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Monday, March 01, 2010
Hungry panda swipes bones from pig pen
A hungry wild panda broke into a villager's pig pen to chew on bones.
The black and white beast was first spotted in a field, but later found gnawing on the animal remains left in the enclosure, in Shandong Province, China.
The panda appeared to be eating bone sections only, spitting meat parts away.
After eating its fill, the panda quietly left.
Video.
The black and white beast was first spotted in a field, but later found gnawing on the animal remains left in the enclosure, in Shandong Province, China.
The panda appeared to be eating bone sections only, spitting meat parts away.
After eating its fill, the panda quietly left.
Video.
Four-year-old abandoned as couple rob jewellery store
Philadelphia police are hunting for a couple who grabbed over $100,000 worth of jewellery from a South Street store. They slashed a store clerk, then left behind a young child during their getaway.
Authorities say the man and woman with a four-year-old child were shopping for rings at "Platinum and Ice," on the 600 block of South Street, at around 3pm Saturday.
But police say when the clerk turned his back, the couple grabbed a jewellery tray and ran out of the store.
The store owner gave chase, but the suspect pulled a knife and slashed him across his face and neck.
South Detectives captain Laurence Nodiff said: "(They) robbed the store, then fled, dragging the child by the hand for 2½ blocks, then lacerated the store owner's facial-neck area, and then abandoned the child on the 700 block of Rodman Street."
The boy is in the care of DHS. The store owner needed 12 stitches.
Authorities say the man and woman with a four-year-old child were shopping for rings at "Platinum and Ice," on the 600 block of South Street, at around 3pm Saturday.
But police say when the clerk turned his back, the couple grabbed a jewellery tray and ran out of the store.
The store owner gave chase, but the suspect pulled a knife and slashed him across his face and neck.
South Detectives captain Laurence Nodiff said: "(They) robbed the store, then fled, dragging the child by the hand for 2½ blocks, then lacerated the store owner's facial-neck area, and then abandoned the child on the 700 block of Rodman Street."
The boy is in the care of DHS. The store owner needed 12 stitches.
200 Russian tanks found abandoned in forest
About 200 modern Russian tanks have been discovered abandoned on the side of a road in the country's Ural mountains.
Local people clambered over some of the unlocked and unguarded T-80 tanks that were parked in long rows in Kamishlovsk, about 100 km from the Ural city of Yekaterinburg.
Russian military prosecutors are probing how the tanks, Russia's main battle tank, came to be left in such a situation.
Russia is currently streamlining its massive military, with some commanders recently quoted in the Russian media as saying they only require half of the country's 20,000 tanks.
Local people clambered over some of the unlocked and unguarded T-80 tanks that were parked in long rows in Kamishlovsk, about 100 km from the Ural city of Yekaterinburg.
Russian military prosecutors are probing how the tanks, Russia's main battle tank, came to be left in such a situation.
Russia is currently streamlining its massive military, with some commanders recently quoted in the Russian media as saying they only require half of the country's 20,000 tanks.
Indian man eats dog's heart to 'prevent rabies' after bite
A labourer in Jharkhand, who was bitten by a street dog, killed the animal, cut out its heart and ate it to protect himself from rabies.
After the dog bit him on Saturday, Chukna Ganju, 30, a resident of Dakra village, on the outskirts of Ranchi, caught hold of the animal and killed it by flinging it on stones.
When the dog died, he removed its heart with the help of a pair of scissors and ate it raw. The dog had bitten him several times during the course of being killed. "Now, there will be no effect of rabies on my body," Chukna said. According to him, he did not need medical help as he did the treatment by eating the heart of the dog.
The dog had bitten seven people of the village in the last one week and the villagers had been terrorised by the animal.
After the dog bit him on Saturday, Chukna Ganju, 30, a resident of Dakra village, on the outskirts of Ranchi, caught hold of the animal and killed it by flinging it on stones.
When the dog died, he removed its heart with the help of a pair of scissors and ate it raw. The dog had bitten him several times during the course of being killed. "Now, there will be no effect of rabies on my body," Chukna said. According to him, he did not need medical help as he did the treatment by eating the heart of the dog.
