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WIMAUMA, Fla., A Florida man is recovering from a cottonmouth snake bite to his lip after he allegedly tried to smooch the serpent on the mouth. Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies said Austin Hatfield, 18, captured the 4-foot cottonmouth, also known as a water moccasin, while swimming last week and kept it in a pillowcase at his girlfriend's house, where he was bitten on the lip. Friends told investigators Hatfield was trying to kiss the snake when it struck him. Hatfield was initially hospitalized in critical condition, but his status was upgraded to good condition and officials said he is expected...

WESTAMPTON, N.J., A New Jersey appeals court rejected a lawsuit from a man who alleged he suffered burns from his Applebee's fajita when he bowed his head to pray. Hiram Jimenez's lawsuit alleged he visited the Westampton restaurant in March 2010 with his brother, Rafael, and they decided to pray over their food. Jimenez said he bowed his face over his steak fajita, which was served on a skillet, and he soon heard a loud sizzling noise followed by a grease pop that led to a burning sensation on the left side of his face, including his eye. Jimenez, who...

LONDON, March 3 A photographer in London captured a rare photo showing a small weasel appearing to ride on a woodpecker, but he said the mammal was actually attacking the bird. Martin Le-May of Essex said he and his wife, Ann, were walking Monday in Hornchurch Country Park when they came across the unusual sight. "I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst," Le-May told the BBC. "I soon realized it was a woodpecker with some kind of small mammal on its back." Le-May said the woodpecker was in a struggle for its life with the unwanted passenger,...

PINJARRA, Australia, A video was released of a man having a seizure while skydiving in Australia. The incident happened on November 14, 2014. The intermediate-level skydiver had the seizure at an altitude of around 9,000 feet. The man was allegedly unconscious for about 30 seconds. An instructor glided on a collision course and successfully made contact and opened the man's parachute at around 4,000 feet. The man regained consciousness and was able to land safely with the parachute.

CINCINNATI, An Ohio teacher with a phobia of young children lost an appeal accusing her former district of failing to accommodate her disability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati rejected the appeal from Maria Waltherr-Willard, 63, who had accused the Mariemont district of age discrimination and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Waltherr-Willard, a French and Spanish teacher, alleged the district knew she suffered from pedophobia, a fear of small children, when she was transferred in 2009 from Mariemont High School to the district's middle school. The teacher, who retired in January 2011...

Charlie Burton was walking to the food court at crowded Washington Crown Center during the Washington County Sportsmen’s Show to grab a bite Saturday afternoon when he spotted a mall security guard struggling to take a retail theft suspect into custody. The 75-year-old sprang into action, grabbing the arm of 29-year-old Jonathan J. Fekete Jr. as he struggled with security officer Scott Clutter. Burton, of Fombell, was a vendor at the sportsmen’s show, selling pens crafted out of bullets. “It happened so quickly,” said Burton. “I just grabbed his arm and started twisting it. The security guard had him by...

NEW YORK, - The Anti-Defamation League has called on Urban Outfitters to pull a tapestry that was seen on sale at one of the retailer's stories in Boulder, Colo. The league said Monday in a press release that the tapestry -- with its gray-and-white stripes and pink triangles -- is "eerily reminiscent" of the uniform that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps. "Whether intentional or not, this gray and white stripped pattern and pink triangle combination is deeply offensive and should not be mainstreamed into popular culture," said Abraham H. Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director. Urban...

RALEIGH, N.C.- A North Carolina woman who bought a cockatoo from a divorcing couple said the bird keeps reenacting its former owners' arguments. Elaine Sigmon said she and her husband, Don, recently obtained Peaches the Moluccan cockatoo from a couple who separated and the former owners apparently weren't shy about having arguments in front of the bird. Sigmon said Peaches reenacts her former owners' squabbles "once or twice a day."

TAMPA, Fla., - A cat who was buried before rising up from his grave will not be returned to his original owner, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay said Sunday. The cat, named Bart, was allegedly struck by a passing vehicle last week before his owner, Ellis Hutson, buried the cat with a neighbor. Five days later a different neighbor spotted Bart above ground, covered in open wounds and maggots. The cat was severely dehydrated but suffered no internal injuries, and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay was able to save Bart after giving him a blood transfusion, removing his...

MOULTRIE, Ga.- A Georgia animal shelter said offers have been pouring in to adopt an unusual dachshund/pit bull mix whose pictures and video quickly went viral. The Moultrie Colquitt County Humane Society said its Facebook posts about Rami the dachshund/pit bull mix led to a flood of adoption offers. "If you are looking for a popular/unusual pet, then this is it," the shelter said in a Facebook post, which assured readers that "he is real!!" There were so many adoption offers for the 1-year-old puppy that the shelter posted a follow-up Facebook message asking interested parties not to overlook other...

