A grave error, indeed, that costs cemetery $25m

Two sisters from Linden, New Jersey, are suing a cemetery for emotional distress after they found out that what they thought was their mother’s grave actually contained the remains of a stranger. Evelyn and Hortense Edwards discovered that their mother had been buried in the wrong plot after complaining to the cemetery that the grave, which they have visited regularly for the last two decades, was falling into disrepair. An employee looked up the plot in question, only for the records to show that in fact, a man had been buried there. The two are seeking $25 million in damages; their lawyer says that that error caused the sisters to have “visited the wrong gravesite, sought comfort from the wrong grave, laid flowers on the wrong grave, (and) prayed and had confidential conversations at the wrong grave.”

You’re maxed out when you’re dead

Still on that macabre topic, being dead can send your credit rating underground, as Wrenella Pierre found out when her bank declared her dead. Now, after eight months of trying to convince her bank she was actually very much alive, bank executives say they’re “looking into it.” Pierre has sued JPMorgan Chase, saying the bank has ruined her credit rating and hampered her ability to refinance her home. She and her husband built a house in Florida in 2007 and had two mortgages totalling $460,000 from Chase. When the value of her home declined, she tried to adjust her mortgage. Later, she found out why she was unsuccessful — Chase had reported her dead to several different credit agencies. Pierre went to the bank to let them know, in person, that she was still alive, but months later, credit-reporting agencies were still reporting that she was dead.

Ouch, ooh, stop – the ‘tickle spa’ is here

Beauty and relaxation treatments have evolved from mud baths and facials, to water massages and hot stone treatments, and now, a new establishment in Spain that claims it’s the world’s first “tickle spa.” That may sound more like torture than pampering, but the place has already built a steady roster of clients, many of whom book weekly appointments since it opened in December. The spa is the brainchild of Isabel Aires, a public-relations specialist who is herself a tickling enthusiast. Aires says has received inquiries about her spa from as far away as Latin America and Russia, and has started the process of setting up franchises.

Elephants remember… the time of the last bus

In Germany, two elephants surprised passersby and police by escaping the circus they were travelling with and showing up at a bus stop during a brief bid for freedom, officials in Hanover said. Dunia, a 40-year-old Indian elephant, and Daela, a 25-year-old African elephant, were apprehended by police over the weekend nonchalantly nibbling on tree leaves. Police officials said that the two were “looking as if they were waiting for the bus.”

Do the dance, down home in Ghana, feat Asamoah Gyan

Everybody thinks they can be a musician: Many actors, models and sportspeople have launched unsuccessful music careers — think Tyra Banks, or Shaquille O’Neal. But Asamoah Gyan, who is not only a star footballer but a celebrated rapper in Ghana, has dismissed fears that his love of music will damage his chances of success in football. The Sunderland and Ghana striker is deeply involved in the local music scene in his country, featuring in a number of hit songs. “Many European players play golf in their leisure time,” said Gyan. “I choose to record music.” His latest duet with musician Castro — Do the Dance — is climbing up the music charts. Despite his relative success as a recording artist, Antony Yeboah and Felix Aboagye, two former Black Stars strikers, are concerned that Gyan’s musical interest might affect his concentration on his job in football.