"Residents of Constanta in eastern Romania found dozens of dead starlings on the outskirts of the city on Saturday. They alerted authorities, fearing the birds had died from avian flu. But local veterinary officials decided the starlings had died after eating grape 'marc'—the leftovers from the wine-making process. The head of the local sanitary and veterinary authority, Dvsva, told news agency Agerpres that analysis of the starlings' gizzards showed they had died from alcohol poisoning." —Killing birds: fireworks, car crashes, alcohol. It's not divine retribution. The birds are just American teenagers.

Der Spiegel takes a look back at Romania's 1989 revolution and talks to some of the key players responsible for the executions of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu. Fascinating stuff.