Man Spears a 6-foot Sturgeon

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - The fish's long shadow slid under the ice, causing Darren Horness to blink. "I was skimming some ice off the hole, and all the sudden I thought I caught a little bit of movement, and I had to kind of take a step back," said Horness, 36, of Howards Grove. "The fish was actually coming up into the hole, I just could see part of it and could tell it was a kind of a nice fish, but I had no idea how big it really was."

The 102-pound, 72-inch sturgeon was nearly as long as he was tall.

About 8,000 fishermen spearhunt sturgeon each year on Lake Winnebago and its upriver lakes. In his seven years, Horness hadn't come close to a fish that big.

He had cut a hole through the 16 inches of ice on Lake Winnebago, and the sturgeon arched through it, coming within six inches of the surface. Horness heard the fish's back scrape the ice on the bottom edge of the hole.

"I had to get down on my knees and I had to spear almost horizontal because it was so high up into the hole," he said. "I didn't know how good of a hit that I had on it because it was such a weird throw."

The spear lodged in the fish's tail, about two feet from the end. Within minutes, the female was tiring and had moved close enough to the surface for Horness to see what he'd caught.

"My knees just almost buckled because it looked so humongous in the water," he said.

About a dozen of the 700 fish speared so far this year have topped 100 pounds, said Ron Bruch, a sturgeon biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources. The season continues through Feb. 25 or when the harvest limit is reached.

Gary Hilbert of Fond du Lac caught the heaviest sturgeon of the year so far Saturday on Lake Poygan. The female weighed 139 1/2 pounds and was 71 1/2 inches long. Mike Freund of White Lake speared a 111-pound, 72.5-inch female on Lake Winnebago Sunday.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Beer + Milk = Bilk

TOKYO - Great news for beer and milk lovers: A liquor shop owner in Japan's largest dairy farming region has stopped crying about local spilled milk and started making beer from it instead.

"We came up with the idea after hearing about surplus milk," said Chitoshi Nakahara, head of the Nakahara liquor shop on the northernmost island of Hokkaido.

Milk consumption has been declining steadily in Japan, and Hokkaido disposed of nearly 900 tonnes of milk last March due to over-production, according to the Japan Dairy Association.

Nakahara's new brew, "Bilk" -- a combination of "milk" and "beer" -- is about 30 percent milk. It also contains hops, and the production process does not differ much from that of regular beer, he said.

His shop started selling Bilk, which apart from a slight milky scent looks and tastes like ordinary beer, on February 1 after spending about six months developing the product with a local brewer.

Bilk is only available at six local shops or by mail order, but Nakahara is currently out of stock due to heavy media attention.

Don't worry if you can't get hold of any, though: Nakahara also sells beer brewed from another major Hokkaido product -- potatoes.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Mother of Seven fight against Hobbit Obesity

KUALA LUMPUR: Mazliwati Md Shah needs to lose weight in order to breathe and improve her health. For that, she has to endure hours of excruciating pain.

The jovial 31-year-old mother of seven suffers from abdominal cellulitis and Hobbit Obesity, or habitual weight gain, and weighs in at more than 200kg.

She finds it difficult to breathe and move, making her unable to work.

Mazliwati, however, refuses to let her illness get the better of her and is now seeking help from a homeopathy clinic to improve her blood circulation and control her diet.

Part of the treatment requires her to undergo foot reflexology and as her doctor began the treatment, Mazliwati screamed in pain.

But, this was only the beginning.

Mazliwati, a widow, began her treatment at the Al Jawad Homeopathy and Complementary Medicine Clinic in Cheras yesterday.

The clinic’s Dr Ibrahim Burhanuddin said the treatment designed for Mazliwati was to remove toxins from her liver and kidneys.

He said reflexology was the first step in the treatment, followed by performing bekam, a traditional method of removing toxins from the body, on Mazliwati’s abdomen.

"Bekam is a preferable method to treat the liver and kidneys."

He said after five or six hours of reflexology, Mazliwati would discharge "dirty" coloured and foul-smelling urine as the body gets rid of the toxins which have built up in the system.

"She will also need to watch her diet by lowering the intake of fatty foods and fruits such as ciku, grapes and sugar-cane, which contain a high glucose level."

Accompanied by her mother Norchik Talib, 56, and her sister-in-law Rozima Mohd Hod, 28, Mazliwati was also given a homeopathic medication to lower her blood sugar level.

But the former cook will not be able to continue her treatment if she does not receive financial aid soon.

"I’m incapable of working and the travelling cost for my treatment is unbearable," said Mazliwati.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]

Contest to Capture Traffic Violators in Pictures during CNY called off

PUTRAJAYA The "Press, Send and Win" contest organised by the Road Safety Department (JKJR) to capture traffic violators in pictures has been called off.

The contest offering cash prizes to road users who send in photos of motorists violating traffic regulations has been getting flak from many quarters.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy has directed the department to stop the contest with immediate effect due to possible abuse by some quarters.

Under the contest, the department offered RM150 for the best photo, RM100 for second place and RM50 for third place to be given out daily between Feb 10 and March 10.

The JKJR felt the contest would help create awareness among the public and get their participation during the Chinese New Year period.

Chan in a statement issued here Tuesday said that he was concerned with possible abuse by those who wanted to profit from such contests.

"After considering the view by many quarters, I have directed the contest to be called off," he added.

Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh had been reported as saying that the contest was inappropriate as it would encourage the public to commit wrongdoing themselves when they try to capture photos using their handphones while driving.

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[tags : unusual wierd bizzare]