Sunday, March 16, 2008
Would you like a rattlesnake with your vodka?
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents seized 411 bottles of illegal hooch on Thursday at Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch in Palo Pinto County.
But it wasn't your typical variety of moonshine: the bottles of vodka also contained 10-inch rattlesnakes.
"In my 20 years with the TABC, I've never seen anything like it," Sgt. Charlie Cloud said.
"It's very bizarre", Cloud said. "We learned that these are believed to contain aphrodisiac properties. We heard that some people believe having a venomous animal creates hallucinations."
But it wasn't your typical variety of moonshine: the bottles of vodka also contained 10-inch rattlesnakes.
"In my 20 years with the TABC, I've never seen anything like it," Sgt. Charlie Cloud said.
"It's very bizarre", Cloud said. "We learned that these are believed to contain aphrodisiac properties. We heard that some people believe having a venomous animal creates hallucinations."
Restaurant owner fights off meat thief with frozen ham
A prosciutto-wielding meat thief in Gloucester met his match when a restaurant owner fought off the assault by slamming the thief’s face with a ham.
Joe Scola of Scola’s Place heard a noise in his restaurant on Wednesday, then saw a man fleeing with his arms full of meat from Scola’s freezer.
Scola caught up, and started taking the meat back.
That’s when the man raised a five pound log of frozen prosciutto over his head, presumably to whack Scola.
Luckily, Scola had his own frozen pig product on hand.
He said that he slammed the ham in the man’s face, leaving a gash. The thief was so stunned, he dropped the meat and ran. Police searched the area, but couldn’t find the suspect.
Joe Scola of Scola’s Place heard a noise in his restaurant on Wednesday, then saw a man fleeing with his arms full of meat from Scola’s freezer.
Scola caught up, and started taking the meat back.
That’s when the man raised a five pound log of frozen prosciutto over his head, presumably to whack Scola.
Luckily, Scola had his own frozen pig product on hand.
He said that he slammed the ham in the man’s face, leaving a gash. The thief was so stunned, he dropped the meat and ran. Police searched the area, but couldn’t find the suspect.
Woman suing airline over flight incident
A 21-year-old Harris County woman filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines alleging employees on a flight to Los Angeles from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport failed to protect her while she slept from another passenger who masturbated to her and ejaculated in her hair, according to a lawsuit she filed last week in Tarrant County.
Destined for a Spring Break visit with family and friends on March 19, the woman flew from Houston to DFW Airport and had settled into her seat for the last leg of flight 2074 to Los Angeles about 11 p.m., the suit states. The woman slept most of the flight, but awoke about 20 minutes before landing when the pilot announced the plane was on decent into Los Angeles. When the woman opened her eyes, she saw that an unknown man had moved into the seat next to her and was staring at her as he masturbated, the suit states.
The woman turned toward the window in embarrassment and in an act of nervousness began to run her fingers through her hair where she noticed “a substantial amount of an extremely sticky substance in her hair,” the suit states.
The woman began to cry and tried to get the attention of a flight attendant, but was unsuccessful, the suit states. Finally a passenger in the row in front of the woman comforted her and verified the semen in her hair, the suit states.
When the plane landed, employee called airport police and the man was arrested.
The suit alleges that the during the investigation, American Airlines employees told police they witnessed the man move from his assigned seat into the row where the woman was sleeping.
The woman is seeking punitive damages and a jury trial.
Destined for a Spring Break visit with family and friends on March 19, the woman flew from Houston to DFW Airport and had settled into her seat for the last leg of flight 2074 to Los Angeles about 11 p.m., the suit states. The woman slept most of the flight, but awoke about 20 minutes before landing when the pilot announced the plane was on decent into Los Angeles. When the woman opened her eyes, she saw that an unknown man had moved into the seat next to her and was staring at her as he masturbated, the suit states.
The woman turned toward the window in embarrassment and in an act of nervousness began to run her fingers through her hair where she noticed “a substantial amount of an extremely sticky substance in her hair,” the suit states.