DUSSELDORF, Germany, - A German judge ruled a tenant can't be held responsible for floor damage resulting from urinating while in the standing position. Dusseldorf Judge Stefan Hank sided with the tenant, whose lawsuit said the landlord refused to return $2,100 of his $3,300 deposit, alleging the resident's urine had damaged the marble floor around the toilet. Hank said the arguments from the landlord and a "technical expert" who confirmed urine was responsible for the marble tile damage were "credible and understandable," but not enough to sway his opinion. "Despite the increasing domestication of men in this regard, urinating while...

GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK, Nev., -- Officials at Nevada's Great Basin National Park said they are trying to determine the origins of a 132-year-old rifle found leaning against a tree. Park officials said the rifle, identified by an engraving on its side as a Model 1873 Winchester manufactured in 1882, was found blending in with the colors of a juniper tree in the park and seems to have been there for "many years." The officials wrote on the park's Facebook page the rifle was "exposed to sun, wind, snow, and rain" and features "a cracked wood stock, weathered to grey"...

A prominent religious scholar in Saudi Arabia has reportedly issued a fatwa against building snowmen in the kingdom, stating the practice is not acceptable to Islam. Mohammad Saleh Al Minjed said people must not build any snowmen or snow models of animals, according to Gulf News. However, making snow models of lifeless things, such as ships, fruit and buildings, was apparently acceptable in Islam, the scholar said. "It is not permitted to make a statue out of snow, even by way of play and fun," he reportedly said. "God has given people space to make whatever they want which does...

The French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will publish a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed along with the words "All is forgiven" Wednesday on the cover of its first issue since Islamist militants killed 12 people at its central Paris offices. In a further show of defiance, the fearless magazine announced it would print three million copies – not the usual 60,000 – when it reappears on newsstands on Wednesday. It will also be translated into six languages including English, Arabic and Turkish, editor-in-chief Gérard Biard told a Paris news conference Tuesday. Daily newspaper Libération, which hosted Charlie Hebdo staff as...

OKLAHOMA CITY,Okla.-The cold Oklahoma weather has many sporting hoodies outside to help fight the cold, but wearing a hood in a public place could soon be against the law. The idea of banning hoods is not new to Oklahoma, right now, there is a law banning hoods during crimes that’s been around since the 20’s. It was originally drafted to help combat crimes from the Klu-Klux-Klan, but people we spoke with say a new amendment of banning hoodies in public could open doors to a bigger problem. They’re a common closet find, the hoodie. “I’ve been wearing hoodies since I...

WASHINGTON, - An American dad made himself and his 7-year-old son into viral stars with a video chronicling a baby tooth extraction using dental floss, a golf club and a golf ball. Phil Smith said his son, Noah, complained of pain when they attempted to simply pull the loose tooth out of his mouth, so he devised a system using a piece of floss to connect the tooth to a golf ball he then struck with a club. "My 7-year-old wanted to pull his tooth but was concerned it would be too painful to pull SLOWLY," Smith wrote in the...

LEIZHOU, China, - A Chinese court upheld a 13-year jail sentence for a man convicted of purchasing and eating three endangered tigers in separate incidents. Authorities told Qinzhou City Intermediate People's Court the man, identified by the surname Xu, organized three trips to Leizhou, Guangdong province, in 2013 for himself and 14 other people. During each trip, Xu purchased a tiger which was then killed via electric shock, dismembered and served to the group as food. One of the incidents was recorded on a cellphone camera and the video was handed over to police. Investigators said they searched Xu's home...

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.,- A Michigan university said its 40th annual list of "banished" words includes "bae," "polar vortex," "hack," "skill set," "swag," and "foodie." Lake Superior State University said its annual "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness" was chosen by members of a committee from submissions by the public. Topping the list this year was "bae," a term of endearment that came into common use this year. "Meaning 'before anyone else.' How stupid! Stop calling your boyfriend 'bae,'" Evie Dunagan of Manheim, Pa., wrote in submitting the word for banishment. LSSU...

MEXICO CITY, - Bullfighter Karla de los Angeles was tossed over a bull's head and gored twice Sunday as she went in for the kill at Mexico City's famous Plaza Mexico. De los Angeles suffered 5-inch gashes on her right thigh and left buttock when the bull, named Gamusino, tossed her over his head and pierced her with his horns at Monumental Plaza Mexico, the country's largest bullfighting ring. The 1,100-pound bull also gored assistant Federico Dominguez as he tried to help de los Angeles out of the ring. De los Angeles is a novillera, an aspiring bullfighter who has...