Author Topic: Weird stories thread (Read 197206 times)

SP · « **Reply #280 on:** June 4, 2009, 12:05:49 pm »

Quote

Liverpool Legend: Fletcher had an amazing season

Author: Ben Moss
Posted on: 04 June 2009 - 11:33
Category: Football

Former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, currently playing in Serie A with Roma, has paid tribute to Manchester United’s industrious midfielder Darren Fletcher.

Ahead of Norway’s Group 9 clash with Scotland, Riise told the Daily Record: “Fletcher had an excellent season. I was amazed by his performances,”

He added: “My team-mates at Roma said to me they’d never seen so much energy from one player as they did in Fletcher in the two Champions League semi-final games against Arsenal.”

Riise suggested that Fletcher’s unfortunate absence, having picked up a debatable red card against Arsenal in the semi-final, made a huge difference in the Champions League final against Barcelona.

He added: “He was missed in that final.”

John Arne Riise played close to 250 games for Liverpool before making a $4 million move to Roma last June.

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/20965/Liverpool_Legend_Fletcher_had_an_amazing_season.aspx

WTF?

RigBon1892 · « **Reply #281 on:** June 4, 2009, 12:11:27 pm »

I dont even know where to begin with that headline

exiledintheUSA · « **Reply #282 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:11:43 pm »

Quote from: Wilbur on March 31, 2009, 01:12:02 am

SALT LAKE CITY – Police said a customer fired one or two shots into a Salt Lake City McDonald's after the driver of the car he was in was told the restaurant was not serving lunch yet. Police said the female driver of a white Dodge Intrepid pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered from the lunch menu early Sunday but was told only breakfast was available.

Police said two men then got out of the car and one pulled a sawed-off shotgun from the trunk, shooting into the drive-thru window once or twice, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday. No one was injured.

The car then left the scene.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090330/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mcdonald_s_shooting_1

Moral of the story is - Don't get in the way of a fat American and his Big Mac.

RigBon1892 · « **Reply #283 on:** July 10, 2009, 08:15:35 pm »

Saw this one on RTE news last night

Tree stump draws believers to Limerick
Friday, 10 July 2009 17:03
Hundreds of people have been gathering to pay their respects to what they believe is an image of the Virgin Mary in a tree stump in Co Limerick.

There have been nightly vigils in the grounds of Holy Mary Parish Church in Rathkeale after workers spotted the similarities while cutting down trees.

Those visiting the site believe it depicts an image of the Virgin Mary and believers have come in their hundreds to pray and light candles.

AdvertisementA spokesman for the Limerick diocesan office said the 'Church's response to phenomena of this type is one of great scepticism.'

'While we do not wish in any way to detract from devotion to Our Lady, we would also wish to avoid anything which might lead to superstition,' said Fr Paul Finnerty.

Rathkeale Community Council Graveyard Committee chairman Noel White said workmen sprucing up the church land saw the image when they cut the tree.

'One of the lads said look, our Blessed Lady in the tree,' Mr White said. 'One of the other lads looked over and actually knelt down and blessed himself, he got such a shock.'

'It was the perfect shape of the figure of Our Lady holding the baby,' he said.

Now thousands have signed a petition to try to keep the stump in the grounds permanently.

However not everybody is convinced.

'It's only a tree' said local parish priest Father Willie Russell.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0710/limerick.html

kavah · « **Reply #284 on:** July 10, 2009, 11:54:15 pm »

Quote from: jeffiner1892 on July 10, 2009, 08:15:35 pm

Saw this one on RTE news last night

Tree stump draws believers to Limerick

However not everybody is convinced.

'It's only a tree' said local parish priest Father Willie Russell.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0710/limerick.html

Corkboy · « **Reply #285 on:** July 11, 2009, 01:27:30 pm »

Quote from: kavah on July 10, 2009, 11:54:15 pm

One local priest was quoted as saying that he didn't want people falling prey to superstition, which I thought was deliciously ironic, coming from a priest.

TipTopKop · « **Reply #286 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:09:55 pm »

Yahoo News
Blumenthal-Style Chef Blows Off His Hands
A German chef has blown off his hands while experimenting with a Heston Blumenthal-style cooking technique.

The man, identified only as Martin E, was working on a recipe involving liquid nitrogen when there was "a huge explosion", according to the Berliner Morgenpost.

