Raccoons nearly maul Florida woman to death

UNITED STATES - A 74-year-old woman was nearly mauled to death in front of her Florida home today when she tried to shoo away a family of raccoons.

Gretchen Whitted, of Lakeland Florida is in stable condition thanks to a neighbour who called for help.

The 5 raccoons were not rabid, but the parents may have thought they were protecting their young when they attacked. The five animals bit and clawed her repeatedly and left her so injured she needed dozens of staples, sutures and hundreds of stitches to put her back together again. She's going to look like Frankenstein for quite a long time.

Raccoon attacks in cities are almost unheard of.

It should be noted that while city raccoons are typically small, raccoons in the countryside can grow to 200 lbs and are basically as deadly as gorillas when they choose to fight.

Also today a Pennsylvania woman was mauled to death by her 350 lb "pet" black bear and two men were attacked by a 600 lb Siberian tiger when they broke into the Calgary Zoo and scaled a fence meant to keep people from reaching in to touch the tiger. The men survived, but are both injured.

Today's Lesson is: Don't feed the animals, they will eat you.

USA only 13th Best Country in the World

POLITICS - The United States is only the 13th best country in the world to live in according to a new ranking by the UN Development Program which tracks each the life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and per capita gross domestic product of 182 countries.

1. Norway
   
2. Australia
   
3. Iceland
   
4. Canada
   
5. Ireland
   
6. Netherlands
   
7. Sweden
   
8. France
   
9. Switzerland
   
10. Japan
    
11. Luxembourg
    
12. Finland
    
13. United States

Other noteworthy countries:

26. South Korea
27. Israel
51. Cuba
53. Mexico
88. Iran
92. China
134. India
180. Sierra Leone
181. Afghanistan
182. Niger

Iraq, North Korea, Somalia and Zimbabwe weren't even included in the new list.

Stephen Harper sings at Rich Gala

CANADA/ENTERTAINMENT - The leader of the minority Conservative government, Stephen Harper, sang at a high society gala today in Ottawa.

Almost a year ago Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed his cutbacks to Canada's arts community:

"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see . . . a bunch of people at a rich gala . . . all subsidized by the taxpayers - claiming their subsidies aren't high enough when they know those subsidies have gone up - I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people." - Stephen Harper.

Harper's choice of singing a Beatles tune may resonate with some voters, but the blatant publicity stunt is being seen by Canada's artists, musicians, dancers, film industry as just plain hypocrisy.

"Wait, so he's bashing rich galas and later singing at one? What a hypocrite!"

Nano Cars Unleashed

Automotives - The Tata Nano has now officially hit the market. The base model costs a mere 115,361 rupees or about $2,600 Canadian. The model is already so popular that Tata Motors is planning to open another plant and expand production to 350,000 / year.

The Nano car is expected to revolutionize India and clog up its roads, but on the upside drivers will be safer compared to the scooters most people in India buy.

"I never felt safe. My wife and I can wear helmets but not my son. When the Tatas announced their cheapest car three years ago, I decided to buy one," says one buyer.

And being a car owner is a thing of envy for many Indians. The pollution outside the car is well-night intolerable and its natural for people to want the safety, security and clean air the inside of a car offers. To say nothing of not getting rained on.

It was this idea of safety and progress that inspired Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors, to conceive of a $2,000 USD car, a car many Indians would be able to afford and purchase, and would provide both safety and fuel economy.

In other words it would be the People's Car that helps to revolutionize Indian travel. And its not just India either... The car only went on sale yesterday, and already there are orders world wide for 200,000... with many more orders expected in the coming weeks and months.

India's population of 1.2 billion means there is no shortage of people who want to buy a car, many of whom are currently riding scooters. Its very much a status symbol to be one of the few people who own a car.

For the more wealthy Indians it also makes an ideal 2nd or 3rd car to give to their teenage / college aged children, making it a darling amongst both the poor, middle class and the rich.

Mind you for $2,000 USD you are really just getting the basics: Mirrors, grip handles, folding rear seat, front wiper/washer, digital fuel gauge, head restraints for front seats, as well as seatbelts, front and rear. Its powered by a 33 horsepower engine that gets from 0 to 60 kmph in 8 seconds and gets 23.6 km per litre. The Tata Nano's next closest competitor offers all the same gadgets, but at double the price.

Conclusions? India better get ready for more gridlock because this car is going to be exceptionally popular in the overcrowded country.