“David Stephens, a naturalist aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Explorer ship, photographed this rare white Chinstrap penguin on Monday on Antarctica’s Aitcho Islands. “At the water’s edge stood a leucistic Chinstrap,” Stephens wrote in the ship’s daily expedition report. “This bird was whitish, but not quite an albino. Instead, it had pigmented eyes and a washed-out version of a Chinstrap’s normal pattern. Many wondered about this unusual bird’s chances of success. While odd coloration may make fishing a bit more difficult, leucistic birds are regularly found breeding normally.” A leucistic bird has reduced pigmention, unlike a bird with albinism, which is a lack of skin pigment. The standard black-and-white coloring found on penguins serves as camouflage that aids the bird in fishing, so it’s unusual to find a penguin without it.” w/ photo

“A mini Yorkshire terrier from New Jersey is now in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tiny ‘Lucy,’ who weighs just 2½ pounds, was named the world’s smallest working dog last week, bumping out a 6.6-pound police dog in Japan. Three-year-old Lucy works as a therapy dog through the Cherry Hill program Leashes of Love.” w/ photo

“The China’s People’s Liberation Army has a new star for their basketball team, that’s if they have one, after 6″7 Ni Qingpeng signed up for duty. The strapping 17-year-old’s enlistment has caused a few problems for his new hosts, with the Chinese army having to take out special measures for the former basketball star… The lofty teenager towers over the rest of the recruits at the training base in Jiangsu province, eastern China. This has forced army instructors to come up with novel ways to deal with his extraordinary height.” w/ photos

“Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, filed for bankruptcy today, just three years after the company last emerged from insolvency. The firm has been a victim of economic turmoil, and of health-conscious consumers turning away from Hostess’ famous range of junk foods. While the company’s products remain popular as an occasional indulgent treat, snacks like the Twinkie have been blamed for exacerbating the U.S.’s obesity epidemic. The firm blames its pension and healthcare obligations, as well as increased competition and the tough economic conditions, for its financial troubles.” w/ photos

“Dutch police in the eastern town of Enter are investigating the theft of the country’s largest clog after it disappeared without trace from its main street, a police spokeswoman said. ‘We don’t know who stole it, but it’s disappeared,’ Rosita de Vries said of the clog, which at 13 feet in length and weighing almost two tonnes is the largest example of the Dutch icon, police said. “It is a joke. We even received an email announcing that the shoe will probably be back after Carnival,” in mid-February, she told AFP, adding it was believed the shoe disappeared Friday night or early on Saturday. Police however failed to trace the email and inquiries lead to nowhere, De Vries said.” w/ photos

“Like a lot of couples, Barry and Anne Watson wanted to renew their ­marriage vows. But when they went ahead nine years after their ­wedding, there was a big difference… this time Barry was a ­woman called Jayne. And Anne was only too happy to go ahead with the ceremony to show how much she loved her new wife. ‘At first Anne was furious when I told her I wanted a sex change,” says Barry, 43, a former bus driver who changed his name to Jayne by deed poll. ‘Our marriage had been going through problems and she thought I’d been cheating on her with another woman. But I just wanted to be one. ‘Anne came to ­accept me for who I wanted to be and love me as Jayne. ­Renewing our vows seemed the perfect way to tell the world how ­happy we are with our new lives.” w/ photos

“An eccentric equestrian has moved her horse into the living room of her semi-detached home after a quarrel with neighbors. Stephanie Noble shares her home with three-year-old filly Grey Lady Too after a series of disputes with locals near Stornoway on Lewis. But the horse and all its paraphernalia take up most of the space, leaving only one habitable room for 65-year-old Stephanie. Yesterday, she said: ‘It will look strange to most people but I really had no choice… She arranged alternative lodgings but her relationship with the stable owner broke down in a row over money. They brought the pony back to Stephanie’s home on Christmas Eve and tethered the animal to her wooden porch. Stephanie said: ‘I was faced with the choice of leaving her out in the cold or bringing her indoors and I chose to bring her in.” w/ photos

“A California driver is thanking his lucky stars after a pipe busted through his windshield. ‘I was in shock at first and all I could stare at after my car stopped was the bottom of the pipe,’ said driver Marcus Kasprzyk. The driver says the pipe appeared to fall off a car while he was traveling along Highway 99 through Bakersfield. The pipe became lodged between the steering wheel and the dashboard.” w/ photo + video

“We could call this mummified wonder ‘Old Spice’ — at 100 years of age, the cake qualifies. And there’s definitely a hint of spice emanating from its layers. The surprise — after the age — may be that it’s a spice cake, not a fruit cake. At least that’s what Pierre Girard, of Golden Valley, thinks, based on its faint fragrance. His friends found the cake in 1992 on a closet shelf in St. Louis Park. They were doing an estate sale assessment, prompted by the death of an elderly resident, originally from Canada, who had died without heirs. The friends passed it along to him as a gag gift, never expecting that he would hang on to it. The cake was packed within a six-sided florist box with the handwritten inscription, “XMAS CAKE BAKED IN DEC. 1911″ on the lid. On the bottom of the box, there was more handwritten inscription: “Xmas Cake Baked in Year 1911 by my Mother’s Brother Alex died Dec. 27. Was operated on Xmas Day.” Last weekend, Girard celebrated the cake’s 100th birthday with friends and family, who snapped photos and peered at the curious confection atop his piano.” w/ photo + video

“Kung Fu enthusiast Hu Jiakai has hit the headlines after cartwheeling continuously for 2 miles through the streets of Changsha, China. Dressed in full martial arts attire, Jiakai looked every inch like cultural icon Bruce Lee as his antics attracted plenty of attention. It took Jiakai an hour to complete the unusual task which no doubt would have left him in a spin. It was a valiant effort from the 47-year-old who didn’t stop or stand up during the whole event – although the reason for his hour of head-spinning is not yet known.” w/ photo