Newscan

Naughty kitty

Three-month-old Sylvester, a kitten in Copenhagen, jumped into a washing machine unnoticed by its owner and survived a 20-minute tumble in piping hot water. "He was screaming but I could not open the machine," owner Bianca Marten said.

When Sylvester was pulled out of the washer, he was dizzy and blue from lack of oxygen. The temperature of the water was 700 C during his ordeal.Sylvester recovered after treatment. But apparently, the kitten has still not learnt his lesson as he jumped straight back into the washing machine on returning home.

Wax works

Boris Karloff's Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi's Dracula will be immortalised at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York. The figures are to be unveiled at the museum on Halloween.

"Very few actors actually become icons and I think Bela Lugosi has become one," said Bela Lugosi Jr., channeling his late father's persona as the vampire in the 1931 film "Dracula". Karloff's character from "The Mummy" is also being created, and all three will debut at Universal Studios in Hollywood and Florida ahead of an October 31 unveiling at Madame Tussaud's.

"It's a remarkable tribute and our family is just thrilled beyond belief," said daughter Sara Karloff. Tussaud's officials said a figure of Lon Chaney, star of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Phantom of the Opera," was in the works.

Corn rain

Large quantities of corn husks fell from the skies on Wichita, Kansas, recently. According to news reports, thousands of foot- long (30-cm-long) and larger leaves from corn stalks fell like rain.

"In cases of high winds, tornadoes, thunderstorms and other extreme weather events it was not unusual for objects to fall from the sky after getting blown long distances," said Weather Data Inc. meteorologist Chad Pettera. Some speculated that an aeroplane may somehow have been responsible, but there is no evidence to back up the theory.

Compiled by

SUBAJAYANTHI WILSON

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Section  : Features
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