Pocho

Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho - a deadly 17ft crocodile.
The 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy - and giving him an affectionate hug.
Crazy Chito says: "Pocho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me.
"It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us."
Chito made friends with the croc after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state's Parismina river 20 years ago.
He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death.
But Chito enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat.
He says: "When I found Pocho in the river he was dying, so I brought him into my house.
"He was very skinny, weighing only around 150lb I gave him chicken and fish and medicine for six months to help him recover.
"I stayed by Pocho's side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad.
"It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day. I love all animals - especially ones that have suffered."
It took years before Chito felt that Pocho had bonded with him enough to get closer to the animal.
He says: "After a decade I started to work with him. At first it was slow, slow. I played with him a bit, slowly doing more.
"Then I found out that when I called his name he would come over to me."
At one point during his recovery, Chito left the croc in a lake near his house. But as he turned to walk away, to his amazement Pocho got out of the water and began to follow him home.
Chito recalls: "That convinced me the crocodile could be tame." But when he first fearlessly waded into the water with the giant reptile his family was so horrified they couldn't bear to watch. So instead, he took to splashing around with Pocho when they were asleep.
Four years ago Chito showed some of his tricks to friends, including getting the animal to close his eyes on command, and they convinced him to go public with a show.
Now he swims and plays with Pocho as well as feeding him at the lake near his home in the lowland tropical town of Sarapiqui .
The odd couple have now become a major tourist attraction, with several tour operators, including Crocodile Adventures, taking visitors on touring cruises to see the pair.
On the Crocodile Adventures website it describes the spectacle as: "One of the most amazing things that no cruise ship passenger will want to miss, the adventure show between the man and the crocodile."
American crocodiles, which inhabit North, Central and South America, can live to around 70 years old. It is estimated that Pocho is around 50 - almost the same age as his owner.
They are also said to be less aggressive than their Nile or Australian counterparts.
Chito, whose real name is Gilberto Shedden, was given hi nickname by friends, who also call him "Tarzan Tico" - Tico being a familiar word for a Costa Rican.
And he certainly plays up to the name, wearing a tattered pair of leopard-print shorts for his half-hour performances with Pocho.
A keen conservationist, he also offers boat tours, where he eagerly points out a variety of wildlife.
But he only charges a few dollars to watch the breathtaking crocodile show, claiming he does not want to cash in on Pocho.
He says: "He's my friend, I don't want to treat him like a slave or exploit him.
"I am happy because I rescued him and he is happy with me because he has everything he needs."

Classic Peanuts

The 2 Swedes & the English Language

Two Swedish sisters go into a photo place to get their picture taken. Not being very educated, they question each other on what the photographer is doing.

When he darkens the room and starts to go under the black cloth, one sister turns to the other and asks... "Vots he goink to do?"

Her sister answers, "Hes goink to focus!"

The second cries, "Bot of us?"

Forget Nano!

Start saving to buy this little flying wonder by the year 2015 ! Truly Flying Drive!

Terrafugia has completed flight testing of the Transition POC (Proof of Concept). Introducing the Transition®. Simply land at the airport, fold your wings up and drive home.

Dancing Around A Pole

This one is too funny not to share – apparently a true story.

Please read note to teacher at the bottom!

For homework, a class in NSW were asked to draw their parents at work.

This is Jessica's drawing:

Here's the letter the teacher received the next day:

Dear Mrs. Jackson,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Bunnings* and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week after the floods hit.
I told her we sold out every single shovel we had and then I found one more in stock and several people were fighting over who would get it.
Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last shovel we had in the store.
From now on I will remember to check her homework before she hands it in.

Sincerely,
Erica Cameron

Transsexual seeks further IVF treatment after miscarriage

Ruben Noe Coronado, a 26 year old transsexual man from Spain, and his partner Esperanza Ruiz are to undertake a second round of IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment. Mr Coronado recently miscarried in the 18th week of pregnancy and lost the twins he was carrying.

Mr Coronado, born Estefania Coronado Jimenez, has been living as a man since the age of 18 when he decided to undergo gender reassignment before having his breasts surgically removed. However, Mr Coronado still has his female reproductive organs and interrupted his hormone treatments and delayed plans to have a full sex change, to become pregnant with his 43-year old partner who can no longer have children. The couple have spent years finding a IVF clinic that would treat them and finally had success with a clinic in Barcelona where they plan to have further treatment to become pregnant again.

It was discovered during a routine check-up the the twins had no heart beats and a scan showed that both of the babies had died. The doctors assessed that Mr Coronado's womb had not expanded enough for twins. They also emphasised that this was not related to testosterone injections the Mr Coronado usually administered as he had stopped taking the hormones to conceive and were no longer in his system.Mr Coronado said: 'We were devastated at losing our twins. Esperanza was desperate to be a mum and I was looking forward to being a dad'.

The couple has spent 16,000 Euros on IVF treatment but are eager to try again. Mr Coronado also said that: 'I want to help change people's prejudices, so more transsexual men can give birth in future'. Mr Coronado and Ms Ruiz are not the first transsexual couple in the public eye to have IVF treatment to become pregnant. Last year, a transsexual man in Oregon, US was photographed while pregnant with his daughter, who was then born in July 2008.

8-year lawsuit settled over US lesbians denied IVF

A lesbian couple has won a landmark case against a Californian clinic, where doctors allegedly cited their religious beliefs as grounds to refuse the couple IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment.

Guadalupe Benitez, 36, of Oceanside, and her spouse, Joanne Clark, sued doctors Douglas Fenton and Christine Brody, at North Coast Women's Medical Group in Vista for discrimination in 2001. The doctors treated Ms Benitez with fertility drugs and provided her guidance about self-insemination but allegedly told her they would not inseminate her, due to their religious objections.

The couple was, however, referred to another clinic by the North Coast doctors, which they were told would have no moral objections. Ms Benitez underwent treatment and the couple have since had three children. The discrimination case was finally settled after eight years for undisclosed sum of money. 'It's been a long, hard fight to get to this point,' Ms Benitez said following the settlement announcement, adding: 'But we know we've made a difference in the law that will help people in California and across the country.' The clinic released a statement saying it welcomed lesbian and gay patients.

Californian civil rights law prohibits discrimination in businesses which serve the public. Although the law does allow doctors the option to refuse certain medical procedures, such as abortion, if a procedure is available to the public, it must be made available to all.

The case went through a state appeals court in San Diego in 2006 which ruled in favour of the doctors. However, in 2008, the California Supreme Court barred Christian doctors denying treatment to patients on the grounds of sexual orientation. The ruling stated that the laws preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation extended to the medical profession. According to Jennifer Pizer, the lawyer for Benitez and Clark, the ruling 'shows a journey that our whole society is taking together, away from intolerance and towards inclusion.'

In the UK, the introduction of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (amending the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990) allows lesbian couples to more easily receive IVF treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Prior to this, the 'need for a father' criterion in the 1990 Act enabled some clinics to deny same-sex couples and single parents IVF treatment, through statutory interpretation. This was challenged in two legal battles earlier this year in Scotland and England. In both cases the initial decisions to deny treatment, made by NHS trusts, were overturned following threats of legal action.