One of the 24-year-old's hands was instantly torn off by the force of the blast, while the other was later amputated in hospital.

The explosion happened at his girlfriend's mother's house in Stahnsdorf, near Berlin, where both women escaped without injury.

The chef, a follower of "molecular gastronomy", had disappeared into the bathroom with a bottle of liquid nitrogen.

He reportedly said afterwards he had been trying to fill a gas lighter but his 16-year-old girlfriend said he was attempting to empty the bottle.

The young woman called the emergency services, who decided to airlift the chef to hospital in a helicopter.

Liquid nitrogen is pure nitrogen at a very low temperature, which must be stored in special containers.

Its low boiling point, at -196C, means it can cause frostbite in humans upon contact while it can also generate an explosion if the liquid is vaporised into gas too quickly.

Cooking with liquid nitrogen was made famous by Blumenthal, the celebrity chef known for his scientific approach in the kitchen.

Diners at his restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, are treated to a green tea and lime mousse poached at their table in the substance.

Blumenthal also used liquid nitrogen to attempt to break the world record for making ice cream by using it as a coolant.

I'm sorry but

BoRed · « **Reply #287 on:** July 15, 2009, 08:59:45 am »

Botched bouquet toss causes plane crash in Italy

Isidoro Pensieri threw bouquet from plane but flowers flew into engine causing an explosion and landing him in hospital

* John Hooper in Rome
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 July 2009 18.30 BST

Of all wedding customs, the bouquet toss is arguably the most controversial. Described on marthastewart.com as the "suspenseful moment when the single women gather behind the bride - to see who will be the next to get married", it is scarcely a favourite with feminists.

No one, though, has argued it could prompt life-threatening injuries. Until now.

Isidoro Pensieri, 44, was today recovering at a hospital in Pisa from serious facial and head injuries and two broken legs, sustained when the ultra-light aircraft in which he was travelling crashed near a restaurant at which a wedding reception was being held.

Martha Stewart recommends that to "get the blossoms to the wallflowers", the bride should stand "on a balcony, the top of a staircase or a chair". But at this particular wedding in the Tuscan countryside, it was decided to make what proved to be an imprudent break with tradition.

Pensieri was entrusted with the bouquet so that he could cast it dashingly into the outstretched arms of the unmarried female guests as the plane swooped by.

According to Italian news agency reports, however, the flowers disappeared into the tail rotor, causing an explosion in the motor and pitching the ultra-light into a dive. After just missing a hostel in which some 50 young people were gathered, the aircraft plunged to earth in a wood.

The pilot, 61 year-old Luciano Nannelli, escaped unhurt from the crash, which happened near the town of Suvereto, near Livorno.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/14/italy-wedding-bouquet-airplane

TipTopKop · « **Reply #288 on:** July 15, 2009, 11:39:22 am »

Quote from: BoRed on July 15, 2009, 08:59:45 am

Botched bouquet toss causes plane crash in Italy

Saw that in the news as well

miracle how no-one died, but pure comedy !

Party Phil · « **Reply #289 on:** July 15, 2009, 09:40:37 pm »

and I thought my overdraft was bad...

US smoker chokes on cost of habit

A man in the United States popped out to his local petrol station to buy a pack of cigarettes - only to find his card charged $23,148,855,308,184,500.

That is $23 quadrillion (£14 quadrillion) - many times the US national debt.

"I thought somebody had bought Europe with my credit card," said Josh Muszynski, from New Hampshire.

He says his appeals to his bank first met with little understanding, though it eventually corrected the error.

It also waived the usual $15 overdraft fee.

"It was all back to normal," Mr Muszynski told his local television station, WMUR. "They reversed the negative balance fee, which was nice."

Debt crisis

His nightmare began when he checked his online bank account a few hours after buying the cigarettes.

He thought he would be a couple of hundred dollars in the black. But his overdraft had pushed him into the red - by an amount equivalent to many times the entire US national debt.

"It is a lot of money in the negative," he said. "Something I could never, ever, afford to pay back

"My children could not afford it, grandchildren, nothing like that."

In panic, Mr Muszynski rushed back to the petrol station, but they were unable to help. He says he then spent two hours on the phone with the Bank of America.

Eventually, it assured him it would be fixed - and the next morning, it had been.

