Buddy, a 6-year-old German shepherd mix, wandered into the emergency room at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Bellflower, Calif., in October after having just been hit by a car, and he resisted efforts to remove him, apparently waiting until someone attended to his injured hind leg (which turned out to be broken), according to local animal control officials interviewed by the Whittier Daily News. Owner Fabian Ortega was called (by virtue of Buddy's implanted microchip), and a vet fixed him up. [KNBC-TV (Los Angeles), 10-5-06]

A New York man, blinded in his right eye 64 years ago, can see again after being headbutted by a racehorse.

Second World War veteran Don Karkos, 82, lost the sight of his right eye when he was hit by shrapnel in combat.

Doctors tried in vain to restore his eyesight but nothing worked until pedigree racehorse My Buddy Chimo stepped in.

Hours after the horse smacked the paddock security guard in exactly the same spot as the shrapnel gashed his forehead in 1942, he realised his vision was returning.

"I was putting a collar around his chest, and he whacked me real hard with his head," Mr Karkos told the New York Daily News.

"Being kicked is part of the job, but I've never been hit that hard. I was pretty shaken up, kind of dazed. Then, later that night, I started to get the vision back in my right eye.

"It was unbelievable. I've been seeing doctors all my life, and they've always told me there is nothing can be done."

Although his vision is still not perfect, Mr Karkos has been able to see about 15ft with his damaged eye since the incident at the Monticello Raceway racecourse in New York state.

Mr Karkos said he was now very grateful for the headbutt: "I'm on very good terms with that horse now, and he gets special care from me," he said.

Dr Douglas Lozzaro, head of ophthalmology at Long Island College Hospital, said the blow could have knocked a dislocated lens back into place.

Age and Womanhood
1. Between the ages of 13 and 18, she is like Africa, virgin and unexplored.

2. Between the ages of 19 and 35, she is like Asia, hot and exotic.

3. Between the ages of 36 and 45, she is like America, fully explored, breathtakingly beautiful, and free with her resources.

4. Between the ages of 46 and 56, she is like Europe, exhausted but still has points of interest.

5. After 56 she is like Australia, everybody knows it's down there, but few are brave enough to venture.

Age and Manhood
1. Between 16 and 26:
Tri-weekly

2. Between 27 and 46:
Try weekly

3. Over 47:
Try weakly

Les Triades des Anglais (1572)

"In all four corners of the earth, one of these three names is given to him who steals from his neighbour... Brigand, Robber or Englishman."

Duncan Spaeth (1868-1954)

"I know why the sun never sets on the British Empire: God would never trust an Englishman in the dark."

D. H. Lawrence

"The English people are surely the nicest people in the world, and everyone makes everything so easy for everybody else, that there is almost nothing to resist at all."

P. J. O’Rourke

"Mortar fire is to be preferred, of course, to British sports fans."

Samuel Pepys

"But Lord! To see the absurd nature of Englishmen, that cannot forbear laughing and jeering at everything that looks strange."

Wearable Dog House
US Patent Issued In 1994

Hey, feeling a bit lonely, need some attention? Well you'll get all the attention you need when you walk through any public place sporting the new, uber attractive Wearable Dog House! It's designed so you can bring your pet to any function and enjoy your dog's company while keeping both hands free for.... whatever. The inventor suggests the WDH's air permeable construction will allow Fido "to view outside events and experience the textures of the outdoors in safety and comfort".