The dog had bitten seven people of the village in the last one week and the villagers had been terrorised by the animal.
Utah women may face murder charges after miscarriages
A proposed Utah law that would open women who suffer a miscarriage to possible criminal prosecution and life imprisonment has enraged feminists and civil rights activists across the United States.
Adopted overwhelmingly by both sides of the state legislature in Salt Lake City earlier this month, the draft bill is now awaiting the signature of the state's Republican Governor, Gary Herbert. It is not clear if the growing national controversy surrounding the proposed law will slow or even stay his pen.
While the main thrust of the law is to enable prosecutors in the majority-Mormon state to pursue women who seek illegal, unsupervised forms of abortion, it includes a provision that could trigger murder charges against women found guilty of an "intentional, knowing or reckless act" that leads to a miscarriage. Some say this could include drinking one glass of wine too many, walking on an icy pavement or skiing.
Lawmakers were responding to the case of a 17-year-old pregnant Utah woman who paid a man $150 to assault her physically in the hope that the beating would cause her to miscarry. The child was born anyway and put up for adoption. And while the man involved is currently behind bars, prosecutors found they had no basis in state law to prosecute the young woman. She was in her seventh month when she tried to terminate her pregnancy.
Last-minute efforts to remove reference in the bill to "reckless" acts failed, feeding the uproar about a law that some people say would be impossible to implement and threatens basic freedoms of women. Statistics suggest that 15 to 20 per cent of recognised pregnancies end in miscarriage. "This creates a law that makes any pregnant woman who has a miscarriage potentially criminally liable for murder," said Missy Bird, director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Utah, part of the national organisation that champions abortion rights.
Critics also note that the bill has no exemptions for women who suffer domestic abuse or who have addiction problems. They wonder, for example, about the putative case of a woman remaining with an abusive partner and suffering a miscarriage after an episode of violence. Would remaining in that relationship constitute "reckless" behaviour, they ask?
Adopted overwhelmingly by both sides of the state legislature in Salt Lake City earlier this month, the draft bill is now awaiting the signature of the state's Republican Governor, Gary Herbert. It is not clear if the growing national controversy surrounding the proposed law will slow or even stay his pen.
While the main thrust of the law is to enable prosecutors in the majority-Mormon state to pursue women who seek illegal, unsupervised forms of abortion, it includes a provision that could trigger murder charges against women found guilty of an "intentional, knowing or reckless act" that leads to a miscarriage. Some say this could include drinking one glass of wine too many, walking on an icy pavement or skiing.
Lawmakers were responding to the case of a 17-year-old pregnant Utah woman who paid a man $150 to assault her physically in the hope that the beating would cause her to miscarry. The child was born anyway and put up for adoption. And while the man involved is currently behind bars, prosecutors found they had no basis in state law to prosecute the young woman. She was in her seventh month when she tried to terminate her pregnancy.
Last-minute efforts to remove reference in the bill to "reckless" acts failed, feeding the uproar about a law that some people say would be impossible to implement and threatens basic freedoms of women. Statistics suggest that 15 to 20 per cent of recognised pregnancies end in miscarriage. "This creates a law that makes any pregnant woman who has a miscarriage potentially criminally liable for murder," said Missy Bird, director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Utah, part of the national organisation that champions abortion rights.
Critics also note that the bill has no exemptions for women who suffer domestic abuse or who have addiction problems. They wonder, for example, about the putative case of a woman remaining with an abusive partner and suffering a miscarriage after an episode of violence. Would remaining in that relationship constitute "reckless" behaviour, they ask?
Mullet jab is unkindest cut of all
A cheeky Australian seafood ad campaign has sparked a battle of the bogans between Sydney and Adelaide.
Sydney Fish Market ads spotted on the back of buses feature the slogan "More mullets than Adelaide", a poke at the South Australian capital's alleged affection for the venerable "business at the front, party round the back" hairdo.
Marketing executive David Sandrussi said the company considered using Sydney suburbs for the campaign but chose Adelaide to keep locals onside.
"I've been down to Adelaide a fair bit and there are always quite a few mullets around," he said.
