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Welcome to Casual Friday where we wake you up with the overlooked news stories of the week. The offbeat, strange and sometimes downright weird news items that mainstream media tends to ignore, all wrapped up with a few funnies, all designed to get your face in smiling shape for the weekend.
Man's Obituary Blames Kansas City Chiefs for Death
An 81 year old Air Force veteran and former councilman from his hometown of Grandview, MO was a lifelong Chief's fan and according to his daughter, had quite the sense of humor.
This obituary ran last Sunday in the Kansas City Star:
Loren G. 'Sam' Lickteig passed away on Nov. 14, 2012 of complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
Pygmy hippo born at Florida zoo
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo announced the arrival of a rare pygmy hippopotamus last week to mother Zsa Zsa, who previously gave birth to a calf in 2008.
Only a few thousand of the rare animals remain in the wild and 54 pygmy hippos are living in accredited zoos in North America.
According to Dr. Larry Killmar, vice president of animal science and conservation for the zoo:
The birth of this rare and endangered nocturnal forest species marks only the 55th individual in the managed population within North American and underlines the importance of our conservation efforts. With fewer than 3,000 pigmy hippos in the wild, each birth is vital if we have any hope of saving this truly unique species.
Pelicans blown north by Sandy get ride home to Florida
A pair of brown pelicans were blown into Rhode Island by the winds of Hurricane Sandy. The first bird, whose wingspan measured 6 - 7 feet was found on the side of a road near Fisherman's Memorial State Park on Nov 7th, nine days after the storm made landfall. The bird had been tagged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as coming from a nest in North Carolina and had been presumed dead. The second bird landed on a fishing boat 120 miles south of Block Island on Nov 8th.
Jennifer Brooks, clinic director at the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island said:
They were a little bit thin, they were a little beat up from the storm. They had lost tail feathers and suffered scratches to their throat pouches, which are prone to frostbite in northern climates.
The birds were flown by private plane to the Mary Keller Seabird Rehabilitation Sanctuary in Florida at a cost of $2,000.00 which was covered by private donations.
Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
~ Erma Bombeck
Thanksgiving is a magical time of year when families across the country join together to raise America's obesity statistics. Personally, I love Thanksgiving traditions: watching football, making pumpkin pie, and saying the magic phrase that sends your aunt storming out of the dining room to sit in her car. ~ Stephen Colbert
Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. ~ Johnny Carson