But no-one has yet explained to Mr Muszynski how such a astonishing error could have been made.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8152278.stm

Wilbur · « **Reply #290 on:** July 23, 2009, 03:33:48 pm »

"A man plotted to kill his adoptive parents with the help of a friend he met on the internet, a court has heard.
Christopher Monks, 24, wanted Shaun Skarnes to murder his parents Christopher and Elizabeth Monks while they slept and then perform an extreme sex act on him, Preston Crown Court was told."

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Son-39in-plot-to-kill.5477291.jp

Yikes.

Corkboy · « **Reply #291 on:** August 7, 2009, 02:12:08 pm »

Only Black man in Spanish ID Parade Freed

Henry Osagiede, whom the Madrid High Court had convicted to ten years in prison in July 2008 for allegedly sexually assaulting two women and committing a robbery in May 2005 because it was revealed that he was picked at an identity parade where he was the only black person present.

The Spanish Supreme Court has absolved a Nigerian man, Henry Osagiede, whom the Madrid High Court had convicted to ten years in prison in July 2008 for allegedly sexually assaulting two women and committing a robbery in May 2005 because it was revealed that he was picked at an identity parade where he was the only black person present.

Although the Nigerian was convicted on the strength of other evidence produced by the prosecution, the Supreme Court has overturned the ruling as the identification of the suspect was used a key evidence in securing their
conviction and the burden of proof lies on the prosecution not the defendant.

Source

El Campeador · « **Reply #292 on:** August 7, 2009, 02:14:48 pm »

Quote from: corkboy on August 7, 2009, 02:12:08 pm

Only Black man in Spanish ID Parade Freed

Henry Osagiede, whom the Madrid High Court had convicted to ten years in prison in July 2008 for allegedly sexually assaulting two women and committing a robbery in May 2005 because it was revealed that he was picked at an identity parade where he was the only black person present.

The Spanish Supreme Court has absolved a Nigerian man, Henry Osagiede, whom the Madrid High Court had convicted to ten years in prison in July 2008 for allegedly sexually assaulting two women and committing a robbery in May 2005 because it was revealed that he was picked at an identity parade where he was the only black person present.

Although the Nigerian was convicted on the strength of other evidence produced by the prosecution, the Supreme Court has overturned the ruling as the identification of the suspect was used a key evidence in securing their
conviction and the burden of proof lies on the prosecution not the defendant.

Source

Well, it certainly makes identifying a suspect easier

Wilbur · « **Reply #293 on:** August 7, 2009, 07:02:02 pm »

When the burning ring of fire is literal...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8189296.stm

"A Greek woman accused of setting fire to the genitals of a British tourist in Crete is due to appear in court.

The woman admitted assault after dousing the man's private parts in alcohol and igniting them..."

Corkboy · « **Reply #294 on:** August 10, 2009, 10:59:35 am »

Kitty porn: Florida man blames cat for illegal downloads

Stew Milne/AP

Dogs have been blamed for eating homework - now a Florida man says his cat downloaded child pornography.

Police are charging Keith Griffin of Jensen Beach, Florida with 10 counts of possession of child pornography after finding more than 1,000 images on his personal computer.

Griffin told police he had been downloading music, and that his cat jumped on the keyboard when he left the room. He said "strange things" appeared on the computer when he returned.

He is being held in Martin county jail on $250,000 bond. No word on any charges against the cat.

Source

scatman · « **Reply #295 on:** August 10, 2009, 11:46:34 am »

LOL the cat LOL

Wilbur · « **Reply #296 on:** September 9, 2009, 08:02:36 pm »

Dave Vontesmar hates photo enforcement.

Vontesmar drives nearly 30 miles a day from his home in north Phoenix to his job at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and passes through the photo-enforcement gantlet on Interstate 17, Arizona 51 and Interstate 10.

But when state Department of Public Safety officers served 37 unpaid photo-enforcement tickets to Vontesmar recently, he wasn't fazed.

The photos all show the driver wearing a monkey mask.

"Not one of them there is a picture where you can identify the driver," Vontesmar said. "The ball's in their court. I sent back all these ones I got with a copy of my driver's license and said, 'It's not me. I'm not paying them.' "

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/09/08/20090908dpsmonkey0908.html

The last couple of paragraphs are even funnier, since the police staked him out and saw him, "...four different times put the monkey mask on and put the giraffe-style mask on..."

