbled across the real problem after feeling his abdomen for abnormalities.” w/ photo

“The makers of a stain removal product in England are showing their support for breast cancer research in the most titillating way possible: By making the world’s largest bra. As part of a ‘Wear It Pink’ campaign by the British-based Breast Cancer Campaign, the makers of Vanish stain remover, supported the creation of a brassiere big enough for a brontosaurus, according to World Records Academy. When it was finally unveiled on Oct. 28 at the ITV Southbank Tower, the pink bra — which has a size 1222B cup — measured nearly 102 feet around the chest.” w/ photos

“When an envelope stuffed full of $1,000 in cash went missing, Christy and Joe Lawrenson thought someone had broken into their Florida home. But it soon became clear that their dog, Tuity, had given herself an expensive treat. Two weeks ago Mrs Lawrenson had left ten $100 dollar bills in the envelope for her husband to take to the bank for a car payment. But the couple’s four-year-old dog, a Labrador Retriever, chow, bulldog mix, managed to get her paws on it first and snatched it from a counter. ‘My husband and I are trying to pay off my car, and so every time we save $1,000, we just take it to the bank and we just put it in the account.’ she said. But when Mr Lawrenson returned to their home in St Augustine on his lunch break, the envelope was gone. When he looked in the living room, he saw pieces of one-hundred dollar bills scattered across the floor. The rest, including a paper clip used to pin the cash together, was in Tuity’s stomach.” w/ photos

“Police near Pittsburgh are searching for whoever threw a pumpkin from a moving car and hit a 64-year-old man, who may have suffered a concussion in the attack. Oakmont police Chief David DiSanti tells KDKA-TV that Rose and Daniel Wagner were taking a walk when somebody threw a pumpkin from a passing car. Rose Wagner says the incident happened so fast they didn’t even realize right away that a pumpkin had knocked down her husband. Daniel Wagner fell face-down and is sore and bruised. He was taken to a hospital and his wife says he may have a concussion.” w/ photo

“A man in China is trying to break the record for the world’s most expensive tea – by making it out of panda poo. College lecture An Yanshi has collected five tons of panda excrement to create a new type of tea. He believes the rich fertilizer will give rise to a unique aroma that will make his brew a connoisseurs’ favorite, which he will be able to sell for up to $68,740 per kilo. ‘Pandas have a very poor digestive system and only absorb about 30 per cent of everything they eat. That means their excrement is rich in fibers and nutrients,’ Yanshi explained… Yanshi, who collects the poo by the lorryload from the Giant Panda breeding center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, southern China, aims to secure the Guinness World Record once his first batch of the expensive blend is ready for sale.” w/ photo

“Five Humboldt penguins were the first to try out a London ice rink recently — amusing passing commuters on their way to work in the process. The penguins were brought in from Heythrop Zoological Gardens in Oxfordshire to give the rink an inaugural waddling. And though native to the coasts of Chile and Peru, the penguins seemed sufficiently happy with a chunk of ice in the heart of the City of London’s square mile.” w/ photos

“Two brave mice are creating a stir on the internet after setting up home in an owls’ nest. The wood mice moved into the Barn Owl Tower, which was specially constructed for the nocturnal birds at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall… “It’s perhaps not the wisest place for the creatures to make their home but it makes for fascinating viewing.” Fortunately for the mice – a major food source for the birds of prey – there are currently no barn owls in residence, though earlier this year the webcam followed the latest brood courting and raising their young.” w/ photos

“At least the van stayed dry! A driver who was being chased by another angry driver had a spectacular crash landing – on top of a fishing boat. Victor Azarof initiated the wild chase when his van sideswiped a Chevy Tahoe SUV in Queens, New York, at about 8.30am. Azarof, 41, failed to stop, seriously enraging the SUV driver. A mad dash ensued through the busy rush hour streets, coming to an abrupt end at Howard Beach. Oscar Manzano, who lives near the Howard Beach Motor Boat Club, witnessed the spectacle. He told the New York Post: ‘He flew off the road and into the boat – maybe three quarters of the van in the boat and the bumper still on the edge of the dock. ‘Then – I couldn’t believe it – he opens the van door and lights a cigarette!’ After a few frantic puffs, and against the backdrop of a baying crowd, Azarof’s final act of defiance was to dive into the water and swim away.” w/ photos

“These motorists proved they aren’t the brightest sparks – by destroying their cars after crossing jump-start wires. The motoring mishap resulted in damage that meant both cars were write-offs. The incident in Columbia, South Carolina, saw silver Jeep owner Andrew Jernigan connect jump-leads to 21-year-old friend Delaney Mills’ red Volkswagen. Their pal Marc Coty saw the whole thing. Coty explained: “Delaney’s Volkswagen stalled on the street, so Andrew pulled his Jeep up to her car to jumpstart it. “While attaching the jump cables to the batteries of the cars, they accidentally crossed the wires, attaching the positive cable to the negative terminal on the battery and vice versa. “After Andrew started his car up, the rubber melted off of the jump cables, making it impossible to remove them from the batteries of the cars. The battery of Andrew’s jeep began to smoke. “While calling 911 to report the case to the fire department, the battery caught flame. The fire began to spread very quickly across the entire engine of Andrew’s car.” w/ photo