Police officers rushed to the scene only to discover that the flashing light was actually a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer advert suction-cupped to the hotel restaurant's window.

No one was harmed by the unusual ad and guests were let back into the hotel an hour later.

High-seas adventure

A 40-year-old daredevil water skier in Kiel Harbour, Germany, had a whale of a time while riding behind a cruise ship.

Dirk Gion was pulled by the 175-metre MS Deutschland cruiser at 30 kilometres per hour, with his joyride lasting five minutes before a wave flipped him over.

Look up 'freakazoid'

"Seinfeld" may be gone but its language lives on in the "Oxford English Dictionary".

The word nerds have decreed "yada yada" is officially part of the English language - but say it actually dates back to 1967 when comedian Lenny Bruce used it on stage.

Other words making the cut include "Macarena", "kazoo", "freakazoid" and "pissing contest".

Anything for the perfect photo

It pays not to get Grandpa's goat when he's trying to force his granddaughter into a photo-op with an elk. Police in Colorado have charged a 63-year-old man for child abuse and assault after he positioned his six-year-old granddaughter near a herd of calving elk - and then hit a female bystander who yelled at him not to do it.

Gourmet hamburger

A hamburger at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Florida, has taken the meaning of  "Grade A Beef" to a whole new level. The restaurant has put a $100 (Bt3,800) burger on its menu and claims the tasty treat is the "Beluga caviar of sandwiches". The burger is served with champagne and has already been ordered by rock stars like former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth.

No word yet on the cost of the fries to go with the burger.

Domesticated burglar nabbed

Burglarising trailers is hard work for a man in Panama City, Florida. Police have arrested Michael Carl Lindsey for breaking into two trailers in order to eat, watch television, take a shower and then a nap.

It sounds like a perfect crime but Lindsey was arrested because he left his wallet at the scene of his crime.

Go ahead and live dangerously

Trying your best to do what's right by eating properly, not having one-night stands or drinking too much? You'll regret it in the end.

Researchers from the Columbia Business School in the US say that when people are close to death, they're more likely to regret their virtues than their vices.

Message from the past

How's this for weird: A man in Wisconsin was hanging out at a lake with some friends when he found a bottle floating the water. Breaking it open, he discovered a letter written 11 years ago by one of his closest friends who died last year.

The message in the bottle was written for a school project and reads: "My name is Josh Baker. I am 10. If you find this, put it on the news. The date is 16/4/95." Lieder plans to give the note to the deceased man's mother.

Ham in Rye

Police in the US state of New Hampshire are warning beach goers that there's a notorious flasher roaming near the city of Rye.

The self-exposer is described by witnesses as a white male about 55 years old with a chubby grey-haired belly. He is rumoured to use his underwear to mask his face as he bares it all.