The 5th Benitle · « **Reply #297 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:09:04 pm »

An ice-skating bear with a touring Russian circus has killed a circus manager and seriously injured a trainer in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Kyrgyz officials said the bear turned on the manager, 25-year-old Dmitry Potapov, during a rehearsal.
The bear, who had skates on at the time, severely mauled another circus worker who tried to rescue the manager.
Kyrgyz police shot and killed the bear when they arrived on the scene. It is not clear what caused the attack. The five-year-old bear attacked Mr Potapov, dragging him across the ice and leaving him with fatal injuries.
A 29-year-old circus employee who tried to rescue Mr Potapov was badly injured and is in a critical condition, said Kyrgyz doctor Gulnara Tashibekova.
The director of the circus arena in Bishkek said Russian circus workers dragged the two men away from the bear and closed the arena's exits until the police arrived.
Bears on ice are common in Russian circuses. Some are equipped with helmets and sticks and trained to play hockey.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8320849.stm

What do they fucking expect?

El Campeador · « **Reply #298 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:20:20 pm »

Quote from: corkboy on August 10, 2009, 10:59:35 am

Dogs have been blamed for eating homework - now a Florida man says his cat downloaded child pornography.

Griffin told police he had been downloading music, and that his cat jumped on the keyboard when he left the room. He said "strange things" appeared on the computer when he returned.

Can you blame the cat for wanting some young pussy?

Corkboy · « **Reply #299 on:** October 23, 2009, 02:08:12 pm »

Arguing pilots fly 150 miles past runway

Conversation about airline policy meant Northwest Airlines pilots 'lost situational awareness' says flight safety board

Many a person has missed their stop on a bus or train at one time or another because they were engrossed in a weighty conversation or a book.

But when the pilots of Northwest Airlines flight 188 became distracted it had more serious consequences as they overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles.

"They were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explained.

When the pilots got their "situational awareness" back they turned the Airbus A320 around and landed it safely on Wednesday evening, apparently without any of the 144 passengers realising they had taken a roundabout route.

Ground controllers lost contact with the pilots just before 7pm and radio contact was not re-established for more than an hour. The Federal Aviation Administration notified the military, which put fighter jets on alert at two locations.

The flight was scheduled to land at 8.01pm local time but eventually arrived at 9.15pm, according to Ed Stewart, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, which owns Northwest. Delta has suspended the pilots while it carries out an internal investigation, and the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were being sent to Washington for analysis.

Federal officials are investigating whether pilot fatigue might have played a role, but an NTSB spokesman, Keith Holloway, said the idea that the crew may have fallen asleep was "speculative".

Andrea Allmon, who had been travelling from San Diego on business, said no one on the plane knew anything was amiss until the end of the flight when police boarded. She was "horrified" when she discovered what had happened.

"When I do my job I do my job," she said. "These guys are supposed to be paying attention to the flight. The safety of the passengers should be first and foremost. [It's] unbelievable to me that they weren't paying attention. Just not paying attention."

Guardian

81a · « **Reply #300 on:** October 24, 2009, 03:09:49 am »

I'm afraid this goes far beyond horsing around or acting the goat.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010096822_horsesex20m.html

A former Washington state man who was convicted of trespassing at an Enumclaw farm where a man was fatally injured while having sex with a horse in 2005 is accused of having sex with animals on a Tennessee farm.

"They've been having sex with full-grown horses," Maury County Detective Terry Chandler said Monday. "He [Tait] has been here for four years and it looks like it has been going on for some time."

Well at least it wasn't a one night stand.

Corkboy · « **Reply #301 on:** October 27, 2009, 10:59:56 am »

Snake-smuggler fails to slip past customs

Man detained in Norway with 14 royal pythons and 10 albino geckos concealed under clothes

A man has been arrested in Norway for attempting to smuggle snakes about his person in a case that has brought a very literal meaning to the term "trouser snake".

The Norwegian had 14 royal pythons and 10 albino geckos concealed under his clothes as he disembarked from a ferry in Kristiansand, south Norway.

He had also concealed a tarantula in his bag. Customs officials who found the spider in its unorthodox lair decided to search the man, discovering the scale of the offence.

The non-venomous snakes were hidden in stockings taped to the 22-year-old's abdomen, while the geckos were in boxes taped to his thighs.

The man was detained on Sunday, having travelled to Kristiansand from Hirthshals, in Denmark.

