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Monday, August 16, 2010
Antoine Dodson: from local news item to internet sensation
Antoine Dodson's furious outburst on a news channel after a sex attack on his sister turned into a viral YouTube video and inspired a hit song.
Now he is making the most of his fame.
Full story here.
Now he is making the most of his fame.
Full story here.
Man finds sexy panties inside dumpling snack
A man in Ghana says he couldn’t believe his eyes the moment he unwrapped a snack and discovered a woman’s G-string stuffed inside.
Isaac Ato Nzeh, a 33-year-old professional cameraman, found the shocking surprise when he tried to prepare two Fanti kenkey he purchased a day earlier from a local food vendor. Fanti kenkey is a traditional Ghanian corn dumpling that is commonly sold in a ready-to-cook, raw form as fermented maize dough wrapped in plantain leaves. It’s usually served with a vegetable stew or soup.
He says when he unwrapped the first ball of kenkey, he noticed a piece of fabric sticking out of the leaves of the second kenkey, but assumed it was a “rag” that accidentally got wrapped inside. But when he peeled away its leaves and saw provocative green-and-black panties “folded neatly” under the dough, he was stunned. He says it was the “shock of his life” and became so disturbed by the sight, he lost his appetite.
Since launching a complaint, a food administration board confiscated the panties and kenkey and are now investigating the matter. Some locals believe the mishap occurred “by mistake” because kenkey is commonly prepared by women at night, however others insist its significance could be a spiritual omen.
Isaac Ato Nzeh, a 33-year-old professional cameraman, found the shocking surprise when he tried to prepare two Fanti kenkey he purchased a day earlier from a local food vendor. Fanti kenkey is a traditional Ghanian corn dumpling that is commonly sold in a ready-to-cook, raw form as fermented maize dough wrapped in plantain leaves. It’s usually served with a vegetable stew or soup.
He says when he unwrapped the first ball of kenkey, he noticed a piece of fabric sticking out of the leaves of the second kenkey, but assumed it was a “rag” that accidentally got wrapped inside. But when he peeled away its leaves and saw provocative green-and-black panties “folded neatly” under the dough, he was stunned. He says it was the “shock of his life” and became so disturbed by the sight, he lost his appetite.
Since launching a complaint, a food administration board confiscated the panties and kenkey and are now investigating the matter. Some locals believe the mishap occurred “by mistake” because kenkey is commonly prepared by women at night, however others insist its significance could be a spiritual omen.
Zebras in custody after fleeing from home
A pair of zebras created problems in Sacramento County on Saturday evening.
Dispatchers received calls of a zebra on the loose in the area of Manzanita Avenue & Fair Oaks Boulevard around 7 p.m. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies and animal control officers soon realized there were two animals running around the area.
One of the animals evaded deputies and startled onlookers and motorists for about an hour. It was located inside a pool in an apartment complex on El Camino Avenue.
The second zebra was injured after it was struck by a car and located hours later. It is expected to be okay. The animals appear to have escaped from their owner's home where they are kept as pets.
Video.
Dispatchers received calls of a zebra on the loose in the area of Manzanita Avenue & Fair Oaks Boulevard around 7 p.m. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies and animal control officers soon realized there were two animals running around the area.
One of the animals evaded deputies and startled onlookers and motorists for about an hour. It was located inside a pool in an apartment complex on El Camino Avenue.
The second zebra was injured after it was struck by a car and located hours later. It is expected to be okay. The animals appear to have escaped from their owner's home where they are kept as pets.
Video.
Elderly man with walker robs bank then makes slow getaway
A speedy getaway is usually critical for bank robbers, but perhaps not for an elderly British Columbia man who this week held up a bank - and while using a walker. While no weapon was produced, the 75-year-old told staff at a Prince George Bank of Nova Scotia that he was armed. Staff surrendered a small amount of cash and the robber made his getaway as RCMP were called at around 11:45 a.m. on Friday.
The suspect was described as a Caucasian male weighing about 230 pounds. He was wearing a straw hat, white T-shirt, grey jogging pants and dark glasses - and he was using a walker that many rely on for mobility. Prince George RCMP spokesman Gary Godwin said the man was apprehended approximately 45 minutes later in the same suburban strip mall where the bank is located.
The man is in custody while police investigate the decidedly unusual case. “It’s not every day you get a 75-year-old male on a walker holding up a bank,” Godwin said. “We’re looking at all the circumstances that are involved.” He said the man is known to police. Godwin, who has just retired from the RCMP after 25 years and has 36 years of policing experience, has never seen as elderly a bank robber as in this case.
But he said staff did the right thing in allowing the man to leave the bank even though they never saw a weapon. “You never know what you have on the other side of the counter,” Godwin said. “If he says he has a weapon, the best thing is to give him what we wants. Err on the side of caution is what we teach.”
