Vodka 'saved' elephants in freeze

Two elephants have been saved from the deadly Siberian cold by drinking vodka, Russian officials say.

They say the animals had to be taken out into the bitter cold after the wooden trailer they were travelling in caught fire in the Novosibirsk region.

The elephants, aged 45 and 48, suffered frostbite to the tips of their ears amid temperatures of -40C (-40F)

But they were warmed up by two cases of vodka mixed with warm water, one official was quoted as saying.

"They started roaring like if they were in the jungle! Perhaps, they were happy," the official told Russia's Ria Novosti news agency.

Yum Yum

Would you eat Christmas dinner from a can? You & Yours taste test the complete ready cooked Xmas meal.

Gorging on anti-corporate baloney

Rather than endless calls for regulations, bans and taxes - whose efficacy is doubtful but whose effect on personal autonomy would be substantial - it would be far better to recognise that any diet with some modicum of balance will be fine for most people, who will live to a greater age than their parents or grandparents, on average, no matter how much disapproved food they consume. Claims that any particular food is some dietary panacea should be treated with a large, metaphorical pinch of salt, whoever makes them, whether they are an evil mega corporation or the bloke behind the counter at the health-food shop.

Above all, a similarly healthy scepticism should be applied to crusading medics who want to scare us with the idea that Big Food is out to kill us and who encourage politicians to regulate what we eat.

Tapping at 82

Some BBQ

The entire governing body of a poorly performing school that blew £6,000 of its budget on a headteacher's leaving party has resigned over 'financial irregularity'.

Parents and politicians condemned the decision to use money from the ailing budget at Sherwood Park Community Primary School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on the summer send-off for Keith Marden.

The school had been given a highly critical Ofsted report and placed in special measures just a month before Mr Marden retired in July.

The surprise celebration, held to mark the end of Mr Marden's 25-year tenure as head, took place at the school and is thought to have included a barbecue and a band, as well as, according to one senior councillor, 'quite a lot of drink'.

What's "I need a wee" in Welsh?

Children in reception classes are being told they can’t go to the toilet unless they ask in Welsh, claim angry parents.

Families across Ceredigion - a Welsh-speaking stronghold on the west coast - say children are 'being punished' for using English, even in the playground.

They look like old photos, but...

My drawings are not always solely produced using graphite; quite a few are produced using airbrushed paint as well. I am constantly experimenting with other mediums and surfaces. I have drawn with pencil since primary school. I feel comfortable using this medium and enjoy the control pencil affords me. I also like the fact that complex images can be produced using such a rudimentary medium.

Hyper-realistic artwork by Scottish artist Paul Chiappe​

Just make it up...

Planned Parenthood Claim: It ‘Was Not Intended To Be A Factual Statement’

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) defended Republicans’ willingness to shut down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood by falsely claiming that abortion is “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.” In reality, just three percent of its work is related to abortion.

The response from Kyl's office?

His remark was not intended to be a factual statement, but rather to illustrate that Planned Parenthood, a organization that receives millions of dollars in taxpayer funding, does subsidize abortions

So there.