Britain's Queen Victoria's stocking have sold at auction for a staggering $16,000. The black and white silk stockings, which bear the royal crest, fetched 40 times their list price when they were bought by David Alcock. Alcock, a bidder from North Wales, bought the legwear for Nottingham's Ruddington Framework Knitters' Museum - in honor of his late father-in-law Jack Smirfitt, who was a curator at the museum.

Police, with the approval of wildlife experts, have shot a black bear that accidentally stuck a plastic jug on its head when the animal strayed into the community of Frazee during the town's turkey festival. In a statement issued Wednesday, a bear expert at the Department of Natural Resources said they allowed police to kill the bear on Saturday because the animal came close to people. An estimated 1,500 people were in Frazee to celebrate Turkey Day.

Authorities in Indiana reported that a semi-trailer loaded with more than 20 tons of Hershey's chocolate had suddenly disappeared. The vehicle disappeared 24 hours after driver Daryl Rey parked it at the Gas City truck stop, after picking up the haul near St. Louis. He discovered that the 53-foot trailer, and all the chocolate, were gone when he returned the next morning.

A transgendered male in Oregon is 22 weeks pregnant. Thomas Beatie only had chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy, but did not have his female reproductive organs changed. Following his sex reassignment, Beatie was legally able to register himself as a male and even married Nancy. But because of Nancy's severe endemetriosis and hysterectomy, she could not bear a child over 10 years of marriage to Thomas.

A Canadian baby is born every minute and 29 seconds, while a Canadian passes away every two minutes and 29 seconds. Given this trend of birth and deaths, Canada's population is expected to hit 33. 3 million by July 2008. For the Action Democratique du Quebec, the country's natural birth rate is not growing fast enough to spare the province from becoming a gray one. ACT believes a faster pace of economic growth can be achieved by Quebec if their women have more babies. ACT is suggesting at least two children per Quebec woman.