The suspect was described as a Caucasian male weighing about 230 pounds. He was wearing a straw hat, white T-shirt, grey jogging pants and dark glasses - and he was using a walker that many rely on for mobility. Prince George RCMP spokesman Gary Godwin said the man was apprehended approximately 45 minutes later in the same suburban strip mall where the bank is located.
The man is in custody while police investigate the decidedly unusual case. “It’s not every day you get a 75-year-old male on a walker holding up a bank,” Godwin said. “We’re looking at all the circumstances that are involved.” He said the man is known to police. Godwin, who has just retired from the RCMP after 25 years and has 36 years of policing experience, has never seen as elderly a bank robber as in this case.
But he said staff did the right thing in allowing the man to leave the bank even though they never saw a weapon. “You never know what you have on the other side of the counter,” Godwin said. “If he says he has a weapon, the best thing is to give him what we wants. Err on the side of caution is what we teach.”
Glass-bottomed hot air balloon makes maiden flight
Wicker baskets never feel like the safest material to hold you when soaring through the skies – but at least you can’t see through them. If you want a truly heart-stopping ride, take a trip on the world’s first glass-bottomed hot air balloon, which took its maiden flight on Thursday.
Photo from SWNS.
Floating high above Bath in Somerset, lucky passenger Jo Chambers had just 5cm (2in) of glass separating her from, well, nothing. ‘It was absolutely incredible and offered a beautiful view,’ said the 31-year-old, before adding what she really thought: ‘It was unnerving and the basket creaked slightly, which was slightly disconcerting.’
The Palletways Dragon balloon was the brainchild of pilot Christian Brown, who has 18 years’ experience flying balloons but still thought the flight was a ‘terrifying experience’. ‘We’ve done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we’ve actually taken to the skies unaided,’ he said.
‘Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet.’ The balloon was designed by Shropshire-based Lindstrand Balloons and flew to mark the start of the 2010 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. It is hoped the balloons will be more widely available next year.
Photo from SWNS.
Floating high above Bath in Somerset, lucky passenger Jo Chambers had just 5cm (2in) of glass separating her from, well, nothing. ‘It was absolutely incredible and offered a beautiful view,’ said the 31-year-old, before adding what she really thought: ‘It was unnerving and the basket creaked slightly, which was slightly disconcerting.’
The Palletways Dragon balloon was the brainchild of pilot Christian Brown, who has 18 years’ experience flying balloons but still thought the flight was a ‘terrifying experience’. ‘We’ve done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we’ve actually taken to the skies unaided,’ he said.
‘Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet.’ The balloon was designed by Shropshire-based Lindstrand Balloons and flew to mark the start of the 2010 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. It is hoped the balloons will be more widely available next year.
Farmer dowses partially bald cow with factor 50 suncream
A cow which suffers from a skin condition causing partial baldness is being dowsed in factor 50 sun cream twice a day to prevent sunburn. Harriet the heifer was born premature and as a result was left with a condition which leaves large areas of her head and torso bald. Keepers at Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard, Somerset, have been lathering the one-year-old cow with sun cream twice daily.
They have issued a desperate plea for donations after going through a bottle of factor 50 every two days to keep the beast protected from the sun. Animal manager Naomi Clarke said: ”Harriet really suffers in the sun due to her condition and we’re doing all we can to protect her.
”But it’s costing us a fortune, we’re plastering lotion on her first thing in the morning and mid afternoon to protect her from the mid-day sun. We’re hoping her skin condition will have cleared up by next year but in the meantime we are desperately in need of any left over sun cream from people’s holidays.”
Harriet was donated to the farm in June after she was bullied by cows at her previous farm because of her skin condition. Since then, keepers have forked out on over 30 bottles of sun cream in a bid to protect her during the blistering summer. Naomi added: ”We think she was probably bullied because she was born premature but we have a lot of misfits here so she fits right in.”
They have issued a desperate plea for donations after going through a bottle of factor 50 every two days to keep the beast protected from the sun. Animal manager Naomi Clarke said: ”Harriet really suffers in the sun due to her condition and we’re doing all we can to protect her.
”But it’s costing us a fortune, we’re plastering lotion on her first thing in the morning and mid afternoon to protect her from the mid-day sun. We’re hoping her skin condition will have cleared up by next year but in the meantime we are desperately in need of any left over sun cream from people’s holidays.”
Harriet was donated to the farm in June after she was bullied by cows at her previous farm because of her skin condition. Since then, keepers have forked out on over 30 bottles of sun cream in a bid to protect her during the blistering summer. Naomi added: ”We think she was probably bullied because she was born premature but we have a lot of misfits here so she fits right in.”
