■ UNITED STATES
Sea lion joins walk-a-thon
He has flippers instead of feet, but that didn't stop a sea lion from joining schoolchildren on a walk-a-thon. The marine mammal apparently noticed children doing laps on Friday morning around a course they had set up at the Marin Country Day School on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The 84kg Steller sea lion waddled ashore, shocking students and teachers. "He did a whole lap," said Kelly Watson, director of constituent relations and Web communications at the private school.
■ UNITED STATES
You're never too old to learn
At the age of 95, Nola Ochs of Kansas is now the world's oldest person to receive a college diploma. But her studying days might not be over just yet -- she is considering a master's degree. Ochs received her bachelor's degree in general studies and history during Saturday's graduation ceremony at Fort Hays State University. When she was handed her degree by Governor Kathleen Sebelius, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, breaking a rule against applauding until all the names of all 2,176 graduates were read. Ochs has 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
■ UNITED STATES
Deep fried testicles a hit
Wisconsinites have deep-fried cheese curds, candy bars and Twinkies. They now have deep-fried livestock testicles, too. More than 300 people paid US$5 for all-you-can-eat goat, lamb and bull testicles on Saturday at the ninth annual Testicle Festival at Mama's Place Bar and Grill in Elderon in central Wisconsin. "Once you get over the mental [aspect] of what you're eating, it's just like eating any other food, and it tastes good," Buster Hoffman said. Festival founder Nancy Fenske said the festival grew out of her late husband Roger's birthday party 12 years ago. They decided to have "a nut fry" at Mama's Place after bringing back lamb fries from a trip to Montana. The event grew every year and now they fry up to 45kg of testicles, she said.
■ BRAZIL
Rancher goes on trial
A rancher went to trial yesterday for the killing of US nun Dorothy Stang, whose death while trying to save the Amazon rainforest now threatens to strip away the impunity of the region's often violent elite. Vitalmiro Bastos Moura is one of two ranchers accused of ordering the 2005 killing of the 73-year-old nun, a naturalized Brazilian originally from Dayton, Ohio. She was slain by six bullets on a muddy patch of road deep in Para state. The gunman, his accomplice and an intermediary were convicted, but Moura is the first alleged mandante -- mastermind -- to stand trial. Prosecutors allege Moura and rancher Regivaldo Galvao offered the gunmen 50,000 reals (US$25,000) to kill Stang over a patch of rain forest they wanted cut down for pasture.
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