Puking Dog

Close... but, no cigar: Man forced to stop just short of rowing across Pacific Ocean

Italian Alex Bellini, 30, spent the last 10 months trying to row the 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocea--from Lima, Peru to Sydney, Australia.  Unfortunately, exhaustion and storms forced him to call his wife and ask her to send someone to fish him out--65 nautical miles (75 miles) from his goal.  That stinks... better luck next time, Alex.  A for effort though.  [Telegraph]

Nice ride: Lamborghini donates car to Italian police

Luxury car maker Lamborghini donated a 560-horsepower Gallardo (base price about $359,000) to the Italian police force.  The car has a mini-fridge to transport donor organs and a defibrillator.  Italian officers assigned to drive the car will receive special driving instruction from Lamborghini test drivers.  Sweet.  [ABC News]

Pope issues travel advisory: be sure sure to put holy water in checked baggage

If you're  traveling with the Pope to the shrine in Lourdes, France next month, be sure you don't put any holy water in your carry-on luggage on the papal plane or it may be confiscated.  [Reuters via Yahoo!].  In other Pope news: If you go see the sculpture portraying a crucified green frog holding a beer mug and an egg at the Museion museum in Italy, you're probably gonna burn (better keep the holy water handy).  [Reuters]

UPDATE: Beauty contest for nuns cancelled

"My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either," Father Antonio Rungi told Reuters by telephone from his convent in southern Italy on Tuesday.  Convent?  Isn't that where the nuns live?  Hmmm.... Anyway, I guess I'm going to have to find something else to do on the Internet.  I was looking forward to the nun version of Hot or Not though.  [MSNBC]  (Earlier story here)

Beauty contest for nuns?

An Italian priest is organizing Miss Sister 2008, an online beauty contest for... nuns.  No swimsuit competition though, just a chance for nuns to showcase their "works and their image."  I'm pretty sure this fellow just wants to divert some attention from the priests (who are sack tickling the Church into bankruptcy)--kinda like this priest who took off for parts unknown in a lawn chair tied to a bunch of helium balloons...   Doesn't sound like either put a lot of thought into their stunts though.  Just a guess, but I'm thinking they probably outta be doing something else with their time. [MSNBC]