Source

Dr Cornwallis · « **Reply #302 on:** October 27, 2009, 11:05:49 am »

Baltimore cop points gun at Leatherface
-----------------------------------------------------

Sergeant Eric Janik, 37, has now been charged with assault and reckless endangerment for pointing his service handgun at the worker - who was dressed as Leatherface, the killer from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The employee, Mike Morrison, followed Janik and several other people up a staircase on Sunday night at the end of the haunted house tour in a bid to get 'one last scream' out of them, police said.
When the group exited into a parking lot, Janik pulled his gun and pointed it at Morrison from less than 10 feet away, according to police and Morrison, who said he dropped the chain saw, put his hands up and backed away. The saw did not have a chain on it.
Only then did Janik identify himself as a police officer, said Morrison, who retreated into the building.
'I started shaking pretty bad,' he told The Associated Press.

According to charging documents, Janik smelled of alcohol and told police two different stories about what he did with the gun. First, he denied drawing the weapon, but later he said he pointed it at the ground.
Morrison and two other witnesses told police that Janik pointed the gun at Morrison's chest.
A security guard had been following Janik's group, which included his 9-year-old daughter, through the haunted house because Janik appeared to be drunk when he arrived, House of Screams owner Tony Sapanero said.

Morrison said Janik's daughter appeared to be disturbed by his act, in which he pretends to cut one woman in half and disembowel another with the chain saw.

Janik was suspended with pay after police commanders learned of what happened - and could be without pay after a hearing on Tuesday morning, city police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
City police officers are required to carry their service weapons while off duty within city limits and can carry them at their own discretion outside the city, Guglielmi said.

Corkboy · « **Reply #303 on:** November 5, 2009, 12:10:32 am »

I'm not sure how weird this is, but it felt a bit tawdry starting a thread about it, so...

Rapist charged with murder as police work to identify 11 bodies

A convicted rapist who was living in a house strewn with rotting corpses was remanded in custody today pending trial for murder, after a prosecutor called him "an incredibly dangerous threat".

Anthony Sowell appeared in court in Cleveland, Ohio, charged with five counts of murder, in connection with the deaths of five women confirmed by investigators to have been strangled. Remains of at least 11 victims have been found in or around his house in Cleveland, where investigators are struggling to identify the women and determine how the others died.

Sowell was arrested last week when police investigating a 22 September rape accusation found the bodies. He has been charged with kidnapping, assault and rape in connection with that alleged attack. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Five of the decomposing corpses were found on Tuesday, along with a skull wrapped in paper and stored in a bucket. The corpses had been hidden inside Sowell's house, in the backyard and basement. "It appears this man had an insatiable appetite he had to fill," Cleveland police chief Michael McGrath said.

Local people had noticed a foul smell but thought it came from a sausage shop.

Sowell had previously served 15 years in prison for rape and was required to check in frequently with authorities, leading many to question why police did not discover the bodies earlier. In addition, police have been criticised for not heeding reports of violence in Sowell's house. Records show that in December a woman accused Sowell of forcing her into his house then punching, choking and attempting to rape her, the New York Times reported.

Investigators today planned to tear down interior walls and pull up floors in the search for more bodies, and have scoured abandoned houses in the area.

McGrath speculated that few of the victims had been the subject of missing persons reports "indicating some may have been homeless and drug users", and that they had entered the house willingly.

City councilman Zachary Reed said he alerted city health officials to the smell. "What happened from there, we don't know," he said.

Source

Corkboy · « **Reply #304 on:** November 5, 2009, 10:13:25 am »

Brazilian man turns up alive at own funeral

Bricklayer reportedly killed in car crash shocks mourning family by arriving at funeral

* Associated Press
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 November 2009 09.19 GMT

A Brazilian bricklayer reportedly killed in a car crash shocked his mourning family by showing up alive at his funeral.

Relatives of Ademir Jorge Goncalves, 59, had identified him as the victim of a car crash on Sunday night in Parana state in southern Brazil, police said.

As is customary in Brazil, the funeral was held the following day, which happened to be the holiday of Finados, when Brazilians visit cemeteries to honour the dead.

What family members didn't know was that Goncalves had spent the night at a truck stop talking with friends and drinking a sugarcane liquor known as cachaca, his niece Rosa Sampaio told the O Globo newspaper. He did not hear about his own funeral until it was already happening on Monday morning.

