Welcome to Alaska, and more

Welcome to Alaska

A motorist who was relocating to Alaska drove off a ferry in his new home state and made a sharp right turn, as his GPS directed. Unfortunately, the right turn led to a boat ramp in the harbor. “I looked over and there was a car in the water, and it was sinking,” said Elizabeth Dernbach, a coffee shop owner. A passerby jumped in the water, smashed open a window, and helped the unnamed driver escape. “He was unfamiliar with the area is the only answer I have for you,” said a police spokesman.

China's no tan face-kini

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The latest beach accessory in China is the “face-kini”—a full head mask that ensures that wearers go home without any trace of a tan. In China, darker skin has traditionally been associated with outdoor labor, while pale skin indicates aristocratic status, so the new mask is proving to be popular. The face-kini’s manufacturer promises that the face-kini will not only keep beachgoers pale, but also protect them from “insects and jellyfish.”

Minnesota hiker meets friendly black bear

A Minnesota man napping on a hiking trail awoke to find a large black bear looming over him and licking his face. John Steitz, 26, says he was dreaming that a playful dog was licking him. “I opened my eyes, and there was a bear on top of me with its face in my face,” Steitz said. “I kind of opened my eyes and gave a, ‘What-the-expletive?’” When he and his hiking partner jumped up and began banging pans, the bear ambled off, and a shaken Steitz checked himself for damage. “Not a scratch,” he said.