People driving along a Florida waterway thought they saw some manatees in trouble — but it turned out the sea mammals were just doing what comes naturally.
"I was terribly concerned. It looked like something very disturbing to me," driver Christine Demas told WFTS-TV of Tampa. "I wanted to jump in the water myself to try and do something."
About a dozen of the huge animals, also known as sea cows, were flailing about in the water just off the Courtney Campbell Causeway (search), which runs across Tampa Bay from the city of Tampa to the St. Petersburg peninsula.
A large crowd of people gathered, worried that the manatees (search) were beaching themselves as whales often do. Then some of the onlookers realized that something else was going on.
"I had no idea they were mating," Demas said to the TV station. "They're having a good time; I'm glad about that."
An expert from the Lowry Park Zoo told the TV station that manatee mating usually involves several males competing for the affections of a single female.
"They're so adorable. They're kicking around, they're so cute," onlooker Stacey Fernandez said. "It's one of the perks of living in Florida."
Naughty Bird Blocks Singer's High Note
There's a bird in Massachusetts that just doesn't want to have fun, reports the New York Daily News.
Eighties pop sensation Cyndi Lauper (search), who's reinvented herself as a singer of American standards, was striving to hit a high note at an open-air concert outside Boston this past Saturday night.
Up went Lauper's open mouth. Down came a blob of bird poop. Bingo.
Lauper showed her true colors, however, by simply wiping her tongue on her sleeve and continuing to sing, says the newspaper.
Once backstage, Lauper, 50, did mention that she'd had previous encounters with avian excreta, though it had only landed on her head before.
"My grandmother says it's good luck," she said, "but I think it's disgusting."
The concert, which also featured Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne and Sean Paul, was sponsored by radio station KISS-FM as a benefit for children with birth and genetic defects.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — At least the deer didn't act like a bull in a china shop.
Vicki Mohler awoke Monday to the sound of breaking glass. She leaped out of bed and confirmed her two children were safe in their rooms, but she heard footsteps.
"Who's here?" she recalled screaming. "What do you want?"
When she followed the sounds of the intruder and peered into her basement, the sight brought both relief and shock: She saw the furry hind end of a deer.
She flung her side door wide open and called her husband at work.
"We have an emergency here!" she told him. "We have a deer — a deer! — in our house!"
Coming back to the side door, she saw a bit of blood outside and realized the deer had shown itself out.
Though the deer had leapt through a window and knocked over a lamp, it didn't disturb curio cabinets filled with dozens of fragile figurines in Mohler's living room. And it didn't seem to graze any items in the kitchen on its way to the basement, not even the refrigerator magnets arranged neatly in rows.
The family feels lucky. So should the deer.
Mohler's husband, Tim, is a hunter. He came home minutes after getting the call.
"If that deer was still here, we would have had venison for supper," he told her.
— Thanks to Out There reader Don W.
Playboy Sued for Age Discrimination
CHICAGO (AP) — A veteran editor who was fired from Playboy has filed a lawsuit against the magazine claiming age discrimination.
The former editor worked for Playboy for more than 30 years and was let go last November over what it calls a "difference in sensibility and a duplication of skill sets."
Fifty-four-year-old John Rezak says he was let go because the magazine wanted a younger staff that might attract younger readers.
Playboy hasn't publicly commented on the suit but told the Illinois Department of Employment Services (search) that Rezak's position was relocated to New York.
Rezak is seeking unspecified damages, including back and future pay.
Principal Surprised That Teen Would Enjoy Pie Toss
LAKESIDE, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio high school honor student — who won a drawing allowing him to throw a pie in his principal's face — has now been expelled until winter, after allegedly throwing it too hard.
He might even face criminal charges. The principal's assault complaint has been referred to prosecutors.
Authorities say he threw the pie with such force, it caused Danbury High School Principal Karen Abbott's head to snap back.
The 15-year-old student's parents are appealing the 80-day expulsion that will keep their son out of school until next winter. They point out that their son's grade point average tops 3.4 — and they say his education is at stake.
The pie-throwing event was part of a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.
Compiled by Foxnews.com's Paul Wagenseil.
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