Etc...

Runaway ambition

A young trainee firefighter was just a bit too eager for the job. There he was, first time behind the wheel, speeding through the streets of Zurich, Switzerland, sirens blaring. The problem? The fire engine was stolen, the young man didn't have a license, and the sirens came from two police cars in hot pursuit. The chase, and most likely the young man's career in that field, ended in a crash at a traffic light. No serious injuries were reported.

Remember Keiko the killer whale, star of the 1993 film "Free Willy?" Well, getting free for real hasn't been easy, but scientists are reporting progress. Four years after being returned to the south coast of Iceland from 20 years in captivity, Keiko was released into the open ocean near a pod of wild whales early last month, only to return to a feeding pen four days later. A second attempt had more success. "Keiko has become more interested in the ocean and other orcas than human beings. That is a very important factor for returning him to the wild," said Hallur Hallsson of the Ocean Futures Society, which is keeping tabs on Keiko via two tracking devices on his fin.

1960's rock icon Jimi Hendrix was voted greatest guitarist of all time in a poll by British magazine Total Guitar. Readers chose "the fastest, loudest, most exciting players," said editor Scott Rowley. As to why no women made the top 100, he ventured, "Women just aren't as geeky or competitive about it as guys." The top 10 players, and their bands, on the Total Guitar list:

1. Jimi Hendrix (deceased)
2. Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin
3. Eric Clapton
4. Slash, Guns N' Roses
5. Brian May, Queen
6. Joe Satriani
7. Eddie Van Halen, Van Halen
8. Dave Gilmour, Pink Floyd
9. Kirk Hammett, Metallica
10. Steve Vai
– Associated Press