The woman began to cry and tried to get the attention of a flight attendant, but was unsuccessful, the suit states. Finally a passenger in the row in front of the woman comforted her and verified the semen in her hair, the suit states.
When the plane landed, employee called airport police and the man was arrested.
The suit alleges that the during the investigation, American Airlines employees told police they witnessed the man move from his assigned seat into the row where the woman was sleeping.
The woman is seeking punitive damages and a jury trial.
Guitar god runs out of space for £1m tapestry
Even Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist who like God has many mansions, has finally run out of wall space. His gigantic Pre-Raphaelite tapestry, designed by Burne-Jones and woven at William Morris's workshop, has been rolled up and in storage for years, and will now be sold by Sotheby's, estimated at up to £1m.
It is over seven metres long, the climactic vision of the Holy Grail from what was originally a set of six monumental tapestries of scenes from Arthurian legend. Morris described them as "our largest and most important work", and they took three weavers two years to complete. The tapestry was last seen in public at the V&A museum's exhibition on William Morris, when Page was between houses: he sold the Windsor mansion where it hung in the billiard room, then bought the house back again, and has now sold it again. He also owns the eccentric 13th century-style Tower House in Kensington, designed by William Burges, but has apparently run out of space there too.
He has now bought another Thames Valley mansion, designed by the architect Edwin Lutyens with a Gertrude Jekyll garden, but as his friend and art dealer Paul Reeves explained yesterday, that has wood-panelled walls - so he couldn't possibly hang the tapestry.
The tapestry has only been sold twice before, on both occasions by Sotheby's, once by the heirs of the original owner, and then when Page bought it from the heirs of the Duke of Westminster.
You can see details from the tapestry here.
It is over seven metres long, the climactic vision of the Holy Grail from what was originally a set of six monumental tapestries of scenes from Arthurian legend. Morris described them as "our largest and most important work", and they took three weavers two years to complete. The tapestry was last seen in public at the V&A museum's exhibition on William Morris, when Page was between houses: he sold the Windsor mansion where it hung in the billiard room, then bought the house back again, and has now sold it again. He also owns the eccentric 13th century-style Tower House in Kensington, designed by William Burges, but has apparently run out of space there too.
He has now bought another Thames Valley mansion, designed by the architect Edwin Lutyens with a Gertrude Jekyll garden, but as his friend and art dealer Paul Reeves explained yesterday, that has wood-panelled walls - so he couldn't possibly hang the tapestry.
The tapestry has only been sold twice before, on both occasions by Sotheby's, once by the heirs of the original owner, and then when Page bought it from the heirs of the Duke of Westminster.
You can see details from the tapestry here.
Sofa store staff miss snoozing pensioner
A German pensioner had to be rescued after she fell asleep while trying out a sofa bed at a Slumberland store.
Gertrude Muller, 72, called emergency services when she finally woke up in the store in the town of Luebz to find it closed.
A police spokesman said: "It appears the bed was in a corner of the showroom and she was overlooked by staff as she lay there sleeping quietly.
"She had come in to test the sofa out and she said the last thing she remembers before falling asleep was thinking how lovely and comfortable it was. She just nodded off.
"She was a bit scared when she woke up still in the shop but managed to find a phone in the salesroom and called us.
"She was impressed by the quality of the sofa bed but she is understandably a bit upset that the shop staff did not see her and left her there so she is not quite as impressed with the quality of the service."
Gertrude Muller, 72, called emergency services when she finally woke up in the store in the town of Luebz to find it closed.
A police spokesman said: "It appears the bed was in a corner of the showroom and she was overlooked by staff as she lay there sleeping quietly.
"She had come in to test the sofa out and she said the last thing she remembers before falling asleep was thinking how lovely and comfortable it was. She just nodded off.
"She was a bit scared when she woke up still in the shop but managed to find a phone in the salesroom and called us.
"She was impressed by the quality of the sofa bed but she is understandably a bit upset that the shop staff did not see her and left her there so she is not quite as impressed with the quality of the service."
