A man accused of having sex with two inflatable dolls in a Publix parking lot won't get jail time. A judge sentenced him to six months' probation last Thursday.

George J. Bartusek Jr., 51, pled no contest, and Lee County Judge John Duryea found him guilty of misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace and trespassing, Fort Myers' News-Press reported.

An Iranian-American author's experience of dying temporarily after drinking cobra venom has inspired him to co-write a book on inner peace.

Jamshid Hosseini voluntarily drank a concoction of tea and milk laced with cobra venom and "he literally died for several minutes and then recovered," according to reports surrounding the book.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday appointed Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of his strongest supporters, as ambassador to Ireland. The announcement coincides with ceremonies and meetings between Obama and Irish officials to mark St. Patrick's Day.

"I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people. Dan Rooney is an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture, and education, and I have every confidence that he and Secretary Clinton will ensure America's continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead," Obama said in a statement.

From centers of conflict from the 1970s to the early 1990s, four communities in Sitio Alimodian in Barangay (village) Banayal in Tulunan town, Cotabato in southern Philippines on Monday celebrate 17 years as "sanctuary of peace."

The town of Tulunan used to be the frequent site of fighting between government security forces and communist rebels, the New People's Army until the 1990s. The town gained international notoriety in the 1980s when a leader of a civilian paramilitary cult cannibalized Italian missionary Tulio Favali.

There will be no room in Bethlehem for Christmas 2008. But the lack of vacant accommodations are not meant for the city's most famous birthday celebrant, but tourists because of the tourism boom enjoyed by the Palestinian city.

All 3,000 rooms in Bethlehem have been fully booked for the Yuletide holiday, said Samir Hazboun, chairman of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry. About 250,000 tourists are expected to arrive in Bethlehem on Christmas week, up from only 65,000 for the same week in 2007.