Hollister, MO (WFN) -- A Hollister, Missouri, judge is seeking compensation from the Miller Brewing Company after finding a dead mouse in a bottle of brew. Judge Randy Anglen finished the beer before he spotted the rodent and says he was so distraught he screamed and dropped to the ground, holding his head in his hands. According to "The News Leader," Anglen wants the beer company to pay him an undecided amount for the "emotional trauma" of his ick-inducing brew swill.

ADELAIDE, Australia -- An Australian scientist is trying to recruit the public to alert researchers as to the whereabouts of "cross-dressing" cuttlefish off the coast of South Australia. Dr. Bronwyn Gillanders wants to observe the unusual mating ritual where smaller male fish change their color to resemble female fish so they can mate without being chased off by larger more dominant male cuttlefish.

LOS ANGELES -- "Playboy" is giving "Sports Illustrated" a run for its money by publishing its own first-ever Playmate Swimsuit Calendar for 2005. The 16-month calendar features sexy playmates posing on the grounds of the Playboy Mansion as well as a history of the house that Hef built and a DVD documentary, "Playmates at Play," about the making of the calendar.

WHITESTONE, N.Y. -- While editors at "The New York Post" are drowning their sorrows over bungling the announcement of John Kerry's vice-presidential candidate, the makers of VitaminWater, a fortified beverage, are drowning the editors with a free truckload of their "Focus" strawberry-kiwi-flavored water. In addition, any New Yorker who sends in the front page of yesterday's "Post" -- which announced Kerry chose Dick Gephardt as a running mate -- will receive a free bottle of the supposedly brain-boosting water.

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More Weird News From 2004-07-07 The day's offbeat stories from around the world. • Blindfolded, Driving Magician Arrives In L.A. On Time • Flash Lites: Rip 'N' Read Pop Culture Recap • Yellow Is The New Black • Spider-Man and Harry Potter Take The Cake At Kids Birthday Parties • Patients In A Lather Over Doctors' Hand-Washing Habits • Elvis Is Still King Of Singing Moves • Battle Of Sportscaster Brewing In New York • Andy Dick Lives Up To His Name On Reality Show • John Kerry To Run On A New Bill • Farts Are Art • Around The Weird: Bizarre News Briefs   « Current Weird News Stories