A police spokesman in the town of Santo Antonio da Platina said Goncalves rushed to the funeral to let family members know he was not dead.

"The corpse was badly disfigured, but dressed in similar clothing," said the police spokesman, who talked on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to discuss the case. "People are afraid to look for very long when they identify bodies, and I think that is what happened in this case."

Sampaio told O Globo that some family members were not sure the body was Goncalves.

"My two uncles and I had doubts about the identification," she told O Globo. "But an aunt and four of his friends identified the body, so what were we to do? We went ahead with the funeral."

The police spokesman confirmed there were doubts: "His mum looked at the body in the casket and thought something was strange. She looked and looked and couldn't believe it was her son," Sampaio said. "Before long, the walking dead appeared at the funeral. It was a relief."

The body was correctly identified later on Monday, the police spokesman said, and had been buried in another state. He declined to release the actual victim's name.

Source

RigBon1892 · « **Reply #305 on:** November 5, 2009, 11:59:53 am »

It's worse than Stephen Ireland!

"He's not quite dead."

Party Phil · « **Reply #306 on:** November 14, 2009, 06:37:51 pm »

'Body sold' to Russia kebab shop

Police in Russia have arrested three homeless men suspected of killing a man, eating part of the body and selling other parts to a kebab shop.

The men were held in the city of Perm, some 1,400km (870 miles) east of Moscow, local investigators said.

Their statement said that the suspects had targeted the 25-year-old victim out of "personal hostility".

It was not clear when the incident occurred. The men - who have not been named - have been charged with murder.

The investigators said on Friday that the body of the man had been found in a forested area near a public transport stop in Perm.

They said the three men attacked their victim with knives and a hammer.

"After carrying out the attack, the corpse was dismembered. Part of it was eaten and part was also sold to a kebab and pie kiosk," their statement said.

It was not immediately clear if any customers had been served.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8360569.stm

saoirse08 · « **Reply #307 on:** November 14, 2009, 08:05:30 pm »

'Body sold' to Russia kebab shop

With great hesitancy I have to ask, does anybody know if the dead man was carrying a doner card?

SamAteTheRedAcid · « **Reply #308 on:** November 14, 2009, 09:18:13 pm »

Quote from: saoirse08 on November 14, 2009, 08:05:30 pm

'Body sold' to Russia kebab shop

With great hesitancy I have to ask, does anybody know if the dead man was carrying a doner card?

Corkboy · « **Reply #309 on:** November 26, 2009, 11:24:30 pm »

It's actually a sad story but have a look at the bolded bit towards the end. You have to love the Aussies.

6,000 camels besiege Australian town
Thursday, 26 November 2009 13:15

Up to 6,000 wild camels are running wild in a remote Australian outback community in search of water, smashing infrastructure and invading the local airstrip.

As long-running drought grips parts of the country, residents of at least one central Australian town are scared to leave their homes because of the rampaging dromedaries, the Northern Territory government said.

'The community of Docker River is under siege by 6,000 marauding, wild camels,' Local Government Minister Rob Knight said.

In recent weeks, the thirsty animals have invaded the township seeking water, taking over the airstrip and destroying facilities in their way.

'This is a significant community - some 350 people - where they've actually come right into the community, smashing infrastructure, so it's become a critical situation,' Mr Knight said.

'There are health issues, there's camels being trampled and dead carcasses in the community.

'They are smashing over water mains and intruding on the airstrip causing problems with medical evacuations.'

More than one million wild camels - the largest wild herd in the world - roam central Australia.

The camels, along with donkeys and horses, are destroying vegetation projects in the desert communities by ripping up plants.

The local council has been given extra money to cull the animals but Macdonnell Shire chief executive Graham Taylor said urgent action was needed.

'We are concerned really about the issue of children running around and wanting to play with the camels,' he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

'There will also probably be the social and psychological impact on some people about being contained in homes and not being able to step out.'

Mr Taylor said helicopters would be used to herd the animals outside town where they would be shot.

Camels were introduced into Australia as pack animals for the outback in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but were released into the wild as rail and road travel became more widespread.

With few natural predators and vast sparsely-populated areas in which to roam, the wild animal population has soared, putting pressure on native species by reducing food sources, destroying habitat and spreading disease.

