Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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Stolen book returned to store after 40 years with apology, $100

A California book store recently received a package that turned out to contain a book that was stolen 40 years earlier, along with an apology note and $100.

Booklegger in Old Town Eureka said on social media that a package arrived recently and employees opened it to discover a copy of The Unstrung Harp by Edward Gorey.

A note included in the package explained the book had been stolen from the store about 40 years earlier.

"I was a student at HSU with a horrible drug and alcohol problem," the note's author wrote. "I was in desperate need of money, but even more desperately needed a spiritual awakening in my life. I was eventually blessed with just such a psychic change."

The person explained the book had recently been rediscovered in a box in their garage.

"I was so happy to find that the store was still in business so I could return the book and tell you how sorry I am for my utter lack of principles," the note said.

The author included $100 with the note and asked the store to get into contact if there was "anything further I might do to right this wrong."

Booklegger owner Jennifer McFadden said she and her employees were touched by the gesture.

"I just thought it was exceptional that after such a long time, this person still had the impulse to try to make up for a mistake he made and regretted," she told Lost Coast Outpost. "It would be so much easier to just feel bad about it but not act on those feelings."

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Soccer player breaks basketball world record with backheel kick

A United Arab Emirates man parlayed his soccer skills into a basketball world record when he backheel kicked a ball into the hoop from a distance of 39.37 feet.

Hamed Ali Al Shehhi, 24, who has earned multiple Guinness World Records titles with his soccer skills, took on the record for the farthest backheel kick of a basketball into a basket.

A video of the successful attempt shows Shehhi lift the ball with his foot, toss it up, and kick it with his heel — sending the ball flying into the hoop from 39.37 feet away.

Shehhi's previous records include the most soccer bounces with the knee in one minute, 215; the fastest 50 meters (164 feet) performing soccer knee keep-ups, 10.50 seconds; the most soccer touches with the knee in one minute while seated, 211; and the farthest backheel kick of a soccer ball into a basket, 39.37 feet.

"I wanted to officially document and recognize one of my football skills, which I developed through my passion and dedication to the sport. My love for football is my true motivation, and I am proud to have the opportunity to represent the United Arab Emirates through this achievement," he told Guinness World Records.

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Dad unofficially breaks world record for running a mile with stroller

A former college track star unofficially broke a world record when he ran a mile in 4 minutes and 17 seconds while pushing his daughter in a stroller.

Stephen Biebelhausen, a former runner for Miami University in Ohio, ran in the Guardian Mile race across Cleveland's Hope Memorial Bridge while pushing his daughter, Blake, in a stroller.

Biebelhausen finished with a time of 4 minutes and 17 seconds. If the time is verified by Guinness World Records, he will take the title for fastest mile pushing a pram from Silas Frantz, who finished his run in 4 minutes and 26.29 seconds in June 2025.

"I truly did not think I was going for the world record," Biebelhausen told Runner's World. "I thought on a good day I could break the course record of 4:44 and get into the 4:30s."

Biebelhausen said he thinks he can best his own time with a little more training.

"There's some room to go," he said.

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Mysterious cat cutouts placed in vacant lots as apparent owl deterrent

Mysterious fake cats have been placed in a pair of vacant lots in Cape Coral, Fla., in what wildlife experts believe might be an attempt to ward off burrowing owls.

Residents living near an empty lot along Southwest 25th Place in Cape Coral said six of the two-dimensional feline effigies were mysteriously placed in the grass near a known burrowing owl nest on the property.

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife volunteers discovered a similar scene at a nearby lot near the corner of Southwest 20th Avenue and Southwest 30th Street, but no burrowing owl nests were identified on the property.

A CCFW volunteer contacted the City of Cape Coral's development services and was told an environmental consultant recently determined the burrow at the Southwest 25th Place lot was abandoned.

The lots had recently been sold, and CCFW volunteers theorized the fake cats might be an attempt to prevent more burrowing owls from moving into the properties before they can be developed.

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Escaped tortoise found after 2 weeks, over 12 miles from home

A 15-year-old African spurred tortoise who escaped from her owner's Manitoba home was found two weeks later at a nature preserve more than 12 miles from home.

The Oak Hammock Marsh nature preserve in Manitoba said on social media that officials received multiple reports of tortoise sightings on the property, which struck them as strange, as tortoises are not native to Canada.

"We thought maybe people were mistaking a snapping turtle because we do get those," Gillian Malchuk, a nature interpreter at Oak Hammock Marsh, told CTV News. "So snapping turtles, painted turtles, any number of things that we were maybe thinking it could be. Maybe just a big rock in some circumstances."

