The University of Berkeley hosts a unique pair of college students, Mayumi and Charles Pierce. The two are juniors at the University of California, Berkeley, at an age when most kids are nervous about starting high school. Mayumi is 14; her younger brother 13.

The University of Berkeley hosts a unique pair of college students, Mayumi and Charles Pierce. The two are juniors at the University of California, Berkeley, at an age when most kids are nervous about starting high school. Mayumi is 14; her younger brother 13.

The internationally known mascot of the McDonald's fast food chain is undergoing an "extreme makeover" in Japan. Ronald McDonald is being replaced by a woman sporting a bikini and high heels. The change is part of a global effort by McDonald's to promote healthy living and to emphasize other products rather than burgers and chips.

Talk about gonzo journalism. Producers say a field reporter for a Dutch television talk show plans to use heroin and other illegal drugs on the air during a weekly program on issues concerning young people. "Shoot Up and Swallow," which is scheduled to premiere as a late-night show Oct. 10, has sparked an outcry in the infamously liberal Netherlands, where marijuana is sold and used openly. The proposed drug use by reporter Filemon Wesselink, however, is illegal.

A man claiming to be wrangler Jay Young, who had been hired by the city, told several media outlets, including The Associated Press, he had caught the 7-foot alligator, "Reggie," overnight. Ron Berkowitz, the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks superintendent, who supervises the area that includes the lake says, "To the best of my knowledge and all the reports I have received this morning, it was a hoax. I called the zoo to verify and the gator is not there. "