Source

Party Phil · « **Reply #310 on:** November 28, 2009, 10:15:52 pm »

Sweden woman's 'murder' committed by elk not husband

A Swedish man who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife has been cleared, after police decided she was probably killed by an elk.

Ingemar Westlund, aged 68, found the dead body of his wife Agneta, 63, by a lake close to the village of Loftahammer in September 2008.

He was immediately arrested and held in police custody for 10 days.

Now the case has been dropped after forensic analysis found elk hair and saliva on his wife's clothes.

Mr Westlund told Expressen newspaper: "My family and I have been dragged through a nightmare."

His wife had last been seen taking the family dog out for a walk in the forest. When she failed to return her husband went out to look for her.

Although the murder investigation was dropped five months ago, details have only just emerged and the police plan to hold a news conference next week to explain what happened.

The European elk, or moose, is usually considered to be shy and will normally run away from humans. But Swedish Radio International says the animals can become aggressive after eating fermented fallen apples in gardens.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8384143.stm

Corkboy · « **Reply #311 on:** December 3, 2009, 03:30:08 pm »

Indian villager takes 14 years to dig tunnel through mountain

Truck owner Ramchandra Das used hammer and chisel to carve 10m-long short-cut

* Randeep Ramesh in Delhi
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1 December 2009 14.16 GMT

An Indian villager burrowed for 14 years with a hammer and chisel to cut a tunnel through a mountain so that his neighbours could reach nearby fields and he could park his truck outside his home.

Ramchandra Das, 53, who lives in eastern Bihar state, carved a 10m-long, 4m-wide tunnel through the hill range from his village of Kewati. Das took up the Herculean task after villagers found the 7km trek over the mountain increasingly arduous.

When the authorities refused to help to cut the journey time, Das began carving his way through the earth in the direction of the nearest big town, Atri. The job became more pressing when Das became the first man to own a truck in the village and was unable to drive it to his home.

"I could not park my truck near my house since the mountain blocked my path," he told Reuters. Das said he was also afraid of bandits stealing his truck. "I had to leave my truck miles away, so I decided to do something about it myself," Das said by telephone.

Local villagers, who previously had to trek around the mountain, are now using the tunnel to get to work.

Das was inspired by another Bihari villager, Dasharath Manjhi, who cut a 120m-long, 10m-wide and 8m-high passage so that villagers could reach a local hospital.

Manjhi's labour, which lasted 22 years, began after his wife died when she was unable to get to the hospital. He was feted by the Delhi government for his work and died two years ago.

Source

BoRed · « **Reply #312 on:** December 3, 2009, 03:52:39 pm »

A bit of a dodgy story, to be honest. What kind of a mountain is 10m (I take it that's metres) wide, and yet high enough not to be able to ride over it?

I want to see it on Google Earth

.

Dam · « **Reply #313 on:** December 3, 2009, 11:15:24 pm »

Woman built home on roundabout
A homeless woman created a luxurious home with a solar shower and satellite TV – on a city centre roundabout.

Sharon Simpson lived on the island with her boyfriend for five months but recently left because the lack of leaves on trees meant passers-by could see everything.

The mother of seven built her property using tents, sun loungers, car batteries and a gazebo which she found in waste tips.

‘It was lovely. There were times when I just sat in the tent watching EastEnders and CBeebies,’ said the 35-year-old, who lived on Derby’s Pentagon roundabout.

The council is helping her find a proper home.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/802818-woman-built-home-on-roundabout

CorKopite · « **Reply #314 on:** December 16, 2009, 07:13:20 pm »

Man loses wife in card game

An Indian husband gambled his wife away after he lost a game of cards.

The woman reportedly managed to escape from the house of the man who “won” her and complained to the police.

The incident occurred in the village of Billauchpura around 250 miles from the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

A police spokesman said: “The woman, who approached us on Tuesday, has alleged that her husband Raheesu had used her as a stake after he lost all his money while gambling.”

Raheesu went on to lose that game to a man known only as Feroz, to whose home he later forced his wife to go to.

The police said both men were on the run and they were making efforts to find them.

M P Singh, additional superintendent of police, has ordered a probe into the incident.

He said: “The case is a shocking one. We have initiated an inquiry into the matter and promise to take strict action against those behind the incident.”