Woman claims kidney transplant has changed her personality
Cheryl Johnson has switched off the soaps and ditched the lowbrow novels.
These days, she prefers to watch documentaries on Egyptology or spend her time reading Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The 37-year-old mother of one says her personality has been transformed since she had a kidney transplant.
She claims that as well as giving her a new lease of life, the new organ has made her tastes more highbrow.
Miss Johnson believes she has picked up characteristics from her donor. "My brainpower has definitely been boosted since having the kidney transplant," she said.
"I was telling my mum all about Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment after I had read it and she thought I had gone mad. I just find it much more interesting than the types of books I used to read. I don't know why I want to read these types of books now - I just suddenly got the urge."
These days, she prefers to watch documentaries on Egyptology or spend her time reading Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The 37-year-old mother of one says her personality has been transformed since she had a kidney transplant.
She claims that as well as giving her a new lease of life, the new organ has made her tastes more highbrow.
Miss Johnson believes she has picked up characteristics from her donor. "My brainpower has definitely been boosted since having the kidney transplant," she said.
"I was telling my mum all about Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment after I had read it and she thought I had gone mad. I just find it much more interesting than the types of books I used to read. I don't know why I want to read these types of books now - I just suddenly got the urge."
728 pound man buried with the help of digger
It took a mechanical digger, a team of cemetery workers and a hoist to lay 52-stone John Jeffrey to rest.
His grave, at 4ft 8in by 7ft 8in, was twice the normal size.
And funeral workers struggled for four hours to manoeuvre his reinforced casket into position.
Everyone did their best to give the big man a dignified send-off. A plaque on the coffin said: "Peace, perfect peace."
But there was no one to shed a tear for the 29-year-old who had no known relatives.
Just a solitary Good Samaritan - believed to be a local care worker-turned up to pay his respects at the £800 council-paid funeral in Taunton, Somerset. John - originally from London - had been sleeping rough in the town when he died of a heart attack at a hostel.
More photos here.
His grave, at 4ft 8in by 7ft 8in, was twice the normal size.
And funeral workers struggled for four hours to manoeuvre his reinforced casket into position.
Everyone did their best to give the big man a dignified send-off. A plaque on the coffin said: "Peace, perfect peace."
But there was no one to shed a tear for the 29-year-old who had no known relatives.
Just a solitary Good Samaritan - believed to be a local care worker-turned up to pay his respects at the £800 council-paid funeral in Taunton, Somerset. John - originally from London - had been sleeping rough in the town when he died of a heart attack at a hostel.
More photos here.
Postman wore stolen G-string
A Dorset postman was caught wearing stolen women's underwear after his bosses became suspicious that packages were going missing, a court heard.
Matthew Furness, 35, from Weymouth, admitted two charges of stealing postal packages belonging to Royal Mail, on 1 October and 6 December last year.
Furness was caught wearing a woman's thong taken from a parcel, after a sting operation carried out by postal chiefs, when a bra and a thong, worth £49, were planted in his postbag with the wrong address.
The court heard when Furness was asked to strip by police looking for the missing underwear, he was found to be wearing the thong.
The bra has never been found, the hearing heard.
Ian Brazier, defending, told the court that Furness was an "opportunist" rather than a sophisticated thief and that he was undergoing counselling. He will be sentenced after reports and was given unconditional bail.
Matthew Furness, 35, from Weymouth, admitted two charges of stealing postal packages belonging to Royal Mail, on 1 October and 6 December last year.
Furness was caught wearing a woman's thong taken from a parcel, after a sting operation carried out by postal chiefs, when a bra and a thong, worth £49, were planted in his postbag with the wrong address.
The court heard when Furness was asked to strip by police looking for the missing underwear, he was found to be wearing the thong.
The bra has never been found, the hearing heard.
Ian Brazier, defending, told the court that Furness was an "opportunist" rather than a sophisticated thief and that he was undergoing counselling. He will be sentenced after reports and was given unconditional bail.
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