Almost 50 people reportedly lost their sight after staring at the sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rumored image of the Virgin Mary. Officials of India's Kottayam district reported a total of 48 individuals experiencing the condition, after medical examinations determined that their retinas were burned from staring at the sun. The cases had reportedly been constantly coming in since Friday last week.

No less than Pope Benedict XVI admitted that soccer (football) plays an important role in teaching young people the important lessons of life. The Pope said the game could teach youngsters about honesty, solidarity and fraternity, as these are important factors in any football team.

Beginning January 2, the city of Reeves, Louisiana will no longer carry the mark of the beast. After 40 years of carrying a stigma for having the number 666 as its area code, Reeves starts 2008 with a new code; 749. Mayor Scott Walker made changing the city's area code a personal crusade after he got tired of receiving admonitions from friends and strangers to drop the number linked to the Devil. He made representations with the local phone company CenturyTel and the state Public Service Commission to amend the city's area code.

A man in his 20's and wearing a Santa Claus hat and a scarf robbed a bank in Londonberry, New Hampshire taking away an undetermined amount of cash on Tuesday. Londonberry police are investigating the 5:00 p. m. robbery at St. Mary's Bank in Nashua Road and are gathering evidence that will lead them to the suspect.

An English toy company has manufactured dolls that resemble teddy bears and other plush toys, as road kill. The dolls feature the complete gory image, including eyes popped out, and guts spilled.