The market is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek advertising campaigns - past fish market posters have featured compelling lines such as "Prawn stars", "Put your tackle away" and "Shucking great oysters".
Sydney Fish Market ads spotted on the back of buses feature the slogan "More mullets than Adelaide", a poke at the South Australian capital's alleged affection for the venerable "business at the front, party round the back" hairdo.
Marketing executive David Sandrussi said the company considered using Sydney suburbs for the campaign but chose Adelaide to keep locals onside.
"I've been down to Adelaide a fair bit and there are always quite a few mullets around," he said.
The market is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek advertising campaigns - past fish market posters have featured compelling lines such as "Prawn stars", "Put your tackle away" and "Shucking great oysters".
Massive head of famous Egyptian pharaoh unearthed
A colossal red granite head of one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs has been unearthed in the southern city of Luxor.
The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III - grandfather of Tutankhamun - was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple.
Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king's face ever found.
Click for bigger.
The 2.5m (8ft) head is part of a larger statue, most of which was found several years ago.
"Other statues have always had something broken - the tip of the nose, or the face is eroded," said Dr Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site.
"But here, from the top of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken."
The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III - grandfather of Tutankhamun - was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple.
Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king's face ever found.
Click for bigger.
The 2.5m (8ft) head is part of a larger statue, most of which was found several years ago.
"Other statues have always had something broken - the tip of the nose, or the face is eroded," said Dr Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site.
"But here, from the top of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken."
Surge in teeth grinding is linked to stress of recession
Growing numbers of people are suffering from eating problems, splitting headaches and severe oral pain because of an upsurge in teeth grinding which dentists are blaming on job insecurity, linked to the recession.
More patients need treatment because a piece has fallen off their tooth, or a molar or incisor has cracked completely and is beyond repair. Others suffer headaches or pain in their whole mouth .
Those badly affected often end up taking painkillers every day to relieve their symptoms, or even damaging their working life. "People who are worst affected by grinding are Type A personalities: ambitious people and perfectionists, who usually work in business," said Sharif Khan, a cosmetic and implant dental specialist.
Workers in the financial sector are among those most affected. Yann Maidment said he and his two colleagues at their dental practice in central Edinburgh had seen an increase of 10-20% in such patients over the past 18 months, especially those working for the city's banks, fund managers and financial services firms. "There's a lot of anxiety that redundancies may be coming, and about job losses that have already happened," said Maidment, a dentist of 25 years.
Those whose jobs involve frequent travelling are also more prone to it than others, said Maidment. "They have more stressors in their life," he said.
He is providing more and more patients with bite guards – thin plastic equivalents of the gumshields that rugby players use. They cost £250-£300, are worn at night and cover the surface of the teeth, stopping the constant contact. Most of those who grind do so for up to two hours per night, but in several shorter bursts.
More patients need treatment because a piece has fallen off their tooth, or a molar or incisor has cracked completely and is beyond repair. Others suffer headaches or pain in their whole mouth .
Those badly affected often end up taking painkillers every day to relieve their symptoms, or even damaging their working life. "People who are worst affected by grinding are Type A personalities: ambitious people and perfectionists, who usually work in business," said Sharif Khan, a cosmetic and implant dental specialist.
Workers in the financial sector are among those most affected. Yann Maidment said he and his two colleagues at their dental practice in central Edinburgh had seen an increase of 10-20% in such patients over the past 18 months, especially those working for the city's banks, fund managers and financial services firms. "There's a lot of anxiety that redundancies may be coming, and about job losses that have already happened," said Maidment, a dentist of 25 years.
Those whose jobs involve frequent travelling are also more prone to it than others, said Maidment. "They have more stressors in their life," he said.
He is providing more and more patients with bite guards – thin plastic equivalents of the gumshields that rugby players use. They cost £250-£300, are worn at night and cover the surface of the teeth, stopping the constant contact. Most of those who grind do so for up to two hours per night, but in several shorter bursts.
AA to fix pipes and hang pictures in homes
Britain's biggest breakdown organisation the Automobile Association, is to send patrols where they have never gone before - into its members homes.
In a radical departure for the 'fourth emergency service', the AA is planning to launch a nationwide fleet of 'handy men' and women, specially trained for domestic duties.