Malchuk said preserve employees changed their minds when one visitor managed to snap a photo of what was clearly an African spurred tortoise, a species native to the Sahara Desert.

"We all knew that she wasn't where she was supposed to be and it was probably not the easiest time for her out there. So I think the initial reaction was surprise and maybe a little disbelief, but then a big effort to go out and find her," Malchuck said.

Staff searched the grounds for two days before the tortoise turned up in the parking lot.

Malchuk took the tortoise to her home until staff were able to identify the animal's owner.

The tortoise, named Molly, had been missing for two weeks from a home about 12.4 miles away from Oak Hammock Marsh.

Malchuk said it isn't impossible that Molly walked the entire way.

"I wouldn't put it past her. I did get to spend some time with Molly and she's a pretty strong spirit and quite the Houdini in my yard," she said.

Malchuck posited another theory that she believes to be more likely.

"I think probably some good Samaritan thought she belonged in the wetland, saw her on a highway somewhere, picked her up and brought her over here, thinking [they] were doing good, just without realizing this wasn't really her habitat," she said.

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Woman completes 100-mile treadmill run in record time

A 44-year-old fitness influencer broke a Guinness World Record by running 100 miles on a treadmill in a time of 12 hours, 47 minutes and 10 seconds.

Ashley Paulson, a trainer for fitness app iFIT, beat the previous record by an hour and a half when she completed her April 18 run in Boston.

"I've wanted to attempt this record for several years. I'm a passionate runner and have run many ultramarathons of 100 miles or more," Paulson told Guinness World Records.

"Many of these were faster on the road than the previous record on the treadmill. So, I knew I had the ability to set the record on the treadmill. Additionally, as an on-camera trainer for iFIT, it just made sense," she said.

The rules allowed Paulson to take as many breaks as she wanted, but the clock would continue ticking at all times.

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Blindfolded man assembles Mr. Potato Head in 7.92 seconds

A Kentucky man donned a blindfold and assembled a Mr. Potato Head toy with a record-breaking time of 7.92 seconds.

Conor Shea broke the record for the fastest time to assemble Mr. Potato Head (blindfolded), a record previously held by German serial record-breaker Andre Ortolf, who achieved the feat in 12.11 seconds.

"Last summer, after a few libations & some googling, I learned that 'fastest time to assemble Mr. Potato Head blindfolded' is, for reasons I still don't fully understand, a world record," Shea wrote on social media. "Now I'm the Guinness World Record Holder."

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Snake slithers across hood of moving car in Tennessee

A Tennessee woman captured video during a recent car trip when a snake slithered out from under the hood of the vehicle.

Analissa Hensley said she and her family were in the car when the serpent made its surprise appearance on Callis Road in Lebanon.

"I'm sitting there like, 'We have a huge snake on the hood of our car,'" Hensley told WKRN-TV. "We were on our way to Mount Juliet, going to pick up some soccer stuff for my youngest daughter, and we're just having a conversation and my husband's like, 'There's a snake.'"

Hensley recorded video of the snake, which she estimated to be about 5 feet long.

The family attempted to pull over to the side of the road to get the snake off the car, but it made a jump for it before the vehicle came to a stop.

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Coworkers, mentalist help Idaho man break T-shirt folding world record

A serial Guinness World Record-breaker recruited 10 coworkers and a Las Vegas mentalist performer to help earn a title for folding T-shirts as a team.

David Rush, who holds more than 200 concurrent Guinness World Records titles, attempted the record for the fastest time to fold 12 T-shirts in a relay team of 12 during a corporate team-building trip to Las Vegas.

Rush recruited 10 coworkers and John Rotellini, a Las Vegas mentalist given a keynote address the previous day, as his team.

"The existing record was two minutes and 24 seconds. To beat it, we needed fast hands and a clean run because a clumsy fold, early step, or errant touch could (and did) nuke entire runs," Rush wrote online.

Rush said it took the team 10 tries to finish with a time of 2 minutes and 19.65 seconds.

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Pug named Jinny Lu wins World's Ugliest Dog Contest in California

A 6-year-old pug was honored with the title of the World's Ugliest Dog at an annual contest in California.

Jinny Lu, who came in second last year, was dubbed the winner of the 2026 World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

The annual event, which aims to celebrate the unique beauty of dogs and promote adoption, marked its 50th anniversary this year.

"For 50 years, this event has celebrated the uniqueness of every dog while sharing an important message of compassion, rescue and acceptance," Mandy Clendenen, CEO of the Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Association, said in a news release.

Jinny Lu was rescued from the dog meat trade in South Korea and brought to the United States for adoption by a pair of California rescue groups.

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