Trees could be cheap alternative to speed cameras
Trees could provide a cheap alternative to speed cameras after a pilot scheme found that they be used to encourage drivers to slow down. Motorists who travel down French-style avenues feel as though they are going faster and are more likely to slow down. More than 200 trees were planted on the approach roads to four rural villages in north Norfolk which had a history of speeding problems.
The experiment was carried out by Norfolk County Council at a cost of £70,000, funded by the Department for Transport. Provisional results found that drivers reduced their speed on the roads into Martham, Horstead, Mundesley and Overstrand by an average of two miles per hour. "It's a good result for what is a very cheap method," said Stuart Hallett, Norfolk's casualty reduction manager.
Norfolk Country Council had hoped to reduce speeds on the villages' approach roads by two to three miles per hour and to cut accidents by 20 per cent. By strategically planting trees along the roadside the driver's perception of speed can be altered. As the car approaches the village the trees are planted closer and closer together giving the impression that the vehicle is moving faster. This encourages the motorist to slow down. The trees were planted in March this year and are seen as a environmentally friendly alternative to unpopular speed bumps.
Road safety campaigners however, were concerned that the "green" approach to speed control would only affect the behaviour of conscientious drivers. Ellen Booth, campaigns officer for Brake, said: "Although this project is interesting and has some very good points it isn't a match for replacing speed cameras. It doesn't deal with enforcement and is unlikely to influence the driver who is deliberately speeding and only concerned about losing their licence. This type of project is likely to help with people who unintentionally creep above the speed limit. I would argue that speed cameras are much more cost effective and they bring in revenue for central government. They are a deterrent to all drivers rather than just a few."
The experiment was carried out by Norfolk County Council at a cost of £70,000, funded by the Department for Transport. Provisional results found that drivers reduced their speed on the roads into Martham, Horstead, Mundesley and Overstrand by an average of two miles per hour. "It's a good result for what is a very cheap method," said Stuart Hallett, Norfolk's casualty reduction manager.
Norfolk Country Council had hoped to reduce speeds on the villages' approach roads by two to three miles per hour and to cut accidents by 20 per cent. By strategically planting trees along the roadside the driver's perception of speed can be altered. As the car approaches the village the trees are planted closer and closer together giving the impression that the vehicle is moving faster. This encourages the motorist to slow down. The trees were planted in March this year and are seen as a environmentally friendly alternative to unpopular speed bumps.
Road safety campaigners however, were concerned that the "green" approach to speed control would only affect the behaviour of conscientious drivers. Ellen Booth, campaigns officer for Brake, said: "Although this project is interesting and has some very good points it isn't a match for replacing speed cameras. It doesn't deal with enforcement and is unlikely to influence the driver who is deliberately speeding and only concerned about losing their licence. This type of project is likely to help with people who unintentionally creep above the speed limit. I would argue that speed cameras are much more cost effective and they bring in revenue for central government. They are a deterrent to all drivers rather than just a few."
Children force-feed diabetic coma mum sweets to keep her alive
Two young children have been hailed heroes after saving their diabetic mother’s life – after feeding her their sweets. Quick-thinking Guy Hill, aged 10, and sister Olivia, three, leapt into action after mum Georgina fell into a diabetic coma. Georgina, 33, collapsed at home minutes after husband Aaron, 42, went to work leaving her with the two children. Guy found his mum slumped semi-conscious on her bed and with his toddler sister the pair began feeding her their sweets.
Because of her condition she kept trying to spit the sweets out but the two children forced them into her. They then poured sugar into her mouth and as her blood-sugar levels rose Guy used his mum’s mobile to ring his dad who called an ambulance. Georgina, of Exmouth, Devon, recovered and the couple say their two children are ”real heroes”. Aaron said: ”Guy was concerned that his mother had not got up so he sent Olivia upstairs to see if everything was all right.
Photo from here.
“She saw that her mother seemed unconscious and came back to tell her brother. He tried to call me but couldn’t get through. He then tried to get my wife to take some sweets to get her sugar levels up. She was in no fit state and kept spitting them out but they kept at it and together managed to get some into her. They are real heroes, lifesavers.” Guy said: “I managed to give her some sugar and Olivia helped too with sweets. I managed to find a phone to call Dad. I suppose we were with mum for about half an hour, I don’t really know how long.
“We stayed with her and managed to get her talking and to behave a little better but I was still pleased to see dad arrive.” Dr Adrian Midgley, the family’s GP, said Georgia could have died if the children hadn’t acted. He said: “Well done, Guy and Olivia. They did exactly the right thing. Children are very good at understanding such situations and it is well worth talking to them about such matters. If mum feels numb and vague, that is the time to act, get something sweet inside her.”