As well as continuing to rescue stricken motorists, the AA will answer SOS calls from householders with broken-down boilers, leaking pipes, dripping taps or faulty wiring. Its fully-trained home patrolmen and women will even erect garden fences, install showers and bathrooms – or just hang a picture.
The organisation is creating a brand new, AA-uniformed, liveried patrol fleet that will eventually be several thousand-strong to target Britain's 17.5 million private homes. The AA – which is owned by the Acromas Group – is investing tens of millions of pounds in the expansion, after more than a century of rescuing motorists at the roadside.
Householders will use the same call centres that are used, daily, to dispatch the organisation's 3,000 patrolmen to 10,000 roadside breakdowns. Just like drivers stranded at the roadside, home owners will be given a time of arrival and a reference number.
Repair men and women will even turn up in the familiar AA van – but without the flashing lights. AA members will get a discount on the new home operation but the service will be available to anybody.
In a radical departure for the 'fourth emergency service', the AA is planning to launch a nationwide fleet of 'handy men' and women, specially trained for domestic duties.
As well as continuing to rescue stricken motorists, the AA will answer SOS calls from householders with broken-down boilers, leaking pipes, dripping taps or faulty wiring. Its fully-trained home patrolmen and women will even erect garden fences, install showers and bathrooms – or just hang a picture.
The organisation is creating a brand new, AA-uniformed, liveried patrol fleet that will eventually be several thousand-strong to target Britain's 17.5 million private homes. The AA – which is owned by the Acromas Group – is investing tens of millions of pounds in the expansion, after more than a century of rescuing motorists at the roadside.
Householders will use the same call centres that are used, daily, to dispatch the organisation's 3,000 patrolmen to 10,000 roadside breakdowns. Just like drivers stranded at the roadside, home owners will be given a time of arrival and a reference number.
Repair men and women will even turn up in the familiar AA van – but without the flashing lights. AA members will get a discount on the new home operation but the service will be available to anybody.
Scream mask traps thief
A man who admitted being armed with a claw hammer when breaking into a home in Newark was arrested after tiny traces of DNA were found in a Scream mask he was wearing.
Mark Holt, 38, of Woodfield Road, Broxtowe, admitted at Nottingham Crown Court to aggravated burglary with unknown accomplices at a flat on Lover’s Lane, Newark, on September 29 last year. Holt also admitted assaulting one of the occupants, Mr Ryan Smith, causing actual bodily harm.
Minuscule traces of DNA were recovered from the Scream mask and matched to Holt’s profile on the national police database.
Judge Dudley Bennett remanded Holt in custody for sentencing on March 12. After the hearing Detective Constable Mike Broddell said: “Holt was caught after tiny traces of his DNA were found on the Scream mask that was found at the scene."
Mark Holt, 38, of Woodfield Road, Broxtowe, admitted at Nottingham Crown Court to aggravated burglary with unknown accomplices at a flat on Lover’s Lane, Newark, on September 29 last year. Holt also admitted assaulting one of the occupants, Mr Ryan Smith, causing actual bodily harm.
Minuscule traces of DNA were recovered from the Scream mask and matched to Holt’s profile on the national police database.
Judge Dudley Bennett remanded Holt in custody for sentencing on March 12. After the hearing Detective Constable Mike Broddell said: “Holt was caught after tiny traces of his DNA were found on the Scream mask that was found at the scene."
Nuclear bunker being auctioned on eBay
A nuclear bunker and surrounding land in Derbyshire is expected to fetch up to £25,000 in an eBay auction. The decommissioned cold war bunker, built in 1959 into a field in the Peak District, has attracted hundreds of hits.
The bunker has lighting and a phone line and can be used as living accommodation for short periods.
It is described by the private seller as "a rare opportunity to acquire a valuable piece of Cold War history".
The bunker was built as a master monitoring post by the Royal Observer Corps (ROC), amid the threat of nuclear attack, but decommissioned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It is accessed via a metal hatch and shaft, and a 15ft (4.57m) ladder leads to two rooms - one for a chemical toilet and the other, of 15ft x 7ft 6in (4.57m x 2.28m), for the monitoring equipment.