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/man-loses-wife-in-card-game-438506.html

Kahuna{=}Berger · « **Reply #315 on:** January 15, 2010, 12:37:20 pm »

Floor collapses at Weight Watchers meeting

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6989291.ece

Corkboy · « **Reply #316 on:** January 15, 2010, 02:18:22 pm »

Arizona woman accused of trading child for gun

* AP foreign, Thursday January 14 2010

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested a Mesa woman who allegedly tried to trade her 2-year-old daughter for a gun.

Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies went to the home of 33-year-old Tanya Nareau on Tuesday after receiving a tip about the swap.

While at Nareau's home, a family friend who had the child confirmed to deputies that Nareau gave the girl to him for a gun.

Deputies say Nareau felt that the friend would do a better job in raising the child. They say Nareau also claimed she could not buy a weapon because she's prohibited to do so by law.

Authorities say Nareau has been booked into county jail. She's charged with the unlawful sale of a child and solicitation to possess a weapon by a prohibited person.

It was unclear whether Nareau had a lawyer.

Source

Olives · « **Reply #317 on:** January 22, 2010, 08:14:49 pm »

http://www.ajc.com/news/cops-mom-forces-son-280517.html?imw=Y

Cops: Mom forces son to kill hamster for bad grade

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As punishment for bad grades, a Georgia mother forced her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer, police said.
Quantcast
Meriwether County Sheriff's Offi Lynn Geter, 38, is accused of forcing her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster for earning a bad grade, according to Steve Whitlock, Meriwether County sheriff.

The day after he was forced to kill his pet, the child told his teacher, Meriwether County Sheriff Steve Whitlock told the AJC Thursday evening.

The teacher reported the incident to DFCS authorities, who contacted police, Whitlock said. The pet's death allegedly took place at the family's Warm Springs home.

On Friday, 38-year-old Lynn Middlebrooks Geter was arrested, Whitlock said. Geter faces one charge each of animal cruelty, child cruelty and battery.

Geter remained in the Meriwether County jail Thursday evening, Whitlock said. Meriwether County is located about 90 minutes southwest of Atlanta.

Party Phil · « **Reply #318 on:** January 22, 2010, 08:31:40 pm »

Quote from: Olives on January 22, 2010, 08:14:49 pm

http://www.ajc.com/news/cops-mom-forces-son-280517.html?imw=Y

Cops: Mom forces son to kill hamster for bad grade

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As punishment for bad grades, a Georgia mother forced her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer, police said.
Quantcast
Meriwether County Sheriff's Offi Lynn Geter, 38, is accused of forcing her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster for earning a bad grade, according to Steve Whitlock, Meriwether County sheriff.

The day after he was forced to kill his pet, the child told his teacher, Meriwether County Sheriff Steve Whitlock told the AJC Thursday evening.

The teacher reported the incident to DFCS authorities, who contacted police, Whitlock said. The pet's death allegedly took place at the family's Warm Springs home.

On Friday, 38-year-old Lynn Middlebrooks Geter was arrested, Whitlock said. Geter faces one charge each of animal cruelty, child cruelty and battery.

Geter remained in the Meriwether County jail Thursday evening, Whitlock said. Meriwether County is located about 90 minutes southwest of Atlanta.

Is Meriwether part of Twerpville?

Corkboy · « **Reply #319 on:** February 10, 2010, 05:21:34 pm »

Police: Iraq War Vet Joshua Tabor Waterboarded 4-Year-Old Daughter Over ABC's

Posted by Edecio Martinez

TACOMA, Wash. (CBS/AP) Iraq war veteran Joshua Tabor is accused of waterboarding his 4-year-old daughter because she would not recite the alphabet.

Thurston County prosecutors filed a child-assault charge Tuesday against the 27-year-old Army Sergeant.

According to a police report obtained by CNN, Tabor's girlfriend called police to their home in Yelm Sunday because Tabor had dunked his daughter's head in the kitchen sink. Yelm is about 65 miles south of Seattle.

According to the police report, Tabor admitted to holding his daughter in the sink because she was afraid of water, CNN reports.

When investigators asked the little girl about the bruises on her back and scratch marks on her neck, she told them "Daddy did it."

"It was hot, the water was hot. I told him I would say my letters then!" the girl told police, according to the police report obtained by CNN.

Tabor was released from jail Monday after posting $10,000 bail and is restricted to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The child is now in custody of Child Protective Services.

Source