In this image taken from Egyptian state television on August 4, 2011, former Egyptian interior minister Habib al-Adly sits in a holding cell in the Cairo Criminal Court.AFP/Getty Images/AFP / Getty Images
Hello, I'm innocent
"Hosni Mubarak's not-guilty plea has been turned into a ring tone that's sweeping across Egypt," reports Themarknews.com. "The few words uttered by the caged and bedridden former president at his murder and corruption trial have spawned at least two different ring tones, one that features the judge saying Mubarak's full name before the deposed president responds, 'That's me, your honour,' and the other featuring Mubarak saying, 'I categorically deny all the charges.' "
Here a gun, there a gun
– A U.S. woman accidentally shot her 12-year-old daughter after pulling the trigger of a miniature revolver she had mistaken for a novelty cigarette lighter, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rachel Avila, 30, and her daughter were talking in front of their mobile home when Ms. Avila spotted what she thought was a novelty lighter lying on the ground, said officials with the Banning, Calif., police department. Ms. Avila picked it up and tried to light it by pulling the trigger. The first time, nothing happened, but her second attempt released a .22-calibre bullet that struck the ground, ricocheted and struck her daughter in the arm.
– A gift given to a Florida teacher on behalf of an eight-year-old pupil was found to contain a loaded .22-calibre handgun, says United Press International. When the teacher opened the gift, a box of toiletries, later in the evening she found the gun at the bottom of the box. The pupil's grandmother, who gave her the gift, is not believed to have known the gun was in the box.
Portraits by art stars
"The portrait has long been a symbol of the relationship between an artist and a patron," writes Ellen Gamerman in The Wall Street Journal. "Throughout most of art history, commissioned portraits ennobled their subjects – showing them surrounded by symbols of wealth and virtue, perched regally on a steed, or even transported into a New Testament scene. The artist, who depended on the patron for money and support, was typically happy to oblige any demands. Today, portraits may be deliberately ugly, filled with palpable angst or defiantly abstract. … These portraits reflect a shift in the power dynamic between collectors and artists. Contemporary art stars are wealthy and famous in their own right. Many of them view commissions as favours, not a necessary part of business."
Retirements threatened
"Jean-Claude Duvalier of Haiti fled to France. Ferdinand Marcos lived out his life in Honolulu," says The Daily Beast. "In the good old days, an ousted dictator who committed terrible crimes against his countrymen might still be able to negotiate a cozy retirement in a place where the living is good. Marcos, having robbed the Philippines for more than two decades, even managed to take the money with him. But the end of the Cold War and the rise of an international justice system have changed the equation. Contemporary dictators pondering a relocation have far fewer options, most of them unhappy (think North Korea)."
Peacock as a houseguest
"A Chinese woman has spoken of a surprise – a peacock flew into her eighth-floor apartment," says Orange News UK. "An Qiyu, of Chongqing city, was watching television in her bedroom when she suddenly heard noise from her living room. 'I went to see what it was and I couldn't believe it when I saw a beautiful peacock staring at me,' she said. An says the bird must have flown in through the open living-room window. She had no idea what to do with the bird and is keeping it for now in a dog cage in her bathroom. … She is now hoping a local zoo will come and take the bird away – not least because it wakes her every morning by honking like a goose."
Millionaires' tax burden
"New tax data from the [U.S.]Internal Revenue Service shows that in 2009 incomes fell, unemployment claims rose, and the U.S. economy shed nearly two million taxpayers," reports The Huffington Post. "And of the 235,413 taxpayers who earned $1-million (U.S.) or more in 2009, 1,470 of them paid no taxes."
Thought du jour
"Life is a zoo in a jungle."
– Peter De Vries (1910-93), U.S. novelist