Because of her condition she kept trying to spit the sweets out but the two children forced them into her. They then poured sugar into her mouth and as her blood-sugar levels rose Guy used his mum’s mobile to ring his dad who called an ambulance. Georgina, of Exmouth, Devon, recovered and the couple say their two children are ”real heroes”. Aaron said: ”Guy was concerned that his mother had not got up so he sent Olivia upstairs to see if everything was all right.
Photo from here.
“She saw that her mother seemed unconscious and came back to tell her brother. He tried to call me but couldn’t get through. He then tried to get my wife to take some sweets to get her sugar levels up. She was in no fit state and kept spitting them out but they kept at it and together managed to get some into her. They are real heroes, lifesavers.” Guy said: “I managed to give her some sugar and Olivia helped too with sweets. I managed to find a phone to call Dad. I suppose we were with mum for about half an hour, I don’t really know how long.
“We stayed with her and managed to get her talking and to behave a little better but I was still pleased to see dad arrive.” Dr Adrian Midgley, the family’s GP, said Georgia could have died if the children hadn’t acted. He said: “Well done, Guy and Olivia. They did exactly the right thing. Children are very good at understanding such situations and it is well worth talking to them about such matters. If mum feels numb and vague, that is the time to act, get something sweet inside her.”
Councils pay for prostitutes for the disabled
British taxpayers' money is being spent on prostitutes, lap dancing clubs and exotic holidays under schemes designed to give more independence to the disabled. One local authority is using its budget to pay for the services of a prostitute in Amsterdam, while others have said visits to lap dancing clubs are permissible under new policies which transfer funds directly to those who receive care from social services. Holidays abroad, subscriptions for internet dating and driving lessons have all been funded by the taxpayer under a national initiative introduced by the last Government.
The £520 million scheme promised to give elderly people and those with disabilities more control over the care they received, by passing on cash so individuals could choose the services they needed, such as home help, or mobility aids. Exotic holidays, internet dating subscriptions and adventure breaks, as well as visits to sex workers and lap dancing clubs have been permitted under the system. One local authority has agreed a care plan including payment for a 21-year-old with learning disabilities to have sex with a prostitute in Amsterdam next month. His social worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said social services were there to identify and meet the needs of their clients – which, in the case of an angry and frustrated young man, meant paying for sex.
Another care worker said staff at her council had been told that trips to lap dancing clubs could be funded, if it could be argued that it would help the "mental and physical well being" of their client. In response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, four local authorities describe themselves as "condoning" the payment of sex workers by disabled clients, using money transferred from their budgets. Other councils said they took no moral judgement about the use of funds, but said care money could be spent on anything, as long as it was not illegal. Paying for sex is not against the law but soliciting sexual services, kerb crawling and paying for sex with women who have been coerced into prostitution is.
In Greater Manchester and Norfolk, councils say payments to social care clients can be used to pay for internet dating subscriptions. In the course of 12 months, one man with mental health problems from Norwich received a holiday in Tunisia, a subscription to an internet dating site, driving lessons, and expensive art materials. Department of Health documents describe how the man received the funding on top of his state benefits, after suffering from psychiatric problems when his wife asked for a divorce. In the report on his case, the man says he needed "some time out, some rest and a change of scenery" after suffering marital problems and says the break in Tunisia with a friend was cheaper than a week in institutional care.
The £520 million scheme promised to give elderly people and those with disabilities more control over the care they received, by passing on cash so individuals could choose the services they needed, such as home help, or mobility aids. Exotic holidays, internet dating subscriptions and adventure breaks, as well as visits to sex workers and lap dancing clubs have been permitted under the system. One local authority has agreed a care plan including payment for a 21-year-old with learning disabilities to have sex with a prostitute in Amsterdam next month. His social worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said social services were there to identify and meet the needs of their clients – which, in the case of an angry and frustrated young man, meant paying for sex.
Another care worker said staff at her council had been told that trips to lap dancing clubs could be funded, if it could be argued that it would help the "mental and physical well being" of their client. In response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, four local authorities describe themselves as "condoning" the payment of sex workers by disabled clients, using money transferred from their budgets. Other councils said they took no moral judgement about the use of funds, but said care money could be spent on anything, as long as it was not illegal. Paying for sex is not against the law but soliciting sexual services, kerb crawling and paying for sex with women who have been coerced into prostitution is.
In Greater Manchester and Norfolk, councils say payments to social care clients can be used to pay for internet dating subscriptions. In the course of 12 months, one man with mental health problems from Norwich received a holiday in Tunisia, a subscription to an internet dating site, driving lessons, and expensive art materials. Department of Health documents describe how the man received the funding on top of his state benefits, after suffering from psychiatric problems when his wife asked for a divorce. In the report on his case, the man says he needed "some time out, some rest and a change of scenery" after suffering marital problems and says the break in Tunisia with a friend was cheaper than a week in institutional care.
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