The headline reads:

Dog injures nose

The story is short. The comments are priceless.

Sounds harrowing. Keep us posted.

It's outrageous that something like this is allowed to happen in this country. I want this to be addressed in the next prime ministeral debates. Let's see Nick Clegg talk himself out of this one.

Shocked and disgusted. There's nothing but bad news now days. What sort of world are we leaving for our children?

This is brave and edgy reporting. It's a pity that the Pulitzer Prize is limited to the USA.

But how does he smell??

The comments at reddit are another level of win.

...I only live a few hours from Ringwood. Should I get down there and see if I can find out more?

Good luck! The roads are going to be packed as soon as this story gets out.

Probably best to stay indoors until it all blows over. And keep your windows closed.

This little item became the most viewed story ever at the Salisbury Journal's website. Link -via reddit

(image credit: Flickr user desiretofire : music is the shape of silence)

Among the many actors who have appeared on The West Wing TV show are quite a few who became big names afterward. You'll recognize them in reruns, even if you didn't know who they were the first time around. There are also some who were TV stars way before President Bartlet took office. Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will test your knowledge of the episodes these folks appeared on. Link

At three days old, a pinto stallion at Tiz Miniature Horse Farm in Barnstead, New Hampshire weighted only six pounds and was only 14 inches tall. His was named Einstein.

His tiny proportions may be more suitable for a human baby, but they are tiny for a horse, even a miniature breed like Einstein.

Dr Rachel Wagner, Einstein's co-owner, claims the Guinness Book of Records lists the smallest newborn horse as weighing just 9lbs.

Breeders say that unlike the current record holder, Thumbelina, Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism - he is just a tiny horse.

See more pictures at The Daily Mail. Link -via Fark

Ostrich eggshells with patterns engraved on them were found in Africa dating back 60,000 years. The eggshells were used to carry water.

The four different patterns and markings are repeated and believed to convey ownership or purpose and to differentiate the eggs from each other.

The researchers led by Pierre-Jean Texier, of the University of Bordeaux, said that before this discovery, the first signs of art, writing or 'culture' was thought to have been first shown in the late Stone Age between 35,000 and 10,000 years ago.

It included cave paintings dating back to 30,000 years BC, thought to be some of the earliest examples of decorative art or written communication.

But this latest discovery, which is much older, showed "collective identities and individual expressions" that were the beginning of modern civilised behaviour, they said.

In other words, writing. Or at least a form or communication that led to writing. The researchers examined 270 fragments of ostrich eggs found in South Africa. Link -via Scribal Terror

The 1975 song Bohemian Rhapsody is a long strange song that became such a lasting hit that you know there's a fascinating backstory. The BBC produced an hour long show about it in 2004, in which Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen discuss the song's genesis and other musical artists marvel at the juggernaut it became. TYWKIWDBI has all six segments of the show embedded in one post. Link

Watch as Boeing builds a 737-700 for Southwest airlines in only 2.5 minutes in this time-lapse video. This particular plane is named the Florida One, for its artwork featuring the state flag. The catchy music is a bonus! Link (embedded YouTube clip)

In the United Arab Emirates, adventurous chef Anissa Helou got a chance to taste roasted camel hump. The tender hump full of stored fat is the choicest part of the camel, and you have to buy an entire camel to get the hump. In this post, you'll also see how to cook a whole camel at once! Link -Thanks, Hanan!

This handy place to keep your iPhone looks just like the phones we used when I was a kid! Each base is cast and sculpted one at a time. USB cord not included, so consider it an art work. $195 from Etsy seller freeland studios. Link -via Nag on the Lake

(YouTube link)

Dave may have had a terrible party in a previous life. He really hates that one particular song! -via The Daily What

The package was en route from Appomattox, Virginia to Puerto Rico. At the post office in Lynchburg, Virginia, postal workers noticed the box was moving. They had to get a search warrant, and when they finally opened the package, inspectors found a ferret inside! Postal workers promptly named it Stamps.

Photos from the Postal Inspector’s office show someone stuffed Stamps into a makeshift cage, doped him up on Benedryl, and tried to mail the ferret to the U.S. Territory.

The Postal Inspector handling the case, David McKinney, believes whoever tried to mail Stamps knew they were up to no good. The return address on the package is an abandoned house, and the sender doesn’t exist.

A local family with 15 other ferrets has adopted Stamps, who is healthy and estimated to be about two years old. Link -via Arbroath

(image credit: US Postal Inspector)

This packing tape is printed with the image of a backbone, which leads to a great pun for a product name. http://www.copernicustoys.com/proddetail.php?prod=t-spine -via Boing Boing?

Joey Chestnut, one of the world's top-ranked competitive eaters (previously at Neatorama), won the asparagus eating contest at the Stockton Asparagus Festival in California.

Chestnut, who now makes his home in San Jose, captured his fifth career asparagus-chewing championship, devouring 8 pounds, 7 ounces of fried asparagus as hundreds cheered the local hero on.

"It was a great contest," Chestnut said. "The crowd was definitely on my side so I definitely was able to push harder than everybody else, I think."

The 8 pound, 7 ounce tally just missed breaking Chestnut's own world record of 8.8 pounds, set in Stockton in 2008.

Chestnut previously held the title from 2004 until 2008. Link -via Fark

After you stop groaning, you can vote for this proposed Threadless T-shirt design by Ste7en. Link -via Nag on the Lake

If William Shakespeare hadn't died in 1616, he would be 446 years old today. In honor of the occasion, Geekosystem presents some things you can do to celebrate.

Though Shakespeare’s influence tends to be thought of in the context of academics and books, he’s also had a steady influence on geekdom. After the jump, five geeky ways you can bring in the Bard’s birthday:

1. Watch Star Trek.

If you watch closely, Shakespeare has an enormous influence over Star Trek: Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha has a very comprehensive list of influences over the years. Lots of Trek titles are Shakespeare references, Captain Picard loved to recite The Bard, and oh — William Shatner is a classically trained Shakespearean actor.

Link

Instants! is a page of buttons you can use to insert appropriate phrases and sound effects whenever you need them. I can't wait for the opportunity to tell a joke (drumroll) punchline (yeah!). Before showing this to children, note that a couple are NSFW. Link -via Gorilla Mask