The Weird Week in Review

Octopus Receives World Cup for Predictions

A two-year-old octopus named Paul received worldwide acclaim for predicting the winner of the World Cup tournament. Paul correctly picked the winners of eight games by selecting one of two food containers with flags of the matched countries on them in his tank at Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. For his efforts, the octopus was presented his own cup, a replica of the trophy given to the champion Spanish team, on Monday.

Dyslexic Postman Can't Read Addresses

Wayne Daniels delivered mail for the British Royal Mail service, until March, when it was discovered that he had dumped 420 letters instead of delivering them. The 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to theft and delaying the mail on Monday. Daniels' defense lawyer explained why he did it.

Fran Tyler, defending, said: "He suffers from dyslexia and he was struggling to read the addresses.

"He said it was an impulsive action born out of frustration and said it was a disgrace to himself and to the Royal Mail. He had not discussed the problem with colleagues because of a mixture of pride and embarrassment."

Daniels was ordered to pay a fine and perform community service.

Fisherman Reels in 5-pound Goldfish

Nick Richards caught a big fish at a lake at Poole, Dorset, England, but it may have been someone's pet. The catch was a 5-pound goldfish -the biggest goldfish ever caught in England! The 16-year-old Richards speculates that someone may have taken the fish to the lake when it outgrew an aquarium. Richards named the fish Billy, had pictures taken with it, and returned the fish to the lake.

Man Fined $2,000 For Taking Garbage

Paul Lawrence saw a woman put an air conditioner out with her garbage in Queens, New York, and asked if he could take it. She consented, but a sanitation worker saw the exchange, which led to a $2,000 ticket for Lawrence. Further, the vehicle used in the caper was impounded, and Lawrence's aunt, who owns the car, was also fined $2,000! Technically, rubbish at the curb is city property. New York City receives revenue for recycling, so Lawrence's new air conditioner was considered stolen goods. Officials say the law is intended to stop organized theft of recyclables. Lawrence intends to fight the fine.

Dog Honks Horn for Emergency

Max the chocolate Lab was inadvertently left in the car when his owner was unloading packages at their home in Macungie, Pennsylvania. The temperatures outside was in the 90s, and the parked car began to warm up quickly. What did Max do? He honked the horn! His owner looked outside and saw nothing, but Max continued to honk until she came outside and found him. Max was rushed to a local veterinarian, who treated the dog for heat exhaustion and said he had no serious injuries.

Swiss Bikers Deliver Condoms

Health authorities in Switzerland have a new campaign to encourage safe sex. When the need arises, people can have condoms delivered by bicycle courier! One phone call summons a delivery of condoms at $7.50 for a package. The initiative works with bike delivery services in Bern, Geneva, and Zurich. Numbers on how many take advantage of the service are due at the end of the month, but the publicity the program generates alone is worth the effort, according to the Swiss AIDS Federation.

Stolen Penguin Found

Kelli the penguin disappeared from the Dublin Zoo, a victim of pranksters who scaled a fence to snatch the 10-year-old Humboldt penguin from her enclosure. Luckily, Kelli has an implanted microchip that not only identifies the bird, but sends out a signal that can be traced. The penguin was found abandoned on a city sidewalk. After a medical checkup, Kelli was reunited with her partner Mick in the zoo's penguin enclosure.