Two ventilation shafts are built in and much of the original equipment is still in place. The seller adds: "The bunker can continue to be used as limited living accommodation for short periods or adventure holidays."
The auction ends on 7 March.
The bunker has lighting and a phone line and can be used as living accommodation for short periods.
It is described by the private seller as "a rare opportunity to acquire a valuable piece of Cold War history".
The bunker was built as a master monitoring post by the Royal Observer Corps (ROC), amid the threat of nuclear attack, but decommissioned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It is accessed via a metal hatch and shaft, and a 15ft (4.57m) ladder leads to two rooms - one for a chemical toilet and the other, of 15ft x 7ft 6in (4.57m x 2.28m), for the monitoring equipment.
Two ventilation shafts are built in and much of the original equipment is still in place. The seller adds: "The bunker can continue to be used as limited living accommodation for short periods or adventure holidays."
The auction ends on 7 March.
Union flag banned over health and safety
A council has banned the Union flag from its building because a health and safety assessment concluded that scaffolding would have to be erected to raise and lower it. The flagpole atop Colchester borough council's Rowan House office block has remained bare since the building was purchased from Anglian Water two years ago.
A frustrated Conservative politician was so concerned that he presented a Union flag to the council's Liberal Democrat leadership and offered to climb the roof himself to make sure it was flown.
A council spokeswoman said the absence of a flag was a "logistical operational matter" and insisted the building, Rowan House, had an unusual roof which made it difficult to access the flagpole.
Photo from here.
Will Quince, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Colchester, said: "I cannot believe that a flagpole was put on top of this building that is inaccessible. This seems to be absolute health and safety nonsense. I'm happy to go up there and put it up myself."
Anne Turrell, the Liberal Democrat council leader who received Mr Quince's 6ft by 4ft flag, said: "Health and safety won't allow us to do it, unless we scaffold the building.
"That costs thousands of pounds and I'm sure the taxpayers of Colchester wouldn't want us to spend that to put a flag up."
A frustrated Conservative politician was so concerned that he presented a Union flag to the council's Liberal Democrat leadership and offered to climb the roof himself to make sure it was flown.
A council spokeswoman said the absence of a flag was a "logistical operational matter" and insisted the building, Rowan House, had an unusual roof which made it difficult to access the flagpole.
Photo from here.
Will Quince, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Colchester, said: "I cannot believe that a flagpole was put on top of this building that is inaccessible. This seems to be absolute health and safety nonsense. I'm happy to go up there and put it up myself."
Anne Turrell, the Liberal Democrat council leader who received Mr Quince's 6ft by 4ft flag, said: "Health and safety won't allow us to do it, unless we scaffold the building.
"That costs thousands of pounds and I'm sure the taxpayers of Colchester wouldn't want us to spend that to put a flag up."
Welsh chapel launches beer and Bible classes
Pews are being ditched for pints as part of a Merthyr Tydfil chapel’s bid to bring in younger worshippers.
A men-only beer and Bible session is just one of the new initiatives at the soon-to-be refurbished Hope Chapel in the High Street, Pontmorlais, as new ministers Tony Graham and Gareth Lloyd try to break down the boundaries between Christians and the wider community.
“We’re putting sofas and bar stools in the basement to have a relaxing evening and learn what the Bible’s about,” said Mr Lloyd.
“Drinking isn’t a sin but people from other generations think of it as so because of alcohol abuse and the bad consequences that can come of it. Forty or 50 guys will be here, studying the Bible with a pint of beer in their hand.”
A men-only beer and Bible session is just one of the new initiatives at the soon-to-be refurbished Hope Chapel in the High Street, Pontmorlais, as new ministers Tony Graham and Gareth Lloyd try to break down the boundaries between Christians and the wider community.
“We’re putting sofas and bar stools in the basement to have a relaxing evening and learn what the Bible’s about,” said Mr Lloyd.
“Drinking isn’t a sin but people from other generations think of it as so because of alcohol abuse and the bad consequences that can come of it. Forty or 50 guys will be here, studying the Bible with a pint of beer in their hand.”
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