And you should see the cool accessories

A doll in honor of the Pope has gone on sale in Germany.

The 16-inch collectible version of 78-year-old Pope Benedict XVI (above) costs $169.

It has moveable arms and legs for emulating the Pope's wave and even wears the full papal apparel.

Only 999 of the limited edition dolls will be sold by toy makers Schildkroet.

Source: www.ananova.com

You may have to find a quick way to buff up

Summer will get here eventually. To help you prepare, here are some beach facts:

- Year a man first braved the beaches in a Speedo: 1929

- Number of men who've had their trunks yanked down by a wave: two in seven

- Month the average guy begins buffing up for the beach: April

- What bugs the average guy most about the beach: trying to remove all the sand afterward

- Average diameter of a grain of beach sand: .0008 inch

- Height of the world's tallest sand castle: 29.25 feet

- Amount of sand used for it: 900,000 pounds

- Of a shark and a hamster, the animal the average guy is more likely to be attacked by in his lifetime: hamster

- Average number of workdays missed due to sunburn: two

- Number of men who say they have what it takes to do a lifeguard's job: one in two

- Percentage of people who fail the lifeguard test: 10

Source: Men's Health

Maybe this explains the Bee Gees

Neanderthals had high-pitched singing voices.

Source: www.oregonlive.com/edge/

And he looks so cute in the little flak vest

The police department in Mesa, Ariz., requested a $100,000 federal grant to buy and train a capuchin monkey for its SWAT team. Capuchins are now used as assistance animals for the disabled and can be taught to fetch things off of shelves and the police want to see if one can be trained to unlock doors and search buildings on command. The Pentagon's visionary research agency, DARPA, is considering the proposal.

Source: www.newsoftheweird.com

To contact The Rail, send an e-mail to features reporter Tom Pantera at tpantera@forumcomm.com and he'll forward it to the writers.

Today's best bet

Ladies of the Night Book Group, book discussed will be Lolly Winston's "Good Grief," about a 36-year-old who loses not only her husband, but her job and waistline

7 p.m.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Fargo (701) 281-3462