“A Polish farmer saved a four-legged duck from the dinner table and welcomed it into his family instead after developing a bond with his quacky new friend. Krzystof Makles initially thought the unusual ugly duckling that was born in his hatchery would die. However, the doting farmer took the vulnerable creature under his wing and nurtured it until it was old enough to look after itself. The 42-year-old from Swiecie is quackers about the new addition to his family and claims his feathered friend follows him everywhere on the farm, just like a dog. ‘We found him among a load of other newborn chicks and to be honest I thought he would die, but he got stronger and pulled through and I admired his guts,’ he explained.” w/ photo

“A woman in Warsaw, Poland, abandoned her car after she jammed it between two walls trying to reverse away from a car park. Wiola Nowicka, 67, attempted to turn around in the car park’s narrow driveway once she noticed the high prices she would have to pay. Nowicka’s bad sense of judgement resulted in the driveway being blocked for five hours, as her car was wedged between the driveway walls. ‘I didn’t mean to be a nuisance,’ said Nowicka. ‘After a few turns I couldn’t go backwards or forwards any more.’ Engineers were able to get the car out from the tight space, with careful inch by inch precision.” w/ photo

“A donkey has been submitted as a candidate for the upcoming elections for a new mayor of Bulgarian town Varna. Marko the donkey has been chosen by the Society for New Bulgaria political party to represent them for the elections on October 23. It was reported that the party see Marko as the ideal alternative to the current mayor Kiril Yordanov, who they feel is not doing a good enough job for the town. Angel Dyankov, head of the campaign headquarters of the Society for New Bulgaria party, said: ‘Unlike the other mayor candidates and politicians, the Donkey has a strong character, doesn’t steal, doesn’t lie, and gets work done.’ Fellow Society for New Bulgaria member Doychin Dimitrovmade made his point clear about his dissatisfaction with the current mayor of Varna.” w/ photo

“A rescued lamb raised with a springer spaniel is now convinced he is a dog. Six-month-old Jack is so sure he is a canine he fetches sticks, jumps up on his hind legs and even tries to bark. The farm in Market Drayton, Shropshire, where Jack was raised is owned by Alison Sinstadt and her partner Simon, who both began to notice the sheep’s dog-like behaviour ever since it built a friendship with the couple’s dog. ‘He makes this strange half baa, half woof noise which everyone finds hilarious,’ Alison told News Today. ‘Jack doesn’t even recognize sheep as his own kind as he tries to herd them up when he’s in a field with them.’ The friendship between Jack and the springer spaniel has been the main cause of the sheep’s new-found characteristics. So much so, that they accompany each other along the canal when going on ‘dog’ walks and share the same sleeping box.” w/ photos

“Four Britons driving a car transformed into a pirate ship were stopped by German police as they drove through Europe on their way to a competition. The motley bunch dressed head-to-toe in pirate attire were on their way to an iconic vehicle contest. The amateur ship – aptly named Black Pearl after Pirates of the Carribean’s star Jack Sparrow’s beloved boat – troubled motorway authorities near Holzkirchen in Germany. Police couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the British registered J-plate banger decked out in wooden cladding – complete with a wheel, mast and iconic flag – sailing amongst traffic. It is believed the 4-wheeled pirate ship was heading towards Munich when it was spotted and stopped.” w/ photo

“Once and for all, people, it’s an ice cream cone. The owners of Ice Cream Family Corner and Sandwiches at the busy intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southwest 17th Street say their two-month-old business is getting creamed because passers-by have mistaken their white-hooded ice cream cone mascot for a KKK protester. Co-owner Jose Cantres says rumors are swirling on Facebook about the exact nature of the little vanilla cone, and employees heard through word of mouth that potential customers have steered clear of the shop to avoid the character. Liza Diaz, who manages the store for Cantres and co-owner Jesus Diaz, said an employee at the bank where she does business told her a co-worker was so frightened by the white dollop patrolling the street corner that she called her husband crying and refused to drive through the intersection. “One (customer) told me, ‘I had to think twice before coming in here because I thought it was KKK,’ ” Diaz said. Interestingly, Diaz, who is from Puerto Rico, had never heard of the KKK before this controversy. She can’t even quite get her tongue around the name, referring to the white supremacist group as the “Ku Ku Klan” without a hint of irony or sarcasm.” w/ photos

“Thousands of people have taken to the streets of an Italian town to watch a bride walk down the aisle – followed by a full 1.8 miles of veil. Elena de Angelis decided to turn heads on her big day by adding the world record accessory to her ceremonial outfit. Some 600 people were required to carry the white silk garment as it stretched down the road behind the bride, who was marrying Ferdinand Pucci. The extraordinary design certainly caught the imagination of the residents of Casal di Principe in Naples, as large crowds gathered to get a glimpse of it. Designed by Gianni Molaro Campania, the veil was made from 3.7 miles of material and measures two metes in width. It has now entered the Guinness Book of World Records.” w/ photo

“At first glance, it looks like ‘Snappy’ has tanned up for the Brownlow. But the cranky chameleon has no one to blame but himself for changing color – after apparently biting off more than he could chew. Owner Tracey Sandstrom, who runs Roaming Reptiles, said Snappy made a meal out of the filter in his water tank. “I think it caused the pH levels in his water to soar which has led to the change in color.” She was stunned when her prized pet turned bright orange. “Snappy’s pretty territorial and he attacked the filter one day and a few weeks after that, I noticed he was orange,” she said. The 8ft croc stays warm at night in his heated indoor tank before moving outside through his “croc flap” to bask in sunshine by day. “It doesn’t seem to have affected him at all. He’s still got a healthy appetite, is normally aggro and doing everything he always does,” Ms Sandstrom said.” w/ photos

“That’s a lotta ricotta! Chef Patrick Bertoletti is a world champion cannoli eater after chowing down 32 of the sweet desserts in just six minutes in Little Italy. The professional eater fought off seven other hungry contestants at the annual San Gennaro festival – far surpassing the previously held record of 26. His face, T-shirt and shoes were also left covered in creamy ricotta filling by the end. “That was probably more cannolis than I’ve eaten in my whole life,” Bertoletti, 26, said after his last mouthful. “I felt sick halfway through, but I had to keep going.” w/ photo

“Young designer Rita Maria has made a collection of handbags out of recycled Wonderbras. The iconic push-up lingerie, which soared in popularity during the 1990s, has undergone an extraordinary transformation thanks to the enterprising designer. Using old bras donated by her friends, Miss Maria has now built up a vast collection of all types of sizes and colors of the innovative handbag. The Wonderbra brand was founded in the US in 1935 by Israel Pilot. Since elastic materials were rationed and unavailable for clothing at that time, Pilot came up with innovative design that offered more comfort to wearers. His diagonal slash design offered a better fitting brassiere without elastics, allowing him to forge ahead of competitors.” w/ photo