[Tokyo, December 22. Image via Getty.]

Children enjoy the HD (high-definition) image of a polar bear at Asahiyawa Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, during a press preview at Sony Building in Tokyo's shopping district of Ginza on December 22,
2009. Visitors will be able to watch the 3D (three dimensions) HD images of amimals at the Japan's northernmost zoo from today until January 17. AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU
YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

[Rotterdam, December 20. Image via Getty.]

A polar bear enjoys a roll in the snow in Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, on December 20, 2009. Only the arctic animals in the zoo came outdoors to feel at home. AFP PHOTO: MARTEN VAN DIJL netherlands out - belgium out (Photo credit should read Marten van Dijl/AFP/Getty Images)

Thomas Doerflein, who worked at the Berlin Zoo and was known as the famous cub's surrogate father, died at 44 of a heart attack in September. The sale of his belongings has brought in 7,000 euros ($9,748) so far, and includes the sleeping bag Doerflein used while caring for Knut round the clock and his 10-year-old car. Doerflein's former fiance condemned the sale as "tasteless." His 18-year-old son reportedly needed money to buy his father's tombstone and care for his grave. [Reuters]

• A woman in central Sweden was convicted of drunk driving on Thursday after she drove with one eyed close to counteract intoxicated double vision. • A woman born through artificial insemination is challenging a Canadian law that protects the identities of anonymous sperm and egg donors so she can determine the identity of her biological father. • The life expectancy gap between men and women in the UK has narrowed over the past 20 years. • Today, the Vatican suggested that candidates for the Catholic priesthood should undergo psychological tests to weed out possible gays and heterosexuals who would not be able to resist their sexual urges. • Some Egyptians were shocked when a middle-aged Egyptian couple were arrested for organizing a secret swingers club on the internet. • Doctors are now offering eyebrow transplants to the overplucked. • An 82-year-old man in Kentucky was arrested last week for trading OxyContin to two young women in exchange for sexual favors and trafficking a controlled substance. • Zero, the polar bear who has been trapped in a moat in the Milwaukee County Zoo since October 13, has finally been rescued. • A controversial anti-pornography bill has been passed by Indonesia's parliament. • A miffed pelican on an exotic bird farm in Germany tried to eat a dog that stole its meal. • An Etsy seller is selling two original paintings of Harold and Maude from the film Harold and Maude for $370. • A Texas Samaritan decided to buy a woman's house for her at a foreclosure auction on Saturday. •

• U.S. researchers announced on Saturday that an "aggressive effort" to vaccinate older women against cervical cancer would help lower cancer rates dramatically. • A recent study found that women with disabilities are more likely to report some form of domestic violence than women without them. • An elderly Chinese couple got married after they met each other online. • HBO has created a licensing agreement with Vesuvio Import Company to create Sopranos Wine, a line of Italian wines ranging from $11.99 to $29.99. • Emo animals' hair is everywhere. • Australian researchers say that playing the trumpet, eye rubbing, sleeping face down and doing yoga headstands can lead to pressure spikes in eyes which can become eye risks for people with short-sightedness and glaucoma. • The Trade and Ethical Council Against Sexism in Advertising in Sweden has condemned Lego for promoting gender stereotypes in its catalog. • Meanwhile, a British man who is obsessed with Legos recently got engaged. He says he "never thought he'd find a girl [he loves] as much as Lego." • A new survey has found that the birth control pill remains to most popular form of contraception for women in England. • About 30% of women experience some hair loss in their lifetime but they should steer clear of Propecia, which works on testosterone and has not been tested for women. • Suzan-Lori Parks, author of Topdog/Underdog, will become the first playwright to fill the Public Theater's Master Writer Chair since the position was launched three years ago.•

[Image via Linkinn.]

• Scientists around the world are working on new male contraceptive techniques one of which involves a remote-controlled sperm valve that can turn off sperm flow at the push of a button. • From today until October 10 a carnival will be held in Nigeria where "bachelor catchers" parade a bachelor around a village in a noose in order to encourage young men to marry. • The Guatemalan government has announced a five-month program to provide some 15,000 lay midwives proper training to avoid preventable childbirth deaths. • A new study from England says that women who are undergoing fertility treatments can increase their chances of having children if they undergo acupuncture during the embryo transfer as part of their regular fertility treatment. • The annulling of a French marriage in 2006 based on the fact that the wife lied about her virginity is currently being appealed because the court decided that a woman's virginity was an "essential quality" and therefore grounds for annulment. • Historians and economists believe that "witch-hunts" tend to occur when times get tough as evidenced by Western history and current persecution of "witches" around the world. • The Japanese Defense Ministry decided today to lift gender restrictions aboard destroyers for female members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. • An English woman kept a baby hare alive by storing the little fluffball in her bra to keep it warm and feeding the hare baby formula with a syringe. • A pair of cloistered nuns in Spain are the country's newest celebrity chefs with a hybrid reality show and cooking show called Taste of Heaven. • A new rapid test for HPV, careHPV, may be able to help stop cervical cancer for some women in rural villages worldwide. • The Indian government's decision to review the Anti-Dowry Act has been criticized by women's organizations who want the Act to be strengthened instead of dissolved or relaxed. • Okay, so we have been entranced for the past hour by this cute video of a kitty playing "red light, green light" with a camera. Whatevs, it's cute! •

[Photo via Getty.]

[Image via AP.]

A polar bear reacts after being presented an ice block planted with apples at a zoo in Osaka, western Japan. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

[Germany, January 8. Image via AP.]

• Are Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon having a baby???? A little Gyllenspoon??? [TheBosh.com]
  
• John Mayer and Jessica Simpson are really broken up now. No, really. [People]
  
• You're most likely to get a computer virus by entering "Britney Spears" into your search engine. On a related note, we're too tired to make the inevitable joke about it. [E!]

• Media outlets other than ours also seem to be feeling the internal strife yielded by the release of Knocked Up. [NYMag]
• Best out of context quote we've heard all day? Gisele Bundchen, "Show me a virgin!" [Reuters]
• The latest debate seizing our country? When kids should be allowed to pee. [USA Today]
• Sorry, New Zealand, we beg to differ: Polar bear Knut is still fucking cute. [Stuff.co.nz]
• Cow-moo ringtones are being used to catch leopards in India. We're not entirely sure what this means, but we're intrigued to know how we can get a cow's moo to be our ringtone too. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/06/05/leopards.ringtones.reut/index.html?eref=rss_space">CNN.com]
• Scooter Libby got sentenced to 30 months in the big house. (In case you need help with the math, that's like 30 times longer than Paris Hilton will be there.) Consider yourself warned, Cheney. [CNN.com]